The big talk about Game of Thrones that has divided the web has been about the big grandiose fight against the white walkers. This was to be the last stand against the dead, and people were waiting for this since the show started. Finally we got to the fight and it was so dark that it was hard to see. I personally thought it was an issue with my chromebook, only to later learn that this was an issue experienced by a large population of viewers.
The response from the cinematographer was that this scene was filmed with the purpose of being shown in a cinematic location. So the blame should not go to the show runners, but to the TVs and iPads we were watching the show on. The combination of being shown on a smaller, less resolution screen, and the compressed format for streaming, made for less than ideal viewing.
My problem with that argument is that they knew that the majority of their viewers watch it via streaming (on iPads) before they filmed the scene. To blame the customers for not watching the episode in a cinematic environment is biting the hand that feeds them. A large number of viewers catch the show by streaming through HBO Now, or another streaming service. So the show runners should have provided two versions. One lit up so the large number of viewers who watch the show via streaming can see it, and another that can be shown on the big screen at a later showing.
Personally I liked the show overall, and am staying on this ride until the end. I just felt like that was a poor excuse given by the show runners for filming and showing a scene in which the audience could not enjoy. Especially all the build up and hype for this episode.
