Well, that was exhausting. Spoilers ahead!
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I’m not even sure where to begin. I liked this battle scene more than the last one – probably because I could see! So who to begin with?
Let’s start with Tyrion. Has a main character ever been so wrong? Poor Varys. His last words to Tyrion were, “I hope I deserve this, I truly do.” Given what happened, he didn’t deserve it.
Then Tyrion goes and commits treason by setting Jamie free. His acceptance of his death for this act speaks of his desperation – of how he no longer trusts Daenerys. (The scene between Jamie and Tyrion was perfect. Yep, I cried.)
I’m guessing Tyrion no longer supports his queen. Not sure where this will lead us in the finale. Will Tyrion switch allegiances and now be Team Jon? Or will he, yet again, try to counsel Daenerys? I’m not sure, but given that he’s been wrong so much this season (Cersei sending her army to fight the Night King, appealing to Cersei’s humanity outside the wall of King’s Landing, seeing traits in Daenerys that don’t exist – even though Sansa warned him) I’m not getting my hopes up.
Also, I thought the favor Tyrion asks Davos for was helping Jamie get inside the Red Keep, but now I’m not so sure. Davos will be smuggling something. Any guesses? Or was it Jamie?
Daenerys: Whoo boy! We got ourselves the Mad Queen. This is where this season is rushed. Granted, Daenerys’ “bad ruler” arc has been building for many seasons. She’s always been solely focused on the throne, and no one, who watched what happened in Meereen, should be surprised by her actions. She’s been on this path for quite a while.
However, using Missandei’s death, Jon’s rejection and her not being loved by “the people” as reasons for wiping out thousands of people was weak. It works for Grey Worm, since Missandei was all that really mattered to him, but not for Daenerys. In my opinion, they did her character a disservice, by making her rampage the result of Jon rejecting her, Missandei’s death and her not being loved. “Let it be fear then,” she says to Jon. I just wanted more from her character’s story – and it explains why many people are losing their minds right now.
Her destroying the entire city and pretty much everyone in it only makes sense if we accept she’s insane and must not be allowed to sit on the throne. So the final episode will be stopping Daenerys from taking the throne or that Westeros will have another mad ruler? Will she kill Jon? Maybe. I mean, why not?
Arya: In this episode, Arya is our eyes. Through her we see the devastation Daenerys creates. And, boy, it’s brutal.
She also abandons her quest to kill Cersei, by listening to The Hound. She’s changed course before – reclaiming her name while killing Meryn Trant. Will our little assassin kill Daenerys?
Jon: I’m not even sure where to go with him. Obviously, Sansa’s and Arya’s warnings took root, and we see Daenerys’ carnage through his eyes as well. What he’ll do about it is anyone’s guess.
Cersei: Hats off to Lena Headey. It takes a great actress to make me feel some kind of way over Cersei’s death. She has brought so much to this role. I had envisioned a very different death for her, but in the end she dies with Jamie. That seemed right. It brings us full circle. Not much has really changed since season one.
Cleganebowl: That was really satisfying. From start (Qyburn’s death and Cersei quietly excusing herself) to finish (The Hound sacrificing himself to kill his brother) was pitch perfect.
I want to get this post up so you guys can share your thoughts, so I’ll stop writing. Now!
I see a lot of real die hard GOT fans are really upset at the episode, for reasons that really don’t make sense to me. The foreshadowing that Dany would become a Mad Queen has been there since Season 1. Ok, it was deflating that Cersei died not at the hands of Jaime or Tyrion or Ayra, but by being crushed by rock, but whatever. She’s dead. Everything else in the episode was awesome, including the Cleganebowl.
Agreed! Dany’s foreshadowing existed from the beginning. I keep thinking about all those people who named their babies Daenerys or Khaleesi. Oops!
I liked it.
I like that if the books DO finish, we can rest assured that story will be much different and far better.
But I also like that the show still makes people upset by upending expectations. You don’t kill the stories main character…. people whined after S1E9…. but Ned hardly mattered.
Even with “Jamie’s ruined arch”… it shows he’s real. Real people do hard work to better themselves. To get over destructive behaviors and turn their lives around….. then dash it all. It’s real.
“But I like my fantasy to be fantasy” .. Well, sorry. follow another story. GRRM has always said this story is meant to be closer to real life. IN real life, loved ones let you down or sometimes just drop dead.
Hmm, Dany legitimized Gendry. Gendry takes the throne? 🙂
While the episode was pretty spectacular, my main beef is again with the rapid pacing of such things as the deterioration of Jon and Daenery’s relationship and lack of planning and strategy (the army goes up to the gate, waits for Dany to knock the walls down and then rush in a kill everyone. Was there a strategic objective, like maybe kill Cersei and take the throne? While Dany was setting everything on fire, Cersei had plenty of time to escape (“I’m safe in the Red Keep”). I recognized the story arc was bending towards two mad queens, but geez almost no scorpions were fired in spite of the fact that they had a plethora of them and Cersei just stands on the balcony watching the spectacle?
I really wanted to Arya cross Cersei’s name off, but I have a feeling she is going to have substitute mad queen to dispatch in the last episode.
Jon was true to form, honorable and useless (especially in big battles). Who was in charge of the army? Did they have any marching orders, rules of engagement, horns, flags, or something to tell them all where to go and what to do?
The funniest part was Harry Strickland the Golden Company being taken out without a figurative shot being fired.
And what’s with Tyrion’s advice and counsel? He was the most clueless Hand ever! Telling Vary’s about Jon and Dany, (like that was going to do any good), and time and time again giving crappy advice about how to deal with Cersei (let’s not forget Casterly Rock). Dany should have fired (figuratively at least) his ass a long time ago.
I can’t wait for the The Winds of Winter, which is thought to be coming out in 2020. I don’t expect Martin will live long enough to ever write a Dream of Spring. The only way we get that book, is if Martin has a kid who collects daddy’s notes (ala Chris Tolkien) and writes something passable.
CITE YOUR SOURCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on that 2020 claim. it “was supposed to be out” 3 years ago too.
GRRM has no kids and has been vocal about all of his notes getting burned KL style if he dies before it’s over.
What kind of dumbass normal-world name is Harry Strickland anyway. dumb.
Tyrion is great at ruling but he is not a conqueror.
All I got’s are rumors: https://theweek.com/speedreads/841087/george-rr-martin-finished-final-game-thrones-books-already-actor-claims
the update at the end says GRRM himself said it’s fake news.