Shortspear Rick Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 (edited) I'd give it a 5, and that's being generous. The writing was really bad throughout and filled with plotholes and bullshit. Still, there was the occasional line or circumstance that was enjoyable, enough to not warrant a 1 or 2. More like a 3 with an extra point each for Pod badassery and Melisandre boobage. Of course both of those are debatable. Edited April 28, 2016 by Shortspear Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkstream Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 (edited) On 25/04/2016 at 1:16 PM, JonSnowed said: Exactly it's clear trolling and likely they are doing it just out of blind hatred because it's spoiling the books in their eyes. If people are genuinely unable to provide a balanced view why don't they just say nothing and stick to other sub-sections. This site used to be great, sure there was some criticism but now it's becoming a ghost town where only trolls dwell with a few odd exceptions. As an aside a lot press and reviews are describing the red women as potentially the best of any opening episode so far, hardly reflective of 20% of viewers thinking it deserves 1 out of 10. Umm, so if I don't agree with your opinion and vote with the majority, I'm clearly a troll? What an ignorant statement. The reason I gave this episode a 1 has nothing to do with blind hatred or fear of the show ruining the books. The reason I gave it a 1, besides the fact that I couldn't find a column with a negative rating, is because, in my opinion, it was a horrible episode. Ignoring the gaping plot holes and inconsistencies of the show as a whole, I find that each scene on its own is the same boring cliche crap I can see anywhere on tv. It's as if Dumb and Dumber come up with a couple lines that they think are clever, and force the entire episode around getting these stupid cheesy lines in. I can't go two minutes without rolling my eyes at how corny this show has become since D$D have had more influence in the content and dialogue. Saying someone is a troll for giving it a 1, Is like saying everybody rating this episode above a 4 is clearly on the HBO payroll. I'm sorry that my disliking this episode affects you so much that you have to insult the people that don't like something that you do. Maybe it would make you happy if the rating scale only went from 5-10, then us trolls couldn't disagree with you. Edited April 30, 2016 by Darkstream Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umuckurlife Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 (edited) It gets a 7 from me. Overall I enjoyed the episode for what it was: setting up the season. Positives: Confirming the 'Mel is REALLY old' theory. but what about the bathtub scene where she didn't have the necklace on? oversight or different type of glamour? Reek continuing his transformation back to Theon. Liam Cunningham's Davos. Edd Ghost Dothraki & Dany Tyrion & Varys Roose & Ramsay - Walda and Roose are in trouble. Neutrals: Arya Jamie/Cersie HS & Margery Negatives: Some of the dialogue was really poorly written What happened to Ramsay's hounds? they just disappeared after being so threatening? The Dorne plot is still disappointing...more so even than last year. Is that really it for the Martell's? They are extinguished in the show? Who rules Dorne now? a bunch of Oberyn's bastards? As if the Dornish people would go for that? Areo Hotah (from a book perspective) deserves a far better death. I wanted to see some serious fighting out of him at some point. Sand Snakes on the boat suddenly? I guess it's plausible that they trailed the ship all the way from Dorne... Edited April 28, 2016 by umuckurlife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fylimar Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 I gave it a five too. The scenes at Castle Black and with Sansa, Theon, Brienne and Pod were great. Aryas was not bad either. And I liked the scene between the HS and Margaery. But they really butchered Dorne (the plot in a literally way, one of my favorite book characters, Doran Martell, in a very direct way). Tyrions and Varys scenes were only enyoable because the actor are great, Dany and the Dothrakis were ok (I don't like the Dothraki in general, they seem like the Klingons of that world, so I'm quite biassed, but it was a good scene). Best scene for me was the confirmation, that Mel is really not, what she seems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Killer Snark Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 Re Mel, how do we know that she isn't really still a red haired vixen, and she's only putting on a glamour to make herself look like an ancient woman in order to escape from the Castle, because she knows she's under threat from the rebels at the Night's Watch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tormund's beard Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 (edited) 12 minutes ago, The Killer Snark said: Re Mel, how do we know that she isn't really still a red haired vixen, and she's only putting on a glamour to make herself look like an ancient woman in order to escape from the Castle, because she knows she's under threat from the rebels at the Night's Watch? stannis did it with mel > d&d hate stannis > mel is the twin sister of maester aemon and not that wall smelting redhead. because stannis can't catch a break even in death Edited April 29, 2016 by tormund's beard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltharion21 Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 2 hours ago, tormund's beard said: stannis did it with mel > d&d hate stannis > mel is the twin sister of maester aemon and not that wall smelting redhead. because stannis can't catch a break even in death Tbh i can imagine Stannis doing it with mel without glamour for the realm it would be more in character than burning Shireen for bit of snow " He goes to his marriage bed like a man marching to a battlefield, with a grim look in his eyes and a determination to do his duty.” Game of Thrones, Ch. 