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[Poll] How would you rate episode 506


How would you rate episode 506?  

769 members have voted

  1. 1. What's your rating from 1-10, with 10 being the highest/best

    • 1
      139
    • 2
      42
    • 3
      60
    • 4
      51
    • 5
      70
    • 6
      67
    • 7
      96
    • 8
      131
    • 9
      56
    • 10
      57


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All I have to say about the episode is this: please, George, we need Winds of Winter. I want to enjoy A Song of Ice and Fire again, not cringe every time I watch the world you painstakingly created portrayed with such little justice or fidelity. I'm not one of the regulars over in the rant and rave threads, either. I used to really love this show. This season has been weak, though, and this episode was a turning point for me and for my unsullied wife. She is beginning to see that something is off this season, and with this episode it's now wildly off the rails. I hope they are able to come back, but without the books to guide them, I fear the HBO show won't be able to pull this story off in a remotely coherent or satisfying way. They've turned ASOIAF into Starz' Camelot, but with rape, one dimensional interchangeable female characters, more tropes, gay stereotypes, clumsy and slow plot development, and heavy-handed foreshadowing.



Please, George, write!



(Voted 1 for the first time)


Edited by Dormund of Ruddy Hall
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This could have been a 9 or 10 if it hadn't been for the last 10 minutes. As it is, I can't bring myself to rate it. I'm going to talk about the stuff I liked so I don't have to think about what I didn't.


- All Arya's stuff was excellent. Sufficiently spooky and mysterious; they're really nailing her arc.


- Dorne was actually quite fun. They've cast Myrcella well. I'm pretty sure Bronn is doomed though, they drew specific attention to a cut he took from one of the Sand Snakes. He'll be dead by Episode 8.


- Littlefinger. I'm impressed. I was really sceptical as to how he was going to make this work, but they revealed that he actually does have a plan in this episode, and a pretty good one to boot. Not sure how he manages to deal with the Lannisters once he's got Winterfell, but I'm sure he's got something. The only flaw is that he still really should have done some research on Ramsay.


- Tyrion and Jorah. I have a few gripes still about the way Tyrion is being portrayed (we're getting none of his sick, sadistic humour from ADWD) but the general trajectory of the arc is good.



As for the rest... No, I can't do it. I can't even speak about it. I think I knew it was coming but... Just no.


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Gave it a 7

Dorne is the worst part to watch & it's so frustrating because it could have been good.

Jaime & Bronn just a couple of clowns -bad bad writing Sandsnakes could have been awesome if they had their book personalities

Cersei getting away with that crap in KL When is the High Sparrow coming for her? LITTLEFINGER??? Just keeps going along making a new fool every day. He certainly did a number on Sansa. Why did she trust him.?

Best acting is Alfie Allen amazing !

Roose acting like he has no clue.

the Wall is in trouble hey let's all gang up on Jon fricking Wilding lover,

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3. That Dorne fighting scene must be the most awkward, stilted action scene I've ever seen. I appreciate that Cogman continues to write in more material/backstory from the books, but he's burdened with a backlog of some horrifyingly bad inventions and it's sad to see how that affects everything now. Like a butterfly wafting sulfur.



The most painful thing about watching the show go downhill is how much acting talent they're wasting. Some of the people they've cast are absolutely perfect for the part, but the writing and production betrays them.


Edited by aeon-dead mysteries
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7/10. I gave 8/10 to the first four episodes, and 9/10 last week. The Joran and Tyrion parts were good; I also liked most of King's Landing, although I was expecting a hint that Cersei's scorpion is about to lash out at her. I'm glad that the early birthmark scene turned out to have some value. I like how Littlefinger's plans make a bit more sense now. Braavos was fairly good, but man, the strains around the initial five-year-gap plan and later abandonment of it sure show a lot more in the TV show than in the books.



The Dorne parts aren't working, although I don't feel they worked particularly well in the books either. Both factions seeking Myrcella arrive at exactly the same time?! The fight scene choreography didn't impress me at all. And all these armed warriors get directly into the kingdom's inner sanctum without facing any opposition?!



