Jump to content

How would you rate episode 207?


Ran
 Share

How would you rate episode 207?  

422 members have voted

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

    • 1
      5
    • 2
      8
    • 3
      8
    • 4
      7
    • 5
      16
    • 6
      23
    • 7
      55
    • 8
      112
    • 9
      121
    • 10
      67


Recommended Posts

This is a 10 for me. There wasn't a lot of action, but it filled my requisites:

1) At least two, if not more, mesmerizing scenes

2) Strong thematic elements

3) Couldn't believe how fast it went

4) No "bad" scenes

I really enjoy the character development and conversation scenes. Most of the time, I prefer those to action. Every once it a while, they are combined -- Ned's beheading, Theon cutting off Rodrick's head -- but in general, if I have to choose between a swordfight and two characters verbally sparring, I'll take the latter. This episode was in my wheelhouse then, and I can understand how people who prefer action wouldn't rate it so high.

Both of Jaime's scene, Arya and Tywin, both of Cersei's scenes... just nailing it. Wonderful dialogue full of thematic elements, well played exposition, humor, and terrific acting. There are subtleties in each, digging well below the surface. Cersei, when talking to Sansa, is more talking about herself than talking to Sansa. Tywin likes Arya and seems cuddly, but he still has her test his food for poison, is torturing men to death and orders Clegane to rape the countryside. Martin has always been great at creating this contradiction in ourselves -- these characters often do terrible things but they are nice to characters we like, or are charming, or have a reason (Jaime tried to murder a child for LOVE!). This episode had that in spades. Are we to feel sorry for Cersei? Do we forget what she's done? How petty she can be? Jaime? Tywin?

It was a Lannister episode for sure, and well done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

THIS was probably the best episode in the series so far. The show can keep deviating from the book if the changes are of this quality. The Arya/ Tywin scene, the Tyrion/ Cersei scene, and the Qarth scenes were masterfully done. Theon is doing a great job, and the Robb/ Jeyne and Jon/ Ygritte budding love stories are perfect. Sandor/ Sansa is marvelous, too. I can't muster a single complaint.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Solid 9 for me. I'm reserving a 10 for Blackwater but if I didn't know what was coming up, I'd probably give this a 9.75. I think over the last 2 or 3 episodes, the deviations from the books are standing out but in a positive way. And honestly, I don't view them as such big deviations anymore because the integrity of the series and characters and major plot points still stand. Everyone was great in this episode except for the Robb/Talisa-Jeyne thing. That still feels so forced to me and I think it's because of a lack of chemstiry between the two actors.

It was great seeing Jaime back and I think he stole the episode with his banter with Cat and Brienne especially when he was getting under Cat's skin about Ned's bastard and the name of him.

Arya's and Tywin's scenes have always been some of the best of the season and this episode was no exception. Arya just breaks your heart.

Sansa and Cersei were excellent as well. I've always felt bad for Sansa because she gets used so much and she can't trust anyone. I almost cried in the books when she 'flowered' for the first time knowing the implications of it and last night, I almost cried again. I can't imagine how terrified she is. I think Sophie Turner does a lovely job with Sansa and I don't think she gets enough credit for her performance.

Ygritte is just awesome. She's my favorite of the non-POV characters and the actress playing her I think nailed her down. I love how she gets under Jon's skin and he kind of just sits there and takes it because she's a woman but also because he is truly trying to be honorable and respectful. I think that puzzles her a bit but makes the challenge of pissing him off more fun. And, we got to hear "You know nothing Jon Snow." :bowdown:

Pretty much, this episode rocked. The season started quiet and slow, not a bad thing personally, and has ramped up in energy from there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9

Alfie Allen continues to amaze me. I hope he gets some recognition for his work. The scene where he said " don't worry, it's all a game", was the first time I've actually been disturbed by this show. I work the night shift in ER in Chicago. And am used to seeing the crazy stuff people do to one another; but that line really affected me. So kudos to the writers, actors, and directors. Charles Dance and Massie continue to be golden. The view of Harrenhal was awesome. They made a point to show Robb Stark's storyline more this season, I just wish they would show him with his lords more discussing his battle plans, etc. To show he really was good military wise but was awful politically. That said I did enjoy Bolton just staring at Talisa/Robb interaction. Loved NCW this episode really missed him. Don't really mind the whole change to his escape/release, due to time constraints I think it will work.

