Today’s Game of Thrones post is a little delayed, because my mom insisted on coming by and celebrating my birthday.
Pfft, who cares about that when there’s a new GoT episode waiting?
Anyway, you know the drill: This post includes spoilers for season 8, episode 4 “The Last of the Starks”, so stop reading if you intend to see the episode and haven’t yet.
Okay, time for all the random, disjointed thoughts I had during this week’s episode:
Well, This is Depressing
Seeing people grieve the dead will always feel much worse to me than simply seeing them die.
Damn it, Game of Thrones, I try to make these commentaries funny and you’re giving me nothing to work with.
Also, good on you, Sam, for burning Edd like you promised… after there’s no longer any chance of him getting zombified.
Dany, Do You Want to Make Everyone Hate You?
Seriously, what did Gendry do?! Why are you trying to make him piss his pants in public before you get to the point and legitimize him as well as grant him a lordship?
If you want a pretty new pawn to manipulate, you don’t need to point out how the father of said pawn murdered your family.
(I seriously didn’t hate Daenerys before this season, and I want to root for the strong female leaders so badly, but it’s becoming more and more difficult…)
Davos, Your Dialogue is Pure Poetry
“Lord of Light. We play his game for him, we fight his war and win, and then… he fucks off.”
This has got to be the best description of religion ever.
I need everyone to be just a bit more like Davos.
Bran… You’re Creepy
Not really much to add here.
Booze Will Solve Everything
Jaime and Tyrion playing drinking games with Brienne was just what I needed.
But Tormund needs to stop gesturing so much while telling stories. You’re spilling precious beer, man!
At Least Tormund Doesn’t Let a Broken Heart Get Him Down For Long
Jaime wins the night’s battle for Brienne’s attention, simply by being seated closer to the door, and Tormund goes to sob on the Hound’s shoulder. Luckily for the Hound, some Northern girl offers to cheer up the wildling and Tormund decides that it’s time to move on. It’s been an entire five minutes, after all.
Gendry, Slow Down, Mate!
You have gone from passive flirting to “I love you, marry me and come live with me in the castle I just got 10 minutes ago!” in the span of 24 hours.
There’s such a thing as coming on too strong, dude.
Love is in the Air
Are they trying to cater to shippers of every single pairing in this episode?
Because I’m strangely okay with that.
In the past, I have been just fine with Jaime and Brienne having a platonic friendship, because they were awesome together like that, but Drunk Jealous Jaime is all kinds of adorable. This has got to be the cutest romantic scene in the entire show.
…Gods save me, I’m turning into a fangirl.
Damn It, Dany
People are being cute. Go be gloomy somewhere else.
Also, Jon: That whole aunt-nephew thing… You’re just not going to address that…?
Stark Family Meeting
Last Stark family meeting about a King of the North choosing the wrong girl resulted in the Red Wedding, so I have great hopes for the outcome of this one.
I’m So Glad Tyrion Gets to be Funny Again in This Season
“Do you know how long I have waited to tell tall person jokes?”
It’s sweet that Tyrion is happy about Jaime and Brienne… even if it’s just because he’s now not the only Lannister dwarfed by his girlfriends.
However the quote “To climbing mountains” have a completely wrong meaning if you consider that there’s actually still a ‘living’ character nicknamed The Mountain…
…Urgh.
Enter Ser Bronn with a Crossbow
I love how Tyrion is more surprised at seeing Bronn without a drink than seeing him at Winterfell at all, and Jaime is the only one wondering why he’s aiming a crossbow at them.
Seriously, what’s in the beer in this place…?
Why Don’t Ghost Get a Hug?!
Everyone gets hugs, but Ghost is just being abandoned by Jon with a quick glance?
As a lifelong dog owner, I cannot abide this!
Draaaaaama…
Finally, someone brings up the aunt-thing. And it’s Varys, of all people. Right now, he sounds a lot like early-seasons Tyrion.
You know, the one who’s realistic about people and tries to plan ahead for an impending war-causing temper tantrum.
It’s not comforting that Tyrion’s best-case scenario is, “Maybe Cersei will win and kill us all. That would solve our problems.”
Oh, Hey Cersei!
I think someone’s mad at having been overlooked this season…
“I Don’t Think a Cock is a True Qualification”
Preaching to the choir, Tyrion. Preaching to the choir.
Damn It, Jaime…
All the shit you have said to Brienne over the years, and THIS is what finally makes her cry.
