[Spoilers] Criticize without repercussion

[Marsh Targeryen]

I really don't understand the purpose of riverun in the show.. They could have better included LSH or great northen conspiracy .. 2 seasons for arya -faceless men arc is waste of screen time.. 

[GallowKnight]

Of course they killed the Blackfish, what a surprise. And they managed to ruin Edmure in the process.

Sandor Voorhees at the beginning was a bit silly.

Arya healed up surprisingly quick.

The Tyrion Missandei & Grey Worm scene was torture.

At least Tyrion's dumb fucking plan blew up in his face spectacularly.

[Illyrio Mo'Parties]

7 minutes ago, Mindwalker said:

Sadly, in terms of viewership, I think it isn't.

Aye. Go to wikipedia and look at the viewing numbers for The Walking Dead, or Sons or Anarchy. Both shows have gone downhill over the years, as a matter of irrefutable scientific fact in my opinion, but in both cases the decline in quality doesn't seem to be reflected in the viewing figures. Same thing with Game of Thrones. In fact, all 3 shows are experiencing/have experienced significantly higher viewers during their later, shitty periods, than back when they were good.

Why? My theory is that the primary factor in a TV show's success these days is good word of mouth, and that once people start watching a show, it'll take a lot for them to stop. Observe the bullet points:

• A new show debuts. It's brilliant. A small audience watches it, and enthuses to their friends.
• Gradually, these friends start to watch, perhaps downloading it, or picking up the DVD, or catching reruns, or whatever, so that, by the time the next season rolls around, the number of fans has increased.
• Repeat until the show declines in quality.

Once it has declined, word of mouth still continues to grow, because the initial episodes are still good enough to excite new audience members. Once fans get past the initial episodes and enter the suck, they might stop enthusing, but not right away. They don't want to thin they've wasted so much time on a show that turned out to be shit, so they let hope cloud their judgment. Thus, there's comparatively little negative word of mouth out there to counterbalance the earlier, positive impressions. It will take time, or an unholy level of shitness, for viewers to concede that a once great show now blows.

And even then, they probably won't stop watching. How many books have you closed more than halfway through? How many bad movies have you walked out of? Shit, I kept watching Sons of Anarchy right up to the end of season 6, and I'll probably still go back and finish that fucking turkey one of these days, just to see how it ends. Do you understand? That show was really good for 2 seasons, and terrible ever since. (And it really turned on a dime, too.) That means I've spent twice as long hating that show as liking it, and I still kind of want to go back for more, despite there being no chance it'll improve.

So there t'is: new audience members keep coming in, and the old ones don't leave. The show's gone bad like an old pear, but the numbers are still great. It's crazy: they do worse, and they get paid more. Right, String?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4HD1HgfKB4

[Cas Stark]

The scale of badness seems to have pushed another set of people over the edge.  LMAO.  

 

I  haven't read the reviews, but I have a feeling they may be fairly negative, everyone was expected something out of the Arya story and what they got was Hollywood Action Movie BS, where the rules of physics and biology do not apply.  Arya is now some kind of super hero.

[Drayzen]

The way the writing is this season I still expect LSH in the finale for shock value even though it makes no sense for it whatsoever at this point. However, the Catelyn name dropping is still strong. They must have mentioned her 10 times this episode.

They screwed up Arya, Riverrun, the BWoB already anyway, why not screw up LSH in the process?

[Illyrio Mo'Parties]

47 minutes ago, The Prince of Porne said:

You will never know how sick it makes me to see you here, D&D. You will never know how much I despise you.

..what?

[Illyrio Mo'Parties]

20 minutes ago, Cas Stark said:

The scale of badness seems to have pushed another set of people over the edge.

Lol, yes, it certainly did.

[Ser Quork]

1 hour ago, Gargarax said:

- Brienne waving back made me laugh - the simple idea that she could actually see Jaime is almost sweet. But also rather 
 

Hilarious!  "Toodles!"

[ManderlysPies]

Brienne telling Jaime that Sansa was the rightful Lady of Winterfell lol. Sansa might get to be Lady Baelish if she's "lucky".

Glad the Blackfish died offscreen, beats having Ramsey flay him or another Barristan like scene.

[Illyrio Mo'Parties]

You know what really took me out of it, though, was the goddamn oranges. "LOL oranges we're so meta" FUCK YOU

[Mark Antony]

The Mereen joke scene was one of the worst scenes on the show and Aryas foot chase was among the stupidest. Really weak episode. 

