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How would you rate episode 309?


Ran
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How would you rate episode 308?  

1,332 members have voted

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

    • 1
      11
    • 2
      3
    • 3
      4
    • 4
      9
    • 5
      10
    • 6
      15
    • 7
      27
    • 8
      145
    • 9
      300
    • 10
      806


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It's shameful to make fun of the disabled, but repeatedly stabbing a pregnant woman in the belly is okay.

Baffling.

I thought the same thing. But here's how I would explain it: both images are extremely distasteful, but one is more brutal/artistic like the Bible or Titus Andronicus while the other is just kind of naughty and mean, like South Park.

While GoT the TV show did give us Mord--I'd say he is probably more "slow" than truly retarded--you will notice they didn't give us Patchface or Lollys, to say nothing of Jinglebell.

Edited by Khal Pono
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It's shameful to make fun of the disabled, but repeatedly stabbing a pregnant woman in the belly is okay.

Baffling.

I don't believe it is about making fun of the disabled. They probably left that out because of its apparent insignificant impact to the story and silly look. Just like they left out Belwas. Why is it so important to include such character?

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You will notice they didn't give us Patchface or Lollys, to say nothing of Jinglebell.

Which is probably my main point: no fools in the show, because it'd look bad to have that going on week after week. It'd also be an extra complication that doesn't seem particularly necessary. And no Jinglebell, because there are no fools. Adding Jinglebell as the very first fool really seen in the show would just seem odd: you'd have to add explanation of what's going on. Grabbing Frey's wife? Easy. Almost no exposition beyond "I'll kill your wife" required. Adding Jinglebell? Too much explanation required.

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I'd give it 9/10. Though there were a few minor details I would have liked to of seen included from the books, cannot question the overall quality of the episode. Talisa's stabbing was quite a "pleasant" surprise. Being a book reader I knew what was to transpire, and figured that she would die, but not in such a brutal way. Really think it set the tone brilliantly for the final minutes of the episode and was the main reason for the huge reaction that followed that episode.

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It has taken me some time to summon up the strength to venture here to discuss the "Rains of Castamere." I was totally devastated after the Red Wedding in A Storm of Swords, and was absolutely dreading this episode. In fact, at the time, the Red Wedding ruined the entire series for me. Although I finished the remaining books, my heart was no longer in them. Yes, I was confident that the Lannister-Frey-Bolton axis would get what it deserved in the end, but the destruction of evil is a hollow victory without the protection of the good. And Robb and Catelyn were so good. Robb was just a young man fighting bravely for justice for his father and freedom for his people, yet he was betrayed by his own men and died defenseless. No cause that noble nor man that honorable deserved such a cruel fate. Catelyn was a loving mother whose sole desire was to protect her children and reunite her family, yet she died utterly hopeless, believing them all to be dead or captured. All those brave men of the North and Riverlands, who won inspiring victories on the battlefield, were ingloriously massacred. Grey Wind, Robb's loyal companion, was slaughtered while powerless, caged in a pen. The subsequent mutilation of Robb, Catelyn, and Grey Wind's corpses added insult to injury. It is one thing to be a turncloak, but another to be savage and sadistic. All Robb did was fight for justice and freedom, and for that he was murdered and mutilated. Why?

Obviously, therefore, I had high expectations for "The Rains of Castamere," and it exceeded them all.

The shock of the Red Wedding was executed perfectly. Walter Frey was introduced as a repulsive but harmless dirty old man who may have been nursing a personal grudge over Robb's violation of his oath, but whose bitterness had been placated by Robb's amends. The little trick Walder played on Edmure (withholding his most beautiful daughter until the wedding ceremony) deepened the impression that all was well, lulling us into a false sense of security. The wedding feast was jovial as well, with Robb, Talisa, Blackfish, and Roose (wearing a smug, self-satisfied smirk) all socializing and planning for a future that would never be.

And then the mournful melody of the "Rains of Castamere" began, and the suspense began to build. Grey Wind howled plaintively in his pen, trying desperately to warn Robb of the danger he sensed. The fear Catelyn felt upon seeing a Frey lock the door to the hall and as she rolled up Roose's sleeve to find chainmail was palpable. During all this, my heart was thundering in my chest.

