TV Review: Game of Thrones - Season Six Episode Ten "The Winds of Winter" SPOILERS

"Winter Is Here..."

What. An. Episode. If last week propelled Game of Thrones into a cataclysmic state of amazingness with "The Battle of the Bastards", then this week's finale proved to be not only a continuation of the top-notch quality we have got to know and love but also a finale which put year-long plot points to rest amongst vengeance, lots of vengeance in which a wide range of key characters in the Seven Kingdoms got their comeuppance, no more so than Walder Frey, the architect of the Red Wedding, who after enjoying a nice slice of child-infested pie greeted the sharp edge of Arya Stark's knife who finally managed to put a huge, bold cross through one of the names on her hit list. Talk about satisfaction, yet the real shock of the week came within the episodes' brilliant first fifteen minutes in which Cersei went the way of the Mad King and coldly dispatched all her enemies in one swift wildfire-ridden act of cruelness. Goodbye High Sparrow. Goodbye Queen Marge. It's been emotional. Seeing now that the prophecy has become reality, with each of her children now in the grave, the newly crowned Queen of the Seven Kingdoms is one cold bitch with a thirst for blood. With Jamie returning from his ordeal with the Blackfish just in time to witness his sisters' coronation and thus losing yet another of his children, where will his allegiances lie now? With Cersei or elsewhere? How long until season seven?

Judging the season as a whole, season six no doubt began with a slump, a slump that although gave us an elderly Melisandre and the much anticipated return of Jon Snow, did not exactly reach the heights you would expect from a show of such magnitude when dealing with such an important story point such as the resurrection of Westeros' favourite bastard. Yes, everyone expected Jon Snow to return but was the climax to the second episode as amazing as it possibly could have been? Perhaps not. Come episode five and we finally had the episode we had all been waited for in which we witnessed the death no-one had been waiting for. Oh Hodor, you gentle giant you. It's been a fun ride and an emotional one too, a ride which ended with the real reason behind Hodor's well, hodoring. Screw you Bran, screw you! With episode five being the cornerstone of the season riding into episode nine, a lot was riding on the much anticipated "Battle of the Bastards" and boy was it emotional. Still riding high with a perfect rating of 10 on IMDB, the penultimate episode was a masterclass in small-screen entertainment, one that will be remembered for seasons to come and one that allowed our favourite northerners to return to Winterfell. Season Six continued Game of Thrones' excellence and popularity within the masses, and although not reaching the heights of quality seen in Season 3 and 4, was still a solid continuation of HBO's flagship television show. Don't worry guys, just another year until we return. 

Episode Score: 10/10

Season Score: 8.8

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Season Six Episode Nine "The Battle of the Bastards" SPOILERS

"Let's End This The Old Way. You Against Me..."

Remember last week when I queried why on earth the death of the Blackfish was captured off-screen, away from the viewer and whether such a decision was all down to the notion of a tight budget? Well, my query has been answered with this week's venture into the land of Westeros with "The Battle of the Bastards" being a visceral, blockbuster of an episode in which satisfaction was the overriding feeling come the end after an hour of utter nail-biting tension and spectacle which ranks as the best Game of Thrones has had to offer this far. If notions of a depleted budget were high in my mind last week, the same cannot be said for the titular battle between the armies of Jon Snow and Ramsey Bolton, the bastards of the North, each with their own agendas and each with thriving hatred towards one another which culminated in the most extreme sense of justice the show has given us so far with Ramsey finally meeting his demise come the end of an episode in which we not only lost yet another Stark, (Goodbye Rickon) but an episode in which for the second time in the space of a year, we may have lost Jon Snow. Oh HBO, you do spoil us.

To speak only about the 30 minute thrill ride that encompassed the main bulk of the episode however completely dismisses goings-on in Meereen where finally Daenerys took back the power from the murderous masters and allowed all three of her dragons to rain down fiery chaos upon the seas of her enemies whilst the Dothraki hoard chopped down the remaining numbers of the Sons of the Harpy. Add into the mix the opportunity of two strong female characters holding the reigns of Westeros, with Yara and Theon finally being granted an opportunity to proclaim their allegiance to Daenerys, and "The Battle of the Bastards" may indeed be not only the most thrilling and action packed Game of Thrones episode to date, but the most optimistic and rewarding one also. Gone is the reign of Ramsey and here stands Lord Snow, the bastard of Winterfell who is now back where he belongs alongside his sister and the power of not only his own army but Littlefinger's too alongside him. Pure cinematic brilliance upon the small screen, this weeks' episode was one to remember and one that will send shock-waves across the seas of the Seven Kingdoms. Just one more left. ONE MORE.

Overall Score: 10/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Season Six Episode Eight "No One" SPOILERS

"I Choose Violence..."

Who'd thunk it? After nearly two seasons of Arya's story-line going up. down, back around and coming full circle again right into the path of ambiguity, the House of Black and White is no longer a place of lodging for little Arya Stark, the baby-faced assassin who, after everything, decided it was best to continue her legacy as a Stark rather than a Faceless Man, a decision that ultimately brought to an end not only the life of the Waife, but to all those brilliantly barmy fan theories which suggested a bit more was behind the actions of one of the last remaining Stark's in Westeros. What now for Arya? A return to either the North or King's Landing is not exactly out of the question but her own wish to visit lands yet explored seems a more pressing concern for our beloved Arya, yet the real question remains, after all the dedication to the Faceless Men previously, was it the right decision to end it so quickly? From a writing point of view, probably not, with Arya's story in particular needing a particular level of dedication in hope of a epic payoff. Was this the right way to go therefore? Was the time spent in Braavos really worth it for such a conclusion? I'm not too sure.

