Kate87

Re Timeline: For me, a big part of the problem has been that the (child/teen) actors are aging much faster than their storylines would suggest. I'm willing to suspend some disbelief on that front but at some point it can't be ignored. I read somewhere recently that GRRM regretted making many of the main characters so young initially and toyed with inserting a 5 year gap in the books to compensate. I'm not suggesting D & D do that but I think some indication of how much time has passed at the beginning of each season might help. The flow also would have improved IMO if they'd shown more progress within certain storylines. Many of the scenes this season felt like rewrites of things we'd seen in past episodes (Tyrion's drinking games, Arya, etc.). My guess is that based on what some of the actors are getting paid (and comments I've seen here and on other sites), the writers are contractually required to give certain actors a certain amount of screen time each week/every other week. If that the the case, they need to work with it better. If not, perhaps front-loading certain storylines would help? I get dragging some stuff out but not when it means: episode one: introduce new plots! episodes two - eight: most plots get filler, episodes nine and ten: a bunch of shit happens really quickly. Ultimately, something needs to be done to make the timeline less distracting. Much as I hate Dorne, Varys could have gone there a week or two ago and skipped some of the drinking/cock dialogue with Tyrion. Aya... I'm ignoring. Finally, Sam, what's he been doing, walking to Oldtown?!? I keep forgetting he even exists. Yes, he detoured to his family seat but really, what could possibly take that long? They can't have LF and Varys teleporting everywhere while other characters move at a turtle's pace. [/rant] Unrelated nitpick: Why didn't Tommen and Margaery go to the Sept together? Yes, it was a religious trail but so much was made in the past few episodes about the Faith and the crown joining together, it doesn't make sense to me that they'd start without Tommen. Moreover, the HS made a big deal about Margaery and Tommen sleeping together, I'd think they'd arrive together as king and queen. For plot purposes they couldn't but it just seems like a red flag.

I agree. I hadn't looked at it that way before but it makes sense. Jamie in contrast seems to have loved Tommen. I wonder in a way if Cersei's actions causing Tommen's death will play a role in him killing her (if that occurs). I also think any love she had for Tommen went away when he stopped her trial by combat.

GoT is back! This might be my favorite episode to date - at least it was the best of this season by far. Score: I'd read a few spoilers about the score so I may have been paying more attention to the music than I usually do but I thought it was perfect. They got it right for every scene. Beautifully done to enhance the amazing acting. King's Landing: Fantastic! I like that only the Sept (and surrounding area) was destroyed, rather than most of the city. Lancel's death was great! The kids are creepy as hell but I'm not dwelling on that since both deaths were great. Cersei tonight brought back the Cersei that's been missing for a while now. I highly doubt she expected Tommen to kill himself (though really, she couldn't see that coming?). However, when she sat on the IT, it was clear that's where she's always wanted to be. Her final scene makes me believe Jamie will kill her. Jamie: So glad he and Walder had their little chat before Arya served the Frey pie! Arya: *hugs* So, so, so much better plan than LS! I hated Cat so I really wasn't upset when she was cut from the plot. I love that Arya is taking on the revenge plot (not like she wouldn't but still...). Sansa: She has a brain! At least for now... It was nice to see her improved attitude towards Jon. I'm also trilled she doesn't trust Littlefinger and has told Jon as much. The North Remembers: Great scene! Lady Mormont is wonderful, please keep her around! I really liked how they rallied around Jon. He's really the only one who's actually gaining the loyalty of the people following him by his actions and his concern for them. With Dany, it's gratitude for freeing people or feat of her dragons that's cause the "people" to follow her; it doesn't feel long-term. Similarly, Cersei has gained power by blowing people up. Jon's there, with his men on the battlefield, leading. I like the contrast. Tyrion/Dany: I almost cried when she made him Hand of the Queen. It was so nice to see him recognized for himself, rather than being given something because of who he is. I love how their relationship has developed the season. I also thought Dany was greatly improved this episode. ToJ: At least we got confirmation of Jon's parentage. I'm curious if the midwives will play a role in legitimizing (if he's legitimate) Jon. Wish we could have heard the rest of Lyanna's request but I'll take what I can get in this case. Olenna: I do love it when she takes control! This was the only time I've enjoyed the Sand Snakes. Sam: The library was amazing! I adored Sam's interaction with the grumpy receptionist. Directing/Graphics: Beautifully shot episode. I found the entire thing stunning to watch. Disappointing Elements: I wish they'd developed the HS and Margaery plot more. In retrospect, I feel like D&D said, hey, we're going to kill them, let's not bother. Cerise's clothing/hair annoyed me. I really wished her dress would have been red with gold metal. So much was made of her wearing Lannister colors in the first few seasons and I felt it was out of character to wear black. She's dark and evil, I get it, but I don't need her wearing black to understand that.

