Seeing what happened to Jeyne Poole in the book, what happened to Sansa could almost be called "mild".
That being said, the series stooped to its lowest point with the Jaime / Sand Snakes timing thingee. Really? REALLY? This is just very, very poor writing.

According to speculation, in next weeks episode the whole time!

That lame coincidence was only surpassed by the pedestrian fight choreography!

what, they fight like girls. you thought they wouldn't?!

This series started off incredibly strong, but like the books my interest has seriously waned as the show has progressed.

I am beginning to not care what happens to anyone in the entire show.

Was it just me, or was there one specific moment where one of the Sand Snakes falls on her back, then rolls forward to get back on her feet... but it TOTALLY looks like they just reversed the footage? I didn't rewind to check, but I remember it not looking real.



I have the expectation that everyone I even mildly like is going to die, so I find myself hardly caring either. The only person who I currently care about is Arya, to be honest... Her story arc is actually getting interesting, probably because it's not caught up in politics... Damn politics.

Agree that the whole Dornish storyline was handled pretty badly (esp. the fight sequence) and is getting so muddled. It is not clear what the writers' intentions are or where they are going. As with the deviation with Sans/Jeyne Poole and other storylines, I find it less intriguing and more, well, just disappointing. I get that it is different, but I think they are throwing out too much out there in little scraps, that you can never put together or be satisfied with the story, because it jumps right away to the next scene. Even Martin in the books eventually went to break up the action into two novels so that everything could be given its rightful due, rather than covering everything simultaneously. Overall I just kind of find it non-engrossing and sort of boring, because I want to be drawn in to their (the tv show writers') storyline, but I don't find they are building it that way as previous seasons have been.

Show peaked way too soon. I know they were just following the books (sort of), but the first 3 seasons had so many key moments. Last 2- 2.5 seasons it seems they just drag things out forever. I mean really Danaery's story hasn't been interesting since she killed all those people in Qarth. The Black Watch got boring after the White Walkers stopped coming for some reason (Winter is sure taking forever to come!). The boring Starks are left, and now that Tyrion killed his Dad, Joeffrey is dead, and religious nuts took over Kings Landing that story is dull as well.

In short nothing really interesting has evolved from the meat of the early plot lines.

It is definitely a lot of build up to....something. But even Martin doesn't seem to know what that is, it is just constantly being implied. Really, I think like a lot of shows, they didn't plan this thing through from a beginning to [probable] end - just sort of jumped into it, and play it as you go. Well, you inevitably end up blowing out early and can't coast the rest of the way. There are so many examples of this.

Give the viewer something to keep them tuned in at least, you can't just have promises of what might come. Most of the cool stuff/supernatural has been cut out of the tv show, which is fair enough from a budget standpoint, but still. Even something like the Stone Men were handled haphazardly and as a throwaway plot element; and I have seen much better effects on low budget sci-fi shows.

I guess I am just more surprised that with the show becoming one of the most popular on right now, that they seem to be devoting less attention/thought to its execution than the first season where they only had a 'cult' following intially.

I agree...I have said it before, the last two books feel like Martin has no idea where he is going with the plot. I thought the 4th book was mostly garbage and the fifth was not much better. The show is certainly going that same route. Oh well, at least the big budget affords good actors and pleasant scenery.

Totally agree with the beautiful scenery part. So many people are upset with what happened to Sansa at the end of the episode. I'm more upset by the lack of Northern Lords there to witness. Either way, that scene in the Godswood with all the torches and the massive Weirwood was gorgeous. Sanasa's gown of all white furs and lace as well. They cut out Val, but the line about her in a white gown looking like a true Northern Princess came to mind for sure.

Fuck GoT . . . . I'm more upset about this in real life!

I often wonder how GRRM must feel with it all. He is held up at conventions as this god who has constructed this world and story - but its not really as he envisaged - I mean aesthetically and nitty gritty details are deviating. The tv series has become its own thing. I agree with you Steve, the supernatural is lacking. Is it because people are eating up the human struggle so much?

I'm going to jump in here, so I don't know if this has already been said, but I feel that GoT is reaching LOST levels in terms of various plot threads running simultaneously. And just like Lost I can't see them tying up all these threads adequately in the remaining 2.5 seasons left for the show. That assuming they stick to the 7 seasons they said they would. And I desparately hope they stick to 7 seasons. I like when a good show has a definite end and doesn't drag on past its expiration date because it's profitable.

There is already so much they only briefly touch on in the show each episode, but they constantly keep introducing new plot elements and characters. This is starting to feel like a Robert Jordan story and not GRRM.

i agree, they jump around like every 5 min and then leave 5 min at the end where they could've given us a little more.

C'MON SON!

Yep. That format works ok in book form. Not so much with a weekly tv show.

It is also that they are condensing an entire chapter (one character's perspective) into those five minutes.

So no comments from last week's episode? It wasn't all that engrossing or advancing of the plot really; I am hoping for a bit better from tonight's. Things are getting very mixed up, but one of my principle complaints about the show (vs. novels) that has gotten continually worse as it has progressed is the need to explicity say or point out events that otherwise were a mystery for the reader. The murder of Joffrey is probably the clearest example of this. It was also unfortunate to see Maester Aemon go so soon, and so quickly. As for what is taking place in Dorne, it is really so different I am not sure where they are going to take the Bronn/Sand Snakes/Jaime storyline. Inevitably, as it draws closer to the end of the season already, you want so much more to happen - and I expect we will be in for the usual small letdown in that regard, and have to wait yet another year for more developments before long.

Wow.

^
Agreed, so damn good. Definitely the best episode of the season thus far. Glad they decided to bring the heat when there's only two eps left

Well, looks like Winter finally came.

Either that or it's the only bit of "Winter" we get to see for another couple years just to hear dialogue mention it every so often. Overall well done scene except I was screaming for someone to ROW THE FUCKING BOAT. I thought the Whites were going to freeze the water with magic and charge the retreating Crows/Wildlings.

As for the rest of the episode, I didn't buy Daenerys warming up to Tyrion so quickly. I mean I believe he could win her over in the long run, but she got on board unreasonably fast, 2 glasses of wine at Tyrion drinking speed fast. Sansa needs to take a psychology class, she seems to really have a hard time understanding Reek and it's old already. Arya's story really doesn't make any sense to me, and they have sucked all the humor out her writing which I really miss. Maybe the whole training to be a Face of the Many makes more sense in the books?

I think we saw the true king of the North. Bow down!

yep, some
Yeah man, some of the best action and sword-play i've ever seen on the show. Glad to see another Giant, too.
I have to admit the way they are chopping and changing the story from the books has become a little disorientating for me.
I'm still enjoying it generally though . . . . .

. . . . . and 'Reek' is Game of Throne's 'Gollum'.