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skahaz mo Kandaq Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 On 4/25/2016 at 10:19 PM, Fez said: 8/10 Bit clunky, as all season openers are, but a real solid episode overall. The Dothraki were great. The Dothraki surprised me. I considered them a humorless bunch, but apparently not so. I am glad to see this side of their culture. Given a choice, I would rather hear Dany speak High Valyrian instead of Dothraki, but you know, the show invested a lot in the creation of a new language just for them. Oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maid So Fair Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 (edited) I went with a 3, but it's really hard for me to actually rate GOT because it's so uneven. With most shows the quality tends to be consistent, either being high quality productions, kinda meh or truly awful. With GOT they do certain things extremely well - the locations and the costumes, and general visual world building is excellent. Especially the scenes with Sansa and Theon fleeing through the Northern landscape had some absolutely gorgeous shots with the lighting and the landscapes coming together. KL and Winterfell exteriors are also always great. Almost all the actors are perfect for their characters and tend to give a strong performance, with a stand-out one from Carice in this episode. The individual scenes, when viewed out of context, tend to convey the right emotions and to be well-acted. They even did some longer scenes so it doesn't feel so disjointed. So form a purely production perspective, GOT is pretty good. The problem is that once you start thinking about what's ACTUALLY happening on the screen rather than letting yourself be ensnared by the pure visual spectacle, the more problematic it gets. All the effort put into a well-produced scene falls flat when it plot makes no sense or the characters act wildly illogically or OOC. A strong scene like Sansa and Theon crossing the river becomes an annoyance when it's just kicking a character that's been kicked one too many times and you just don't care anymore. Or when you realise you're just watching a version of previously on GOT like with Thorne, Dany being brought to the Khal or Margeary still in her dungeon. Or when characters are put into a high stakes situation (like Doran and Trystane's deaths or the stand off at the Wall) which should be compelling and dramatic but isn't because the stakes and/or the characters have never really been established. And in this episode, the script easily takes it down to below-average 3, because the writing continuously makes you jolt out the story while you try to figure out WTF the writers were thinking and it gets worse the more you delve into it. And then there's Dorne. Edited April 30, 2016 by Maid So Fair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Balerion Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Last season I tended to rate episodes relatively generously, because I was still giving them the benefit of the doubt that they might be heading somewhere decent. Clearly that assumption was not borne out, at least where last season is concerned. So no more Mr. Nice Guy. That said, I did enjoy the episode for the most part (probably mainly because the actors are -- mostly -- so good. So ... Dorne: -1 for existing (what I call the Dorne Awfulness Reaction Number, or DARN), and another -1 for killing the only halfway decent characters/actors after underusing them, thus ensuring that for the rest of the series it will probably be even *more* rubbish. (The best thing about it is that snake during the credits, anyway.) -2 Wall: +2 for acting and possibly foreshadowing interesting Jon stuff, although I fear that with my luck they'll mess that up as well. -1 for a certain implausibility: the Night's Watch are far too docile; and Ser Alliser's argument that Jon Snow let the Wildlings in suggests an obvious riposte: "You did." +1 Boltons/Sansa: Here Sansa continues to be the damsel in distress, who might surrender without the Male Protector. And how would she not be familiar with the ceremonies of knighthood? There were some touching scenes with Theon and with Brienne. As for the Boltons, the best thing about them is McElhatton's Roose. Evens out to neither + nor -, I guess. Meereen and steppe scenes OK; did wonder why the caddish Khal suddenly got docile. My best guess is that since she's a widow of a Khal, she can't get casually turned into a concubine. But until she mentions having burnt Drogo, the new Khal seems unimpressed by that line of argument. I do like that Daenerys doesn't act too damsel-in-distressy, although she too evidently needs an MP. Score: 6. Who knows what I'll think when the season is over and we know where it's headed (or isn't). Re query about Mel at end: according to the wiki, she's removed the glamour that makes her look young and beautiful. That wiki also says, rather oddly, that Roose's trolling Ramsay about Wanda's pregnancy is "subtle". