Yeah, I saw this interview, but there's not really anything specific here to indicate at what exact point in the production process they decided to go with the "big, space opera speech". To say that it was a conscious decision doesn't mean that it was baked into the script from the beginning. The main takeaway from…

I dunno, the armor looked convincing to me, in that brief glimpse they gave us, or during the battle on Ganymede, or other early episodes of the season. I'm just speculating, but it seems like they filmed that entire scene and then later decided to edit it into Naomi's monologue.

I'm just going to copy/paste from another comment, but really most of my other comments here would be an appropriate response:

Yes, it's just speculation. Ultimately, it's SyFy's commitment to the series which is keeping it on the air, and that commitment is encouraged by both critical praise and a devoted fan base. SyFy mentions the fans specifically in their press release about the renewal. But look, my larger point, my opinion, is that the…

http://www.cancelledscifi.c…

Draper saving Avasarala could have been brief—and likely would have been, given Draper's advantage over the enemy—but I think it should have been its own scene, not just visuals for Naomi's monologue. And it's not really the action itself that's important in this case, it's the emotion. One character saving another in…

I get the thematic resonance, but this series emphasizes dialogue and big themes over action—to a fault. Of course big themes are essential in sci-fi, but you need balance. You need to give the audience some fireworks, especially in the finale. The action in this case wouldn't have been gratuitous—it was an important…

They could have made room—shuffle some scenes around, cut this, trim that… maybe move the conclusion of the Venus storyline to the previous episode. There's always a way. I mean, was the scene in the elevator shaft really necessary? Wouldn't a full scene of Draper saving Avasarala be more exciting?

I agree. Maybe it boils down to time constraints, but blending Draper's big-rescue, save-the-day moment into Naomi's meta-monologue ("the overall theme of the series at this moment") cheated the audience, in my opinion. Is that too much to ask — just a few seconds of a protagonist kicking ass in weaponized body armor?

I was frustrated by the conclusion to the Avasarala stand-off. This episode spent so much time with Draper's mad dash to retrieve her body armor — scrambling in the elevator shaft, negotiating with the electrician who had his thumb on the keypad — and then… the big payoff is a few seconds of Draper taking out the…

Yeah, this series is definitely going to require repeated viewings. Very astute observations, though—it makes more "sense" now.

I'm still confused about how David got out of Clockworks during/after the "incident". He and Syd switched bodies. Syd's mind is in David's body, wreaking havoc, and David's body is trapped in a Clockworks room with no door. Syd's body (with David's mind) is escorted out of the psychiatric hospital by the doctor, and…

I think Portia actually introduces Drew to Nanny Daddy as "the FBI's most favorite hacker", which made me laugh out loud.

Ramsey isn't 100% effective as a villain, as a character—he's almost cartoonishly evil—he needs a handlebar mustache to twirl. He's just there to be an obstacle, and to give us someone to hate. Joffrey felt more "realistic" in comparison—a spoiled, sadistic teenager who suddenly became King—probably not too different…

Poor Osha, though—things don't look good for her. Ramsey "likes them wild". Ugh.

Maybe not, but I think that the "artistic integrity" defense is more difficult to justify here, with a show that's so wanton, lurid, even trashy. And the bottom line, beyond any public debates about political correctness, is whether or not Benioff & Weiss want to continuing making an entertaining show that people want…

I'm not optimistic. At least in the past, the showrunners' response to the outcry against sexual violence against women was to amp it up. This season might be different, though. It seems like the fan backlash is starting to register. But then again, they just fed a newborn baby to the dogs…

And was it just me, or did that severed dire wolf head look pretty fake?

Yeah, I liked pretty much everything, except for Ramsey taking Rickon & Osha prisoner. Now we have to endure a whole season of Ramsey torturing a woman and a child.

Despite being "moody", this episode has some great, funny dialogue, and at least a couple of LOL moments: Pycelle & the Mountain; Diana Rigg sticking it to Cersei; Tyrion's awkwardness with Grey Worm and Missandei; Umber being a dick to Ramsey—all great material!