Game of Thrones

[SD]

This season has blew for the most part so far. There's no buildup to resolutions and all of the good antagonist are gone.

[Zanshin]

I found the first few seasons entertaining, for sure, but not to the level of reverence that I've seen from other people. That said, I have been pretty bored with it this season.

[smeags]

Seriously...another ending where i'm yelling what the farg at the tv.

Barristan was my ace in the hole in helping bring Dany together with future Warden of the North Bran Stark, as he could have told Dany that the Starks weren't all that bad and she can stop being all pissy about them. Plus, I just liked him.

i was thinking that was part of why varys was bringing tyrion to dany.

[Eagles_Legendz]

Other than last season, because of Joffrey's murder, there has never been a driving point of early momentum.  Beginning of season 3 was mostly saved by Jaime / Brienne but it was Robb meandering, Dany getting unsullied, and Tyrion/Cersei/Tywin interacting.   Season 2 was even more diffuse, though it was built to Blackwater. 

The big antagonists taken off the board last year were Joffrey/Tywin (though to the extent Tywin was really an antagonist may vary).   I don't think you're going to have many antagonists now, just conflicted protagonists.  Martell v Lannister, Dany v King's Landing.   The Boltons are probably the one true antagonist family left (Frey's too small to count) but the "villain" this season is fundamentalism in KL and Meereen.

[smeags]

that may depend on how much they push the dornish storyline. although is anyone that goes after the lannisters really a villan ?

i liked hearing jamie letting his feelings on tyrion killing tywin be known.

[SunMo]

i like the softening of Stannis and Jon growing in stature.  i hate Cersei and her religious storyline, it sucks.

Dany needs to get to farging up shtein with the dragons.

[Eagles_Legendz]

They've been better with material in the North this season IMO.  Stannis and Jon are much improved.  They were people I enjoyed in the books but found boring on screen previously.

There's only 2.5/3 seasons left of the show (I'm saying 3 because I'm guessing season 7 will be 15 episodes, so you have about 30 left).   There aren't going to be surprising new antagonists IMO.  I think you're entering the portion of the series where it's smaller main characters (Boltons/Stannis) fighting before the white walkers and Dany / dragons become fully involved.   All with Littlefinger and Varys behind the scenes obviously.

But I won't qualify anything - I liked episode 3 this year and really really liked last nights.   Each piece of dialogue I thought was important (other than Sand Snakes being bleh). 

[Eagles_Legendz]

I do think the reaction differences are interesting.  Some people saying last night was one of the best episodes the show has done/some being bored.   Book readers either enjoying being in the dark or pissed off at fairly drastic changes.  My brother who hasn't read the books texted me a similar sentiment to SD that he feels the season has been very slow, while someone like Greenwald on Grantland writes about how it's been the best yet.   Definitely more polarizing. 

[Munson]

I think EPs 1 and 2 were pretty slow, but there's been a lot of important shtein going on in the last couple episodes. A ton of intrigue at the Wall and up North right now.

[smeags]

im still not convinced that jon isnt going to eventually take stanis' offer to become a stark.

[Munson]

My guess is he doesn't take the Stark name, but still marches with Stannis to fight. At least that's what I'm hoping happens.

The previews for next week show him talking to Tormund about something

[smeags]

the red witch sees something in jon that she doesnt see in stanis. wondering if she was trying to get knocked up again to send another shadow assassin to kill someone. who ? not sure but there was something more to that scene then her just looking for a tata massage.

[QB Eagles]

I do think the reaction differences are interesting.  Some people saying last night was one of the best episodes the show has done/some being bored.   Book readers either enjoying being in the dark or pissed off at fairly drastic changes.  My brother who hasn't read the books texted me a similar sentiment to SD that he feels the season has been very slow, while someone like Greenwald on Grantland writes about how it's been the best yet.   Definitely more polarizing. 

I did look around today online and found near-universal condemnation of the Sand Snakes scene at least. Not only the dialogue and acting, but even the set, costumes, and special effects were called out as being lame -- a rarity for a show with the production values of GoT. It was like some Xena: Warrior Princess footage got spliced into the show by mistake with that random sand tarp location. Maybe the Spanish production unit wasn't quite up to snuff. Greenwald doesn't even mention the scene, which is the closest thing to condemnation from him.

So far Season 5 has been the worst season for me, but it's still early going. I'm definitely getting concerned though. By this time last season there had been so many great scenes, from "farg the King", to Jack Gleeson's amazing performance at Joffrey's wedding (and the dwarves!), to Olenna Tyrell revealing her part in the assassination, to Jaime giving Brienne her mission. Nothing this season has come close to those scenes for me.

I have enjoyed Stannis and Jon all season. That part of the show is really working. The Sansa/Littlefinger stuff has also kept me intrigued. I like the High Sparrow but maybe that's just because Jonathan Pryce is killing it and because I hope [spoiler]he's Howland motherfarging Reed. [But if not, he's still cool.][/spoiler] Everything else either bores me, feels "off", or is actively bad. Losing characters the quality of Tywin, Joffrey, the Hound, and Oberyn all in one season is a blow. I haven't given a shtein about Dany since Season 1, when her storyline was fantastic. Not really the show's fault, because I feel the same about her in the books.

Overall though I suspect it's a combination of the source material not being as good as ASOS, the increasingly fractured universe of numerous characters playing a role and preventing us from having longer, more in-depth scenes with just a couple characters, and frustratingly weak original writing for the show. I did see that this last episode was written by a first-timer who has no further episodes this season, so maybe things will get better soon. Even though I'm still waiting for an episode I would consider great, I definitely enjoyed Episodes 1 and (especially) 3, but I'm used to this show having a batting average well above .500.

[Eagles_Legendz]

Greenwald has actively criticized episodes in the past and in his podcast today agreed about the Sand Snakes.  I agree their introduction was terrible.

I disagree about the rest of it though I understand why you feel that way.  I think last season was the exception to the beginning of seasons because of episode 2/wedding.

[smeags]

i am hoping the figth scene at the end of this last episode is a sign of things to come. i wonder if grey worm survived. didnt notice a mention of him in the previews. looks like tyrion will be going to dragons 101 next week.