Game of Thrones - Season 8

[CRA]

They have done a great job with Arya this season.  I agree or disagree with them choosing her for what they have...she is probably the only character they didn’t greatly diminish this season.  Well...and Sansa.  

They at least better have a great ending episode.  Like Dany killing everybody.  All the Starks.  I mean if she just takes the throne and doesn’t see the Starks coming to take her ass out well...more horrific storytelling. 

[Zaximus]

Dany being the bad guy has been telegraphed since like, season 1.     I'm cool with it.    What I'm not cool with is, all of a sudden dragons are able to bob and weave a million scorpion shots when the week before they couldn't avoid one (even when knowing about the weapon existing and seeing ships in front of them).     The change from week to week is just too much.     The face pace hasn't annoyed me much till this season either, all of a sudden they are down at Kings Landing etc.     It's painfully obvious it's rushed, a lot, and I can only guess the reason is they didn't want to have to pay the actors another contract.    Not sure.

Clegane bowl was OK, not sure it reached expectation level.

I've been saying for over a year it'll be Sansa or Sansa and Tyrion.    Think he dies next week for helping Jamie so it'll be Sansa, or a mix of the three Starks (minus Jon, dude just wants to hang out in the snow up north).   

[Darth Biscuit]

I enjoyed the episode and thought it was probably overall the best ep of S8.  They went pretty much where I thought they would, so no big surprises.

They definitely set it up for two things:

1) On GoT, no one wins, everyone loses... pretty much the theme of the entire series.

2) Arya will kill (or try to kill) Dany.

 

The two main problems I have are:

1) The dragon in E5 was a beast and could kill anything at will.  The dragon(s) in E4 were pussies and did nothing.  This is yet another example of poor writing...  they basically wrote the plot around getting to where they were going, instead of using the plot to get to the end.

2) Rushed.  Everyone sees this... S8 is super rushed.  It sucks.

[Squirrel]

I liked this episode. hopefully they end everything with no questions.  Hate nonfinal endings. 

[TbTeRRoR]

Tactically speaking I think the Dragon stuff was ok and I believe you all missed the strategic moves made.  The Dragon came straight down from the clouds  this time( haveing to only avoided one or two shots)  and got low inside the ships formations which killed the scorpions ability to turn.  If she skirted around the ships then she would have been pincushioned.   Once she got inside that perimeter they were done.  Now at Kings landing  all the scorpions were expecting her to frontal attack the wall and golden company with the dragon....she circled from the backside of the city and went in and attacked the main gates from behind.  So I mean its not perfect and they dont explain all this to you  but that part at least wasn't too poorly done. 

[Bronn]

The leaks were pretty damned spot on. However, I think overall I was a lot more pleased with everything than I thought I was going to be.

The good:
- Arya. From her goodbye to the Hound (note: If a Stark ever tells you "Thank You," stop what you're about to do and reconsider) to her final scenes with the horse, they really captured the destruction and horror of battle via her perspective.
- Cleganebowl. When the Hound walked up those steps, the vuvuzelas started sounding in my head and I said "GET HYPE!" aloud. It could have been a better battle, and I hate my boy the Hound had to go out in the process, but it was a long time coming. RIP Qyburn. That was brutal af. I'll give them credit for the fan service.
- Bronn surviving, nowhere to be seen, lol.
- Disheveled Dany. She does a good job in her role. I've not been a fan of the character for a while now, so seeing her go full heel was a relief. Jon Snow about to wreck those plans, though!
- The shots of Cersei watching Drogon burn the city were some of the best shots of the whole show IMHO.
- Tyrion and Jaime's bond. It was a touching moment, for sure, but GD Tyrion is dumb af.
- Varys roasting. Like Littlefinger, the spider has had it coming for a long time, even though his aspirations I think are more noble.
- Euron died. He's had it coming for a long time. I'm glad it was Jaime that got him.
- Jon's acting. You really kind of felt for him when they started axing the surrendered soldiers and Dany lost her poo.

The bad:
- Where tf did all those Dothraki and Unsullied come from? LOL
- Cersei's death. She deserved way worse.
- Jaime's character arc. They tanked him, which GRRM might do, too, tbqh. I just hate it because you wanted to love him so much at the end.
- Invincible Drogon. If he was so badass, she should have just burned the city after they lopped off Missandei's head and not retreated.
- Apparently prophecy don't mean poo to D&D and any of it was just red herring at this point.

Only one more episode to go. TBQH they tied up a lot in E5 so E6 is just going to be politics and fallout. I'm not sure what of the leaks are true, but I'm wondering what will become of the Unsullied and the Dothraki post Westerosi World War. Bronn's still got to get that last bit of screen time, and hopefully his castle. Although I don't see Dany or the Starks giving him anything that he was promised by Lannisters.

If you're keeping score, as someone alluded to in a previous post:
Remaining members of major houses:
Stark: 3.5
Targaryen: 1.5
Lannister: 1
Tully: Edmure is still out there somewhere, I suppose.
Arryn: 1 (Robin)
Tyrell: 0
Martell: 0
Baratheon: .5 (legitimized bastard)
Greyjoy: 1

I don't see anymore Starks dying. So, in the end, it looks like the "good guys" win.

