Why Season 5 was the worst jaar of the toon yet 

Warning: This is an article written from the perspective of a book reader, and may contain spoilers from the books. Unsullied, considered yourself warned.

. The writers and directors are busy with the pre-production aspects for Season 6, a brand new batch of cast members and locations will be announced at next month’s San Diego Comic-Con, and a short two or three months from now, principle photography will begin. That’s the unforgiving cycle that David Benioff and Dan Weiss go through each year in regards to

Perhaps this rigorous schedule is to blame for what many fans of the show see as a drop in quality in Season 5. And, while we are all

fans here, you are not being honest with yourself if you think this was the best season of the series.

I am first and foremost a fan of the books. You might have surmised that from reading my previous rants. However, what doesn’t come out in most of my articles is that I deeply love the show as well…and that’s why I can objectively look at this season and without a doubt declare that it was the absolute worst season in the brief history of

Allow me to explain. It is a well known that Benioff and Wiess were drawing on the fifth book in the

as well as some scenes from the fourth book,

, when constructing this season. These books have produced their own share of debate. You’ve probably heard some of the criticisms before: fans say George R.R. Martin could have combined the two books, cut them in half, and still effectively move all the major characters where he wanted them before moving on to the two as yet unpublished books in his series,

. In other words, many fans think that

had a lot of filler, and that a season of television based off them was bound to lack fluid storytelling.

I disagree. The fact that D&D had so much source material to pick and choose from should have allowed them to craft an amazing season…and that was the hope, after the first episode aired.

In Episode 1, “The Wars to Come,” we got the very first flashback in the series, a flashback that seemed to set up a story arc that would be discussed at length throughout the season…sadly, that didn’t happen. Why show the Prophecy of the Valonqar if the producers were never going to touch on the subject again?

The plot continued to show fissures. In Episode 2, Arya was finally admitted into the House of Black and White, which was a great moment for book readers to witness, but things went downhill from there. Cersei foolishly sent Jaime to Dorne in order to retrieve their daughter, which was a huge deviation from Jaime’s story in the books…I’m talking a massive deviation here, folks. Was it the right choice to make in the interest of streamlining the story? That’s still being hotly debated, but an overwhelming number of fans were sorely disappointed with the Dorne arc.

Jon Snow’s ascension to the position of Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch was expedited greatly, at the cost of some interesting and exciting political maneuvering by Sam. This is a shame, because I feel show-only fans would have loved to see our meek and mousy Sam finally get his hands dirty. Because of the events in the penultimate episode of Season 4, we were forced to accept Olly as Jon’s steward (instead of Edd), which helped to dial in the heavy foreshadowing of Olly’s role in his death. More on that later.

Episode 3 would have been the perfect stabilizing episode, if not for the fact that no one really cared about the future Faith Militant and the High Sparrow. There was absolutely no buildup to their introduction into the show…they just appeared with no backstory at all. Tommen and Margaery were married which could have been a great segue into the crown’s struggle against the Faith, but sadly that too was laid aside.

In episode 4, we got our first real look into the culling of characters when Ser Barristan Selmy was killed by the Sons of the Harpy in a fight he should have never been a part of in the first place. This episode also marked the wildly inaccurate portrayal of the Unsullied. Sure, they are not meant to be guerrilla fighters, but basic formations and battle tactics were seemingly forgotten, just so a fight could be more dynamic on screen.

This is also when the Sand Snakes made their underwhelming debut. Three talented young women being led by the former paramour of the now-deceased Oberyn Martell should have more of an impact on the show than they did. Their onscreen appearance can best be described as boorish and cartoony. They wore matching outfits, had a team chant, and fought like they were performing in a poorly choreographed Kung Fu Theater. They literally had one good scene in 10 hours, and it consisted of Poosy Spice slapping Asian Spice in the face.

Episodes 5 through 7 were largely forgettable with nothing of any real consequence happening. Pod and Brienne arrived in the town outside of Winterfell and met an innkeeper who seemed like he would have a much larger role…and then we never saw or heard from him again. Loras had his trial, which was really an elaborate trap to catch Margaery, because on the show, the Faith Militant are homophobic assholes whose only mission in life is to perpetrate hate crimes against anyone they deem a sinner, regardless if they are actually guilty or not.

Episode 8, “Hardhome” was the best episode of the season, and arguably the best episode in the series to date. For the first time in the show’s history, book readers could not predict what was about to happen. Jon was shown to be a complete badass warrior, and the Night’s King flexed his icy muscles—he not only massacred the majority of wildings at Hardhome, but he then proceeded to resurrect them and add them to his already huge army of undead. This was just the kind of moment the show needed to get it back on course…too bad the producers didn’t follow through on it.

In Episode 9, “The Dance of Dragons,” the showrunners decided to take what many fans in both camps (myself included) saw as an unnecessary step in Stannis’ story, by having him approve Melisandre’s plan to burn Shireen. What’s more, they blamed it all on George R.R. Martin. I have serious doubts as to whether Stannis will permit Shireen to be burned alive in the books, and until it happens, I will hold firm that the idea was all bullshit.

