Game of Thrones Series Finale

This episode was such an epic mess that I don’t even know where to start. All that foreshadowing over the years, the subtle hints, the build up, all of it flushed down the drain in one fell swoop. The episode felt like a fuck you to the characters, the story, the audiences. I have yet to come across a human being who liked the episode.

Dany’s death was by far the cheapest shot. By this time, everyone knew she had to die, but it was the way she died that left a really bad taste in the mouth. I thought the show made it clear that she no longer trusted Jon in episode 5. Why then, did she have a change of heart in this one? Why was she suddenly all in love with him again? What did I miss?

The fact that she died while being kissed by the man she loved is just utter and absolute shit. It could not have been executed worse than this. And that she died literally 10 mins (at least that’s what it felt like) into the episode was also supremely disappointing and anticlimactic. There was no build up!

Where do I even begin with Jon! Except to say that his character was perhaps the most fucked up. What was up with the “she is my/our queen” litany? Who was he trying to convince at that point? The fact that she straight up murdered thousands of innocents and he was still backing her! All of his actions season 7 onwards are out of character. The Jon we saw is not the same guy he was in season 6.

If he really was in love with her, in which case it was one of the worst executed love story ever in the history of cinema and television, what was the point of asking Sansa if she had any faith in him? What was the show trying to achieve? Why frame Jon and Dany so badly that literally none of their scenes together as a couple felt right? It makes no sense!!!!

What’s the deal with Tyrion? He’s made one mistake after another. He backed a foreign invader. Why are the lords of Westeros even listening to his advice? His advice should be worth shit considering just how badly he’s been doing. Why is he The Hand? How is that justice? He’s complicit in the genocide, he’s a criminal, why isn’t he at the Wall with Jon?

Bran is the king of the six kingdoms. Please hold while I try to wrap my head around this asinine idea. How? Why? As the TER, he should be an objective observer. He has no business holding power. I thought the whole point of the story was to dissolve The Seven Kingdoms! But seriously Bran the Broken? What the everflying fuck! Even high on weed, I would have had a tough time swallowing this shit!

Bronn is on the small council, again why? What has he done to deserve the honour? He didn’t kill Tyrion and his payment for that was High Garden. He was a sell-sword and remained one till the very end. Why is he on the small council and Master of Coin at that!?

How did Sam become the Arch Maester? How is he qualified?

What happened to the Ellaria Martel and her daughter? The show conveniently forgot about them.. Who was Varys writing to? What did those letters achieve? Did he even manage to send them?

Sansa as Queen in the North was perhaps the only thing that made sense. This was the only part I liked. But I didn’t like the execution. The most important day in her life and none of her family is around? There’s no Arya, Bran or Jon, no Brienne or Yohn Royce! The fact that you didn’t see one recognisable face among the Northmen is telling. Hell, even Lord Glover was absent. It lacked the scope and scale of the first 2 coronations. Why did Brienne leave Sansa and go south? In the end, Sansa is alone.

What was up with all that Jonsa framing? They were framed as a couple always. What was the point of Ned telling Sansa that someday he’d find someone who was brave, gentle and strong , frame Jon as exactly that and then serve this shit? Why frame Jon and Sansa as couple in everything except name? Why frame Sansa as clearly being jealous of Dany? Why frame Sansa and Dany as romantic rivals? WHAT WAS THE DAMN POINT!!!!!

Arya is off to explore the world and I don’t mind this, but why not have her with Sansa when she’s being crowned? All because D&D wanted a cool intercut between Sansa, Arya and Jon? It wasn’t cool. What was the point of The Lone Wolf Dies but the Pack Survives? The pack broke up, they all went lone wolf. What was the damn point?

What were D&D smoking when they wrote this shit and why did everyone else who read it think this is good? How did nobody raise any red flags? Did no one think this is garbage? Or were they so impressed with themselves that they could no longer see that what they’re writing is unadulterated putrid shit. D&D can’t write original stuff to save their life, they did okay so long as they had GRRM’s books to adapt. As soon as that dried up, the show slowly went from bad to worse. They wrote themselves into a corner and then had no idea how to get out of it. Dany needed more time to devolve, more time for the threat of her to be realised. They needed at least 3 more episodes and better writers.

Now I can only hope that the books are better and that GRRM finishes writing them. In the meantime, there’s fan-fiction and I have never needed it more than I do right now.

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…

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?

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 8 TRAILER ANALYSIS

The trailer is finally out and it’s… underwhelming. I can understand why though.

