User Reviews

I have read many comments about GAME OF THRONES season 5 finale: from excellent to outstanding to downright predictable and boring. I tend to stick with the first. I, like many other viewers of this show, have become addicted to the story in the seven kingdoms.

There's some serious advancement in the multiple storyline: Jon Snow dies stabbed to death by his own Night's Watch brothers, Arya becomes a pupil of the Many Faced God only to be left apparently blind, Stannis Baratheon finally realizes that all those prophecies Melisandre raved about are untrue and that his daughter's sacrifice turned out to be the finest example in futility. Tyrion Lannister forges an alliance with Daenerys Targaryen, who is left by her dragon in the middle of nowhere while escaping a coup in the city of Meereen. We see Daenrys being surrounded by hordes of Dothraki riders with the intention of kidnapping her. Meanwhile in Winterfell, Theon "Reek" Greyjoy and Sansa Stark make a desperate escape from Ramsay Bolton as he arrives from his winning battle with Stannis. Last but not least, we have Cersei Lannister's walk of "atonement", where the regent Queen mother of King's Landing is force to purge her sins in front of the city's population, naked and escorted by the brutal Septa Unella who whips a bell as she chants, "shame".

It's the only scene I've heard friends say, "poor Cersei", or "this is too much for her". Apparently these friends have forgotten that it was Cersei who started all this mess by ordering her lover/brother Jamie Lannister to push young Brandon Stark off the window of a high tower. Until the army of the dead make it south of the wall, Cersei remains the main antagonist in the story, the main "bad guy" in GAME OF THRONES, even more so than the Boltons, or the treacherous Night's Watch brothers, or the fanatical Sons of the Harpy.

I do feel however that some loose ends have to start veering in a more concrete way to their conclusions.

1. Sansa Stark - So far she's played the "damsel in distress" prototype. Season 6 has to make her transition into a tough as nails bitch. After the killing of almost her entire family, she needs to take the reigns and start plotting revenge on those who've wronged her family.

2. Daenerys Targaryen - I understand that she needs to get to King's Landing in order to regain what's "rightfully hers" yet (as of episode 9, Season 5) she seems to be pretty comfortable in Meereen. What is she waiting for?

3. Jon Snow - He is obviously NOT dead. You can't have so much build up on one character only to kill him off just like that. Why did Ned Stark never told him who his mother was? Why did the White Walker stared at him in the battle of Hardhome? Why did Melisandre tried to seduced him? Why did Maester Aemon tells him to "Kill the boy"? Jon Snow's storyline will continue for sure!

4. Cersei Lannister - She's defied almost everyone in her path, friend and foe alike, and it's been established that's she's been a raging bitch since she was a little girl (as seen on the first episode of season 5). It's a wonder no one has tried to poison her or kill her, yet her walk of atonement in season's 5 finale has been her embrace with pure, unadulterated humiliation. She will eventually slay those involved in her most disgraceful hour before someone finally slays her.

5. Tyrion Lannister - My favorite character, will have to prove that his alliance with Daenerys will pay off with peace for the Seven Kingdoms, as Lord Varys has expressed.

Forget the naysayers: "Mother's Mercy" was a great finale for season 5. I hope season 6 is even more exciting!

1. Stannis dies 2. Theon and Sansa jump 3. Jon dies

A lot happened with the finale of season 5. Stannis faced his end by Brienne (most likely, but it's not clear if he's actually dead). Probably much better than being flayed by Ramsay. This was bound to happen for a fanatic.. He was blinded by power and made many bad decisions before killing his own daughter, which made him lose his wife. Such a sorry but well-deserved fate for a character that's been there since the beginning.

Arya finally takes off Meryn Trant her list. A pretty gruesome death. Arya's got a little bit of anger issues, eh? But the scene after was quite frightening. It was essentially psychological horror, which we haven't seen a lot in GoT. Very nice. I hope that there is some fruition on what Arya will become in the challenges that she face in front of the Many-Faced God (which is still a little bit complicated after one season).

