Game of Thrones: Season Four Finale (*Warning: Spoilers*)

Well its now been over 24 hours since the season four finale of Game of Thrones premiered. There was a large amount of hype and anticipation for the 66 minute long finale, which took a large sum of the graphics and FX budget for the season. The episode also swiped 3 HBO Emmy submissions for writing, direction, and make-up.  Although writers and cast alike praised the episode saying that it was sure to not disappoint, I can't say that I was very blown away by it. Yes, the special effects were stunning, and the acting was perfect (as expected), but I feel like the episode was oddly paced and lacked explanation. There are so many loose ends that I was really hoping to be tied off this season. Where has Gendry, Osha, and Rickon been? Also the story lines of Jon Snow and Daenerys have become extremely stagnant. They have been my personal favorites since the beginning but they seem to be repeating the same type of problems and actions over and over again.
Granted there were some really great scenes. The Brienne/Hound fight scene, was really cool, though completely different from the books. With Arya refusing to trust Brienne and Podrick, and then just leaving the Hound shows that she truly did learn alot. Sandor took on the role as Arya's teacher of the world, much like Petyr is to Sansa, and both Stark girls have seemed to surpass their instructors. I was also intrigued by the Children of the Forrest scene, though I really have no idea what exactly is going on with that just yet. I really feel like they want Bran to take over in place of the Blood Raven. The only question for that is..... what does he do? It can't just be a guy sitting in a tree watching over the world right?
Overall I'd give season four an 8/10. There were some great character developments and the story as a whole has changed entirely. I would given it a perfect 10 if something was actually concluded besides the deaths of Joffery and Ygritte. The whole season was a domino set up, which will hopefully collapse in season five.
Theres alot more about this episode that I could talk about, but that's all for now. I'll do another post on my predictions and hopes for season five a little closer to the premiere, but since I'm reading the books I'l probably still post about GoT here there while it's on hiatus. Also, if any filming news comes out, I post about that as well.

Do you agree or disagree with me? Tell me what you thought about the season and what you hope happens by commenting or sending me a message on my Tumblr (modayne.tumblr.com).