“The problem,” says Alan Sepinwall, “is that with rare exceptions — Tulip in particular, and they largely ruined her this year — the show’s many deviations from the source material weren’t that interesting in their own right, and often seemed like budget-saving decisions for an adaptation that would require nearly Game of Thrones money to tell straight.” PLUS: Writers are having trouble building and concluding story arcs, and at least the season finale left you hopeful for what’s to come.