Okay, analysis time:

I am certain that pretty much everything we see is from the first half of the season, specifically till episode 3, the episode where the Battle for Winterfell takes place.

The trailer even starts with what a scene from episode 3 with Arya running through Winterfell. The makers have been so incredibly tight-lipped about the show’s final season that I’m half surprised that we even got a trailer for it. Not surprisingly, it gives us nothing that we didn’t already know would happen.

Jon and D riding towards Winterfell with the forces on their horses. They should look regal but don’t.

It’s stunning how there’s no chemistry between them, no sense of familiarity or comfort. If one didn’t know better, one could think that they were strangers who had only just met. We see them together, in one more scene, in the crypts, and even there, Jon is stiff and don’t look at her. He seems to do that a lot. They look as stiff and incompatible as ever. The promo photographs didn’t do them any favours and neither does the trailer.

We also see Sansa, on the battlements as she sees the dragons fly over Winterfell and while she does look awed and impressed, she doesn’t look scared. I’d be inclined to think that both shots of her in the trailer are from the same episode, but her costume has tiny differences.

The ascot is missing in the first still. She looks contemplative in the 2nd, as if looking at something in the distance and lost in thought. (Also, Sophie Turner looks stunning)

It is some measure of good news to see that Tormund, Edd and Beric survive the demolition of the wall. They also appear to back at Winterfell which means that Jon and Co know, not only that the wall was destroyed but that it was destroyed by a dragon. I’m sure that went down well.

We see Sam and Bran, deep in conversation, presumably in the very first episode, still mulling over their discovery and how to deal with it. We also see Jaime and I’m certain he’s at Winterfell. We see him fighting at Winterfell. His dialogue is also telling, “I promised to fight for the living, I intend to keep that promise.” It’s possible he’s speaking those lines Jon, considering that their families have been trying to kill each other for some time now. It also mirrors what he told Cersei when he told her that he would be riding North.

The others featured in the trailer are the following: Missandei, Greyworm, Varys, Tyrion, Jorah Mormont, Davos, Podrick and Brienne. Missandei and Greyworm kiss and look very much in love. I also think it spells their doom. I fear that neither is long for the world.

I’m actually surprised that Tyrion was featured in the trailer only once and had no dialogue.

The two people completely missing from the trailer are Theon and Euron and that is no accident. I think neither will be involved in the Battle for Winterfell. Theon is on his way to King’s Landing to rescue Yara and Euron is on his way to secure the Golden Company for Cersei.

The one person who really worries me is Cersei. Her scenes featured in the trailer are the most mystifying. She has a smug smile on her face when she’s standing with Qyburn and her teary-eyed smile later, i think that might be one of the few scenes from an episode after ep3. I am even more convinced about the Kidnap plot.

Then there’s this scene:

I brightened it up and I can still barely see who’s in it. Cersei is clearly seated on the throne, Qyburn is standing on the right with the Mountain on the left. The person below the throne, appears to be dressed in gold or something that reflects the light, with their hands tied behind their back. It also appears to be a man, judging by the trousers that are also visible. The person next to that guy is the one I can’t be sure of. At first, I thought it was Varys, standing with his arms folded behind his back. But the silhouette isn’t right. There are people theorizing that it’s Sansa. But if that’s the case, she would standing right in front of Cersei and not off to the side and the hair also appears to be different. The placement doesn’t seem right to me.

The person in front of her, could also be the person who managed to get Sansa out of Winterfell and deliver her into Cersei’s clutches but even then, it doesn’t make sense for Sansa to stand to the side, if that is indeed Sansa to begin with. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that the Kidnap plot will come to pass, I’m just not convinced that’s Sansa.

The trailer does a great job of showing us just enough without spoiling anything.That has to be a first. I’m also surprised by how little we had of Jon and D. It is also telling that the trailer showed us NO scenes of Jon interacting with Arya, Bran or Sansa, or even Sam for that matter. That’s not realistic. He only just found out that not only are Arya and Bran both alive but that they’re also at Winterfell, there’s no way he doesn’t go to see them. He loves Sam like a brother, so also, why not a reunion scene. And we know that he does run into Sansa’s arms as soon as he enters through the gates of Winterfell so why not put that into the trailer?

To be honest, this trailer raises more questions than it answers them…

Game of Thrones Season 8 Speculation

I’ve been thinking about this for a while and something struck me. This is in relation to those leaked set images that show Jon kneeling to Cersei Lannister. Most people are assuming that he does this because she kidnaps Sansa and he’s forced to travel south and bend the knee to make sure that Sansa is safe.

