The battle for the dawn has been won, and it’s time for our characters to celebrate…or is it? “The Last of the Starks” allowed the survivors to briefly grieve and rejoice before ratcheting up the tension as we head toward the final clash with Queen Cersei. The losses didn’t end last week, as Team Dany receives some devastating hits to their morale as they gear up for the last war – and the outcome is far from certain. While we anxiously await what happens next, let’s dive into today’s interviews and videos!
The most heartbreaking blow to Daenerys was losing her translator and confidante, Missandei. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Jacob Anderson admits, “There’s like a cruel inevitability in this show where anybody who finds that happiness is going to have to watch that taken away from them…I honestly thought Grey Worm was gone in that episode. And I even had that thought: ‘Take me!’ She’s come through so much s—t that she’s had to deal with her life. As soon as it looks like they’re about to enjoy it, it all gets snatched away. So I didn’t expect it and I had to lay down the script for a bit.” Happiness on Thrones? Not today!
Nathalie Emmanuel believes that Missandei’s death was “really emotional and she’s so brave in it and shows her strength and fearlessness even though she doesn’t wield a sword. She believes in her queen and believes in her cause. I’m so happy that she has that kind of exit…She was willing to lay down her life but we hoped she wouldn’t have to. You can watch the end of a show and think the character is living on to do whatever. But there’s a real sadness to the fact that the character won’t.” She adds ominously, “It seems likely to push Daenerys to a scary level.” Cersei and the rest of King’s Landing will likely live (however briefly) to regret it.
Head to EW for more on Emmanuel’s thoughts on the final season.
A character we saw only briefly was Jorah Mormont, as Daenerys gave him an emotional farewell before lighting his funeral pyre. Iain Glen tells EW that although there was no line written for Emilia Clarke, she did whisper something to him. Glen is keeping it between them, however. “It’s something entirely sincere and true to the moment and something that I’ll never forget…I’ll always cherish it because it’s something no one will ever know but the two of us. And that’s a memory to hold onto.” Rest in peace, Ser Jorah.
One of the episode’s highlights was seeing Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth finally acting on the passion that has been simmering under the surface of their relationship all these years. Unfortunately it was all too brief, as Jaime decided to leave for King’s Landing after hearing about Cersei’s execution of Missandei.
Gwendoline Christie confesses to EW that she hasn’t “been certain of the relationship between Jaime and Brienne. It hasn’t been a love story. It’s been this strange relationship between a man and woman that’s never been able to find it’s true form…So you’re dealing with two people who are not terribly functional in the emotional world. I think going through sharing the experience of surviving the war together and saving each others’ lives continuously proves to be a very heady combination. Physicality often releases emotion and I think that’s what happens — working together unlocked them.” Did it ever!
She also explains that it was “important to see a moment of choice from Brienne where she chooses to do this. Brienne is a virgin. As far as we know, Brienne hasn’t had a sexual or romantic encounter before. In the books, the character sleeps in her armor to protect herself. It’s important that she choose to explore life in that way and have that experience.”
When Jaime chooses to leave, Christie reveals, “It’s so heartbreaking. But it’s life isn’t it? Life is heartbreaking…I have no judgment of Cersei but their relationship is dysfunctional. That’s when I went very red. I was very upset and I had to go for a walk.” She continues, “I feel for [Brienne] so deeply. I love that she doesn’t crumble from it…But my god. That’s the Game of Thrones, isn’t it? Just when you think things are going to go well it punches you harder than ever in the guts…” I think we can all agree on that point by now.
Read the full interview here.
In this week’s “Inside the Episode,” David Benioff and Dan Weiss discuss the aftermath of the battle of Winterfell and character motivations heading into the endgame.
The next two videos are from HBO’s website and are only available in the United States. Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington reveal why the Jon and Daenerys relationship is breaking down in “Destruction and Discord.”
“The Game Revealed” takes us behind the scenes of the funeral, the victory feast, Daenerys’ devastating losses, and more.
In case you missed it, check out next’s week preview below!
Hodor?
Edit: Hodor!
I’m wondering what made Euron’s facial expression change at the very end of next week’s trailer… fire-wight Rhaegal maybe? 😀
Sophie Turner said that she was given a scroll as a leaving gift that she couldn’t talk about because it was very important to season 8. I think she sent a raven to Cersei to tell her that Dany was heading to Dragonstone. She wants Dany and Cersei to destroy each other so that Jon can swoop in and get the throne. That’s why she was so happy when she heard about Rheagal. Cersei and Littlefinger have really rubbed off on her it seems…
I’m hoping that Dany finds some Valyrian steel dragon armour leftover by the Targs on Dragonstone…
Kristy G.,
Pretty obvious that he is looking up at a Dragon. Unless Arya is jumping from Dragonstone to KingsLanding to kill Cersi
Kristy G.,
I have no idea but I’m thinking cannonballs dropped from a great height.
I agree, but given he witnessed Rhaegal splooshing into the ocean after being hit twice (or more) with scorpion bolts, his expression turns to one of disbelief (a dragon other than Drogon) as opposed to anticipation (Drogon).
TheWalkingWolf,
LOLOL
The last of the Starks should have had a scene showing Samwell getting Heartsbane back and saying something about Jorah Mormont.
When was the last good sword fight? Season 6 at the Tower of Joy?
D&D missed an EPIC opportunity with 4 Valyrian Steel swords and Arya’s Valyrian steel daggar all at Winterfell in The Long Night… They could’ve had a plan to get Jaime Brienne Jorah and Jon to the Godswood and fight the remaining White Walkers and then surround the Night King and make him Ice. D&D haven’t done anything to re unite Oathkeeper and Widow’s Wail and possibly remaking ICE. If Jorah had to die saving Daenerys again they could’ve found a way to get Heartsbane into Ser Davos hand and make him fight for once.
Jaime has 2 episodes left to do a few Heroic actions to have something written about him in the White Book – The Book of Brothers…. killing White Walkers or the Night King in the Godswood would have been a good start.
This is the worst season ever. D&D have ruined my childhood. The show has jumped the shark. GRRM would have never done this. They have ruined Dany in 2 episodes. OMG… the plot makes no sense.
Did I miss anything? Lol
All joking aside… Best. Show. Ever.
Sad there is only 2 episodes left. It has been an amazing ride.
After Melisandre’s conversation with Arya last week, should we be worried that Emilia has green eyes?
It seems likely now that the 3 episode arc spanning episodes 3-5 that Miguel spoke of will be Dany’s fall. Watching her scenes this season has been like watching a car crash in slow motion. She’s one of my favourites so I’m rooting for her to pull through but I can’t help but feel like it’s going to end in tragedy.
