I can’t believe it’s finally over. I’m sure you all remember when you first became hooked on Game of Thrones, right? For me, it was in 2011, a month or so after the show had first aired, I heard the rumors around campus of a fantasy series on HBO. It had nudity, sex, swearing, graphic violence…everything my young self was not used to in the rare fantasy productions pop culture was willing to offer me. Being a complete fantasy nerd, of course I was intrigued. And so (through illicit means, I hate to admit,) I checked out the first five or so episodes that were out…all in one night. I was completely entranced by this world. Once the first season was done, I tore through all of the Song of Ice and Fire books available at the time, which is sadly the same amount available today. I didn’t want any more instances of the show catching me off guard. Unfortunately, throughout the years, we ran out of books to pad the blow of whatever will happen next. And even more unfortunately, that is when fans really started to complain.
Look, I get it. People were worried that show creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (most often referred to as D & D) were veering the series in an opposite direction of what author George R. R. Martin intended. Whether it was the meandering and ultimately pointless Dorne plot arc in season five, or the seemingly rushed pace of seasons seven and eight, the series felt different (to some) from the GoT we all knew and loved. I know many, including friends of mine, were dissatisfied with how the series ended, even so much as starting a petition to re-do the season eight completely. If you have read my previous season reviews, you may be able to tell that I have always been satisfied with whatever this series has given me. But the negative reaction to the series by my peers has caused me to take a good, long, critical look at the show. Am I missing some horrendous flaw that others see? I’ve spent a good deal of this last week watching snippets of previous, re-reading passages of the books, deciphering lines of prophesies on the GoT wiki…
And yet my conclusion remains the same. I’m sorry, if I am forever marked a blind, ignorant fangirl; but I enjoyed season eight. I loved the ending and I will always love the series. While this is my over all conclusion, for my sanity and yours, I’ll divulge into a detailed critique of each episode of season eight. Obviously spoilers ahead if you have not finished the series.
S8E1: “Winterfell”
The first episode of each season of GoT has always served to re-establish the important characters and what they have been doing since the last time we saw them. This episode is no different as we catch up with Jon, Dany, and crew returning to Winterfell after their attempt to form a truce with Cersei in King’s Landing. It’s interesting to note how the other inhabitants of Winterfell react to the presence of the would be Queen Daenerys and how she reacts to them; somewhat friendly but with a hint of fear and arrogance. We are also strongly reminded of the impending doom of the army of Wights. And of course Sam drops the bomb of Jon’s lineage on him, much to his dismay. While nothing extremely important or surprising usually happens in these first episodes, they are critical to the development of the core characters, nonetheless.
S8E2: “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
With the Night King and his army of the dead looming ever closer to Winterfell, frantic preparations are being made by everyone in Winterfell for the upcoming battle. Many characters have resigned to the fact that it may be their last night alive. While this premise may sound simple and even boring for an entire episode, I personally think this is one of the most enjoyable episodes of the entire series. No one dies (that’s how you know what comes next is going to be brutal.) Everyone establishes a sense of much needed comroadary with each other, sharing their stories while drinking, especially Tormund and his giant mistress. My girl Arya boldly confesses her attraction to Gendry…in a very physical way. While I was a little grossed out at first as I practically see Arya as my baby sister, she is pretty much a young adult at this point, and had every right to be exploring things like that. By far, the best part of the episode is when Jaime knights Brienne, allowing her to become the first female knight of the Seven Kingdoms. I’m sure we all wished that this story could just stay like this. Everyone could be friends, no one else has to die. But then it wouldn’t be Game of Thrones…
S8E3: “The Long Night”
This is the epic battle the entire series has been building up to. As this is now the largest battle scene ever put on film, everyone involved in the show worked (for 55 straight nights) to bring us this episode. Unfortunately, this marks the beginning of many of the fandom’s issues with season eight. One of the main issues being the episode was too dark for many people to see. I hate to sound like an elitist, but I had no idea of this issue until I read the numerous complaint online. I am very fortunate to have a large 4K tv that someone has adjusted for dark scenes (we watch a lot of dark films in our household.) I was able to see the episode very well. Watching clips on youtube, I see exactly what people are talking about though. I truly hope that when it comes on Blu-ray, those who missed out could see what I saw. This episode delivers every bit of the epic-ness it promised. My favorite parts of this episode include the gorgeous wide shot of Drogon and Rheagor flying above the clouds (I want this image printed on canvas and hung up in my bathroom), Theon’s ultimate redemption as Bran tells him he is a good man, and of course, my girl Arya being the one to kill the Night King. Sorry to anyone who felt that this kill should have gone to Jon, but Arya has been training the entire series for this moment. She was literally the only one with enough stealth ability to catch him off guard. Also, I get how some were upset that the Night King went down in one episode, but I see no feasible way the story could have gone on and had any kind of good ending if he remained a threat any longer. If he didn’t die right then and there, Winterfell and soon all of Westeros would have been doomed. Also of note, the score of this episode (by composer Ramin Djawadi) is one of the most beautiful I’ve heard on television.
