Mel_Rose

It's only heavy-handed if you know what's coming.

^ *shrugs* I liked the changes. Didn't expect it, but I caught myself enjoying the new Sansa storyline.

7/10 I found it a little too bit too scattered to enjoy properly (I guess it can't be helped as season opener, but still). I had also spent ages lurking on the speculation boards and knew exactly what was going to happen and half of the dialogue, which didn't help. Didn't see the purpose in Missandei/Grey Worm's scene and Brienne's was powerful and beautiful acted but so brief and felt jarring. I really liked the last scene with Mance: he was great; crazy Selyse smiling when he was burning was horrifying; Jon doing the Last of the Mohican thing was touching. (I had completely forgotten how things had happened in the books). I like seeing the characters from different storylines interacting. If I hadn't known that Lancel was a Sparrow, I wouldn't have recognised him at all.

I totally agree with you. Actually I realized that the only reason I was confused about no-Stannis was because I expected Stannis due to reading this forum and people being sure that Stannis will appear. The battle is not over, the synopsis is clear about Stannis appearing in ep.10 but I guess nobody focused on that. If I had no expectations, then I'd have no problem with the ending. It was underwhelming but clearly a "To Be Continued" ending. It was a great episode, I teared up with Grenn and the others reciting the vow and drawing swords; that tracking shot was awesome; overall I loved it and I'm not a fan of battles and fighting.

I used to believe that we'll see Jon's election in the finale, but it seems unlikely to me now. Esp with where Arya's story is, and the Cersei + someone conversations we haven't seen. So I reckon elections might be moved to premiere or early eps of season 5.

That's exactly what I got. There are no discernible reasons that people die when and how they die. As i mentioned in another thread, if one were to stand in Hades, they'd see dead people as far as they eye could reach. A condemnded man is pondering the meaning of life and death.

You mean, it bored you. Wouldn't say that's the same for everyone. Many people I know enjoyed it. I personally liked it a lot.

:agree: on both counts It was horrific, just horrific, the sight of the head and the screams... the ep ended and I was so hypertense I didn't know what to do with myself. So, ahem, well done show.

I think it was similar in the books: she kept getting goatherds coming with their burnt animals, until one them wasn't an animal :( I had the impression that it was LF's plan to cement the argument against Sansa, effectively making her his hostage. If there was any doubt she was involved in Joffrey's death, she could escape the Vale. If she leaves the Vale now, she faces certain death as a traitor. Her hands are tied, she is imprisoned. I liked the episode a lot with the exception of Yara's scene. I am one of those that enjoyed Craster' keep as it provided 2 interesting developments: Bran making Hodor kill, and Jon shining as a leader which will help his transition to Lord Commander. Yara/Asha scene basically told us that Theon is totally Reeked. Perhaps it will make sense that she decides to go for the throne herself in the Kingsmoot, seeing as how her brother is lost. I do like this season's long sequences of one storyline/location. Edit: The way Oberyn is killing it acting-wise I think at the end of ep.8 the devastation of the Unsullied might even equal RW or Ned's death.

I haven't read the last 15 pages of the thread, so don't know if anyone's already suggested it, but I think one of the reasons we saw Craster's keep was specifically to link them to the Others - to see the women chanting "gift to the gods", be reminded about what happens to male craster babies and basically for all of that to lead us to the Others location and revelation about what happens to the babies. In my eyes, the ending (which I thought was awesome) is not a spoiler. A spoiler spoils a plot development: Joff is poisoned, the Freys kill Robb etc. What is the spoiler? An unnamed son of Craster dies/is turned into an Other? I suspect (and of course I could be way wrong) that this information about them might not be in the future books (whose POV is going to show us that?) but it could be info in the World of Ice and Fire book. So it's more like background information available, rather than future plot events. However, the implications of this revelation raises this question: since Craster's boys become Others, what does that imply about Gilly's baby who's currently at the Wall?

:agree:

I gave it a 10. The only thing that bothered me was Shae, but Book!Shae has been annoying for ages now that I'm kinda used to it - it's like having around a family member that you don't like but have to put up with. Love Oberyn and Ellaria's chat with Tywin and Cersei. Loved the wedding. Super-loved the dwarves' play - much better than in the books where Tyrion was the sole target. One skit to offend them all :p It was great to have all those glances at people looking concerned (Varys, Oberyn, Tywin) or humiliated (Tyrion) or enraged (Sansa, Loras) - or amused (Cersei). Great work. Good stuff from Theon and Ramsay and Roose; Selyse and Shireen; Bran's vision. So, in short, excellent episode :)

It prob has been mentioned but many viewers think Stannis is p***whipped since he decided to sacrifice Gendry after one death.I too think it was wrong to make him ask for the sacrifice after one death. It's like Davos said, it's a war, kings die. They should have waited at least for Balon's death. I guess they wanted to end the series with some closure and new direction for the Stannis storyline.

C'mon, it was a budget thing, peaches were expensive at time of filming :drunk:

I gave a 9. Most of the episode I loved: - Robb-Wind (well, not loved, more like was horrified and prob shed a tear, but loved that they showed it) -The Rat Cook story and emphasizing (finally!) the importance of guest right. -Arya and Valar Morghulis and how she saw Robb-Wind -Joffrey being horrible and still wanting to torment Sansa - Seeing Walder Frey again. Ramsay and Reek. - I actually liked the Sansa and Tyrion banter. Might not be book-accurate but I suspect the writers wanted to (mis)lead viewers into thinking that the couple might eventually get along, only to have their expectations come crashing down when Sansa hears about the RW. So yeah, many cool stuff there. I was a bit wtf with Shae and Varys. I really don't get what purpose this scene served. Jaime's return was quite underwhelming as was the finale. I didn't get how they went from "the city is yours" last episode, to "we didnt sack the city". Ehm, so what happened then? I do believe ending with UnCat would have given viewers the same wtf moment that I felt as an unsullied when Season 1 and 2 ended. But hey, whatever.