<P> "The Dance of Dragons" was directed by David Nutter, he also directed the subsequent episode, "Mother's Mercy". </P> <P> "The Dance of Dragons" was watched by an estimated 7.14 million American viewers during its first airing . With Live + 7 DVR viewing factored in, the episode had an overall rating of 9.92 million viewers, and a 5.2 in the 18--49 demographic . In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 2.473 million viewers, making it the highest - rated broadcast that week . It also received 0.141 million timeshift viewers . </P> <P> "The Dance of Dragons" received highly positive reviews, with many critics praising the episode's conclusion in Daznak's Pit . The showrunners' decision to have Stannis sacrifice Shireen, however, polarized critics, with some praising it as strong character development and others feeling it betrayed Stannis's character . The episode received a rating of 88% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes from 33 reviews with an average rating of 8.9 out of 10 and the critics consensus reading "Underscored by an especially heartwrenching moment and a spectacular display of power, The Dance of Dragons successfully delivers the shock and awe audiences have come to expect from the series' penultimate episodes ." </P> <P> Matt Fowler of IGN heavily praised the episode, awarding it 9.3 / 10, an "amazing" score . He especially praised the episode's final act, stating "And just the spectacle of Dany climbing on top of Drogon, with care, and then soaring up and off into the sky was remarkable . It's funny that a huge moment for her as a Targaryen and the possible future leader of Westeros came right during one of her most bloody and spectacular failures as a Queen ." He summarized his review by saying "GoT delivered another exciting (and unsettling) episode as Stannis made a big decision & Daenerys attended a tournament" and labelled Stannis' decision a strong point of the episode . Charlotte Runcie of The Daily Telegraph also reviewed the episode favorably: "Hurling Hollywood - level budgets behind a multi-season TV show paid rich rewards this week, from the enormous Gladiator - style sweep of the crowded coliseum arena to thrillingly choreographed fights to the death before a huge, baying audience ." Runcie was also impressed with the Shireen sacrifice scene, calling it "one of the most upsetting scenes" in season 5 . </P>

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