Happy Moments: Benjen and Needle returned! Finally! I was so happy to see Benjen back and with quite the tale to tell. I really want to know more about the children and the extent to which their magic can counteract the WW's powers. King's Landing: I don't believe for a second Margaery has been converted. Neither Tommen, nor the Tyrell's have been able to help her, therefore she had to do what she could with the resources available to her. Cersei walked and has gained nothing - she has no real power, is essentially confined to the Red Keep, and will shortly be facing a trial by combat. By appearing to convert Margaery is showing that she (and Tommen) share the same beliefs as the common people. I think her endgame is likely to try to take the HS down from the inside. Margaery, as a believer, will be far more credible trying to depose the HS than Queen Margaery, a privileged woman with a grudge, would ever be in the eyes of the people. I don't think Tommen has a clue and given the likely outcome of the series, she's doomed but I think her plan has a better chance of success than Mace leading an army. I could see her trying to get Tommen recognized as the HS to merge state (royal) and religious powers. Other than crossing my fingers Margaery has a plan, KL continues to act as a commercial break for me. I HATE LH's wig with a passion and I'm finding it increasingly distracting during her scenes. Glad Jamie is leaving but I wish he would have had another private conversation with Tommen. Loved his reference to Bronn and I hope he returns soon. Arya: While I'm thrilled about the return of Needle and I liked the plays, I still feel like a lot of time was wasted on the FM part of her storyline. I hope the rest of her plot moves faster than it has in these first few episodes. I'm glad she's still very much Arya. I would not have been happy if a girl was her only future. Bran: Regarding the comments made about his lack of emotions and willingness to drink rabbit blood like it's normal, I took his behavior as coming from a state of shock. As Benjen said, he's processing a lot of information right now, so I'll forgive his lack of emotion over the deaths of Hodor and Summer. I cannot wait for the the TOJ scene! Loved the glimpse of the Mad King, etc. in his visions. I hope Bran's personality is retained but I wonder to what extent he will be changed due to what happened. Dany: I agree completely. It also felt to me as if the writers said: we need a big CGI moment, bring in a dragon! My issue with her speech is that I think it could have easily been assumed she'd already said something similar to them. We as viewers know how she operates, it didn't add anything to her character and IMO took time away from more useful scenes. Drogon flying above and a smug look on Dany's face really would have been enough. I'm also going to be incredibly annoyed if the lush forests of the Iron Islands produce anywhere near 1,000 ships and turn up in Meereen. Seriously?! I'd like to see her back in Mereen attempting to build a new fleet. It's like she's stuck on repeat every season: damsel in destress, burn people, big dragon scene, and begin again. She needs to be shown ruling again if we're to care at all about her plot. As said previously in this tread, Jon and the WW make it incredibly difficult to care about any of the other plots, particularly Dany's claim on the IT for me. I don't care if she's failing as a ruler, I just want to see that she's advancing towards her goal. She needs to be able to offer Westeros more than just her ability to lead murders by killing their leaders and freeing slaves without providing means to ensure their freedom. At the end of the episode, found myself going "where's Jon?" I really didn't feel invested in any of the stories tonight. I enjoyed the return House Frey because Walder is rather entertaining and Edmure needed a reprieve from being stuck in a romance novel. Too many big things happened in last week's episode that this one really felt like a let down.