Away from Stark's and creepy assassins, King's Landing held ground for some meaty head yanking action, with the High Sparrow's minions getting a pretty clear taste of what happens when you mess with Cersei Lannister and her deranged Frankenstein of a bodyguard. A.K.A,the zombified Mountain. On the other side of Westeros, the Hound provided light black comedy in his quest for vengeance, with quips about being awful at dying being followed by acts of sheer brutality. I mean come one, that head being chopped off was pure B-Movie brilliance. Weak point of this week's episode came when the beloved Blackfish was seemingly killed off off-screen without the chance to witness his famous ability of swordsmanship. I mean come on HBO, there can't be a budget issue! In fact, yes there might have been, with Meereen holding siege against the bloodthirsty masters just in time for Dany to return and witness what happens when she flies off gets captured. "No One" proved to be somewhat the weakest of Season Six so far, providing a questionable end to Arya's story-line and killing off a certain character without to no satisfactory end. But hey, who cares when we have the aptly titled "The Battle of the Bastards" next week. 

Overall Score: 7/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Season Six Episode Seven "The Broken Man" SPOILERS

"You've Lost, Cersei. It's The Only Joy I Can Find In All This Misery..."

Oh, hello Mr. McShane. And goodbye. Carrying on the surprise list of guests appearing within the realms of Westeros this week was Lovejoy himself, acting as a rather efficient and likeable conduit for the welcome return of Sandor Clegane AKA The Hound, and although one up on screen-time in comparison to Richard E. Grant, Ian McShane was swiftly hung out to dry, resulting in the return of the unparalleled quest for violence our beloved Hound infamously thrives on. Speaking of violence, poor old Arya once again. Whipped, smacked around the face, and now stabbed. What more does the young girl deserve? Not everything is what it seems within the House of Black and White and Arya's future is still yet to be determined, with next week's aptly titled episode "No One" perhaps finally setting in stone the course in which our beloved Stark is yet to embark on. Maybe a reunion with the Hound? We shall see. 

Sassy Northerner of the week belongs to Lady Mormont of Bear Island, with her no-nonsense attitude on the situations at hand gave credence to a notion that if she was Queen, Game of Thrones would have been sorted out by now and whilst she only allowed 82 of her soldiers to join Jon Snow in his quest to take back Winterfell, it was a fleeting success in comparison to other houses who completely disregarded any chance of support for taking down Westeros' number one psycho in Ramsey Bolton. As for events elsewhere, the Blackfish and Jamie Lannister had the stand-off of the season, with it hard to point out who out of the two viewers are really rooting for. Sure, the Blackfish is bad-ass and was screwed over by the Lannister's but you just can't beat the banter of the bromance between Jamie and Bronn. Remember when we all hated Jamie? Seems so long ago now. Another strong, solid episode this week, but not one of major significance, "The Broken Man" continued the success of Season Six by the introduction of new characters whilst reconnecting with those thought lost. Three episodes left people. THREE...

Overall Score: 8/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Season Six Episode Six "Blood Of My Blood" SPOILERS

"Are You With Me, Now And Always?"

With the death of Hodor well and truly lodged into the feels of our minds, this week's episode of Game of Thrones continued the radical decision of the show-runners to actually start moving forward within the realm of Westeros, with certain plot strands taking major leaps after weeks, and in some cases, seasons of sluggish stopping and starting. Take Arya for example; weeks of endless beatings and Westerosian playwrights finally took a toll on the poor lass after deciding maybe it wasn't best to end the fading career of her acting target via poison and instead regain her Stark ways, leaving behind the disappointed yet murderous Faceless Men behind in her wake. The return of Needle surely brings about the return of her vengeance list, much to the delight of fans across the globe and whose to say that her vicious young trainer The Waif won't be swiftly added to that list after weeks of utter bitchness. Oh, and Richard E. Grant got some awesome screen time this week. Big up the Doctor Who connections! Big up too the most obvious return of a long-lost character since well, someone with Benjen Stark being heart and centre in the rescue of Bran whilst Westeros' most evil OAP graced our screens once again with Red Wedding orchestrator Walder Fray showing the world he is still alive.

On the other side of the continent, Daenerys was reunited with her beast-mode dragon Drogon which did nothing but to emphasise the effects budget available to the show whilst the Westerosian equivalent of Dorset laid bare to the return of Sam to his homeland, much to the respite of his bad and bitter father who went completely ape shit after learning his beloved son had returned with a Wildling for a wife. Quite rightly, Sam decided the best option was to leave ASAP, yet not empty handed, with the Tarly heirloom in the form of a Valyrian steeled sword being swiftly stolen. Finally, within the soap-opera fantasia of King's Landing, Jamie and Lord Tyrell both attempted to put a permanent end to the teachings of the High Sparrow but instead were greeted to the rather bonkers realisation that not only had Margery fully embraced the ways of the Sparrow but King Tommen too. If ever there were a picture to sum up a situation, Jamie's face was it. A bold move or one too immature? We shall see won't we. Once again, Game of Thrones chose to take a bold step forward in its' storytelling and made the set-up for the last remaining episodes a real treat to look forward to. 

Overall Score: 8/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Season Six Episode Five "The Door" SPOILERS

"Hold The Door..."

Oh my. If previous events on Game of Thrones had the power and the gusto to make the hardest of people break down and cry, then this week's episode more than deserves its' place in the Game of Thrones hall of fame for a final scene which ranks up with the most heartbreaking scenes in the entire history of the show so far. The Red Wedding? Intense and shocking. The fall of the Viper? Left me shaking for days on end. The revelation of Hodor? Genuinely sob-inducing, a scene which brought all the ambiguity regarding the origin of Hodor to a close whilst letting go one of the shows' most beloved characters in the most heroic way possible; holding off a wave of white walkers in order to protect Bran who finally realised his part in a Doctor Who-esque bootstrap paradox which was to blame for Hodor's minimalistic range of speech. Powerful to say the least, "The Door" proved to be the best episode of Season Six so far, with its' final scene ranking up there with the best of them over the course of the shows' run so far whilst continuing to highlight why we just can't stop watching. Hodor is gone, yet the force and origin of the White Walkers was both reminded and explained this week, with the most patient army in existence still warning the audience that they are there to stay. And oh yeah, another direwolf is gone too. Damn. 

