The strengths and weaknesses of the last episode of Game of Thrones

Attention: the spoilers coming for Game of thrones'Finale, "The iron throne."

Game of thronesFinal left us a lot of topics for discussion. Like the rest of the eighth and final season, he was extremely fast, jumping weeks at a time and surpassing important points. At the same time, it was finally necessary to take a deep and slow breath to linger over some key conversations and it took longer to solve the ancillary characters' story than some fans thought. Just after the final, we stopped to express our immediate reactions.

Tasha: Chaim, you've already answered the main questions of the plot Game of thrones left behind, but you did not address the one that haunts me the most: how intelligent are the dragons in this series? The finale of the series apparently shows instantly to Drogon when Daenerys Targaryen dies and flies away to watch her. But even if Jon Snow usefully leaves the murder weapon in his chest, Drogon does not seem to realize that Jon killed him. And yet Is to realize that the iron throne is symbolically important and was the thing that she most wanted and that it will never again, so he slaps him with his fiery breath. At least that is how I took the stage. This entire series has been dedicated to who will take the iron throne, and the answer "Nobody!" Rightly seems nihilistic. But like so much this season, the way it is played does not make sense either. What did you do with it?

Chaim: Honestly, I am rather satisfied. I agree that Drogon's strangely specific fire storm was a bit convenient, but considering the end of the last episode of Daenerys, I did not really think she would not survive the show and not hold the Iron Throne . In the end, she and her dragons somehow broke the wheel, in the metaphorical sense of the term "the wheel" is a metal chair made of melted swords, anyway.

Moreover, the fact that his dragon breaks the symbol of supreme authority was poetic enough to work for me – certainly more than Jon only to take the throne because of the murder and the technicality of his birth, which would have been a easy way for me to go out. very happy that the show did not take.

Photo: HBO

Tasha: I agree. I spent most of my season frustrated with fast turns and total intrigue – the feeling that we were seeing plot points that would have been brilliant and heartbreaking there. had been spread out over a season, but that would only upset the players during a scene or two. (I'm thinking, for example, of Varys' betrayal and execution of Dany, who had barely had time to register before he died.) That's why I was deeply impressed by the finale, partly because the pace has finally slowed down and has the audience a little time to sit down with our emotions and characters a little while to sit down with theirs.

A highlight for me: Tyrion's slow procession through the city and the Red Keep, looking for signs that Jaime has actually found Cersei and smuggled it. We know what he will find, but this episode gives him a long and slow sequence to find their bodies and treat their deaths. Tyrion in mourning over his beloved brother and hated sister was one of the most memorable moments of the season, not only because it has been going on for so long, but also because it does not take place . and because the performance of Peter Dinklage is very strong.

Chaim: I was shocked by the time it took for this episode to really let us simmer as a result. And after ignoring Tyrion's role over the last two seasons, it was really nice to give Dinklage a last chance to shine. Between the scene where he was sobbing over his brothers and sisters, his heart to heart with Jon Snow and the broken man at the pivotal election who just wanted to fix things, it was a good reminder of the caliber of show. Game of thrones could reach when he's not just going full "OMG DRAGONZ" on us.

In retrospect, it took more than a third of the show to the show to Jon stabs Daenerys, which represents a remarkable level of restraint on the part of the creative team, allowing us to break so long the "victory" of Dany. On this note, I'm curious how this ending for Dany sat next to you?

Photo: HBO

Tasha: I still do not accept the spontaneous jump of Dany who was "obsessed with the liberation of slaves and the protection of the innocent" by "fervently convinced that the murdered children help them". This plot point has been uncovered a billion times online over the past week. at least 1.4 million times in our own comment sections, so I want to reiterate that the problem is not its massive behavioral change, but that it was executed in an abrupt and clumsy manner . I was therefore impressed by this episode, giving him time to savor the conquest of Westeros. It sounds like a vote of respect for a character who has been so important to the show since season 1. I am happy that the audience has allowed her to live briefly the triumph for which she has struggled so much and suffered so much.

And at the same time, she has time to prove that she does not see the human cost and does not care about anything. Her claim that she "liberated" the people of King's Landing and now "liberates" the rest of the world is genuinely frightening, as she promises further killings, stating that she thinks she's done everything here. His argument with Jon about his actions showed quite clearly that there is no good end that seated him on the throne. But where you apparently thought the show had been a long time before her death, I thought she was going to dispose of it quite early in the episode, and I found that a relief. To kill her by Jon was a pre-ordained conclusion, so I'm glad this episode did not trace her for an hour and gives us less time to see what the world will become.

Chaim: Made… no matter who survive King's Landing? It seems to me that we have not seen any civilians standing up during this whole episode.