We did, however, get a very exciting scene at the gladiatorial games at Daznak’s Pit in Meereen. I was extremely pleased with how the scene was filmed, and was overjoyed that Drogon and Dany’s bond was expounded upon by showing that the dragon actually cared for his mother, and wasn’t simply there because he smelled the blood pooling in the sand.

This leads us to Episode 10, “Mother’s Mercy.” The last time I was as excited for an episode was right before Season 3’s “The Rains of Castamere,” the episode where the Red Wedding took place. There were leaked Snapchat photos of not only Cersei’s walk, but Selyse’s suicide, and Jon’s death…they all proved valid. And then there was the “accidental” leak of the “Previously on

” bit that hinted at Uncle Benjen’s return to Castle Black.

The episode played as a hurried and incomplete rush job with bits and pieces cobbled together for the purpose of sensationalism. Stannis decided to march on Winterfell despite having his army and resources depleted by a sellsword mutiny and then died by Brienne’s hand, who had previously just missed Sansa finally lighting the long awaited candle in the window of the broken tower. Myrcella died after being given an inappropriate, poison-tipped kiss on the mouth by a vengeful adult. If Jaime had been paying attention, he would not have allowed Ellaria within a hundred feet of his daughter-niece.

Cersei had her walk, and it was as grueling and horrible as it was in the books. Without a doubt, Lena Heady sold that scene like the consummate professional she is. But, we didn’t see Loras or Margaery, and only heard about Tommen. No snowflakes falling in King’s Landing, no white raven, and no surprise deaths at all in King’s Landing.

Arya was the other bright spot in an otherwise boringly bleak episode. She was finally able to cross Ser Meyrn Trant’s name off her list. We then were shown how the faceless men change their faces…no, I’m kidding, because I am now more confused than ever. Is it magic? Is it real human faces? Or is Jaqen H’ghar really Old Man Winters in disguise and if it weren’t for those darn kids he would have gotten it away with it too?

That leaves us with Jon Snow’s overly telegraphed and not-at-all cleverly written death. I just do not understand why the old “Uncle Benjen switcharoo” had to be used to carry out Jon’s big For the Watch scene. They had Wun Wun at Castle Black, who is the reason Jon was distracted by his attackers and unable to successfully defend himself. Instead, we had the obvious plot device, Olly, carrying out some elaborate prank in order to lure Jon to a poorly written sign. And that’s how they decided to kill Jon Snow.

Jon Snow wasn’t stabbed amid the bloody chaos of Wun Wun ripping a man in half, but quietly, shivved by the teary-eyed walking trope that is Olly. Now our watch truly begins to see if all this noise about Kit not returning for Season 6 is actually true. All I know is that if Jon is really gone for good and never coming back in any shape, form, or fashion, then the events at Hardhome mean absolutely nothing, and the best episode of the season was just one gigantic distraction.

I will close with this: I love the show, and it has certainly earned enough credit with me to have a bad season. I can understand if David Benioff and Dan Weiss are tired and worn out by the grueling schedule of bringing the most popular television series in the history of the world to HBO. So, I can forget this season ever happened, much like I did with

. But I sincerely hope D&D take a long hard look at

Season 5, and learn from their mistakes. I have hopes for Season 6…because that’s who I am, the ever hopeful romantic. I must believe things will get better.

Hi, my name is Razor, and I’m a hopeful Book Purist…who loves the show.

Next: The Small Council: A look back at “Mother’s Mercy”

Season 5 has come and gone. In this edition of the Small Council, the writers at Winter is Coming...

“Go ahead. Do your duty.” -Stannis I come here not to praise Stannis Baratheon, but to...

Have you already read all the books and/or don\'t care about spoilers? You can reveal all the spoilers in the comments with the click of a link below.

I disagree. I dont think it was the best season but I dont think it was the worst either.

I actually enjoyed it a lot this year. True some moments were not ideal, however, it was still way better than last season, in my opinion of course.

yes, I agree Razor: I love the books and so many of the deviating story lines just made no sense to me and if seems like they may have trouble resolving their changes in future. Oh well. It is “adapted”, and even the best adaptations take liberties. 😤

I also agree that even the best adaptations take liberties and I am ok with D&D changing some storylines. Like many others, I felt AFFC and ADWD were not as well plotted as the previous books were. I feel that some streamlining was necessary to keep the narrative focused.

However I do feel that several of these adaption were poorly done. Most people agree that Dorne was a flop, the Sparrows needed more back story and the battle for Winter fell plus Jon’s assassination were rushed.

Either there needed to be more episodes to pace the storylines more appropriately or maybe some of these arcs could have been saved for season 6.

Honestly, this is the problem. I rarely hear Unsullied confused by the show. It’s always book readers who insist that it doesn’t make sense because it didn’t include some detail in the books that simply isn’t necessary if you are not looking for it. It’s only confusing because you expect it based on the books, but fail to get that Unsullied aren’t missing it and don’t need it to understand the story.