Elsewhere, Braavos proved their own evening entertainment was the best place to go to for a quick recap of events which occurred in Season One, much to the despair of Arya whose newest assassination target was at the centre of the acting circle responsible which also included a rather strange cameo from Richard E. Grant, a cameo immediately recognised after hearing his distinct and overly British, lavish voice. Awkward scene of the week was seen within the North when the reunion between Sansa and Littlefinger was greeted with a less than warm response, whilst the Iron Islands gave way to a new King, one with blood lust for both remaining direct Greyjoy siblings. In Meereen, Tyrion was greeted by the areas's own version of Melisandre, one who obviously shops in the same aisle as her Northern familiar, and one who decided it was best to remind Varys of his early experience of becoming a eunuch. Nice. Finally, Dany was at last grateful for the heroic attempts of Ser Jorah, who in return produced the ever-growing rate to which the greyscale is taking over, something of which a tearful Dany orders him to fix before it finally takes over and becomes too late. "The Door" proved to be a excellent episode of Game of Thrones, one that most definitely proves to be the high watermark for the season so far and ultimately one that concluded with perhaps the saddest event in Game of Thrones thus far. So long Hodor, it's been emotional. 

Overall Score: 10/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Season Six Episode Four "Book of the Stranger" SPOILERS

"Winterfell Is Mine, Bastard, Come And See..."

Oh Ramsey, you salty dog you. Hands up for worst creature in Westeros since the events of the Purple Wedding? That's right, with a letter and a whole lot of curse words, war is set to embrace the North with the battle of the bastards set to wet the appetites of almost every single Game of Thrones fan who, unless completely mental, will be backing Lord Snow to finally end the torment of Ramsey Bolton, the vicious loony tune that he is. Amongst all the talk of eye spooning and rape however, the long-awaited embrace between long lost siblings Jon and Sansa inevitably had the entire world in tears. It's been a long time coming, so long in fact that Jon must have not believed his eyes regarding the ways in which Sansa has transformed from the helpless squib to the mighty force of strength that she is today. Talking of strength, CGI moment of the week came during the closing scene in which Dany decided it was best to burn each of the Dothraki leaders to death rather than be continuously raped by them and their horses. Good decision I believe. With perhaps the forces of the Dothraki army now under her command, who is to stop her against the forces of the masters back in Meereen?

Fist pump moment of the week no doubt came within the Vale with the return of my favourite Game of Thrones character. Oh Littlefinger, it has been way too long. With his suave sophistication and faultless dress sense, it didn't take too long before his influence over the kooky Lord of the Vale became rather apparent. Remember guys, without Littlefinger, there would be no Game of Thrones. Whilst Tyrion attempted to make peace with the slave masters, much to the anger of literally everyone around him, the rulers of King's Landing finally decided to man up and start talking to each other, ending in a final decision to mark the High Sparrow for dead with the possible result of civil war within the city being something of a afterthought. Hey, at least they might be safe right? With Littlefinger back and a war in the North looking rather inevitable, Game of Thrones continued to pick up a notch this week with some interesting plot developments throughout Westeros all continuing the return to form Season Six has finally embraced. War, what is it good for?

Overall Score: 9/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Season Six Episode Three "Oathbreaker" SPOILERS

"My Watch Has Ended..."

Whereas I thought the resurrection of one Jon Snow might ultimately not actually occur within the show, after realising I was completely and utterly wrong regarding such, I soon began to believe the process of Jon's return to form may indeed be a long-winded and drawn out process, much like Arya's plot-line regarding her ridiculously violent and tortuous training regime. How wrong I was once again, with Lord Snow regaining not only his life, but a new sense of plain-faced coldness, one that may have indeed stopped the hanging of young Ollie once before in the past, but now, only reinstates one idea that this reincarnated Snow may indeed be the bad-ass he needs to become in order to truly take control in the land of Westeros. Adding to my sense of sheer face-palm was the fact that within the episode this week, Arya's story did actually begin to go somewhere with cheers heard across the globe when she was finally granted her eyesight back. Phew, no more of those vicious training schedules I hope. Snow and Arya; the two saviours of Westeros perhaps. Who'd thunk it?

Alongside updates across the region, Bran continued to dissect the legacy of his upbringing, resulting in a long staring contest during the battle between his neatly shaven and younger version of father Ned Stark and the notorious Arthur Dayne, ending in a classic fairy-tale notion that not all stories from your father may indeed actually be true. Father Christmas, take note. Kudos to Max von Sydow for not laughing when proclaiming he was just and old man in a tree, whilst one can also mourn the butchery of another dire wolf after Rickon was captured and brought to Winterfell. Although last week's episode was indeed the flashiest and fist-punching episode of the season so far, "Oathbreaker" only continued the strong course of the story after a less-than perfect start almost two weeks ago. With plot-lines unravelling to a more pessimistic extent, Westeros may indeed see a shift in not only tone, but one in leadership and stature over the next seven weeks. I'll be with you all the way.

Overall Score: 9/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Season Six Episode Two "Home" SPOILERS

"Every One Of Us Is Poor and Powerless. And Yet Together, We Can Overthrow An Empire..."