The horror of the Red Wedding was executed perfectly as well. The gutting of Talisa (whose character remains a bizarre deviation from the much simpler and sweeter story of Jeyne Westerling) was one of the grisliest deaths I have ever seen, so much so that I actually cringed. Robb, the heroic boy-king who could not be defeated on the battlefield, was suddenly riddled with crossbow bolts. Catelyn, his loving mother, was shot in the back. Grey Wind was shot to death while struggling to break free. After Grey Wind's dying moan, all my mother could do was whimper, "What?" Catelyn's final confrontation with Walder while Robb gazed into the dead eyes of Talisa was heartbreaking. Even though Catelyn's death was not nearly as creepy as in the book (her savagely sawing into Jinglebell's neck, clawing at her face, and laughing maniacally), her empty, hopeless expression was just as powerful.

Other than the Red Wedding, "The Rains of Castamere" was still one of the greatest episodes ever. Bran and Rickon had their most interesting scene since the introduction of the Reeds. Jon finally showed where his loyalties lied. This was an episode of characters crossing paths and parting ways: 1) Bran, Rickon, and Jon, 2) Jon and Ygritte, 3) Arya, Catelyn, and Robb. Also, there was action in every storyline, too. Jorah, Daario, and Grey Worm showed us some Jedi-like moves while fighting in Yunkai. Jon's "you were right the whole time" line made me grin almost as big as Kit Harrington was onscreen. It was really nice to see direwolves so often throughout the episode, even if one of them died horrifically. All in all, a triumph!

The source of this episode's success was in its loyalty to the source material, which will always be vastly superior to whatever bright ideas D&D concoct. I am not as familiar with the other storylines, but I recognized a lot of direct quotes from the book at the Red Wedding. Also, there was no gratuitous nudity crowding out the story. Still, I have to give credit where credit is due. D&D should be very proud of the "Rains of Castamere." It should be right up there with "You Win or You Die," "The Pointy End," "Baelor," and "Blackwater."

The only way "The Rains of Castamere" could have been improved is if D&D had done a better job of introducing more of Robb's bannermen along the way. Part of the horror of the Red Wedding is the sheer desperation of Robb's men as they fight for their lives and their king. Moments such as Smalljon Umber flipping a table atop Robb to shield him from crossbows while fighting Freys with nothing but a haunch of mutton, or Dacey Mormont smashing a goblet of wine into a Frey's face were sadly missing from the Red Wedding. Greatjon disappeared after Season 1, and the only other bannermen we ever met were Rickard Karstark and Roose Bolton.

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An 8, based on overall content and the episode moving along briskly with no idiotic time-wasters like Pod's Penis or Maergery's jokes. Were I scoring the RW only, I'd give it - maybe - a 7.

Huge flaws from my POV: no emphasis on the bread and salt ritual/significance - not even Cat's warning about it; no Grey Wind reaction at arrival; and almost most of all - expecting non-book readers to recognize "The Rains of Castamere" and its significance.

I have talked to five non-book readers: none recognized the tune and only one remembered it's significance when I told him what it was.

All those lacks really impacted the suspense and denoument of the event. And I don't think any of them would have been that hard to provide within the structure of the TV format.

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11 out of 10.

10 for the episode and it's impact on me (a book reader who still found it very hard to watch).

+1 for the earthquake that hit the internet 1 minute after the credits rolled.

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I'll give an 8. The Red Wedding was undeniably powerful, but I thought the dialogue between Robb & Talisa before the slaughter ( teaching little Ned to ride etc.) was mawkish. Whatever GRRM may be, he is definitely not a sentimentalist.

Perhaps, but it is not his show.

You call it "mawkish". I call it touching. A breath of fresh air in a world of terrible smells. Too bad it won't come true.

You know, someone ought to take the starting conditions of the book series and write it from a less pessimistic and nihilistic point of view. A more realistic world where evil doesn't triumph nine times out of ten, and torturous sadists are a minority.

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I really didn't want to jump online and offer a knee-jerk reaction, and so I've given my self a week and watched the ep. again.

Words fail me as to how disappointed I still feel. As much as I'm an avid reader, I understand that concessions and compromises must be made in the attempt to bring this epic story to the screen; some I have approved of, some not so much.

