Ratings intermezzo: Total viewership already reaching last year’s record

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Finally, just ahead of the season finale, we have got an update on the current (US-based) total viewership of Game of Thrones.

This piece from BuzzFeed reports that the total number of viewers across all platforms has reached 18.7 million on average per episode of Season Five – so far. To put this in perspective, the record reached by the previous season of Thrones stands at 19 million viewers per episode (which is also the absolute record for any HBO show ever).

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SPOILER ALERT!

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So there was a THING released today over at SKY Austria.

Many of you know about it and want to talk about it. It’s a rather OBVIOUS hint with regard to the season finale given in the “Previously on…” video.

Y’all may discuss it here. Spoiler code not necessary. Discuss anything you want. (If you don’t want any spoilers to anything at all, well, kindly GTFO. You’ve been warned.)

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Curtain Call: Joel Fry

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It’s easy to be mourned when you’re loved.

It’s a trickier business when many weren’t quite sure how they felt about you- and that’s exactly what they were supposed to feel.

The delicate balancing act of Hizdahr zo Loraq was achieved thanks to the subtle efforts of Joel Fry. 

Hizdahr was the surprise casualty in “The Dance of Dragons,” the one that doesn’t draw tears so much as shock and questioning of what we know about this story. The Meereenese nobleman who often kept Daenerys on her toes kept us guessing as well- until Sunday, when the questions ended as Hizdahr fell to the Sons of the Harpy. The man who would be king turned out to be another victim of the guerrilla warfare in Meereen.

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Anatomy of a Throne: “The Dance of Dragons”

HBO’s Game of Thrones (typically, and before this current season) brandishes a consistent and high degree of fidelity to the nearly 5,000-page-long source material of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, but there still, of course, are differences. While most of these gaps from the page to the screen are small and detail-oriented, it is nonetheless the case that the most subtle discrepancies often hold the biggest insight into the adaptation process, into the demands of filmmaking, and into the rigors of the literary narrative.

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This, then, is the anatomy of a key scene of Thrones – not because of its dramatic importance or visual effects whizbangery, but because of the telling nature of its realization.

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Looking Forward, Game of Thrones Ep. 510: Death Odds and No Mercy

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Don’t look now kiddos, but here we stand at the Wall preparing for our final outing before the long nine months of desiccation.

Time flies when you’re piddling around in Dorne with half naked Sand Snakes.

Yet, we stand here nonetheless.

But we’ve got a fighting chance; an opportunity to finish strong; a revelation for what lies ahead; a favorable conclusion that will keep us engaged through the long cold nights that await; the prospect of redemption!

Are you with me? With me now! Now, with me!!….

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Win a Hodor & Bran Figure from Dark Horse – Redux!

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Welcome to the Friday edition of our Game of Thrones Dark Horse giveaway! Leading up to the Game of Thrones season finale, we’re giving away this amazing new double-figure from the official GoT line of merch.

The Hodor and Bran collectible is available for sale starting June 24th, but one of you readers is going to win it. We’ve already had one lucky fan this week, so who is next?

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Curtain Call: Kerry Ingram

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“For the night is dark, and full of terrors.”

And yet the cold light of day brought the greatest terror yet. It may be bordering on heresy to say that this was the absolute most horrifying moment on Game of Thrones–a show whose bread and butter is upping the “horrific” ante each and every week–but I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced the collective howl of crushing loss from the fandom after sweet Shireen burned.

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