Okay guys, I'm sorry. After disbanding all hope of resurrection in my review of last week's Season Six premiere, it was only just that this week Game of Thrones succeeded in pulling off one of the least-shocking shocks in the history of the show. That's right guys, Lord Snow is back, and hopefully, with a full-blooded vengeance, one that has the chance to change the course of the show's branch into nothingness by sieging a full-on war against the roots of evil across Westeros with the magically restored bastard of Winterfell helming the charge. After months of fans hibernating into the reclusive nature of a depressive with the loss of their curly haired beefcake, surely now is the beginning of redemption, a reincarnation of hope that after six seasons, Westeros can finally change for the better. Speaking of evil, what on earth is wrong with the Westerosian psycho that is Ramsey Bolton? I mean it's bad enough stabbing your own father in the heart, but letting the dogs lose on your mother-in-law and newly born brother? Another level dude, another level. Now I know that Roose Bolton was not exactly Mother Theresa, but to be killed off like that? Some would say karma, I say butchery.

Adding to the violence count this week was our first real glimpse of the newly zombified Mountain, dead-bodyguard to the illustrious Cersei, who took offence at the ramblings of a drunkard and swiftly bashed his head in rather too easily for any living being. Be scared. Being cut from the payroll too this week was Balon Greyjoy whose long lost brother tempted him to strike out and in return become fish food after falling off the least stable connecting bridge I've seen since Harrison Ford tried to escape the child capturers in Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom. I mean seriously guys, where did brother Greyjoy come from? Another example of a character popping up without prior warning and then doing something in order to look bad-ass. Strange. Elsewhere, Tyrion this week found out that sometimes childhood ambitions aren't always the safest things to live out, with his confrontation with Dany's dragons seemingly scaring the life out him, resulting in the episode's funniest quip. Obviously Jon Snow's resurrection will take the headlines with his return resulting in a superb episode, one that hopefully will shake the foundation of the show to its' core. 

Overall Score: 9/10 

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Season Six Episode One "The Red Woman" SPOILERS

"Weak Men Will Never Rule Dorne Again..."

Ah Game of Thrones my old friend, how nice it is to finally see you after all this time. It's been way too long indeed, and throughout the vast black hole of nothing since we witnessed the death of Lord Commander Jon Snow, there have been laughs-a-plenty at the ways in which people have created nonsensical and completely ludicrous solutions to keeping our beloved Jon alive. Face it people, he's most certainly dead and we don't need the latest Daily Mail shot of Kit Harrington's hair-do to tell us differently. Maybe he just likes it greasy and curly? Completely disregarding and albeit ending any belief for fans of the show, the show-runners thought best to show how dead Lord Snow really was throughout the entirety of "The Red Woman", the most lackadaisical Game of Thrones premiere I can remember without much really happening at all. Sure, some port got set on fire in Meereen and Daenerys was forced to live out her days as a hermit in some godforsaken Dothraki hole but on the whole, the juicy stuff was left with the dead in the Nights Watch. It's okay Jon Snow, it could be much worse.

Speaking of worse, kudos to Maisie Williams for pulling off best-blindness of the year so far on TV, beating Matt Murdock in Netflix's Daredevil to the punch, with her life continuously going downhill ranging from blind begging on a road to getting the crap knocked out of her by that girl from 2014's Doctor Who Christmas Special. Poor Arya, hopefully things will get better, and the same goes for some of the story-lines, I mean come on, who cares about Dorne really? Aside from some decent bloodshed and a spike through the face, that particular storyline is to be fair, rather meh. Adding the fantasy element was both the sheer wonder of Sansa being saved by Brienne in the middle of nowhere as well as the show going full on The Shining, with the Red Woman looking deep into the Dorian Gray-esque mirror and revealing her true self. If that scene alone doesn't give you the creeps, then nothing will. Game of Thrones is back people and that itself is something to applaud. Filler and no killer makes the first episode of the latest venture into Westeros something of a solid, rather than a spectacle, but the return of our favourite psychopathic killers is enough to keep the appetite wet.

Overall Score: 8/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Series 5 Episode Ten "Mother's Mercy" SPOILER ALERT

Long Live the King...

After ten glorious weeks of Game of Thrones, Season Five has now come to an end, and what an end it has left us with. The death of one of the programmes most beloved and sacred characters will inevitably produce shock-waves across the fandom whilst those conniving book-readers who knew such a fate was set to occur can laugh at us whilst our emotions completely pour out in front of them. Although there was also a sense of inevitably around the death of Jon Snow, the one shining bright light in the terrible realm of Westeros, his death was still incredibly hard to witness, topped off by young Olly, the killer of Snow's lover Ygritte, landing the final blow. Of course, this is Game of Thrones, and not everything is always as it seems, particularly when you take the timely arrival of Melisandre into account who finally realised Stannis was not the King she and her Lord of Light had been looking for and instead, had maybe come to the realisation that Jon was that person all along. 

Whatever it means, the "death" of Jon Snow topped off a fantastic episode which carried all the elements of what makes Game of Thrones tick in a season which suffered from a range of difficulties amidst some exciting and memorable plot-lines that ultimately will lead into another exciting season next year. 

Aside from the death of Jon Snow, we also said goodbye to Selyse Baratheon who decided to hang herself after causing the death of her only child, whilst Myranda was murdered by the hand of Reek, who finally began to redeem himself in the eyes of Sansa who was subsequently aided in her escape from Ramsey and the Bolton's. Although lost and defeated in the snow-ridden lands of Winterfell, Stannis's supposed sentence to death from Brienne was not captured on-screen, meaning he could well have been saved, yet such a scenario is very unlikely with Brienne's vengeful nature for the death of Renly obviously engulfing her, so much so that she missed Sansa's call for aid. The rushing of the battle at Winterfell made the death of Stannis rather anti-climatic in all honesty, and although there was a lot the show-runners had to get through in a short space of time, I felt the episode could have handled that particular scene much, much better. 