However, this assumption throws up some questions, for instance, how did Cersei manage to kidnap Sansa from Winterfell? Sansa is the Lady of Winterfell and currently Queen in the North and furthermore, her people respect and admire her. Add to that, Arya is back at Winterfell, before long Brienne will reach her as well. And even though Jon is travelling with Dany, we know just how much he prizes Sansa’s safety. So when she’s surrounded by so many people who are more than capable of keeping her safe, how will Cersei manage to kidnap her?

I think this is where Tyrion will come into play. We’ve seen him get pushed to the sidelines by Dany now that she’s agreed to help Jon and his cause. We’ve also seen him look less-than-pleased by the turn of events (boatbang) Holding the camera on his expression was a deliberate choice and it lasts too long to not have some significance. Once their convoy reaches Winterfell, we will see Tyrion’s dissatisfaction grow even more. Most GA like Tyrion and ShowTyrion is way more likeable than BookTyrion (for the sake of clarity I will be only be talking about ShowTyrion in this post) Prior to joining Dany, Tyrion had hit rock bottom, he had just killed his father and Shae and was a fugitive on the run.

Tyrion also has a few very key weak spots. One is that he’s scared of being expendable and not being of any consequence, and he likes having power. Now, he’s not power-mad like Cersei and a certain other queen who loves titles, but he does have a taste for it. And despite being unwanted by his father, he’s grown up with power at his disposal. He won’t like that he’s been set aside in favour of someone else, someone he never imagined would come to have so much influence over Dany. And he resents that loss of power.

Tyrion also has a soft-spot for his family and unlike Cersei, he gets blind-sided by it. Cersei hates Tyrion and she embraces it, she makes no bones about it. But it’s not so clear cut for Tyrion. He may have hated Joffrey but he felt genuine affection for Tommen and Myrcella. And now that Cersei is pregnant again, she plays into his weak-spot. We don’t see how their conversation concludes and it was too important to have been just cut-off like that. If we didn’t see it conclude then we can safely assume that it will have some influence on future events.

So, resenting his loss of station and whatever it is that he and Cersei decided will lead him to kidnap Sansa. Also keep in mind, Sansa trusts him, she thinks that he won’t hurt her. But like her, he too has changed and is no longer as noble as he’d like to think. He is the only person I think who could kidnap Sansa and get her out of Winterfell.

Now, onto Jon bending the knee to Cersei in King’s Landing. That too looks like a misdirect. Sansa tells Jon time and again that Jon must make smarter choices. Their father’s honour will not help them in the wars to come and I think we can safely assume that Jon is following that advice (Political!Jon) The other thing she tries to stress is just how dangerous Cersei is and that they can’t afford to underestimate her. I think Jon believes her. When he realises that Sansa has been taken, his first impulse will be to ride south. But that’s precisely what he did when he saw Rickon on the battlefield (Battle of the Bastards) and almost died and lost his entire army. Sansa had told him then as well that they won’t get Rickon back, he ignored her and nearly died. He won’t make that same mistake again.

This is where Brienne and Jaime come in. Jaime has been trying to live a more honourable existence and season 7 finally saw breaking away from the toxic relationship he shares with Cersei. Brienne is sworn to protect Sansa and Jamie will not let her go into King’s Landing alone, considering that he knows that place far better than she does. I think the Hound will play some part in this as well, and this is how he will finally face his brother and kill him once and for all. I have a feeling that Arya will have to stay at Winterfell, they can’t have almost all the Starks so deep in enemy territory.

So while, Jon makes sure that all of Cersei’s attention is focused on him, Jaime, Brienne and the Hound will infiltrate King’s Landing and rescue Sansa.

Realising that Sansa has been taken could also be how Jon finally faces his feelings for her, accepts them for what they are and will act on them when he gets her back.

Things I/m Looking Forward To Seeing in GoT Season 8

1.  Tyrion and Sansa reunion – this one is rife with so many opportunities. I don’t ship them romantically but they did start to get along and I think they would have eventually found their way to friendship if not for the Red Wedding and the rest of Tyrions’s family.

2. Varys and Sansa –  They’ve interacted very briefly and I don’t think they’ve ever done that on camera. After her wedding and Tyrion is already drunk, Sansa excuses herself and can be seen talking to Varys. Varys may not have cared about her as much in the beginning except that she was and remains the key to the North, but that might begin to change once he sees the way she’s readied her people for the wars to come. I think in Sansa, he’ll see someone who has a sharp mind and has stopped hiding it. Remember, she’s learnt the game from someone that Varys respected, so I’m looking forward to seeing them interact.

