Why isn't Kyle MacLachlan more in demand? This is the first time that AoS had a really nuanced, frightening villain. Hell, I'll even extend that to MCU proper. All but a handful of the big bads were just generic placeholders.

The costume from the Burton films was certainly the best of its era but it didn't allow Keaton to turn his head. The movies compensated somewhat by heaping on the iconic poses, but there was a lot of fan grousing. That's where the "Wooden Indian" slight came from.

Having lived through it: Michael Keaton really didn't get appreciated for his Batman until Batman and Robin bombed. I remember the reviewers were ecstatic about Val Kilmer. "No more Wooden Indian Batman!" Such was the bias against Keaton.

Not the ending, the setup. All of the coincidences that led up to the trial by combat to begin with. The Mountain named to the trial despite the other skilled fighters available in Kings Landing; Tyrion asking for trial by combat when Oberyn happens to be on a judging council; Tywin placing Oberyn on the council for…

I understand Martin's logic, who was quoted saying something like: "You can't have the hero be Ned Stark, that's too obvious. You can't have the hero be Ned Stark's first born son, again too obvious". But all of the narrative juggling it took to get Oberyn and the Mountain in that match felt like too much deus ex…