Daenerys is surrounded by Dothraki riders after not being able to control Drogo. It's like a mother dealing with teenage kids - they just don't listen. I wonder if she will be able to perfectly wield them as the Targaryans used to do so.

Cersei's walk of shame was phenomenal. What a scene. I know that a body double was used and some people were complaining of a mismatch between the body and Headey's face but that was hardly noticeable because the scene was so captivating. As seen in previous seasons, Cersei had no regard for the common people. Seeing her being absolutely humiliated and broken in front of them should have felt cathartic, but I was more distressed. Because while Cersei is the main antagonist of GoT and hated by many, I still believe she's a fantastic character that I've grown attached to. And Headey performed so excellently in this scene. I can't imagine what type of anger she will lash out once she is reinstated in the Red Keep.

I can't believe that Jon is killled... I was spoiled of his death earlier but it still felt emotional. He stood his ground after getting stabbed multiple times, possibly due to shock. I half-expected him to come back alive in the last moment, but alas. Our hero is dead. They have to bring him back right? Season 6, please do.

"Okay first of all I just want to say that I absolutely love(d) Game of Thrones, but I will not watch Game of Thrones ever again after this episode."

Talk about a juxtaposition.

If you're prepared to never watch a show again which you supposedly loved after watching this season's finale then you were never truly a fan to begin with.

Game of Thrones, since the very beginning, has killed off main characters without second thought: Ned, Catelyn, Robb and Talisa (and their unborn child), Joffrey, Oberyn, Ygritte, Tywin - you get the picture. People die in Game of Thrones. Nobody is safe.

I get it, it's upsetting seeing the characters you care about butchered on screen - the Red Wedding had me in ruins - but come on, you should never expect any characters to be safe on this show! Surely everyone knows that by now?

I will admit that I personally felt totally shocked by the episode. And I was entirely confused: killing Jon Snow? What? But we just built up his character for ages and he just barely survived at Hardhome so why kill him off now?

And then I thought about it, read some reviews and theories, and calmed down again.

Believe it or not, D&D (the dudes in charge) do actually know what they're doing. They set the scene up at Castle Black very particularly: Melisandre arrives looking sullen and in need of enlightenment, clearly prepared to grasp at anything, and then Jon dies. It's no coincidence - as some have already pointed out - that the two characters happen to be in the same place at the same time. Melisandre no longer has Stannis to channel the Lord of Light through, so I am confident she will seize this opportunity to reanimate Jon Snow.

All in all, though, this season is - in my opinion - the weakest of the five so far. Season four was absolutely stellar, so season five naturally had quite a lot to live up to, and therefore unfortunately I don't believe it matched the quality of the preceding season. I feel that they tried to fit too much into too few episodes - we never saw anymore of Margaery or Loras, the Dorne storyline was dragged out, and the battle at Winterfell was skipped entirely. However, this season was by no means a poor season, just a season with a rougher start than the others, and perhaps too many story lines to juggle at once.

Whether you loved this episode or hated it, loved this season or hated it, you have to admit that there is a lot to look forward to next season: Tyrion and Varys ruling Meereen (temporarily); Daenerys and the Dothraki; Cersei, Loras and Margaery's trials; Littlefinger's plans now that Stannis' army is gone; Brienne's plans; Sansa's fate; Arya's future serving the Many-Faced-God; the White Walkers army; the Wildlings and the Night's Watch; and Melisandre's future in relation to Jon Snow.

Unfortunately, though, we have to wait quite some time before we can see where these story lines end up. And likely by the time April 2016 comes around, those who are frustrated and devastated just now will have forgotten their pain and be lured back into Westeros once again.

Until then, Valar Morghulis.

Season 5, episode 10. Arya faces off with the many face god. Sansa and Theon escape Winterfell by jumping off it's tall walls. Stannis arrives at Winterfell and is defeated when Brienne faces him. The Red Woman makes her way back to the Castle Black. Jon is labeled a traitor. Jaime and Myrcella leave and head back to King's Landing. Cersei confesses a sin and is shamed all the way back to The Red Keep.

