I love the books and the show. However, the adaptation choice I really don't understand is why Balon Greyjoy is still alive. What's up with that? Doesn't he need to die on the show to fulfill Melisandre's curse against the three usurpers back in Season 3 (Book 3)?

The adventures of the Hound and Arya is one of their best adaptation choices, in my opinion. However, I agree with your overall point that the pacing seems off. Like you, I feel like there is way too much left to do at the wall in ASoS to fit into three episodes; I am quite worried that they are going to just cut a…

At the rate they are going, I'm pretty sure GRRM has no chance of getting TWOW out in time. I wish it were not the case, but it really looks like the show will finish before the books are (if they are ever finished).

I hope so.

I'm kinda disappointed that the opening credits don't change as much from episode to episode as in previous seasons. I guess they have to cut corners somewhere though.

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! This is what the expert review should always be like!

I really enjoyed this review! Like others have said, this is totally what I've been wanting all along from an "expert" review of the show. Great work, Myles!

I thought it was a pretty good episode and liked most of the deviations from the book that the show had this evening. I especially liked the addition of Jaime negotiating with Tywin to try to save Tyrion's life. I also liked the addition of Stannis and Davos going to Braavos. This plot change seemed necessary because…

Yes, it was during the mutiny. I don't remember how the book deals with what happens to the mutineers after Sam, Gilly and baby Sam run away.

Yeah, I totally agree and posted about this last night.

While I didn't agree with everything in it, after last night I think Soraiya's "Rape of Thrones" article was definitely right that the show is sacrificing its character development for the sake of shock value.

Scarlet1815, I agree with everything you said, EXCEPT that the mutineers raping Craster's wives is in the books; it just isn't focused on as much as it was in last night's show. The raping of Craster's wives takes place in Sam's chapter right before he and Gilly and her baby run away.

BatmanLannister, count me as a person who is complaining about both the rape scene this week and the one from last week. However, the mutineers DO rape Craster's wives in the book; see Sam's chapter, page 457-4588 in my version: "Rolley of Sisterton had fallen from the loft and broken his neck after climbing the…

Are you talking about the book or in the show? In the book, yes, Cersei changes her mind and tells Jaime to "do it now". In the show, there is absolutely nothing in that scene that indicates consent.

The show pretended it never happened because it had no effect on subsequent events. Cersei is mad at Jaime for completely different reasons in this episode, and then Jaime still decides to ignore Cercei's request and send Brienne on her quest. What was the point of making that scene into such a violent rape if it had…

When Graves said it was "consensual by the end", that made it even worse, though, because it was so clearly not consensual on screen. It just made it sound like he was excusing rape.

Jaime is supposed to be a character who goes from being evil to slowly redeeming himself. Raping his sister completely undermines this story arc.

After last night's episode, where the show goes back to portraying Jaime as a hero and completely ignores the rape from last week, Sonia's critique seems to have been proven right. The show-runners appear to have made the more consensual sex scene between Jaime and Cersei into a rape for no other reason than shock…

When a person says no, that is the opposite of consent!

EXACTLY. And they ruined his character for no apparent reason except shock value.