The funeral scene was a great place to start, helping to drive home the costs of the battle with the White Walkers. I still maintain that for The Epic Battle the show has been building toward for its entire existence, the price wasn't high enough. But the staging of the funeral scene did help underscore that many survivots felt deeply personal losses in the handful of characters that fell.
Soon, things turned romantic in a variety of satisfying ways. The Jaime and Brienne story line was compelling not just for what happened along the way, but for where it ended up. Any time in the past that Jaime has found a moment of contentment, he's essentially self-sabotaged it, not thinking himself worthy of it. He did so again here. Gwendolyn Christie was heartbreaking in the farewell moment. Brienne has never remotely let her guard down with anyone as much as this, resulting in a wound that may never heal.
Then there was Arya's sweet but firm handling of Gendry. He was already several fantasies deep into planning a life with her; she, of course, has very different goals in mind. She bid him a gentle goodbye, not expecting to see him ever again.
The theme of goodbye continued for many other characters. It seems likely we've seen the last of Tormund (and Ghost!). Have we seen the last of Sam and Gilly, or does Jon only think he has? With only two more episodes left, it's becoming a real thing that even characters who survive the story will nevertheless not be seen again.
Much of the episode was dedicated to Daenerys, looking both smart and foolish in turn. She is advised to wait and rest her forces before marching on King's Landing, but she'll have none of that. Worse, she splits those forces and doesn't even wait for them to reunite before going on an ill-fated attack. And in the final scene, she's clearly, hopelessly outmatched -- yet still demanding surrender and being goaded into another foolhardy attack.
All that is because the story is trying to make clear that Daenerys is not meant to "win" in the end. But the show also hasn't totally abandoned what's been likeable about the character in the past. She's thirsty for power, but not paranoid, and quite astute. She's right that everyone would prefer Jon as ruler over her. The scene where she confers a title on Gendry, only to have everyone turn around and praise Jon for riding one of her dragons, is all about this. She's also right about Sansa -- Jon doesn't know how she'll react to the truth of his parentage; Daenerys gets it exactly right. (As for Sansa's choice there? Littlefinger would never hesitate to break his word after giving it. Why should Sansa, if it will get her what she wants?)
But where I think the episode did falter a bit is in the big battle in the waters outside King's Landing. It's strange to say that such a long episode, that included everything I've mentioned so far, felt rushed. But that's exactly what happened in the battle. Think back to the second season's "Blackwater," where a battle in this exact setting took an entire episode. This one was crammed into about 5 minutes. It felt like a sort of Cliff's Notes version of a larger thing -- like it couldn't have really happened so simply, even if you could imagine the outcome being the one we got. (There was also more of the season seven style "fast travel," as Daenerys' forces were defeated at King's Landing, retreated all the way to Dragonstone so Tyrion and Varys could talk about it, and then returned to King's Landing for the final confrontation. All without waiting for Jon's reinforcements to arrive.)
Much of the episode was handled wonderfully. But the last third was definitely weaker, and is what more people will remember about it. Overall, I'd give the episode a B.
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