I kinda gotta agree. Based on what is established, but I'm just gonna take it for what it is. You're absolutely right. As a whole that's the flaw.. And it's virtually inexcusable.
Yet I still ate it up and enjoyed it.
So I dunno what to think.
I haven't been this invested since BotB
It's an imperfect episode for a small number of reasons
1.) Rocket powered raven (even if its top speed is 60 mph, how do you motivate a Raven to fly that fast for that far...though in all honesty the idea that you can send a raven somewhere and it will know exactly where to go is a bit silly to begin with if you think about it. When carrier pigeons were used IIRC, the messages were sent in large numbers and were encrypted)
2.) Arya/Sansa bs. I haven't been as hard on Sansa as others, and I still feel she was more in the right here, but this was such a massive waste of time. And I know it's supposed to lead into some kind of big event at Winterfell but like season 5's plotlines, it's been a sloppy road to whatever it is.
3.) Jon being a plot device for the death of Benjen. Even in the visual execution of events you just get the sense that he didn't stay behind for any reason but for a plot purpose.
Still I thought the episode was a lot of fun. Better than the dragging and wasted storylines of season 5. I feel that was the true weakpoint of the series. Season 6 was better but not best. This season has been good yet rushed. This was the most disappointing episode to me but also the most fun. I can forgive the weak writing for the spectacle I got. Despite its deficiencies, it's an episode I can go back to for entertainment.