How would you rate episode 305?

[Eric Baratheon]

I am pondering changing my 9 into a 10. This was indeed superb writing, direction and score. Superb acting all-around. Superb - flawless even - editing.

The Rolling Stone recap is just spot-on, I recommend it:

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/game-of-thrones-recap-perfect-game-20130429

[Mark Antony]

The Rolling Stone recap is just spot-on, I recommend it:

http://www.rollingst...t-game-20130429

Really good recap, thanks for posting.

[Table8]

Just finished third viewing. Excellent episode! Though for some reason I enjoyed episode 4 more.

The good: lots of momentum throughout. Great dynamics on the last scene with the Lannister family. Loved that they explained the importance of Sansa and their awarness of Tyrell plotting. While different from the book, I actually liked the scene where Robb makes his plan to attack Casterly Rock. It reintroduces Walder Frey, and the dialogue was a great reset for the viewer. "when we started we had purpose, but now we're all bickering children". "well then, find a new purpose". Excellent dialogue! Also great were the subtleties in the scene between Barristan and Jorah, the way Jorah was fishing around seeing if Barristan knew of Jorah's conspiring against Dany. Most impressive - the Jaime Brienne scene. Seriously, I was rather indifferent to their storyline from the books. But the acting and writing of the show has made them rock stars to me. The show has greatly increase my appreciation for the characters. These 2 actors are almost carrying the show by making great scenes, one after the next!

The bad: I seriously wonder if any non book readers give a crap at all about Jon Snow. The way his storyline has progressed this season is a terrible injustice. A bit here and a bit there - no momentum at all! My biggest complaint about season 3 has been pacing. It's gotten to the point that Jon Snow scenes (and the repetitive Bran scenes which we were fortunately spared this episode) just kill the show dead. A shame, because Jon's story is one of my favorite parts of the book and Kit plays the character very well. The producers and writers just don't do the character/story justice. And Stannis....... (sigh) my favorite character in the book. Yet when I see his scenes on TV, I see nothing of the qualities that I liked so much in the book. WTF was up with the baby jars? And one of his sons was called Edric?!? The character assassination continues.

The petty: anyone notice the music cues were all out of sorts? They used the Theon theme for Karstarks execution. They used the theme commonly associated with Stannis during Thoros's prayers. I guess these themes don't belong to Theon or Stannis, but instead are used for "bad decision making" and "lord of light", respectively. I'd rather the former.

Great episode, but still enough pacing flaws to get hurt. Gave it an 8.

[The Monkey]

On a second watch, I might say this is my favourite episode of GoT of all time, surpassing even "Fire and Blood".

[DaveSnow House Stark]

Loved the episode, rated it an 8, same as last week. It didn't have the Dracary's type moment for me, but the show as a whole was really well done.

Jon/Ygritte, a little quick, needed a little more lead up, but still shows them for who they are. Him a maid and her with several men.

Shireen, liked her, kinda glad patchface didn't make the show. It may have been just a distracting charactor.

Thought Jorah over acted a little when asking about being on the small council and trying to find out if Selmy knew that Jorah was the informant.

Loved Tywin destroying both his childrens hopes, Cersei was soooooo happy to laugh at Tyrion and then BAM!!!

Jaime/Brienne, again loved this scene. Really helps to get the Jaime POV out there as to why he did what he did. They really handled that great.

[Bean Stocks]

Great episode. Since episode 3, the show has really hit its stride. Lots of great scenes in this one. The Hound's fight was excellent, and pretty much everything to do with the Brotherhood was awesome. Speaking of which, Maisie Williams was fan-fucking-tastic this episode. All her scenes were great, especially the one with Thoros and Beric around the fire.

Jon and Ygritte's scene was sexy as fuuuu. Then you had Robb and co. having some serious shit going down. Karstark's execution was a great scene, filmed and acted. Now, the bath scene. FUCKING AMAZING. NCW and Gwendoline Christie owned that scene, especially NCW.

Great closing scene as well. Solid 9.

i agree wholeheartedly!!

[David Selig]

Awesome episode. This season has really surpassed my expectations so far. Best acted show on TV currently by some margin. 9/10 (one point off because Kit still can't act and the Karstarks being almost half of Robb's total army makes no sense whatsoever).

Edited April 29, 2013 by David Selig

[kevin1989]

9 not so big an ending as episode 4 but a much better episode in my opinion. Loved the scene between Jaime and Brienne. Very emotional.

[Delmas]

gave last weeks a 10, this one was better. Can I give it an 11?

[Nictarion]

Gave it a 9/10. I absolutely loved the Hound vs Beric duel. What a surprise, when they stick to the books they produce the best scenes. I wish the Jaime Brienne duel would have been as good. I really liked the Jorah and Barristan dialogue. I particularly liked when Barristan says he wants to serve one leader that he believes in before he dies and asks Jorah if he believes in Dany and he says with all his heart. Grey Worm was cool as well. NCW crushed the bath scene. The scene in the cave was decent, especially Rose Leslie. Overall a great episode.

[Arrow]

i didn't feel sorry for her because just the second before she received her betrothal she was gloating over tyrion being forced to marry and gave no thought what so ever to the fact that poor sansa would be forced into a marriage with the family that destroyed hers. but suddenly when the arrow is pointing at her, she begs not to have it happen.

