Ice Spider Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) 48 minutes ago, Mr Smith said: Giving it a 7, after long consideration. As far as production is concerned, you can't fault this episode. They really brought out the CGI big guns for Mereen. And that battle? Talk about the horrors of war. For a show that's always struggled with their depiction of violence, I thought they handled it pretty well, and that battle felt far more cautoinary than most violence has been on the show up till this point. However... The false and contrived emotional stakes were a big problem in this one. The only time I felt real tension throughout the whole episode was when Rickon was running; other than that, I could (and did) predict every major beat of this episode, from Dany going fire and blood on the slavers (and slaves, btw), to Davos finding out what happened to Shireen, to Jon's army getting completely destroyed, to the Arryn reinforcements riding in to save the day (that has literally happened on every battle in the show so far), to finally Ramsay getting eaten by his own dogs. Seriously, what was the point of that entire battle when we KNEW Littlefinger was bringing reinforcements??? A quick hypothetical; way back in episode 4, Sansa rejects Littlefinger's help (fair enough) because she's already had the conversation with Jon and co about where they can get some men, and Littlefinger goes away. Jon and Sansa go on and get their men: not as many as they wanted but enough to take on the Boltons and feel they're in with a serious shot. However the tide turns, and then at the last minute, to the surprise of EVERYONE, Littlefinger rides in to save the day (we could later have it revealed that he had a spy in their camp, and was keeping tabs on how things were going). Now, he finds himself in a much stronger bargaining position, because everyone thought they were finished and genuinely wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him. It's stuff like this where it just seems baffling to me that the writers can't be just a little more clever: not a lot, just a little. The predictability of the show currently is a grim omen for the future, particularly given that the major selling point for watching the show before the books came out was that we're in the dark about where things are going. I gave David and Dan the benefit of the doubt this season, but my patience is running low. Enough already!!! For those that actually followed the show, with some semblance of an open mind, the reasons were actually quite clear. Sansa's dialogue with Jon, made it quite clear why she choose the path she did. She asked Jon, why she wasn't included in the meeting, she being the one that knew Ramsey the best. She warned Jon, that Ramsey doesn't fall into traps, he sets them. So Sansa one upped Ramsey and set her own. Sure, Sansa could have shared with Jon the coming of the Vale forces, Jon could have waited a day or two, and then what? Ramsey, seeing Jon had a much more formidable force would have remained inside Winterfell, and we would have had a two year long siege battle. D&D actually gave a pretty good reason why Sansa didn't share. I gave the episode a 9. Pitty the spoilers were out there, that is the one thing that hurt this episode. For once, for the first time this entire season, the writers gave Peter Dinklage some dialect he could actually do something with. I like the Mereen scene, but it was a bit too rushed. The all of a sudden appearance of theon and yara didn't make any sense, but the exchange was good. We now have women in power almost everywhere on the map, with the exception of the Frey's, and the imminent over throw of Euron. Edited June 20, 2016 by Ice Spider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchyDaMom Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 10. My heart is still palpitating from all the excitement, suspense, and HBO NOW being down for 52 minutes before they fixed the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadking Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) i'll give it a 9.. I don't get the Sansa trying to set-up Jon arguments. why would she want him to fail? why would she hold something back? I think she is tired of being a victim. tired of being used. which is why she wants to be included in the plans. she saw earlier they were gonna be shorthanded. sent Brienne out to get more men. the tullys even threw a few hail-mary ravens out there.. one apparently to littlefinger and the vale. which was probably hard for her to do. the lesser of two evils though.. she'll deal with littlefinger latter. hopefully. cali love Edited June 20, 2016 by roadking spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drz Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 The theme of the episode was "might makes right" and its especially strong on the notion that "foreign might makes right" with the episode opening with Daenerys Stormborn slaughtering anyone who opposes her with her nuclear weapons, Yara asking for foreign invasion to place her as a leader in the name of Daenerys, and ends with a foreign army invading the North, so the North can have its puppet leader Sansa placed there by Petery Baelish. This is all played in a straight manner, never