I watch with my non book reader roommate, she loved the episode. Her remarks were "Robb Stark better open his eyes. Shits starting to fall apart. He needs get his shit together. A boy could take a lesson from Tywin". I was just laughing telling her you have no idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i'm suprised Roose hasn't got much attention for his part in the episode. You could tell he knew how Robb and Talisa felt. Chilling

Also am pleased with Karstark (although I did picture him younger). I only wish that they introduced him before, and made it known of how he killed Strafford Lannister. It would benefit of knowing how much of a threat he is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sold on the Jaime change or the possible Jon changes but otherwise good. And the Jaime change is out of character, because Family is highlighted to mean something to Lannisters, but not that much because he is a self-centred sociopath. I wish they'd shown a bit of his actual attempted escape with a sword, but can't have everything.

8/10

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know, as entertaining as this series is, it does a complete injustice to the books. There are just too many characters and too many points of view to wasting time and re writing stuff like asha meeting theon when he comes back to the iron islands for the first time. They spent like 5 minutes on that scene and for what? To make Theon look like a pussy hound, and further embarrass him? and 10 episodes a season? at least do 15, I mean I don't know, I love this series, but it's irritating at the same time.

I give it a 6

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I give it a 6. I didn't like Jaime Lannister killing his cousin like that; that did not sit well with me but it is wartime so i'll get over it. Don't Lannisters usually pay for someone else to do their dirty work? What was the point of having him escape then bringing him back? Is Cat gonna let him escape again????? Ugggh! Sansa and Shae are not working for me--but I can see where that is leading. Sansa has become a beautiful girl though.

Theon was a magnificent douchebag. I appreciate his not letting me down there. Loved Tyrion as always.

Sick of Jon and Ygritte already; they should have done it in the muck and get it over with.lol Would have like to see Ghost more; Jon would not have never been caught if Ghost was there. Blah-Blah-complain the-series-is-not-true-to-the-book-Blah-Blah.

My 2 cents are over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I gave it a nine. The acting was as ever superb and Michelle Fairey continues to do a great job . My favourite scene this week was again Tywin and Arya - they paly so well together, they are like a kindly old grandfather with his granddaughter.

Iain Glen as jorah continues to be cool as f*ck and you know somethings in the offing when he appeared in his armour to go and search for the dragons. However the scene between him and Danerys felt a bit Jane Austen.

The scene with Jaime and the squire was drawn out too long, but with what happened I can understand the thinking behind it - to show Jaime as a ruthless, selfish person.

Only thing I don't like is Ygritte- she really grates on me and ruins the show for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm... I voted a 7. Not as good as last episode.

The scenes felt too short overall this time, and the cutting back and forth was a bit odd. The SanSan scene was a good example... Just 10(?) seconds long, and then we are off to another part of Westeros/Essos. There seemed to be 4 shorter Jon/Ygritte scenes - I would have preferred two longer ones instead.

My favorite scenes: Cersei/Sansa and Cersei/Tyrion - a really good episode for Cersei overall, I think.

Least favorite? Probably Robb/Talisa. And the Arya scene did nothing for me this time.

The Qarth changes are fairly drastic, but I don't feel like I can judge it fairly without seeing where it will end up. So far I am on board. (Need more Qaithe, though!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9.

Amazing episode. I liked the Jon/Ygritte scenes, made me chuckle. Crane shot of Harrenhal looked amazing.

Acting in the SanSan scenes felt a bit... stiff? I do like the Hound getting more screentime though.

Jaime/Cat/Brienne - fucking amazing.

I'm not entirely convinced by the King of Qarth-thing. I think there should have been a bit more set-up for it. Maybe I wasn't paying attention, but to me it felt like it was coming out of nowhere. Pyat Pree's multiplying act was chilling though, really like the actor playing him.

I'd like to note that this was the first episode where my boyfriend wasn't bored at any moment in the episode. It also was the first time he wasn't doing the 'who the hell is that?' routine he does, he just kept his mouth shut and thought the whole hour was very exciting. He was genuinely shocked by the two burned boys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Meh, I gave this episode 6/10. Nothing really happened this time... Think I'll forget this one really fast.

