Game of Thrones begins....

[The Larch]

Just realized the meaning of the final scenes in the show:  there was no Night's Watch.  The story of Jon's exile to it was just to shut up Grey Worm.  Jon was exiled beyond the wall, but that's where he wanted to go anyway.

Which they could have done anyway, as once the Unsullied salied to Naath they're out of the picture and there's no way they can enforce any pact with them in Westeros.

[Habbaku]

I am annoyed that I did not get the slaughter of the Dothraki that I've been dreaming of this whole time. Oh, well. At least lots of them died at Winterfell.

[The Minsky Moment]

Agree with berkut above.  They did about as well as could be done to wrap it up given the narrative hole they dropped themselves into.

[grumbler]

Actually, they avoided the really cool ending that would have been easier and more satisfying:  Grey Worm kills Dani (maybe because she DOES offer mercy to the killer of Messande based on Tyrion's or Jon's entreaties).  Grey Worm was more interesting as a character than they exploited in the show, and he'd have made a great bolt from the blue at the end.

[grumbler]

Also, Grey Worm was the best at teleporting:  Jon left him butchering Lannister soldiers in the street, went to the castle to find Dani, and, when he got to the top of the stairs, met Grey Worm!

[grumbler]

And what was the mysterious voice in the flames Varys repeatedly referred to?  If it was important, why don't we know the story?  If it wasn't, why do we know there is a story?  Anyone got a clue or theory?

[Berkut]

Was there any point in this entier story that made anyone think "Hey, that Jon Snow guy is pretty bright..."?

[Habbaku]

Yes, but mostly with his dealings with Stannis and trying to bridge the gap between the Wildlings and the Night's Watch. His handling of Wildling relations worked out, at least.

[FunkMonk]

As a change, instead of all of us bitching how bad it was, what did people really enjoy about this season?

For me, the complete absurdity of the Battle of Winterfell was a highlight. I loved it. It was insane and stupid and everything I desire in a brainless spectacle.

Also, when everyone laughed at democracy. That made me smile.   

[grumbler]

Was there any point in this entier story that made anyone think "Hey, that Jon Snow guy is pretty bright..."?

No, but I don't think anyone here argues that he was bright.  The show makes it clear that he was honorable beyond the bounds of good sense, and yet lacked the wit to say the right thing at the right time.  Dani practically begged him to show her how to meet her objectives using his methods, and he just shut his mouth and left her with the impression that he hadn't a clue as to what he was talking about.

Only in killing Dani did he show any ability to calculate the costs of action versus inaction.  And that was only after Tyrion laid it out for him so he didn't have to think for himself.

[The Minsky Moment]

Actually, they avoided the really cool ending that would have been easier and more satisfying:  Grey Worm kills Dani (maybe because she DOES offer mercy to the killer of Messande based on Tyrion's or Jon's entreaties). 

But that was not an available option after the previous episode.

[The Minsky Moment]

Was there any point in this entier story that made anyone think "Hey, that Jon Snow guy is pretty bright..."?

His tagline is that he knows nothing.  Pretty much sums it up.

[grumbler]

What did i enjoy? 

The character moments in episode 2 (less the Gimli-ization of Thormond) were really well-done. 

The end of the Golden Company was a treat; I'd expected far more the cliched fight, but just getting annihilated almost as an afterthought worked much better. 

I liked the way they transitioned Arya from being a murder hobo back to a stark in a few lines of dialogue in the Red Keep with Sandor.  In fact, all the conversations between Arya and the Hound were well-done.

The dragon battle in the skies above Winterfell was tense and exciting, though I still have no idea how to interpret the way it ended.

The burning of the Iron Fleet was good, but made too sharp a contrast with the deus ex machina death of Rhaegon.

I liked the line from Missandei about Arya killing brown-eyed, green-eyed, and blue-eyed people, and realizing at the same moment as Arya did that she had not yet killed any blue-eyed people.

I enjoyed speculating about Bran, because I "knew" it was impossible that the show could have carried such a boring and pointless character for so long without him being vital at the end.  I didn't know that i was wrong until the last frame of the last scene.

[grumbler]

But that was not an available option after the previous episode.

I agree.  They'd have had to know how to end the show in advance to make the ending satisfactory.

[The Brain]

My God. Could it be any more sloooooow? If the early seasons had moved along at the glacial pace of this season Ned would still be travelling south FFS. I found myself checking my phone while keeping half an eye on the TV.

As I remember saying many years ago, with GoT it's the journey and not the destination. And that is certainly true now. The writing the last two seasons was simply not good.