arminius

That was cool. I do not think that was from the book, at least I don't remember it.

DaveyJoe

It wasn't but I wish it was. I think Neil Marshall came up with that.

sven

Yeah was a wonderfully awesome surprise.

creekdipper

Don't think this is giving anything away since the episode has aired. At first, I was a tiny bit disappointed in the slightly-cliched "meeting on the battlefield" standoff between Ygritte & Jon. I remembered when reading the book thinking that it was Martinesquely-appropriate that he found her dying after the battle (although they did have the touching parting conversation). However, when I went back to compare, I noticed that the book mentioned that it was Jon who caught a glimpse of a red-haired wildling during the battle and refused to shoot her, thinking when he found her later that he was glad that it wasn't his arrow that killed her.

So there was the precedent already established for one of the characters holding off from killing the other when having them dead-to-rights, and the onscreen meeting actually came across quite well. Rose Leslie's face conveyed her conflict, her hesitation, and her love that overcame her instinct (both Harrington & Leslie said in an interview that neither thought that Ygritte would have shot Jon...both said that they felt that she couldn't do it. And having the boy...who had been urged by Sam to fight...be the one who did the deed was a masterstroke (the slight nod from the boy thinking he had saved Jon was classic irony).

Don't get the disapproval of Kit Harrington's acting. I watched the death scene three times (including the "Inside the Episode" post-segment that aired on demand), and it got me choked up each time (even though I knew it was coming). The look of joy on Jon's face when he recognized Ygritte (just before she was shot) was totally convincing, as was his shock immediately afterward. IMHO, Harrington does a good job at conveying the main emotions required of Jon's character: the shame & humiliation of being treated like a bastard, anger at being ignored & disrespected, resignation at his lot in life, nobility in facing adversity, etc. Having seen tons of really bad acting in other fantasy/historical programs & movies, I can't see where he falls short in selling his character. I'd think that, of the main characters, Sansa is the one who comes closest to being a one-note performance (although that might be the requirements of the character in which naivety is her main trait). And there were a few times when I though Jack Gleeson's Joffrey was a bit over-the-top, although he got better after Season One. But I think that Jon is every bit as good as Robb and maybe even Theon. IMO, Harrington makes a fine Jon.

BTW...Marshall said that they saved the death scene for a day of its own, thinking that it deserved its own moment. Harrington & Leslie said they avoided each other all day of the shoot, and Leslie said that she "blubbered like a little girl" when it was over.

superdeluxe

Damn, you hear these stories about how distraught the actors get in certain scenes, I can't even imagine.

HN

PhantomStranger

I found this one of the most predictable, boring episodes in the entire series. For a show that constantly subverts expectations, every single development followed the standard script in this battle. People are overrating the action choreography in this episode as well, it was a battle we've mostly seen a thousand times before in Medieval sieges except they added a couple of Giants. If you want to watch a better cut battle scene, watch History Channel's Vikings. It was the first time I've watched GOT and felt it wasn't on par with theatrical production quality.

Devoting a whole episode to this battle was the first real mistake Game of Thrones has made in its four seasons.

arminius

"And so does Dave"-Gang of Four

Applejack

I thought this was a great episode, but then again, I don't know if there are any episodes that I haven't enjoyed sofar