Excellent episode - great cliff hangers!!

10/10

What people don't realize is there was no other way Jon Snow was going to leave the nightswatch.He is way too stubborn and honourable to break his vows.Just like his father.Therefore he had to die.And must come back.

Well I think Game of Thrones can now be considered the most miserable show I have ever seen. Yes, I love this show. It's incredibly well-written and is consistently the most shocking series every year, but I feel like the show doesn't have to be this much of a bummer every week. But I guess I asked for it. Because last week was a bit of a letdown in terms of the amount of surprising things that happened, this week picked up for it.

We began in the North where Stannis and his men are losing people by the second but they decide to march on anyway. Even after Melisandre surprising leaves, Stannis gave Winterfell one last shot. For all he has done in this show good or bad, I think he was just a man trying to fulfill his destiny. For awhile I thought he was the most fit for the throne, and even to an extent up until his death. But seeing Brienne finally get her revenge for Remly was good enough. Now that Stannis is dead, and his wife killed herself, are there any Baratheon's left? Especially considering Tommen is really a Lannister. No matter, I was somewhat disappointed that they didn't actually show Stannis' death and cut away to Ramsay killing more people. Moving onto Winterfell, we finally saw Theon AKA Reek redeem himself and save Sansa. By the way, how can they possibly survive that fall? Onto another Stark, Arya had quite the night. Her bada** turn felt a little too quick but was nonetheless exciting to finally see her get revenge on somebody from her list, much different than letting the Hound die for himself last year.

But as you may have predicted, Jaqen H'ghar knew what Arya was up to and seemingly made her pay for her failures. This was yet another incredible scene and one that didn't have too much closure. I don't think she's dead but the Arya we know and love is sure to have changed forever. We then got a brief scene with Jaime leaving Dorne. His moment with Myrcella was very sweet as he finally embraced who he actually is to his own daughter. That is until the poison from Ellaria Sand kicked in and killed her. I expect to see an all out war next season between the two families (once again, nothing's ever happy for people in this show). Back in Meereen, we had perhaps the only pleasant scene all night as Tyrion and the gang decide what to do without their queen. I quite enjoyed the scene and really like where it's heading. Especially now knowing Varys is back in the equation. Dany on the other-hand looks to be heading down a similar path as season 1 as she was presumably captured by the Dothraki. But I think she is much better prepared than she was all those years back. All this to digest and the two biggest scenes I haven't even talked about yet.

Back in King's Landing, it was time for Cersei Lannister to pay due for her crimes, but did any of us expect this much embarrassment? Her atonement included being stripped of everything she has protected for years. She quite literally bared everything that Cersei stood for. I wonder if this will be similar to when Jaime lost the hate back a few seasons and we start to root for the character? No matter, I know one thing, it was darn impossible not to feel for her while she walked blocks nude and endured as much physical pain as mental pain. As we had back to the Wall, Jon Snow has already said goodbye to Sam as he heads for the Citadel, and now he finds out that Stannis has died and Melisandre has returned to presumably re-up her mission with Snow, another royal blood. Little did I know that the Olly kid would betray and turn him over to the rest of the watch to murder him. By far the most heartbreaking death I have watched on this show. Jon Snow is one of the only genuinely good guys in the show. It seemed like there was insane amount of potential with his character (considering the R+L=J theory). But as Game of Thrones too often does, his death came far too soon. It's by far the biggest Game of Thrones episode to date. So much happened and so much was set up. In many ways, this was the episode that last week could have been. I just hope that one day this show lets the good guys win. Most deaths make sense, I'm just not seeing the point of Snow's death. The North Remembers.

+Wrapped a ton of stories up

+Non-stop paced

+Revenge & redemption for some

+Funny and pleasant Meereen scene

+Fitting end to an otherwise down year

+Cersei pays

+Sweet Jaime scene...

