Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 4 Trailer Breakdown

Judging by Cersei’s costume, we can be fairly certain that these 3 screenshots are from the same sequence. Cersei is in King’s Landing, flanked by Euron, Qyburn and Harry Strickland of the Golden Company. I think she’s making a public statement, in the first screenshot, people are coming out into the streets, I’m guessing they heard that the WW have been defeated (if they were aware of the threat at all) Cersei will probably address them and warm them about Dany coming to KL to take the Iron Throne and burn them all in the process with her dragons.

I think these are connected as well. We’ve actually seen the first 2 shots in the trailers as well. Sansa looks concerned, she knows that now that the NK has been beaten, Dany will go full steam ahead to claim the Iron Throne. Her soldiers are still in Winterfell (or what’s left of it) and Sansa knows that it essentially means that Winterfell is once again occupied by a foreign force. In the 2nd image, I can’t tell if anyone is riding those dragons.

I feel like the scene above and the Sansa shots before that could possibly be connected. Jon, Davos and Tormund appear to be going somewhere with Gilly standing behind them. In this shot, I can’t see if Sam is with them. I know a lot of people expected Jon and Dany to ride Rhegal and Drogon respectively when they go to King’s Landing but that may not happen. For one, Dany no longer trusts Jon and second, it’s reminiscent of when Dany and Jon rode into Winterfell. If they’re taking the ships to KL again, it may make sense to ride to White Harbour and join the rest of the forces. Having said that, I still don’t know why Jon, Davos and Tormund didn’t ride out with the forces if that is the case, why are they riding alone?

The episode will probably begin with this sequence, with the dead being burned, saying a final farewell to those we lost in the battle against the WW. We have Dany, Greyworm, Sam, Jon, Sansa, Arya and Tormund all wielding torches to set the pyres on fire. You can also see Ghost in the first image, just chilling…

This is where Dany says, “We have won the Great War, now we will win the last war.” It’s clear that she’s in the Great Hall at Winterfell and I think she’s addressing her forces. Noticeably absent is Tyrion, since he’s her hand, he should be standing in Varys’ position. Could it mean that his position as Dany’s hand is still precarious? Did Missandei tell Dany that Tyrion seemed quite fond of Sansa in the crypts? Or is it something else completely?

I think this will happen soon after the burning of the dead, a celebration of life. In the 2nd image, you can see Alys Carstark and Yohn Royce among others, raising their glasses to Dany’s toast. You can also see Tormund and Arya near the bottom of the frame and I think I can also spot Brienne but I could be wrong. Noticeably absent in this celebration is Sansa, the Lady of Winterfell, Jon Snow, Davis Seaworth, Tyrion Lannister, Hand of the Queen and Jaime Lannister. The absence of these characters is rather telling.

Could it be that we’ll finally get a scene with Sansa and Jon speaking after his parentage reveal? He needs to tell her the truth, the fact that Davos is missing makes me think that he’ll be present for at least some of the conversation between Jon and Sansa, a secret wedding perhaps???? (I need some Jonsa content desperately)

Maybe Dany becomes suspicious about why all of these people are missing, hence her expression, she looks worried and angry. Or perhaps, Dany thought that the Northern Lords would now be willing to recognise her authority and her claim as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms except that they don’t, they still want their independence (We know no king but the king in the North whose name is Stark and I think we all know which Stark it will be this time)

Dany looks happiest when she’s with her dragons, that’s clearly Drogon behind her and since she is looking at something in the sky, I think that it’s Rheagal coming back to her. I don’t think Jon is riding Rheagal, she stopped smiling at him after the parentage reveal. Important to note, Dany’s costumes are going to reds and greys/black, a clear reference to her House colours, she’s no longer trying to blend in, she doesn’t need to anymore. The WW have been defeated, she doesn’t trust Jon anymore and she doesn’t care about the North and their people beyond the fact that they’re her subjects now

This shot clearly parallels the end of Season 6 with Dany and her allies sailing to Dragonstone. The Targ colours are out in all their glory on the sails and I can’t actually see any other House sigils, something that we saw in the season 6 scene.

