max Game of Thrones, The Final Season

[Innula Zenovka]

Interesting profile of Gwendoline Christie: ‘Playing Brienne of Tarth changed my life. I feel emotional’

 

[Cristalle]

How amazing was this opener?!

 

[Ariane]

Unpopular Opinion:
The last season of the show opens with a generally superfluous episode. We the audience didn't learn a single thing. Nobody dies. No relationships change. No character arcs advance. There were some reunions, and some characters learned some things that we the audience already knew. That's it!

Looks like another season of 'feel good' fan service. Sure it's what you want, but that's just not what Game of Thrones is. The writing has sadly never recovered without GRRM's way with words. The show that was once grand speeches in grand rooms, has now become mostly silence, with decent ideas, executed without the style and gravitas of the first 4 seasons. It has its moments, it's even what you want typically, but it's just... sigh.

I've heard rumors and speculation that the war with the Night King may be over sooner than anyone expected, it looks like it is starting next episode. We need surprises, twists and unexpected deaths, or this isn't Game of Thrones.

Let the bodies hit the floor!

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

I do have to agree that after almost 2 years of speculation and build up - the first episode felt anti-climatic.

Spoiler

I almost expected The Hound to hug Arya or at least say he was proud of her 'cause you know he totally is.

Please, please, please do not do the Arya/Gendry ship. I know a lot of fans want it, but Arya is not the marrying kind. She just isn't.

Arya telling Jon she's used Needle once or twice - like she doesn't want him to be disappointed in her by knowing what she's become?

ETA

Spoiler

How fucking stupid was Dany for telling Sam she executed his father and brother? She could have said they died in battle - which is sort of true... But, I guess she doesn't know/understand how deep family loyalty can run.

 

[Free]

At least we got another joke about eunuchs.

 

[Myficals]

The last season of the show opens with a generally superfluous episode. We the audience didn't learn a single thing.

We may not have learned much per se, but there was a hell of a lot of groundwork laid, and a whole lot of boxes were checked. A few things that happened...

• Arya got not one, not two, but three reunions.
• Jon got two reunions, rode a dragon and has learned that R+L=J
• The lines of division between Team Dany and "da Norf!" have been set out.
• The Turncloak has rescued his sister, putting her Ironborn faction back on the board.
• Euron's got what he wanted out of (in to?) Cersei, so who knows what the nutter's next step is.
• Bron has been given a reason to go north, it'll be interesting to see if he's really team Cersei now.
• All manner of little character moments, drawing lines and laying ground work for further down the track.

Was it a spectacular episode? No. What it was, was a solid season opener, reminding what pieces are on the board and making a series of opening gambits to line things up for the game ahead. It was in no way superfluous.

Nobody dies. No relationships change. No character arcs advance.

None of these points are correct. Plenty of character have met for the first time and found out new things; that's arc advancement. Jon's learnt who Dany is to him, that's a relationship change. "Da Norf" has discovered their chosen king is a kneeler, that's a change too. As for "nobody dies," I was going to make a quip about Noone being fine and dandy, but then I remembered poor Ned Umber and the folks of Last Hearth. A bit part player for sure, but still a very important death in terms of plot advancement and threat tracking (and a super creepy moment to boot).

The writing has sadly never recovered without GRRM's way with words.

This I'll agree on, the actual writing in this episode was kind of meh. The dialogue was easily the weakest element overall.

I've heard rumors and speculation that the war with the Night King may be over sooner than anyone expected, it looks like it is starting next episode. We need surprises, twists and unexpected deaths, or this isn't Game of Thrones.

Spoiler: Stuff about future episodes

I'm obviously not 100% certain on this, but to me that sounds like a misinterpretation of what is known about episode 3; specifically that that's when the Battle of Winterfell takes place, and more specifically, that the Army of Night wins and the survivors escape through secret tunnels in the crypts. So yes, there's a battle with the Night King coming soon, it's just not going to be the final battle

 

[Ann Launay]

This episode was clearly meant to move all of the players into place prior to any real action, but I very much enjoyed the reunions and character moments. My favorite was how implicit Jon's trust of Sam is, to believe the incredible, terrible, impossible thing he told him with barely a waver. Other people will require proof however, so I really hope the journal was one of the books Sam "borrowed" and that Howland Reed turns up at some point to confirm Ned brought baby Jon out of the Tower of Joy. I also liked that Theon finally got his shit together and rescued Yara - her reaction was perfect - and that Yara understood the Startks were Theon's family too.