-...Only to end miserably

-Can the good guys ever win? We will miss you Snow

9.5/10

(No book spoilers, but heavy episode spoilers)

Before you down vote this because you think it's a "the book is not like the show" complaint just know this : I don't mind the show diverging from the books, in fact I'm happy about it. Book 4 and 5 aren't really fit for television and I don't want the show to spoil book 6 and 7.

My problem isn't with the changes, but in how they were executed. This episode went so fast it's almost as if Sonic the Hedgehog had written it. Stannis' storyline that has been built up during 4 seasons is brought to an end in about 7 minutes with hasty writing and skipped scenes. Making one of the most interesting character feel like a second thought is bad pacing. Like "look I know he loses and all but we've got to put 200 pages in the rest of the show so let's get it over with". If you ran out of time then just postpone the battle of Winterfell until the next season, like GRRM did.

Daenerys' storyline gets more time than Stannis even though that one could've been shortened, we get it, her dragon is injured and wants to sleep around like a tired cat. No need to rub it in. Same for her council back in Meereen. And yeah, she finds a Dothraki tribe again, but did we really need to see them circling around her for 3 more minutes ? Wasn't this episode full enough as it is ?

Cersei's storyline was really well done and is the saving grace of this episode. It's that kind of writing that should have prevailed.

Arya's part was also pretty good.

But the worst of all... Jon Snow. My god, when I saw his scene and realized there were only 5 minutes left, I really thought there was no way they were going to put his death in. But they did. Just look at when main characters died in other episodes, look at the crescendo of Ned Stark's death, or how incredible the Red Wedding was. Then why, oh why, did one of the most beloved character in the show only get 4 minutes of screen time for his death ?

Hardhome is an example of how changes from the books to the show can be good, that scene lasted 25 minutes, giving plenty of time to build tension, it's good writing. It felt satisfying and realistic, butchering a character in 2 minutes for the sake of it is not.

I just can't like this episode, they should have delayed some events to the next season or made 2 episodes, but they wanted to fit everything in only one and as a result, it felt rushed and poorly done.

So I give this episode a 6/10, and I'd give it a way lower score if it wasn't part of a show I liked so much and the Cersei part.

This episode, ending a season full of disappointment and poor characterization, was the final nail in a coffin for me. Inside of that coffin lay some of the greatest books ever written, some of the greatest characters I've ever been introduced to, and any hopes that the remaining seasons of this show will be worth watching.

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have proved, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that they are not interested in telling the story of the ASoIaF books the way they were meant to be told, but are instead interested in creating a story that shocks and saddens audiences, while continuing to prove, time and time again, the the good guys will never win, nor is there even any hope that they will.

This episode left viewers with multiple cliffhangers and almost no stories resolved, or even in a position to be resolved. Mother's Mercy was the last chance for season 5 to actually tell a coherent story, and I think it failed miserably. The season finale rendered so many plot lines in the story completely irrelevant. Sansa, Stannis, Dorne as a whole, Littlefinger. All of these story lines saw no real resolution. Only shocks, twists, and untimely deaths.

Sansa was basically ditched in Winterfell, and all season, viewers were left wondering how she would prevail, and grow stronger as a character. Instead, all we saw was Sansa in the same position she has been in since season 1, playing the role of the victim, scared and alone in a place where she has no friends. Oh, and don't forget the scene where her virginity is taken from her in a completely unnecessary rape scene whose only purpose was to shock and anger audiences.

Stannis, one of, if not the greatest tactician and military commander in the Game of Thrones world, was defeated and presumably killed in the most unspectacular fashion imaginable, by a lone soldier that vowed multiple times in the series to kill him. How convenient and disappointing. Brienne, after gazing longingly at Winterfell for 8 episodes, finally just happens to run into the one person in the entire world that she wants to kill to avenge her old love. I thought maybe, just maybe, there would be a perfect scene in which Brienne finally fulfills the oath she swore to Catelyn Stark. She would rescue Sansa, and even Theon, face off against Roose or Ramsay Bolton, destroy them and their plot armor that has let them become seemingly unkillable villains, and we would finally see one story line resolve itself happily.