From Gwen’s EW article:
This is what makes a character three dimensional, truly. It gives her the agency to explore all the different elements of her life. She’s not just a woman who can fight incredibly well and doesn’t have any need for anything else. She is a woman, she’s a human, she fights brilliantly, she also has some desire of companionship and sensual love. [….. ] Yeah. And I know it’s silly. It’s just a character, not a living human being, but I feel for her so deeply. I love that she doesn’t crumble from it. She goes back to work. Because she always loves work — that feels refreshing, a woman can be happy without a companion.
Yet again, Gwen perfectly understands and captures her character. And I admit, I actually did not want her or Jaime to consummate their relationship but acknowledge it in some other way but after reading her interview, I think she convinced me. Having said that, I think Jaime returning to Cersei was always going to happen and I’m not surprised by it. They entered this world together and they will leave this world together (as it has been continuously mentioned in each of their POVs throughout ASOIAF). My own fear is that Brienne goes to KL, Cersei finds out about them and kills Brienne out of spite which would prompt Jaime to kill her and fulfill the “valonqar” prophecy. But Gwen’s interview seems to insinuate she will remain in Winterfell so I am hopeful her character survives. But I was also convinced Greyworm would die and not Missandei sooo….
Also still waiting to see if Varys informs Dany of the tunnels beneath KL and how they could potentially provide an escape for the common people. He told Tyrion of these during Blackwater so I wonder if they will come into play, and if so, Dany won’t have to hold back. Unless of course Varys is purposefully keeping this info from Dany so that she indeed can play into Cersei’s plan and make herself the villain so that Varys can proffer up Jon as the alternate ruler.
Undead Elephant,
It’s funny that you mentioned that because during the parley scene I felt that they really enhanced Cersei’s green eyes. That, coupled with Arya’s “unfinished business” in King’s Landing makes me think they’re setting up an assassination attempt … but I fear for Arya. She was able to walk away from her confrontation with the Night King but I don’t know if she’ll be so lucky this time around.
Undead Elephant,
I can follow your reasoning, and agree it’s possible… But this happy about Rheagal thing? If you mean the brief Sansa/Brienne/Jaime scene, Sansa is glad Cersei seems to be destined for destruction (Dany’s fire and blood instinct) – that scene makes more sense interpreted that way, because it propels Jaime’s story forward.
Sansa isn’t just a mean girl bitch who’s glad the other girl’s pet got killed. No. Sansa sees the political and military implications.
Oh, and Vanessa. Thank you for gathering all these vids for us. We really appreciate all the hard work you WotW “powers that be” do for us, to keep us up to date, ready for debate 😀 Thank you.
Bingo!
talvikorppi,
What I meant was, that if she did send a raven to Cersei, Sansa would be happy for two reasons. The first reason was explicit in the scene: she expects Dany to come down hard on Cersei. But she would also be happy that Rheagal died because it weakens Dany, who she clearly sees as a huge threat to Jon’s claim.
This next episode is going to be so hard to watch. I feel like it is going to be Red Wedding level heartbreaking. And because we don’t have books to go by, it will likely receive the vitriol of the viewing public that ‘Rains Of Castamere’ didn’t have because book readers knew it was coming and made the reactions of the Unsullied viewers part of the experience. Everyone is now Unsullied, and judging by the reaction to this last episode, many are not happy with the direction this is headed.
Kristy G.,
I plan on armored-drogon !
Looks to me that Dany may be doing the sensible thing this time and coming in for the attack with Drogon on Euron’s fleet with the sun behind her. Euron looks to be shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun?
Don’t forget also one of the scenes in Bran’s vision has never been resolved? A dragon flying over Kings Landing. Probably Dany with Drogon about to flame the Red Keep!
Undead Elephant,
Tron79,
Sophie also said the storyboard she was gifted was of her last scene, which she or D&D felt was their favorite moment for the character. That could not have been her last scene in this episode.
Dark Sister,
tbh I think he`s going to king landing to end cersei. To protect Brienne.
And because he feels responsible for all their joint sins.
Good chance he is the only one that can get remotely close to cersei.
Valonquar?
I thought the first half of the episode was good, but the second half was pretty clunky in both writing and directing.
Also, since humanity (or at least what humanity they have in Westeros) has been saved last episode, I find I don’t really have a strong interest in who wins, who loses, who lives and who dies going forward. Sure, I dislike Cersei, but even if she ends up winning, she only has so many more years to live. And even if she manages to perpetuate her line, dynasties tend to be finite things.
And Deus Ex Euron (or maybe Euron Ex Machina) is getting a bit played out, particularly in how they present it.
Anyone else think that Jacob Anderson is low-key one of the best actors on the show? His visceral reaction to Missandei’s death was just heartbreaking, and he really sold all of his fight scenes last week. Also “Light the trench!” gave me chills.
The Bastard,
<3
Tyrion Pimpslap,
That would be ridiculous
Undead Elephant,
Arya will most definitely kill Dany
Why can we see Euron breath when a dragon appears and he looks To me this looks like CGI, so on purpose.
Do not forget Dorne, Second Sons and Yara for next episode. Although anything can happen Dany obviously getting mad makes me believe it is a trap. In the preview the attack on KL does not make me feel as if a mad girl is attacking. It will be Cersey going for mad queen.
It looks pretty obvious to me that they are setting up Dany to be killed by Jon, but then what? Jon doesn’t want to be king. Hopefully he goes north and hangs with Ghost and Tormound. The only thing I care about over the last 2 episodes is Dany and Cercie getting their entitled asses handed to them.
That Missandei was in chains during her last moments still gets to me. At least she could see Grey Worm and Dany, the two people she loved most in the world.
While that is a possibility ; the whole the enemy of my enemy is my friend; and it would show Sansa knows how to play the game, I don’t think she raven scroll anything.
I thinks she knows both Dani and Cersei well enough to let them flow to their natural inclinations.
If she can get the North’s independence, remove one definite enemy ( Cersei ), and one person who’s father set off a chain of deaths to her house and homeland and the Starks come out alive, then she did the job that a king or queen are to do for the survival of her people.
Arya going to KL though, could be a hit, not sure it’s Arya’s idea ( most likely is ) that could haunt Sansa ( of course Bran should care about Arya ).
I’m going to attempt to refrain from making any overall predictions for how this thing ends. So many times during this series they’ve set things up to look one way and something entirely different happens. A lot of people are now commenting on how “(this) is obviously happening” and “I knew (that) is going to happen,” before any of it actually has happened. I for one don’t want to have too much written that I have to look back on and feel like a moron. 😉
Dark Sister,
I loved what Gwendoline Christie (Brienne) said about it all. She understands the character so well – as does NCW understand the character Jaime Lannister.