  • So Theon found Bran and Rickon and killed them. Gee, I wonder why they didn't show us that particular event when it occured :P
  • Jon Snow in trouble again. Wait what?! Jon Snow? In trouble? Who would've thought...
  • Jaime escaped... only to be captured again.
  • Jon Snow is a virgin.
  • Sansa getting her first period. How... uh... Fascinating...
  • Cersei opened up to Tyrion and told him things we already knew in the first season.
  • Dany will get her dragons back, yep. The reason they were stolen was just because someone wants her to visit his house, not because anyone hates her or wants her dead or wants to use the dragons to gain power. No, he would just like a visit from her...
  • Meanwhile throaths are being cut, cancer patients are being multiplied, women in masks are using goat brains to paint the backs of men who are to travel past Valyria, and stuff is happening in a city that really isn't important to anything whatsoever that will happen later in the series.
  • And finally, Jon Snow doesn't like it when you call his private parts club, bone and rocks.

There. Did I miss anything?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liked the episode, and gave it an 8.

Nothing made me jump to the edge of my seat this week, but I loved all the history that was revealed in this episode. I don't know how non-book readers will take the information (or if they'll even care), but I loved that we heard a little more of the Mad King and Jaime's reasons behind his actions. Although he lost the sympathy vote yet again after killing his cousin.

Go Arya! She'd better watch her step though.

I also loved the mention of the BWB!! Set that one up for some good action next season!

Ygritte and Talisa....meh.

Also, does any one know why The Greatjohn isn't in the show this season?

Edited by Dornish Hen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I gave it a 9. I'm wondering how they're going to do John and Qhorin, I'm a bit worried about whether or not they bring in the Reeds next season and don't care for Osha, and it was a little King's Landing-light. Everything else, including the plentiful changes, was superb. I have to ask, though: does anyone really still think the show is making Theon more sympathetic? I used to see that opinion frequently, and I've always really disagreed. I love the execution of Theon in the show, but I really don't think he's any more likable or sympathetic than in the books.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to ask, though: does anyone really still think the show is making Theon more sympathetic? I used to see that opinion frequently, and I've always really disagreed. I love the execution of Theon in the show, but I really don't think he's any more likable or sympathetic than in the books.

My book reading has clouded my show watching judgement. Just knowing what happens to Theon makes him a little more sympathetic to me, even this far into the show. But my non-book reading friend continues to call for someone to kill Theon during every episode. I think the non-book readers hate him more, and don't think of him as a sympathetic character at all.

Edited by Dornish Hen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep. He and presumably the other warlocks derive power from the dragons, which is why he wants to keep them and Dany at the HotU "forever." A number of clues point to this - in particular, Quaithe's cryptic conversation with Jorah in episode 4 has a great deal more resonance now, i.e. "dragons are fire made flesh, and fire is power."

I don't think the magic == dragons formula holds. My understanding is that the coming of dragons into the world specifically amplified the fire-magic practiced by the followers of R'hllor, giving them the power to divine the future in fire, animate dead flesh and give birth to the smoke monster from LOST. After all, it would hardly make sense for Pyat Pree and the other warlocks of the world to go to the trouble of learning to practice something which didn't exist.

For example, the magician who castrated Varys to summon a demon clearly did so at a time when no dragons existed. The Others made their appearance in this cycle before the birth of Dany's dragons. Bloodraven was renowned as a sorceror, merged with a tree and kept his consciousness going for decades with no dragons. There doesn't seem to be any evidence that these sorts of "non-fire" magic have been affected one way or another by dragons. And whatever Pyat Pree is practicing does not seem to be related to fire, either - I believe he's had the ability to dominate the world and creep people out long before Dany's dragons also :laugh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, after all my gushing on earlier episodes, I gave this one only an 8 - which is pretty decent, but I had problems.

Whilst I thought that many scenes were wonderfully done (and all those people here who talk about acting, the scene where Roose Bolton had one line and did all the rest with his eyes, is what acting is all about, sorry) I nevertheless come away from this episode feeling a sense of contrivance. For the first time, I truly felt that I was in a soap opera - hey, that's OK, I got that feeling from the books too. I just found that there was a bit of choppiness again, which was like the earlier episodes.