For me, it all came down to tone and mood. My initial impression on reading the scene was one of impending doom. The only bright ray, if one could call it that, was Edmure's and Roslin's reaction to each other but even that began to strike a bitter chord, as it became increasingly apparent that it was more than the thought of the bedding that was troubling her. Even the 'Jon's drinking, for all its humour, was ringing alarm bells loudly in my ears. The feast itself should have felt nothing short of miserable.

Now, I know that much of my take was based on Cat's internal dialogue, and obviously that is something that would have been very hard to get across on screen, but I just felt that Cat's observations were a tad too little, too late. Even the chain mail reveal didn't exactly sit well with me.

I just can't shirk the opinion that the screenplay reduced the scene to its lowest common denominator. It was almost enough to make me wish I was viewing the events for the first time as unsullied viewers did.

Edit: Silly me... I've become so completely despondent again, I've forgotten to dole out praise where I feel its due.

Kudos for the way the Bran/Hodor warg was handled. Given that there hasn't been too much emphasis until now on the Stark kids warging abilities, I thought this was an excellent primer for the viewers, although they were probably so gutted by the RW that the full realisation of what Bran's ability might mean in the long run might have been temporarily shifted to the back of their minds. Jojen's dialogue did much to confirm the scale of Bran's achievement, which I think was sorely needed.

Edited by Sun and Moon
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9.5 only because Cat didn't claw her face, which would have made it so much more powerful.

I'm kinda w/ you here, but not just b/c of the non-hysterical Cat. I agree w/ Linda's video review of the episode--there just wasn't that build up in the show like in the novel. I think they could've given the entire episode over to the RW and achieved that though. I really wish they could do an "extended directors cut" of the episode and give the RW a bit better of a build up. D&D got close though. The Jon, Bran, and Dany parts of the episode were handled wonderfully though. I voted this one a 9.

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I'm kinda w/ you here, but not just b/c of the non-hysterical Cat. I agree w/ Linda's video review of the episode--there just wasn't that build up in the show like in the novel. I think they could've given the entire episode over to the RW and achieved that though. I really wish they could do an "extended directors cut" of the episode and give the RW a bit better of a build up. D&D got close though. The Jon, Bran, and Dany parts of the episode were handled wonderfully though. I voted this one a 9.

I agree that the entire episode should have been focused on the RW.

It wasn't 'just another event'.

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Everything was great, except for Daenerys. I can't help but feel they should have moved her storyline forward: her episode 7 scene in episode 6 (replacing Theon), then the second sons part in episode 7 (would have made the episode a lot better), and then the battle in episode 8. in this episode her scenes felt rushed, particularly the last scene, and it didn't nearly do the battle justice. also, seeing the 3 fighting styles was cool, but otherwise what was the point of that scene? they just kept getting attacked by guards. would have been better if it had shown them fighting some guards near the main gate, and then opening it for the army.

Besides that, though, a fantastic episode. the two big things, the RW and Queenscrown were both nailed in my opinion, and rickon and osha leaving bran was really sad (art parkinson wow!). I also loved arya's bits, though something felt a bit off; i feel like maisie was given some very clunky lines, and only her acting saved the scene from sounding cheesy (I'm thinking especially her line with 'I know a killer').

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I agree that the entire episode should have been focused on the RW.

It wasn't 'just another event'.

The thing is, if the whole episode had been the RW, people would have suspected there was more to it than just another political wedding. They would have expected things to fuck up.

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I hope it's not yet too late to include my entry. I just saw the most anticipated episode of this season today and oh boy... what an episode! I expect that I won't be too surprise what's going to happen to that bloody wedding coz I know who dies and who celebrates. But watching and anticipating the shooting arrows, stabbing body parts, and slitting of throats, my heart is uncontrollably thumping and beating fast. I did not scream or cry but I was left speechless and wide-eyed when all of those happened. Let the mourning begins, but first, let me rate this episode a fantastic 10/10. What a great acting by Michelle Fairley, btw --- I could almost feel her pain.

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The thing is, if the whole episode had been the RW, people would have suspected there was more to it than just another political wedding. They would have expected things to fuck up.

Well, there is intrigue, suspense, and surprise; and then there is wholesale slaughter.

I don't think any unsullied expected the wedding to be completely uneventful.

Edited by ExBruinsFan
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