It’s telling that at no point in the trailer do we see Tyrion or Jaime, and where the hell is Bronn, wasn’t he heading to Winterfell? Also, what about Jaime’s loyalties now, are they split once again, between his house and Dany? I don’t think he’ll serve Dany, if he does stay back in the North, it will be to serve Sansa and be with Brienne. The only person whose motives I can’t pinpoint is Tyrion and that worries me…

Thoughts, agree/disagree?

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3 – The Long Night

Let me start by saying that the lighting on the show really sucks. In an episode that takes place at night, in the open, it was nearly impossible to see what was happening on screen. Even with the brightness turned up to full, it wasn’t very effective.

Now, onto the episode. To be honest, I’ve never been invested in the Night King and White Walker plot. For one, they’re a boring antagonist and second, it’s a plot point that was stretched way too far. Having said that, D&D subverted a lot of hopes and that, at least, made for an interesting watch.

After watching seven seasons of Game of Thrones, we know that when the audience knows the plan, it’s going to fall apart with a fair amount of certainty and The Long Night was no exception. Jon’s carefully crafted plan began to fall apart nearly from the beginning. For a military commander, he’s not having a very good time.

The Dothraki, even armed with their arakhs on fire, had no idea what they were facing. I actually support Dany jumping into battle and not waiting for the Night King to show up. The Dothraki are her people, they swore loyalty to her and if she were to wait for Jon’s signal, more of her men would have died. If she hadn’t jumped in when she did, the death toll would have been even higher.

The battle was unadulterated chaos and I was actually relieved once we moved inside the walls of Winterfell. We’ve known for a while that Winterfell will be destroyed and that came to pass in this episode.

Sansa, Tyrion, Varys, Missandei and Gilly are all seeking shelter in the crypts. The number of times characters mentioned the crypts being the safest place in Winterfell was a huge red herring, considering that the Night King raises the dead and the crypt is full of old dead Starks. It should have come as no surprise when they rose up as White Walkers. But I did like the interaction between Sansa and Tyrion. The last time they spoke, it ended with a little bit of hostility but this time it felt like closure, for both of them. Still not sure if I trust Tyrion but I’m willing to let it go for this episode. I loved that both Sansa and Tyrion stood up to defend the remaining people from the WW armed only with Dragonglass daggers, even more commendable for Sansa, considering that she’s never wielded a weapon in her life.

As much as I like Missandei, I do wish she hadn’t butted into a private conversation that she wasn’t involved in. I get it, to an extent, she thought that they would be welcomed by the North with open arms only to meet hostility and distrust and that rankles. I’m also guessing that she’s not too fond of Sansa, someone who openly defies Dany but still.

Theon’s end in the episode was well earned. His story had come full circle, he came back to defend the family that he had betrayed, even at the very end, when he knew that he’s about to die, he chose to charge the NK instead of waiting for him to make his move. It was a good death, an honourable one.

Arya killing the NK was not as big a surprise as it should have been, especially since they chose to spoon feed the audience, as soon as Mel said blue eyes, I had a feeling that she was headed to kill the NK.

I loved that while everyone expected either Dany, Jon or Bran to kill the NK, it was actually Arya who was the one to do it. She saved Bran using the very dagger that was meant to have killed him. So much for prophecies and the prince that was promised.

Jorah running into battle to protect Dany and dying in the process was also a worthy end for him. He died protecting the woman he loved and I don’t think he would have wanted it any other way. It was heartbreaking from Dany’s pov because she lost someone who had been with her since the beginning, someone she genuinely and deeply cared about.

Watching Jaime and Brienne fight side by side and constantly protecting each other was satisfying. I’m glad that Gendry, Pod, Tormund, Missandei and Greyworm all made it out alive.

By far, the most useless character in this episode was Jon. His plan failed immediately but I’ll let that slide for the time being. He did nothing of consequence. His sole mission was to protect Bran and he couldn’t even get to him. I’m not saying that I hate the guy, I’m just saying that perhaps he should recognise the fact that he can’t do everything himself, he needs to lean on people who care about him, namely Arya, Sansa and Sam. He has a pack, he doesn’t need to be the lone wolf any more.

