I can't understand at all the bad comments read in IMDb. This is by far one of the best episodes of AGOT. As an avid reader of the ASOIAF books, I'm very pleased with the changes done. They resume quite well many of the story lines, compensate some POVS without action (Bran's POV is a path of wisdom and knowledge in the books), introduces bit of interaction among many main characters, and graduates the information, in a way that G.R.R. Martin doesn't (because of the length of the books and the time inverted in his writing). We are in the meridian of the series, and some pieces have to be put together. In filming, structure and balance are primal. The show can't be exactly as the original source, and the fidelity to this material must be restrained to the characters and the global story. The new material added to the Craster's Keep segment could very well be introduced in the books; and don't apart from them, except the fact that Sam didn't reveal the existence of Bran to Jon. All the sequences are wonderfully written. And Burn Gorman is great and terrifying as Karl, the leader of the traitors. The late sequence show us the White Walkers in a way the book only suggests (the tales of Old Nan and the comments of Craster's wives); it's wonderfully directed, plenty of mystery and fantasy. The controversial scenes of violence and raping are not worst than other moments of the show (some of the infamous soft-core sequences in 1x07 and 2x02) and are integrated in the argument (what do you think the mutineers were going to do with Craster's wives?). Those who hates the changes should watch again the second season of the show; faithful to the events of ACOK... and absolutely unfaithful to anything else, failing in continuous wrong decisions about the characters and the storyline. Please, let's review the TV show by itself: this is a great episode.
Review of Oathkeeper