I thought I’d got peak Braime in Ep802. The knighting, the spiritual consummation, the one that really matters. Getting the physical one in Ep804 felt a bit like a fan service bonus but, hey, I’m a huge Braime shipper, so I loved it. The awkwardness, then that moment of vulnerability, truth.
And of course it can’t last. Brienne might have a small valise but Jaime has a lot of baggage.
Thank you, D&D, that we got this Braime moment. It was done exactly as it should.
Later, I think Jaime was being deliberately very cruel to Brienne to keep her from following him basically to death. He was protecting her.
Did you notice how he looked into her eyes when she was pleading, and he nodded, looked into her eyes. Then looked down, sideways, away before launching into his “hateful” speech. Gods, NCW was so brilliant in that scene.
Jaime is going to die, I’m 99% sure, but Brienne might survive. Theirs was the best love-story in GoT. Very much thanks to the two brilliant actors, who had such chemistry on and off screen. Love Jaime and Brienne, love NCW and Gwendoline Christie.
Sadly, I don’t think Jaime and Brienne will get to retire on a beach in Tarth. Cersei will be the death of him. But at least we got some fleeting moments of pure, simple happiness. Relaxation, laughter. I’ve never seen Brienne as happy and relaxed, actually laughing and screaming about the rules of a drinking game to Tyrion. Tyrion of course saw all those looks between Brienne and Jaime, and ruined the moment… uhm, awkward… until Jaime rescues her, verbally this time.
Ah ah ahah, let me just get my Braimeometer down from 170% (berore it broke). I know they’re only fictional characters. I know that none of this matters in the real world. But if something gives so much pleasure, meaning, friendships, to so many people. It’s not a stupid thing. It’s a bloody brilliant thing.
Hear, hear… I’m also loving it.
The level of hate this season is getting defies belief…
– The WW didn’t ravage the entire continent and make the few survivors SUPER SAD that they didn’t listen to the “good guys”? Good grief, c’mon. That’s what you really though would happen? I have a bridge to sell you…
– So it doesn’t go like you expected, your carefully planned out head canon? Get over it… Remember how the show/books used to defy predictions? Yep, you are still watching that same show.
– Didn’t kill enough characters in the last episode, but now OMG how dare they kill off Missandei???
It’s almost like people have forgotten the show they are watching. To paraphrase Tyrion – If you expect a happy end for your favorite character or prediction, you haven’t been paying attention.
The Brienne and Jaime developments were a huge disappointment. I’m not a shipper and don’t mean in terms of their relationship. I mean that the latest developments were handled incredibly badly.
Tron79,
This is my take also:
Family, home, the north and duty all come first, honor got her father killed, her older brother and mother killed, got Jon killed; Rickon died.
It’s a gamble but the alternatives aren’t much better between Dani and Cersei.
Dark Sister,
This gives me some solace, honestly f*ck him and his sister. I’m not happy about what he did at all, and I do think he is going to back to be with Cersei, he may just flip out and kill her when he gets there. I’m glad Brienne seems to be Ok though.
Sigh, I’ll always have book Jaime, they have just butchered him in the show. How could Nikolaj be happy with this? I wonder if we will see something unexpected, he seems really happy with his story this season, after spending last season wondering why he was still with Cersei.
Undead Elephant,
I agree!
Remember when The Night’s Watch Master of Arms Thorne tells Sam that all his friends were gone? That’s what Dany is feeling now. Her only true friends left are Drogon and Greyworm. Can she still win over Jon? I doubt it because when word gets out about Jon having the better claim to the throne, she is going to be pissed that he told Sansa and now everyone knows.
If Dany herself does not die this next episode, Greyworm, Dorgon or both will certainly perish.
I did not like Jon failing to hug Ghost before leaving, but understand that it symbolizes Jon accepting his Targarean ancestry and moving on from being a Stark.
So they want us to believe that Dany goes all fire and blood in the next episode. Does anyone else think that they are laying it on so thick that it is actually a misdirect and she does no such thing?
Clob,
Tell me about it! When Gendry was legitimized as Gendry Baratheon, Lord of Storm’s End (which I speculated might happen), I thought: “Robert B’s S1 “unite our houses” speech to Ned was coming true! And Gendry wouldn’t pigeonhole Arya into the role of a traditional “lady.”
But no. Arya blew off Gendry. 🙁
The Jamie-Brienne stuff was probably my least favotire part of the episode (which I really liked)….
But that said… Anyone who interprets Jamie’s final comment as a desire to be with Cersei – or that he is going to be with Cersei – is REALLY missing the point of the scene, I think.
He is merely trying hurt her to help he, to keep her from following him to the chaos down south. He is 100% planning to kill Cersei.
Ten Bears,
Speaking of which, prior to this most recent name change… When did he change his name to Rivers? I thought it was Waters?
Uhm. That was actually Ramsay Snow/Bolton in S3 or S4 while torturing Theon/Reek. “If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.”
But I agree with your general sentiment.
Look at the candles in the first image… They really take care of every small detail!
I wish I could explore that film set and check everything in it! 😀
What do they mean by “The Last of the Starks”? Any thoughts?
It’s time for Euron to simply fail at SOMEthing. I’d prefer that failure to result in his death, but I’d be happy just to finally see something go very badly for him at the least. (I don’t count Yara & Theon escaping Pyke as his failure, nor Theon rescuing Yara since he wasn’t there and was pretty much done with her and the islands anyway.) Everything else has worked perfectly for him. I’m going to do (this) and he accomplishes it with ease. Nobody gets anything done in this story so easy and exactly how they want to.
I’ll go to Pyke, kill my brother and become their leader. *BLINGA-LING* Done!
I’m going to build 1,000 ships in a few months from non-existent trees on the Iron Islands and fully man them with numbers of iron borne that don’t exist. *HOCUS-POCUS* Done!
I’m going to the Red Keep, promise Cersei I’ll bring her some revenge by ambushing a fleet to capture & kill the Sands. *BWWADING* Done!
I’ll teleport my fleet to Casterly Rock and destroy the Targaryen fleet and strand the Unsullied.” *ALAKAZAM* Done!
I’m gonna f*ck the queen! *SQUELCH* Done!
I’m going to take my ships to Dragonstone and before they see us I’ll kill a dragon. *ZIPPIDY ZAPPIDY” Done!
His success rate has been really sucky!