I’m not a book reader, and i’m still a little bit dissapointed from this season. I mean like, the first 4-5 episodes are just a little bit lame, i even already forgot what happen in those because they didnt left anything worth to memorize :D (only thing i remember is how Tyrion gets caught by Lord Friendzone).

Yes- I am totally on the same page with you Marko.

I disagree. I personally know several Unsullied and they were even rather miffed/confused about this season.

1. What’s the deal with that barefoot pope guy, why does his deacons hate the gays?

2. What’s the deal with that thing under the sheet in creepy guy’s laboratory? I mean, is that supposed to be Mountain Man? Is he alive? Wait, is he a Frankenstein thing?

3. Do the Sand Snakes have a secret hideout, and is that one chick from last season their leader? Wait, why did Angry Spice kill that ship’s captain? Didn’t he tell her about Golden Hand and Bronn? Are all people from Dorne Spanish? Is there only one city in Dorne?

4. How are a bunch of dudes in robes and tattoos on their head really taking out knights in armor with swords?

5. Why did Kahleesi set those Unsullied guys free, if they suck so bad at being guards?

6. Is the North that small that Stannis and his guys can cross it in like a couple of hours…on foot?

7. How does Peter Finger get all over Westeros so quickly? Didn’t the King and Neddard take like 3 episodes to do it in Season 1?

8. I feel like that innkeeper is someone important, is he in the books? He has to be, right? He looks important because Brienne asked him who he served.

9. Wait, how did that Davos guy know it was 20 men that attacked their camp at night?

10. Is Olly in the books? I feel like he’s in the books. He’s in the books, right?

13. How did Jon win the election when it’s clear that everyone hates him because of Ser Thorny and Jowly McJowls?

14. How did Melinda get to the Wall so fast after she bailed on Stannis?

I could go on, but these are just some of what my wife and her friends consistently ask me. All Show only watchers, have never read the books, don’t search Wiki’s for answers.

I am a book reader and an obsessive show watcher. I finished AFFC and ADWD about 2 years ago. I went back and re-read many of those chapters to clarify the show changes.

Honestly I am not disappointed that the show deviated from the books. I am disappointed in the many shortfalls that Razor and others have mentioned and especially the poor dialogue. I have always enjoyed the witty and often dark humor on GoT. This season, there was a lot of shoddy dialogue. The worst offenders being the Spice Snakes.

First off season 5 was awesome. So much action and suspense.. And I’m a very impatient person… I haven’t finished reading the books yet so you have me beat there. But you have to realize that they aren’t going to follow the books to a T since the seasons are only 10 episodes and maybe a hr long each. Not to mention there will only be 7 seasons all together. The series will finish before the books.

Razor, loved the Spice Girls reference. Spot on!

I think that if it truly is the end of ‘Jon Snow’ then the whole book/story would have been pointless

Well written, Razor. I really have appreciated your takes during this bleak season. I’m sorry that there’s some posters on here who don’t read or understand your articles. If people keep defending mediocrity from the show, that’s all we’ll get from here on out. Looking forward to more of your articles as we head into season 6.

Thank you Ser Justin! I have received an overwhelming amount of support through here and my personal Twitter and even Email. I appreciate your support! =)

Maybe you haven’t considered that a lot of people vehemently disagree. That’s when you’ve got your head out of your arse. I’ve seen people like you in the past. All that counts is your opinion, nothing more. The fact you call your (ahem) column “Rant” means you’ve already made up your mind. But it is an opinion not fact so maybe you should start with that instead of foisting your selfish views. N a way I’m glad you wrote it because it’s columns like this that reinforce the fact the show is doing so well that annoys you so much is actually music to my ears. I hope you hate season 6 even more while it continues to enthrall the rest of us.

Every idiot (except you) understands that Razor’s Rant IS an opinion piece, and you acknowledge it as “an opinion not fact”, but then you deride him for expressing his “views”? Opinions ARE views, you simp.

Yeah it’s just my opinion, I do not in any way claim that my word is law and canon. I have no desire to foster that opinion either. I also actually like when folks disagree with me, because it breeds some great dialogue and good clean debate. Thank you for reading.

hi there I have a theory for Jon Snow being killed-he is bound by the oath of the nights watch and by being killed is released from this. I think he’ll be brought back to life by the red witch and be a leading character in future seasons!! Ghost has got to feature somewhere too!

Yes Gary, That is a thought that many use as the furtherance of his story. I actually agree with you and think that by him being dead and resurrected, it would be a release from his vows and free him to pursue the restoration of House Stark and possibly the North’s support of Dany when she comes across the Narrow Sea.

Well that would be lovely- but I doubt our dreams will come true to that extent. Realistically, If Jon Snow is to come back, it would will be some reincarnation of him, definitely not in his original form. Personally, I would love to see him warg into Ghost.