[Lady Claire]

For the first time I could criticize every storyline. Plot holes in King's Landing, Jaime's arch, the Blackfish, the long and useless scene between Tyrion, Grey Worm and Missandei. Even Dany's arrival is ridiculous.

At least the part of Braavos reaches a conclusion, cause I couldn't stand another play with Lady Crane.

[Ruhail]

Well like others have said at least we can take solace in the show bareky spoiling TWoW

[legba11]

Wow, this thread grew quickly.  Faster than Pod's magic cock!

 

Apparently the Waif's Faceless Man training was having her watch the climatic hero chases from 80's slasher films.  You'd think they would have chosen some clips where the villain actually kills the hero.

 

Two years of pointless training scenes with Arya pay off with an off screen fight.  Riverrun pays off with a character we have no concept of his weakness (in the show) surrendering and the Blackfish dying off screen...

 

Was the idea of this episode to make sure we don't see the important things so we have time for multiple dick jokes (had to make up for the one episode they didn't have one) and a meaningless escape from a man who promised you safe passage?  Apparently even Brienne doesn't trust Larry.  That makes sense since she knows Larry rather than Jaime.

[Mista C]

What an utter disappointment. 

1.  Tyrion strolling around Mereen alone after he left Varys.  No guards?  He's a dwarf with no weapons.  Two common street thugs could pull him into an alleyway and kill him in two seconds.  How are there not a couple of Unsullied walking a few feet behind him at all times?

2.  The drinking game scene is just completely un-understandable (is that a word?)  Why was this scene in the show?  Could it have been any longer?  I literally cringed the entire time.

3.  Like someone else said, Drogon just dropped Dany off in the middle of a war zone and took off?  Did he not see the fireballs smashing into the great pyramid while he was landing on top of it?  He figured that was a safe place to drop her and leave?

4.  Speaking of wastes of time, could the opening scene of Lady Crane's monologue been any longer?  It just kept going, and going.

5.  I don't even know how to start with Arya, that has not already been covered in these comments.  If I was stabbed today, in the year 2016, the same way she was, there is a good chance that I would not live.  Even with antibiotics, surgeons, ambulances, etc.  She was hacked bad, fell into a cesspool of filth which was a canal, lost god knows how much blood walking across town, and an actress stitches her up and she's fine by that night.  And back to my 2016 tale, after being stitched up by a professional surgeon and given butt-loads of antibiotics and pain meds, I would still not be able to properly get out of bed and walk FOR DAYS.  My wife had a c-section and was a fucking mess for a week. Arya is running, jumping, sliding under carts, rolling down 100 steps, and is still going.  Who stitched up her freshly re-opened wounds before she went and saw Jaquen?  She seemed to be in pretty good shape then.

6.  We wait two months for the "I choose violence" scene, and it's one guy getting his head ripped off?  I was so excited to see the Mountain draw his sword and cut guys in half, and suddenly the scene ends.  Are you fucking kidding me?  Colossal, colossal disappointment for me there.

7.  The Hound cuts down four men with his axe and walks off.  He doesn't grab one of their swords?  Then he stumbles across the Brotherhood within a matter of minutes?

8.  Sorry, but I could have done without the five minute scene with Bronn and Pod talking about fucking Brienne.  What was it that scene actually accomplished?  Never thought I could say this after the earlier seasons, but I think that I've finally had my fill of Bronn. 

9.  Was not buying Jamie pouring his heart out about Cersei to Edmure.  Really?

10.  Blackfish this, Blackfish that, is all we've heard for years now, and that's how he goes out?  No final stand?  We see nothing?  Very lame.

[Lyanna<3Rhaegar]

Ah where to start?

