When I started watching The Walking Dead, I was very happy. It was perfect: mystery, tension, fear, uncertain fate for the main characters, violence and zombies, tons of zombies. The first two seasons were everything a TV show should be, a plot that was pure entertainment. Then, slowly but inexorably, events stopped happening, the tension was confined in the last few minutes of every episode just to make us junkie come back the next week, the plot was less and less important and even the zombies were not around anymore. The drop in quality was very subtle, nobody really noticed it, but eventually more and more viewers were just falling asleep at every given episode. I always wondered if it was me or the show that changed, TWD is the first TV series that I have abandoned and proved me that there is nothing bad with that.
All of that to say that if GoT season 5 was disappointing for me under many aspects, the just-finished season 6 not only confirmed the trend, but also added several annoying new features. Like in the other review, a disclaimer before continue: I know, the books are different, I know, the books are better, I don't care, books are always better because they obey to different rules.
This season managed to pass from episodes where nothing was happening, literally wasting screen time with irrelevant facts and shorter episodes, to compressed, unnatural, developments. The plot was always without any tension, the viewer knew at any given moment what was going to happen next.
I have to give credit for a few great scenes, but I feel something is lost, the situations are not built as in the past. The show rushed from one side of Westeros to the other, trying to show us what was happening to everyone. The only problem is that, most of the times, nothing was happening. What is the purpose of showing us Dorne if none of them will ever play a role again? Why do we have to hear 5 identical speeches from Danaerys? Why showing us Margaery plotting something if after all she just drew a rose on a piece of paper? And most of all, do we really need to see the damn High Sparrow in every episode? He doesn't say anything interesting and, for those that think that his dialogues are cool, remember Littlefinger and Varys, there is where I set the bar.
Even when they do things well, everything looks sloppier. The death of Hodor was an emotionally devastating moment, perfectly presented, like the good old days of the Red Wedding. D&D just decided to completely leave that story line for 5 episodes (half of the season), until in like 3 minutes they foreshadowed the destruction of the Wall (no deaths until the Wall stands) and revealed the most anticipated revelation ever. Come on, I live under a rock and I knew the origin of Jon Snow.
The battle of the bastards is a masterpiece, probably the best shot battle of the series, miles and miles ahead of anything else seen in this genre. However, besides the technical perfection, it starts with Rickon's death (and nobody gives two shits about him, we barely seen him, he did nothing, he tried to do nothing, he is even more irrelevant than Tommen), it continues with an emphatic charge of Jon (and we all know that nothing bad is going to happen him) and when everything is going bad again Littlefinger saves the day (as we all knew).
Everything Arya does is super cool, but they show her only a few minutes every now and then. Eventually they tried to build up a tension on her fate, with a cliffhanger of her wounded at the end of one episode. The result was bad, because when you waste time in stupid cock jokes, then you have to rush the events. So not only everyone knew that Arya was going to survive (because otherwise what's the point of living in the first place) but also seeing her succeed was unrealistic and, generically, flat. Like a low-quality blockbuster movie.
I have to give credit for a few great scenes, but I feel something is lost, the situations are not built as in the past. The show rushed from one side of Westeros to the other, trying to show us what was happening to everyone. The only problem is that, most of the times, nothing was happening. What is the purpose of showing us Dorne if none of them will ever play a role again? Why do we have to hear 5 identical speeches from Danaerys? Why showing us Margaery plotting something if after all she just drew a rose on a piece of paper? And most of all, do we really need to see the damn High Sparrow in every episode? He doesn't say anything interesting and, for those that think that his dialogues are cool, remember Littlefinger and Varys, there is where I set the bar.
Even when they do things well, everything looks sloppier. The death of Hodor was an emotionally devastating moment, perfectly presented, like the good old days of the Red Wedding. D&D just decided to completely leave that story line for 5 episodes (half of the season), until in like 3 minutes they foreshadowed the destruction of the Wall (no deaths until the Wall stands) and revealed the most anticipated revelation ever. Come on, I live under a rock and I knew the origin of Jon Snow.
The battle of the bastards is a masterpiece, probably the best shot battle of the series, miles and miles ahead of anything else seen in this genre. However, besides the technical perfection, it starts with Rickon's death (and nobody gives two shits about him, we barely seen him, he did nothing, he tried to do nothing, he is even more irrelevant than Tommen), it continues with an emphatic charge of Jon (and we all know that nothing bad is going to happen him) and when everything is going bad again Littlefinger saves the day (as we all knew).
Everything Arya does is super cool, but they show her only a few minutes every now and then. Eventually they tried to build up a tension on her fate, with a cliffhanger of her wounded at the end of one episode. The result was bad, because when you waste time in stupid cock jokes, then you have to rush the events. So not only everyone knew that Arya was going to survive (because otherwise what's the point of living in the first place) but also seeing her succeed was unrealistic and, generically, flat. Like a low-quality blockbuster movie.
It is sad that many good characters were simply left behind. Littlefinger was one of the most promising one, his schemes, his political skill and his ambition were presented dialogue after dialogue, one fake smile after the other. His dark deepness was a driving force of the show (literally, since almost everything is happening because of him), so having him on screen for few minutes only when the plot demands it and with no explanation is a pity. If you then consider that his screen time is stolen by the most boring king in history of kings, manipulated by his wife (and we were left hanging for 4 episodes in that case too, I have almost forgot her existence, and guess what? nothing happened, she had no plan) and by the pointless religious fanatic, you start realizing that this show went down the hill too much.
Every evidence is showing that, although still enjoyable from time to time, the show is getting worse and worse at every new season. I can understand that for budget reasons you can be cheaper in some scene, but the poor writing and the bad choices are inexcusable. The more I think about it, the more I'm afraid to admit that even the good episodes (like episode 9 and 10) are looking that way only because they let us starve, gasping for a good quality show, in the previous 3/4 weeks. Because let's face it, this season wasted almost 4 episodes in silly stuff and religious bullshit. And this, my friend, is The Walking Dead effect, lower the general quality in order to make the ordinary sublime.
Therefore I was wondering: is it the case to let the show go? With every evidence pointing in the direction of a firm yes, it is also true that in the last good episode they got rid of the most annoying characters (basically everyone in King's Landing, the damn High Sparrow above all), that there is only one season left (but I fear the fact they will split it into two smaller seasons), and that I really want to see this winter everyone is talking about.
Before writing this post, I watched again the first seasons of The Walking Dead, to find out who changed, me or the show.
The show. Hands down.
TV writers are secretly organized to make us become addicted to their shows and then kill us with the filthy swipes of boredom.
When they will start to take over the world, remember: you read it here first. The future resistance, lead by Aaron Sorkin, has to know that they have to send a terminator back in time to save me, just in case.
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