How would you rate episode 501?

[HexMachina]

For me at least, a 6.9 average is about right, as I gave it a 7. A 7 to me says it's not a standout episode, but it's decent enough. But, of course, everyone has their own standard by which they vote; my standard for 7 might be someone else's 5, for example. So, I try not to take these figures too seriously, although they are still nice to have

[Hot Meat Pie]

Only 423 members voted so far? Wow I had expected at least 5,000 votes by now.

[Aderyn]

Gave it 8. Wasn't the best they've delivered but on the other hand didn't want to be too critical about the first ep.

[tarafdori]

This season is more interesting because you don't know everything what will happen as a book reader. I voted 8. Episodes 2-4 are easily 9-10.

[Ser Creighton]

Jon Con,

I have averages for all episodes. The lowest rated episode after this one is "Breaker of Chains" from last year, the episode that featured the infamous Jaime-Cersei sept scene, and that got a 6.98. Personally, I thought that episode was rated too critically because of poor direction and editing decisions.

Just watching your video review of episode one. You and Linda were stuck on the Gold Company right around 23 minutes. Yes they have been mentioned on the show by Davos, and when Stannis was in Braavos he contracted them, that is who he road with at the battle of the Wall. So yes Stannis has the Gold Company with him.

[SliverOfDiamond]

I scored it a 3. I found it a real let down. Boring even.

[AdmiralKyrd]

Just watching your video review of episode one. You and Linda were stuck on the Gold Company right around 23 minutes. Yes they have been mentioned on the show by Davos, and when Stannis was in Braavos he contracted them, that is who he road with at the battle of the Wall. So yes Stannis has the Gold Company with him.

Spoiler'd due to being off the OP topic, but it bears clarification:

They never mentioned Stannis actually got the Golden Company in the show, hell, or the loan for that matter - it's only inferred. What we know about the show!GC and Stannis' loan is this:

a) A loan is inferred being granted to Stannis due to Davos giving gold to Salladhor Saan.

b) Salladhor is presumably rehired. Davos tells him they will sail together, and he left a chest of gold with his wife. We haven't seen him since.

c) Bryan Cogman, I think, said that they intended Stannis' loan to be provisional - just enough to keep him going. The Iron Bank was not so moved by Davos' speech they gave TeamBaratheon a blank check. It was just enough to keep the fight going in case something happened to the Crown so they had a backup plan.

d) In The Wheel trailer, there might be sellsword coins on Stannis' block army map, but we can't tell for sure.

e) Stannis had a lot of soldiers on horseback in 4.10, so he's probably hired some sellswords, whoever they might be.

WIth regards to the specific GC scenes, there are two. Both in S4.

Davos advocates to Stannis they should hire sellswords. Stannis is taken aback by the idea of hiring people to fight. Davos says the GC has never broken a contract. Stannis thinks the idea is ridiculous. Davos calls him out on his double standard with blood magic being okay, but paying men to fight is wrong. I think this is where Davos talks about needing "soldiers win wars, soldiers on the ground" and it being "dirty on the ground."

It's also funny to note that in 3.10, remember how Davos gives Stannis the raven scroll from CB? In Davos' argument on why Stannis should keep him alive, he says (paraphrasing from memory) "You'll need me to rebuild your army for ya, someone to bring pirates and sellswords to your side." And Stannis had no problem with hiring Salladhor's men back in S2, so... *Shrug* It feels like they forced these lines in for a reason.

Jorah also mentioned the Golden Company later in S4, I believe in the scene where Hizdahr/Daario are to be sent to Yunkai. He says he fought for them for awhile after he was exiled.

[Martini Sigil]

I gave it a seven... I'll need a re-watch though... I wasn't totally awake

[jr8zeppelin]

Here's my review of The Wars to Come!

http://www.ign.com/blogs/jr8zeppelin/2015/04/14/game-of-thrones-season-5-epsiode-1-the-wars-to-come-review

Let me know what you think!