D&D have ruined Arya for me. She is my favorite book character. 2 seasons of her getting her ass kicked with little to no improvement in her fighting skills. The waif wins every single time. Then Arya disobeys the FM, a guild of trained assassins, feared by the whole world but doesn't think to be a little more stealthy? Goes strolling through Braavos without a care in the world  & also without the sword she keeps on her every second before joining the FM & gets her stomach turned inside out for it. No worries though, Lady Crane is the world's greatest maester & after a night of sleep & some milk of the poppy Arya is all better. Well maybe not all better but well enough to outrun the Waif. Then the Waif & Arya barrel through the streets of Braavos, waif brandishing her weapon, and no one seems to give them a second glance. These are members of the same guild of Jaqen who killed 2 people, in broad day light, in a castle over run with people without ever being seen. Apparently Jaqen skipped the stealthy lessons when teaching the Waif. All of a sudden gut stabbed, bleeding, can barely walk, Arya is so bad ass she can not only beat the Waif but then has enough energy left to bring her face back to the HoB&W & threaten Jaqen? Oh & the whole fight scene the last 2 episodes have built up to happens off camera? UGH. 

The siege at Riverrun was ridiculous. The Blackfish's decision to not go with Brienne is stupid (and who was Brienne sneaking away from anyway?) Let alone the fact that he also died off camera. Jaime's "just to get back to Cersei" speech ruined every second spent on his character development. & Edmure commanding them to capture the Blackfish? Come on. 

Tyrion is probably my 2nd favorite book character & Dinklage is brilliant. D&D spend all of his screen time making jokes & drinking wine. Pathetic! & Tyrion has proved himself time & again to be one of Westeros' greatest political minds but now he has made a death worthy blunder only to have Super-Woman, Unburnt, Mother of Dragons etc etc Dany swoop in & save the day? Cringeworthy to say the least. 

On an up note I don't think we have to worry too much about the show spoiling the book for us! 

[Morgain]

Oh well thanks everyone it helps a little reading the groans.

Arya - impossible biology is she bionic now? Lady Crane is into domestic violence but it's Ok cos she smooths Arya's brow - I would think by now Arya would leap up and strangle on an unwarned touch ... Cheap melodrama Lady C death.

Tyrion has gone blah obviously w/o book dalogue .. or is he supposed to be collapsing into a useless lush? But why do Worm and Miss bother to talk rubbish with him? Why repeat this we already had it?

Lotsa crude ugly men and boys being crude and ugly using ugly language and concentrating on bad jokes and cocks and hurting and humiliating each other - is this really what D&D think mediaeval people were like? Of course the usual lack or ordinary women. Still let's be thankful for lack of tacky sex, no rape, no torture. Scraping the barrel to be thankful for small mercies.

Hound not bad. Needs a horse and a purpose. But as he seems quite good prob being built to another Return + killoff cheap death. Sigh.

The amazon lady knight is looking tired, lined, and becoming cardboard boring.

Jaime is losing his looks which I used to like. Also become simpler, more boring. Reduced to a love slave to a nutter lady. Cersei once spoke of how they shared thewomb and childhood that was quite moving always there for each other. But a bare I do it all for HER is boring.

Blackfish nice stock self sacrifice pulled from cupboard of standard stuff, but what for? No one was going to stop the lady knight and BF could have been useful to Jon Sansa.

Cersei script needs to remind of the bad stuff she's done to make her complex she's too onesided mummy yummy tearful. The big robot is clunky boring nasty. Trial will invalidate Tommen so what exactly is Tom's motive? Scared of Sparrow? Oh and where wuz Marje?

Well onward and downward next ep is endless battle battle battle noise muddle no logic people bleeding  battle battle battle noise muddle no logic people bleeding Rickon killed battle battle battle noise muddle no logic people bleeding  ...

Joysome can't wait (NOT) - next week I won't bother to wait up to 3am. I'll just watch at my leisure during Tues. Actually I managed one 2 seasons just reading reviews might cancel my sub again.

 

[Quiet Sister]

10 hours ago, Le Cygne said:

Actual male genitals! It's like they thought, we need to establish that Sandor has a penis in this scene. That will be important for later...

They have again spilled coffee on Steve the Intern's notes, and were unsure as to who was threatened by attempted gelding by the monks. Both names start with S, so D$D had to reassure themselves and their faithful fans that Sandor's still very male

(Or they were the only ones to still wonder what's under a Scots' kilt )

[David Selig]

Everything in this episode was just so dumb. The Arya stuff. The way the Hound slaughtered these four guys. Jaime agreeing to just let Blackfish's army join another rebel. The Blackfish not telling Edmure that the offer was still standing and they don't need to just surrender. Not showing the Blackfish's final stand. All the dumb jokes which waste so much time.

[Cas Stark]

So, do people think that this season is going to end up as worse than last year?  Or a tie, or slightly better?