I am very confused about what's happening in Winterfell. Sansa's decision for revenge, sure. Her decision to go along with some kind of plan that involves marrying into and tricking the Boltons into ... something, I'm fine with that. But the forwards and backwards, the one week actively pursuing a goal, the next week unwilling victim of her fate, that I don't get at all. The scene with Myranda was OK - hey, Sansa DOES have some intelligence and clout! But the rest of the episode, it was like she had no control over her fate at all. If there's a scene near the end of the season where Sansa reveals the plan she's had all along, this will have been somewhat redeemed, but for now ... it just doesn't make sense. If she's playing them, why isn't she using her courtesy armour and being all sweet and docile, with an occasional sly smile for the benefit of the audience? But if she's not playing them, what on earth is she even doing there?!


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Overall I liked it, and while I've been trying not to pass judgment on Dorne too quickly, I have to say it was just.... Disappointing. Also what's with the rolling green fields of Dorne? :dunno:



The Sand Snakes were just over-hyped and did not deliver at all. It basically played out like "For Oberyn!" *two minutes later* "Drop your weapons!".... "Dang it!". It was just all a bit naff. Also it puts show Oberyn's teaching skills up for debate....



King's Landing scenes were fine, probably more interesting than they've been in quite a few episodes. Was happy to see Olenna back again.



Jorah & Tyrion on the road, as expected, was really good. Love those two together.



Everything at Winterfell, basically what I expected. Drawn out and unpleasant.



I ended up rating it a 7, which was me being generous because I'm hoping things will still pick up.


Edited by Tori Targaryen
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All that seems to matter in this episode are those last minutes. I've been able to stomach most of what "Game of Thrones" has thrown--the flaying, Ned's execution, Robb's death, stabbing a pregnant Talisa, so forth and so on. I've got to admit this time that hearing Sansa as Ramsay 'has his go at her' was pretty rough. I knew it was coming--most bookreaders did--but shit! Once again, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are challenging idealized and romanticized notions of 11th hour saves. Anyway, nice execution. I'm completely morose right now.


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After just watching the episode, I decided to avoid reading any other comments and give my unadulterated rating of 8/10.

I, for obvious reasons, had a feeling that this episode would attract its share of haters, but I had no idea that the vitriol would look like THIS.

I'm still gathering my thoughts, though I have a terrible feeling that this episode will (undeservedly) be regarded as a shark-jump.

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4

Thin episode with some redeeming moments for mis en scene and acting. What is up with the writing this season? Rags on a skeleton. Covering too much ground and missing the savory lustre of the early seasons.

Iain Glen continues to be both nuanced and solid. His conversation with Tyrion was easily one of the best pieces of a sketchy and kind of dismal episode.

The Winterfell scenes were solid if only because of the acting. What the writers are doing? Bizarre. Deserving of a total wtf. Justify it all you want but i'm sick to death of almost every character arc of almost every woman (except for Arya?) on the show relating to (mostly non consensual) sex. Sansa escapes dear ol' Joff only to be bedded by Ramsey? Inexorable logic of rapey-ness that is this show. There's got to be a flow chart somewhere. Are you a woman on GoT? Have you been raped, yet? Are you sure you're a woman?

Wedding costuming? Sophie Turner looked perfect. Her take down of Miranda, fantastic. Alfie's acting? Pathetic in the best possible way. Iwan Rheon always makes my skin crawl.

King's Landing? Fine, I guess. Could see the entrapment of Marg a mile away. Olenna shouldn't have been surprised. Poor writing. LF's dialogue w Cersei? Fine and artful. He says he "lives to serve" but he never says to whom.

Dorne? Weird. It feels rushed and lazy all at the same time.

EDIT: Forgot to mention Arya. I guess that's telling. HoB&W is weird and deeply psychological in the books. This is just falling flat for me.

Edited by Thel
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5/10



One point is given solely to outstanding cinematography of this episode, especially to the Hall of faces and the Godswood scenes.



Tyrion/Jorah



Shallow reading of the books and lazy and stereotypical writing continues.


Cliché no. 1 - Tyrion&Jorah bond over their life stories


Error no. 1 - They tell the audience something the said audience already knows about = waste of screen time


Cliché no. 2 - At the very moment they bond shit happens.


Error no. 2 - Jorah, infected with greyscale, touches Tyrion


Cliché no. 3 - Slavers are stupid and can easily be talked into things by lying AND by telling the truth, depending on the characters.



Ian Glenn had moments of fine acting there. Dinklage has lost the will to act in season 4 and I don't blame him. The writing is unbearable.