Would be cool but I couldn’t imagine any armor that a) would fit to protect chest and neck, and b) would be thick enough to stop one of those bolts flying in at a few hundred mph at him. I would believe more dragons from Valeryia swooping in, or Dragonstone creatures coming to life under Drogon’s fire, before I believed there was armor that could fit, and protect, that huge monster and still allow him to fly.
That shot of Tyrion walking slowly past that huge dragon carving is interesting, however.
I’m sure that preview of Euron is nothing more than another fake lead meant to draw us into this kind of mad speculation. In the end, he’s probably just looking up at the sun and clouds, and waiting for Drogon to come. We shall see.
I noticed that right away. It was a mistake in the writing. It’s suppose to be Waters as the surname of bastards in the Crownlands.
Clob,
Ok I thought I was trippin lol
Undead Elephant,
oh my god, that would make a lot of sense, and what if Jon finds out.
Kristy G.,
The flying elephants that Cersei has been promised have finally arrived.
The Bastard,
You got me in the first sentence, not going to lie.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
We all need therapy after that. I think HBO needs to pay for our visits.
I think the showrunners/writers are just muddled about how bastard names work in GRRM’s Westeros. If a lordly father never acknowledges the bastard, the kid has no surname. The smallfolk don’t have surnames. The bastard kid is just another smallfolk kid, like Gendry.
If the lordly father acknowledges the bastard child, he or she is given a conventional noble bastard surname, usually where they were born or grew up. Hence Mya Stone. Jon Snow. Joy Hill.
I really hate what the show did, Bran calling his half-brother (as he thought at the time) “Jon Sand”. Aargh. Bran didn’t know how noble bastard surnames work. Jon might’ve been born somewhere in the south, but since he was a baby, he was brought up in the North, he’s a northener. It’s not like a citizenship thing, where your place of birth might decide your nationality. Who would know about bastards? Not unless the mothers were noble “highfolk” as well. That’s why King Robert Baratheon acknowledged his bastard Edric Storm (mum was some noble lady, a Fossowy or something). Robert couldn’t get away from acknowleging that bastard child, the mum wasn’t just some tavern wench, she was a lady, maid of an important allied house.
The show mixes reality and fantasy (and book/show) with ease. Gendry’s name really isn’t important. It had nothing to do with Gendry and all to do with Dany trying to make political moves. And Gendry hasn’t excatly enjoyed his new lordship. The girl he loves has just left him. Lord!
Lars,
+1 Cersei will be killed by Jaime.
Lundy,
Probably that they are the last Starks alive 🙂
Clob,
What if what Euron sees in the trailer is Yara with a fleet from the Iron Islands?
Direwolf Lvr,
I get the feeling something bad is going to happen at Dragonstone before the battle. I hate to be the bearer of more horrible predictions, but I truly believe they have laid the groundwork for Daenerys to get darker. Like execute Varys with dragon fire dark. Sansa wants Tyrion to turn on Dany. Varys wants it too. The burning of Varys would likely be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Ten Bears,
Yes of course Arya blew off Gendry. It would have been out of character if she wouldn’t have. She’s not a person who wants to marry someone and settle down in a castle, that’s not her. She already said in season 1 that she did not want that. And her wolf Nymeria didn’t want that either. I had expected you, the biggest Arya fan here, to understand that. She’s a much better match with the hound (without the sex of course), they are so much alike. You see Sandor smile when she answers him and there is a little smile from her too.
Gendry is too weak for her. He’s a sweet man, a nice man to have sex with, but to live with him would be very boring for someone like Arya.
kevin1989,
I want to see Drogon fly in wearing dragon armor and lay waste to Euron’s fleet.
Lundy,
I thought that was a nod to Jon revealing his targ name to his sisters(and the rest of Westeros inadvertently), Bran reaffirming he is not a Stark but the 3 eyed raven, Arya turning down a marriage proposal choosing to take the road with The Hound, and idk….maybe Sansa can’t have children after what Ramsay did to her.
Maybe the Stark line dies here.
That conversation between Tyrion and Varys was curious. Tyrion did not use the argument that leaving Cersei on the throne was a bigger threat to the innocent people of the realm than a battle at KL.
There are some solutions involving Varys , out of left field, that I can think of , involving foreign political powers that would be cool but I don’t know if the show runners will take the story there.
Then his decision to not dispatch of Yara when he had the chance will be something that resulted in a big failure… That is if Yara’s fleet can destroy Euron and his fleet. If he tosses some of his fairy dust in the air and defeats her again though… >:(
If Cersei promised Riverrun to Bronn, that means Edmure’s fate is still uncertain. My understanding is Edmure was brought back to Walder Frey and put back in his cell, as Walder literally said as much to Jaime in Season 6 Episode 10. Yet Arya wiped out the Freys, so you’d think he’d be free. It annoys me that the show hasn’t clarified what became of Edmure, even more so than Gendry rowing for multiple seasons. We’re not even sure who controls the Riverlands.
You aren’t joking, you’re just whining about the fact that some people have criticisms about the show and don’t think it’s flawless.
Which ironically enough, you would describe as “whining”.
Funny how honest criticism is “whining” in your book, but then you actually just post a comment which serves no purpose except to whine.
Rains of Castamere was also season three. Having an event like that happen is heartbreaking, but it happens with the promise that the Freys and Boltons will eventually get their comeuppance and House Stark will emerge strong again. And they do. Actually ending a story like that would be horrible. I’m trying to even think of an example of popular fiction where everyone dies. All Quiet on the Western Front? Except at least there they die fighting the enemy. They don’t win and then turn on each other a week later. I can’t think of anything that bleak and cynical ever happening in a story.
Relax Francis….
You must be so much fun at diner parties.
Nick20,
I criticize the show and showrunners openly and often. Yet even I have to admit something is fishy about the response to this episode in particular. There is no way the ratings for it should be as low as they are across the internet. Worst episode ever according to most sites. People have made up their minds and there is no going back. The final two episodes can be wonderfully made and it won’t matter.
That, to me, is sad.
My guess is it’ll be Sansa’s coronation.
You can tell which fans went into the season with a distinct vision of how things would go… and the are let down when something is slightly different.
People have to learn the art of being both excited and open minded. It makes for a much better viewing experience for all media.
Are we having a whineception here? People whining about people whining about people whining that just are whining that people are whining about the episode.
Did I miss one layer?
And to add to it. No the show is not free from critism. And if people have problems with it. Criticize away.
But don’t just criticize things that aren’t wrong in the episode just because you didn’t like where the storyline goes.