I didn't have a problem with them excluding Ned. At that point, Ned was supporting a man who just killed the heir they promised to protect (and who by most other accounts was well regarded by the people). My guess is that Lyanna was in labor when Ned arrived or near death (crying/screaming sounds), thereby making it difficult for her to refute the accepted story of her kidnapping. Had they let Ned & Co see her, they ran the risk of Jon being killed on the spot (just like Rhaegar's other children). To me, until they knew she and the baby were safe and she made the choice to talk to Ned, they had no reason to let him into the ToJ. Varys in KL would have made that plot so much more interesting! I'm getting extremely bored with that storyline, mainly becauce the characters (excluding the High Sparrow) lack depth/unknown motivations. Varys vs. High Sparrow would have been fun to watch IMO. I agree completely. I'd also include Joffery as a character that held the story together initially. With Joffrey and Tywin, there was a clear reason for regime change; I feel like that reason has gone away now to a great degree. There are too many characters in seemingly unconnected locations for just ten hours a year to cover (disclaimer: I skimmed the books because I couldn't deal with the level of details GRRM uses in the books - love the story, hate the amount of time it's taking to tell it). I hope that Jon (even though I find him whiny) can begin to fill Tywin's role by linking some of the plot together (Wall + Winterfell, etc.). Loved Smalljon! To me, the actor nailed what the personality I'd expect someone in his position to have. I liked this episode because it called BS on several stupid things, notably Roose being "poisoned" and "Robert Strong". I'm really worried Ramsay is going to end up sitting on the Iron Throne; I don't like how much power he's gaining lately, given how bat shit crazy all the North must know he is at this point. D & D are just giving him too much of storyline, he needs to begin dying (slowly, painfully, but without the chance for survival). Regarding Rickon, honestly he's being gone so long don't really care about him. I hope Ramsay doesn't harm him but after last week, nothing will suprise me with him. I hope Osha being there with Rickon means he will have a network protecting him but I doubt it based on how his family has fared thus far. If Smalljon's attitude is shared and the northern houses are more concerned about protecting their lands than "remembering," so long Rickon. Yes! I know it's only three episodes in but had they cut Arya's scenes down and eliminated Sam and Dany, Olenna could have given the KL plot more depth. I hardly remember that Margaery is in prison (and I like her!). I get that her continued imprisonment is meant to show Tommen's weakness/High Sparrow's growning power but it seems like there should be more people speaking up when the Queen gets locked up. I want to see the Queen of Thorns meet some Faith Militants and show the Lannisters how one deals with those who mess with your house. Regarding the WW... no idea why no one in Westeros is paying attention to anything north of the Wall. Given everything that's happened at Castle Black, you'd like people in Westeros would be a bit more concerened. Maybe the endgame is that the Wildlings will takeover Westeros, they do seem to be the smartest lately since they're moving south... I was so upset that Jon didn't warg into Ghost! I feel like they cut things (Stark children as wargs, Lady Stoneheart, etc.) to add more shock value/uniqueness to Bran's and Jon's respective stories and in doing so lost a lot in terms of potential storylines for Arya and Jon. Overall, I really did like this episode. I feel like some of the stroylines are moving a bit faster. I enjoyed Kevan walking out on Jamie and Cersei (I pictured the ghost of Tywin cursing his children for their miscalculation). Maisie Williams was really good (just a dull plot). I'm liking the High Sparrow as a villain, likability makes him far more powerful IMO than Ramsay could ever hope to be. As much as I wanted to see it, I'm happy R+L=J wasn't confirmed. My hope is that Jon will take up a leadership role in his own right, rather than because of who his father was, and then find out the truth. I thought we saw a lot of Ned in Jon at the end of the episode which was nice. His last line was perfect!

In a normal situation I'd agree. However, both Henry and Abe have been living with the expectation that Henry will survive Abe for at least sixty years. I can understand how it would be hard for Henry to watch his son die but I think it would be harder for him essentially abandon Abe. If Abe was married/had children/had someone else who could care for him, I could understand Henry wanting to die before him, thus not seeing his son possibly suffer. Simply choosing to die because you can't, and now you may have the means just strikes me as selfish. I get Adam wanting to die; he's been around a long time and been alone (so I assume). I've never really understood Henry's obsession with dying. I agree with many of you who have said you don't understand why he doesn't take advantage of his "curse" and explore/live/be less broody. I honestly feel like Henry's desire to die is the only real fault of the show. I love all the other characters but his need to be moral just doesn't make much sense from a story perspective. It would be so much more fun if he'd just enjoy not being able to die. Regarding Abigail, I really liked it when we didn't know what happened. They speak so fondly of her, it was nice in a way not knowing so we couldn't really judge her. I will say that as much as I hate the idea of her leaving Abe without saying goodbye, I think she knew how hard and unfair it would have been for him to know where she was and not tell Henry. Finally, did Cuba run out of money? His character is awful!! The bluetooth scene just cemented my dislike of him.