Honourable Mentions: Lyanna Mormont, Dolores Edd, Beric Dondarrion, Melissandre, feel free to add more…

Post Avengers Endgame Speculation

Some of the things that struck me once I had time to process Endgame:

– 2019 Nebula killed 2014 Nebula. So why does 2019 Nebula still exist, didn’t she essentially kill an earlier version of herself therefore also erasing herself from our current timeline?

– At the end of Endgame, when Tony absorbs the stones into his suit and snaps Thanos and his forces out of existence, why doesn’t that erase what happened in Infinity War? Again, he snapped the 2014 version of Thanos, that should nullify all of the events of Infinity War..

– Is Gamora coming back?

– This ties in with the questions above. Did these changes (see 1 and 2) create a different reality? It is possible… When Banner goes to the Sorcerer Supreme and asks her to hand over the Time stone, she tells him that she can’t because it would split her reality, creating another one because one important aspect of their reality was altered or taken away. Here, we’re talking about past versions of characters being killed off in the present timeline. And this wasn’t addressed in the film at all. 


The more I think about it, the more relevant and important it seems. It is possible that they really did unwittingly create a different reality where reality A (the one where Natasha, Gamora, Vision and Loki are dead) exists but another reality branched out because Thanos met a premature death. In that reality, the snap never happened, Gamora is alive and so are Natasha, Vision and Loki.

Or is it like a weird space in between where somethings are different but some stay the same? Honestly, it’s hard to say which route the MCU will take or if they’ll even address this. The only film where they could choose to do so is Guardians 3. The shot of Peter searching for Gamora and quickly setting it aside when Thor comes in, makes me suspect that there is a way open for her to return. It won’t be the Gamora we lost, it’s be a different version of her, someone who hasn’t met Peter and Guardians yet.

Avengers Endgame

SPOILERS

I’ve watched this film twice now and it definitely warrants multiple viewings. The first time, I was too stressed out and caught up in what was happening on screen, the second time around was better, because now I could actually take notice of the nuances and analyze what was in front of me.

At a little over 3 hours long, the film definitely doesn’t feel long, it is so full of action, the stakes are so high that there is literally never a lull. The quiet moments serve to flesh out characters and their dynamics. Endgame was a perfect balance of action and character driven plot. The action set pieces were outstanding and all of the character had their time to shine.

One of the major complaints people had with Infinity War was that, all the new avengers vanished after the snap. In Endgame it makes sense, it is the swan song of the first avengers and it was exceptionally well done.

While the stakes are unbelievably high, there are quite a few light moments sprinkled throughout the film.

Endgame features so many faces from the previous films that the nostalgia alone will nearly kill you. One of my favourites was Thor speaking to his mother, Freya. For Thor, Odin has been the strongest example, he constantly tries to measure up to his idea of Odin and finds himself falling short. He was never going to be a good king, it’s just not who he is. It is his mother’s softness he needs, his mother who is queen, and was raised by witches and has powers of her own. He needs her to find himself and to learn that failure is part of life’s journey. I loved that we got that exchange. It was heartfelt and so beautifully done.

There are so many call-backs to previous MCU films, seeing The Sorcerer Supreme and learning that she was in New York during Avengers 1, Cap saying Hail Hydra to get the scepter away from Sitwell and Rumlow without getting into a fist-fight, it is a scene that strongly parallels the elevator scene from Winter Soldier. There are so many such moments and they only add to the film.

Natasha was easily one of the most engaging characters in the film, the only avenger who was not willing to give up. I love her friendship with Barton, they have such a strong bond, they care and are fiercely loyal to each other. Her death, while I did see it coming, was heartbreaking nonetheless.

I loved the final battle at the end when all the avengers face off against Thanos’ forces. That entire battle, start to finish was an adrenaline rush on steroids. Seeing Wanda rip into Thanos and all the women teaming up to get the stones away from Thanos are just a few moments from the entire battle. Everything about that scene is pure perfection.