I can say almost certainly that I will not be huddled around my television when season 6 premieres, and I suspect many others feel the same as I do. D&D should be ashamed of the travesty that they've created and allowed to be aired on television.

As season five of Game of Thrones comes to an end we visit most of the major character and see what is happening to them… in most cases it is not something good. In Braavos Arya manages to kill Meryn Trant but her satisfaction is short lived; his death was not sanctioned by the Many-faced God so there will be a heavy price to pay. In Meereen Jorah Mormont and Daario Naharis leave to search for Daenerys leaving Tyrion to run the city. Meanwhile Daenerys is far to the north with her sick dragon; here she finds herself surrounded by a Dothraki hoard.

Back in Westeros Jaime and Bronn sail from Dorne but relief soon turns to despair for Jaime when his daughter collapses; poisoned by Ellaria Sand. North of Winterfell Stannis learns that half his army have departed and his wife has hanged herself; then Melisandre abandons him leaving him to face the Bolton's army with just a small number of foot soldiers. In Winterfell Sansa and Theon take drastic measures to get away from Ramsey. Further south in King's Landing Cersei confesses to one of the crimes she has confessed to and is forced to undergo a humiliating penance. At Castle Black Sam departs with Gilly before Alliser Thorne confronts Jon Snow in one of the series' most shocking moments to date.

This was certainly one of the most downbeat series finale's to date; indeed it looks as though many major characters have died… although the fact that we didn't always see the moment of death leaves open the possibility that some will survive. It will be a long wait to find out! Thankfully it wasn't all depressing; it was good to see Sam and Gilly leave Castle Black and the reunion of Tyrion and Varys was equally pleasing. The fact that the story visited each of the protagonists did mean we didn't get to stay with any of them long which was a pity but something that couldn't really be helped as none of the sections seemed superfluous. The cast did a fine job; particular mention much go to Lena Headey; her performance was brilliant and brave as Cersei is humiliated and forced to walk naked through the streets of King's Landing; there was nothing erotic about her nudity and for once it was hard not to feel sympathy for Cersei. Overall I'd say this was a cracking conclusion to a fairly solid season; I look forward to Season Six.

Mother's Mercy is a good season finale, in which each main character's present and the plot significant.

Half of Stannis's army has bailed and taken all the horses, but he continues on foot attacking Winterfell and his army's slaughtered. Brienne finds Stannis among the slaughter and does her duty, meanwhile Sansa and Theon make an escape. Arya kills Meryn using another face. Jaime retrieves Myrcella from Dorne, but she's poisoned to death by the Sand woman. Sam leaves to learn his craft and provide a safe haven for Gilly and child. Cersei confesses and does the walk of shame. Lena Headey's in her 40's here, just amazing. Jon's killed for betraying the Night's Watch. It's crazy that a show can dominate the market so much, that it can kill off the main character in the season finale, not afraid to lose it's viewers.

Cersei, Jon, Arya and Samwell the standouts.

Every story & build up in this season ends here. The Fighting Pit, Stannis attack Winterfell, Sinner & The Traitor of the Watch. All ends. and start a new storyline with Daenarys being captured.

Firstly, I would like to say that this is by no means a perfect episode and season for that matter, however this may be the most underrated episode of got as of season 5. Now I'm watching got very late and I assume I'll be disappointed by the season 8 however I was gladly surprised by this episode and season 5 as a whole. But the reason why I wanted to write a review for this episode in particular is due to the emotional rollercoaster I experienced. I don't think my emotions have ever changed so much in one episode of TV. From the great start with deaths of evil characters and the utter disgust you feel when cersi walks through the city and then finally at the end the death of Jon Snow. And I know he comes back to life somehow but that does not take away from the magnificence of this episode.

