The hairy bear

So for you a 7=watchable? I expect much more from GoT, and for any show that I watch. If it's only "watchable", I think that we should be devoting our time somehwere else. I agree with you when you say that it was a tall order. The adaptation of this particular part of the book's material was a complicated task. But, as I see it, what they've done with it is a very bad work.

I've given it a 2, and I still feel generous. By far the worse episode of the series so far. Absolutely nothing in the episode worked for me. No character acts rationally. The only plots that would get a pass are Tyrion+Jorah, and Arya. Everything else ranged from the bad to the really awful. We are only at episode 6, but it seems very difficult to believe that this season won't end being the worse of the first five.

You are right, I missed Tyrion in my count. So its KL, Wall, Winterfell, Dorne, Braavos, Mereen and Tyrion. Still, seven storylines are fewer than we were used to. For instance, if we compare to season 3: 1) King's Landing (Tyrion, Cersei, Tywin, Sansa)* 2) Robb's campaing (Robb+Cat+ Talisa) 3) The Wildlings (Jon+Ygritte) 4) The Night's Watch (Sam+Gilly) 5) Bran+Rickon+Osha+the Reeds 6) Dragonstone (Stannis, Davos, Melisandre) 7) Dreadfort (Theon+Ramsay) 8) Brienne and Jaime 9) Arya 10) Astapor and Yunkai (Dany+Jorah) *It's also worth considering that the KL in S5 is much more focused (in Cersei vs- the Tyrells) than in S3, where there where multiple subplots.

Yes, there are fewer storylines. A lot of the ones we had in the previous seasons have converged by now. Basically we have Jon+ Sam and Gilly + Stannis' team on on side, and Sansa+the Boltons+Brienne on the other. Together with King's Landing and Mereen they make the for major storylines of the season. And then we have Braavos and Dorne. I don't think the show has had only six storylines since season 2 or 3.

I didn't found this episode a great one. There were some weak parts, and the good parts were rushed. But as a poster says in the ratings thread, it must be acknowledged that Cogman does a great job in "wiping someone else's shit". It's not easy having to include scenes with the romance of Missandei and Grey Worm, making Dany decide to marry Hizdar out of the blue in a single episode, convert Myranda from a random naked whore to a character that was supposed to marry Ramsay,... Many of the weaker parts would have benefited from a better planning/writing in previous episodes, so that that less ground would have to be covered in a single episode. He always also manages to include a quota of book lore/background that really fleshes out the setting. The conversation about Randyll Tarly, or the story of Roose's rape of Ramsay's mother, were excellent inclusions.

I've given it a 6. If I were to rate by storyline, Mereen would get a 4 (Dany's execution of the noble was too random and cruel, and I was tired of Grey Worm+Missandei from their first scene), the Wall a 6 (Ok, but no more), Winterfell and Valyria a 7.

Talking Hodor, The preview for the next episode, already up at HBO.com, sheds some light into what you are saying.

I've rewatched the scene again and I still think it's a good, plausible coreography. It's hard to get the exact count, but there's about 24 Sons of the Harpy against 7 Unsullied + Barristan. A 3,4 ratio are nearly impossible odds. The unsullied are fighting in a narrow alley where the unsullied have little space to use their spears. They are trained to fight in formation, but now being attacked from both sides and without time to organize a defense. During the first seconds of the fight, using their higher numbers and the element of surprise, the SotH kill two unsullied. And of course the spear is a terrible choice whe you are patrolling streets. As shown several times during the fight, once your spear gets stuck in an enemy, you can get killed easily. Certainly there are instances when some SotH are "standing around", not daring to attack Barristan or Grey Worm, and waiting for their colleagues to to the work for them. I don't think that's unrealistic at all. Who wouldn't hesitate to approach someone who has just single-handedly killed half a dozen men?

I was torn between a 7 and an 8, and at the end I've decided to be generous. After all, I had been complaining for the lack of backstory for four years, and this episode has been almost overstuffed with it. Littlefinger+Sansa and Barristan+Dany were both great, although it would have been better if the two conversations would have been placed in different episodes. Stannis and Shireen was well done, and the final battle was one of the best choreographed fights in the show so far. The ridiculous intrdouction of the Sand Snakes was the weakest point by far.

It's been a very difficult one to vote, for me. Most of the episode was fine, and the Wall sections were particularly well done.I would have given it an 8, in normal conditions. However, the marriage of Sansa and Ramsay makes absolutely no sense at all and requires all character involved to act illogically and the viewers to disconnect their brains. It's, as I see it, such a serious blunder that I've ended giving the whole episode a 6. I'm sure, from now one, Sansa being in Winterfell and taking Jeyne's place will certainly provide us interesting and exciting situations. But if they wanted to go that route, they should have made up a decent explanation for it.

I predict that this trend of lower average ratings will continue through the season, for two reasons: Most of us who rated the first seasons were in awe for the scale of the production and the greatness of the cast. Now we take this for granted, and when we rate we mainly base our vote in the quality of the writing. Probably, if we were to update the ratings of the earlier seasons now, they would be substantially lower. It seems to me that some of the most passionate fans about the show may have left this forum and have gone somewhere else. I'm refering to those that tended to give all the episodes a 10 (or at most a 9) , and called "purist" to anyone who disagreed, and I think I'm seeing less comments of this kind lately. It's just my impression, but it may be backed by the fact that this season's polls are having about a hundred votes less than in past seasons.