[Hot Meat Pie]

I guess a lot of people actually didn't like season 5 debut

Edited April 15, 2015 by Jon Con

[Count Balerion]

I gave it an 8, but could just as easily have given it a 7. I don't think I've ever given anything lower than 7, which I gave to an otherwise pretty good episode because of the infamous crypt scene even though the same episode also had an excellent Tywin-Tommen scene IIRC. This episode was mostly pretty average stuff, without a lot of excitement, although some things that were set up in the episode might be interesting later. There is also a partly understandable tendency to jump about a lot between very short scenes.

Things I liked: The opening scene was pretty decent. Some amusing dialogue between Varys and Tyrion. Some of the Daenerys stuff, especially the dragons. KL was OK.

The Wall seems actually to have gotten better. Good scene between Jon and Mance.

Things I did not like: Brienne is rather rude. Loras: blergh.

Dubious: Jaime sounds a lot like… Cersei. Yunkai allowing former slaves on the council? The Sansa scene was good in itself (albeit very short); but aren't they leaving the Vale rather precipitously? I guess the characters jump about too.

[Lyanna<3Rhaegar]

Solid 8 IMO

Loved Tyrion as always

Jaime & Cersei were good

Margaery: "Perhaps." ! Loved it!

The flash back was amazing.

I disagree with the poster above about the Jon/Mance scene. I think Jon was a good negotiator. What else could he have said? Mance kneeling would have been preposterous.

No Arya this episode :(

Brienne & Pod: I don't know I just don't like them together.

The Vale scene was ehh.

[Sultan of Westeros]

8. Very good for season opener only dislikes are no arya and brienne being pissed scene. Tyrion/Varys scenes were best along with wall.

[Ran]

Surprisingly, slightly downward trajectory continues: 449 votes, 6.89 average, 6.97 when the top/bottom 5% are removed.

For those wondering, the least voted episodes were in the first season, with an average of 290 votes and a peak of 401 (note: I haven't gone and double-checked this since I collated last year; doubtless a vote or three has trickled in since).

S2: 515, peak of 914

S3: 825, peak of 1270

S4: 656, peak of 840

Hard to say whether the turn out for this episode is a result of a declining trend in voting participation on the forum. Traffic and sessions on the forum remains virtually the same to where it stood last year, and is higher than it was two years ago.

Possibly reasons: general dissatisfaction with the show not making it "must watch" TV any longer for members who were eager in previous years, people moving to other fora to better suit their interests and/or feelings about the show, dissatisfaction with this episode in particular not leading to people feeling motivated to vote, or (and I think this likely the main part of it in this case) the connectivity issues we had after the episode aired preventing discussion and early voting.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Ran

[Rusty Winchester]

Watched it twice now, nothing in it really grabbed me. Went with a 6, just due to a lack of memorable moments in my mind. I've expected to enjoy the show more, as it diverged from the books, but just hasn't happened for me. I don't know if that's just book > show snobbery on my part, or if the writing quality doesn't entirely live up.

On a side note, I'm shocked at how many people like Daario better since his recasting. I never particularly liked him in the books (probably in part because Dany chapters don't do a whole lot for me in general), but in my mind, his personality was always metal head. The original casting I laughed out loud when I saw him, while he didn't look as described in the books, but it was like they'd shipped him straight out of some Norwegian death metal group to be in the show. His casting actually turned me around some on the character. Recast Daario is just another boring generic guy, he has no personality. Love or hate Daario, the guy was supposed to be bold, to stand out. New Daario has all the charm and personality of a high school math teacher.

[Talking Hodor]

Yeah, Melisandre totally wants some of that sweet Snow cone.

Better watch out Jon, or Stannis will stab you in the back at the end instead of Bowen Marsh.

[LadyFionavar]

I am a bit late to the thread and to the website. First post here.

7/10

Good start to the show. It was a "put people in place and time" sort of episode and that isn't a bad thing after being off a year.

Varys/Tyrion. They could just have their own show for my likes.

Da Dragons = da awesomeness.

Young Cersie - badass from the womb it appears.

So long Mance. I think he should have bent that knee, but also agree he would have lost the Wildings at that point. He took one up the fiery arse for the team. And Jon Snow. He knows something!!