According to the leaks, the things we haven't seen yet:

One of two reported endings:

A. Tyrion's trial. He's arrested on Dany's command, at which point he throws his hand pin down in disgust. The trial is overseen by Sansa, Bran, Arya, Davos, and a few other people not named Dany or Jon. He is sentenced to death and killed on the spot.

B. A small council is formed after Dany's death, and Bran is "elected" leader after a long speech by Tyrion on his behalf. Bran forms his own council consisting of Davos, Bronn, Tyrion, and Sam. The Unsullied leave for Essos and other cities with the goal of freeing slaves, as that was Dany's plan for them before her death. She lays out such a plan in her victory speech at King's Landing.

Tyrion again tries to convince Jon that he and his family will never be safe if Dany is queen. He'll always be a threat to her legitimacy now.

Jon pledges himself to Dany, but then stabs her. He surrenders himself. (One leak says Drogon witnesses this, and does nothing, but does "scoop Dany up and fly away")

But then, supposedly, Dany's last shot is her making her way to the Iron Throne, and touching it as she collapses and dies.

Jon still being Jon and not wanting to rule, and now distraught over his actions and what he has seen, he returns to the Wall or the far North. Some say he'll rejoin/reform the Night's Watch (not sure why with no WWs and being friendly with Wildlings) or just kind of live in exile. Being a Targaryen, I guess he doesn't really have a place/many fans in the North. So, I could see this happening somehow.

Sansa rules the north, and Arya "leaves."

 

[RealBitsOfPanther]

That and after coming from the top at an extreme angle (heh boondock saints), Drogo kept changing levels, forcing the dudes with the scorpion to change heights, which took time. 

[RealBitsOfPanther]

Cleganebowl was pretty cool. That opening shot of both of them on the stairs with fire and then the dragon flying behind was money. 

[Dex]

 

[natty]

It's amazing how such bad writing can be executed so beautifully.   

Every episode has made the previous one worse. 

I'm ok with pretty much all the conclusions, they have just come to them in the worst ways possible.  I've thought for a long time that Dany will go mad queen in the end.  It'd be great juxtaposition with watching Jaime start a villain and redeem himself, to see Dany start the 'good guy' and become the villain.  But ffs you need to write that gracefully, not just lol bells.

Even minor tweaks could have made things much better.  Why ruin Jaime's arc?  Why undo literally all the poo that has been built up with him?  Just have him go back to KL with the intention of killing Cersei("she should die by my hands, not burned by a dragon queen") and then break down when he sees her crying.  Same result, didn't have to kill his character arc.

[Bronn]

3 minutes ago, natty said:

It's amazing how such bad writing can be executed so beautifully.   

Every episode has made the previous one worse. 

I'm ok with pretty much all the conclusions, they have just come to them in the worst ways possible.  I've thought for a long time that Dany will go mad queen in the end.  It'd be great juxtaposition with watching Jaime start a villain and redeem himself, to see Dany start the 'good guy' and become the villain.  But ffs you need to write that gracefully, not just lol bells.

Even minor tweaks could have made things much better.  Why ruin Jaime's arc?  Why undo literally all the poo that has been built up with him?  Just have him go back to KL with the intention of killing Cersei("she should die by my hands, not burned by a dragon queen") and then break down when he sees her crying.  Same result, didn't have to kill his character arc.

Yeah I am kinda in the same boat I think. A lot of the fans, especially on /freefolk, etc. all are pretty pissed off at the writing.

I agree that it has been pretty bad, but I think the show has still played out pretty beautifully visually. If they can maintain that, even with the crappy writing, I'll give it a pass.

[Bronn]

So who does everything think the best acted/best written character of the series has been/will be?

IMHO I think the Hound should get that title. His arc really was written well, and completed well. Plus Rory McCann did a superb job portraying the character I read in the books.

Arya might be a close second. Tormund is up there too, but he was pretty much comic relief. They kind of messed Bronn up two episodes ago IMHO, but until then he was up there. Jon is okay, I guess, but GD is he annoying af with all his brooding, indecisiveness. Varys stayed true to his goals until the end, I think.

[natty]

It all could have been prevented if Jon did his duty and gave his auntie the D.

[CRA]

6 minutes ago, Bronn said:

So who does everything think the best acted/best written character of the series has been/will be?

IMHO I think the Hound should get that title. His arc really was written well, and completed well. Plus Rory McCann did a superb job portraying the character I read in the books.

Arya might be a close second. Tormund is up there too, but he was pretty much comic relief. They kind of messed Bronn up two episodes ago IMHO, but until then he was up there. Jon is okay, I guess, but GD is he annoying af with all his brooding, indecisiveness. Varys stayed true to his goals until the end, I think.

this season has trashed every character but 3.   So those are the 3 I would say.  Jamie was a front runner until this season. 

Arya, Sansa and the Hound will be the 3 best overall characters IMO.  Not really going to get into the order.   But those 3 in some order. 

Cersei might still have a shot.  As she hasn't really be in this season that much.  And she ain't dead.