Finally I'm up to date with the show, in a week in a half my GF and I watched the 3 and a half seasons, now we are hooked

holy shit that's a good effort. Spose there's not heaps of episodes but still, nice work

Qué atascado!

Eh, I am with Lixx on this one. The latest season has been a letdown as a whole. They are just trying to stretch out too much to run the entire season, adding needless events while ignoring whole other storylines. Yes, there will be lots of 'surprises,' but compared to the pacing and key events of past seasons, you can really see (I think) how they are trying to drag it out and milk it for a "bonus season." It is still a great show, and very enjoyable, but I feel not up to par with the previous ones. I am also not very happy about some of the the casting decisions (and re-casting.....and re-re-casting...), but I will just add that to my list of general bœuf.

that scene where asha comes to save theon was really silly.

Yeah it pretty much was, and stuff like this - and the whole incident at Craster's Keep - does not move the plot forward at all. I think their heads are a bit all over the place, and they are trying to cut in too many elements. While the intent is to have better coverage, it just comes off as disjointed. I appreciate the effort, but think they should err on the side of simplicity and focus.

This is probably the thing that irks me the most. Though I do get why on some instances a difference actor is needed (as with Tommen), I still don't like seeing continuity broken. The first time Daario Naharis was 'reintroduced'..

While neither Daario Naharis guys really did it for me, that was especially jarring, as they were so different. The 'three faces of the Mountain' is really frustrating though.

Part of the consequence of these crazy HBO filming schedules and short seasons is that the kids age so rapidly (the northern group is a good example). While time does pass in these events, it isn't really [nearly] that evident on the show, and that I find hard to get around. It really is just supposed to be a continuation of previous seasons; not these 'hard breaks.' Re-casting a new actor is one thing, but if anything, in the case of Tommen, I would have went with someone considerably younger than the other actor. The age of the new King does not seem to play at all with what we have seen, nor does it have the same implications for Margaery and the kingdom.

Honestly, THE biggest problem I actually have with the show bar none. Yes, there were some overtones of it in Martin's work, but this was taken to the very extreme. Can we please just get off from this whole white liberator from 'west' freeing slaves? Enough already. Really, I mean it. Oh, look at me. I am so pretty. I am so noble. I would never do anything wrong; not like those horrible backwards slave master's of this crazy foreign land. I am perfect god of righteousness and beauty. Good thing everyone is falling at her feet in love and worship. FFS. We. Get. It. How about showing how she is a foreign conqueror, a young girl, and really doesn't yet know what it is like to be a Queen? Oh, but she's seen and knows so much. Much more than all of the other people she encounters and those surrounding her. Gah!!

Ugh. Nothing that happened in the newest episode interested me except Tyrion's Trial By Combat. And I can't say that the last 10 minutes of the episode satisfied me. Although it was a decent battle, it wasn't the outcome I had hoped for.

I don't want this to come across as a potential spoil as I haven't read the books (so I'm pretty much clueless as to how things will evolve) but...

Besides this I loved the last episode, pretty much loving the whole season.

Man that line to Jon Snow, did they really have to use it? Seems cliche. Otherwise decent episode.

My GF and I laugh because we knew she will say the line, I'm looking forward for the season finale next week

i've been watching these "epic history of house..." videos. Some interesting stuff there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnfYj-cHM5c

i thought it was pretty gutsy to keep the whole episode in one place . . . . kept the tension going.

great episode.

Well, I kinda felt the opposite actually. Only because I think the show has had such high standards though - all in all still a great episode. I just felt that it was weaker, in a show that typically crams so much in, and wherein a key aspect of the 'storytelling' has been focused on the multiple storylines, I think it felt a bit off to have the whole episode focused at the Castle Black battle. And considering how much stuff they are leaving out/glancing over, and with only the finale left for the season, I was a bit surprised. But again, only because otherwise the stories have been very strong. Really, I felt that the coverage of the whole battle might be glossed over more, maybe showing the beginning approach/end without all the fighting and such, as much as the other wars and confrontations have been handled in the show, since the individual events that took place are much less important than the outcome(s).

Not ready for the season to be over for another year already.

And of course they (hopefully) are saving the best for last i.e.Lady Stoneheart! I'll be pissed if they don't show her before the end of this finale. I need some Stark vengeance.

I'd like to see them take it to a really dark and evil vengeance place, but not sure they will.

This. Really wish HBO would spring for longer seasons...

The extended battle and heavy use of fx were a nice change of pace, and really made the Wall and surrounding landscape believable. The mammoths and giants looked great, and once (the conspicuously absent) Mance's fire was lit, the episode was riveting. Glad the sole focus was on the Wall, hopping to other storylines would have been too distracting this go-round. Even with the wildfire explosion, the Blackwater battle felt rushed, and kept a lot the action unseen. Last week was a big redemption for Neil Marshall, and gives a lot of promise that the upcoming battles will be equally as good (if not better).

Only gripe was that Samwell Tarly didn't catch an arrow to the head.

So what happened in today's episode? Spoilers please! (I read the books and don't watch the show, but like to keep up with events.)

Edit: Never mind. It was good.

I liked the finale. Tied everything up nicely. I don't think we'll ever see Lady Stoneheart though. The actress who played Catelyn Stark is now in the new 24 series I hear.

^^ 'Lady Stoneheart' will probably be just another character they omit from the TV show . . . . like 'Coldhands' and a few others.
This season had many changes from the books, and from reading online speculation it sounds like its only going to get more pronounced from now on.

Its inevitable and in most cases not necessarily a bad thing.

Loved the finale! It was everything I expected. And didn't want it to finish.
I've never read the books but I kinda had the feeling they would sooner or later drift away from the book plot or would have to stop making the show. HAve they released book 5 yet? Or is it book six you're waiting for?

Five books have been written so far.

Seems most of the uninitiated pretty much loved the finale, while many book purists were pissed that Lady Stoneheart didn't make an appearance...

Looks like many of the thread contributors have already read some (if not all) of the books written thus far. At this juncture it really might be time to start a thread specifically for those who haven't read the books, and let the rest of you guys talk/dissect/compare in peace here without worrying about spoiler tags.

If there's no objections I'd be happy to start one now... or probably just wait till season 5 starts

i personally think that lady stoneheart will be in the show.

the most disappointing thing was lack of "where do whores go?".