Game of Thrones S8 Ep 6: "The Iron Throne" Review

By Laura Prudom

This final review of the Game of Thrones series contains revelations for GoT S8, Ep 6, "The Iron Throne". To find out more about the series finale, here's why the reminder of A Song of Ice and Fire is so meaningful, the importance of Naath and what Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke thought of Jon and Daenerys ending. To dig deeper into the finale, watch our episode in Dragons on the Wall above, or download the podcast version here.

Although we have been warned a long time ago that "if you think that it ends well, you do not pay attention to it", most of the time, the Game of Thrones finale has subverted the disturbing words of Ramsay Bolton , delivering a conclusion as sweet and sour. "as George RR Martin always promised, but still promised a hopeful spring dream for many of our favorite characters.

It was a clearer end of Game of Thrones than some of us could have predicted. Outside of Daenerys, there were no major casualties (RIP's unnamed Lannister soldiers) – and while the surviving Lords and Dames of Westeros were mocking Sam's optimistic suggestion of establishing a democracy in place of the monarchy and finally allow the inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms a vote (nice essay, Tarly), everything seemed to be going well despite the mass genocide of Dany. Despite Sansa 's observation that there were thousands of angry northern men out of King' s Landing walls in search of Jon 's freedom, we did not never understood how this conflict affected the whole world, nor whether civilians from other areas of Westeros aware small quarrels between queens. She was almost as well clean. (Also: the winter really come and go as fast after all this hype?)

In the end, it was the cripples, bastards and broken things that started the story, with Bran's wisdom – and more importantly, his knowledge of the past – being more apt to govern than violence. or the blood; I come back to the lesson that Tywin Lannister gave to Tommen on what makes a good king – someone who listens to his advisers and who does not try to make all the decisions for him. And he is relieved that after seasons when Jon insisted that he had neither the desire nor the ambition to govern, it was not imposed on him because of something bad. as arbitrary as that of his parents. (Although all this twist of Aegon has really become a lot of noise for finally nothing, huh?)

Sansa has become queen of the north, presiding over an independent kingdom that will undoubtedly benefit from her keen sense of strategy and attention to her people; Arya is prepared for a perfect spin-off, boarding to explore everything west of Westeros and living like a wild and untamed creature she's always been; Tyrion has become the hand of a leader who is basically content to let him rule instead. and despite all this nonsense about being re-exiled on the night watch, it seems like Jon intends to get into the real North with Tormund and Ghost and the rest of the beasts to find the kind of simple and peaceful life he could have lived with Ygritte, if we had stopped trying to inflict a great destiny on him years ago. (And did you notice that bit of greenery growing in the snow as they entered the forest – a dream of spring indeed?)

"The Iron Throne" followed the long tradition of the series, which consisted of going big in the penultimate episode of each season and using the final to tie everything together, which seemed a little more paradoxical here than of habit, since we have had eight seasons of accumulation to get to this point. And I'm not more happy with Daenerys' poorly executed bend now than I was after 'The Bells', especially when we finally heard him justify himself. This was clearly not a psychotic break or madness revenge against the inhabitants of King's Landing for any alleged crime against her, but merely an illusion that Cersei was using "their innocence as a weapon" against Dany for the to hesitate to accept what she wanted. despite the fact that she did not need to attack all innocent people to claim the throne.

Nobody challenged Dany that she could have gone straight to the Red Keep and triumphed again because it was perfectly clear (even at the back of a dragon) that She was not in the streets and most of Lannister's soldiers were defending her and Drogon had already destroyed her. Nothing in Daenerys' character has hinted until now that she would accept the useless massacre of women or children – she has indeed pointed out before the Dothraki and Unsullied that they had "liberated the inhabitants of King & # Landing "and that his priority was now" freeing "the men, women and children of Westeros from" the wheel "without any trace of irony. His lack of remorse in this episode did not resemble the delusions of a dictator who was ready to win at all costs, as one would have expected with all those comparisons of "Mad King" – he just played as if the audience was convinced that what Daenerys had done was the most effective way to convince Jon and Tyrion not to support her anymore, but to betray her, regardless of whether she lacked narrative logic or justification.