This series has always been known to dish out profoundly gut-wrenching scenes, and this finale was just another example. If Season 5 hasn't been a bloodbath for you yet, there's more blood spillt in this episode than probably in the last nine combined. Jam-packed full of story lines, this is one the fans will never forget - for many reasons.

Starting from the beginning, this looked to be an epic tale through death and destruction. The Baratheon line is quickly being eradicated with the death of Shireen last week, and now both her parents. Selyse' suicide comes as slightly a surprise, but we could not blame her for that remorse she showed after witnessing the burning of her daughter. Of King Stannis though, his death is unclear as of yet. Brienne, unfortunately missed Sansa's sign at the window, but it seems in the end, got her revenge for the one King she could be loyal to, Renly Baratheon.

The only slight criticism I have for the finale is the rushed feeling of Stannis's death and Sansa' escape, which is no denying exciting for both Sansa and Theon. Myranda was the next to die as she took a tumble from the battlements. It's just a shame it wasn't Ramsey. Otherwise, this cliffhanger (literally) seems quite adequate, but will be agonising for those of us begging for Season 6.

In Braavos, we got mixed emotions. Firstly, we got to see Arya in full "badass" mode, turning Meryn Trant into a sniveling boy, before killing him permanently. But, we knew Arya's success must come at a price and she is forcefully blinded by Jaqen H'ghar in the midst of his trickery as a Faceless Man. Funny that she lost her sight, and the first weakness that she went for of Ser Meryn was his eyes.

Dorne went from diplomatic calm-ville to a surprising twist, which was all orchestrated by the deceptive Ellaria Sand. Owing to her failure earlier on in the season, she played the long game and allowed Myrcella to die in the end, just like many of the Dornish people with some exotic poison no doubt. Heaven knows, I thought the scene between Jaime and his daughter was quite beautiful until all hell broke loose. But that's Game of Thrones for you.

Talk about filling the time, we also had Tyrion, Daario and Jorah discussing what to do next following Daenerys' flight. I think it's a great decision to leave Tyrion in charge of Meereen and I'm intrigued to see how he does it. Equally, Daenerys' cliffhanger was tantalising as she's regrettably reunited with the khalasar under a new Khal. I wonder if they recognise her as the late Drogo's wife?

The best performance of the night, and probably the best scene of the episode was Cersei's atonement. Despite having a body double for the long shots, Lena Headey's performance is utterly stupendous as the walk of shame came about. Some might point out the unnecessary length of the scene, but I believe it showed the true nature of Cersei's character - one who has sinned pretty much all her life and now she is reduced to tears. There's no doubt she's want revenge, but for a few moments, the viewers won't be able to help feeling sorry for that torture. Also, Gregor Clegane has had a transformation at last, thanks to the ever loyal Qyburn.

Finally, we come to the Wall as developments happen in quick succession and mutiny unfolds. Sam decides to go to Oldtown with Gilly and the baby, a storyline that we will probably be following closely in Season 6 and Davos heard the terrible news from Stannis' field. But most significant of all, and probably something that will be discussed and scrutinised for the next ten months, was Jon's saddening death as his Night's Watchmen stab him to his death, not to mention Olly's betrayal. His only hope now is a miracle (which may not be surprising in GoT), but until an alternative appears, we can be sure that he's well and truly dead.

An episode that leaves a desolation in its wake, not to mention many teary eyes from the viewers as we say goodbye to a number of characters in one go. Those who are obsessed with the show will probably have no hope of surviving the gap between finale and premiere of the next season, but we'll certainly try. Following a stunning performance, that left me speechless for a while, I can honestly I'm very satisfied with how the season came about. Congratulations to D&D for their adaption - it's a winner!

9.6/10

This is not a good episode for royalties, almost everyone holding seat of power have terrible fate waiting for them. As expected repercussions of burning his child, Stannis finds himself with less aid than he had. In a rather anticlimactic fashion, he is steamrolled by the Boltons. This is as one sided as they come, Stannis' survival is highly questionable and if he does miraculously escape culling, his case for the throne is practically over.