I saw even a criticism on the internet that the last 2 seasons didn’t have enough nude, and that made the story less good.
Not all criticism is based on facts some on emotion on people. And I can see people writing their criticism with a red vain on their side of their heads. Screaming at their monitor: I’m going to burn them all.
Adam,
It’s definitely looking to be a darker ending than even I anticipated. I worry that it will be nihilistic, but maybe by expecting the worst it won’t be as bad? Or perhaps GRRM’s idea of bittersweet tilts more towards the bitter? I’m willing to let it play out before judging.
Jenny,
Me! I said as much as in the previous thread. She’s been left with nothing before and always bounces back stronger. I think this will be no different. Typical HBO trolling.
Well actually, Sansa’s so proud of the Winterfell Starbucks she’s begun to advertise. Bran is helping her by using ravens to spell out the advertisement in the sky. Euron is so amazed he’s thinking of leaving to battle to try out the coffee, and wondering why Kings Landing doesn’t have a Starbucks. And of course, this is totally snark, but it would be hilarious if true.
I loved the episode, but I never ever want to see the moment again where Rhaegal gets shot and where Missandei gets beheaded. That was more traumatic for me than the Red Wedding.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Agree 100% with you. I looked Sunday before the episode aired and leaked on imdb. And people have rated the episode already with a 1. Even the reviews stated. After episode 3 I know the rest will be shit.
Even their language was horrible. Wouldn’t like to meet those guys. The episode was already on a 3 between 4 then.
It’s just sad that people are like that and they are not just trying to voice their opinion. They want to destroy others fun as well, because they are always right.
And yes you also criticize the show but are always objectively.
When did this happen?
The Bastard,
Not to toot my own horn, but I feel like the season thematically has played out how I imagined.
I expected the NK to be defeated early in the season. I expected Jon’s identity reveal to not go over well with Dany. I expected them to be split apart with other characters choosing sides between them. I expected Sansa to use the information to try and place Jon on the throne.
I’m not confident on my ending predictions, though.
So……do we think we’re getting another battle next episode? Or some unexpected twist that avoids a battle? I’m never good at reading these trailers this season.
Kevin1989,
I also noticed people rated the episode before it aired and I think before it was leaked. That’s not fair. I don’t say people have to like this episode, but at least people have to see the episode before they rate it.
Every episode has some flaws, but this episode sure wasn’t the worst ever, what some people make of it.
According to a recent interview with GRRM, what happens to the main characters is going to be the same as in the books.
I usually don’t criticize much and try to focus on the positive, though it would be understandable if someone got the impression I hated this just from the open chat and recap (also it’s hard to follow my history as there are at least several people posting under the name Adam with no avatar).
I didn’t actually think this was an an abnormally bad episode. Certainly nowhere near a 1, which is utterly ridiculous. It still has great characters I love in a well-realized world paying off story threads that have been hanging for years and that is satisfying. The moments that are just characters in a room talking to each other remain terrific (putting aside Varys and Tyrion openly discussing treason in the literal throne room which is made of stone of full of echoes).
I just wish it wasn’t so rushed. As you’ve noted elsewhere, it’s obvious they’re just hitting the numbers George said they have to hit to end in the same place, but they’re getting there by any means necessary, and they keep doing our heroes dirty and turning the villains into genius masterminds because they feel for some reason that no conflict is interesting if the heroes have an advantage, no matter how well earned over 9 years that advantage was.
It seems obvious to me why we only get 13 episodes in these last two seasons. They took four months to film two episodes and drove the crew into the ground to do it. They’re trying to put multiple feature length action epics to screen and you just can’t do that 10 times. But the sad thing is they don’t need to. This show is great at spectacle, but spectacle isn’t what made it great. It was a great show when it was operating on a shoestring budget and the wars were more interesting when they didn’t even show us the battles. They didn’t need to sacrifice the story making sense just so they could put so much into so few scenes.
Lundy,
Hi Lundy,
I think the title refers to the present and future. Most likely, none of the Starks will have a blood related heir.
It might be that Sansa ends up on a throne, as the heir of John Snow, or of a Northern kingdom. But I doubt she will marry again. And if she does, and is able to have a child, that child might be named after another house.
Of course, Bronn could end up on a throne, as the last man standing.😉
I would guess that we saw the scroll in question this episode, actually — the one she’s holding in the scene with Brienne and Jaime.
Lol. He won’t need Starkbucks. They’re firing up a Drogon Donuts in KL shortly, I’m told.
This is a clever theory. Sansa might indeed conceive of such a devilish ploy and is sufficiently ruthless to carry it out. If revealed, the audience would think “Oh, what a cunning villain Sansa has become.” However, Sansa hopefully learned a lesson from a different scroll last season–don’t put anything in writing that may come back to haunt you. And don’t give it to an enemy. Cersei hates Sansa–she could send it back to Jon or someone and Sansa would be proven treasonous. Mind, I doubt that will happen. But Bran is fairly neutral. Unless it fits his vision of the future so he won’t intervene, he could blurt out the information to Brienne or someone.
Grail King,
It’s a gamble but the alternatives aren’t much better between Dani and Cersei.
Strongly disagree. Dany has no animus towards Sansa and is unlikely to hurt Jon’s family, even those she dislikes. She is focused on Cersei and at present will leave the North alone. Even after victory, she’ll be gentle towards the North, for Jon’s sake if no other. On the other hand, Cersei “I choose violence” Lannister is hyper-aware of Sansa and no doubt wants her dead. She has money to hire a Faceless Man too. She is a terrible threat to Sansa herself, no matter how ‘safe’ she feels in Winterfell. Some fans have even predicted that Cersei would have Sansa kidnapped and taken to KL, though tI can’t imagine that happening with only two remaining episodes remaining.
Kristy G.,
I’m thinking a shielded Drogon. I’d go with some kind of full flex chain-mail. Dragonglass would be the most cinematic and story-centric material.
Clob,
Given how annoyingly infallible they’ve made him, I’m sure the producers will be aware of how much the audience would hate him. So I’m hoping that when he eventually dies they’ll be kind enough to give him a really enjoyably gruesome death.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Instead of “worst episode ever”, how about “the least excellent” or something like that?
I’ve got to be candid. In retrospect, I think this may have been my least favorite episode out of all 71 to date. I still love the show. I just can’t help compare S8e4 with, e.g., S4e7, in which character interactions had room to breathe. Here, for example, the revelation of Jon’s parentage to his sisters was a momentous event – but their reactions weren’t shown. I compare that to Sandor, in S4e7, telling Arya how Gregor burned him. Sure, we – and Arya – already knew the story from LF in S1, but that scene of Sandor telling Arya about it first hand was memorable.