It would be a high chance D&D would “take a long hard look at Game of Thrones Season 5, and learn from their mistakes.”, in their own word, they stopping reading review at least since season 2, nah, it will not happen, I bet they are overjoy buy their success now, considering what the show stands at the end of season 5 and the news of the season 6 casting, it is obviously the season 6 would be D&D’s baby alone and have little to do with GRRM’s novels

It’s a mixed bag for me but altogether, Season 5 of GoT is so much better than almost every other TV show to begin with so I don’t see the point to criticize them so harshly, unless… Jon Snow is actually dead. Then we can riot.

I’ll bring the matches and gasoline, you bring things to burn.

I’ve seen many people complain about your reviews saying that they are bad, but I have to disagree with them. You completely captured my feel about the season with this post.

I liked the season, especially Hardhome and Daznak’s, but Stannis’ demise, Shireen’s sacrifice and replacing the Riverrun arc with Dorne were really disappointing. (Not to mention no Mance Rayder swap)

I didn’t mind Sansa taking Jeyne Poole’s place, but I did definitely mind all the build up to the Siege of Winterfell and then.. just this.

After all I still think the writers did an amazing job with some things, and though they should as you stated learn from their mistakes, the season was still worth watching.

Thanks! I’m glad to have your view! Yeah, the kind of person I am, I would watch a bad season of Game of Thrones over and over. Maybe they know that no matter what they do to the story, people will still watch. I mean, the finale shattered all sorts of records. I just wish they would incorporate more story from the books and less filler.

There’s been implications with casting that Season 6 may still feature the Siege of Riverrun being lifted by Jaime, which would be a great addition and I really hope this’d happen!

I think the main goal the writers had this season is change things so much the book readers wouldn’t be able to predict everything, because as someone who hasn’t read all of the books, I’ve seen a lot of spoiling and I think D&D want to prevent that.

Lets hope Season 6 will be better, now that the Sullied and Unsullied are equally informed (Unless WoW releases before S6 airs)

The feeling I got when reading your article was that you thought season 5 was the worst because it didn’t follow the books and didn’t fit in with your idea of what should happen in the story. Whilst I don’t think it was as great as season 4, my personal favourite, I wouldn’t have said it was terrible.

A lot of character building moments – Cersei was fantastic this season. The flashback in the first episode gave us insight into why she is the way she is, and I feel I understand her fierce protection of her children even better now.

Sansa’s story got a lot of criticism but I honestly don’t know how people can criticise a storyline that hasn’t reached its conclusion yet. The rape scene, whilst extremely unpleasant, is no doubt necessary in what’s to come in terms of character development. I imagine she’ll get her revenge on Ramsay at some point before the end.

Selmy’s death worked in my opinion and I was devastated when he died. His death propelled Dany’s story forward.

Stannis – poor Stannis. Stephen portrayed him brilliantly, the look of despair on his face in episode 10 when he realised most of his army had deserted him, then his acting when Stannis finds Selyse hanging from the tree. Then again when Ramsay’s soldiers are charging towards him. I really think his arc has been great from his introduction up to now. I hope its not the end of Stannis, I want to see more.

No, season 5 was the worst not because it didn’t follow the books, it is because the changes D&D made in this season makes absolutely no sense

Let me guess, book reader? I am so tired of people saying “makes no sense” or “unnecessary” when it comes to changes. People have no freaking clue how this is going to end so judging changes part way through is just silly. The show makes perfect sense, it’s only obsessed book readers who think it doesn’t. I’ve read the books and watch the show but haven’t been confused once. The unsullied aren’t confused either. It’s just an excuse people use instead of “I don’t like” or because they are looking for book things that aren’t there and don’t need to be there for an unsullied to understand.

Let’s be clear. While I personally think the season was the worst, it’s still Game of Thrones, which means it’s better than half of the stuff on TV now. I love Game of Thrones, I just hate how this season turned into one gigantic cliche.

Speaking of Stannis- if anyone watched the previous WiC Live and Adam Rody said how surprised he was that Stannis got so beaten down so quickly, I completely agree. It was very rushed too- “oh, Stannis half your men are gone…oh, Stannis your wife hung herself…oh, Stannis Melisandre just ran away.

Yeh its a rant if you like the show season and don’t wanna hear anything bad about it i have an idea………………don’t read it

I’ve agreed with most of your reviews all season. I especially agree regarding the butchering of the for the watch sense. However, come on man, season 2 of the wire was great.

Yes, thank you! Beat me to it. I think when The Wire season 2 first aired it was a bit of whiplash with the sudden shift in characters and location, but in the context of the series I think it’s really good.

However, come on man, season 2 of the wire was great.

Really? I guess I didn’t like it until the last 3 episodes. I mean, it’s The Wire and amazing, but the majority of Season 2 was not good to me. The End was good though…just my 2 coppers worth. =)

Whoa, whoa, whoa… the second season of The Wire is totally underappreciated!

Yeah, I agree, and I do not think the Wire has any weak season, I like them all

Give me “Omar comin!” any day. One of my favorite line in ANY show. But I just wasn’t all in for the majority of S2. The final 3 episodes were great, but even during the last time I re-watched them, I was bored for most of the season.

