I love the episodes that develop the characters further, but we haven't even had any of that this season. Jon Snow was killed and resurrected and has shown literally no change. The Northern houses have no idea he was killed yet they are receiving who they should believe is the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and not even questioning how or why he's been able to leave his post there to fight a war a man of the NW should have no part in, all with the North's most hated enemies the Wildlings. House Glover is sworn to the Boltons, he said even talking to Jon and Sansa could get him skinned, but he didn't think to take them hostage and deliver them to Ramsay which would've ended the battle before it began and made the Glovers the second most powerful house in the North, and technically it would've been the honorable thing to do given that to these Northern houses Jon is a deserter of the NW and a traitor to his people also since the Boltons helped the Glovers retake their castle.
Melisandre brought Jon back from the dead...and hasn't appeared since.
No one around Jon is making a big deal about the fact he's been resurrected, even though none of them have seen it before, they dont watch the show.
The Wildlings apparently think Jon is some type of god, a label he got by dying due to breaking 1000s of years of tradition and letting those very Wildlings cross the Wall. He also killed Qoran Halfhand, their most hated enemy. Put Mance out of his misery. Killed a major White Walker, yet he had to beg these same Wildlings to come fight for him. In the book even before he's been killed they are ready to ride out to Winterfell with him just off the strength of the Pink Letter.
Jaime's whole redemption arc has been destroyed since he started the season as Cersei's lapdog and threatened to catapult a kid over the walls of Riverrun.
Tyrion took a step back, even though that attack would've happened anyway and if anything Tyrion bought them enough time for Dany and the Dothraki to make it back by negotiating with them. But still no character development for anyone involved in Meereen--well we saw Missandei and Grey Worm have their first drink and first real laugh, still not satisfying.
Little Fingers been in 2 episodes. Varys has only been in a handful and done nothing of substance. Arya only learned the skills needed to kill someone she never would've encountered had she never gone to the FM in the first place. Sansa all of a sudden wants to play the game at the expense of her "brother" and literally only the 2nd person she can trust outside of Brienne.
King's Landing has taken a group of religious zealots who didn't exist as far as we knew prior to the High Sparrow's first appearance yet 2 episodes later had a firm grip on KL, something everyone in the show has been trying to accomplish since literally the very beginning. Now the High Sparrow is essentially the Pope of the Middle Ages, having even more power than Tommen and an entire city of followers--who by the way we've never been introduced to either. They missed a huge opportunity in never bringing in some low born characters in KL and developing them and showing how frustrated they were becoming which would explain the Sparrows quick ascension and would've been great to see.
Theon found his courage from half a glass of beer and a tough love pep talk.
Yara fukked the shyt out of a prostitute with no dikk.
Euron killed his brother, the king of the Iron Islands, admitted it, and then became king because he promised he's going to attempt to marry Dany. And told his subjects to build 1000 ships something I imagine they will have accomplished by episode 10.
The show is still very enjoyable just off of how visually pleasing it is, and the anticipation of wrapping up the whole build up of the first 4 seasons, but man have they dropped the ball.
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