How would you rate episode 306?

[Jorah the Explorer]

I gave it a 6. It was enjoyable enough, but I'm tough when it comes to ratings. It was the worst of a good season so far. I also agree with the thought that David and Dan are not good writers. In a perfect world, Cogman and Martin would do half each, but theoretically GRRM shouldn't have the time.

The pacing was good. I really liked Tywin and Roose. Most of the rest of it was meh.

[Moseh Khayim]

7.

After 2 very good episodes, we apparently take a step back.

Highlights were Littlefinger vs. Varys and the Ladder-speech, Roose!, the first bit of flaying and the encounter between Mel and the Brotherhood without Banners. Liked Mel's interaction with both Thoros and Arya. And apparently, this scene served for more reasons than just the need of Gendry's king's blood.

Did think a lot of scenes lacked impact and were just kind of filler (f.e. Sam,Jojen). Didn't think the ending was very GoT-like. Maybe they should've ended with the Joffrey/Ros scene.

Have a feeling next week will restart the epicness.

[pleonasm]

...I don't understand all the hate and whining. Did you all want them to skip this part and have no setup for what's to come?

With only 10 episodes and limited screen time, I'd like them to stop repeating themselves incessantly (the Theon torture porn scenes)

I'd like the characters who know how to play the game, actually play it, rather that make big speeches to their enemies (Littlefinger, Vary's). Yes, it takes some creativity to write scenes where the characters demonstrate what great game players and that reveal subtly their motivations. Or we could be lazy and just have the characters tell us.

I'd like some scenes to actually have some subtly and well crafted writing in them, instead of some hammy dialogue and tired gay jokes (Loras/Sansa, Queen of Thornes/Tywin)

If your going to invent some new scenes/story-lines as least make an effort to make them logical. How did Mel find Gendry? Did the Lord of Light provide her with a Google Map of Westeros? Maybe try and actually come up with something interesting for Bran & Company to do until they reach the wall (I did like the side effect of seizures for Jojen, that was a nice add)?

This was a brutal episode. A solid 2 for me.

Edited May 6, 2013 by pleonasm

[Moi Aussi]

It was the worst of the season...which is disappointing because the last few episodes have been great. I know that from the very beginning, the show has made little changes to the book material...a new scene here or there, but mostly, it seemed, to simplify and quickly explain material in a concise manner or to add a bit of humor. Generally, I have had no problem with these changes. Some I even liked.

With this episode, for the first time it really seemed to me they were starting to diverge from the books in a more significant way. If that is the case, I think it is a bad development. Especially since this episode just was not as good as the others this season. I really hope this is not the start of a trend.

[Queen of Whores]

I would have given it an 8, but I was feeling generous, so I stretched it to a 9. It's definitely the calm before the storm, and I love those episodes. People complaining about not much happening will soon forget those comments in the coming episodes.

[Typhaon]

I gave it a 9.

I couldn't find too much to gripe about and I even liked that after a lot of doom and gloom, they gave us a happy final scene, for once...

Really liked the Beric/Thoros/Melisandre interaction... thought the sale of Gendry was a bit... off... I know they explained their need for gold in a few episodes, but it appeared they also really needed a skilled blacksmith -- and I'd imagine Thoros, at least, would have some idea of the fate that might await Gendry.

[Pinkie Baelish]

I gave it an 8. Solid episode, although the writing was a step down from last week.

Best parts:

-The climbing of the wall was really well done, and absolutely gorgeous to watch. I even liked the sappy ending for once.

-FUCK YEAH WE GOT MOTHERFUCKING FLAYING OAFKJSHBJFSKFNDSKJGDKGNFDKJGN. Can't BELIEVE they actually showed that!

-Iwan Rheon is just killing it as Ramsay. And I loved the call back to season 2 with him blowing the horn

-The montage set to LF's chaos monologue was well done, and I'm glad Ros didn't have a long drawn out death scene

-

If Mel does revive Jon in TWOW, that was a great bit of foreshadowing.

-Good to see we still have Chekhov's dragonglass.

-"Do I look like a fucking Umber to you?"

Edited May 6, 2013 by Pinkie Baelish

[Queen of Whores]

I'm actually reconsidering my rating and giving it a 7. This happens with every episode. I love it while watching and don't want them to end, but after I can't stop thinking of everything I didn't like. Argh, I didn't even feel like this with season 2. They actually had more scenes from the books than made up. There were maybe, what, four scenes vaguely similar to the book? Jon climbing the Wall, Sam singing to Gilly, Robb and the new marriage, and Jaime and Roose. It's just gone too far from the books, I hate to say. I had high-ish hopes for season 3. The annoying thing is I'll keep watching with the hope it'll get better.

