How would you rate episode 309?

[I love Cersei]

Rated this 8/10 - Still in the books everything is a gazillion times better. No exaggeration. You just can't do them justice on TV, with budget and time constraints anyway.

Now pluses and minuses:

+ This episode was moving.

+ Tension could be felt during the episode.

+ This episode didn't include a single scene that was really poor.

+ Most scenes didn't seem overly rushed this time. (Could have done without Dany this episode, to give her story more time/impact in the future, but still.)

+ Rains of Castamere song was well recognizable.

+ The silent credits were really powerful.

+ Loved Michelle Fairley's performance and portrayal of Catelyn.

+ Loved Tobias Menzies' performance (Edmure).

+ Loved David Bradley' performance and portrayal of Walder Frey.

+ Loved how Arya talked to Sandor. Good acting by Maisie Williams.

- Why again Sandor did knock out Arya? Would have loved to see Sandor's fight scene and how he stops Arya from running into the castle. At least the scene could have ended when Arya hit the ground, to leave us a little cliff hanger.

- No fight/resistance during the RW, just a tiny slaughter. No army/burning tents. No sense of the real measure (!) of the event. Oh well, budget I guess. The atmosphere still felt right, though.

- The wildlings great battle-like run to the hut with the single old man seemed a little dumb.

- Anticipated a great landscape shot of Queenscrown, including the walk there through the lake. I felt a little let down by what we got, but that may be personal - very minor nitpick.

- Almost forgot about Sam and Gilly's easy stroll through the park. I liked their interaction, but still: what the hell happend since they fled the ravens? Pity we didn't got to see them where we left them the last time.

- The queasy feeling that too much was left out doesn't go away.

[Patchface123]

I have one problem with this episode, and that is that they tried to fit too much into it. When I read the book, Queenscrown, The Red Wedding and The Purple Wedding with aftermath was the three big things for me. And they put two of these in the same episode. The Red Wedding scenes are great, but it is unfair to Queenscrown and Yunkai, no one will remember those scenes. We have had slow episodes like episode 7 when almost nothing happens. Why put all action in episode 9 every season?

[PatrickStormborn]

Hahaha! You are obviously not a producer! If you are so enraged about this episode, how have you gotten this far? 10 episodes to cover 600 pages is not easy.

They seem to have found plenty of spare time this season for gratuitous torture and a storyline about Podrick with whores, so I don't think it's accurate to say that most of the problems this season are due to time constraints.

[King of the Road]

- No fight/resistance during the RW, just a tiny slaughter. No army/burning tents. No sense of the real measure (!) of the event. Oh well, budget I guess. The atmosphere still felt right, though.

We could see this next episode, there're a lot of shots of burning tents in the preview. Even if it isn't shown, I don't think it detracts from the emotional impact, but I would nonetheless put good money on seeing some kind of resistance/battle in the next episode.

[Where Boars Glow]

I thought it was going to be near impossible to nail the timing...but they did. Best episode of the series so far, Incredible. 11

[Honourable Ser]

There's no such thing as putting too much weight on the book.

I’m sorry, but there absolutely is. To dock points because of a few minor changes? I know I always disagree with your ratings for the show, but given the incredible response this has garnered from the entire world I like to think I can say this with complete assurance - the book is by no means everything.

[TyrionFan82]

I gave it a 10. I loved the episode. Funny thing is, and I want to ask if anyone else felt this way, as a reader knowing what was coming I still was shocked and taken back to when I read it. Did anyone else feel that way? I read as if it was a movie/show in my head so I could picture all the gory details, but it was still something else and well done.

[Freebird6699]

I cried too but the TV show really did not do justice to the intensity of the Red Wedding in the books! The lack of drums and a cacophony of sounds was the biggest issue for me...Also no greywind acting weird/No Catelyn insisting on being fed bread as soon as they come! Nothing..Expected so much more

You nailed the reason I didn't vote for a 10. I really wanted to see Greywind take out some Frey's. The customs of the time and the books are very important and add to all the tension, so I don't understand why they leave them out. How much more dialog can it add to talk about making sure you eat so you are a guest and have hospitality rites. They have watered down the wolves too. At least we got to see Shaggydog and Summer save Jon, but the books have so much more of the bonding that goes on with the Stark children and their wolves.

[Drogon's Personal Trainer]

The only objection I have to it should actually fall on the earlier episodes, which didn't do ANYthing to set up how important the guest right tradition is in Westeros/Essos world. In the books they foreshadow that, mentioning it at least 2 or 3 times before the RW.

Have to agree with this. The show went out of its way to illustrate the platter of bread and salt and Robb and the guests partaking of same, yet we had not one line explaining this. Although Walder said that the guests were now under his protection, I think it is quite a leap to expect the casual viewer (non-book and those not familiar with a tradition of guest-right that goes back to the Bronze Age!) to connect the two.

I don't post much here, and I definitely don't nitpick (life's too short) but this was a bit of a blip in an otherwise excellent episode. So too were the Dany scenes, which seemed incongruous in what was largely a Stark-centric episode (and I love Dany!)

Edited June 4, 2013 by Drogon's Personal Trainer

[Mr Hodor]

10. Even after all these years RW can still shock me.

Played skyrim and killed mercer frey over and over again for revenge.

