I'm still bummed about no [BLACKOUT]Lady Stoneheart. I was 90% sure that she wouldn't be in it after the screener hit a few days ago, but I still held out hope. Alas, there's always next season.
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That one disappointment aside, this was without a doubt the best finale yet. Benioff and Weiss weren't joking about that. It was one of the best episodes of the season, and the entire series as well. Here are my thoughts:
Jon:
[BLACKOUT]I still would have ended episode 9 with Jon going to see Mance and ended it on that shot of Stannis and Davos riding up, but it is what it is. I'm really excited for this storyline next season. Team Dragonstone FTW! [/BLACKOUT]
Daenerys:
[BLACKOUT]I thought it was interesting that they didn't have Drogon chained up as well, even though he escaped in the books. I guess they want to make his appearance next season that much more dramatic. [/BLACKOUT]
Bran:
[BLACKOUT]Jojen dying caught me off guard, but I didn't really care for the character too much anyway. The stuff with the Three Eyed Raven was pretty much how I imagined it in the book. I can't wait to see where Bran's story goes next, but I have a feeling that he may not be used as much next season.[/BLACKOUT]
Arya/Hound:
[BLACKOUT]That was a gritty fight scene between The Hound and Brienne. I liked the way they consolidated those two plotlines from the book and just had them fight each other. The Hound dying actually made me sad, even though like in the book, it's ambiguous as can be. I don't believe he's truly dead, but it's still going to suck not seeing him around. As for Arya, I was happy she finally got on that boat. It's been a long time coming. Lady Stoneheart's absence aside, that last scene completely blew "Mhysa" out of the water.[/BLACKOUT]
Tyrion:
[BLACKOUT]My favorite part of the episode, and one of my most anticipated moments of the season. I was a little surprised that they cut the whole Tysha thing from Jaime, but I guess at this point Tyrion's had enough anyway and Jaime doesn't need another stain on his reputation as a character after the stuff with Cersei. Tyrion strangling Shae was brutal, and seeing him confront Tywin was oh so satisfying. Dinklage deserves an Emmy for his work this season. [/BLACKOUT]
The wait for next season is going to kill me.