I wish there was some magical way of having two versions of Season 5 so we could put this argument to rest. I wish we could have a version that followed the book storylines and then compare that to the deviations that D&D decided to make. We can all agree that Dorne was a major disappointment – they completely missed the mark with Dorne. But putting Dorne aside, I think if the TV show followed the book more closely than it did for season5, it would’ve been a complete disaster for television viewing. I think we would’ve seen a major dropoff in viewership after a couple of episodes of Sansa/Alayne reading to Sweet-Robin and Tyrion/Yollo talking to some unknown characters as they take all season to stroll down a river.

I’ll just say this… Razor makes a point that I completely agree with, although probably for different reasons. In referring to Episode 8 “Hardhome” He says: “For the first time in the show’s history, book readers could not predict what was about to happen. ”

EXACTLY! The fact that the book purists had no way to know exactly what would happen at Hardhome or what SHOULD happen by comparison to what had been previously written in the books meant that they could enjoy the experience simply for what it was and NOT based on some preconceived expectation. There was no way to criticize the Hardhome sequence for being “different”. And that’s what most book purists don’t seem to understand which is that they are not really offering very much constructive criticism of the TV show, they’re mostly just criticizing the show for being “different”.

This is not true, I do not mostly just criticizing the show for being “different”, I understand changes need to made to adapt such a complex novel into a TV show, I am all for the changes, I criticize the show because the changes D&D made sucks!

$Bill you bring up a very valid point. I think if we had vastly less Dorne, NO Vale (My least favorite stuff in the books), and more story on Loras/Marg. More backstory in the Faith Militant, heck, even more Arya training…I would feel different. However, they would have to fix Jon’s final scene, and almost all of Stannis’.

I agree seasons 1-4 are better overall, though High Sparrow and Hardhome are as good as any individual episodes. However, I also think s5 was closer to matching the quality of s1-4 than books 4&5 were to matching the quality books of 1-3.

You lament some things being cut for expediency, but also note “Episodes 5 through 6 were largely forgettable with nothing of any real consequence happening.” Imagine how many episodes would be forgettable if they stretched this across two seasons to include all the things they cut.

Finally, what’s with the bit about D&D “blaming” GRRM for Shireen? Sure they said they got the idea from him, but they obviously liked it if they used it. You could just as easily argue they “gave him credit” for it.

Finally, what’s with the bit about D&D “blaming” GRRM for Shireen? Sure they said they got the idea from him, but they obviously liked it if they used it. You could just as easily argue they “gave him credit” for it.

Fair question. It has been largely circulated (mostly ASOIAF message boards), that Benioff said GRRM gave them that scene, when it wasn’t exactly how he said it. Many book readers point to the fact that Stannis and Shireen are separated by miles and miles of frozen tundra, Stannis in the books is down a bit, yes, but still dedicated to continuing the march to WF with the support of some noble Houses of the North, and Stannis tell Justin Massey to go to Braavos, get a loan from the Iron Bank, hire a crap ton of sellswords and come back with help. When Massey asks what he should do if word of Stannis’ death reaches him in Braavos, Stannis replies that he should continue to recruit for and support his daughter Shireen’s claim, because she is the heir to House Baratheon and rightful heir to the Iron Throne.

I wish people would stop being Dorne apologists. It was a part of season 5, and it can’t be ignored (no matter how hard I try). Even including the components from the book (Sand Snakes, etc.), Dorne was a giant turd.

Saying season 5 was good “except for Dorne” is like saying Game of Thrones is family-friendly, except for all the rapes.

I think it would be more like saying you really like an album, except for one or two songs. That doesn’t mean that the album isn’t good , it just means it’s not perfect.

Once we saw how it ended, Dorne made a whole lot more sense than it did at first. The only objection I still have is the costumes were awful, but since in general the costumes are so good I can overlook that.

Thank you, Razor! I have truly enjoyed your rants. I was thinking of a few seasons of Dexter, myself. I’m not sure what season this supposedly beats, for those who can’t spot the slip in quality on their own.

Thank you, Razor! I have truly enjoyed your rants. I was thinking of a few seasons of Dexter, myself. I’m not sure what season this supposedly beats, for those who can’t spot the slip in quality on their own.

Thanks! Oh gawwwd Dexter’s final season was an abomination. ESPECIALLY that finale. Thanks for reminding me. =)/

Its just a tv show – its a fun hr that now i dont have for 9 mnths – boo.

No season specifically stands out as the worst. Only one I can think of that stands out for the best was Season 4.

If it wasn’t for Hardhome I would agree this would be the worst but that was arguably one of the best episodes they ever did.

I’m still wondering why they recast Aimee Richardson.

