There's no denying it. Game of Thrones has changed. And it is not good.

Warning: this post is about Game of Thrones. If you haven’t watched every single episode until now, there will be spoilers. 

Game of Thrones is boring.

I know, I never ever expected to put Game of Thrones and boring in the same sentence. I’m an obsessed Game of Thrones fan/nerd. I’ve read the books. I’ve watched all five seasons more than once. I looked forward to the morning after an episode had aired to dissect every minute with colleagues and friends.

Yet, last Monday night half way through episode eight of season six I found myself saying, “this is so boring”. Quite frankly, I’m not exactly counting down the hours until tomorrow’s episode (like I would be for any other season).

Check out the trailer for today’s episode ‘The Battle of the Bastards’. Post continues below.

I’m not alone. If you jump on to any social media reviewing the episodes you hear fans crying: “why is nothing happening?” One fan has even gone on to say:

“Our fan theories are so much more exciting than the actual way the show plays out, it’s getting boring as f*ck. The audience has more imagination than the blimmen story writers.”

On the latest episode of The Binge, Rosie and Laura weigh in on The Battle of the Bastards:

Season six is the first season where there is no book. Despite fans screaming at author George R. R. Martin to stop being lazy and write, write, write, he is taking his sweet time. Hollywood waits for no one, not even George, so the creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have gone ahead on their own (although there are reports that they have closely consulted with George to make sure that they are aligned with the book that hasn’t been written). This might have been a bit of a mistake.

Game of Thrones, Season Six. Image: HBO

Seasons usually start off slowly. It’s a Game of Thrones tradition. So many characters, so many plots, it takes a couple of episodes to establish where everyone is, what they intend to do (i.e. who they will be killing) and how they are going to get there. Game of Thrones fans are fine with this for maybe three episodes. Four at the most.

That’s the first problem with this season. The slow start is never hurrying up. We are now left with two episodes of the season and, let’s be honest, nothing really has happened. It took Jon Snow two episodes to come back to life.

Look, I’m not complaining about Jon Snow being completely naked except for a dish towel on his woohoo for two episodes, but did it really have to be that dragged out? Then when he wakes up…nothing. He doesn’t get Game of Thrones pissed off and seek revenge. He quits and if it weren’t for the timely arrival of Sansa, he would’ve walked away into the snow.

Even Jon Snow coming back wasn't that great. Image: HBO

The second problem is no one of any importance has died. No character we love. No character we hate. In season four, King Joffery (who everyone hated) died in the second episode. It was glorious. It was amazing. We rejoiced.

When big characters are killed off, that’s when we are hooked. That’s when we care. That’s when we are all, “OMG, no you didn’t”.

King Joffery's death made Season Four. Image: HBO

The one and only time I have been on the edge of my seat was when Sansa and Theon escaped Ramsay (Snow) Bolton. When they were discovered by Bolton’s soldiers, I was cursing the creators for killing Sansa, “hasn’t she been through enough?”. But they didn’t. Yes, I was relieved, but it wasn’t very Game of Thrones. Fans have come to love Sansa and care for her, which means she is perfect killing material.

An almost, "OMG, no you didn't" moment. Image: HBO

Then there was Jaime Lannister about to kill every religious warrior (how annoying are those guys?). “Do it!”, we yelled. Nadda. Nothing.

After every episode fan theories swamp the internet. Fans are so desperate for something exciting to happen in this season that they are actually making their own plot lines. Which are incredibly exciting (hope George is seeing them as inspiration).

The problem is they never eventuate. Nothing of any significance or interest happens. Game of Thrones viewers (not obsessed fans) are wondering if they’ve missed something and that’s why they don’t find it interesting. No, you haven’t, because nothing has happened.

There is one other Game of Thrones tradition though. Episode nine is always a game changer. Think Ned Stark getting his head chopped off, the battle of Blackwater, the Red Wedding, the wildings attacking Winterfell and where Stannis burns his daughter while Daenerys flies off on her dragon.

What started the obsession. Image: HBO

Here’s hoping today's episode titled ‘The Battle of the Bastards’ doesn’t let us down.