[Joyful Union]

7.5 - 8. Probably the weakest this season for me, though there was still plenty to enjoy

Thought the direction was beautiful, and I'm also glad there spending more time developing Ygritte/Jon's relationship

In terms of set pieces the Wall climb really takes the cake this season for me. The show has really come along way in terms of action. Compare the pathetic tourney in Season 1 to this!

Loved the Roose scene.

Flaying!

The Ros reveal was deliciously dark.

Loras/Sansa scene was lacking, though slightly amusing

I like the Osha/Meera fight, gives them something to do, as well as setting up a possible reason for Osha to leave. (never rellay understood that part in the books)

[Sensuki Dorjan]

2/10 Fucking awful.

90% of the episode spent on non-book material, tying up loose ends from changes they made to the story. 100% Agree with Ran.

[Loras]

Overall I rated this episode as an 8.

I think that the biggest problem that I had with the episode was the scene ordering. I don't think that I will ever understand why the episode started with a Sam scene (that really didn't go anywhere other than to show off the Dragonglass) followed by a Bran scene that didn't achieve that much either. By starting with those two incredibly slow scenes, the episode lost an awful lot of momentum right from the get go.

The rest of the episode was good. I loved the Jon sequences and felt that his story has now had some much needed development. I also loved the Varys/Littlefinger scene leading into the montage.

The only scene that I thought was dreadful was the Sansa/Loras scene. Though the direction, with their reflections in the pond, made up for the atrocious dialogue.

[Kienn]

Gave it a 7, everything was pretty decent, nothing was terrible but nothing was great so default score of 6. +1 is from Ros finally being gone.

Littlefingers speech much more than least season's obligatory -it's called the game of thrones remember there's a "game"???- speech where Tyrion says "I'd like to keep playing it, duururrrrrr". I may be misremembering the duururrrrr, but I think he did actually say it...

It did also have a lot of lead-in info packed in so I have some good hopes for the last episodes this season.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Kienn

[Raksha the Demon]

I gave it a 7 because of:

1. the Wall-climbing scenes; really well done.

2. Tywin and Olenna's power luncheon

3. Sansa and Loras' scene; I liked it; their awkwardness and the genuine attempts to overcome that awkwardness; Loras actually seemed to like Sansa as a person; and the poor girl was just so happy about the prospect of leaving King's Landing and marrying him...

4. Sam & Gilly.

5. Ros is dead. I'd have been just as happy to have her gone to Pentos to open up her own brothel, but at least she's not distracting from more interesting characters anymore. Can't wait for Joffrey to get his just desserts on TV!

6. The Tyrion/Cersei scene.

7. Jaime and Brienne's Dinner with Roose

8. That shot of Sansa sobbing while watching Littlefinger's ship sail away; still a prisoner, with no hope of escape now, and to be married to a Lannister.

I was utterly bored by the Littlefinger/Varys conversation and couldn't really figure out all of Littlefinger's cryptic remarks...and didn't care.

Not thrilled about Gendry subbing for Edric Storm as Mel's designated King's Blood sacrifice to Rhlorr. I never was crazy about the Brotherhood in the books, but they didn't betray their own.

[StannisandDaeny]

Gave it a 7. Some solid dialogue, got quite a few laughs, and the first scene with Sam and Gilly was intense, I was just expecting to see an Other jump out at the screen at any moment. Sometimes the show needs to slow down, you know, remember how slow the books sometimes are? That said, it lacked some action.

The wall is 700 feet high... yeah, when GRRM himself has said he probably made it too high, perhaps the show should make it a little bit lower too.

The Blackfish is too much of an aggressive brute imo. Seriously he's like a thug or a bouncer, like the big guy guarding a mafia boss, not a lord in service.

Edmure on the other hand is great, and I'm glad Robb admits it's not fair, because it wasn't.

Oh and I wanted a longer dinner scene... Go Roose!

The Freys looked sufficiently dumb and stupid.

Tyrion / Sansa / Shae and Loras / Sansa were funnily awkward.

Charles Dance is still killing it. Good to see Tywin owning that **** (I mean the character!).

It's weird that LF is just sitting next to the throne, staring at it, and being so transparent. Seriously if he really did that he'd be dead.

And to people who are happy for what happened to Ros: bah. Just bah.

Edited May 6, 2013 by StannisandDaeny

[Mr Smith]

I dunno why everyone's so down on this one. I'm quite happily giving it an 8. No really huge moments, but a lot of good small moments between characters.