S8E4: “The Last of the Starks”
With the horrors and the death of several major and minor characters in the last episode, I was lulled into a false sense of security that nothing too terrible was going to happen with this one. Aaaaand boy, was I ignorant. After a bit of celebration for the victory of Winterfell, Dany decides to press on her conquest for the Iron Throne. Unfortunately, she is a little too earnest and doesn’t allow for her troops or dragons any time for rest after the last battle. On the other hand, Cersei is well prepared. This error costs Dany her dragon Rheagal and her best friend Missandei. To add to Dany’s surmounting stress, Jon shares the secret of his lineage to his sisters, despite her begging him not to, leading Tyrion and Varys to finding out as well. With two of her dragons and some of her closest advisers gone, especially Jorah Mormont who perished at the end of the previous episode, we start to see Daenerys slip into a state of fear and anger that may not bode well for her. I was a bit upset by this episode, but not because I disliked it. I will admit, this is the episode in which the characters made some of their most terrible choices, especially Jaime. I might also question why Dany grossly underestimated (or completely forgot about) the Iron Fleet. It was admittedly a hard to watch episode, but it did serve to set up the events that let us see the beginning of the end for the story.
S8E5: “The Bells”
Dany finally takes what is hers, with fire and blood. Unfortunately, it’s with much more fire and blood than necessary. Her deteriorating mental state causes her to slaughter thousands of innocent citizens of King’s Landing even after Cersei’s troops surrender. Jon and Tyrion can merely watch in horror. Another episode that received a lot of fan backlash. I’m guessing it’s because they wished for a slower descent into madness for Daenerys. I hate to say it because she is my second favorite character, but she was showing signs of it from the beginning. Up until then she had no problem with violently killing those whom she deemed “evil.” But now, those who she deems as evil are no longer people we the audience are cheering for her to kill. Without the calming influence of Jorah and Missandei, Dany has lost her moral compass and link to humanity. Everyone should at least be happy in that this episode finally delivers the much hyped “Clegane Bowl”, the fandom name for the inevitable battle between The Hound and The Mountain.
S8E6: “The Iron Throne”
I may have to spend years defending the final episode of Game of Thrones from the world. Ultimately Tyrion, upon seeing the beginnings of madness in his Queen Daenerys, convinces Jon it would be harmful for the entire world, especially his sisters, if she were allowed to continue on her current path. Jon, trying to find any way her soul can be redeemed and seeing none, kills Daenerys in one final embrace. The rest of the episode is epilogue. Again, I know these events may play out differently in the books, but this was the only way I could see Daenerys being stopped. Perhaps Arya could have done it, but she has done enough by offing the Night King. For the sake of the story, It had to be Jon and it had to happen rather quickly and quietly. Jon would have never survived long enough to do it if he roused the suspicions of the Unsullied or Drogon first. I know this final confrontation may seem anticlimactic, but again, it was really the only way it could have played out positively.
As for the epilogue, I will be the first to admit, Bran being crowned king came out of nowhere. To that regard, I’m going to say this: We all convinced ourselves that Jon would be crowned King because it was his “destiny” or his “birthright.” But this is not Lord of the Rings and Jon Snow is not Aragorn. He did not say he didn’t want it simply because he felt it wasn’t time or he was unworthy. He really did not want it. How terrible of a punishment would it be to the so called “hero” of the story to force him into a role he does not want, in a city that he has no friends nor family, and only the traumatizing memory of killing the woman he once loved? In contrast, is not sending him back to the far North for his “punishment” far more fitting of a reward? He is reunited with Ghost (he really does love him, despite what some on the internet may say) and free from the politics and the “game of thrones” he never cared about. Jon Snow’s ending may have been not good for us, the audience, but it was the best ending he could have hoped for. All of the other characters left alive also got endings that were either the best for them or the kingdom. Arya would never have been happy settling down, and showed signs of her passion for exploration all throughout the series. Tyron is still Hand of the King. I know everyone has to be happy with that, even if he wasn’t at first due to his own guilt. Sansa is finally the true Queen of the North, and no one deserves it more than her.
As far as Bran being crowned king out of seemingly “nowhere”, think about how dark and terrible the universe of Game of Thrones has been. We all love reading about it and watching it on television, but I don’t know a single fan that would want to live in or even visit this world. Does Westeros not deserve more than any other fictional universe an all-seeing, all-knowing ruler who no longer has any emotional ties in people or personal politics? It may seem almost like a “cheat” but after all of the suffering everyone has been through, why not have a solution this tidy?
In the end, season eight had a few flaws, mostly to do with lack of understanding for character motivations, some slightly faster than we are used to pacing, and a couple of tiny technical issues (coffee cup and water bottles, anyone?) It wasn’t a flawless season, but really, there is no such thing, especially in a long running series with dozens of characters, millions of dollars worth of special effects, an a complex storyline that no longer has much source material to guide it. While it wasn’t the best season for me, I still highly enjoyed it. And more importantly, it delivered something not many shows get, a cathartic ending that ties up most loose ends. Unexpected, yes, but Game of Thrones taught us that this show was going to be anything but predictable in the ninth episode of season one.