Likewise, we already knew that Tywin and Cersei detested Tyrion his whole life and blamed him for “killing” his mother during childbirth, but hearing Oberyn tell the story of visiting Casterly Rock and expecting to see “the freak”, and being disappointed because “that’s just a baby”, was wonderfully written and acted.
How was there time for endless, repetitive Theon torture scenes, but no time for this significant revelation affecting Jon and his sisters?
I don’t want to get into Dany’s fleet being ambushed yet again for no good reason – or for Bran “I can see everything all over the world” Stark not giving a surveillance report to Team Dany.
I’ve already whinged in prior comments how unrealistic it was for the Northerners to treat Dany like an uninvited party guest after all she had sacrificed to save WF – and the North. If that was calculated to make her feel isolated and unappreciated, it required characters to behave unnaturally.
I figured back in S5e1 when Varys was describing the ruler that the Seven Kingdoms needed, e.g., someone with the “right family name”, etc., that eventually the reveal of Aegon Targaryen would upend his choice of Daenerys as the best candidate. It just feels like she’s being shoehorned into unpopularity by going along with advisors’ “clever plans” that have predictably backfired, and only served to frustrate her and decimate her armies unnecessarily. (She should’ve nuked the Red Keep in early S7. How many tens of thousands have perished because she went with the “kinder, gentler” approach?)
-End Unintended Rant –
Dolorous Methuselah,
“And Deus Ex Euron (or maybe Euron Ex Machina) is getting a bit played out, particularly in how they present it.”
And in a blast from the past it’s — Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition!
Starring that bamboozling sea-rover Euron Greyjoy.
hmmmmmm I’m showing my (Pythonic) age.
Adam,
“This show is great at spectacle, but spectacle isn’t what made it great.”
_______
Exactly.
In S7e7 (I think), Bran told Sam that Jon’s last name was “Sand” because Jon was born to Lyanna Stark in Dorne. That’s when Sam piped in with the Septon’s diary factoid that Lyanna & Rhaegar were married, and then Bran “revisited” the ToJ to hear Lyanna tell young Ned that Jon’s real name was Aegon Targaryen.
talvikorppi,
Long happy (but also sad) sigh from reading your post. Yes.
As much as it will hurt me, I also think that Jaime will die. But he’ll die being a bloody hero.
If anyone ends up pregnant, it should be Brienne. After all, the seed is strong……..
Chilli,
“Gendry is too weak for her. He’s a sweet man, a nice man to have sex with, but to live with him would be very boring for someone like Arya.”
_____
I don’t disagree, but Gendry would not even think of trying to dampen her independent spirit. And we know who’d be “wearing the pants” in that relationship.
I thought back in S3, when Arya told Gendry “I can be your family” and the stage direction to Maisie was to say it like “I love you”, that it would lead to something if and when Gendry was legitimized. But I was wrong. (And Gendry sure turned into a besotted jellyfish in a hurry. He should’ve played it cool.)
Oh well. No complaints from me: Arya and the Hound are on the road again! 👌
Renly’s Peach,
“If anyone ends up pregnant, it should be Brienne. After all, the seed is strong……..”
——-
By that logic, Arya will end up pregnant. “The seed is strong” referred to the Baratheon (dark hair) genes.
Ser Creighton Longbough,
Apart from my criticisms re: the writing and narrative structures – GoT is a wonder of a TV production. Even in the early low-budget years, the production crew(s) have done nothing but a bang-up job in every respect. And while I criticize D&D for the direction of and decisions made, both large and small, WRT the storytelling, production-wise, they have put together a first class plus 8-season show. From set design to costumes to camera work to sound and on and on, we’ve all been treated a luxury liner cruise and marvelous craftsmanship.
Now if they had just given the Dothraki a minute or so, in the war-planning chamber, to flat out tell everyone that given the opportunity to charge, they would and the smart tactical use of a large light cavalry force be damned, it would have explained a lot – and almost have made sense.
Nice post.
I do not recall the last time I saw Jaime or Brienne laugh before to this scene for Jaime and Brienne’s big smile at the knighting. Well at least before this season started.
Clob,
Well put, my friend! Everyone else turns into halfwits, while PsychoEuron becomes SuperEuron. (And people criticize Jon Snow for having “plot armor”?)
I know many will agree on the pregnancy idea. But at the moment I am on the side of no-baby from their few weeks together.
In the continuing saga of processing the episode over time (seemingly just in time for the next one to dick punch us), I am feeling okay about Dany not making it.
The one chance I held out hope for her arc was that she was actually going to live up to her talk of “breaking the wheel.” That she was going to be the revolutionary figure she sometimes talked like that would send Westeros in a new direction.
But she hasn’t. She doesn’t want the Iron Throne so she can melt it down in dragonfire, so she can lead the people into a new era where they can maybe have a goddamned say in who leads them, so she can be something different. She wants it because it is her birthright (except, NOT), her “destiny.” As soon as she set foot in Westeros, the inspiring part of her character vanished.
I don’t chalk that up to bad writing. It’s been bad in patches, but by and large it’s been true to her character all along. She’s always been capable of breathtaking acts of selfless beauty and heartbreaking stumbles into vengeance and indiscriminate “justice.” Since she got to Westeros, it’s been all the latter. No wonder she hasn’t really won any new converts since arriving. Her one big chance to show everyone she’s different, when she could have spared the Tarlys at the Loot Train, she squandered by over-reliance on her Targaryen heraldry and zealous belief in her “destiny.”
I hope that she doesn’t do what it appears she will do next episode. But then again, we have her visions in the House of the Undying. We know it’s not the Night King and Undead Viserion that destroy the Red Keep. It might still be Cersei, but I think the chances are slim. And whether Dany does it or not, the wheels are already in motion for her demise. Maybe it will only be tragic in the sense that it avoids further bloodshed at the hands of a virtuous tyrant.
Or, maybe it will be super tragic in that she pulls back from the precipice, does the right thing by sparing the smallfolk of King’s Landing, brings Jon into her reign as co-monarch, etc., but is assassinated all the same because of the flashes of her dark side that she has already failed to suppress.
I was never quite sure that the phrase didn’t apply to both Lannisters and Baratheons. Yes, the Baratheons had black hair, but didn’t the Lannisters also have golden hair?
P.S. I hope Arya isn’t pregnant! She’s awesome, but she would make a terrible mother, lol.
Loved the episode as a whole. But a man wonders, should it possibly been called “The Last of the Starbucks” instead?
…too soon?