One of the absolute highlights of the film was Cap wielding Mjolnir, it was so satisfying and such an amazing reference to Age of Ultron where he managed to shift Mjolnir.

Now, onto Steve and Tony and their respective endings. I speculated about their ends after I watched Infinity War and I was right.

Iron Man: The film is littered with foreshadowing that hint that at Stark’s sacrifice. He is a genius, has oodles of charm and is a good person but selfishness is a part of who he is, it’s an impulse that he sometimes struggles with. Howard also mentions this when they meet in the 1970s, he says that the greater good rarely rises above the selfishness for the Starks and that he didn’t want his son to turn out that way. His sacrifice is a legacy that he leaves for his daughter, he made the sacrifice play, knowing that he was going to lose Pepper and Maguna. It was a worthy end to his character.

Steve Rogers: Again, the film is littered with foreshadowing about where his arc was heading. The fact that he keeps looking at Peggy’s picture and refers to her being the love of his life clearly tells you that he hasn’t moved on from her. He tried, briefly with Sharon but we can assume that it didn’t work out.

He volunteered for the super soldier program because he wanted to serve his country and to do the right thing but at his heart, he wasn’t a soldier. But once he becomes Captain America, he also can’t walk away from a fight. He’s someone who doesn’t quite fit into our world or our time and knows this. His loneliness is palpable in the earlier Captain America films and he finds a measure of peace in his friendships with Natasha, Sam and later Bucky. And yet, he still feels incomplete. He never got to have a normal life, a wife, a child maybe, he was robbed of that future when he was trapped in the ice for all those years. When he comes back, all the people that he had been close to are no longer around, they’re either old or dead, those links to his life are gone.

When he went back in time and chose to stay with Peggy and marry her, grow old with her was deeply satisfying, he finally got to live his life, the way he was meant to. He deserved that happy ending after all that pain, loss and loneliness.

I know there are people who hated the way things unfolded for both these characters and that’s fine, this is only to say that I loved their end, it was so wonderfully executed.

P.S. – I loved that the Russos kept the relationship between Thor and Valkyrie platonic. They respect each other and care but there were zero romantic undercurrents.

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3 Speculation

So, this will be relatively short since there’s not too much in that promo. Here’s what we know about the episode, most of it will be comprised of the battle between the living and the dead and we might get to see one clear winner. Now, considering that there are 3 more episodes after this one, I think we can safely say that at least some of the characters at Winterfell survive and then the Game of Thrones really begins.

It is likely that the White Walkers and the AotD arc will get resolved in this episode. Keeping in mind, that they’ve been a threat since season 1 episode 1, one might think that dealing with them in 1 episode might be a bit of an anti-climax and rushed and they would be correct. Pacing has been a problem since season 7 and I don’t see that getting dealt with in this season, especially since we only have 4 more episodes to go.

While the WW are a worthy adversary, they are by no means the main adversary. And while they may be based in magic, the show isn’t called Rise of the Army of the Dead, it’s called The Game of Thrones, at its heart the show is a political one with strong political undertones. Even now, the show is taking great pains to show us exactly who is fit to rule regardless of whether they are actively seeking the Iron Throne or not.

We know that at least in the beginning of the episode both Sansa and Arya are together, standing at the battlements. Arya’s cocky attitude about the WW in episode 2 was foreshadowing that the WW will be harder to kill than she anticipates.

Sansa’s VO, “The most heroic thing we can do now is look the truth in the face.” On the surface, she could be talking about the WW and the fact that they are vastly outnumbered. But, I think this is where the kidnap plot comes in. It could imply that there is someone within the walls of Winterfell who hasn’t been truthful. That one solitary shot of Tyrion is unsettling and I trust him even less now than I did before. There is something fishy going on with him and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the enemy within the gates.

D@ny and Jon at the cliffs are looking less like a romantic couple and more like 2 people who can barely see eye to eye (and perhaps not even that) Everyone (in show) thinks that dragons will help kill the WW, I would not be surprised if they proved be ineffective.

