LogFAQs > #929979879

- Season 6 is comparable to Season 4 in terms of the the height of its highs and the lowness of its lows, but with fewer highs and many more lows. S6 moves the show clearly into cinematic territory, relying far more on direction than on writing (with the possible exception of one great scene with Jon). The best moments of S6 are mostly visual (though many of them make you feel things while asking that you turn your brain off): Jon executing four men by hanging in a single swing of his knife, Arthur Dayne versus six dudes including Ned Stark, Cersei blowing up the Sept of Baelor, Battle of the Bastards, Hold the Door, Dany exploiting being fireproof, Arya killing Walder Frey. But it's also got a lot of dumbness, starting with King's Landing becomes by far the least interesting setting of the show, a boringness that actually extends across the Narrow Sea and afflicts Tyrion as well, but there's also Arya's worst season to date. S6 weirdly has the shows single best episode in The Winds of Winter. It's evidence of the outsize weight that an incredibly memorable finale can have on the way you perceive a story.

- Season 7 is where you can no longer measure the show by its storylines plural. It's the most disjointed season, with the plot randomly deciding to pick up and slow down because that's where the pieces need to be. It's the first season where I had to justify the characters' decision based on the story's needs. The show anticipates lots of amazing battles, but aside from one phenomenal sequence as the dragons wreck the Lannister-Tarly coalition, we don't feast on those. Instead we focus on the bad plotting and declining dialogue and oh god that trip beyond the Wall just kill me. Highlights: Sam's shit-cleaning montage, graphic fiery violence, Euron's ridiculous naval battle. Lowlights: a fucking massively fortified Highgarden apparently just collapsing because "The Tyrells weren't very good militarily anyway" (read: they don't have any important main characters left), Tyrion trusting Cersei, Cleganebowl not happening yet, the wight plot X1000 as it's the pivotal event of the story.

- Season 8 does some things well, and I'll get to those eventually. The best structural advantage S8 has over any other season is that it follows two storylines. In fact, the best part of S8 is probably the brand new credit sequence, and maybe some of those sweet outfits. The worst part is basically everything else I've mentioned in the topic so far.

Summary:

Height of highs:

4 >= 6 >= 3 >= 2 >= 1 >= 5 >> 7 >>> 8

Consistency of highs:

3 > 2 >= 1 > 4 >= 6 >= 5 >> 7 > 8

Lowness of lows:

1 > 3 > 4 > 2 > 6 > 5 > 7 > 8

Frequency of lows:

3 > 1 > 4 > 2 > 7 > 6 > 5 > 8

Overall:

4 >= 3 >= 6 >= 1>= 2 >>>5 > 7 >>> 8
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yet all sailors of all sorts are more or less capricious and unreliable - they live in the varying outer weather, and they inhale its fickleness