Yes, it could be misdirection.
The trailers and the photos have not been that reliable. Clearly, Daenerys is desperate to be queen and now very angry given Missy’s demise. However, it was laid pretty thick that she will go crazy so maybe it will not occur. (And I am someone that has always thought Daenerys is dark and still do.)
That said we are expecting a battle because of the director and we did see some old pictures of a burn KL set. I would be surprised to see hundreds/thousand die. I do not think Jon, Vrays and Tyrion could bear it.
It is, however, time for Euron and Cersei to start suffering some setbacks.
I just checked…all appendages are still attached. 😉
Ep5 will indeed be tough. I hope the ending is wrenching and intriguing, not simply aggravating.
Nice post.
Varys made a great point about tyrants and talk of destiny and a new world. I have always though Daenerys was dark.
The throne will be taken by conquest and it seems to be an obvious thing to work out a ruling arrangement with Jon – if the family is what really interests her.
I hope she can restrain herself or Jon, Varys, Tyrion can provide guidance so she does not lose it completely.
Hodors Bastard,
Well, I’m not expecting perfection. I don’t even have a firm grasp on what I want to see happen, for fear of being disappointed. So I’m willing to roll with plenty of different scenarios. Jon’s going to die. Can’t get any lower than that for me. He’s deader than dead. No chance at survival…
A character we saw only briefly was Jorah Mormont, as Daenerys gave him an emotional farewell before lighting his funeral pyre. Iain Glen tells EW that although there was no line written for Emilia Clarke, she did whisper something to him. Glen is keeping it between them, however. “It’s something entirely sincere and true to the moment and something that I’ll never forget…I’ll always cherish it because it’s something no one will ever know but the two of us. And that’s a memory to hold onto.”
*wails*
I appreciate your insights this season. Some are better at speculation than others. I’m a member of the ‘others’ and you are definitely a ‘some.’ 🙂 Carry on, sir.
Could someone please stop Jaime from cutting his own hair, he looks like a muppet.
Missandei of Naath….never thought her final words would be “Burn this shit to the ground.” Love you, girl. ❤
Yes, it is hard to see what to expect.
Fighting with at least Euron dead?
I demand an absolutely glorious death of a character I hate, please and thank you. I need some sweet to go with the bitter, otherwise it’s just fucking depressing.
Zen-Face,
I was a bit disappointed with the last scenes, by the way. The besiegers down there, negotiating with the Evil Queen up there on the walls of the besieged city… I don’t know, the whole thing seemed more a scene from Galavant rather than GoT. And I loved Galavant! But GoT is something else, it requires much more quality, imo…
I loved this episode until Rhaegal. The last part didn’t convince me much, tbh.
Pigeon,
I’m hoping for a late series appearance by Vargo Hoat. Put him to work on Euron, starting with the removal of his tongue. Then his eyes. Chop him up piece by piece.
For Cersei, I don’t believe there is anything I can imagine that would be horrible enough. So perhaps death is too good for her. Maybe let her have the baby and then throw her in the same cell as Ellaria and Tyene’s corpse.
A scorpion bolt through her face is fine with me.
Dark Sister,
One of the biggest short comings I found with Episode 4 is how surprisingly unprepared or lacking in intel Dany seems. I was wishing Jorah, Daario, Ser Barristan, etc were with her to talk about tactics and strategy. Because Tyrion has proven ineffective on that score. And with all his experience gathering information how could Varys…and Tyrion not know about the scorpions mounted on the walls? How could she not know that Euron’s fleet was heading to Dragonstone? Did they leave anyone at Dragonstone to send ravens or sound the alarm? It seems they really have’t done much in the way of finding out what Cersei was up to aside from broad strokes.
Pigeon,
Ouch!
Seconded!!! I don’t count the NK as he was barely a thing in the story. Yeah, it was a big thing but he was still a silent character in a handful of episodes. Unfortunately we’re down to just a few that I really hate… and perhaps one more that I do that has earned that status once again that I won’t mention.
You and me both.
Yes, the Night King had a terrifying presence, and did command a lot of fear, but mainly through his legion army of wights and walkers, not himself personally (aside from poor Viserion. And Theon. Sigh.) But he was mainly a “hands off” character, and didn’t have the personal relationship or that special human touch of wanting to smack the features right off his face. 😜
And what of theory that Tyrion is Targ?
Bran must be keeping it secret (because he sees everything in past, right?) Evidence:
1) Tyrion’s Lannister father repeatedly declaring Tyrion is “not his son”
2) Dragons not BBQing Tyrion in dungeons
3) Tyrion’s mother dying while giving birth to Tyrion (hallmark Targ curse) same year Mad King is rumored having affair with her
4) Tyrion as child always happy spending time in dragon crypts viewing dragon skeletons.
If true that Tyrion is Targ, Tyrion would be older brother to Dany, right?… with more direct claim to Throne because he’s Mad King’s older and only living son (yes, though bastard son, he’s still Targ blood heir).
Maybe Tyrion wins by default, if Dany and Jon do not survive… (I hope Dany survives, I just love her. Damn those screen writers for portraying her as “Mad Queen”, that arc is just intellectually weak. Really disappointing!!).
It is a reference to a line spoken by Arya in the godswood, where Jon reveals his identity to his sist…er cousins.
There have been complaints about how it is that D&D cut away from showing the reveal. On the one hand, the writers say that showing the viewer what the viewer already knows is boring.
So that’s one explanation.
The other is that we didn’t see that scene or what took place before it in the Library (where Arya confronts Jon and says they have to talk with him).
Consider that Arya leaves Winterfell without saying goodbye. Even though she says she does not plan to come back. And when Jon leaves, he does not bother to say goodbye to Arya. He didn’t even ask about her, only to find out she had already left. Didn’t that seem odd to you? Yes, it might well be just the writers being the writers and moving on with the show at lightspeed with a minimum of fuss. That’s certainly possible.
But no, I think Jon is going to see his family again. That’s why we didn’t get a Stark fare thee well goodbye moment. Because that wasn’t goodbye. And Jon didn’t ask where Arya was because he already knew.
I think the inference is that Sansa and Arya, at the very least, came up with a plan. Arya didn’t just leave on a lark to kill Cersei. She did it after discussing it first with Sansa – and maybe even with Jon and Bran.
The Last of the Starks have a plan. And we didn’t get to see what that plan was when Sansa laid it out. We are, however, going to see how it plays out.
Sophie really did give away quite a bit without realizing it during her interviews!
