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Notes -
Everyone please take this with a grain of salt because this is a bit of a tangent.
I agree with your general sentiment, BUT the role for Corlys Velaryon, aka the "Sea Snake" is a literal slam dunk for any semi competent director & actor. If you read the books and followed the lore obsessively you will likely recognize that Corlys is one of the most interesting characters George Martin has written, the dude literally went around the world and has explored corners of the earth untouched by anyone else in Westeros. With this said, it was the only disappointment in HOTD for me - I can't help but recognize how "dumbed down" and simplified this character has become. I really felt like the role was presented with much of its depth missing - and whether its the fault of the writers (who did an otherwise great job with season 1) or the actor (who admitted to never reading the books in interviews and truly has no idea how complex his character is) has been the one critique I can make.
The Sea Snake is one of the most intriguing characters in GOT, and he just becomes "another Velaryon" in HOTD. He should have been more of a standout, much more than he is.
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