One scene that was handled terrifically well however was Cersei's atonement in which she was forcefully made to walk stark naked through the streets of Kings' Landing after committing her crimes to the High Sparrow. Although Cersei has been the evil Queen of Westeros since the beginning of the show, her bloodied feet and pained expression brought about the smallest amount of sympathy from me for her, whilst reinforcing Lena Headey's sheer dedication to the role of one of Game of Thrones' most hated, yet brilliantly thought out characters in the whole of the Seven Kingdoms. Elsewhere, the poisoning of Myrcella by the ever-vengeful Ellaria was rather predictable, whilst the return of the Dothraki left Daenerys in a rather ambiguous turn of events which left Tyrion, who was finally reunited with Varys, in charge of Meereen. Braavos once again was the platform for weird, eerie scene of the week with Arya finally getting her revenge against Meryn Trant whilst ever-further being trained by the masterful ways of Jaqen H'Gar who warned her against the use of a new face on someone that is "no-one", resulting in Arya seemingly going blind. 

Overall, Season Five of Game of Thrones has suffered at times from dragging its' heels into the land of boredom whilst also offering scenes of sheer excitement and tension, particularly in the second half of the season with the battle at Hardhome and Daenerys' dragon rescue in the previous episode being the highlights that first come to mind. The death of some major characters this season will inevitably have repercussions heading into the next season, as it always does, whilst the fact that the TV series has finally overtaken the books and heading into the unknown makes the future of Game of  Thrones an exciting proposition to say the least. Until next year, Game of Thrones. 

Overall Episode Score: 9/10  

Overall Season Score: 8/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Series 5 Episode Nine "The Dance Of Dragons" SPOILER ALERT

Dungeons and Dragons

The curse that has befallen on the ninth episode of any Game of Thrones series has led to it having more expectation and hype than any other around it, even its successor, the season finale, which tends to deal with the aftermath  of events that happen in the previous episode, a strange, if brilliant, way of managing a TV show. With the excellent quarter of an hour that concluded "Hardhome", episode nine was bound to pick straight up from where we left off, and boy does it. In fact, "The Dance of Dragons" is hands down the most bloody, most intense, and simply the best episode of Season Five, with a final act that concocted a mixture of emotions beginning with sheer horror and concluded with tears of joy as I beheld the sheer awesomeness that was occurring on-screen. Game of Thrones, you've outdone yourself once again. 

Before that final act is dissected and discussed, one of the most disturbing deaths in the entire Game of Thrones history must be recognised, with Stannis giving in to the wishes of Melisandre and handing over the life of daughter Shireen to the Lord of Light via a The Wicker Man-esque death by fire in order to gain a supposed military advantage in the fight against the Bolton's at Winterfell. As soon as Stannis gave that heart-felt speech about saving Shireen's life right back at the beginning of Season Five, something was bound to happen, particularly when Melisandre first asked for such a sacrifice and although at first, refusal was the clear option for Stannis, Ramsey's attack on their food and supplies forced him into a decision that was indeed sinister, but in the long run, may be necessary. Don't get me wrong, the death was incredibly horrific with kudos to Kerry Ingram whose final screams made the scene both ear-splitting and difficult to watch, but may also be the turning point for Stannis and co in their battle to obtain the Iron Throne. Unless Davos returns and kills him first, which would be justified to say the least. 

Elsewhere, Jon Snow returned to Castle Black after the battle at Hardhome with the wildlings, much to the disgust of pretty much everyone there, whilst Jamie and Bronn were released from captivity in Dorne, much to the horror of Ellaria Sand who was forced to yield to the wishes of her King. Although it has been great to finally see the surroundings of Dorne this season, it feels like that particular storyline has been one of the weakest with not much actually occurring when you think about it. But hey, we still have one more episode to go don't we? Weird scene of the week went to Braavos where Meryn Trant highlighted his desire for seemingly underage girls, all while Arya was plotting her revenge against him, a scene which most definitely will occur next week. Bring it. 

And now, that final scene. Wow. If Gladiator-esque battle scenes weren't enough for you, then how about a massacre, redemption, and a flippin' dragon? At first, I can safely say I was rather confused when Jorah decided to launch that blade in the direction of Daenerys, but to see it strike a member of the Sons of the Harpy, my expression was swiftly changed from confusion to, "oh s**t" with Dany and co, including Tyrion, being massively outnumbered by the murdering onslaught bearing down on them. Amidst all the madness however, we said goodbye to Hizdahr , and welcomed back Jorah into the land of the friend-zone, with Dany seemingly finally accepting his apology in a time when she definitely needed it most. As soon as Dany and co were surrounded however, it was inevitable Drogon was set to appear in proper Hollywood fashion, and that he did, spraying fire as he majestically flew down and air-lifted Daenerys to safety. And then, it was over. And breathe. Although "The Dance of Dragons" may not have lived up to the mouth-gasping efforts of previous episode nine entries such as "The Red Wedding" and "Baelor", it was a masterpiece in its' own right, with intense action sequences, heart-wrenching deaths, and dragons. What more do you need? 

Overall Score: 10/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Series 5 Episode Eight "Hardhome" SPOILER ALERT

Fight of the Living Dead

Oh yeah, that was the episode everyone has been waiting for. After weeks of not much going down aside from the soap-esque drama that we all have come to know and love in the land of Westeros, we were finally treated to one of Game of Thrones' greatest and freakiest battle scenes ever in the history of the show so far. A battle between the living and the dead was always set to appear in the imminent future of GOT but I hardly expected it to come so soon or in such brilliant fashion, with the white walkers/zombified dead being both terribly frightening and relentless in their desire to kill everything that stood in their way, even Jon Snow. It comes to light how unforgiving a show GOT has become when every fight scene with the top-billed characters always carries a sense of unease with it, something of which I feel can not be attributed to any other show currently on television. If films like Lord of the Rings and most recently Interstellar are examples of the cinematic experience being pushed to the limits of what can be accomplished, then GOT is definitely the prime blueprint of what a show designated for a role on the television can become with its' acting, sound, cinematography and effects all being pushed to the realm of excellency in the last twenty or so minutes in this latest episode of one of TV's greatest ever programmes. 

