Kill the Boy

The consolidation of the power of Daennerys. The alliance of Tormund. The survive against stone men and the blesssures of Mormont. And the meet of Sansa with Theon. Simple events, seductive for the great way to define the story. The axis - the love story between Missandei and Gray Worm. A well crafted embroidery of facts and inspired use of nuances - the expectation of Lady Brienne as basic proof.

Came to 'Game of Thrones' fairly late in the game and due to being so busy the binge-watching was gradual. Have found myself truly loving the show, very quickly becoming one of my favourites. It totally lives up to the hype and not only does it do the brilliant source material justice (a rarity in television) it is on its own merits one of the finest, most addictive and consistently compelling shows in recent years and quality-wise it puts a lot of films in recent years to shame.

Season 5 was a very well done one, but of the five seasons up to this point of 'Game of Thrones' it for me took the longest to completely settle. All the previous Season 5 episodes were very good to great, especially "Sons of the Harpy" (the biggest, boldest and most brutal), but it was that episode that felt the most settled. This is continued with the halfway point episode "Kill the Boy".

"Kill the Boy" is not as big, as bold, as violent, as surprising or as crisp, but it's far from dull and never less than interesting even with the slower pace and more intimate atmosphere. Do wish that the newer characters had more to do and that there was more to Sansa's character.

Having said that, there is a good amount of insightful character development still, compelling drama and very promising story progression, it actually does feel like things are moving forward.

'Game of Thrones' has never failed to deliver on the acting. "Kill the Boy" doesn't disappoint in that regard with strong performances across the board, old and new. There are no exceptions, even with the least interesting characters.

Visually, "Kill the Boy" looks amazing, as one would expect for 'Game of Thrones'. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.

One cannot talk about "Kill the Boy" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.

It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions. The story is still riveting, with plenty of passion and sensitivity.

To conclude, very good episode but 'Game of Thrones' have done better. 8/10 Bethany Cox

The focus begins with Dany, whose miscalculations and ego have caused great distress. She begins by trying to rule through fear. She brings in the city's family leaders. She feeds one of them to the dragons, a horror filled scene. We don't know at this point if the carnage will continue, or if she is making a point. At first it appears to be the former. Things change however. The most interesting story takes us back to Theon and Ramsey, the utter psychotic "possible" son. He is totally evil, embracing the fear of everyone. He is also a coward because he has only accomplished things through his being shielded by his power base. He abuses women and plays psychological games with Sansa. He knows that she is vulnerable. She has grown some and believes that Littlefinger will do something to help her, but we will see how much this trust is worth. The forces under John Snow and his people amass and head out to face the Boltons. In a nice hook, we have Jorah hoping to appease the Dragon Lady with Tyrion. Unfortunately, they are accosted by the people who have become savages because of greyscale. The concluding scene sets up an interesting road ahead.

With all due respect to George R.R. Martin, leeway with the books has made Game of Thrones Season 5 the most consequential yet, and "Kill the Boy" set yet another strong precedent.

Kill the Boy isn't as excellent as I hoped much like the previous episode, but it's still solid. Yes, the plot progression is still too slow and hasn't been advanced further and not to mention the new characters haven't been given anything to do. Despite those issues, however, everything still turned out fine.

The performances are still good, the script, despite how the slow the plot has been so far, is still well-written, the music score is still great, the scenery is still gorgeous, the sets and costumes are still nice, the directing is crisp, and the editing is smooth. So, overall, another solid episode in spite of it's slow pacing. :)