Quote Originally Posted by engie View Post
They are destroying everything this season. The concision that has made the show enjoyable(if still less than the books) is gone. Now it seems to be just a bunch of pointless, rampant "shock" moments that do nothing to serve the plot. We know they are possibly important to the endgame, since they stayed in, but if we've got characters making 180s and plotlines being completely pointless(Sansa in the Eyrie for instance), then are they really important?

Why kill off Barristan?
Why completely change the characterization of Ellaria? Her anti-vengeance role in the books fit her early characterization. This "I'm pissed off and we're going to kill this girl" doesn't make a damn bit of sense.
Why send Sansa to Winterfell by herself in order to be a victim again? She had the whole f'n Vale behind her. She was in a position of power. Now, she's back to being a victim.
Why send Jamie to Dorne? Cersei thinking oh, hey, we've been at war for years -- I'm going to totally piss off our strongest/only real allies, without a single true military commander still under my command(Kevan basically having already told her to F off) so let me send my only true ally who is a pin stroke from Tommen away from being Warden of the West and Lord of Casterly Rock as far away from here as I possibly can. That'll show them".

The show has been interesting to me because the maneuvering almost always made common sense. Now, I'm not seeing it.

Sand Snakes are a horrible bit of casting. I have enjoyed Areo Hotah's representation though...
the sad result is how typical TV production tropes have taken precedence over the outline they were given. they knew 5 years before they started that Theon would have no story for a couple of seasons, yet when they signed an unknown for the part they didn't write that into the contract, and thus had to create pointless scenes for him to keep him under contract?? you knew Lady Stoneheart required relegating a character to nothing for a season, and you didn't plan on it?? you couldn't film it while under contract and air it later? are you kidding me? and so forth. bottom line they produced it like a typical show. for a couple seasons the source material outshined that limitation, but starting with the 2nd season finale it did not. they have planned within the season only, like a typical show, not with forethought like they should have. hence Sansa taking one turn at the end of season 4 and a complete 180 in season 5. they didn't think ahead to season 5! i'm currently wondering how the Cersei walking scene comes to be. the setup for it isn't there at all. will probably be some stupid one-off reason rather than the 2 seasons of lead up it could have been.