As I recall, the person was watching John and Kevin leave Danny's apartment so there's at least one person who knows they ransacked it for some reason (at that time, clearly we know why they did it). I agree that Danny felt wronged by their actions in the present. I can somewhat understand his anger towards John by not telling him they didn't want him back but Meg's actions were directed by their father and Kevin's reaction was a fairly understandable response given what Danny is like. I guess I'm still trying to comprehend the level of his hatred. He just got incredibly creepy towards the end. Add me to the list of those wanting more episodes. I had to force myself to binge watch it during the first three episodes. I'm curious how many people are watching it all the way through. Regarding a second season, I'm really curious how John, Meg, and Kevin are going to handle what they did to Danny. I'm not crazy about the son coming in; too predictable an ending. I can't really see this going past three seasons (S1 Danny's death; S2 they begin to break, ends with mom finding out what they did; S3 trial and how they support or go against their siblings/how the community and family respond).

Mia Kirshner was in several episodes of The Vampire Diaries. She was very good in that role.

I just finished watching all the episodes; with a notable amount of fast forwarding though parts of the mid-season episodes. I was bored and curious how my beloved Netflix would do with such good actors. The best way I can describe how I feel about this show is underwhelmed. I found nearly all the characters at least partly interesting and they were believable as siblings which is refreshing. The actors were very good but the plot, as many of you have pointed out, just dragged on too long. Agreed. The longer format gave them more character development time but they didn't use it effectively. I think it would have been cleaner to keep it to just the drugs in a way to keep the focus more on Danny and his motivations. I'd have liked to see more of an exploration of how the siblings treated Danny after Sarah's death/the beating/post-police interview. Giving more insight into Danny initially I think would have helped draw viewers into his POV. Several episodes in, I wanted them to kill him simply for being so creepy. Using the inn and his niece and threatening everyone just made me hate him as a character and I was not at all upset when he died. The actor was great but I just felt like their wasn't much of a payoff from his death to the viewers. I honestly would have been more upset had he lived (though you knew that wouldn't happen). I really felt like Danny's revenge was out of proportion for what they did as small children. John was older so I can kind of understand the resentment/desire for revenge there but Meg and Kevin were much younger. Unless Danny was routinely beaten after Sarah's dead (please correct me if I missed that), the degree to which he wanted to destroy their lives didn't make sense unless they too shut him out immediately following Sarah's death. I got the impression the estrangement from his brothers and sister happened later but I may have misunderstood that. That! I really, really didn't understand how he kept his current job and is essentially getting promoted, given that he leaked details to his brother! I also wasn't sure why he was not pulled off the case as soon as he didn't identify Danny's voice on the tape. I don't understand what the point of brining in the DEA was (from a plot POV), since they were so incompetent. On another note, Meg's clothing... or lack their of. I want her red halter dress. But, what lawyer goes into work wearing a bikini top? Really?! I really liked the older Sarah. That was a nice insight into Danny's mental state (which should have been explored more). That's my main problem with both Netflix and Amazon. Yes, people use that words and others, but I feel like they are overused in these "shows" because they can be, not because they fit the character/show's environment. Perhaps it is because we don't hear them much on regular shows, but the swearing for the sake of it often takes me out of the scenes.

Didn't he have more grey in his hair in an earlier episode when she was younger? They really made the age difference (in appearance) pronounced with his hair tonight. Regarding family relationships with immortal characters, Torchwood's Capt. Jack had a very distant relationship with his daughter. She distanced herself from him because it was too difficult for her to see him remain young while she aged. He appeared to accept her position, though seemed hurt by her unwillingness to let him into her life (not that she'd ever mattered before to the writers!). I see Henry feeling the same way: it didn't bother him but he accepted that she could not emotionally handle how they looked together, if indeed that's what happened. I could see him accepting her leaving without anger because in a sense, it's part of the "curse" he has to live with and he understands that. I think the more interesting reaction, if she did leave because of the visual differences in their "ages," is how Abe responded to the breakup. What I've come to love about this show is how they've treated Abigail's absence. Henry's memories of her are always positive and loving. Likewise, Abe doesn't seem to shy away from speaking well of her. He was clearly uncomfortable about the cookbook but it was from the POV that Henry would be upset it was with the garbage items. I really liked that he used her recipe and that he always refers to her as mom. The implication that she left personal items behind really makes me wonder what happened. I get breaking off contact with Henry, but I'm very curious about Abe, given the fact that their continued mother-son relationship would not raise eyebrows. In a way, I hope we find out what happened to her but at the same time, not knowing if she's alive or not is kind of nice. And regarding her age, I've an 89 year old grandmother who's physically in great shape! I wouldn't be surprised if a 95 year old Abigail shows up at some point. ETA: Just rewatched 1x02 and they said she'd be 94 right now. I love Lucas. I missed most of this episode, thanks to election night news coverage (for a city I don't live in!) but the bits I did see with him were great! Looking forward it Amazon posting it and seeing what I missed. One thing that did make me a bit uneasy was Abe's enthusiasm about Henry's dating/sex life... I don't care how old Abe is, that was a weird! The DVF dresses were fantastic!