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Conky of Sunny Vale Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 This episode raced for me. The Mel reveal at the close of the episode was dramatic enough to wipe out any momentary quibbles I might have had (I do have a toe in the BR+SS=M camp). I am glad we have an exit from the Dorne mess from last year, which was an embarrassment. I gave this one a 9. I enjoy the show for what it is, which is better than 99.999% of the programing that has appeared on television over the time I've been alive, and better than anything else on the tube now . I don't watch this show with the intent of bashing it on social media and calling for the death of anyone who likes it (you know who you are). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nymeria's pack Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 I gave it a 4 - a pass but no better. What's happened to the sharp dialogue that used to be a feature of the series? It all felt rushed and consequently flat, as though they were so anxious to catch up with everyone,show who's alive/dead, that they didn't care about much else. The Sansa/Brienne scene felt like it was written like this: sansaandtheonrunning-gothroughriver-hideundertree-getcaught-brienneshowsup-kicksass-swearsallegience. Not once did I feel that edge-of-the-seat feeling I've so often enjoyed with GOT. It was missing any build up, tension, and actually the impact of violence. I'm not a lover of the violent scenes and tend to watch through fingers but at least they used to be pretty realistic and made you feel. The only thing I liked was that Sansa couldn't remember the oath, it was the only bit that didn't feel like 'we're just getting out the words because we need to get this scene done'. And Theon's transformation from Reek was just too fast, he should have been a wreck with fear when he met those soldiers - he was going back to certain torture- I felt his lack of terror took away from the bravery of what he was doing. But I'm glad Sansa and Brienne have met, and it was nice to hear Sansa speak Cat's words to Brienne. Dorne - it's been said. Horrendous stuff. I didn't think the acting was up to previous standards either. I thought Sophie and Carice brought it but the others not so much. Not awful, they're great actors but again I just felt it was like they had been told 'hurry up, get the lines out and we can get to episode 2'. I loved the Mel reveal and thought it was well done. I liked that they brought Ghost in. I liked seeing more of Edd. And I liked the scene with Margaery and the HS. Actually not the scene itself but the shot of Marg after HS leaves, she looks like she's finally over the 'I am the Queen and shouldn't be here' and is starting to use her brain again. Dothraki dialogue silly and unoriginal. Castle Black a bit sloppy if you think about it but if you don't, well, Davos and a direwolf can always save a scene imho. Disappointed in Tyrion and Varys but only because they have always in the past had some of the best lines, and when they have good lines, boy can those two deliver. I don't even remember their conversation now. I would so love to get back to Season 4 Jaime and see him get a good plot, good lines and interesting moral dilemmas. And I don't know why there was time wasted with Ramsay mourning Myranda, pointless. I don't compare GOT to all other shows because I don't watch shows I don't like. I compare GOT to previous GOT episodes. That's why it's got a low score. And I'm not comparing to the books now, they're too different for comparison really. All in all this episode passed, didn't do more, didn't live up to many previous episodes, but hopefully now they've established where everyone is the series will improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grufolo Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 7. Would have been a 8 or 9 without the lousy Dorne sad crap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xcorpyo001 Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) Back in season 1 I made a personal decision to rate the episodes with points from 7(pathetic) to 10(awesome), because even if one episode sucked, it was still asoiaf material, and probably better than 90% of the other shows on tv. After this episode I was forced to lower the bar from 7 to 5. And on this scale I gave it a 6(8 on old scale) only because there were a couple plot lines were I was able to watch the entire scene without mentally preparing my 'Criticise without...' posts. And even those had some minor nitpicks. I really can't understand the producers. They have an one in a lifetime chance to create something monumetal, that will resist the passage of time without losing any of its appeal. But if we strip all the bling and the sets and the clothes and all that it's left is the story, we already see the cracks in what could have been a true masterpiece. Bad dialog, nonsensical plotlines, plot craters the size of Texas, no character progresion or even some instances of character regression. It's like they realised that we'll keep watching even if they turn the show into a cartoon, a musical, a comic parody, or a porn series showcasing all the brothels in both Essos and Westeros. And sadly they are right. Edited May 1, 2016 by Xcorpyo001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watcher of the night Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 High budget clueless fanfic. 