Aside from the battle of Hardhome, fans were finally treated to the forging of Lannister and Targaryen when the first official meeting between Tyrion and Daenerys took place in Meereen, with the latter accepting the former's opportunity to provide her with aid during her rule as Queen, whilst we finally put the "break the wheel" speech seen in the trailers to context when Tyrion argued there was no true aid for Daenarys across the Narrow Sea. In Winterfell, preparations were beginning from House Bolton for Stannis's inevitable invasion of the North which I suspect will be the basis of next week's episode, whilst Reek finally let Sansa know that both Rickon and Bran were very much alive after admitting to killing two others during his taking of Winterfell back in Season Two. Finally. In other news, suffering continued for Cersei during her stay in one of those lovely looking (not) cells whilst Arya continued her training in Braavos. With storylines intertwining and impending battles gaining pace, the next two episodes of Game of Thrones are set to be as epic, if not more, than this week's offering. Bring it. 

Overall Score: 9/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Series 5 Episode Seven "The Gift" SPOILER ALERT

In The Light of the Seven

Yes! After weeks, actually, years of Cersei Lannister playing it calm and collective as Queen/Queen Regent, regardless of her crimes, it seems her penance has finally caught up with her thanks to the dynamic duos of Littlefinger/Olenna and High Sparrow/Lancel Lannister. It was interesting to wonder to what extent High Sparrow was under Cersei's thumb throughout the past few episodes and whether he had just become another avenue to exploit further power and influence on Cersei's behalf, but oh how wrong that proved to be, with Cersei's plan completely backfiring and ending up in a rotting, stinking cell herself after Lancel who, probably after a little push from Littlefinger, confessed all crimes of incest et.al, in order to royally screw over his beloved aunt. And how we all rejoiced. Top marks go to Jonathan Pryce and Diana Rigg who aside from both getting nostalgia points due to their influence in the Bond universe, fully engage themselves in their characters, making their scene together about old age and weakening limbs a marvelous wonder to behold. 

Only a short review this week I am afraid, so I may have to cut to the chase in regards to some of the storylines such as goings on at the Wall, where Jon Snow rode off in support of the Wildlings, a decision that inevitably did not go down too well with the remaining brothers who seemed to immediately turn their attention to inflicting harm on poor old Sam who although nearly ended up getting beaten to death when protecting Gilly, was rewarded with some after-hours pastimes, something of which he seemed to rather enjoy. Iconic death of the episode went to Maestor Aemon, a figure who single-handedly has withstood four and a half whole seasons of GOT, a high accolade in itself. Elsewhere, Stannis and Davos argued about the snow and the forthcoming war with the Bolton's at Winterfell, whilst Melisande asked for the blood of Shireen to ensure victory in the wars ahead, something of which was not taken too lightly by her father, understandably. Ramsey continued to act in a Joffrey-esque, psycho manner towards Sansa, who although attempted to alert Brienne and Pod to her continued danger, ultimately failed, and was rewarded with the sight of another flayed Stark supporter. Eugh. Please stop.

Comical moment of the week went to Dorne and the captivating scene in which Bronn was too easily seduced by Tyene Sand and her umm neckline, whilst Tyrion finally introduced himself to Daenerys after Jorah was once again rejected and left in the friend-zone, even after declaring himself champion in the fighting pits. So all in all, another pretty solid and interesting week of developments in the land of Westeros, THREE EPISODES LEFT. And they are bound to get tasty. 

Overall Score: 8/10 

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Series 5 Episode Six "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" SPOILER ALERT

The Dread Wedding

Well, that ending was pretty terrible. After weeks of Sansa being built up as the new heroine figure of the Game of Thrones saga, such a notion can only be regarded as "on hold" after another controversial scene which must have made even the strong-willed of GOT fans feel a little uneasy. Much like the Cersei/Jamie situation last season, the final scene of "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is set to breed headlines in the next few weeks or so, or maybe until Sansa (hopefully) gets her own back and violently stabs Ramsey in the eye or something. We're a nice lot aren't we? Game of Thrones has never shied away from the subject of rape or other sexual violence but to see Sansa, who already has witnessed more tragedy than everyone put together in the Seven Kingdoms, be the newest victim of such was a hard sight to see. We hate you Game of Thrones. We flippin' hate you.

Aside from the worst eloping ceremony since the Red Wedding, Jamie and Bronn failed spectacularly in their attempts to steal back Myrcella, who under the watchful gaze of soon-to-be-hubby Trystane Martell was faced with the two hunting parties of Uncle/Father and the Sand Snakes, each with their different reasons for taking her away from the wonders of Dorne, which once again was given much too little screen-time to fully engage in its' supposed beauty. There was however much more screen-time for Arya at Braavos, who after weeks of cleaning the dead was given the opportunity to witness what was in the crypts below, something of which could only be classed as "eerie", a word which perfectly suits the entire Arya storyline so far with their being not much to go on but enough to constantly ask, "what they heck was that?" 

The soap that is King's Landing continued to blossom, with this week's drama being based around the infidelity of the Tyrell's, particularly Ser Loras who was royally screwed over by ex-lover Olyvar in his testimony. of which, subsequently resulted in Margaery herself being put on trial. All we needed was the EastEnders drum roll and I would have been sold. Thumbs up too for the return of Olenna and Diana Rigg who always seems to have the knack of having the greatest comical lines in the entire history of Game of Thrones. Popping up for the day too was Littlefinger who once again threw his allegiances into the land of ambiguity by proclaiming his loyalty to the throne, which to Cersei meant the Lannister's but to everyone else meant whoever suited Littlefinger best. It is constantly amusing how the entire backlog of story within Game of Thrones has pretty much been orchestrated by Littlefinger himself making him not only the slickest person in Westeros, but the luckiest to be alive. 

