SPOILER ALERT! So am I the only one excited about a new round of GoT?

[Hammers]

Aside from the interesting whittling vs. sculpting metaphor, I found that article largely the same as reading the complaints on the ASOIAF reddit.  That is not to say I disagree, it used to be that The Walking Dead that would make puzzling and frustrating decisions, which I would then contrast with Game of Thrones, a show that was almost completely devoid of them.  These last two seasons have closed the gap there somewhat, although HBO is still a far, far better network than AMC (as well as the gap in achievement level between their respective source material, which really shouldn't even be an insult to TWD) and it shows.  I have found myself wishing for Fargo season 3 (probably my favorite show currently on TV and an excellent watch if you haven't yet seen it) in the midst of the season climax of Game of Thrones, which would have been unthinkable a year or two ago.

I disagree that Riverrun was pointless.  Sometimes, scenes are about the characters, rather than affecting the political plot.  In fact, I'd argue that the Riverrun plotline was far more valuable than Jaime's entire jaunt off to Dorne; it has singlehandedly revived Jaime's character arc and development/redemption, while Dorne "gifted" us with the worst line of dialogue I have seen on TV in a long time, and I watch The Walking Dead.

Also surprised to see as much angst about the Blackfish among the fanbase as there is.  He was rather a minor character, and the difference in his escaping (in book) vs choosing his death (in show) can be traced to a couple important bits of detail that differs from show to book.  In the books, Jeyne Westerling is alive and pregnant; Robb's Kingdom is literally still alive, and contained in Riverrun.  Also, Blackfish is not at the Red Wedding in the books.  OTOH in the show, Jeyne's counterpart and one of the most stupid and puzzling deviations from the books, "Talisa",    is butchered at the Red Wedding, and Blackfish is present, and flees.  Robb's kingdom is well and truly dead, and his motivations for an honorable death are also a bit more understandable (survivor's guilt).

Now, I'm not saying I think this was a flawlessly executed segment by any means, and I think some of its shortcomings stem from earlier slip-ups (as I outlined above), but overall I don't think it deserves the panning it has received.  The Arya plotline conversely....yeah, not much good I can say on that one.    The director of that episode, Mark Mylod, has directed several of the lowest-rated episodes of the show on IMDB (which are still stupid-high since even meh episodes of GOT have a lot of great elements).  Here's hoping the episode tonight brings the magic back somewhat.

I wouldn't consider myself a fanboy, but the above is a interesting read: I care about the type and complexity of the drama and the resources spent on scouting locales and for most parts cast to create a fantasy epic. It is not easy but they have moved the genre forwards with several steps. I just wonder if GRRM has taking his hand from the creation or if he is getting bored or sloppy?

I agree that from as dramas I think Fargo, Sopranos, the Wire are better.

I also disagree about Dorne: I think the sheer opulence of the locales made me quite distracted from what was actually said. I am a big fan of Moorish architecture. :-)

[Hammers]

"Battle of the Bastards"... Now *that* is a promising title...

[Hammers]

"Battle of the Bastards"... Now *that* is a promising title...

Holy fucking hell... That was like horrible! Not like bad but as in very high sacrifices to get something. Some scenes were like from a horror movie.

[LeadAsbestos]

Well, I may just quit watching. Really mediocre all around.

[Timbor]

I knew Rickon wouldn't last... that was, what, his second appearance in an episode? 

[Hupp n at em]

Holy fucking hell... That was like horrible! Not like bad but as in very high sacrifices to get something. Some scenes were like from a horror movie.

Yeah, it was brutal.    A good thing considering the very clear anti-war theme in the novels. There had been a few too many "**** yeah, bad***!" violent moments this season so it was nice to see that revived.

[Charlie_]

Pretty impressive! Can't really complain too much about silly plot decisions, as it was pretty much one big spectacle.

In terms of the battle, it was pretty damn good I feel. I think the cavalry charges were fantastic, and Ramsay's archers shooting into the melee was very appropriate. The press of bodies and rain of arrows made me think of Agincourt. The Bolton spearmen and their "HAH!" shouts were a bit.... I'm tempted to say daft, but just the spectacle of the charging cavalry made up for it!
 
Where the hell is that damn dire wolf when you need him?

Poor Rickon! Not because he died, but he didn't get a single line of dialogue this whole season!!!!!!!! Not a damn word.

Ramsay's death was fitting, as expected.... But I kinda think I would have preferred it if Jon had just beaten him to death with his fists as everyone watched in silence. Or if Ghost ate him!

I still think Smalljon Umber was a very curious non-character. He didn't have much to say or do, but had some real energy to him I feel... There was lots of talk of Northern Conspiracies when he first appeared, and it would have been SO GOOD if he had turned on the Boltons at the last minute. But instead he was just another minor villain to be killed, oh well.....

Also, all the characters seem to have forgotten that Jon died and was resurrected! With the exception of his brief chat with Melisandre, it really hasn't been referenced (does Sansa even know???) and it seems that the experience didn't change him AT ALL. It could have been cool if it made him somewhat impervious to injury, I was expecting to see him riddled with arrows but still fighting, or something...

I still don't quite understand why Sansa never told them about the Vale army on its way. Made even more odd after her big argument with Jon about their lack of manpower.

But overall... That was good fun!

[McMordain]

I still don't quite understand why Sansa never told them about the Vale army on its way. Made even more odd after her big argument with Jon about their lack of manpower.

This! Why didn't she tell Jon? Why? This made the effort of their army pointless. All those deaths for nothing. I couldn't enjoy the northern parts of the episode at all.

[Lowtardog]

Spot on episode, and dont forget who holds the power and the manpower now at winterfell, it certainly not Jon Snow. Sansa for the win!

[McMordain]

It's not Sansa either. It's Littlefinger...

[Timbor]

It's always Littlefinger.

I agree though, it is a mystery as to why Sansa did not disclose anything about Littlefinger and the knights of the Vale... especially the night before the battle.

[Dr. The Viking]

I agree though, it is a mystery as to why Sansa did not disclose anything about Littlefinger and the knights of the Vale... especially the night before the battle.

Maybe she's hoping he would die.

[Captain Blood]

Maybe she's hoping he would die.

 

Quite enjoyed that one, although all pretty predictable. Well done, nonetheless. And since we've all been waiting 5 years for the despicable Ramsay to get his long overdue come-uppance, that episode was always going to be a winner.

[jim rae]

This episode more than compensated for some of the previously sub-par events within this season... Great family fun.... 

[warrenpeace]

Thanks to this thread, I'll probably skip watching Season 6 when it comes out on disc, which is how I watch GoT. Just doesn't seem like a very interesting season from what I've read here.

By the way, I read books 1, 3, 4, and 5, the first book after seeing Season 2 on TV, skipped the 2nd book, and read the other's before watching the rest of GoT on discs. I thought the books were each about 50% too long. GRRM could have cut out 1/3 of each of the books and I would have liked them better. And Martin failed to write a proper climax and conclusion to books 3, 4, and 5. It was clear that neither he nor his editor had any discipline.

Thought the first few seasons of the TV show were generally better for cutting out some of the books. Through season 5 of the TV series, I thought most of the plot changes were better than the book, with few exceptions. One exception was the changes in the Arya story in season 5. In the books Arya solved killing assignment problems in a much more interesting way.

Although I still like 2 or 3 of the surviving characters (Tyrion, Arya, and maybe Jaime), I've lost hope of Martin or the script writers doing anything really interesting with them in the future. And I'm tired of waiting for the people of Westeros to invent the guillotine and start killing off their disgusting aristocracy.