2/3 of the plots boring and predictable and the remianing ones FUBAR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Pirtle Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 This was a decent opener. As with last season, the weakest links are Ellaria and the Sand Snakes. I'm disappointed that Doran and Areo were so unceremoniously dispatched, since they were the most enjoyable characters in the otherwise underwhelming Dorne. The highlights were Jaime and Cersei's scenes together, as well as Brienne's rescue of Sansa. I gave it a seven out of ten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjlxking Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) Just glancing over the posts, it really shows how some book readers have grown to have such hatred for the show. If you can't take out the idea that this is an adaption of the novel when judging the episode, you probably should not even vote. Giving this episode a 1 or 2, even a 3 is both ridiculous and moronic. Normally, when some people do this for certain products like games or movies, I usually respond with, "thank you for supporting the product by paying for it despite hating it". In this case, I will say that vote 1-3, thank you! please continue watching and paying HBO monthly. Your support is greatly appreciated This episode was a solid 7.5-8/10. Without a doubt, the weakest part is is and likely always will be, Dorne Edited May 1, 2016 by xjlxking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkstream Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 1 hour ago, xjlxking said: Just glancing over the posts, it really shows how some book readers have grown to have such hatred for the show. If you can't take out the idea that this is an adaption of the novel when judging the episode, you probably should not even vote. Giving this episode a 1 or 2, even a 3 is both ridiculous and moronic. Normally, when some people do this for certain products like games or movies, I usually respond with, "thank you for supporting the product by paying for it despite hating it". In this case, I will say that vote 1-3, thank you! please continue watching and paying HBO monthly. Your support is greatly appreciated This episode was a solid 7.5-8/10. Without a doubt, the weakest part is is and likely always will be, Dorne Just glancing over your post and it really shows that show lovers will defend any pile of steaming crap that D&D throw in front of them. Your comments are both ridiculous and moronic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjlxking Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) 42 minutes ago, Darkstream said: Just glancing over your post and it really shows that show lovers will defend any pile of steaming crap that D&D throw in front of them. Your comments are both ridiculous and moronic. The big difference is that despite reading all the books, I can easily judge the tv series independently. If you can not do that simply thing, you should not vote How can you say an episode is a 1-3. Iassume you think that this episode is just as bad as Keeping up with kardashians. Like at what point does this make sense? If it is a 1, if it is so bad, why even watch it? There is a clear hatred for a show that has been built up in order for you to say it's a 1. Luckily, besides forums for book readers, you won't find viewers rating the show a 1. I'm not saying all books readers but a small minority definitely give it a 1 out of spite and hate. Pretty much a huge majority of viewers tend to rate most episodes 8+. It's clear that in any statistical inference that the small minority that are voting it a 1 would be a outliner. its only forum like this one where you see 1/10 having ~15% of votes. Nope, nothing idoitic about those votes..not ONE BIT Edited May 1, 2016 by xjlxking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissdbyfire Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 10 minutes ago, xjlxking said: The big difference is that despite reading all the books, I can easily judge the tv series independently. If you can not do that simply thing, you should not vote How can you say an episode is a 1-3. Iassume you think that this episode is just as bad as Keeping up with kardashians. Like at what point does this make sense? If it is a 1, if it is so bad, why even watch it? There is a clear hatred for a show that has been built up in order for you to say it's a 1. Luckily, besides forums for book readers, you won't find viewers rating the show a 1. I'm not saying all books readers but a small minority definitely give it a 1 out of spite and hate. Pretty much a huge majority of viewers tend to rate most episodes 8+. It's clear that in any statistical inference that the small minority that are voting it a 1 would be a outliner. its only forum like this one where you see 1/10 having ~15% of votes. Nope, nothing idoitic about those votes..not ONE BIT What you are saying is basically that just because the majority of viewers like the show, it means it's awesome, and therefore all those who don't like it are morons or trolls. That's both offensive and a fallacious argument. I don't understand why so many are so bothered by the fact that there are people who dislike the show. And it's not out of spite or hatred, that's an assumption on your part. There is plenty do dislike about the show. There are lots of things that don't make sense; characterisation is either nonexistent or inconsistent, and characters change motivations and behaviour as often as the plot demands; continuity is a joke; events and actions are ham-fistedly shoved into storylines just to create completely unbelievable shocks and twists. And that's just to name a few issues. You love it? Excellent, more power to you. But don't try to argue that the opinions of those who don't like it are any less valid than yours. As I've asked another poster upthread, who died and made you the king of valid opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.