Who doesn't like a good twist? It's a fun trick and, in many cases, has the ability to push the film or show up to a whole new level, even when the rest was inferior. Look at Se7en as an example: a very good film made brilliant by the final ten minutes. But where Se7en and Game of Thrones differ, is that all that came before in Se7en was building up to the twist, layering the story in a way that the final twist would have the impact it does, and which feeds the experience and the feel that the audience has been tricked. Game of Thrones does not do that, and is invariably abrupt and sudden. What Game of Thrones does do well, however, is choose the right moment to unleash these bloody blitzkriegs; because, let's face it, nothing else really happens. The terrible pacing problems that plague the series are often masked by a strategically placed bloodbath or two that makes everyone forget the ponderous plodding before. Nothing happens for fifty minutes before the episode erupts in the final ten minutes, and similarly nothing can happen for a few episodes before one comes along that blows you out of the water. Filler and layering is needed of course: you need to build up relationships and deepen characters, but Game of Thrones takes this to a whole new level, dedicating hours upon hours of pointless dialogue and posturing that ultimately mean nothing. It's just a sign of a poor adaptation, and one with too much exposition and not enough action, but when Rob Stark and co suddenly get massacred, who cares that nothing has happened for the last couple of episodes?
