How would you rate episode 209?

[A Redeemed Hound]

I just hope next week is as brilliant as this week. I have my doubts. I really hope the House of the Undying is as awesome and mysterious and trippy as it is in the books. If they do it right it will make up for a rather lame Qarth this season.

[Spidey]

9.5! Too bad George didn't write all the episodes.

I'd rather have him write TWoW.

[gogorath]

It's weird how any rating less than 10, not even an 8 or a 9, is deemed "too critical". Wow! Easy folks.

I think most of this is cause by the fact that we all have a different scale of what 1-10 means.

What's the comparison set? All TV? Other HBO series? Just elite TV like Mad Men, The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad? Just things I watch? The emotion you felt when you read the books? Full scale Hollywood movies?

What's the criteria for a 10? Someone previously said it has to be perfect for it to be a ten - kind of the gymnastics type of judging. Others don't start at a 10 and subtract -- they allow for positives to completely outweigh negatives if the positives are awesome enough to them.

What are you grading and what's your focus? Fidelity to the books? Execution by the filmmakers and acting? Just the emotional impact it has on you?

For me, it's really hard to see someone seeing this as an "8" based on how I grade. For a television show, the battle execution was unprecented. If this battle was an eight, what does a show have to do to get a 10 portraying a battle? But perhaps someone else just doesn't care for battles, so it's hard for me to see the grade until I realize they really don't care about that. And while I thought there were things to be improved, no episode would get a ten if I did the gymnastic-style judging -- so I don't -- but some do. And that's fine, even if that means 10s are hard to come by. But for me, the battle scenes were so much better than I felt we had a right to expect, plus I thought the Cersei scenes were great, as were Tyrion's. The Sansa-Hound scene was just okay to me and the end was (deliberately?) a bit confusing, but that was all well overcome for me by the awesomeness.

We may actually agree on a lot of individual points, but may come up with different grades. And that's before even getting to places where people differ on how well it was done, period. But since each of us assumes our way of grading is superior, your "8" is freaking CRAZY. :)

[drm7]

I rated it a 9, but it was actually more like a 9.49999 than a 8.500001. (I thought that "Baelor" was the only 10.)

Stunning, visceral episode. Easily the best of the season. Lena Headey was awesome.

I knew that the episode was done "right" when my heart actually leapt seeing Loras and Tywin burst into the throne room. I was shocked at my reaction. Why am I cheering for Tywin Lannister? Damn you, Mr. Martin!!

(Oh, and the green explosion was off-the-charts incredible!)

Only very minor quibbles:

1) I know that Stannis is a psycho control freak, but personally climbing a ladder up the wall? (Stephen Dillane is incredible, though)

2) San/San would have been better had it stuck closer to the books. I don't think that it would have added shooting time and/or budget, so I'm puzzled that the producers and the...ahem...writer took some of the "juice" out of the scene.

[jdp13]

Amazing how well action scenes can work when you're invested in the characters. Sounds easy enought but it rarely happens. Great episode.

[Franz95]

I loved it. Stannis's battle face was wpic, Sandor's scared one impressive. And I admit I've shouted "Halfman, halfman", along with the Kingslanders... oh, and "The Rains of Castamere"? Awesome.

[BigWhy]

Very good episode. An 8+ from me.

The Wildfire explosions were well done, well and above most everything that’s been done in a TV series.

Rains of Castamere !

The Cersei + Tommen scene on the throne was chilling.

The scene with Sansa comforting the ladies after Cersei left, perfect. Maisie Williams gets a lot of (deserved) praise for her Arya, Sophie Turner is just as good with Sansa, in an arguably more difficult role.

A few quibbles to explain the 8:

:

As always, some unecessary scenes : Cersei questioning Shae (why would her Grace care about a maid, and this in the middle of a battle?). Bronn and the Hound squaring off, silly.

I felt the Sansa + Hound scene was missing a little something. At least they didn’t skip it.

Ilyn Payne still looks ridiculous.

Stannis fronting the attack. Wearing no helmet. -.-

Edited May 29, 2012 by BigWhy

[sarah.jenice]

Absolutely a 10! I've already watched it 4 times.

[gmavridis]

That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you write the show. Changes? Yes. Characters remaining within the paradigm of what the showrunners have defined (Cersei and Sandor, most notably)? Yep. But it all actually clicks together.

My biggest beefs: I wish they didn't have to Hollywoodize Stannis and have him swinging his sword in the forefront, but okay, you want to give him an action moment, I guess. And I wish someone had been shouting, "Renly!" and you'd see the guys in Renly's kit still throwing down their swords or turning on their own.

