Mother's Mercy (S05E10)

I would have expected a bigger carnage at the end, but I was satisfied anyway. It seems to be a trend in this series that the eighth and ninth episodes are the most gripping, with the tenth serving more as a twist and a bridge to the next season. Even with all that, there are no emotionally powerful scenes of key characters. We have Cersei and her walk of shame, and Stannis, who may only be in the midst of the most important battle of his life, but it doesn't detract from the final impression of the denouement, the final drop for the denouement in this season. (06/05/2017)

Compared to the last two episodes, this one felt like a step down. Not that I was bored — there was certainly plenty going on — but some things just didn’t sit right with me. Brienne casually strolling through the battlefield to get her revenge (did Stannis have a GPS on him or what?) and Cersei’s walk of atonement dragged on forever. I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to shock, awe, or disgust me; it just felt tedious, and I found myself hitting the fast-forward button. On the upside, Arya's brutal scene was surprisingly entertaining. (12/15/2017)