3. Jamie and Brienne – We saw them briefly interact in season 7 at the Dragonpit but at that point they were on opposing sides and hardly got to speak to each other. Season 8 may give us more screen time with these 2.

4. Jamie and Sansa – Jamie only knows of Sansa from what he remembers seeing when she was a young and naïve girl and knows a little from what Brienne has told him so far. He’s seen a bit of Dany when she burned him men to cinders so I’m curious what his reaction will be when he sees Sansa who is quite different from the other queens.

5. Jon and Arya – Jon hasn’t seen Arya since they both left for their respective destinations. Since then, they have both gone through traumatic situations that have vastly changed them from the people they used to be. It’ll be interesting to see them navigate their way to each other while, at the same time, realizing that neither is who they used to be.

6. Jon and Bran – A lot of what’s true for Jon and Arya is also true for Jon and Bran. They are vastly different people from who they were when they were younger. Jon died and came back while Bran is now the 3-Eyed Raven. Their meeting will have even more significance considering the news that Bran has for him. The news that has the power to change a lot of things.

7. Dany and Sansa – Dany and Sansa have had a pretty similar arc, both were underestimated and sold, used and abused by others. They both also managed to survive and got rid of their abusers along the way. But the one thing that Dany had that Sansa never did were allies. Even when Dany was a nobody, she was married to a Khal who loved her and she had Jorah who served and protected her. Sansa, on the other hand, lived in the vipers’ pit, surrounded by enemies on all sides and no allies, she judged a person’s decency based on how hard they hit her and that is a truly sorry state of affairs. They have come out on top and both have something that they didn’t earlier, agency. They finally have control over their lives. Sansa has Winterfell and her family, Dany finally has the forces to take back the IT (whether or not she deserves it or would be a good ruler is not the point right now) Seeing these two women facing each other should make for interesting television, provided the writers handle it well. They are vastly different women and their approach to ruling reflects that. Add to that, Jon will probably come with the news that he did a lot more than merely bend the knee. This should make for an interesting dynamic between the ladies. Ideally, I don’t want them to have fights or disagreements because of Jon, that would  be a disservice to both characters. So here’s hoping.

8. Sansa and Jon – Now, this would be truly interesting to watch. We know that Jon and Sansa have a very different methods of ruling. When he comes back, having bent the knee and with Dany in tow, his already position will be made even more so. He’s going to come back to a Winterfell that is in a far better condition than he left it in. It’s going to feel more like the Winterfell that he grew up in, when he was truly happy. He’s going to realise that while the Northern Lords did swear loyalty to him, they give more weight to words from Sansa. Sansa who can address their concerns while also not undermining Jon’s crown. The Sansa that he will meet upon his return will again be different from the one he left, more confident, self-assured. Sansa was never going to just sit back and let him make decisions that affects all of them. She was far from happy when he bent the knee without consulting her. He’s going to have an even tougher time making snap decisions like that while in Winterfell, especially once he finds out that the Northern Lords feel more loyal to her than they do to him.

Sansa Stark vs Cersie Lannister – Part 2

I’ve already written one meta about Cersie and Sansa which you can read here.

Having seen all of Season 7, I have to say I am even more convinced that the final showdown must be between Sansa and Cersie for a number of reasons.

First off, there are parallels, both Sansa and Cersie are usually overlooked and underestimated by those around them. Dany doesn’t suffer from this because of her dragons, but neither of these two women have that luxury. They are both ordinary (and I use that term very loosely) women who have nothing but their wits to keep them alive. They have had to become smart in order to survive. Cersie had to do it because she was stuck in a love-less marriage with Robert, a man who never really had any ambition to be king and was therefore not as careful as one might have been had they cared about the position. Cersie also knew what had happened to Rhaegar’s wife and children and would not let that happen to herself or her children. In the earlier seasons, her entire focus is on the survival of her family and all her actions lead to that. Sansa, on the other hand, had to learn because her very survival depended on it. She had no alternatives, no protectors, no one to speak up for her.

