Haldebrandt

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Even with the significant book-related disappointments, I must say that was an excellent episode, and -- though it's faint praise -- easily and by far the best finale yet.

Love this review of Ep 9. Pissed off a lot of people, but methinks it highlights some of the more glaring adaptation issues, especially when he discusses why he never thought Jon was in danger: he has to be brought down, degraded and offered false hope first, because that's what Game of Thrones does.

They fell in love with the idea of doing a Bigger and Better Blackwater for episode 9. I think that's what happened. Once that decision was made, every part of the Wall's story (and even beyond) became subordinate to that idea. The craster thing was probably conceived for the dual purpose of giving Bran and Jon something to do.

Curious as to how people feel about season 4 at this point. The season held a lot of promise. Did it live up to it? I thought it started off great, and Two Swords and the Lion and the Rose are easily the best of the season IMO, and some of the best in the series. But after that, there was a significant drop until Mockingbird, another highlight. Since then, except for the duel itself (even that was too short), very little has worked for me. The source material for eps 8-10 is fantastic and yet somehow, the adaptation has sapped the tension and momentum of it, leading to frankly low expectations for the finale. Season 1 remains my favorite by a significant margin. ETA: I disliked the idea of the entire episode at the wall because it wouldn't work for the episode itself. But on further thought, I am realizing that that choice hurt the structure of the season as well. Imagine how much more interesting the Wall might have been if the events of last night had been spread over two or three episodes. If there had been a siege before the full blown battle at Castle Black.

Nope. They had plenty of time to do this story justice. They were given two whole seasons to adapt book 3. Time has never been the issue.

Never thought I'd be adding to this list, but this is how I see it now.

That scene didnt work for me as this Thormund is entirely too dour to be telling that story. A very minor case of butterlfy effect. Credit where it's due, far fewer cliches than I had feared. It really was a tremendous technical achievement.

So... This was a exactly what expected and feared. Visually impressive, emotional bland, not episode 9-worthy Been saying this for months, feeling part vindicated, part disappointed. I'd like to believe that non-readers were at the edge of their seats because they don't know the outcome but I'm seeing mostly mixed reactions so far. Anyway, the good: - Really impressive direction for a TV show. That tracking shot may be the best thing the show has ever done in that regard. - Green's last stand was truly impressive. - Perhaps because I'd already heard Stannis wouldn't show up, I didn't miss him. - Meat Cleaver Dude. Who the fuck was that. Not so good: - No amount of gee-wheez can ever make up for a subpar story. The Wall just hasn't been very interesting. - D&D seem to think that having people standing around reciting horrific odds and prospects is scary. It's not. It's tedious a fuck. Much of the dialog reminded me of that awful Bronn/Hound scene in Blackwater. And the less said about the various pronouncements on love, the better. - Kit Harrington is the worst actor on this show. Good grief, man, your first love just died. Awful. How I wish GRRM had written this episode. Or that the battle were shorter. Or that it weren't episode 9. Or that...

The bro with the enormous meat cleaver won the episode. Can't wait for the GIF.

If I ever knew this, I certainly completely forgot it. This helps explain his visceral hate for Jon. It was the same with season 2. Of my many sore points of that season, is that Kl should have increasingly felt like a city witnessing a gathering storm. A growing sense of impeding doom should have prevailed. There should have been more signs of preparing for a siege. Oh there were some scenes, but they just never felt right. Varys and Tyrion discussing Stannis's arrival in broad daylight, looking out to sea, enjoying a gorgeous view? Who the fuck came up with that? Do these people understand "ominous"? And pacing has never been great on this show, both season-wise and episode-wise.

There are quite a few more instances throughout the series, for example on the battle field in Baelor (perhaps even two episodes before, in his first scene), a couple of scenes with Arya, etc. During the wedding, he was visibly pleased with the dwarf skit, and even smiling, I think. He certainly clapped. There may be more. It was weird because I thought Tywin was well above that sort of base "entertainment." Even the Unsullied found that it was out of character. GRRM wrote the episode so perhaps that's his vision. But I am more tempted to think that Tywin's reaction was changed on the set.

I hope it happens not at the moment of death, but while he is still well alive and aware of it. And I hope we hear it and see it. I want to see rivers to shite running down Tywin's leg. Then i want to see him collapse in brown and red puddle. Just for once, I want him to see one of the bad guys experience a fraction of the humiliation and degradation visited on the more decent people.

I don't know. Sure, he could have chosen a non-patriarchal society but it wouldn't merely be some other version of ASOIAF. Entire characters would vanish. Others would have such different motivations as to be entirely different people. The very fabric of the society would be different (patrilineal bloodlines, inheritance, marriages, names, family structure, etc..), and the result would be an entirely different story. Why would someone who clearly likes this story, want that? I don't really understand this sort of criticism, to be honest. ETA: There is only so much you can change while maintaining a "credible" medieval setting reminiscent of real life, which clearly was GRRM's goal, as he has never been shy about his real life inspirations. To say that GRRM didn't have to chose patriarchy, is basically to say that he didn't have to write this story.

It's literally a slut-shaming walk. Even though it takes place in a fictional medieval universe, A LOT of people in real life aren't going to like that.