Season 6 Episode 10 "The Winds of Winter" - "Book readers"

So much good in this episode it's hard to be nitpicky but a few small details struck me. Poor CGI in places stuff like that and the jarring change of music, threw me off for a few seconds and I felt broke the spell. For the first time I became aware I was watching an artiface. I get what they tried to do but it didn't work as well as it should IMHO.
The passage of time is badly shown, we get sudden jumps in time without any clue as to how long or even that time has passed. You have to work it out yourself which is bad because I've no idea if my guess is right or wrong. Getting used to it now but I wish they would fix this.

Oh but the good stuff! The change of the sigil from Bolton to Stark in the OC. Cersei becoming more and more armoured up. She's now dressed like Tywin and her queen's guard are in full armour instead of the traditional white cloaks. Loved the call back after Thomin dies and she has his body cremated to Tyrion's words that all her victories will turn to ashes in her mouth. We get to see her in a state of acceptance of her fate and even embracing it.
Dannie finally on the high seas with cavalry, infantry, and air force aboard her navy dressed in black, the Targaryen colours. Tellingly she left Meereen in a better state than she found it but still left. Perhaps she will do the same in Westeros.
Davos nailed it in the scene with Melisandre, really felt his pain and frustration.
Sam goes to college. Nice touch that the library reflects the opening credits montage, perhaps inferring we are watching events from a historical perspective rather than in real time.
King in the north. Lyanna Mormont calling out the other houses and supporting Jon,OK it felt good but King of anywhere in Westeros is not exactly a permanent and pensionable position. Again Sansa being pushed towards the Iron Throne and away from Winterfell.Oh and reflecting the changes Sansa now fully dressed as a Stark. Littlefinger openly announcing his end game to Sansa might his first miscalculation.
Dorn less annoying than usual due to Olenna bossing it.
Arya now back in Westeros, going all LS on her enemies, the red witch heading south. Bound to meet each other I bet.
Looking good for the next and last season.

fitz wrote: »

Don't get the love the music is getting.
Might be great music in and of itself, but for most of the episode it was woefully out of step with the established musical arrangements used in the show. Drew far too much attention to itself in that regard and felt jarring as a result. Definitely effected my enjoyment of the episode in a negative way.

I felt the exact same way. I said to Mrs Greyjoy as we watched that the music felt too "on the nose", like it lacked subtlety.
Otherwise I really enjoyed the episode. high point was Arya's reveal, more than Cersei's plot that drew a real gasp of surprise from me. Other highlights were Lyanna Mormont (who is rapidly becoming a favourite character of mine) and the Queen of Thorns slapping down the sand snakes (I groaned when I saw we were revisiting Dorne in the credit sequence). I felt though they could have reminded the audience a little bit at the very end of the episode of the threat of the Walkers, that threat seems to have been forgotten about.

Is it wrong that I really want to bang Cersei now....

duploelabs wrote: »

Delicious irony that Jamie and Cersei's son met his death by falling from a window

"The thing's I do for love" (Tommen, as he's falling from the window)

Greyjoy wrote: »

I felt though they could have reminded the audience a little bit at the very end of the episode of the threat of the Walkers, that threat seems to have been forgotten about.

I felt that was deliberate - most of Westeros has forgotten about them and concentrating on petty war's and title's

bur wrote: »

Really wish it was Sean Bean acting out the flashback scenes, they'd be so much more poignant. It's a bit ridiculous how young they made Ned now that i think about it, it was only 18 or so years ago.

Ned is 19/20 in the Tower of Joy scene, they absolutely nailed it. The mistake was casting Bean in the first place.

bur wrote:

Really wish it was Sean Bean acting out the flashback scenes, they'd be so much more poignant. It's a bit ridiculous how young they made Ned now that i think about it, it was only 18 or so years ago.

I thought the actor playing young Ned was spot on - really enjoyed his scenes! I think the cost of the CGI would have been too much compared to simply using a younger actor.

wp_rathead wrote: »

I felt that was deliberate - most of Westeros has forgotten about them and concentrating on petty war's and title's

In one sense I agree, most of Westeros is fighting for the Iron Throne and ignoring the real threat. But it would have worked better by contrasting Dany's fleet sailing to Westeros with a brief glimpse of the Walkers marching towards the Wall. It's about reminding the audience not the characters.

intheclouds wrote: »

Yes, thought that myself.

Surely they could have slimmed down and CGI'd Seany a bit?

The showrunners said in the Battle of the Bar Stewards they were forced to pick between a CGI Ghost or Giant due to budget constraints. Maybe they did want to CGI Bean in but couldn't afford it.

baza Rakus wrote:

The showrunners said in the Battle of the Bar Stewards

:pac:

Plus, we'd have missed out on all the Nowy Tends memes.

fitz wrote: »

I thought they'd finish this season with a shot of a crack appearing in the Wall after Bran and Meera had crossed it.
Would have been a much more "oh f*ck" ending than the Dany army and dragon's roaring again. Great to see the armada on its way, but feel they missed an opportunity with the Wall.

While I can't wait until The Wall inevitability comes down I'm looking forward to seeing how things play out up North with Jon and Littlefinger, down South where I'm assuming Dany is docking, and in Kingslanding where Mad Queen Cersei is going to rule ..

When Wall comes down its gonna be savage but will swallow the whole storyline

Also hopefully Euron gets his hands on Melisande - you know how he is collecting priests in the books..

EagererBeaver wrote: »

Is that not Victarion?

Read the new Aeron "The Forsaken" chapter from Winds of Winter

Great episode, no doubt it will have the usual whingers quitting watching because of some parts...see you in 10 months.

Only time I thought the music was out of place was after Aarya killed Walder. Felt that it focuses on her with the music playing a bit too long.

The King in Da Norf scene gave me goosebumps. Fully expect Littlefinger try make a move and Sansa to out manoeuvre him.

Cersei and Jaime obviously on collision course. Everything is pointing towards him becoming the Queen Slayer after killing Cersei when she threatens to burn Kings Landing while Dany's army sack the city, which would be the most satisfying conclusion story wise but it all seems very predictable. Could Aarya cross her off her list using Jaime's face?

See a lot of people complaining about Benjen leaving Bran but I assumed it was the weirwood where the Nightswatch take their vows.

Only real complaints (and I use the word very loosely) I would have were the lack of the Hound, and the white Raven going to Winterfell. Think it would have had more impact if it had arrived alongside the snows in Kings Landing.