TheWhiteRabbit

LOL at all you sour grapes!!!! Reading your reviews you would think this episode was complete garbage, but the ratings look pretty great to me.

I wouldn't knock it because of the ending. They cut it short to make the finale INCREDIBLE! Why would you give a bad rating because Stannis isn't in the episode? It's not like they cut it. THEY JUST HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO IT YET!

The book was definitely better, but I question whether a true adaptation would have worked. First, how ominous can you make the episode before you completely give it away that something bad is going to happen? For example, when I read the books I knew from the moment Greywind tried to attack the Frey that something very bad was going to happen. Also, you put it really beautifully about the struggle of Robb's men to protect their king, but would that work for the show? They never really made any of Robb's fellow Northmen prominent enough in the show for the audience to have any type of investment in them by the time the Red Wedding came. And I don't know if I can blame them, because there's only so much time you can spend on each character. It was easier to make Talisa the focus than a few commanders. I would have liked it the other way, but as I've said all day it was another change that didn't really bug me that much.

You know I think knowing the source material affects us all different. I have never minded, and actually quite enjoyed knowing the source material before watching it on film/tv. Maybe I feel protective of the show, because I watched season 1 before I ever knew about the books--finished books 1-5 before the start of season 2 lol. But knowing what's coming kind of hypes things up for me, because I know when something is about to get very, very good. Plus it's just nice to be watching characters interact on the screen and you know all their backstory and future the second you see them. I think it's actually quite awesome! Plus it's pretty cool to be the person that the unsullied can come to whenever they have questions. BINGO! That's what I was trying to say. It's just a great mix of everything. Maybe the show is not the best at one single thing, but its epic size and scope more than make up for it to me.

I guess I enjoy Game of Thrones, because there's nothing else like it on TV. The great episodes are just very entertaining. When it's good it doesn't even feel like a TV show. The fantasy elements, size of the cast, different locations make it epic in size. It's pure escapist entertainment, and overall I enjoy it enough to give the writing mistakes a little pass. And the character development for the most part is still there. Most of the actors are top notch. So I find little to not enjoy about the show. On the other hand The Wire will always be a more socially important show than Game of Thrones, but for me it's not as enjoyable to watch as GOT for the reasons stated above.

I agree with your points, but I guess those writing mistakes don't bother me as much. I enjoy Game of Thrones more than The Wire. Maybe that doesn't mean it's better, but if I had to choose one or the other it would be GOT. The Sopranos is probably still my favorite show of all time, but I don't even know if it's fair to compare Sopranos/Wire to Game of Thrones. It's like apples to oranges. I wouldn't compare a George R.R. Martin novel to a Cormac McCarthy novel. Was the writing in Sopranos/Wire better than Game of Thrones? Absolutely. But Game of Thrones is fantasy and it's a sprawling epic, so I don't take it as seriously and enjoy it more than the Wire, and quite possibly Sopranos. That's probably why I'm able to appreciate it more, and why it's one of my favorite TV shows ever.

Ya these last two episodes will be utterly insanely awesome! I'm actually more excited for the finale this season! I agree there have been mistakes. I'll also concede there have been changes from the source material that don't make too much sense. I just think there's a difference on how upset/disappointed/frustrated some people get from those changes. Personally, it doesn't upset me that much, because overall I believe the final product is still some of the best television that's ever been produced. The only time a change from the source material made me furious was the House of the Undying in the S2 Finale. The imagery from that chapter, even if they didn't include the prophecies, would have been incredible to see on TV.

From reading the reviews of these episodes over the the last few seasons it's pretty obvious that there's a pretty large consensus on these forums that the writing has gone down hill big time since the first season (which I don't agree with). Also, there's always a few comments of people so frustrated with the show that they're given up. What I find pretty amusing is if people on these boards represented the entire viewing audience the show might be in trouble of getting the axe lol. That's the only conclusion I can make considering this season is currently ranked 3rd out of 4 seasons by episode average. Thank the gods it's the complete opposite outside of these boards. Most people I talk to enjoy this season the most, and thankfully Season 4 has broken all previous Game of Thrones ratings records and is about to surpass The Sopranos as the most popular HBO show ever.

Ya I completely agree. FX and musical score are important too. It seems like some people rate the episodes like the academy awards. They think about the acting, writing, FX, editing, etc, and then give a rating. Other people put a ton of weight on the writing, which I agree is very important, but IMO maybe some people put too much weight on it or are overly critical. Again IMO the writing hasn't deteriorated rapidly, and as someone said there's only really been one throwaway scene this season. I understand though that others see things completely differently. What's interesting is that people could read our responses and they'd probably wonder if we're watching the same show.

I must have been doing this too and not realizing it! Most of my ratings are between 7-10. I only give a 7 if I feel it's very underwhelming or if they screwed something up that I felt strongly about. But that typically only happens once or twice each season. This season I've mainly given out 9's with at least two 10's already.

I'm shocked that it's currently ranked 3rd out of 4 seasons. That's just plain bananas.

Wow that's crazy. This forum really is full of sparrows!

Man I'm shocked by the 7.99 average rating for season 4. Well maybe not too shocked considering many on this forum. It's like George's books are the seven pointed star and the majority of people here are sparrows, devout to the bone. However, as a book reader, and someone whose favorite book of all time is a Storm of Swords I think season 4 (at least through episodes 1-8) has been the best season. I'm sure a lot of the unsullied would feel the same way. Maybe it's just me though.

Well I just changed my 9 to a 10 because I loved the beetles!

Hope you're right

That's fine for you, but if he was purposely planning on not finishing the books (which I don't believe) then he would be a narcissist at best. And I didn't say he WAS lazy or distracted, just that if things are going to drag out it makes more sense that laziness or distraction were responsible not a master plan to achieve immortality at the expense of breaking readers' hearts.

Watching the episode again. Just noticed Allister order barrels of pitch to be placed atop the Wall. Those will come in handy!!!

Another episode filled with amazing acting and dialogue. I really loved it.

Awesome episode. The worse thing about this episode was learning next week's episode wasn't coming until 2 weeks! 9/10--best season ever!!

I still think, so far, this is the best season through six episodes.

This wasn't a perfect episode. I originally gave it a 9, but after watching it for a third time and still being blown away by Dinklage's performance I had to give it a 10.

I wanted to give it an 8 after the weird Yara rescue/retreat scene, but Peter's incredible speech was probably the best Tyrion scene of the entire series, so I had to give it a 9.

Just because it's the weakest of the season doesn't mean it was bad. I think this has been the best first half of any season so far. Episodes 1-4 were all 9's or 10's IMO. We were due for a kind of average affair. Just by viewing the promo I can already tell next week will be far better: trial, Yara vs. Ramsey, etc.

Kind of an average episode honestly. I was going to give it a 7 until the awesome ending, so a very generous 8. Definitely the weakest EP of the season. Can't wait for the trial next episode! EDIT: it deserves a 7 lol

To be fair that line was used in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. When Ron's dad was talking to Harry about the disappearing cabinets he said they were all the rage back when you know who was in power.