Just as the series did a disservice to Cersei this season, relegating Lena Headey to just 25 minutes of play in season 8 and offering no insight into her mental state or motives (other than subtly touching her stomach or sadly looking out the window), Game of Thrones also missed Daenerys Anakin Skywalker-esque descent into nastiness. Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss stated that they had deliberately avoided showing us Dany's expression once she had begun to undermine King's Landing in "The Bells", but by keeping ourselves at a distance, it was impossible for us to follow Daenerys' reasoning or to show empathy for her. , something that is essential when you try to turn a beloved hero into a villain.

The trajectory of Walter White in Breaking Bad was so effective and heartbreaking, as we could witness the slow but steady erosion of his morals and boundaries over several seasons, thus positioning the history of A point of view that will help justify his decisions (what Benioff and Weiss could have done with Dany this season, and that George R. R Martin will succeed in his novels, while allowing him to other characters to react and be fooled by his behavior, but deliberately keeping the audience out of Daenerys' head and showing him only In light of the way others saw it, the last season had missed a vital opportunity to explain why she had made her choices, reducing a previously nuanced and fascinating character to a one-dimensional shadow of her old self. Emilia Clarke and Lena Headey deserved better after devoting so much thought to Dany and Cersei over the last ten years.

But despite my visceral reaction to "The Bells" (enough to write a speech of over 3,000 words), at least that feel Something, and the most disappointing part of "The Iron Throne" is that I did not really feel much. I did not cry, I was not shocked by Jon's decision to stab Dany in the heart (one of the many recalls of the finale, reflecting Jon's own betrayal by Olly ), and the most poignant moments of the episode came from Drogon in mourning. fallen mother, fashionable Lion King, and Jon finally touched Ghost after three seasons – something that would not have even been emotionally affecting or resonant if the show had not been so insistent on the fact of keep the werewolf away from his master for all that time. Brienne finally had the chance to note the rest of the exploits of Jaime Lannister in the White Paper of the Royal Guard. It was a successful and magnificent reminder, but he was a bit embittered by the way he had left it with insistence and haste. in his feelings for Cersei or Brienne.

For the most part, the finale was strangely flat. For a show in which I spent countless hours, both professionally and as a fan of Martin's books, I thought at least that I would at least take off the prospect of saying goodbye to these characters . But as I said in last week's review, this is the problem of waiting for the reality, and since Game of Thrones is potentially the last real 'watercooler' show that will succeed in bringing together a weekly world audience as vocal as the one who discusses, analyzes and obsesses. in real time, it was inevitable that it could never completely satisfy those of us who have been madly theorizing about it for years.

And while the episode was beautifully directed and shot by Benioff and Weiss (the Daenerys visual with the Drogon wings spread behind it may be the most indelible image of the series' history , while the moment when Drogon melted the Iron Throne was the only scene in the episode series to really give me shivers), it was as if many other episodes were happening this season, as if the boxes were ticked instead of letting the moments and character choices develop organically. And though Ramin Djawadi's score once again elevated the most significant moments of the episode, she was even more powerful when she was absent: the episode began with a sequence of nearly 10 minutes without musical accompaniment, highlighting the horror and shock caused by Daenerys. The destruction that followed until Tyrion discovered the bodies of Jaime and Cersei, a powerful showcase of Peter Dinklage's ever-excellent performance, but once again undermined by the futility of Jaime and Cersei's disappearance.

"The Iron Throne" was certainly not a disastrous finale, or one that would tarnish the legacy of the series (more than what the reaction to "The Bells" has already caused in some fans, anyway) , and allowing some of our favorite characters to survive and thrive (Bronn undeniably lost the season, but it was lovely to see the "Lord of High Titles" on the Little Council, arguing with Tyrion), he was offering a grade hope that last week seemed almost unimaginable. But, compared to all the potential of previous seasons, it's impossible not to wonder what could have been if Benioff and Weiss had agreed to multiply the episodes and give more leeway to let these conflicts develop from the the way these characters and this story deserved.

At least we will have Martin's latest books to better understand how we got here and why, they never arrive.