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It does make it less though. If the last shot of this episode was triumphant music playing while Stannis proudly charges through his line of knights having just saved the Wall, it'd be stuck in viewers minds all week and would be a massive talking point and memorable moment. Now, it will more than likely be lost in the fray of one of the most noteworthy-moment packed episodes in TV history. Having it next week doesn't make the actual action of Stannis arriving there less cool, it will just affect the way it sticks in viewers' consciousness.

They will be replaced by Stannis's presence at the Wall for a time, probably Davos's presence at the Wall for a time, members of Stannis's army, wildlings that become increasingly important (Tormund, etc.) Was sad to Grenn and Pyp go but the Wall will have plenty of players next season.

Dany's dragons being chained up is probably the 5th or 6th most dramatic thing that will happen next episode. If it is last I will finally join the anti-D&D fan club. I'd take Bloodraven/CotF, Tyrion/Shae, Tyrion/Tywin, Stannis, Stoneheart all over that ending in a heartbeat.

It's not working for you, but it is for the record number of watchers who have made it the biggest show in HBO's history with an ever growing fan-base.

Because Thorne will likely die from his wounds or be otherwise incapable of leading the NW any longer. Jon was incredibly heroic and competent throughout the episode, apart from a single 30 second sequence. They traded dramatic effect for realism. If you think that completely annihilates his character and his leadership credentials, you're nuts, especially in the company of other men with just as many if not significantly more faults.

I'd sincerely like others to suggest episodes of television that were more epic in scope, with more impressive visual effects, showcasing more action across multiple fronts. At times I forgot it was even an episodic television show I was watching. The Giants, Mammoths, the Scythe chopping down people on the Wall, aerial views, long-takes of fighting, etc. were all absolutely top notch. That giant storming down the tunnel while Grenn and the other NW recited their vows. Epicness.

It's almost comical how the only direwolf action we get each time they're involved in a fight is a .5 second shot of a direwolf leaping from off screen and tackling somebody out of frame. I completely understand it's due to budgetary/practical reasons, but it's still disappointing that we see so little of them. Everyone I was with literally cheered when Sam opened the door to see massive old Ghost sitting there ready to fight, then he kills one guy, and is never seen or referenced again. I guess it could be implied that him being released had a big part in turning the tide of the battle going on in Castle Black. I'm sure he ate his share of faces.

Because Donal Noye wasn't introduced in the show whatsoever and it's much more fitting to have a named, well-known character go down dying a heroic death than a couple of extras.

You mean aside from the fact that Jon literally said the wildings will keep coming back and there's no way we'll be able to stop them?

In terms of pure scale and the entertainment value of the action, I'd put this episode over Blackwater by a considerable amount.

To be fair, they took his most epic moment of the entire series through 5 books and instead of allowing it to be the climax of it's own episode, it's now going to be the 4th or 5th most memorable part of a different episode. Odd decision.

Unbelievably epic episode with some of the best battle action and CGI you're ever likely to see on TV. That said, I think we're all shocked Stannis didn't get his epic reveal to end it. Instead they're shoe-horning him in with the 5 or 6 other big moments next episode where his arrival will get lost in the fray.

Solid point. I suppose it was more the reaction of the Knight of the Gate then that put me off. Seemed to be little to no surprise/reaction to the announcement that one of the most sought-after people in the entire Seven Kingdoms had just arrived at the Eyrie's doorstep.

7.5. Wanted it to be an all-time classic and yet I found myself somewhat let down by the end. That said I think my expectations may have been a bit unrealistic. I'm now hoping/expecting the next two episodes become the classic, jaw-droppers.

Trying to find the best way to express all my reactions so I'll just quickly break it down by segment: The Duel: One of my 3 most anticipated scenes of the season (with Stannis' arrival and Bloodraven/CotF introduction being the other two). I wasn't thrilled with how it played out but the more I think about it the more I can make peace with it. My expectations were probably a bit unrealistic given how epic and incredible the book passage is. Not enough lead-in time. That Tyrion/Jamie beetle conversation should have been trimmed by 2-3 minutes to give the Oberyn/Gregor scene more time. Oberyn was too playful for the beginning of the fight. This is a moment that he's waited for, for two decades. He would never be smiling and laughing into the crowd while slinking around. The choreography itself was pretty decent. Major props to Pedro Pascal for getting pretty damn adept with that spear and his movement. The Mountain was a bit too oafish for my taste but I absolutely realize how hard it is to choreograph a fight like that so I know I'm probably being greedy wanting it to have been longer/even more involved. That death though, my f'ing god. One of the most disgusting/disheartening things I've ever seen on TV. I wanted to see it depicted on screen so much after having read it, but when the moment approached, I really wanted to look away. Ellaria's scream made it so much worse. Man. Sansa/LF: Totally wasn't expecting the Sansa reveal and yet I suppose it doesn't really bother me all that much. Sophie Turner's proven to be a great actress at least. Littlefinger being so vulnerable this early on was jarring though. And as an utterly inconsequential nitpick, I didn't like Bronze Yohn's portrayal. Nowhere near as bad-ass or intimidating as I expected. Arya/Hound: The Hound so plainly revealing his and Arya's identities felt very off. Struggling to understand why it was inserted into the show. Meereen: Grey Worm/Missandei was very emotional and very well-acted, but took too much time for such a minor plot point. I thought Jorah was terrific in the banishment scene and Dany was decent, which is a major improvement from her normal blah acting. The Wall: I liked this scene between Jon and the NW brothers. It reminded us a bit about Grenn, Edd, etc. before we'll get to see them all in action during what should be an epic Episode 9. Also reiterated just how badly the odds are stacked against them. Mole's Town: A bit too "generic wildling slaughter" for my liking. The decision to have Ygritte spare GIlly makes sense in a "Emotional Viewer Manipulation 101" way for her impending death, but was a bit odd considering her emotionless slaughter of everyone up to that point. All in all, I was expecting a 9/10 or 9.5/10 and instead felt it was a 7.5/10. The duel was good to great but I suppose it could never quite live up to the book for practical reasons. I've seen Oberyn's death twice now after re-watching the episode and never plan to watch it again (shudders). Here's to a strong finish to the season with so many potentially incredible, memorable, awesome TV scenes in the next 2 episodes.