You better make good on your drama and murder your sister after this.
Qyburn and Tyrion Chatting
The Hand of Daenerys and the Hand of Cersei are facing off against each other and no one uses the phrase “Talk to the Hand”?
Really?
Talk about missed opportunities.
Dracarys!
…Splat.
Missandei didn’t deserve this. But bizarrely, there’s something reassuring about being back to good old-fashioned beheading instead of being murdered by dragons and undead and undead dragons and all that.
That’s all for now. If you’re interested, you can read my stupid commentaries for “Winterfell”, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” and “The Long Night” as well.
This is the problem with 6 episode seasons. They’re rushing through character development… wait, I thought Varys liked the Dragon Queen? Jamie and Brienne happened and ended so fast I almost missed it. Arya… she came, she killed, she turned down a marriage proposal, then left … swearing never to return. Huh? Sansa and Dany’s bitch fight is disappointing. How about strong female characters working together for once instead of the usual backstabbing. Bran… all that mystery and supernatural build up. For what? Now he’s just a creepy kid in a wheelchair.
And Ghost. OMG… what the utter hell, he doesn’t even deserve a pat on the head?
I love me some GOT but I think they’re dropping the ball at the end in a rush to finish.
SHAME!
SHAME!
I’m trying to reserve my final judgment until after the season is wrapped up, but I agree with just about everything you just wrote.
Also: Brienne is the type to get heartbroken by a lover leaving her, but she’s NOT the type who just stands around and cries about it! Brienne is a woman of action – she would either have gone after Jaime or just straight-up punched him in the face.
Concerning Arya: She did say she was going to King’s Landing, so even if she doesn’t intend to return to Winterfell, I suspect we’ll be seeing her soon.
Also, when did Tyrion turn this spineless? His behavior this episode made very little sense to me. Even if he wouldn’t take action, he’s not one to hide his true feelings just because he’s afraid.
I really, really hope they bring everything together in the last two episodes, but I’m starting to believe they should have done a full season instead of trying to end all the storylines in just six episodes.
(You should have time to pet your loyal wolf before leaving it behind forever!)
I read that Martin said they needed 5 more seasons to wrap it up. And HBO was fully on board, said they’d give it whatever time and money it needed. Damned Benioff and Weiss wanted it over.
Too many intricate plot lines hastily ended. So many years of mysterious white walkers and then poof! I’m not pleased…
I would also be sad if they dragged it on too long, especially since they’re no longer following Martin’s story and making most of it up, but with all the weight that got placed on storylines like the Three-Eyed Raven, it’s just so weird that it doesn’t seem like there was any point to it.
I read that the new series… 2021?…. will be set in the pre Doom of Valeria times. That’s when the White Walkers were created. It’s tentatively named The Long Night and will be written by Martin. It sounds like they’re purposely not solving the mysteries this time so they can use the story line in the next one. I guess I understand that, but it’s still disappointing to loyal fans.
I would actually be fine with it if it was just backstory we weren’t getting until the prequel.
But they made Bran up to be this all-powerful being and all he’s been doing is staring at people and being bait.
Did they really just want a person with mystical powers so they didn’t have to write a more creative way to reveal Jon’s parentage…?
They can wait until the prequel to explain Bran to me, but I really need his storyline to have a point in this show, even if it remains shrouded in mysteries.
Agreed, but we might not get closure. The story has turned back to political intrigue and the fight for the throne. I just hope they don’t drop the ball on that as well. Tyrion has always been my favorite character and they’re ruining him!
I guess this is why they called the show “Game of Thrones” instead of “A Song of Ice and Fire”. In the end it’s aaaall about who gets the ugly and dangerous chair 😛
At least this means the future books in ASoIaF will still contain other surprises than just the continuation of the Lady Stoneheart and Young Griff storylines.
I held off on watching the show for a long time because I wanted to finish the books first and not get spoiled, but I think it’s safe to say that the two now covers completely different stories!
I did the same. The books have SO much more detail and so many more characters. Overall I think they did well adapting it… and Martin writes so slowly I had no problem with them altering the story lines… until now!
I was pleasantly surprised by how well the show did at adapting the books (even if I was disappointed by them cutting out Lady Stoneheart) and like you, I was also okay with them going in a different direction. But only because I expected them to at least follow through with each storyline!