I have not read the books (yet), but I side along with you in that this season could have been crafted in a much more compelling way than it was! It finally picked up for me with the last three episodes, starting with Hardhome. But building up to that, I was extremely underwhelmed by the season. Like you said, the SandSnakes debut was underwhelming…And just overall I felt there was NOTHING HAPPENING. Lots of build-up perhaps, but nothing happening! That’s why I was finally relieved when we saw the battle at Hardhome, Stannis finally marches onto WinterFell, Sansa finally escapes, we finally see more of Pod and Brienne, and Cersei does her Walk of Atonement. But my question is to the writers, WHY couldn’t some of this stuff happened in previous episodes instead of throwing it all into the Season Finale in, as you said, such a hurried and choppy fashion- that’s what all the previous episodes were for! Building up the tension that lead to these moments, instead of mashing them all together and being rushed!

Like you said, hopefully this was just a “bad” season, and that they will develop plot points in a more timely, compelling way than this. But I still love the show! =) On a positive note, I DID love Daeny and Tyrion crossing paths this season! And that awesome Dragon ride she had, and Arya Stark getting her revenge on Meryn Trant- at least one of the Starks get to follow through on their revenge! Those poor Starks. And Bran and Rickon! Hopefully we get to see them Season 6?

I would love for Season 6 to be centered on Rickon and his Direwolf and their vengeful path of destruction killing everyone who wronged House Stark…sadly, this won’t happen =( I would like to see him again, however.

Yes-exactly. Don’t anticipate that either, but it would be nice to see those Stark boys return on screen next season. =)

I read your article, but can’t agree on all your viewpoints. Opening with the prediction gave another layer for Cersei and having her daughter die in the final episode ties into that. It will probably set up Cersei being even more overprotective with Tommen and even more dangerous to her enemies.

When you look at the series without each year waiting, stories seem to flow better. I think we would all love the show to be 90 minutes instead of sixty so there is more time for extra character bits. But that’s mostly to see more of the wonderful actors who did wonderful jobs with their characters.

Dorn might not have seemed very interesting this season, but it looks like a nice set up for season 6. Then again, the story wants to surprise and sometimes takes unexpected turns where we might have hoped for other directions. Most surprises that I didn’t like were already in the book.

And about Jon: If you saw the comicon presentation and how strict they were on avoiding spoilers, it’s weird that they now can say that Jon won’t return, or actually spoiling Melissandra will do nothing with Jon.

Sure, that’s why they set up the scene between Melissandra and Jon and have her be back right in time before the stabbing… Sure, they could not lie, but the set up is here. And I can’t imagine them saying: Sure Jon will be back, as they would spoil the story.

Sansa’s story was short, but gave her an interesting set up for season 6.

Shereen’s dead was heartbreaking, but it was so well done (directed and acted) and wasn’t it stated that the scene will be in the book?

And the 3 last episodes were among some of my favourites. Finally some promises were actually shown. White walkers arriving, certain characters meeting. I just had different hopes for Stannis vs Ramsey, but I didn’t dislike the final result either.

I really loved this show and the books… But after this season I’m really starting to wonder… I think the main problem this yea is that none of the characters really developed. Well Jon snow, but then that was just a meaningless character that can be disposed of.

IRT the “you say it doesn’t make sense because it’s different than the books” comments … NO! Have you ever known of a dragon that could be so easily injured? Did it make sense that the Unsullied could be so easily bested by random thugs? No book reading required, these things just don’t add up.

I love the books and the show, but Season 5 was TERRIBLE despite some good episodes.

Poor Tyrion character development. Tyrion has been through absolutely horrific trauma in the previous season. In ADWD he is noticeably a more bitter, haunted and vengeful person as a result. The trial, the betrayals, the murder of his father and lover, he is deeply scarred by all this. In the show he just seems a little drunk and occasionally sad. A missed opportunity for powerful character development for everyone’s favorite dwarf.

Ollie was a super-obvious plot device, and the show seemed to think we gave a shit about his character. Also waaaaay to much neat foreshadowing. Stupid, badly written, not GRRM quality storytelling.

Too many conveniences. Both Mormont and Tyrion conveniently escaping onto the fighting pit: worst slave security ever.

Brienne conveniently finding Stannis amidst a battle with thousands of men, and she not even getting noticed by the victorious army who would also be looking for Stannis.

Brienne conveniently stumbling across yet another stark girl.

Dorne -just Fuck the Dorne storyline. Sandsnakes were silly cartoons. Myrcella death was cheesy tv trope – “i love you daddy-URGH im dying, how poignant.” Jaime and Bronne’s cliched low-budget adventure to rescue the princess. Sneaking into the water gardens so easily. Concidentally arriving same time as Sand Snakes. And then just in time Areo Hotah arrives before anyone dies.

I also think its very sad not to have the greyjoys, griff and the northern conspiracy storyline but i totally forgive the showwriters for having to cut stuff. What I can’t forgive is a lazy reliance on TV tropes and bad writing.

Well written article Razor! I agree with many points on it particularly about the books being baggy but that that should have allowed D&D and their writing team to pick the best and met important bits to put in the show.

