(Book spoilers) Will Daenerys in this episode...

[Hodor's Dragon]

I'm quite glad that they went with using a more affectionate bond to tame Drogon than master-slave relationship with whips. I know some people are complaining she didn't dominate him like in the books but so what? Violence is not the best method of taming animals, who can be trained and tamed with much more humane methods.

Drogon's relationship to Dany is more like an rebellious child or pet. They can be restrained if necessary but definitely not whipped or struck. Such methods only instill fear and distrust in the animal, and they're more likely to turn on you. This happens with dogs and other animals that suffer abuse. They may submit to whips, but it is out of fear, not love.

The CGI was very well done, despite some people's expectation that it look like a $100 million feature film. It may not look like Jurassic Park or Avengers, but those films have 20 times the budget for CGI.

The reason I wanted her to use the whip is because it is one of my favorite defining Daenerys moments in the books. What incredible courage it took for this slim young girl to slip down into the ring, pick up the whip, and confront an angry out-of-control dragon one-on-one. I really don't understand why that took it out.

In the books, it's established that the whip is part of the traditional, special relationship between Targaryens and dragons. Targs have always tamed their dragons with whips, and the dragons only submit when the person who is trying to tame them has the proper characteristics. I don't think that dragons, with their armored hide, are particularly afraid of whips, it's really more like a mystical thing.

Of course, that's in the books, not in the show, so there's no special reason she had to use a whip. However, the circumstance was a rampaging dragon who was killing people left and right. I'm personally not aware of any way to immediately control a rampaging wild predator that doesn't involve the use of force. This is not like having a puppy or kitten, or even a lion cub, that you can teach with rewards offered over time. Unless you know something I don't, I don't think your suggestions of non-physical taming are practical.

As for the CGI, they set a high standard last year with the scene where Drogon stole the goat. I thought that was excellent, every second of it, and I've watched it many times, being a Drogon fan and all. This, despite being an iconic scene, the one that I (like many people) looked forward to more than any other scene, was not done nearly so well.

Between the groups of people standing around in similar-sized knots waiting to be set afire - the static dragon-headed flame cannon that just couldn't pass for a real animal when you kept the camera on it - the absence of the whip, or of any real peril to Daenerys - the lack of any urgency to taking off, including an interminable moment where Dany and Drogon looked into each others eyes - the questions about where on that field of spines Dany decided to plant herself - her decidedly relaxed and non-terrified response to zooming high into the air on the back of an unsaddled beast - I was quite disappointed. I expected them to knock this out of the park, and they plainly did not.