We need a ruling on what should be spoiler tagged; I can't be the only one avoiding all tags since most people aren't labeling book or show beforehand. I really don't think show spoilers should be marked off at all, as this is a discussion thread for the show and you'd have to be a crazy person to open it without watching the latest episode, but whatever. Anyway...
On the whole, I think this was a stronger season than the last. I had the Red Wedding spoiled, so that may have something to do with it, but even without that, those who died before this season felt a bit more vulnerable than those who were offed this time through. I maintain that massive, supposed-to-be-thousands-of-men-fighting battles are the weakest part of this show, but even that was mitigated by giants and fucking wall sweeping death anchors (or whatever the fuck that awesome bladed chain thing was). The one on one combat felt better in every respect; tighter choreography, better framing, and staggeringly brutal, and that long panning shot during the Castle Black fight wouldn't look out of place in a big budget movie.
Outside of the action, the character development continues to be a highlight. Sure, sometimes things are mishandled (that weird Jamie rape scene that was sorta swept under the rug) or a bit heavy handed (Sansa may be a master manipulator now, but I'm not sure she needed to look like Jafar to get that point across) but overall I'm still pleased and interested in the majority of the cast, even if Dany playing problem whack-a-mole feels a bit...well, let's just hope they do something else with her next season before we get back into that Red Wastes feeling again.
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