[ipsuel]

I gave it a 10. I loved the episode. Funny thing is, and I want to ask if anyone else felt this way, as a reader knowing what was coming I still was shocked and taken back to when I read it. Did anyone else feel that way? I read as if it was a movie/show in my head so I could picture all the gory details, but it was still something else and well done.

I can relate. I read the books (many, many times) and knew what was coming. Yet, it still got to me. I'm usually quite critical of the show vs. the books -- but I think they nailed it. It was perfect for me.

[Steve Stark]

Either an eight or a nine.

I concur on the lack of bread and salt references, and as much as I fully support Dany scenes I think the episode should have focused more on the Starks so as not to take away from the fall of Yunkai.

Overall, great television.

Now I can openly tell my non-reader friends that I hate Roose so bad. If I was doing Arya's little prayer right now, it would go: "Little Finger, Roose Bolton, Joffrey, Cersei, Lord Frey..." well that's the start of it anyway.

[Fey]

10. Shocked me as much as it did in the books, and brought out the exact same feelings.

[King Kev.]

Ahem, here I go.

This was a captivating episode of television. This is upper echelon shit right here. I have never, EVER, been so powerfully moved in the way I was after that final scene while watching a television show. I've seen tons of television shows, and there are scenes that come close, but not like this. Going to give some bulleted thoughts below.

• First off, going to get the other stuff out of the way. Queenscrown was great, and I really loved how Bran and Jon were so close to each other. I loved Orell's death, and how Jon was all "You were right all along." Then cue eagle assault. I almost thought the damn creature plucked out Jon's eye, but luckily not, haha.
  
• We had some Dany, which was fine. I loved the Jorah, Grey Worm, Daario trifecta assault. They all had distinct fighting styles, and it was overall a badass scene.
  
• Gilly and Sam was fine. Nothing extraordinary, but I loved when Gilly called Sam a "wizard".
  
• On to the big stuff; the reason the whole episode was so moving was how everything was executed. They let you as an audience get settled in, and everything seems fine. They carry off Edmure and Roslin to be bedded, and then shit hits the fan. First off, the closing of the doors and the playing of the Rains of Castamere ratcheted up the tension to a hundred percent. Then you had Catelyn realizing something was off, which then led to Roose revealing he was wearing chainmail with a big ass smirk on his face. And then BAM!
  
• It went by so fast, with no time to catch your breath. Five stab assaults right in the baby! Crossbow bolts into Robb's chest! Stark host slaughtered! Catelyn slammed with a crossbow bolt from behind. Arya watching Grey Wind get slaughtered in the pens. God, it was fucking awesome and terrible at the same time.
  
• The final scene, maaaan. Roose ending Robb's life with "The Lannisters send their regards." Catelyn's pleas, and then the Frey wife's throat slit. And then Catelyn just stares ahead, catatonic. Slit throat. Candlelight. Silent credits.
  

10/10. Shit was hardcore.

Edited June 4, 2013 by King Kev.

[Dove]

9/10. Absolutely incredible, as a picky fan you can't help but always think it could have been handled better (and we've all been waiting for this moment so it's going to be extra scrutinized) but I had the shakes big time and cried so it was still extremely effective. The silent credits - perfect.

Michelle Fairley knocked it out of the park. I found the way her breakdown was handled to be completely haunting, and it probably worked a lot better on screen than the more overwrought and melodramatic insane laughing and face clawing would have been. That dead thousand yard stare before she's killed makes me literally uncomfortable to look at.

It most definitely would have been a 10/10 if the directing had been less awkward and taking of Yunkai handled in a better, less confusing way, even if the Daario/Jorah/Grey Worm brofest battle was pretty fun.

Edited June 4, 2013 by Hunt

[KnightsOfDany]

Just so powerful 10 out of 10 they struck every emotional part in my body and i knew it was coming, im at a loss for words

[Nami]

9 almost 10

Just because I missed some things about the RW, like Cat clawing her face and laughing like crazy, though I can understand they took that out for impact.

The lack of bonding between mother and son and more about Robb and Talisa, a couple I can't stand. But I confess her belly stabbing shocked me.

The only episode this season I can give a 10 is episode 4

Edited June 4, 2013 by Nami

[giodude]

10/10. Finally some worthwhile Rickon dialogue too: "I'm you're brother and I want to be with you to protect you."

Basically hit all the emotional chords. I'd nitpick, but I'd round a 9.5 to 10.

[Dragon Doll]

Loved it.

But i didn't cry.

I cried in the book.

I cry in pixar movies.

Hell, i cried in spiderman 3.

It missed the thing that makes me cry, so it got a 9.

But it was still awesome, awesome usually gets an 8, so that shows you how much i still loved it.

Edit: Who gave it a 1????????

Edited June 4, 2013 by Dragon Doll

[wolverine]

Loved it.

But i didn't cry.

I cried in the book.

I cry in pixar movies.

Hell, i cried in spiderman 3.

It missed the thing that makes me cry, so it got a 9.

But it was still awesome, awesome usually gets an 8, so that shows you how much i still loved it.

Edit: Who gave it a 1????????

Nazi book purist upset the color of someone's napkin was wrong.