I agree. I'm among those who felt it was unnecessary and suggested the adoption bond wasn't strong enough. I wish they would have shown Abe taking an interest in Henry's family as his own. His biological family search could easily have made him interested in finding details Henry hadn't shared with him about the Morgan family. He didn't have to find that they were distantly related, I think it could have been a nice gesture for him to simply show an interest in both sides if they felt they needed to go that way. I get why they played it the way they did, but it really was too unbelievable/unnecessary. LOVED the ending with the quilt and the breakfast bit was fantastic too.

Jaded Sapphire, thanks, I forgot about the scarf toss! That was a great moment. I agree that his parents' murders change the situation, thereby allowing the use of "parents" to be used, rather than adoption terms. I hadn't looked at it that way but it makes sense. That would be a twist! I'd love for his history to be explored more with regard to some of the things he's been through. One thing I love about how he's written is that he's relatively modern/up to date with his mannerisms. I hate Bill in True Blood. Here, you know Adam's old and has been hurt by things that have happened to him (such as Mengele), but he's also evolved with the time he lives in; Henry too for that matter, though not in terms of pop culture.

I completely agree that Dean is nearing a mental breakdown and that he has convinced himself he didn't rape her because of her reaction at the time. I do think he suspects he crossed a line, hence the text message he sent her after and his behavior in the weeks after. I feel like his behavior since has suggested he's trying to justify his actions to himself; maybe I'm reading too much into his behavior. His line to Shirley about he never "would have touched Linda" if Shirley "hadn't messed with [his] head" seemed an odd choice of words. I don't see him ever admitting to rape but watching how he describes it is very interesting. That's the part of this storyline that bothered me from the start. I never understood why Mick didn't seem more concerned/connect the dots that something was terribly wrong right away. I know she was trying to hid it but really, she wasn't doing a very good job acting like her former self (not that I blame her in an way!). It's amazing to me that no one picked up on the sudden change; Mick in particular given how she withdrew sexually. I know she went away and that there was some explanation given (don't recall what at the moment, must watch those episodes again) but the fact that no one suspected something violent happened to her is odd, IMO. I'm beginning to think Shirley may come around soon. I'm having trouble liking her right now. I was happy to see her reaction when Stacey told her to really look at Linda; I realize she won't come around right away, but I'm holding out hope for Mick's sake. At least she's trying to get Dean out of town which is a big step for her.

This was my favorite episode so far. I really liked the case in this episode. It felt much more thought-out by the writers than some of their previous murders. I was not expecting to see Adam again so soon. His scenes tonight made me feel a lot better about his character in terms of its complexity. In the past, he's seemed almost one-dimensional, focused only on bringing harm to Henry. I'm glad to see there's more to him than what we've seen in past episodes. Really looking forward to his next appearence. I still don't trust him at all! I was surprised Henry didn't explain the significance of the tray to Abe. But I loved all the flashbacks! It's fun to see more of Henry's backstory. It's also nice to see the writers willing to explore all the characters in more depth too. Hanson's brother was fantastic! More of Hanson's family please! The one thing that bothered me was how Abe kept referring to his "parents." I really felt that the terms biological parents or birth parents should have been used. Henry and Abigail are his parents; to me it felt like he was completely dismissing Henry's role in his life when he kept saying parents in reference to his birth parents. We've see so few father-son moments between the two (loved the scene in the pilot), that I felt this would have been a nice moment to reinforce their bond. I did like how supportive Henry was throughout though. Overall I did love the way this story was handled, I just wish they've used different terms.