There was something else that struck me as I was starting this meta, in a way, Cersie was a surrogate mother to Sansa. It makes sense, Sansa was twelve when she went to KL and her mother did not accompany the two young girls, which in itself if quite strange. And before Ned lost his head, Cersie made herself into a mother figure for Sansa. Sansa looked up to her and admired her, wanted to be like her. After Ned’s death, Sansa’s life became a living nightmare but, in a weird way, she still had Cersie who would occasionally advise her, in a way a mother would (albeit it was otten harshly delivered, but that did not lessen the importance of the advice itself). It was Cersie who told Sansa that she could try to love Joffrey, implying that he was already a monster and even Cersie could not always control him. In her most formative years, it wasn’t Ned or Catelyn who were with Sansa, it was Cersie. I’ve also stated that, in those early years, she did care for Sansa, in her own twisted way. This gives Sansa an insight into the kind of women she really is which is why there is a part of Sansa that does admire her, because she’s survived where other, more able players have not.

Game of Thrones has been setting up Tyrion as a master strategist and this season just served to illustrate that that reputation may have been premature. He pledged to serve Dany and help her become queen of the Seven Kingdoms and was outmaneuvered time and again by Cersie. In the beginning when Dany’s war council were going over plans of taking KL, it seemed like a great plan, using Westerosi forces to take KL and the Unsullied to take Casterly Rock but while he was feeling smug, he forgot that he was dealing with Cersie. Cersie who learned from her father who was indeed a great strategist. Even at the end, she played both her brothers, especially Tyrion. That entire conversation is a very finely staged performance on Cersie’s part. Every action and word was carefully chosen. When she placed her hand on her stomach, it felt so out-of-character for her. This is Tyrion, she doesn’t trust him, she doesn’t even like him but she does have him figured out. She knew that he did genuinely love Tommen and Myrcella and he does regret that they died. Here’s another thing to consider, Tyrion does have a blindspot where his family is concerned. He hates his sister but she is his sister, there will always be a part of him that sees her through the lenses of a younger brother. Cersie has no such concerns, she would burn the world down and happily watch it burn.

Which brings us to Sansa. We spent the entire season worried sick over whether Sansa would indeed betray her family. Of course, the makers never gave any proof to set up that betrayal but that’s besides the point. If Tyrion was Cersie adversary, LF was Sansa’s. As we found out at the end, Sansa’s problems from the beginning were the handiwork of LF, if not for him Robert would not have come North and would not have betrothed Sansa and Joffrey. The Starks would have stayed home, healthy and whole. But LF’s hunger for power got the entire plot going. He then betrayed Ned and then used and abused Sansa. Sansa suffered some of the worst abuse at the hand of the Boltons and that match was arranged by none other than LF. Like Tyrion (and mind you I love him) LF also has too high an opinion of himself, he’s started believing his own publicity. Throughout this season, he tried to sow the seeds to dissent, first between Jon and Sansa and then between Sansa and Arya. And it would have worked except all season, LF was telling Sansa to think about the bigger picture, to view everyone with suspicion and always play out scenarios in her head so that nothing ever surprises her. This was great advice, except LF thought that for some reason, he was exempt from all these scenarios. Killing him would have been easy but to do so without losing the support of the Knights of the Vale, that was going to be exceedingly tricky. That scene where LF finally meets his end, that too is very carefully constructed, it’s the Knights of Vale who line the Great Hall with Lord Royce present, who already didn’t like him very much but couldn’t openly oppose him for fear of Sweet Robin. She sets him up perfectly, so much so that he never sees it coming.

So Season 7 saw both Cersie and Sansa outplay men who thought themselves to be smarter than the women they were trying to manipulate..

It also set them up in contrast to each other. In Season 6, Cersie burned down the Sept with all those people inside, not to mention all the collateral damage. Whereas Sansa was more worried whether they had enough food to make sure that everyone would be fed and they could take in refugees when the fight against the WW really came. She takes a personal interest when she really doesn’t need to and her people see this. This is evident when Arya comes to Winterfell and the two sentries don’t want to bother Lady Sansa, not because they’re scared but because, in a strange way, they’re protective of her.

Season 7 has so far established 3 main groups, Dany and her quest for the IT, Cersie and her quest for who-knows-what and the North that just wants its own independence and also survive both the WW and Cersie. I’ve stated multiple times that I don’t see Jon retain his crown in Season 8 which makes Sansa the QitN. Jaime recently left Cersie and rode North to fight against the WW and while there he will join Sansa and not Dany. Dany burned his men alive, he doesn’t like her and he doesn’t trust her. Jaime redemption arc started when he was paired with Brienne and tasked with getting the Stark girls safely delivered to their family. Plus he knows Sansa, he knew her father and mother and while he may not have liked them very much, I believe he does respect them. I personally can’t wait for him to meet Sansa and see the capable woman that she’s grown into. Jaime is often blinded by his love for Cersie but he’s starting to see that most of it may have been one-sided. When it is time to make a final choice as to who he will support, I believe he will pick Sansa, simply because she’s the better candidate. The fight against the WW will end with the elimination of one of the groups and I don’t believe it will be the Starks. They’re the protagonists of the series. I believe that Cersie will make it out alive as well with Dany sacrificing herself in the fight against the WW.

