YMMV / Game Of Thrones S 5 E 10 Mothers Mercy

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • Melisandre. She abandons Stannis not long after learning his hired swords have deserted. Was she genuinely remorseful over Shireen's Senseless Sacrifice or was she merely looking out for her own skin, since she failed to live up to her promises to Stannis? (Especially since the last time she failed him, he genuinely tried to strangle her.) A third possibility arises: she has come to realize Stannis is not the Lord's Chosen and is shocked at her own failure and hubris.
  • Alliser Thorne: was his assassination of Jon really, "For the Watch," or was it just petty jealousy and a way to get rid of Jon and seize power?
  • Is Brienne a true Knight in Shining Armor or a selfish, revenge-obsessed brute who abandoned her duty to Sansa for a petty grudge against Stannis? Stannis's dying words, "Go, do your duty" gains a lot of Irony in that light. Bear in mind that Renly was never the "rightful" king Brienne makes him out to be, and despite her anger at Stannis killing Renly, Stannis was also killing a traitor who would have most likely killed him if he'd had the chance. Also, killing Stannis shows a case of Didn't Think This Through, as with Stannis dead, the Boltons will remain in control of the North, meaning Sansa remains in danger (although doing anything about this was likely beyond Stannis's ability at this point).
• Fridge Brilliance: Jaqen H'ghar being just a glamor worn by an anonymous Faceless Man explains his harsher personality; he's not the same man that Arya befriended in Harrenhall.
• He's Just Hiding: Many fans don't believe Jon's dead (or at least that he won't stay that way). The ambiguity of the fates of Stannis, Sansa, and Theon/Reek has also left fans thinking they'll be seen again, especially since the show hasn't had a problem with onscreen deaths before.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Septa Unella's chant of "Shame, Shame" while ringing a bell has become something of a running gag in various circles, and is applied to situations such as people spoiling Game of Thrones.
  • "For the Watch" has also been used in joke advertisements for the Apple Watch.
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • Ellaria and the Sand Snakes finally cross this when they poison Myrcella. Somewhere, Oberyn must be spinning in his grave.
  • Collectively the Night Watch mutineers (personified by Alliser Thorne and Olly).
  • Some fans could still give Melisandre the benefit of the doubt of her evil actions because of her genuine magical powers, but her cowardice in outright abandoning Stannis in his Darkest Hour after dragging him into hell has made fans lose any lingering respect they had for her.
• Narm: "You want a good girl, but you need the bad pussy" has been subjected to much internet scorn. Or approval.
• The Scrappy: Olly wasn't exactly popular before this episode, but his participation in Jon's assassination has made him far more hated by fans than he was already.
• Squick: The splat noise when Myranda crashes into the Winterfell courtyard. Still satisfying though...
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: The showrunners clearly intended Stannis' downfall to be major Laser-Guided Karma after crossing the Moral Event Horizon in the previous episode, yet the overwhelming misfortune heaped upon him this episode and Brienne selfishly abandoning Sansa in favour of vengeance for Renly (who definitely wasn't "the rightful king") that consists of attacking Stannis after he's wounded and alone can actually make Stannis the more sympathetic of the two despite his crimes, along with the fact Stannis was trying to liberate Winterfell from the monstrous Boltons.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic:
  • The Night's Watch conspirators. Kit Harrington has reasoned that their mutiny against Jon was justified because Jon was taking them for granted. The problem is that given the events of "Hardhome" and the fact that none of Jon's more debatable actions from the novels were adapted, the Watch brothers end up coming across as petty and shortsighted more than anything else.
  • Brienne's actions. While her killing Stannis is clearly meant to be cathartic Laser-Guided Karma, not only is Stannis Unintentionally Sympathetic for some viewers, but the fact that Brienne abandons her duty to Sansa for revenge, spites Stannis by erroneously calling Renly "the rightful King", and essentially murders a wounded man just like Ramsay can make her come off as selfish, petty, and vindictive instead.
  • Sam's desire to protect Gilly is meant to be a cogent, heartwarming reason for him to leave the Wall, but it can come across as extremely selfish since he's essentially using friendship to manipulate Jon into allowing him to run off south with his lover for a few years, which is precisely the reason the Night's Watch are sworn to celibacy. Remember, "Love is the death of duty." Especially since in the books, Sam wanted to stay at the Wall, and it was Jon's own order that he become a Maester.