King's Landing



Unlike Loras, LF recognises (brother) Lancel immediately. That is why he probably does not get arrested. The fact that LF wasn't arrested does not make any sense from the show established point of view. Faith Militants arrested every single employee of LF. But, they did not arrest LF although in the same episode they arrest the queen taking a word of a male prostitute over hers. Logic has been thrown out of the window a long time ago, but this is insulting my intelligence.



One point to LF for the best line in the episode "We both paddle fantasies, brother Lancel. Mine just happens to be entertaining."



Olenna's conversation with Cersei was excellent. What it lacked is a hint in Lena's acting that Cersei is actually going mad.



The faith hearing was so stupid and shabbily written that it's a waste of space. No suspence, nothing. Logic totally lacking. Although Loras was played superbly, it didn't help much. Direction was totally confusing, because even the director cannot work miracles when the writing is unredeemable. Thank God for Olenna. Lena's facial expressions were coming out of some 19th century farce. Marg was as bad as ever and Tommen was showing nothing, because his character does not exist on the page, so the poor young guy does not know what to do. Pryce is overdoing a nice grandpa act. He should be showing some signs of ferocity, but why would he? He does not know what he is supposed to play.



Dorne



And that leads us to mother of all nonsense.


Doran and Hotar scene was good. And that is where the good bit ends. Acting was awful. Fight scene was the poorest thing I've seen in my life. I do not think one has to write about this any more. Solid gold shit.



Arya



Hall of faces was awe inspiring. The rest was tolerable. As I said before, it is obvious D&D like Arya and try to stick to the books when it comes to her arc. And when they do stick to the books, the situation improves significantly.



WF



The bath scene was excellent both in writing and acting.


The Godswood scene as well. It had all the right ingredients and it was magical and creepy at the same time as it should be.


The rape scene as a scene was well acted by Sophie. Masterfully acted by Alphie who should be given an award for staying in character despite of the script. As for Iwan, I think he did a terrible job. His facial expression changed from one extreme in the Godswood to the other in the bedroom. And I would not blame Iwan. Since Ramsey had no motive for what he was doing, the actor improvised. And badly so. Dumb&Dumber should understand (and this is not difficult) when they replace one character with another (fArya with Sansa) they have to stay true to the character that acted as a replacee, in this case Sansa's. It is understandable that fArya was raped and molested. She had no value. Ramsey knew she was fake. However, Sansa is not a fake Stark. So, the whole rape does not make sense. Ramsey is a psycho, but there is a method in every madness. Not in Ramsey's according to D&D. In the books, Ramsey knows what he is doing. He is not rash. He knows his boundaries. He knows the value of his victims from lady Hornwood onwards. Here, he makes no sense even to himself. This is a true torture porn and an insult to GRRM who said he would never write a rape scene. Is the fact that D&D let it roll off camera and reflect on Theon's face, their way of staying true to the books? Disgusting. And unsurprisingly stupid.



Finally, a message for D&D (I hope some of their employees are on the forum). This type of torture porn is the lowest you managed to get so far. I do not believe it is fit for TV. Not because it is a rape unnecessary for the plot created for shock effect alone, but because it is a brain rape of the audience. I am glad to know actors were reluctant to take part in it. I just hope next time they spit in your smug self-absorbed faces and walk away.


Edited by Modesty Lannister
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I gave it a 7. The Dorne stuff was bad. The scenario was contrived and it wasn't even entertaining. I think the first third or so of the episode was the strongest with Arya's stuff and Tyrion and Jorah. The Kings Landing stuff wasn't bad. It's a different route than the books, but they're getting there.



As for the Sansa stuff, they went there and while it was disturbing, it was meant to be. I'm more worried about how it will shake out in the future than how it has so far.


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The more I think on this episode, the more frustrated I am. It's the culmination of a botched job on the Sand Snakes... I mean, just truly edging botched... and the strangeness of the Sansa storyline. This season is really weak. I'm quite disappointed.

Bronn is a gonner, btw.

Edited by Ser Not Appearing
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Giving it a 7. I have no idea what is going on in Winterfell. I loved the wedding, beautifully shot, and the acting was wonderful, but wth? I don't know if this is good storytelling anymore now that they're in uncharted territory with Sansa.

By the way, all three points were knocked off courtesy of the Sand Snakes. Terrible stuff. It's like a show crossover from USA network or something. Stupid matching costumes, stupid plans, lines, accents, performances. Get Jaime out of there! He's supposed to be taking names in the Riverlands!

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