Arya has her wish granted, mostly by her own hand. She seems to channel assassin from Kill Bill and eventually crosses one name off her list. All with a hefty price though. Maisie Williams takes the character to unknown territory, she always has knack for deceptively malicious intent, but claiming her own kill will change the character, for better or worse.

The other princesses are also lost. Her sister Sansa finds herself in troublesome situation and also serendipitously a help in unexpected form. After seasons of abuse, Theon finally has his moment of salvation. The two take the leap of faith together, and this is the most hope given for young ladies in the episode.

On Jaime's side, he eventually obtains a bit of solace with her daughter. He does not have much spotlight this season, his time is spent mostly on brooding and bantering. It's a breath of fresh air when he's embraced by his flesh and blood. This lasts three seconds as this princess doesn't even make it to the wedding. Poison of the viper runs deep in the family.

The aftermath of arena skirmish unites eclectic party in Meereen. This is the epitome of fantasy group with warriors and strategists assembled. Daenerys has gathered colorful subordinates as Tyrion takes on the duty of taming another wild city which seems to have given him some sense of purpose. However, Daenerys herself is in foreign territory, although a lot of strangers clamoring around her is not particularly new for her.

The episode, and season, ends with tragic public prosecution of Cersei and Jon Snow. Cersei takes a literal walk of shame as she is humbled in public. It's admittedly hard to witness as her rigid defense is gradually crumbling, but this might just fuel more hatred for next season. Meanwhile, Jon Snow is unfortunately as cold as his name implies.

This season has been nice in all the darkest ways. See you next time.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR ALL READERS AHEAD !

I read all the comments on this episode, and I won't repeat what others have said about how great this episode is. But I get really annoyed when I see people giving nasty reviews because they do not understand that there is a reason, and a purpose, behind every death that occurred in this series. And by the way, rest easy, Jon Snow is not "dead". But there is no greatness without suffering, no success without sacrifice, and no happiness without sadness. We all loved Game of Thrones because of its unpredictability, its plot twists, its lack of cheesy clichés. And this is what GOT delivered in all seasons. And some say Season 5 started out slowly. But so did the other seasons, and no one mentioned a thing. Or were you expecting the storm after Twin's death ? And I will stop here, because I know that there are people who say Lord of the Rings it's nonsense, so whatever, I'm not going to waste my time convincing people that don't want to understand the notion of "greater goal".

Definitively, the worst season finale of the show to date. every single scene fell out of place barring the last, with the climactic battle of winterfell happening early on, followed predominantly by long winded discussions and shock value bullshit that completely contradicts the books, that unless I'm very much mistaken, the series is supposed to at least partially adhere to... more pointless deaths that don't happen in the books, more plot derailment, and a completely botched final scene, that- in the books was a far more subtle, vague and chilling chapter the changes made are nonsensical and moronic in terms of writing (in the books, Jon Snow's fate came at the hand of a few lower down the chain, not his effective replacement) and Myrcella's death is a bundle of utter pointlessness that just rendered an already middling plot line to be near enough POINTLESS. After four sterling seasons, it appears the show has completely lost its wits.

the number of things left totally up in the air, such as the fates of Stannis and Sansa are extremely cheap cliffhangers, and leave the episode feeling more like one that should have been at the middle of the season.

The worst season of game of thrones to date, signs out with its absolute worst episode.

one of the things that used to bug the hell out of me in the early G.O.T seasons was the budgetary requirement that battles couldn't really be shown . so we had all the talking, preparing, build up and then ...aftermath .Tyrion wakes up after very conveniently getting knocked out .Robb lets his wolves loose on the lanister army then... no battle .We get the same thing now for an entire season All stannis has been doing is talking ,preparing ,plotting and planning to take winter fell from the boltons and it leads to a build up to sweet bugger all. A bitter disappointment ,I thought they had the budget to match their imagination these days but no ,still pulling the same old "walking dead" style tricks.

