Came to 'Game of Thrones' fairly late in the game and due to being so busy the binge-watching was gradual. Have found myself truly loving the show, very quickly becoming one of my favourites. It totally lives up to the hype and not only does it do the brilliant source material justice (a rarity in television) it is on its own merits one of the finest, most addictive and consistently compelling shows in recent years and quality-wise it puts a lot of films in recent years to shame.
There is less of a still settling feel here in "High Sparrow" than there was in particular the Season 5 opener "The Wars to Come", as far as previous episodes of the season go, which is a good thing. By all means, it doesn't fully explode, it is not the most action packed or pace-wise exciting of episodes and in comparison to other episodes not a lot feels like it's progressing forward.
"High Sparrow" nonetheless scores very highly in making the characters interesting, the very adept handling of weaving all the different subplots together and introducing new characters and events promisingly set up. The standouts here are the High Sparrow introduction and the whole storyline with Jon, which has a lot of tense unpredictability.
All the acting is strong, 'Game of Thrones' always delivers when it comes to the acting. Maisie Williams, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harrington in particular.
Visually, "High Sparrow" looks amazing, as one would expect for 'Game of Thrones'. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.
One cannot talk about "High Sparrow" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions. The story is still riveting, with plenty of passion and sensitivity.
To sum up, a very good high flying episode indeed but not a 'Game of Thrones' favourite. 8/10 Bethany Cox