Why is it that immediately after each show I am SO ready for the next episode? I don't want it to end. There is something to the saying "leave 'em wanting more". Well done D & D and HBO!! It works on me.

This board doesn't seem to be the "Hi I am a noob" sort of place, but well...

HI I AM A NOOB. *sits back down and thumbs worn copy of ADWD* :bowdown:

[Ser Creighton]

I am a bit late to the thread and to the website. First post here.

7/10

Good start to the show. It was a "put people in place and time" sort of episode and that isn't a bad thing after being off a year.

Varys/Tyrion. They could just have their own show for my likes.

Da Dragons = da awesomeness.

Young Cersie - badass from the womb it appears.

So long Mance. I think he should have bent that knee, but also agree he would have lost the Wildings at that point. He took one up the fiery arse for the team. And Jon Snow. He knows something!!

Why is it that immediately after each show I am SO ready for the next episode? I don't want it to end. There is something to the saying "leave 'em wanting more". Well done D & D and HBO!! It works on me.

This board doesn't seem to be the "Hi I am a noob" sort of place, but well...

HI I AM A NOOB. *sits back down and thumbs worn copy of ADWD* :bowdown:

Welcome to the forum, and Mance should of bent the knee. He may of lost respect, but the thing is this is life and death, and at the very least Mance was given the option to go north of the wall and present the Wildlings with a choice. It's not like they have to take it, but at the very least he could of given them the option. Because of his singular position among the Wildlings, the guy who can walk among all the tribes without a problem he had the chance work this problem faster than almost anyone.

Sure he may have failed and Stannis may have killed him anyway but at the very least the Wildlings deserved to know they had a choice and should of been free to make and not have Mance make it for them. Jon is correct in pointing out you can save thousands of lives and not doing so is a mistake. To which Mance basically says yep it's a mistake but I want to make it anyway. He is ok with giving himself the choice to make mistakes but does not afford his own people to make the same choice, he makes it for them. Because he cares. Mance does not have to order them to do anything, all he needs is to present them with a choice. The same deal Stannis presented to him.

[Bluetiger]

8/10

Starting with 5.

+1 for young Cersei & Maggy scene

+0.5 for Ser Davos, Stannis, Mel and Jon interactions

+1burning of Mance scene

+ 0.5 for Kevan ( I've feared that he'll be cut ), Lancel & Cersei scene

[Wildling Finn]

8/10

Overall very enjoyable episode with many good scenes even if it was a little all over the place and (as season-openers often do) pretty much just put the pieces on the board so to say.

+ The Wall. From Jon and Olly sparring to Jon giving the mercy of quick death to Mance, pretty much everything was great. I'm really enjoying the atmosphere of so many interesting characters in Castle Black. And Ghost!

+ The pyre. Already said the Wall, but I must give this one scene extra plus. Ciaran Hinds did amazing job, and the way everyone's reaction was shown was great, excellent ending for the episode.

+ Meereen. Last year Meereen was 'meh' throughout the season, but this episode was really promising. Falling of the Harpy look good of course, and I really loved the brothel scene, perfect way to introduce the Sons of the Harpy and remind that Unsullied are still human. Daario and Dany post-coitus was pretty good also, and yeah can't say that I wouldn't have enjoyed seeing the dragons too.

+ Flashback. Nell Williams nailed young Cersei and I don't really have problem with Maggy either even if she wasn't as froggy as in the books. It's been pointed out that we saw only two of the questions in this scene so I hope there will be another flashback scene later this season.

+ Tyrion and Varys. There wasn't much of them, but it was funny and good.

+ Cersei, Kevan, Lancel. Also Loras' "What a force to be reckoned with." :rofl:

- Pod and Brienne. Their scene really didn't get me "hyped" for what's to come for them.

- Littlefinger/The Vale. Sweetrobin's fighting was pretty funny and I liked Yohn Royce and the confident Sansa. However Littlefinger leaving The Vale with Sansa this early in the season is kinda meh. And as I know where this is going it really just feels that LF's plan is stupid.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Wildling Finn