yushkevitch

If it wasn't apparent in my response, let me clarify I thought the scene was fine overall. It did move the story along and likely confirmed my own belief, going back how GRRM left her in her last scene in ADwD, that she'd be reunited with the Dothraki and take them across the Narrow Sea as her new army. I did understand why some viewers may have felt the scene was unrealistic - or perhaps too convenient - however, I was making the point that just because the situation in the temple was just right for her plan, it doesn't necessarily mean she had only one way to accomplish her goal. Once she got in there and saw her plan could work and moved forward with it. Had things not been ideal (lanterns moved, Dothraki spread out, etc.) she may very well have abandoned her original plan and tried to win them over, rather than killing them. Again, we'll never know, but personally, I had no problems with how things played out.

I do agree the scene was a bit of a stretch, and so many things had to go right. But if Dany walked in there and the lanterns weren't lit, or had been moved, or the Dothraki were not all seated conveniently together, can we assume she wouldn't have gone with Plan A? We'll never knew if she had a Plan B, but it is fair to say she only talked the way she did because the situation was just right for her bonfire.

I imagine many of the "1s" were people that, for example, were heartbroken there was no LS. So their response is to go back and find fault in everything else about the episode to mask the rage they feel that something they desperately wanted didn't happen (or at least happen the way they expected). Kind of like a child who doesn't get the gift he wanted for Christmas so he destroys the rest saying they're all crap. No, that's wrong, some fans are *exactly* like a child who didn't get what he wanted for Christmas.

You must be new here ;) The ASoIaF fanbase (or at least this forum) is full of faithful who hate on just about everything the series does differently from the books. And the non-appearance of LS in many ways made me happy less because I simply didn't want her to appear than because I knew it would send a lot of fans into a complete meltdown. (Too bad there are no vote-downs on this forum, I think I'd have a few by now...) :)

7. Like GRRM said, they need a few more episodes per season to do the story justice. This last episode felt rushed in all the wrong places. What I LIked: - No Stoneheart. I said many times I didn't think she'd make an appearance - not this season and perhaps not at all. But everyone peer pressuring me and insisting she just HAS TO BE IN THE SHOW, won me over. I feel vindicated. - So why did the Hound get that bite if it didn't end up being relevant. Ah, the writers had a surprise for us .. a duel with Brienne. Well played even if the scene overall didn't work, for me at least. - Stannis' arrival was properly epic - Jon/Mance's tent talk was well done - Arya stole the show again, mostly just from staring emotionless as The Hound begs her to finish him off. What I Didn't - Too rushed overall - Shae/Tyrion scene had so many plot holes. If she believes Tywin is nearby (or say, his guards) why not scream for help? And I still have a hard time believing Tywin would have sex with a whore who was sleeping with his son. Just not very Tywin-like - but that's GRRM's fault not the show writers :) - So Bran travels all that way (pretty quickly it seemed) to chat with a guy in a tree who says he'll fly. I don't know about you, didn't get me all that excited about where Bran's story is going. Wonder what Unsullied viewers felt? And on that last note, I felt that this season would turn some show-only viewers off as this is was where the story starts to drift. And nowhere is it more relevant than in the finale: Tyrion jumps on a boat, so does Arya, Dany leashes her dragons, Stannis ... well, not sure what he's doing at the Wall, and the most hated bad guys (outside Ramsay) are now dead. Oh and the White Walkers are STILL on their way (since S2E10 mind you...)

I try to rate episodes based on it's own merits, not based what I expected or wanted to see as a book reader. So I'm clearly not part of the "Where was Stannis?" crowd, many of whom clearly gave a bad rating simply because their hero didn't make an appearance... So, judging the episode for what it was - basically a 1-hour action scene - it was extremely well done. I'm too tired to post all the points I liked but I thought the scale of the wall, the fight scenes, the pacing, the choreography, even most of the dialogue were spot on. And thankfully the Ygritte dying scene didn't stretch on. I am very happy she's gone forever. Solid 9, maybe only the 2nd time I've given that high of a score this season.

Rating this episode aside for a moment, I'm curious how Unsullied viewers are going to feel about the show as this season wraps up. You all know of Pavlov's dog I'm assuming, well how can any viewer let themselves get attached to a character after we repeatedly see them die in shocking, brutal fashion? There's a line I think for most viewers and GRRM may be getting close to crossing it.

So does Missandei + Grey Worm (either as reunited family - likely - or lovers - less likely) mean the Unsullied won't be joining Dany in her eventual trip to Westeros? I'd argue her reunion with the Dothraki means Dany is about to leave everything and (almost) everyone behind in Meereen. As the leader of the Unsullied, if Grey Worm is convinced by Missandei to return to his original home the other Unsullied may do the same .. and therefore wraps up those characters' stories nicely while trimming the herd so to speak for Dany's journey across the Narrow Sea.

