Yeah, while I enjoy the fact that we don't have to wait an entire season for the big players to move across the map, it seems like everything is on fast forward now and they're almost conveniently forcing main characters together for the sake of fan hurrah moments and taking a lot of shortcuts that are easy to see coming, this after the dominoes were very carefully and meticulously set up over the first number of seasons. I'd have preferred 10 episodes if anything so that we don't have things like Sam figuring out (and carrying out) the cure to a rarely treated disease within half of an episode. Jorah being in Oldtown is perfectly understandable, but at least make Sam work at it for a few eps before fast tracking that subplot lazily. Despite being fiction, it's a little out of the realm of belief given that these maesters have studied these things for years like Sam's mentor pointed out.
The surprise attack was also a bit out of left field, after the first 2/3 of the episode. Felt like action for the sake of action, to spice up the episode just to appease the action junkies. But I suppose it advanced that arc a little bit with the Martell and Greyjoy women being held captive now. I felt like we could've used a bit of context there. Show them departing, show us who was part of the fleet. Was it just the Martells and (loyal) Greyjoys on the way to Dorne to rally the Dornish army? We're just left to assume these things. The jumps in time are a little confusing and unlike GOT which tends to thoroughly educate the viewer as to what's going on.
All that said, I can't deny that I've been thoroughly entertained so far this season and have to pause every so often at the numerous moments of pure awesomeness to contain my fanboying.
|