Black_Flag_11 wrote:
mac_d wrote:
Lots of build up, very little real pay off.
I felt the payoff was OK but really it was just set up for the next season, to be fair I think the last episode normally is, the penultimate one tends to be the episode the season has been building up to.
Spoiler (click to show)
Sure there was no big death (littlefinger is a big name but he has no real bearing on the main story at the moment), and the discovery that Jon is the rightful king was dropped an episode or two ago for those that picked up on it so that wasn't really a reveal. I think the destruction of the wall was a good place to end the season though.
I thought how they did the sex scene was an interesting choice too, was pretty funny having Bran's conversation talking about him being Targaryen over the top. "He's never been a b@$tard, he's the heir to the Iron Throne"... and balls deep in his auntie right now on screen.
Good to see GOT get back to its incestuous roots though, the Lannister one was getting boring

I get the feeling of no payoff.
I think the series has struggled a bit since they ran out of book material, although as I'm sure many people have mentioned - poor Game of Thrones is still far superior to anything else.
I think the poor pacing began in Season 6, where we had some truly bizarre ways of just throwing scenes at you. The Arya stabbing for one - just got stabbed, then on with the show. It all felt rushed.
I'm not one to jump on the fast travel bandwagon. I get the need for that, and I'm not going to split hairs around people suddenly showing up far away when we clearly have no idea how much time has passed anyway. But the big moments are lacking a little punch.
You used to have this fantastically paced show, all this build up, all this tension, all this emotional investment... and then it would stab you right in the gut. Now, there are some pretty significant and crazy things happening, but without the well-paced build up its all feeling a little bit more 'meh' than it should. My mind should have been more blown by what happened this season that it actually was.
Also someone above mentioned that they should have extended the 7 episodes to 10. I agree in theory, it could do with some more pacing - but I guess they've been left with no book material to write from, an increasingly expensive cast, contracts that they have to work within, and with more focus on the 'mythical' they've also got a much more expensive CGI bill to foot. HBO will only throw so much money at it, and the producers need to find a way to make that work as best they can. But as a viewer, f*ck the producers, find more money and give me my improved pacing!!