Board Thread:TV Show Discussion/@comment-1600847-20150615133347/@comment-25371179-20150615151552

Everyone is so mad about Stannis' death... but I actually liked it. At first, I was thinking "wow, just like that... he's dead? No more Stannis? Come on, he deserved something epic." Looking back in hindsight though, it was truly an excellent death, especially for a man like Stannis. It's mostly book readers saying "he hasn't died in the books!", but if I recall correctly, the books and TV show are supposed to have the same ending, even if they go off in different plot directions. So I think book Stannis is doomed.

Not seeing the battle was a little disappointing, but you can't always get what you want. The showrunners had to play the cards they were dealt with; either we don't see the battle with the season 5 finale, or we end up having to wait a year to see it in season 6. They spent their budget with Dany riding Drogon and the massacre at Hardhome, which I think was worth every penny. Perhaps the build-up could have been toned down a few notches in previous episodes though.

The rest of the episode was great. Cersei's scene was handled excellently. The actress and even the double did an excellent job portraying her. No complaints there. The scene with Melisandre returning to Castle Black, being greeted by Jon Snow and Davos, was powerful. Myrcella's death was... very emotional. Jaime was able to enjoy 10 seconds of fatherhood, and just like that, his daughter is gone. I saw it coming though. I'm expecting Dornish battles next season. At least we'll get to see more of Dorne. I just hope Doran is able to make it through all of this. He's pretty much the last living lord (other than Dany) that I like.

Speaking of Dany, her scene was pretty good too. Dropping that ring was like her letting go of her past, but it was also smart. I have no idea how she will get out of this one though. I think something along the lines of, "DROGON JUST BURNS THE KHALASAR", would be a bit of a rush and a waste of what could have been a great storyline, so I hope it doesn't end like that.

Finally, Jon. The scene that made me the saddest. I saw it coming. But it still hit me the hardest. Seeing Benjen in the previews was a great way to trick the viewers. Olly even had me for a few seconds, but then I realized, it's freakin' Olly. You can tell it really hurt Jon though - well, I mean, not the knives, but the emotions. I don't think he's ever forgotten about his uncle Benjen, and has always prayed for his return. Alliser Thorne was pretty expected, then (only?) a couple of other members, but Olly in the end was just too much for me. I felt like falling on the floor and crying like a baby. Jon fell back, betrayed and murdered, in a pool of his own blood. Then suddenly... LIGHT! The snow seemed to brighten up. I was expecting something big to happen. It looks like they only did that though to show us the blood, so my hopes were crushed. Then I was expecting his eyes to go blank white, or perhaps Ghost to walk up to him... but nope. He just... died.

I won't get too much into speculation, but I am anticipating something "big" to happen in the next season or the one after that. COME ON, MELISANDRE AND SAMWELL!