In the Starks vs Cersie battle, there will be one key difference from the BotB, Jon will seek out and heed Sansa’s counsel when it comes to how best deal with Cersie.

Anyway, that’s what I think and this post got way longer than I thought it would, but I hope it makes sense.

Game of Thrones – The Wolf and The Dragon – Speculation and Theories

Okay!!! Speculation time! There were a number of things that struck me about this episode, like there were things that the makers of the show were clearly trying to establish.

1st with regard to Jon and his title: Let’s start with Jon, I think this episode did an amazing job of telling us that while Jon is a good commander, he is not a good king. He wants to do the right thing but lacks the skills to execute them. He only had to make a non-committal statement and he refused to do that. Till then, no one knew that he had bent the knee, you can see the shock on Davos and Brienne’s faces, even Davos did not see this coming. Moreover, he did not need to bend his knee, by then Dany was already on board and supportive of his cause, the fact that he chose to do so regardless is another bad decision and one that will not end well. Saying that the Northern Lords will not be happy with his decision is the understatement of the century. He was chosen to lead the North and the lords can just as easily choose someone else.

Dany: I actually like her this season. The acting has certainly improved and the layers of her personality are more apparent. She is a problematic character, in that there are times when she genuinely cares and wants to improve the social conditions, but there is a more ruthless side to her side as well and she doesn’t listen to reason once she makes up her mind. I actually like her better like this. I don’t know whether she’ll eventually become a villain though that will be lame and simplistic.

Jon and Dany: This episode also tried to sell us the JonxDany ship and frankly I don’t buy it. I don’t have a problem with the ship per se, just that it’s so shoddily executed. The Jon and Sansa scenes had more chemistry than all the the JonxDany scenes put together. The scene of them making love, should have been a climactic moment and yet it was overshadowed by the reveal of Jon’s parentage and his true name, not to mention Tyrion standing outside their door, looking less than pleased. Their sex scene just ended up being so pedestrian and random. There was no foreplay, no build-up, we literally saw them in the middle of the act and cut while they were still in the middle. Sex scenes usually stay long enough to establish climax, both for the scene since it’s usually a gradual build-up and for the characters, here it was glaringly absent. The scene just feels wrong on so many levels.

Also, we know that it’s only a matter of time before the Aegon Targeryen reveal is made public. I think that when Jon finds out, he’s going to choose to tell Dany and Northern Lords, that’s what the honourable aspect of his personality will demand of him. He won’t be able to continue to stay with Dany once he finds out his true lineage and she won’t trust him once she finds out that he has a stronger claim to the throne. It won’t matter to her that he doesn’t want to rule because ultimately it’s not important. She’s smart, she knows that there are people who support her because they believe that she’s the last Targeryen, when they suddenly find themselves with a choice, one who is male, well, the world of Westeros is a patriachal one…. There will be those who will push him to take the throne, sidelining Dany completely. Add to that, he can ride the dragons just as she does which again, will make her vulnerable. She already stated that the Dragons are her children and without them she would be ordinary and Dany doesn’t want to be ordinary. She’s fought tooth and nail and worked hard to get where she is and I wouldn’t blame her for being pissed off that suddenly this guy shows up and has a stronger claim to the throne that she’s been fighting for her whole life. I don’t see the unsullied and the Dothraki supporting Jon, their allegiance is to Dany and her alone, but the other players, who knows. So basically, the ‘Jon is Aegon Targeyren’ reveal will be the death knell for the JonxDany ship.

What’s with Tyrion, Jorah and Dany’s prophecy: Tyrion’s interactions post Dragonpit were curious to say the least. We saw in episode 6 that Dany disregarded his advice and flew up North to save Jon and his crew and lost a dragon in the process. He also saw her agree with Jon in how to proceed North over Jorah’s suggestion, which would probably be safer. From the close-up of Jorah’s face, we know that he is far from pleased. We also saw Tyrion outside Dany’s room while Jon and Dany are having sex. Tyrion has a very casual attitude about sex and for him to have such a serious look on his face is worrisome. From his conversation with Cersie, we know that he hoped that Jon would bend his knee but I don’t think he’s happy with the fact they jumped into bed.