Of course they might surprise me in the last two episodes, but nothing suggests they intend to add anything more to the Three Eyed Raven, White Walkers or Prince that was Promised storylines at all.
I wonder if they will even follow through on the prophecy about Cersei… They don’t seem to care for the fantasy elements anymore.
Which is strange because they spent so much time on that element of the show. Oh well, 2 more episodes. My fingers are crossed!
I love that you prioritise GoT over the anniversary of your mother squeezing you out of a very tiny hole. Although both are quite bloody and dramatic events.
Birthdays are weird, man… You’re celebrating the person who did nothing that day, instead of the one who, as you say, squeezed a human being out of a very tiny hole.
I agree. Birthday are weird. We attach special significance to the number of rotations one achieves standing on a rock going round a star. And then present each other with gifts to mark the occasion. Humans a kooky
But at least there’s cake.
We got that right.
True dat. Cake makes everything better. You guys even it if for breakfast. Seriously, its the greatest contribution the Danes have ever made to world so far…
Just add the words I’m leaving out today. I’m only on my second cup of coffee. It usually takes about three before I’m caffeniated to the point of bare minimum functionality
I just served up some pastry for my coworkers and it’s not even 9 am here.
The worst thing about Danes and their cake traditions, though, is that when it’s your birthday YOU are expected to get others cake, not the other way around.
(My coworkers had to accept getting it late, since I was way too busy for cake yesterday)
Oh my god. You have like the best life ever. You know that right?
You want to come stay here for the summer?
It’s also common practice to bring cake to the office before you go on vacation, so some days during the summer period, we will have so much cake we don’t have time to work if we have to eat it all.
Greatest tradition ever! How are you not incredibly fat? Is it because every other meal is pickled herring?
I have no idea why Danes aren’t all fat as hell. Traditional Danish food must have been invented when people needed to fatten up for long winters…
https://satwcomic.com/exotic-food
Pickled herring is mostly eaten at Christmas and Easter. But we eat a LOT of it at Christmas and Easter…
Hey what about Euron killing Rhaegal? That made me soooo mad! Nobody kills a dragon and gets away with it! Sorry I’m still a strong Dany supporter, yeah she has her issues but I have my reasons where I stand.
I am totally okay with people being on Team Dragon!
I really WANT to like Dany, but I just can’t.
Have you seen the preview of the next episode? Judging from the look in Euron’s eyes, I have a feeling we will see Rhaegal avenged (and Euron will see the inside of Drogon’s digestive system)!
She can be difficult to like. I love her because of how much she’s grown and how she’s become a strong woman but loved by many. She can get carried away but she’s not her father and I hope it stays that way. Oh if Drogon eats him, it will be immensely satisfying. I still want them to both rule but that’s me.
I like that she’s grown from a scared girl being sold off like cattle to a strong, independent leader, but she has always had an arrogance and entitlement that has worried me. But before this season, I didn’t consider it out of control, but she has taken the Northerners’ wariness of her way too personally.
However, that doesn’t mean I won’t be cheering for her if she goes all ‘vengeful dragon mommy’ on Euron.
I felt sad for Tormund but he snapped out of it real quick. lol
Not so sad about Ghost seeing as how he’s safe from future carnage.
I’m the type who nearly starts crying when leaving my dogs at a kennel for a week, so Jon just leaving Ghost behind like that felt so wrong to me.
Also, it feels a lot like Jon completely abandoning his identity as a Stark.
(However, I’m sure Tormund will take great care of Ghost)
I felt the same thing about Jon – and it looked like he was in such a hurry to do it.
I have complete faith on Tormund as a direwolf dad!
Honestly, they could easily fill a mini-series with the adventures those two would get up to!
(Can you just imagine how much mayhem Tormund would create with a direwolf at his side?)
It was a tame episode all things considered, and I wasn’t expecting 4 to top 3. Definitely laying the ground work for who really needs to be taken out. From what I hear next week is episode 3 on steroids. So fingers crossed. Honestly I think I would rather see Jon take the throne and Dany go back across the sea for a Targarian dynasty.
Oh yeah, no doubt we’re building up to one heck of an episode soon.
I had expected every episode in this season to be shocking, so after 3 fairly quiet ones, they’re gotta give us a really explosive finale.
Jon is definitely the better choice (even though I’m more partial to Sansa when it all comes down to it), but as long as Dany is in the picture, I’m not seeing a peaceful ending.