But... uh. Those complaints, they are minor.

I just confirmed with friends and family all no readers that they did not understand the scene with "Renly". Most of them did not even notice Loras and they thought that Tywin was the one that won the battle. Everything else was perfect.

[bardgal]

Some insight on how this episode was shot:

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/05/27/game-of-thrones-blackwater-2/

[TyrionTargaryen]

I knew that the episode was done "right" when my heart actually leapt seeing Loras and Tywin burst into the throne room. I was shocked at my reaction. Why am I cheering for Tywin Lannister? Damn you, Mr. Martin!!

I thought the same thing! Tywin was like "The battle is over. And we have won!"

Now I know what it was like for Darth Vader when his 'thoughts betrayed him'. I guess I was rooting for Tyrion the whole time but Davos is right there as one of my favorites. Can't wait to see him on the Merlin rocks or whatever they are called.

[TyrionTargaryen]

Absolutely a 10! I've already watched it 4 times.

I've watched it about 8 times already... it is insanely addicting. I barely worked today but watched HBOGO.com hahaha

[Lady of Long Lake]

Sansa: I'll pray for your safety

Tyrion: You will?

Sansa: Just as I do for Joffrey...

OUCH!

Loved the episode, obviously some small deviations but very well done.

Having watched the Sandor Sansa scene, I don't get why she would choose not to go with a him when he is not drunk, scary, and offers to take her home...

But that's minor I guess.

I really want to hear all of the Rains of Castamere at one time now!

Wait! I'm pretty sure Sansa said she would pray for the KING. That would be Robb or Stannis, my dear Stargaryen:) Sansa would not pray for Joff. Tyrion got a slightly amused look so I think he knew what she meant.

[Lady of Long Lake]

9/10. First 10 minutes were pretty mediocre, the Bron - Hound was a bore. After that it was great, with a really fantastic final scene.

I was thinking the same thing David when I was watching it. Why the hell are they wasting precious time in the Blackwater episode showing us naked chicks in a bar?

But it made some weird sense after Sandor had his meltdown. He was 2 seconds away from being killed by the flaming guy when Bronn shot him. Bronn gives him a shit eating grin and nods, like "Don't worry, I got your back Big Guy". The guy he was going to kill in the bar 5 minutes ago saves his life whilest he's frozen with fear. It added to Sandor's unraveling scene, I think.

[Ditocorto]

btw stannis suddenly became a HUGE BADASS: "we're too far from the gates, hundreds will die!" "Thousands"

[ICE CROW]

Ran,

After reading your analysis there is something I must mention, im not sure if anyone else has mentioned it yet so I will. You talked about how the final Sandor/Sansa scene was missing something that happened in the book the giving of his Kingsguard whitecloak, the thing is she already has it!. In the scene where Sansa is being stripped by Ser Meryn and Tyrion comes in and saves her from further abuse, Sandor is the one who rips of his cloak and gives it to Sansa, she then leaves with it. From that scene on, Sandor no longer has a whitecloak in any other scenes. So Sansa does have Sandor's whitecloak to remember him by in the future.

Obviously different then how it happened in the book but we end up with the same result.

EDIT: i just double checked there is only one scene after the throne room scene where Sandor is wearing a whitecloak, the scene where Sansa thanks him for saving her. I think this was a continuity error more than anything, because except for that scene he never wears a cloak again after giving her his. No matter what though, she does have one of Sandors whitecloaks which is what is important.

Edited May 30, 2012 by ICE CROW

[Vic-tarion Rattlehead]

Absolutely loved this episode! Gave it my first 10 ever! Till now I was really disappointed with the second season - but it just came and saved the day.

No unnecessary BS, no filler characters and scenes - just good ol' Blackwater massacre. Flawless!

[Vic-tarion Rattlehead]

Absolutely loved this episode! Gave it my first 10 ever! Till now I was really disappointed with the second season - but it just came and saved the day.

No unnecessary BS, no filler characters and scenes - just good ol' Blackwater massacre. Flawless!

[Vic-tarion Rattlehead]

Ooopsy daisy... double post :bang:

Edited May 30, 2012 by Vic-tarion Rattlehead

[Silverjaime]

The acting was superb throughout, the special effects were excellent, I can't even decide which scene I liked best - Bron firing the arrow, Cersie's drunken nastiness, Tyrion taking charge, Stannis fighting on no matter what his men do, Sansa saying "you won't hurt ME", etc etc......!

George's dialogue was spot on, lots of wit and memorable lines from everyone.

Season two started off quite disappointingly IMO but this episode was probably one of the best hours of TV I've ever seen!

How are they gonna follow that??!!