I've given it a 6. It owuld have been a 5, but the acting and the visual effects for Drogon added a whole point. Nothing really wrong with this one, but also nothing really good. The introduction of Dorne was bland, the election of the Jon as LC felt rushed and laked epic, the triming of Arya's list or the changing of Lord Stokeworth to Lady Stokeworth were yet another messes with the show's continuity. Dany's scenes were OK, but it was basically the remake of Lord Karstark's beheading.

The decision is most likely made at this point. As we speak, they are already writing the scripts of S6, and they have decided what will be included and what not. So, since they have only left material for the final season, I don't think it's feaseible to strecht it to two whole seasons. The most I can see is an extended last season aired during two years (as with Breaking Bad or Mad Men). That's a very interesting idea. I think it's a likely possibility!

Totally. And they would have reached perfection if they had also filmed the two scenes in the Maltese villa from the first season (the first in the "bath room" where Dany and Viserys were introduced, and the second in the balcony by the sea).

A 7 for me. I think it's the best season premiere since the first, but still there were some issues. The high points were the initial flashback (very well written and acted) and the closing scenes. And I would have given a whole point more if they had rought back Illyrio and the same Maltese set from S1 for that one scene. It's a shame they didn't do it.

My suggestion would be to avoid subpages when possible, and explain it as a reference as it has been done in the Brynden Tully article. As you say, narrowing the interval of a birthdate is not theorizing, so it can go inside the text of the main article.

I agree that the Years After Aegon's Conquest has grown way too much (and is due to grow even further with the publication of the World Book), and it is time to create individual pages for every year (as in wikipedia). I may try to work in this during summer, if no one else does it before. As per the theories on the birthdates of countless characters, they'll probably be better placed in their charaters' wikis.

Several reasons, actually: 1) The Hound shouldn't be free and able to meet Brienne, since in the last episode he loudly declared that he had Arya Stark as a prisoner while surrounded by soldiers. 2) Brienne attitude towards the Hound and Arya, and her willingness to start a fight without resorting first to negotiation or convincing, was stupid and out of character. 3) Once Arya is missing, Brienne or Pod not going to look where the Hound is, is stupid. 4) A random meeting beween Brienne/Pod and Hound/Arya is just to random. It's a huge world, and the chances would be infinitesimal. The Hound is a criminal on the run: he should be hiding. 5) If they wanted to use the fever as an excuse for the Hound losing against Brienne, they should have mentioned it sometime, or make it more obvious.

Well, I wouldn't say that this has been the worst season, but it has been the one that has disappointed me the most. Or, in other words, the worse one in relation to the source material (the second part of ASOS is easily the best part of the saga so far, and the series have been unable to capture its greatness).

This episode is one of my hugest disappointments in the whole show. I expected great things of it. I truly believed that they'd get it right. If I had to rate based on my feelings right now, I'd give it a 3. Trying to udge the episode on itself (and trying hard to avoid judging by the expectations that were created, and the fact that a finale should be better than that), I'm giving it a 7.

Sorry to be that guy, but shouldn't the median be 9?

I gave it an eight. It's the highest mark I've given this season, shared by a couple episodes more. It was a fine action episode with excellent direction, but still, I don't think it deserves a nine.

I've given it a 7, although I'm not sure it deserves it. Certainly, if I were to judge on the basis of my expetations or the comparison to the books I would give it a far lower figure. I feel that they've turned one of the most memorable moments of the books and turned it into something that was no more than OK. I was uninterested in Grey Worm/Melisandre and beetles. Not that those were was scenes per se, but I was uninterested. The highlight, for me, was Sansa's "confession". She alone saved one whole point of my episode's score. IMHO, it's far more ridiculous to give it a 10 or even a 9. I really wonder if people giving this episode a 10, are giving a 10 to most (if not all) of the episodes. I can understand that some people like it, even like it a lot, but can anyone really believe that this is the best that GoT (or TV in general) can offer?

A very solid 8. Close to a nine, but the scenes with Gregor, Dany and Arya were rather weak. The Eyre scenes were 8 material, and everything with Tyrion was a ten. The best episode of the season.

That's exactly why Ran gives the normalized average, and that's why this is the figure we should take into account. If you take away the extreme 5% in both sides, at the end it doesn't matter if I drop a -3 or a -6. As an example, if we take away the 5% of the votes in last episode, we take away 26 votes on each side. That means that we do not consider anyone who voted 1 (3 votes), 2 (6 votes), 3 (6 votes), 4 (8 votes), and part of the 5 voters (3 out of 36). Meanwhile, we also do not consider part of the ones who voted 10 (26 out of 36). At the end, the average is only affected by people who voted between 5 and 10. Makes perfect sense. Surely. And also, surely, there's people who love the series and (conciously or subconciously) give the highest ratings to every episode ignoring its flaws. At the end, the average is what it is: a measure of how much an episode satisfies the posters. If there are fans who get pissed because they'd like the story to stick with the books, it should reflect that. If there are fans who are already salivating when they hear the GoT tune, or give extra points for every naked chick onscreen, the rating should reflect that too.