There were some bits that were absolute gold that I think were improvements from how it was in the books. As I think you infer to in your article, top most in my mind was the way Daznak’s pit went down. Having the Sons of the Harpy come out and try and kill Dany directly and the Drogon come down because his mother is in peril, makes their bonding both in episode 9 and 10 much more meaningful to me that him being attracted by the death and blood – it rises him above being just an animal into something more which I have always thought dragons to be. Greatly shortening Tyrion and Jorah’s trip to Meereen, giving Jorah greyscale a-la Jon Connington, cutting fake Aegon’s plot completely (I always thought that introducing him was bizarre) and essentially swapping Winds of Winter Barristan with Season 6 Tyrion were all great ideas to tighten up the show. Whilst I would have loved Barristan to still be there and not be killed that is a sacrifice that I can understand and accept on the behalf of the show. Sansa at Winterfell as well – great idea. Being able to go from a character Sansa that in season 3 and 4 I wished they would kill off because she annoyed me so much to one I could root for this season was good work. Her scene with Littlefinger in the crypts was one of my favourites.

As for Stannis’ tremendously rapid downfall – I must admit I really liked it. I think it is very fitting for him. Apart from one absolutely fabulous scene with Shireen and being respectful of Jon and Sam, what has he really done to earn anyone’s love?? Season 2, 3 and 4 Stannis was a total “religious” nut job crazy man as was season 5 episode 1 Stannis and episode 9 Stannis. He drank Mel’s Kool-Aid so bad despite his clear lack of total belief and was totally ruthless in his desire for power. Plus, he really isn’t the military mastermind that the inaccuracies of history played him out to be. Robert Baratheon, for all his many faults, knew that. That I have personally feel I have been able to get all that from the portrayal of Stannis that Stephen Dillaine has given is truly masterful and that is the reason why I would miss Stannis not Stannis himself if he really is dead. It’ll be interesting to see if he really is gone.

However, I must agree about two major storylines that despite great acting, great sets and crucial plot points completely dropped the ball – Kings Landing and Dorne. I struggle to see how it would be possible to fit it all in time wise but seeing the destruction and suffering that the War of the Five Kings and the crown’s total lack of care has had on the Riverlands and surrounding areas is very important in my mind to set up the Sparrows and Faith Militant. Without that what has created this up swelling of religious rebellion? The only time that has really been referenced or seen was in the first couple of episodes of season 4 with Arya and the Hound and in particular with the closing shot of that seasons first episode. That isn’t nearly enough. A cut down version Riverlands plot involving Kevan Lannister in place of Jaime and the siege of Riverrun and him seeing how much destruction this has all reaped would have been useful and all they would have needed to do is then directly link it in confrontation between the High Sparrow and Lady Olenna and boom there you go. Plus we could have dealt with the whereabouts of the Blackfish who seems to have been completely forgotten! Doing that is season 6 which it sound like it might be reading between the line, whilst it will be brilliant to see, seems like the wrong way round.

Dorne for me came somewhat good in the last two episodes but it had been so badly damaged in the preceding ones that it totally ruined it for me. Agree with sending Jaime and Bronn – makes total sense from a show point of view but they wasted way too much time getting there. Also I don’t understand the purpose of the Sand Snakes this season. They showed they can build someone like Roose Bolton up over 2 full seasons before he comes to the fore, if they are to be important in future seasons then why have this stupid plotting now which will rob them of their agency amongst many fans. Having them present with a few lines would have been fine – let’s face it Keisha Castle-Hughes was criminally underused anyway. Then they could have focussed on what ultimately at this point was a much more interesting story – the interaction and “power play” between Doran and Ellaria. Doran came off weak to me, if they had introduced Doran in some extra scenes maybe even with Varys as part of the Targaryen restoration or tie that in with the Dornish Masterplan that would have been much better. Ellaria going after Myrcella was great and her dying after having such a tender moment with her father Jaime was one of the best scenes of the season IMHO just getting there was frustrating.

The lead up to Jon Snow getting murdered at Castle Black wasn’t great either. Too much Olly stink-eye. We get it, he’s a kid who can’t see past what the Thenns did to his family, fine. I have no issue with him being part of the plot to kill Jon but it would have been all the better to really downplay that or to show in scenes between him and Jon and him and Sam some kind of internal struggle in his mind. It was way too one sided. And why not do it as in the books? They went to the trouble of having a freaking giant there, they even named him Wun Wun!! When you are killing one of your main characters build up to it. It probably only needed an extra 5 mins at most but that scene felt tacked on to the main event of Cersei’s walk of shame.

I’ll be honest I had more issue with season 4 and I did greatly enjoy this season without doubt. The two standout scenes in my mind were Hardhome and Daznak’s pit. They hit both of them out of the park for me. Just I find it a little frustrating that with just a little bit of tinkering, taking a scene out here, adding a scene there that this could have gone from a very good season to an epic one.

Very well said. I agree it was not a bad season. It just needed some tweeking.