does the show question the motivations of Daenerys, Yara or Sansa, all these war mongerers who want to use their might to make things right, because: "we want to leave the world a better place". In the episode where Balon died, Yara questions and detests the Ironborn way but since the Kingsmoot episode she has been regressed into the same reaver she used to be, but now an outside force is telling her to set things straight. Why couldn't they just have had Yara's character progress naturally this path, why did she need Daenerys to tell her this? Did her own experiences count for nothing? Sansa and Jon are both terrible leaders, just as bad as Ramsay Bolton. How many good men died out there in the battle? Thousands, and these people are now set to rule Winterfell, no questions asked? Just horrible. I hope Jon tells Sansa that Bran is out there somewhere in the North. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon_Al3xzander Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I am one of those who gave almost all episodes of this season high marks....but tonight was just awful....putting the high value production aside, the plot was terrible, Sansa was terrible, and Jon was the worst.....Sure, the episode looked very good, probably one of the best for the whole series, but it isn't enough. This isn't some god damned soap opera. It's supposed to show character and plot and cunning, but instead we get Sansa just being a bitch...and not that Boss Ass Bitch that she promised, but just bitchie bitch.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
if it please m'lord Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 If I could vote a "YAAAASSSSS!!!!" then I would (fyi - that's higher than a 10) Definitely the best episode this season and one of the best in recent memory. It was utterly riveting and edge-of-your-seat suspenseful from start to finish. Not a single wasted scene. Everything was tight and amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertrude Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I am also surprised that this rated so many 10s. It was fun, but more like a summer blockbuster than a thought provoking thriller. And that's fine, you need some of that in your life, but ... yeah, I'm just surprised by the overwhelming 10s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forlong the Fat Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 During the Meereen scenes, my wife asked "is this the battle of the bastards?" "No, this is just the appetizer." And the main course did not disappoint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Diddie Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) This was by far the single best episode of the entire show. Anyone who didn't thoroughly enjoy it should rent a cottage deep in the forest somewhere and re-think their lives. 14.5/10 Edited June 20, 2016 by Bee Diddie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon in the North Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 2 hours ago, King Louis II (KLII) said: I am all for being critic when they fail.. I was even for make a petition against the director of No One.. but besides the Deus Ex Machina of the Vale Army arriving at the end (like the Tyrrel in Blackwater Bay) everything was perfect and Ramsey's death was Epic. good job Just wanted to point out the Vale army showing up isn't an example of Deus Ex Machina. The pieces were set up prior to this episode. 1 hour ago, Barristan Whitebeard said: LOL, anyone giving this episode an 1/10 needs to seriously reevaluate some things in his life. People can vote however they like. Some simply prefer story over spectacle and felt the story aspects of the episode failed. 1 hour ago, I am a Dragon said: All those 10s. Am I watching a different show or something? The same goes for you. Respect other people's opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florina Laufeyson Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I suspect a lot of 10s come from Ramsay getting munched. Mine did. Gods that was satisfying as all hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I am a Dragon Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 2 minutes ago, Dragon in the North said: The same goes for you. Respect other people's opinions. I can respect them but I certainly can't understand them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Thin White Line Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Very very strong entertainment value. Brilliantly done, in spite of all the criticism various people have made, which I understand, but the show remains amazing for me nevertheless (except for episode 8). I however feel no satisfaction whatsoever for Ramsay's brutal death. I don't like the idea of torture and hyperviolence as a form of justice. I understand it was Sansa who did it, and where it comes from, but that so many people are satisfied by this troubles me. If Sansa had pronounced her speech to Ramsay before a formal Ned Stark style execution, I guess then I would have had a bigger feeling of satisfaction. Revenge porn really bothers me per se. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagLover Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Voted a 9 Very good episode and I liked how stupid tactics in the battle were Jon's fault and not the scriptwriters idea of how a medieval battle should be fault. I laughed out loud when Davos found that horse and that knocked a star off for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiori ki Jorah Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I hate to use this word but.. this episode was fucking epic! For pure visual entertainment purposes, I give it a solid 10. The way it was filmed and edited made me feel like I was really there, witnessing these insane events; suffocating all the while and yelling at my tv for Drogon and the Knights of the Vale to show the eff up already (respectively) and when they did, I hollered like frat boy with my fist in the air. Better late than never, eh? And to those whom are complaining about those of us doling out 10's, assuming we are complacent with "flashy lights" and wtfever; Although the show has somewhat/completely diverged from certain story lines, they sometimes contain plot holes, come off as weak writing, etcetera etcetera, why do you continue to overanalyze the direction of the show and expect more from D&D when you know it will just come up as subpar in comparison to the books if you look at it through that same lens? I'm not a narcissist and I don't assume I know how to make an entire show better than they do. I think we're fortunate to have a show at all! I'll take what I can get knowing it's an interpretation from fellow artists and although I don't always agree, I can respect their vision. "All I need is some tasty waves, a cool buzz and I'm fine." PS. WhereTF is Ghost?? hokie3457 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Yorick Ampersand Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) This will be the most overated episode ever in history. Sansa is a little sh*t. There is no good reason for not telling Jon about the Vale army. None. Dany is an entitled b*tch. Leaves Meereen for no reason. Meereen was an awfull state it had so many problems that she couldn't solve. she only made things worse but when she returns she expects the man (Tyrion) to have solved all of her problems. - Just like your average feminist. Dany and Yara are BFF's in 3 seconds after meeting. We are talking about the most temperamental and mistrusting women in the show people... The Meereen fight was over too quickly. Also the ships didn't stop shooting fire balls WHILE they were negotiating terms? Wtf? No surprise deaths in this battle is underwhelming. We all expected Rickon. Wun Wun and Ramsay to die. No one cared about Rickon really. Wun Wun was a given. Ramsay dying would be better if Sansa didnt smile when he did. Wun Wun goes into battle bare-handed. Really? Couldn't afford a CGI club for the fookin giant? The battle tactics were absolute sh*t. Specially Ramsay... I get this feeling with Sansa and Ramsay. They are acting very much like Arya gallivanting arround in Braavos doing stupid things and now people are going to try and justify what is simply show inconsistency and bad writing. Also If in the next episode Jon isn't furious with Sansa because of her lying I'll send a raven with a very angry letter to HBO so they hire reputable writers for the show. Edited June 20, 2016 by Ser Yorick Ampersand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiori ki Jorah Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 18 minutes ago, Florina Laufeyson said: I suspect a lot of 10s come from Ramsay getting munched. Mine did. Gods that was satisfying as all hell. I concur. I was expecting Sansa just to stand over him and cut out his heart after Jon had his turn. Was definitely not expecting Ramsay to be puppy chow in the end. Brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiori ki Jorah Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 1 hour ago, Ice Spider said: We now have women in power almost everywhere on the map, with the exception of the Frey's, and the imminent over throw of Euron. But that's just a matter of time wouldn't you say? Walder is getting up there in age and his sons are a bunch of chuckleheads. Perhaps after ages of mistreatment, the "gransisterwives" will rise up and takeover. Especially if Lady Stoneheart has anything to say about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellasLEAF Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) 9/10 is my score. There is just one too many niggles here to give it the full 10. A couple questionable things strategicaly with numbers on the battle field. Plus Vale coming in last min (bit of an eye roller). But delivered on so many levels and was so satisfying for me. So many very well done and memorable moments here. Lives up to the standard of other episode 9's. Gave last week a 2. This was redemption night, not gonna get too caught up in criticism tonight. If I were maybe more like an 8/10, but THAT was an EPIC hour of entertainment. Edited June 20, 2016 by HellasLEAF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arya_Stormborn Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Yeah, this was good. Much, much better than the previous episode. Thoroughly enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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