The promo gives us shots of the various characters either preparing for battle or right in the middle of it. I have a sinking feeling that Theon will not make it out alive. The best laid plans in GoT are ruined precisely because the audience know what they are, the fact that the writers told us what the plan of attack was leads me to believe that things will go horribly wrong. I think that Winterfell will be breached while the forces are distracted and looking outward. The forces will be split, one half fighting the WW within the walls of Winterfell and one half fighting them outside.

Game of Throne Season 8 Episode 2 – A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

We’re two episodes down and still being set-up for episode 3, the battle between the dead and the living. As far as episodes go, this one was better than the first, in that, the characters and their dynamic are more clearly defined.

Quick stuff:

I loved Brienne and Jaime in this episode. I also liked Tormund and I hope all three make it out alive (unrealistic, I know) One of the absolute highlights of the episode was Brienne being knighted by Jaime. You could see how much it meant to her.

Missandei and Greyworm are most certainly doomed. They’re probably the healthiest ship on the show. They are both devoted to D@ny and fiercely loyal but for the first time, we saw them contemplate a future just for themselves. Neither is happy at Winterfell, they aren’t accepted and they can see it. They want a life for themselves, away from the Seven Kingdoms.

The scene in the great hall where Podrick was singing, was oddly reminiscent of Lord of the Rings where Pippin was singing. The two scenes are vastly different in terms of treatment and mood but the songs were very similar.

Arya and Gendry. Okay, I know that a lot of people were uncomfortable with the scene but I actually liked it. It was Arya taking control, deciding what she wanted. In that regard, it was one of the more healthy love-making scenes on the show.

And since, we’re talking about couples, Arya and Gendry’s feelings are largely conveyed through looks and banter and D&D managed to do that in two episodes. Now compare that with Jon and D@ny and their dynamic, while one can see that D@ny is clearly invested, it’s hard to get a glimpse of Jon where he doesn’t look constipated. The Arya and Gendry scenes further illustrate that the writers and directors do know how to write and direct romantic couples, so the fact that Jon and D@ny don’t look like one, is likely done on purpose to let the audiences know that there’s something not quite right between these two.

Now, onto Jon, Sansa and D@ny.

Jon wasn’t present for much of the episode and even when he was, he didn’t actually contribute a lot. He spent most of the time avoiding D@ny and only met her when she found him in the crypts.

This episode made it abundantly clear just how much of an outsider D@ny is. She is way out of her depth and she has no clue how to navigate these waters. It’s downhill for her from the very beginning of the episode. It also sets up Sansa as her clear adversary, she is everything than D@ny isn’t.

Let’s look at the Jaime scene. D@ny is bent upon roasting him alive and doesn’t listen to Tyrion when he says that if Jaime rode all the way North, knowing full well about his reception and still chose to do so, means that he can be trusted. D@ny refuses to listen to him and actually berates him, her own Hand.

Now, contrast that with Brienne standing up for Jaime. Sansa has cause to hate Jaime and yet when Brienne defends him, she agrees to trust him because Brienne does. Her advisors opinions are important to her and she actually listens to them. I loved that once decided, Sansa just gets up and leaves, not waiting to be dismissed and not caring what anyone else got up to. It’s a power move and I loved the attitude.

This even comes up when D@ny comes to meet Sansa later and wishes that she could trust her advisors the way Sansa trusts hers. Also, I love Yohn Royce for staying until dismissed by Sansa, he doesn’t give 2 shits about D@ny, he doesn’t move till Sansa nods to let him know that it’s okay.

That entire interaction is so telling. For the first time, D@ny is trying to make an effort, clearly because Jorah advised her to and it still doesn’t go her way. It’s important to watch Sansa in this scene. She is unmoved and unimpressed when D@ny starts listing all their similarities. When D@ny asks why they’re at odds with another, Sansa opens her mouth to respond but D@ny cuts her off and says Jon. And this is where the scene shifts. There is a disdain in Sansa’s voice when she says that men do stupid things for women, when they’re in love, they’re easily manipulated. D@ny replies that she gave up her active quest for the Iron Throne and came North to fight the AotD. You can see Sansa’s face, her entire expression shifts, there is a relief, a lightness there that wasn’t present earlier. This, in my opinion, is our most clear clue that Pol!Jon is real and that Sansa realises that not only did Jon heed her advice but he also learned to be smarter. It also makes it obvious to me that Jon and Sansa do harbour feelings for each other.