I think you may be right about the coronation. I was trying to think what would be a big enough scene to warrant the storyboard, and Sophie said it’s her last scene! They don’t always film in order, but I think you may be right. Sophie also said that many castmembers were there too. She did say she didn’t do another scene in season 8 with Lena, so it’s very possible then that Cersei is gone and Sansa goes to the throne room. Will she end up with Tyrion? Or Gendry? or Jon? I can’t imagine a scenario where she could have a claim to the throne by herself.
What is the scroll she kept with the spoiler? It could have been the Rhaegal death scroll. That would have been a spoiler, but is there a more important scroll to come. I think there was a reason to have Arya say Sansa was the smartest person she ever met, even if fans hated that line.
Or the wedding invitation…
Sansa as THE Queen, married to Gendry Baratheon, the true heir to the Iron Throne, with Tyrion as the Hand would also prove to be a twist with an acceptable political outcome.
And Jon Snow, declared a Stark, who leaves the capital to return to Winterfell would also resonate with a sense of justice – and ensure one of the Great Houses of the 7 Kingdoms endures.
Steel_Wind,
If Jon is able to go back North, that would certainly be the “sweet”.
I could see Gendry with the sister who always wanted to be a “Lady”. Dany thought she was being strategic but in the end gave Sansa the opening she needed by legitimatizing Gendry. That would definitely fit with what the cast said about no one thinking that’s how things would end.
This whole conjecture is built on the premise that Jon will swoop in and seize the throne. Jon is not doing any swooping on any throne. Even if he was inclined to, he and Sansa would have needed to do a bit of planning for him to be ready to do it when the opportunity arises. In your conjecture, the only one who could be ready to swoop on said vacant throne, would be Sansa herself, because she is the only one who is privy to said treasonous plan.
I just read Oz’s unsullied recap and honestly don’t recall anyone in the show actually saying “the last of the Starks”. My bad.
Still the title sticks with me. I initially wondered if the show was implying there would be no more Starks, as in neither Sansa nor Arya would have children. I hope that’s not the implication.
But why give the ep that name? Only a portion of the ep was about Starks. Or does it have more to do with Sansa starting the sh*tstorm by sharing a certain secret with Tyrion.
Or perhaps, I’m giving the show runners too much credit for imagination in episode titles. *shrug*
kevin1989,
Plus Arya said tell Jon in the Godswood that they were the Last Starks.
Ten Bears,
Thank you for the reminder! 🙂
I think it will be Tyrion on the IT with Sansa as his queen.
D’oh! Just discovered they forgot a Starbucks cup on the same scene I praised for their attention to details… 🙈 *double facepalm*
Brandon,
I am wondering how serious Jon is about not being King and how mad Danny will get. If she doesn’t get too crazy, and in the end Sansa and Varys are trying to replace her with Jon, maybe Jon will make the ultimate sacrifice so Danny can claim the Throne she has been longing for all along. Although I still wouldn’t be surprised if Sansa ends up ruling. Or maybe Varys will some how take over and start the first democracy, by the people for the people.
Roz’s Ghost,
She was unprepared because all her advisors keep dying. I’d like to think it’s part of the plan to continue to isolate her more and more.
Or, Dany discovers the secret was leaked, she knows whom to blame, and torches the “Last of the Starks”. heh
Interesting. I hope there’s something to your thoughts there. Otherwise it’d be pretty boring writing by D&D.
Even if Dany becomes a mad queen (maybe it’s too obvious at this point, so it may not happen), I will remember her character also as a benevolent ruler from Essos (from the perspective of former slaves). She is/was definitely not evil the whole time, unlike Cersei. S8 could be better, but I will enjoy it anyway – it’s the last season.
I wonder if a plan might involve Sandor pretending to have taken Arya captive and bringing her to Cersei to claim the bounty on her head. That could bring both within reach of their targets.
The flaw is that Cersei would have noticed Sandor with Team Dany at the Dragonpit parley. But she might be easily persuaded that Sandor does whatever’s best for Sandor at any given moment.
Pigeon,
I thought Dany looked like she said, “I love you.”
Lundy, Well, Bran isn’t going to father any children, by the looks of things, Sansa will not be a Stark if she remarries, and doesn’t look like Arya is going to become a mum anytime soon. There are no more Starks left, so after the last Stark of all dies, what happens to Winterfell?
Marie,
That was my thinking as well. These are literally the last of the Starks.
When Sansa weds, it could be on the condition that the new couple will continue with the name Stark. To keep with tradition. *shrug*
Of course, in the books, Rickon is still alive and Davos is on his way to Skagos to find him, at the behest of Lord Manderly of White Harbor. The condition of Davos’ release from White Harbor was to bring back Manderly’s liege lord.
Lundy,
If Jon dies, there are issues. If Jon does not die, and does not take the throne, then the most expedient solution is to recognize him as the true-born son of Ned Stark, and declare him Lord Stark of Winterfell, and Warden of the North and Hero of the Realm. Absolved of all sins and crimes.
There. The Stark line is thereby preserved and no injustice is done. Moreover, the Targaryen bloodline is buried, so that no sons of Aegon Targaryen might persist to trouble the IT. Instead, the official story is that Ned Stark’s bastard was elevated to true-born status. The story that he was Rhaegar’s bastard is a pack of lies. How can it be true when Jon turned down the throne and accepted that he was a Stark?
Seems like a sound resolution to me.
At this stage almost everything points to the mad Queen theory coming true. Dany is the ultimate villain of the piece and may slaughter thousands of innocents in her pursuit of power. If she does she will become queen of the ashes and unlikely to ever be accepted by the common folk if she is not killed by team Jon beforehand. The narrative has built this up slow since season 2 but I wonder if a pregnancy could save the day yet still?
I love how the show has made Danny’s descent more subtle though to the extent many still root for her at this point just as they did with Stannis until he burnt Shirlene – could we see another last straw moment fir the dragon queen where we recognise she cannot come back from this?
Hope not, that would not make any logical sense. It could be an armoured Drogon about to burn his fleet though. My guess is this part happens first, Dany then burns kings landing and we see women and children caught in the horror. So we go from cheering to jeering Dany with the sequence of carnage.
I like your red wedding comparison, no doubt had the show done that before the books it wiould have had a similar reaction. That said though it’s still only a minority complaining and largely because they expected the show to conclude differently with some absurd claims of racism/sexism aimed at the show runners.
I am the same – mad queen Dany feels so certain right now that I am trying to work out how they can side step it – my guess is a pregnancy and marriage to Jon.
Burning Varys alive will be horrifying, and it would definitely turn Tyrion against her. I hope this doesn’t happen, but they’ve pretty much told us that it will, so…