Myrcella death was cheesy tv trope – “i love you daddy-URGH im dying, how poignant.” Jaime and Bronne’s cliched low-budget adventure to rescue the princess. Sneaking into the water gardens so easily. Concidentally arriving same time as Sand Snakes. And then just in time Areo Hotah arrives before anyone dies.

The lead up to Jon Snow getting murdered at Castle Black wasn’t great either. Too much Olly stink-eye.

The worst season of The Wire is season 5, and that’s still better than almost every other tv show. I agree this was easily the weakest season of GoT though.

As a show watcher only, I liked this season very much. Seasons 2, 3 and 4 had so many plotlines and so many locations and got very confusing. This season had basically 5 plotlines: King’s Landing, Winterfell/Wall, Dorne, Bravos and Mereen. The tight storytelling made me feel that each episode had structure: I felt the rising action and got very excited as each episode reached the climax. Most (although definitely not all) episodes in Seasons 2, 3 and 4 felt like a collection of scenes from different parts of the world, with no clear ending. The tight and structured storytelling in Season 5 gave me enough room to empathize with the characters and get excited with them. Worst season for me by a long shot is Season 2. Those episodes were SO confusing. I would have stopped watching if not for Blackwater.

I am a fan of both the books and the show. I would not be here otherwise. But there were definitely some issues with this season. Dorne was really bad: the sand snakes casting, the introduction of Obara, the attempt to abduct Myrcella in daylight, the death kiss, etc. Doran was the best actor and he did not have enough scenes to compensate.

“For the watch” and the battle of Winterfel were underwhelming. There were also some mistakes with visual effects during Cersei’s walk and Danny flying on Drogon. Being a TV Program, I suppose budget is a problem.

I hope HBO provides more resources for next season. Regarding the story, I want the Starks to be finally reunited and recover Winterfel and more direwolves.

You were pretty much on point until you brought up season 2 of the Wire.. If that’s your least favorite season you didn’t get the point of the show.

I really enjoy your intelligent assessments of the episodes. Like many viewers here, I am obsessed with Game of Thrones. I agree with you….season 5 was weak and a step backward in quality writing. Kinda of made my stomach turn to watch some of it. It was , even embarrassing. For whatever reason Dand D lost some ground. Perhaps the absence of GRRM this season, had a negative impact on the quality of the dialog and plot structure. As great as D and D are, they are not the caliber of writer that George is……clearly. But maybe we all have grown to expect too much.

On the topic of John Snow, they could not possibly be so stupid as to not bring him back in a big way. As for Kit declaring he is not filming in season 6…. Well that is probably because they already filmed it. If you think about it, what happens next would have to follow directly after his stabbing and they could not possibly put that into production a year later. They had to film it right away for several reason…Olly’aging, set shifts, Kit aging, Melasandra changing, etc It makes sense financially for them to knock out a few more scenes to bring believable continuity to the bridge between seasons

Razor, you nailed it in declaring this season as the worst of the 5. And I don’t think it’s because you’re a purist. As a book reader you know many things that worked in the books were either tossed aside or mishandled. Although AFFC and ADWD were my least favorite books, though that was mainly because of beaucoup pointless wanderings and late red herrings–Quentyn, the Griffs, the interesting but non-vital complexities of the Ironborns’ activities. But it is troublesome to be aware of the many things that were rich and complex and full of potential in those volumes that were ruined this year.

IMO, the writing was uneven, some episodes were poorly paced, others (Hardhome, The Gift) close to flawless. Some storyline consolidations (a few episodes for Tyrion to travel with Varys then Jorah then meet Dany) and even substituting Sansa for the over-complicated false Arya line were such a relief, but the simplification of others was incomprehensible. The loss of some of the magic bothered me, though not as much as lazy use of sexual violence to fill in blanks. And except for a few hints we were denied the satisfaction of seeing any real vengeance for the betrayed Starks or any viable effort to root out the execrable Boltons. I mean, with Ramsey mouthing ‘The North Remembers’, it becomes a joke. And Dorne was a disaster other than as eye candy. And why couldn’t D&D have kept Arianne and made a point about women being treated as equal in the line to the throne? Instead we got the drumbeat of shocking events to keep the momentum going.

I still love the show. A bad GoT season is like a bad Mozart piece: next to the work of anyone else it’s still very good. But as of this season, GoT has an existential problem a bit like that of Westeros:

a number of viewers are bailing out. Another season like this, and all that will be left is the wights of former viewers. D&D have their work cut out for them. I hope they realize it.

I don’t consider myself a book purist. I do prefer the books over the show. I think D&D proved themselves hacks, losing themselves after trying to be creative and distancing themselves from the source, namely after dany and her season 2 arc.

The books aren’t even that good. They are mediocre. But the thing that makes them appealing to me is the world building, the intrigue, the plots, the narrative, the multiple interests, the grey characters and so on. The show took a dive on those things and I’m pretty much on cruise control mode since season 3.

All that being said, I came here expecting a more argumentative text from the writer of the article, but all I saw was complaint for complaint’s sake. Please try harder and apply yourself a bit more.

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