So more people voted 10 than any other score? I guess it's just as I've been saying all along: People fall so completely in love with a show they simply cannot be objective and some of the posts in this thread clearly verify this again. Even a few people pointed out several (and some more than several) major things they didn't like but still gave it a 9! As for me, I gave it a 7. Most of it was so-so as lots of time was spent on relatively unimportant side stories (that yes, do have bigger consequences down the road, but on their own, right now, yawn), - Arya/Hound, brief but good as always. - Sansa/Littlefinger was done well but again, not really gripping me in terms of the overall story. - The duel was the best scene for me, I was surprised they made as brutal as they did but kudos for tackling it head-on (pun intended) but preceded by an over-long beetle story by Tyrion. - Hey, have you heard Mance is probably moving on the Wall. I can imagine Unsullied viewers thinking "Yeah, but the White Walkers have been marching since S1 and they're not there yet either..." - Dany/Jorah. Again, fine, but since we knew he was a spy already the scene lacked dramatic impact. So a solid, unspectacular 7. I'm hoping the last few episodes really pick it up.

He was brilliant as usual but I don't see an Emmy for him unfortunately - at least not this year. He'll likely be the sentimental favourite (no, not because of *that* .. okay, a little because of that, rather due to Tyrion being such a tragic and insanely popular character) but if the voters look past that they'll certainly agree the award belongs to McConaughey..

I gave it a 9 based mostly on the trial. I think it was masterfully done, the rising drama, Tyrion snapping and of course the final "twist" of him asking for a trial by combat. Powerful stuff. The raid buildup was well done (didn't we almost forget about Yara) and although I confess I wasn't a fan of Alfie Allen's Theon, or early Reek, he was brilliant this episode. Great acting. But ... for some reason something occurred to me watching Cersei. Does she really believe Tyrion did it or is he just her scapegoat? I ask because unless she truly believe he is guilty I would think a mother who loved her children (even Joffrey) as much as she did would not rest until the real murderer was found?

While the episode may have seem slow to some it did move the story forward in a few very significant ways so I gave it an 8: 1) Dany isn't coming to Westeros any time soon. 2) Bran and Jon won't meet, the little guy will keep heading north. 3) Littlefinger marries Lysa and a little more of his plan his revealed. 4) Marg will marry Tommen. 5) The Iron Bank is dangerous and Tywin is clearly intent on repaying them. On the other hand: 1) Another odd couple adventure with Brienne and Pod. For me, her chapters in the books were the hardest to get through: (She's looking for a girl and we all know she's looking in the wrong place. Make that "places", a LOT of places.) The show isn't making it much more bearable, just shorter. 2) Oberyn's story this season started of with a serious bang (he's in KL for revenge). Now he's attending weddings, writing poetry, having heartfelt discussions with Cersei in the gardens. Yeah, I know where his arc is headed, obviously, it's just the path to get there sucks the life out of the amazing aura he created in one brief scene with Tyrion.

http://towerofthehand.com/blog/2014/05/01-review-oathkeeper/index.html

Love this tidbit from a review of the episode at TotH, speaking of the final Night's King/Baby scene: "After the initial, superficial thrill of horror wears off, this week's closing scene reveals itself as the laziest trick of all; a cheap, cynical shock ploy that says nothing and means nothing aside from expressing the writers' desperate desire for continued viewership." Btw I completely agree with the entire review. He nails it. The author does a great job of getting past the hype and admonishing the writers for a lazy effort and some poor scripting, a growing trend this season. If you loved this episode see if you still agree after reading that (I assume you know where to find it :))

I think some of you have are so enamored with the show you've lost all sense of perspective and objectivity. Browsing through some of the responses of those that loved this episode I am left shaking my head. Are you the same people keeping that abomination of a show The Walking Dead on air? :stillsick: A few examples: - Glowing about Chapman's acting as Tommen. People, all he did was sit in his bed and look shy. Really, that's not Emmy award winning stuff there. - The scene at Caster's was brutal. Nimm's response (a few above mine) is bang on. It was way too much and the brutality was not necessary. Unless this plot arc has huge implications that we don't know of we didn't need to see all that. - The chemistry between Pod and Brienne. I must have missed something there, they were together all of about 15 seconds and the only interaction between them was Pod calling her "sir" (or "sire", or whatever). I'm sure they'll be great but let it happen first :) - Littlefinger, the man who is constantly scheming behind the scenes decides to tell Sansa - the person he's done his best to show he's a conniving weasel - that he murdered the king. People, Petr didn't get to were he is by flapping his gums and bragging. He works in the shadows, he keeps his true intentions hidden. He doesn't tell some 13-year-old (or she 14 now? 12?) his whole master plan. I'm glad they dealt with the mystery of Joff's murder in one respect but this scene didn't make any sense. On the plus side the surprise ending with The Others was, well, a surprise. Though I would be much happier if we got an update on the army of them that's been strolling south since S2. They could probably use Google Maps.:)