8/10. Really great but not flawless. Didn't love the Arya/Hound/Rorge/Biter stuff (super anti-climactic and a bit awkward) and the Eyrie stuff could've used a bit more time, but most of the big scenes were absolutely terrific. Tyrion/Jamie. Tyrion/Bronn. Tyrion/Oberyn! Lysa meeting the moon door. The Hound's story. Expecting an utterly epic last 3 episodes.

The insane and unrealistic expectations of some people here are quite comical. Worst acting yet on the series? Unwatchable? If you don't like the changes they're making to the source material then by all means don't watch, but both of those statements are insane. Tyrion/Oberyn was terrific. Tears in both of their eyes as Tyrion contemplated the depth of his family's deep-seated hatred of him while Oberyn is tender one moment and bad-ass the next. Perfect. Oberyn was such inspired casting. So what if the Mountain doesn't seem to be the most promising actor ever (which is a large conclusion based on one line)? He's a one-dimensional character anyway, made special solely by his size and how evil he is. He will have a handful more lines at most in the remainder of the series, so the guy doesn't need to be Laurence Olivier. He's suitably huge and suitably formidable. "Only Cat" would've been cool but absolutely nothing was lost in meaning with the way they did it. 99+% of the viewership has absolutely zero attachment to that particular line so it's utterly unimportant in the grand scheme of the show. All of the Eyrie scenes could've benefitted from more time for sure but they worked just fine regardless. One of the three best eps of the season so far, imo.

I'd stay Stannis arriving this season is 99.9999999% confirmed.

Aegon.

I think it's just a prelude. Lull Dany and viewers into thinking that the next time someone brings bones wrapped in a cloth before her, it's just another sheep -- when in reality, it's a child.

In my opinion probably the best written and acted episode of the season thus far. Very, very good. Positive stand-outs: -Davos being awesome, per usual (really hoping we get his "Vengeance" speech to the Manderlys at some point) -Oberyn being awesome, per usual (he's been so pitch-perfect in the role that all my initial casting concerns seem like a distant memory) -Varys once again given considerable screen-time (have to think his conversation with Oberyn is a big hint towards Aegon/Jon Connington next season) -A great trial scene all-around, with Peter Dinklage absolutely nailing it -Hizdahr being a potentially more well-rounded character than he is in the book. Could really stand to help make a lot of Dany's decisions even more easy to scrutinize. -Alfie as Reek and Iwan as Ramsey, both perfect. Questionable moments: -Mark Gatiss' acting was terrific as the lead Iron Banker/Tycho, but it didn't feel "Braavosi" to me. No accent, no ethnic distinction from Westeros, no flair. Felt like the scene could've taken place anywhere really. -Stannis' negative qualities still being played up while positive attributes almost non-existant. Episode 9 can't come soon enough. -The uneventful fight at the Dreadfort.

How could so many people be confused as to which bones those were? There was a freaking goat head, huge horns, and some fur! I'm assuming by the end of the season, another person will come forth with bones, Dany will assume it is another goat, and it will be revealed to be the man's child.

My friends and I started a YouTube comedy channel a while back. We're all also very big GoT fans, with 3 of us being fanatic book readers as well. Some of our upcoming videos will be GoT-related. The first of these was just posted if anyone's interested. I'm not the guy in the video so feel free to wail away, hah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwP6qcw2cQ0 (GoT vid) https://www.youtube.com/neworiginalscomedy (Channel Home Page)

While it's certainly a logical conclusion to draw from what we've seen, are we imagining that the show will deviate from the books in that regard? I'm trying to figure out how or why Jojen would run into Mel unless he got up the strength to make that long a trek and for some reason sought Melisandre out.

Jojen was easily one of my favorite parts of the episode, tied with Lysa and Sansa. He captures the graveness and the mysteriousness of the character well. Really excited for them to reach the cave now -- the visions of it are very beautiful.