What we see after that exchange is Sansa putting on a front. She laughs to dispel the tension and put D@ny at ease. Not for long though, the tension is back and thicker than before when D@ny essentially says North will no longer be independent. Even after hearing how hard fought their freedom was.

They’re interrupted by Theon’s arrival, another scene that further demonstrates that while D@ny may be “queen”, Sansa is the one most people look to. D@ny‘s expression when Sansa and Theon greet is heartbreaking actually. She yearns for admiration and love from those around her and doesn’t get it. And here is Sansa, not a queen, not even a regent, she’s not special in any form and yet those around her are loyal to her not out of fear but out of love and respect.

In the crypts, when Jon tells D@ny that he’s Aegon Targaryen, she immediately thinks of Jon’s claim to the Iron Throne. It doesn’t matter that just a few minutes ago, she was madly in love with this man and trusted him. She doesn’t take the news well at all.

The scene where they’re discussing battle strategies, Sansa and Jon are framed next to each other, Arya is right next to Jon, it would not have been hard to include her in the frame and then you could say that they were framed as a family unit and yet that didn’t happen. It’s worth noting that Brienne and Jaime are also framed as a couple. This is no accident. It was also telling that Jon didn’t interact once with Sansa. In fact, he can’t bring himself to look at her and makes sure to seat D@ny in the middle, almost as if he’s putting space between him and Sansa. Now, why would he do that if all he felt for her was brotherly love?

Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of the Skywalker

I’m just gonna talk about the first few seconds of the trailer. For one, context is everything and since this is the last film of the current trilogy, and this is only the first trailer, the makers will do everything possibly to mislead audiences.

Let’s begin, if you just watched this scene like any other scene, you might think that Rey was trying to get away from Kylo Ren. But if that were the case, it’s not a very effective strategy. But if you look closer, then that theory doesn’t stand. Look at these stills (sorry, I can’t make gifs

She’s searching for Kylo on the horizon, almost as if waiting for him

She inhales deeply, the way you would if you were gonna do something that required a lot of concentration and focus

She finally spots him flying in.

And strangely enough, she looks calm and collected. She looks focused.

And then, as he gets closer, she immediately turns around and waits for him to get closer. Now why would she do that? And more importantly, if Kylo and Rey were indeed at odds, why hasn’t he fired yet, when her back is turned

She looks back at the ship, waiting for it to get even closer…

And then breaks into a run, still facing away from the ship, leaving her back exposed.. What’s stopping Kylo from shooting at her and seriously wounding her if not outright, killing her? Absolutely nothing. Unless, that was never the intention anyway.  They aren’t meeting here as adversaries, more as allies.

That leap almost looks like she’s hitching a ride with Kylo without him having to stop and land (very neat indeed)

He could have shot at her a million times, she could have shot at him a million times and neither chose to do so. Also, this part of the trailer is the longest bit. Isn’t it strange that the the first trailer they release focuses so heavily on Rey and Kylo not being enemies (keeping my Reylo shipper goggles aside for a moment)

The Last Jedi trailer gave us Kylo pleading with Rey without context, The Rise of the Skywalker gives us Rey and Kylo being allies but masking it by making it look like they’re enemies.

All of this serves no purpose if they were gonna keep Kylo as the main antagonist. His redemption is coming. He is the last Skywalker. Yes, he is Han Solo’s son but he gets his jacked up jedi powers from his Skywalker side.

Ben Solo is the last Skywalker, unless JJ Abrams retcons Rey’s parentage and makes her a secret Skywalker, except that doesn’t make sense either. If she’s Luke’s daughter, why didn’t he own up to it? Making Rey Luke’s daughter, makes Luke look even more shitty. Not only did he abandon her but also did not accept her as his daughter when she did come to him for guidance. Abrams would have to completely disregard TLJ and they won’t do that