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  ===Critical reception===
  "The Winds of Winter" received acclaim from both critics and viewers, praising it as one of the series' best episodes. It has received a 99% rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes from 58 reviews with an average score of 9.7 out of 10. The site's consensus reads "'The Winds of Winter' makes the most of its extended run time, and is potentially the best season finale in the series' history." The episode had received a perfect 10 out of 10 score on IMDb for several weeks after its release. It now holds a rating of 9.9/10, being one of the few episodes ever to get a 9.9 or higher on the website.
  Matt Fowler of IGN wrote in his review for the episode "The stories in the North and Meereen stayed a bit quiet as all their action got taken care of last week, leaving Cersei's big plot to destroy the Sept and everyone in it as this finale's big suspenseful and explosive set piece. Elsewhere, there were big reveals and revenge kills that helped everything add up to a very surprising and satisfying season finale." He continued by praising how the trial sequence played out on screen, writing "The actual staging and pacing of the trial and violent reckoning was really cool, with everyone getting dressed and little puzzle pieces falling into place, little birds leading men to their deaths, and Ramin Djawadi's excellent score." He gave the episode a 9.5 out of 10. Michael Calia of ''The Wall Street Journal'' similarly gave praise to the episode, writing "It's a good thing ... that the season finale was full of massive developments, tying up several plot threads while leaving some others dangling in the most tantalizing way. This was the most complete episode of ''Game of Thrones'' yet, and possibly the best." He also wrote, "Dany and her fleet are finally sailing to Westeros, her great dragons casting shadows over the waves. It's on."
  Jeremy Egner of ''The New York Times'' also praised the direction of the King's Landing story, and Lena Headey's portrayal of Cersei, saying in his review "Ms. Headey's performance was but one element in a sequence that, technically, ranks among the show's best. Miguel Sapochnik, who directed last week's battle-heavy episode, brought a different kind of precision and urgency to Sunday's installment. Cersei's scheme unspooled amid insistent strings and a series of shots — those vicious little birds taking out Pycelle, Lancel and the dwindling candle-fuse, Margaery's growing concern and rising tension in the Sept — that built inexorably to the High Sparrow's realization that he wasn't as smart as he thought." James Hibberd of ''Entertainment Weekly'' stated he felt the episode introduced new conflicts to look forward to in the next season, saying "Though the finale shifted from the battlefield, the events were, if anything, far more seismic, with game-changing revelations and huge moves from every corner of the realm that established some very clear new conflicts going into season 7." Sarah Larson of ''The New Yorker'' wrote in her review, "It's a beautiful image. Boats, clouds, sun, dragons, and two female ship captains, pointing their armada toward a Westeros ruled by a queen." James Hunt of WhatCulture wrote in his review, "What a way to go out. Season 6 has already proved to be a great season of TV, but it saved its best for last." Tim Surette of TV.com called the episode, "the best episode ever." Brian Lowry of CNN wrote in his review for the episode, "At this point it's hard to second-guess producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who, working with Martin, have created a series for the ages." Willa Paskin of ''Slate'' wrote in his review, "Revenge, a dish ''Game of Thrones'' has almost always made taste awful, served hot or cold, became, in the finale, a delicacy. "