With Jorah now infested with the horror that is dragonscale, it was no surprise really to see him go along with Tyrion's escape route from recent capture by the slavers which will see him enter the fighting pits in the coming weeks, something of which I am very much looking forward to. Tear-jerk moment of the week too was the scene where Jorah was made aware of his late father's death by Tyrion, and with Jorah seemingly not having much time left himself, it seems Bear Island is set to lose two of its' most famous home-grown talents, unless Jorah bumps into the same medic that saved Shireen Baratheon. I can only hope so. In conclusion therefore, Game of Thrones served up yet another controversial episode which is bound to see repercussions in the coming weeks, both in Westeros itself and the forces that be within the World's media. With just four weeks to go, it is fair to say that viewers should start sitting even more comfortably. Stuff is gonna go down. 

Overall Score: 8/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Series 5 Episode Five "Kill the Boy" SPOILER ALERT

A Game of Stones

Now that we are officially at the half-way stage of the latest Game of Thrones season, it is blindingly obvious that these first few episodes are essentially buildup to the chaos and carnage that is likely to occur during the next five weeks or so, something of which that although was the blueprint for most of the earlier seasons, seems rather unsubstantial in comparison to Season Four which had constant edge-of-your-seat storytelling throughout its' ten episode run. I may be being slightly harsh on GOT as Season Five was never going to live up its' predecessor, but once again I am left with the overall impression of, "solid, but not spectacular," when it comes to "Kill the Boy", and unless the series propels itself into another level ASAP, I fear that will be the feeling of the season overall. Enough of all the negativity anyhow as Game of Thrones is still miles better than anything on TV at this very moment in time, with this week's offering including all the standard tropes of what's expected in a GOT episode such as dragons, nudity, and death. GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!

It would be expected of an episode that primarily focuses its' time on proceedings in the North to be rather bland, particularly with the strangeness of Arya's storyline and the soap-esque drama of King's Landing being totally excluded when it was beginning to get rather tasty, but "Kill the Boy" manages to still effectively grasp the viewers' attention, particularly when it came to the tense atmosphere at dinner when Reek was forced to apologise to Sansa regarding the "death" of her two brothers by Ramsey who was swiftly knocked down a peg by the welcoming of a potential new, fully-blooded Bolton into the family, something of which was not taken lightly. Aside from the Bolton's, Stannis finally set sail into Winterfell, where. depending on how long it takes to get there in the episodic time-scale, the much spoke about retaking of the North is likely to occur within the next few weeks or so, something of which is a juicy prospect to say the least. 

At the Wall, Jon Snow was told to become a man and stick by his decisions, regardless of what his comrades in the Night's Watch thought of him, even when that decision was to try and save the Wildlings, something of which I think everyone disagreed with, including myself. You are going a bit soft in the head there Snow, watch yourself laddy. Aside from the North, Daenerys unleashed her anger from the death of Ser Barristan on the heads of the great families of Meereen, including zo Loraq, who must have been shell-shocked from being in front of dragons one day and then being asked to a hand in marriage to their mother the next. Oh yeah, and the fighting pits are back open. Finally. Spooky scene of the week went to Tryion and Jorah, who after deciding to sail through the desolate lands of Valryia, were attacked from the greyscale ridden stone-men, ending in Jorah being touched and thus ridden with the disease himself. Poor Jorah, nothing ever goes right for him. 

So like I said at the start, "Kill the Boy", is yet another solid, if unspectacular episode of Game of Thrones, featuring plenty of buildup for the episodes that lie ahead, whilst focusing on events occurring primarily in the North which is proving to be the most interesting place to be right now, unless you are Reek. Poor Reek. Now that we are half way through Season Five, it is fair to say things can only get better. Bring it. 

Overall Score: 7/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Series 5 Episode Four "Sons of the Harpy" SPOILER ALERT

Dorne of the Dead

This weeks' Game of Thrones episode was in serious danger of being the most lacklustre of the bunch so far this season, with a lot of exposition and plot threads being ironed out further without the pay-off of an awe-inspiring or shock-inducing scene to remember it by. That was until the last few minutes of "The Sons of the Harpy", where the titular brand of murderous, power hungry psycho's came up against the white-bearded figure of Barristan Selmy, who adhered to the notion of what happens when you mess with the esteemed elder clan of fighters in fictional universes (Saruman in TH:TBOTFA for example) and swiftly kicked ass, albeit after suffering some serious looking wounds. Oh how I would have moaned to HBO on Twitter if that last Harpy guy had executed him in the now-assigned Son of the Harpy death by neck-slice, but thankfully, good-old Grey Worm was there to prevent such Twitter rant from ever happening. Well done. I begin this week's review with the last scene of this week's episode not only because it is the one still fresh in the memory, but the execution (excuse the pun) of such, where you seemingly felt every sword clash, every dagger insertion as well as deep shock at the thought of losing one of the coolest, down-to-earth people in Westeros; Barristan Selmy himself, who although is one of the many background characters within the Game of Thrones universe, gracefully came into his own this week, showing the audience how being at the wrong end of the age spectrum doesn't prevent you from beating down a bunch of dagger-waving loonies. 