I do want to know why Bran sat out in the courtyard all night though...could his Sight really not give him a more accurate arrival time? And where the hell was Brienne?

 

[Free]

And where the hell was Brienne?

She apparently had little to do, though she has a few glances during the council meeting between Jon, Daenerys and the Northern houses.

 

[Myficals]

She apparently had little to do, though she has a few glances during the council meeting between Jon, Daenerys and the Northern houses.

Pretty much this. Brienne's never really been positioned as a player in the "Game," so there's not a lot to be made from having her interact overly with Team Dany. In this area at least, she's going follow Sansa's lead.

I imagine Brienne will get some face time in the next episode, now that Jamie's ridden in to the wolve's den. That might bring some interesting "divided loyaties" character development moments.

 

[Cristiano]

 

[Tracer]

"What is dead may never die" isn't the best thing to say to someone who's going off to fight zombies.

 

[Ann Launay]

She apparently had little to do, though she has a few glances during the council meeting between Jon, Daenerys and the Northern houses.

I don't remember seeing her at all.

Oh well, hopefully she'll at least have a moment next week to defend Jaime so he doesn't end up en flambe.

 

[Ann Launay]

 

[Eunoli]

ther people will require proof however, so I really hope the journal was one of the books Sam "borrowed" and that Howland Reed turns up at some point to confirm Ned brought baby Jon out of the Tower of Joy.

That he rode the dragon was a big bit of proof, and lots of people saw that. Some non-Targs have ridden dragons over the centuries, but the number is very small and there's speculation about those all being bastards with at least some valyrian blood in them.

Jon becoming a dragon rider was a giant game changer, as far as giving them a chance - but I like that he didn't seem to realize it.

 

[Myradyl Muse]

Maybe...umm... we need a wee Game of Thrones dress up party at someone's place in SL ? *looks around for likely places, whistling*
If we do, we may have to schedule jousts to determine who gets to dress up as which character, just saying.

 

[Myficals]

Bron has been given a reason to go north, it'll be interesting to see if he's really team Cersei now.

On this topic, it's interesting that it was Qyburn who came to see Bronn, not Cersei. It tells you something about how much hate there is between Lena Heady and Jerome Flynn that it has an impact on how the show is written.

 

[Ava Glasgow]

Other people will require proof however, so I really hope the journal was one of the books Sam "borrowed"

If I remember correctly, Sam had dismissed the book as irrelevant, but Gilly thought there was something to it so she stuck it in their go bag. I believe Sam didn't actually read the important part until after they left the citadel.

 

[Myficals]

 

[Myficals]

So something I did want to talk about is who will and who won't get through this alive. Prior to this season, I would've put odds on that both Dany and Tyrion who be amongst those still standing. As of now, I no longer think that's true. I'm really beginning to think that Tyrion's going to out clever himself somehow, and Dany's going to ending up paying somehow for being a little too much "burn them all." I don't know whether or not she'll pay directly. In fact, I think that's unlikely. I'm just beginning to feel that from a narrative perspective, she has a little bit too much of her father in her to avoid some sort of karma.

 

[Ariane]

I decided to try my hand at deciding what happens in the war between Winterfell and the Night King by simply flipping coins on each character. Here's how the coins decided:

John Snow - tails, dies
Danerys - tails, dies
Sansa - heads, lives
Arya - heads, lives
Bran - heads, lives
Tyrion - tails, dies
Jamie - heads lives
Brienne - heads, lives
Hound - tails, dies
Gendry - tails, dies
Sam - tails, dies
Theon - heads, lives
Davos - heads, lives
Jeor - tails, dies
Varys - heads, lives
Tormund - heads lives
Gilly - tails dies
Missandei - heads lives
Grey Wurm - tails, dies

Now you might look at that list and decide it fails from a story telling perspective, but can you imagine the OMGWTF reaction? It's the red wedding all over again! Feel free to flip coins to make up your own random dead pool. (I was too lazy to find a coin and used Just Flip A Coin)