To start from the beginning: Throw tar all over me, but Alfie slipped back in the first scene here, after doing so well last week. We got the mad rolling eyes and the wooden delivery yet again. I forgive him as he's not very experienced, and he will soon learn how to do the more subtle nuances. Non-Brits may not get why I nitpick with this, because they are not Northern Brits, so don't feel/hear how 'off' his inflections can be. But I'm being ultra strict - Theon is still a shit, and Alfie puts that over pretty well. I just got a whiff of melodrama going on - and at the very end - dare I say it? - also from the exquisite Donald Sumpter too, who is certainly experienced enough to know better. Whilst I was in awe of the Theon scenes last week, I felt they were not among the strongest this time around. Sorry, this isn't an Emmy winning performance, and it would get nowhere near a BAFTA nomination.

The Dink and Lena's exchange, however.... that scene was beautifully crafted, especially with the facial expressions of Dink. 'Should I comfort her? Perhaps not?' Again - here we see how good actors can say so much more without dialogue. After the words had ended in that scene, the silent dialogue went on. Perfect from the pair of them.

Tywin and Arya need no further comment. I am glad that Tywin made the remark about 'enjoying' his servant girl's personality, because that was always obvious to me. The man is a human being and Arya is a character we can all identify with. Yeah, it may be a bit contrived for a TV audience - providing an insight into Tywin the human, but that's what TV does. On a CGI note - the views of Harrenhal were magnificent and truly epic.

The scenes at Robb's camp - all were wonderful (with the exception of the Karstark, who was pretty mediocre). Loved the Jaime scenes and have no criticism of them whatsoever. Once again, Michelle Fairley was brilliant and deserves far more praise than she gets.

I've read some criticism on this thread about Emilia Clarke. Again, this is an inexperienced young actress who has flashes of brilliance that can only get better as she ages and gets better roles. She reminds me of a young Helena Bonham Carter, and how we saw her mature from 'Lady Jane' through to 'Howard's End' and beyond. I've always managed to see the little subtle changes going on in Emilia's facial expressions, but even so I was expecting the Qarth scenes to blow me away after comments I'd read here. They didn't by a long chalk. I'm not sure the writing flowed quite as well as it might have done. Hmm - how can I put it? Last series, all the Essos scenes seemed very real. We could believe in the Dothraki and the dragons - whatever was thrown at us. In this episode, for the first time, I felt I might have been watching a hokey fantasy show after all. Still - small mercies, and all that; at least the annoying Spice King is dead. Nothing wrong with the actor, just the character. But I just want Barristan to get here and fast, to add a touch of dignitas to the proceedings. I love Iain Glen to death but was never a Jorah fan in the books, and although Ian has made him more sympathetic, he nevertheless manages to convey that tiny air about Jorah that we can't fully trust, and he's still pretty bloody useless. [ETA: JOrah, I mean - not Iain]

Jon and Ygritte - these were some of my favourite scenes, and especially in the first one we actually got Kit to show some emotion, which must be applauded :D I didn't cringe when Ygritte said 'the line' either; she put enough nuance in it to make it sound meaningful. I still love this show Ygritte. The wildlings popping up was done very well - quite unexpected, and it worked.

I've refused to link this episode to the books in any way, because I've long since stopped comparing - that way madness lies. I just watched it as a TV show. In parts it was disjointed, but there was enough development within each scene character wise to allow an 8 for overall satisfaction.

As to Bran and Rickon at the end - I deliberately wanted my sister (a non book reader and experienced thespian herself) to see this, to see if she was sold by the ruse. Well, the ruse passed her by because she thought the tarred bodies were extremely unrealistic. 'They're not real bodies,' she said. 'But who are they supposed to be?' I asked. 'That old fella's orphans,' she said. So, marks off there, HBO. She never made the Bran/Rickon connection at all.

As a postscript - kudos to Sophie Turner in this one. I thought she was excellent.

Hate to nitpick this time, but I'm trying to be honest. There was still so much that was good that I've given it 8, and I can't wait for next week.

Edited by Drogon's Personal Trainer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...