OK, I may be biased because this is my favorite show, but still I consider this episodes one of the best this season offered. I particularly stand out the Arya, Cersei and Jon story lines. If Jon Snow dies, it will be hard for all fans, but if he disappears from the entire series, it will be hard to forgive. Anyway, I think Mother's Mercy was a fantastic way to finish this season, which was not one of the best ones, but still not the worst one. First, it had revelations, emotion and plenty of action. Mother's Mercy features a strong storyline from Cersei that has been criticized by people because of the use of a body double for Lena Headey. In my opinion, she did an amazing job as Cersei, demonstrating the shame and then the rage to the people who wronged her. Arya was literally awesome, thanks in part to the way that Maisie Williams delivers in her last scenes. Finally, Jon surprised with his death, and hopefully, the writers won't mess it up. Daenerys, Tyrion and Sansa were good too, but their stories reached a point where everything had been said and done in the past few episodes. Bottom line: Amazing episode in which you are left wanting more of the show.

Game of Thrones is a show I've been binging the past few weeks. Needless to say, I'm awestruck. By its beauty in creating this rich fantasy world, by its strict attention to detail, by its clever storytelling, deep characters, and superb acting. Simply everything about this show has kept me locked in. At least, until the fifth season. I was becoming wary of the show's quality up until the episode Hardhome, which featured one of the greatest television scenes I've experienced in recent memory. It was then that my fears of an inferior season were gone. Most seasons up until this point have been slow burns, only elevating to epic heights in its final few episodes, and this season seemed no different. Unfortunately, the finale left a lot to be desired. While it's extraordinary by other TV standards, it's not up to par with previous finales and its flaws are too glaring to ignore.

The writing in this episode feels choppy. There are so many story lines the show juggles simultaneously, and this is the only episode where I noticed it jumping from one story to the next, to the next, with little to no cohesion or fluidity. It's quite jarring, especially since many story lines come to an end in this episode. Moments that should feel impactful and dire merely come across as lazy and perfunctory. Arya's arc in this season essentially went nowhere, which was disappointing. Daenerys' scene was pointless and overlong, not to mention underwhelming following her epic actions in the previous episode. These scenes served little more than to break up the rest of the episode's momentum, offering no closure to the characters themselves, which is a shame considering how much I love them.

Mother's Mercy does a few things right. Cersei's arc this season was one that came full circle in the most sensible and righteous way possible. She was finally stripped of power and forced to present her naked self to her people, both figuratively and literally. It was a heartbreaking scene, not because she didn't deserve it, but because of how raw and desperate Cersei has become. She was no longer the manipulative, conniving bitch we've come to know and love (to hate). Rather, she's presented a vulnerable wretch for the entire city to see. It's a powerful scene and one of the season's arcs that actually worked. Stannis also has his comeuppance, and although it makes sense from a practical standpoint, it's unfortunate that his character had to meet such a disgraceful end. He had become one of my favorite characters, and it was sad to see it all go to waste due to his stubbornness and failure to trust in himself. Though, from a character standpoint, these always were his weaker traits and it made sense that they'd result in his downfall.

Jon Snow is the real talking point of the episode, and after watching the episode, I was speechless. I was seething at the fact that they killed off his character, the last of the Stark sons (not including the children), who has become the most honorable and likable character on the show. But again, from a practical standpoint, it makes perfect sense that his honor ended up getting him killed by his own people. From the point of view of the Night's Watch, Jon was a traitor, putting the lives of their enemies ahead of their own. However, as sensible as it may be, his death still infuriates me. He was a cornerstone of the show and I can't imagine it being the same without him.

These pivotal scenes worked on their own, but in the context of this episode, their power was dampened. It was scene after scene of tying up loose ends, and after a while it became desensitizing. Still, the production value and performances alone elevate the episode into being a great watch. On the lower end of the GoT spectrum, sure. Shocking and infuriating, absolutely. But well-made television nonetheless.