Add to that, we also know that Jorah loves Dany and he never stopped loving her. He’s known her the longest and probably knows her best among all her current advisers. And again, he’s unhappy that Jon, who just showed up, is suddenly so important to her. The prophecy about Dany says that she will be betrayed for love and people are assuming that Jon will betray her but what if it’s not him but Jorah. Jorah who loves and has loved her for a very long time. Her time with Daario did not bother him because he was absent for most of it and then she left him behind. I think on some level Jorah knew that Daario was never a serious competitor but it’s not the same with Jon. Jon is young, he’s powerful and he’s in his prime, all the things that Jorah is not. He sees the way Dany looks at him and while he may not express it, it doesn’t make him happy. He’ll betray her because he loves her and not to her enemies but imagine that he finds out about Jon’s lineage and before Jon can tell Dany, he tells her instead. It’s one thing for Dany to hear it from Jon, it’s completely different to hear it coming from someone else. I’m not saying that this will happen, it’s merely an example of the kind of betrayal that Jorah would commit. Because, ultimately he still loves Dany and he wouldn’t want her to come to any harm.

I’m going to add Tyrion to this mix just on the basis of what I saw this episode. I think both Jorah and Tyrion are concerned about the important that Jon suddenly has in Dany’s life and that his actions, while honourable have the potential to be problematic.

Sansa and Arya: Littlefinger finally played the wrong sisters against each other and paid for it with his life. Having watched the episode, I am not entirely convinced that the sisters were putting on a show for LF’s benefit. I think there was genuine antagonism on both side till Bran sat them down and spoke to them, that obviously happened off camera but it’s not hard to guess that because of what he said in the Great Hall. He’s the one who tells Sansa and Arya about all the ways that he’s fucked with their family and that finally leads to both of them putting aside their differences and uniting. I think we also got to see Sansa as Queen in the North with Arya acting as her hand. Season 8 will out Jon’s parentage and place him not as a Stark but the true-born son of Rhaegar which completely changes the power dynamic in the North. Jon will no longer be the King in the North, Bran is the three-eyed raven and Arya has no interest in ruling, which leaves Sansa. The scenes establishing her as a good ruler were no accident, neither was the scene where Lord Glover and Royce both said that they made a mistake is choosing Jon and they should have chosen her instead. In Jon’s absence, she stepped up in a big way and is the only one who can keep the North united under House Stark while still helping Jon with his quest against the WW. There was a reason when Arya and Sansa repeated Ned’s words there was no mention on Jon, and this is telling when Arya brought him up so many times in their previous encounters. Winterfell is House Stark’s seat of power, there must always be a Stark in Winterfell and Jon, now Aegon is not a Stark at all.

Just as Tyrion pushed Dany to control some of her more impulsive decisions, Arya will do the same for Sansa. Sansa wants to protect Winterfell, her family and herself and that may sometimes cloud her judgement, it’s at those times that Arya’s position as the Hand will be important, she can speak frankly to her sister, in a way that no one else can, not even Brienne.

What does this mean for Jon and Sansa, honestly, I’m not sure. They could get married, a political alliance between House Targeryen and House Stark, to cement the relationship between the North and the South, but if Jon is meant to rule the Iron Throne, then there is a problem because I don’t see Sansa leaving Winterfell. Arya has no desire to be Lady of Winterfell and while Sansa might want to be QitN, she has no desire to rule the Seven Kingdoms. of course, this could be a moot point if the IT no longer exists at the end of the show and there are various theories that support this. Also, judging by Jon’s reaction to the city in this episode, he wasn’t too impressed by what he saw of the crowded, cramped living conditions. He grew up in the North, he’s used to the wide-open landscapes. Plus, he’s also a bit too attached to his fur coat, to the extent where he even wore in Dragonpit and it was clearly hot there. I don’t think he’ll want to move South. So a Jon and Sansa political wedding is still a possibility and certainly more plausible than the Jon and Dany could-be-relationship.