In less interesting developments. the Sandsnakes were finally introduced to us in Dorne-wall (Get it, Dorne-wall? As in Cornwall? Sorry) during a scene which although took two episodes to get to, looks like it did take place directly after Ellaria's unsuccessful attempt in persuading the Dornish King to head to war with the Lannister's in King's Landing. Elsewhere in Dorne, Jamie and Bronn made the worst attempt in trying to subtlety invade and take back Myrcella by deciding to hack to death four patrolling Dornish guards, but on the upside, Jamie finally put to use his prosthetic limb in a combat situation, something of which was quite pleasant to witness, much like the continued banter-esque discussions between himself and Bronn which this week focused on the best way to die, like you do. On the subject of banter, Cersie plotted revenge against Margaery Tyrell's digs last week by enlisting the High Sparrow to carve out justice in the capital, particularly to those who had sins of a rather sexual nature, including Ser Loras, who was captured, much to the distaste of Margaery who seemingly lost her cool when addressing the King, temporarily abstaining from her daily acting routine of being everything the King wants in order to get everything that she wants. Top marks for Margaery too for doing what everyone does when they are in a spot of bother; call Mum. 

If the last few weeks have highlighted the sheer cold-hearted nature of Stannis at Castle Black, then this weeks' episode presented a much user-friendly side to him, evidenced during his speech to daughter Shireen, who when questioned if she was an embarrassment to her father, was made tear-inducing reassured that she was still a vital part of the Baratheon family, even if her mother seemingly felt ashamed to call her her one and only offspring. Elsewhere at the Wall, Jon was presented with an opportunity to combine the power of both man and woman by Melisandre which he swiftly refused, highlighting the love for Ygritte as the reason for such. Shout out to Melisandre for obviously being a Jon Snow fangirl by uttering the esteemed Kit Harrington welcome words of, "you know nothing, Jon Snow." He must be sick to death of that by now. No Arya this week, but the other Stark sister, now in Winterfell, was made aware of Littlefinger's plan of attack against both Bolton and Lannister strangleholds of power, something of which sounds good on paper, but is going to take some work to come into practice. One can only hope. 

So another week, another solid Game of Thrones episode, but solid is starting to become quite repetitive in an abstract kind of way, where although GOT is clearly the best thing on the box at this particular moment in time, the series doesn't seem to have the intrigue of those before it. Of course, I may have to eat my own words in the next coming weeks, and for once, I am kind of hoping I have to. Stay strong Game of Thrones. 

Overall Score: 8/10

TV Review: Game of Thrones - Series 5 Episode Three "High Sparrow" SPOILER ALERT

Keep Your Friends Close...

 When it comes to weddings, Game of Thrones has a serious knack of putting everyone in the Seven Kingdoms in a serious case of cold feet, with the traditional wonder of marriage now being associated with death, betrayal, and "Look, the pie!". In this weeks' offering however, the ceremonial bonding of  Tyrell and Lannister went without such tragedy (or relief in Joffrey's case) and instead finished with Tommen and Margaery getting it on, something of which was quite an odd thing to comprehend (I mean, what's the age difference?). Aside from Margaery finally becoming Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, her short term in power seems to have gone quickly to the forefront of her mind, abruptly teasing Cersei Lannister about the loss of her title as Queen Regent, whilst making her aware of her sons's newly found sexual prowess. Weird. King's Landing seems to be the place to be at the moment for the soap-like action on Game of Thrones, with Margaery loving life as the new Queen Bee, along with her rather obvious stranglehold over her newly acquired husband, whilst Cersei feels the pressure of a loss of control not only over King's Landing, but her family too. Good to see Jonathan Pryce turn up too as the titular High Sparrow, as the A-List cast on GOT continues to grow. 

Up in the North, Sansa seemed less pleased when offered the chance to marry full-on loony tune Ramsey Bolton, adopted son of traitor Roose, famous for being one of the key instigators behind the Red Wedding, something of which Sansa, and seemingly the rest of the North have kept in mind, yet with Littlefinger at her side all the way, revenge seems to be the key motive in this arrangement. Maybe we shall witness a wedding massacre we can be on the side of this time (I sound crazy). Good to see a flayed man/woman too. Always good to see those. Not. Before his re-appearance, I completely forgot about poor old Reek, who although seems to be completely broken and lost, still hid at the sight of Sansa at Moat Cailin. Was such reluctance to greet his long-lost sister (ish) born out of fear or out of embarrassment? I'm sure we shall see in the near future. Keeping a watchful eye on proceedings in the North was Brienne and Pod, with the latter being given the chance to fight like a Knight via the help of Brienne, who reminisced the first time she met Renly whilst outlining her cause for revenge against Stannis for the death of her long-lost King. 

On the subject of Stannis, the Wall once again proved to be the highlight of the show, where not only did Jon seemingly go easy on Ser Alliser by making him first ranger, but simultaneously became ultimate badass when lopping off Janos Slynt's head despite his last-ditch attempt to cry mercy. Although Jon refused Stannis's offer to become Jon of House Stark, it was made clear by Davos that although on the outside, the one true King is as cold as a December morning in Fraser, Colorado, the admiration for Jon still remains, albeit in the same way it was for Ned (RIP, Mr. Bean) proving to be both a compliment and warning at the same time. In Volantis, Tyrion is still seemingly on the longest holiday trip ever whilst STILL being hounded by Varys about the potential threats upon leaving their most cosy of people carriers. Such advice probably should have been adhered to a bit longer however when Tyrion is captured by friend-zone himself, Jorah Mormont, who obviously hopes to get back in Daenerys' good-books by supplying his new friend to the Queen. It might actually get Tyrion to Daenerys quicker however so I am all for a good kidnapping. Shout out too to the Dragon Queen prostitute. I bet she is making a killing. 

Finally, Arya continued to be slowly but surely tutored by the hands of Jaqen H'ghar, who forced her to dispose of all belongings attributed to Arya Stark, including Needle, who was the subject of tear-moment of the episode. It shows how deep the characterisation is in GOT when you end up weeping at a flippin' sword. So all in all, another solid episode which continues to enhance the storylines of all the key people in the Seven Kingdoms, even without a slight appearance from Daenerys. I'm still waiting for something to happen in Tyrion's storyline but his recent kidnapping should bring that to fruition in the coming weeks. Good to see you again Jorah. 

Overall Score: 8/10