I loved the Thoros monologue. Thought it finally shed a bit of light on a character who up till now has been a bit of an anomaly.

Quite enjoyed the climb itself, although some of the CGI could have been better.

Ramsay's game playing was excellent, and I'm glad he hasn't revealed himself yet.

And Tywin and Olenna were outstanding, every scene of theirs so far has been the best in each episode.

Littlefinger's speech was great, probably his only good scene so far this season.

There wasn't much I really disliked about the episode, but there were a few disappointments. I really wish we'd spent more time with Jaime and Roose, that scene felt terribly underdone. The Bran stuff was also highly underwhelming, though i suppose they have to stretch that storyline out to breaking point.

[Holdfast]

7/10. Would probably have scored it higher, except that the last two episodes have been so good.

For the first time, departures from the books have really bothered me. Especially don't like that Sansa knows of her impending marriage so far ahead of time.

This episode has wasted Bran story development time and has re-inforced to me that this season has not handled his story well.

And there goes my theory that Ros would be the Dontos replacement in Sansa's story.

[The Meeraculous Third Reed]

I gave it a 4. I honestly feel that was generous.

So much filler. My god. Almost every scene was just played out for seemingly no reason. That's to say nothing bad about the acting (Iwan Rheon is good. Damn he is good. I just wish he could play a more likable character), just that so much of it served little purpose.

Secondly, the changes from the book in this episode were truly truly awful. Gendry storyline? Pass. Utterly ludicrous. This marriage notion? Likewise. Can't remember exactly, but have Willas and Garlan now been retconned? Just so silly. Continued white-washing of Tyrion and Cersei? Just really really annoying. Is Jojen being an epileptic in the books?

Even Varys and LF are getting boring. LF is my favourite favourite character, and it's just so annoying to see him (not Varys, Varys never reveals anything to him) just throw stuff out there for Varys to hear. Yes he's more likely to be frank with Varys, a man with whom he shares both respect and disgust for and knows is playing much the same game at him, but ffs, LF has literally spent years carefully honing a public persona. Aidan Gillen deserves better.

Jaime, Roose and Brienne were good. As was the aforementioned acting of Rheon. Nothing else did it for me at all.

[The Killer Snark]

I'm giving it a 9. Last week's was better, but marginally. I think people are getting put off here by two factors, that the pace was very leisurely and the episode served mainly to set up future plot points: and that a fair amount of liberties were made with the source material or new material added, in part because of prior cuts or unneccesary alterations, I admit. Yet aside from the somewhat crass giving over of Gendry, most of these scenes worked. The pace was just a little too leisurely towards the end, and the death of Roz won't go down well with Petyr baelish apologists, and suggests the producers realise her character was superfluous in the first place, since she isn't in the books. I've reversed my opinion on the actor playing Ramsay, though I still wish they'd went with someone a bit bulkier and more physically weird.

I don't think the lack of real events are a big problem here, considering how readers had to adapt to Catelyn being sidelined at Riverun for around 900 pages while her father refused to kick the bucket, so I'm glad at lease they've cut back on that here.

Rose Leslie as Ygritte is proving an increasing treat, and I'll be sad when she leaves the series. One point which is probably improved over the books is the fact that Osha is still in it, who I believe Martin sent off to Skagos because he couldn't think of how to use her. I'm developing an attraction for the actress playing Meera Reed.

Next week's episode will no doubt be better, but I think the panning many are giving this one wouldn't happen if they hadn't already read the books, and were oblivious to the changes that have been made. Only the pointless fate of Gendry had me silently groaning to myself. However, at the moment I'm struggling to take an interest in the direly scripted, badly characterised and snail-paced last season of Spartacus, so I might be inclined to be slightly generous in this case.

Edited May 6, 2013 by The Killer Snark

[The Ghost of Winter]

I gave an 8, I liked it for the most part but I do wish Sam's scene included some slaying. I also wish Bran's story was done better, come on fighting over skinning rabbits... Hey at least Hodor spoke!!!

I liked the scene with Theon & "Boy" ;) yeah baby blow that horn. The torture was a bit much for me though. Tyrion telling Sansa about their marriage was completely unnecessary.

I loved how beautifully creepy Melisandre looked while staring at Arya. I enjoyed the Edmure/Frey engagement scene as well. And lastly, it was nice having a break from Daenerys.

[KoishNoish]

To be honest though this is just a set-up episode preparing us for the last few episodes of the season. It's putting all the little plot pieces into place so we know how we got from A to B.