I was hoping we'd see Rickon get chased by Ramsay's hounds to then get rescued by Ghost (it felt very odd that he wasn't in this episode) and although the arrows were suspenseful in their own right it couldn't been better.

And even Euron is lacking, he's got those wicked sideburns and…yeah.

That's a fair justification and one I could get behind. Although, like the CEO of Tits mentioned, the satisfaction in the story (the sense of fulfillment an excellent work of art provides) is lacking and it feels like the characters' aren't facing the real consequences of their actions.

Good observation; the amount of political intrigue has been severely reduced in the past couple seasons (King's Landing is an exception) and with the world GRRM has created it really is what happens between the big battles and sequences that makes the series so rich. I feel like the show's shifted focus from…

Largely my thoughts as well; It seemed odd that Jon would attempt to anger Ramsay (with his offer to 1v1) and then fall victim to essentially the same tactic when used by Ramsay with Rickon; to goad him into a reckless charge.

Amen to that. The Bolton's struggle with keeping the Northern Lords in line is not only true to the characters and world GRRM created but also much more intriguing and rich than the shallow plotting the show provides.

Excellent observation, the shot of Rickon's lifeless body being riddled with arrows is effective symbol of the aforementioned themes.

I believe he is the last of the giants; it doesn't specify such on his Wiki of Ice and Fire page but that's what my memory recalls.

The Northern Lords begrudgingly support the Boltons (if they aren't plotting their downfall behind-the-scenes) and the struggle of keeping them in line is a rich conflict that could flesh out the events happening up North—it's among the better parts of ADWD. It's too bad that the show didn't delve into that; I can…

Every episode of Game of Thrones makes me hunger for the books all the more, especially the behind-the-scenes plotting of the various Northern Lords loyal to the Starks.

Jon's trampling and near-death was so very well directed I was holding my breath the whole time; the shakycam and gradual muffling of noise as bodies pile on top combined with Jon's gasping and sense of panic were so effective.

Basically my same thoughts as well; I very much enjoyed the spectacle (ooh the shots of Dany soaring over Slaver's Bay captured that wonderful spirit of imagination the fantasy genre invokes) yet found the execution to be rather hollow.

The Battle of Cannae

I second that notion; Tyrion's doing a fine job of reconciling her "Fire and Blood" talk with the practicality of ruling.

I was half expecting at the end there that Jon would have Ghost step in to duke it out with Ramsay, although the shield bash was cool in its own right.

And lots of people around my age who were kids during the early 2000s really like Emperor's New Groove. I particularly find Krunk and Izma's partnership ripe for comedy and wonderful voice work all around.

I haven't even really seen the Terminator movies and I instantly made the connection.

Tsunami is right about Beric performing the resurrection.

Deja vu for Jaime, to be sure.

"Well, since you care enough to apply peer pressure…"