I agree, that side of her personality is repulsive, the bad Cersei - she's hard and unfeeling, especially when it comes to her brother Tyrion, never gives an inch with him, and she has a limitless sense of her own entitlement, and she self-aggrandizes every chance she gets, referring to herself as the Queen instead of the more accurate Queen Regent. On the other hand, she loves her children above all else and actively seeks to protect them from harm, a redeeming quality in any mother.

The worst thing for her is that she's perpetually frustrated because she has to, or has in the past had to, fully obey, with no appeal, her father, her son, her brother Jaime, and her late husband, she has had no choice in any of it. I think that could make anyone angry, especially a woman with ambition, to feel so held back, so trapped, with no way out. And because like all women, she is not allowed by society to be openly aggressive (unless they become a warrior like Breanne) she has to resort to channeling her hunger for power into passive-aggressive solutions - schemes - that easily backfire and leave her looking like a fool, and even more frustrated and angry than ever.

But that's the genius of GRRM's characters, they're multifaceted and intriguing in their human-ness, we have so many conflicting feelings about them - Theon, Varys, Jorah, Catelyn, and most of all Jaime, whose character arc has been so fascinating - they test our ability to accept them warts and all, and not rush to judgement.

[Paul Blackfyre]

A solid 9. The bath scene with Jaime and Brienne was absolutely perfect.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Paul Blackfyre

[Grand Moff Mithrandir]

Good episode! glad to see that the pace has been kicked up a bit, I like the Roose/Jaimie scene it really showed you Roose's cunning. Still wish he talked a bit softer though, a la Alan Rickman in HP

[Ser Drizztos]

Solid 9

-flaming sword fight was very impressive (too bad they didn't use the Hound's badass quote though)

-Kingslayer's confession was great; I'm starting to like Jamie's character more and more

-Lord Tywin lastly totally owned the episode (again) "you will marry and breed!"

[Unlady B]

So many pointless sex scenes and we didn't get a front shot from a naked Nikolai Coster-Waldau???? WTF HBO i waited 3 seasons for that!

Either way, loved the bath scene, Brienne shouting kingsalyer and jaime reminding her his true name. Excellent.

Any scene with Charles Dance/ Peter Dinklage is perfect, and more if it ends up screwing cercei

[Queen of Summerwine]

...it flowed great and scenes just feel so much stronger when they are verbatim from the book; not absorbed by the Kingslayer's acting nor the directing in the bath scene.

+Bath scene was the first time the show gave more nuance and depth than book GRRM, a visual metaphor with "baring all", "coming clean", "losing their armor", "transparency, reflective like water".

+Human Inhumanity of Karstark killing children, real life resonates

+LF "It doesn't matter what we want. Once we get it, we want something else"

+Unsullied Grey Worm actor, fierce emotion with make believe language

+Haunting Shireen song

+Empathizing with 'villains', rooting against 'good guys'

+Human subtext, in strong and weak mismatched but complementary pairings

+Pace and flow of scenes in episode conveyed deep emotions

Edited April 29, 2013 by Queen of Summerwine

[jons nissa]

On the other hand, she loves her children above all else and actively seeks to protect them from harm, a redeeming quality in any mother.

i believe the only thing she loves about her children is that they are extensions of her own wonderfulness and that they can be used to attain things she cannot otherwise attain. that is all i have seen her love about her children, especially myrcella, who she barely thinks about after she is sent to dorne. alone!

The worst thing for her is that she's perpetually frustrated because she has to, or has in the past had to, fully obey, with no appeal, her father, her son, her brother Jaime, and her late husband, she has had no choice in any of it. I think that could make anyone angry, especially a woman with ambition, to feel so held back, so trapped, with no way out. And because like all women, she is not allowed by society to be openly aggressive (unless they become a warrior like Breanne) she has to resort to channeling her hunger for power into passive-aggressive solutions - schemes - that easily backfire and leave her looking like a fool, and even more frustrated and angry than ever.

i don't know about that. we see a very powerful queen of thrones. i don't deny that cersei is held back as a result of being a woman and is very bitter about it but that doesn't make her choices any less offensive. also, i wonder how much she might have changed her lot if she had learned to understand how her father works and was able to have him truly respect her opinions and person. but she doesn't seem to want to do the work for that.

eta: the feeling that cersei could have done better with her father comes from what little we know about joanna. she was supposed to have been respected by tywin so if cersei had proven herself with him, he might have respected her as well.

Edited April 29, 2013 by jons nissa

[HopeForSpring]

Last weeks had a more epic ending but the writing and editing of this one had a much more cohesive feel.

There were fights, there were feelings, a little bit for everyone.

[PatrickStormborn]

i don't know about that. we see a very powerful queen of thrones.

I disagree with this. She has a lot of influence, but she spends the majority of her time cleaning up her son's mess because she lacks the power to make the decisions.

[jons nissa]

I disagree with this. She has a lot of influence, but she spends the majority of her time cleaning up her son's mess because she lacks the power to make the decisions.

i don't know that i agree with that. iirc, her son doesn't ask her permission for things which is why she sometimes plays clean up for him. however she does plan and execute her own schemes as well. and on the show, her son hasn't even been seen. she is the mover and shaker of the tyrell clan. while the book is not as explicit, it's the feeling i got aobut book QoT too.