Brienne and Jamie: So Jaime finally stood up to Cersie and saw that she has lost her mind and so blind that she can’t see she is dooming both her city and her unborn child to death. He leaves her and makes his way North. Season 8 will see Brienne and Jamie get together. He will also share the news that Cersie’s promise of her armies marching North to fight alongside Dany’s and Jon’s was a lie. Brienne always brings out the best in him, the man he could be and he finally has the chance to let that side of him rise to the fore. I don’t see him join Dany’s camp because he did see her burn his soldiers alive, but the Lady of Winterfell? Now that is possible. Especially since Brienne is still oath-bound to serve Sansa. But, where does this leave poor Tormund?

This just struck me, with Jaime leaving for the North and possibly joining Sansa’s camp, does it add more weight to the theory that ultimately it’s Sansa who will dethrone Cersie? She was indirectly responsible for Joffrey’s death and now she has Jamie on her side as well, she has “stolen” the one man who always stood by her side. I’ve always believed that the final showdown must be between Sansa and Cersie. LF was one of her abusers, Cersie was the other and just as it was Sansa sentencing LF, it needs to be Sansa who eventually bests Cersie at her own game. Sansa learned from both LF and Cersie and who better to beat her than the the ‘little dove’ that everyone underestimated? They have history while Dany and Cersie do not and it just makes more sense.

Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 7 – The Wolf and the Dragon – Thoughts

So the season finale is finally done and thankfully the season ended as well as it had started, the middle is a clusterfuck full of inconsistencies and poor-writing but by and large, the finale was satisfying. Brace yourself, this will be a long post.

Let’s start with the Dragonpit: This started well enough and we had a number of character encounters that were fun to watch:

It was fun to watch these characters meet each other again, all of them much different than what they were before. Even Tyrion and Bronn shared a nice moment,

The Dragonpit also went on to showcase all the reasons why Jon is not fit to be king of anything. There was one instance that required his diplomacy and he refused. Mind you, Cersie’s request was reasonable, she only asked that the North remain neutral during the truce and Jon mucked it up. Even Dany was exasperated and Tyrion was close to tearing his hair out.

Tyrion’s exchanges with both Cersie and Jaime were entertaining. Cersie is such a dynamic character and so unapologetic. We have been seeing Jaime giving her the side-eye on a number of occasions this season, and it all came to a head in this episode. Deep down, he is an honourable man, he takes his duties seriously, you can see his frustration with Cersie at her inability to see it from his point-of-view. Her refusal to honour the pact was the last straw for him and in the end we see him riding north, leaving Cersie truly alone.

Dany’s war council and the Boat scene: The war council scenes were telling for a number of reasons.

They are discussing how they should venture North and while both Jorah and Jon express different approaches, Tyrion stays quiet which is curious. Dany chooses to go with Jon’s idea and we cut to Jorah’s expression, he looks less than happy. What’s also interesting, is the way the shot cut to Tyrion while the exchange was going on. He doesn’t look happy, he looks concerned. His quiet is also worrisome, he is someone who also speaks up when he has an opinion, it is clear that he has an opinion, he just doesn’t share it.

The Boatsex! finally happened and it was shocking just how underwhelming it was. First, screencaps:

We start with Sam and Bran talking about Jon’s parentage and Sam urges to go back actually see what happened. We cut from Rhaegar and Lyanna’s wedding to the Targ crest on the door, just before Jon knocks and Dany opens the door to let him in. There is also the shot of Tyrion standing and looking at them, looking less than pleased which again, is weird.
Then there is Bran’s VO while the two are having sex. The sex scene is far from romantic:

It is intercut with scenes featuring a dying Lyanna, telling Ned what Jon’s true name is and then back to Tyrion standing outside their room. This is downright creepy and makes little sense unless you see it in the larger context. We already Jon screw up at the Dragonpit and that almost cost them the truce (whether or not Cersie would have honoured it, is besides the point) and then he can see that suddenly Dany gives more weight to Jon’s suggestions than she does to other people in her camp. Which is dangerous.

Winterfell: The Winterfell scenes were the real highlight of the episode.

We start with Starkbowl misdirect 101. Sansa sitting with LF and trying to figure out Arya’s motives. He gives her some more advice which she takes and there is a gradual shift in her as while she is still analysing Arya. I felt like it while, outloud, she was talking about Arya, in her head, she was thinking about LF and his own motives.

The Great Hall scene was absolutely epic!!! It made the whole season worth the watch, despite all the hours of anxiety and confusion and the bad writing. It was all worth it in the end. It was thrilling to see all the Stark children working together and bring down LF. In the end, he was a crying mess and he had no idea that Sansa had played him. It was extremely satisfying to watch. LF had overstayed his welcome in GoT and it was time for his exit.

Analyses and meta in post no. 2.