Rated this episode a 6. The show is losing the depth it had. Fantasy and melodrama are replacing good writing and storytelling.
I hate hackneyed sentimentality. Daenerys commanding Jorah to go find cure was at 90's Disney movie level sentimentality. Atrocious writing and acting imho.
I understand that magic is part of the deal, but the last scene devolved into a superhero movie. I was waiting for the incredible hulk to jump in and save the day. The spider zombie types crawling along the ceiling at same pace as the souped-up-roid-rage-running zombies and all that burrowing through the roots of a tree annoyed me so much (permafrost!!!). It detracted so much from the scene. Never mind those bloody fire ball things. Also, why were they faffing around the cave greenseeing when they knew the white walkers were coming? Why didn't Bloodraven warn Bran about being touched by the Night King?
There were plenty of positives. The growth of Sansa for one, the appearance of more Stark character flaws was great. Bran killing Hodor to save himself was dark, although he better show some bloody guilt later. The mummers play was fantastic, Arya's reaction is setting up a major Stark vs faceless people dilemma.
It is hard to accept that the show is not what it was/could be. Maybe it is being tailored to a broader audience now. I'm not sure if it is down to the lack of book content and poorer writing as a result, if it is a deliberate attempt to grow ratings, or something else. But accept it I must. It is still easily better than 95% of current TV.
