So far, I think this is the low point of the entire show. From the beginning:
1) Jon and the wildlings reappearing on the wrong side of the wall. Why did they get off the ships north of the wall? To march on foot in the snow, north of the wall, for half the length of the wall (with risk of being attacked again by white walkers? Really weird. The only explanation seems to be that they couldn't resist to the thrill of passing through the tunnel (preceeded by the disturbing doubt: would they open the gate?).
2) Stannis/Shireen. The drama construction is rushed and rough. A father who leads his daughter to the pyre just saying "forgive me" is not a dramatic neither a tragic scene. It's just ridiculous. Poor, poor writing, poor character's evolution, only for the sake of shocking the audience.
3) The Arya training is far less intriguing and exciting than Karate Kid. No complexity, no content, no challenge. Just boring. Just a curiosity: is the faceless god church perfectly legal in Braavos? It must be so, since it's definitely not hidden in the suburbs, it's a gigantic building, everyone knows where it is and that it's full of assassins, the assassins go back and forth without troubles. Is it a regular activity? Do they pay taxes to the city? Such a prominent presence in the daylight would ask at least for some better justification (after 8 episodes in Meereen, we still know nothing of Meereen, no interesting character, no plot whatsoever, just the boring presence of Jaqen). Season 1 of the show was definitely not in this sort of cartoonish style.
4) All the situation in Meereen's arena was unbearably unlikely. Dozens, hundreds of people get to enter the stadium with daggers, spears, swords, even a golden mask hidden in the pants for each one! Without being noticed by anyone, with the queen in person standing among them. No security at all (though they know perfectly well of the existence of a vast subversive sect aimed to kill the queen)? Come on! That's beyond any likelihood, simply childish. All the scene is so poorly set up. When the queen and her men are surrounded and outnumbered, no one even tries to cast an arrow or a javelin towards her. The harpies seem just to wait for Drogon to arrive and burn them all, like anyone else. When Drogon is there, all the spears against him, no one towards Dany, who should be the target of the attack. A very poor choreography.
In my opinion, the quality of the show is running downhill. Except for a couple of episodes (7 and 8), this fifth season is a complete letdown, but this in particular is actually the worst one.
1) Jon and the wildlings reappearing on the wrong side of the wall. Why did they get off the ships north of the wall? To march on foot in the snow, north of the wall, for half the length of the wall (with risk of being attacked again by white walkers? Really weird. The only explanation seems to be that they couldn't resist to the thrill of passing through the tunnel (preceeded by the disturbing doubt: would they open the gate?).
2) Stannis/Shireen. The drama construction is rushed and rough. A father who leads his daughter to the pyre just saying "forgive me" is not a dramatic neither a tragic scene. It's just ridiculous. Poor, poor writing, poor character's evolution, only for the sake of shocking the audience.
3) The Arya training is far less intriguing and exciting than Karate Kid. No complexity, no content, no challenge. Just boring. Just a curiosity: is the faceless god church perfectly legal in Braavos? It must be so, since it's definitely not hidden in the suburbs, it's a gigantic building, everyone knows where it is and that it's full of assassins, the assassins go back and forth without troubles. Is it a regular activity? Do they pay taxes to the city? Such a prominent presence in the daylight would ask at least for some better justification (after 8 episodes in Meereen, we still know nothing of Meereen, no interesting character, no plot whatsoever, just the boring presence of Jaqen). Season 1 of the show was definitely not in this sort of cartoonish style.
4) All the situation in Meereen's arena was unbearably unlikely. Dozens, hundreds of people get to enter the stadium with daggers, spears, swords, even a golden mask hidden in the pants for each one! Without being noticed by anyone, with the queen in person standing among them. No security at all (though they know perfectly well of the existence of a vast subversive sect aimed to kill the queen)? Come on! That's beyond any likelihood, simply childish. All the scene is so poorly set up. When the queen and her men are surrounded and outnumbered, no one even tries to cast an arrow or a javelin towards her. The harpies seem just to wait for Drogon to arrive and burn them all, like anyone else. When Drogon is there, all the spears against him, no one towards Dany, who should be the target of the attack. A very poor choreography.
In my opinion, the quality of the show is running downhill. Except for a couple of episodes (7 and 8), this fifth season is a complete letdown, but this in particular is actually the worst one.