Tasha: This is not true. There's Almost Naked Covered In Burns Guy, and Weeping Alley Soldier, and probably one or two other people. Many to build a new population with. And if that were not enough, there are probably still dozens of other people left alive around Westeros somewhere. Hot Pie can cook for them.

Photo: HBO

Chaim: That's right, that's right, and Lannister's five soldiers that this worm performs on Daenerys's orders and certainly not because he's still mad at Missandei. Totally forgotten these guys.

As for Dany, I feel that the audience tried to defend the transition for her with Tyrion's speech in his cell about his belief that his cause is right. But even though he convinced Jon, he did not convince me. The following argument: "She killed a lot of bad people, which led her to kill a lot of bad people" just did not work for me. But at least the writers were aware that, like Jon, viewers would need to convince to accept his sudden change of heart.

This plot in particular gives the impression that he would have benefited from a longer season to develop a little more, but given the way the season has unfolded in a temporal way, we feel that they have done their best. In addition, Drogon escaped with Dany's body, and if Game of thrones One thing we have learned is that no one is ever really dead until you find the right priest.

Tasha: Oh, do not even go there. I'm sure he'll either eat it out of respect or cremate it out of respect, and we can leave it there.

We will probably still debate Dany's progress and the evidence so far suggests that we will not be able to come to this debate. So let's talk about the rest of this episode. Some highlights for me: the cinematography was fantastic. Abandoned town or not, she looked amazingly covered with ashes / falling snow. This photo of a snowy Drogon getting up to inspect Jon and decide that he had passed the call and could ride for his audience with Dany was particularly beautiful and memorable. I loved the slow, sad, vocal and feminine version of the theme song, while Daenerys finally saw his goal, the iron throne, in a room upset to achieve it.

We will have to talk separately about the actual outcome of the Lords Summit, but I was impressed that they brought back all these characters. (Someone has finally found Edmure Tully! And he has the balls to try to get up and take the throne, and Sansa gently, rightly, slaps him again!) It would have been so easy to lose it entirely. politics in this final episode, and completely forget the roots of the series, but here we see the first hints of the traditional Westerosi society come back. Someone really thought about who stayed big houses and who would represent them. They even dusted Robin Arryn for this meeting! It is laughable, in a way, that these pale and submissive people are what is left of the leadership of Westeros, but they are still arrogant enough to despise their own people and make fun of him for having their say. But I was happy to see Game of thrones recognizing its roots and seriously considering who would be responsible for rebuilding the country.

Chaim: The Game of thrones The score has always been a highlight for me. Ramin Djawadi, the composer of the series, is a hero unknown for years and he has just started to conquer the barrier with the music of the final as a whole. me too to have to shout out the fantastic shot of Dany, framed triumphant in the Red Dungeon, Drogon behind her to provide the wings to the ascendant of the Dragon Queen in the ruins of ash and snow. Oh, and Ghost finally got a pat from Jon, because he's a good boy.

I admit that it took me a second to remember who Edmure Tully was (thanks to the costume designers for putting fish on his setbacks), although I disagree on the fact that Sansa was arrested – there was nothing sweet about it. Dude just tried to walk after contributing nothing for eight seasons, apart from losing Riverrun to the Lannister and Freys, and to kill Blackfish? And then he tries to take the Seven Six kingdoms? Nope and Nope. Sit down and shut up, Ed As for Robin Arryn: definitely the Game of thrones winner of the Neville Longbottom Award for Best Glow-Up in a series.

Which brings us to Bran, or should I say, to King Bran the Broken (what kind of foul head over there, Tyrion?), Sovereign of the Six Kingdoms, and to all the other elements attached to his name. It's certainly not the most exciting choice for a leader, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense to me. He is practically almighty: even if he does not see the future (and I'm pretty sure he can), he has a perfect knowledge of all the mistakes of the past. His strange zen state of the three-eyed crow means that he bears no particular allegiance to anyone or anything that unfairly influences his decisions. And the ability he has to enter the crows' minds and get an almost instantaneous knowledge of the events of this kingdom seems to be an extremely useful thing for a monarch, especially in a world where most messages take several days, even weeks.

Tasha: Yes, but. Although all this data is useful and sensitive, in reality, it is the guy who sits in a frozen yard for weeks, staring at his sister Sansa when she hugs him to greet him after not letting him go. to have seen for years and barely speak with him. people except to provide cryptic information in a scary monotone. It is great that he is a king without ego or desire, but I doubt that it is useful to be able to predict the future when he does not act so clearly in this sense, except in the largest cases. The Battle of Winterfell could have unfolded very differently, with much less loss of life if he had shared what he knew, or if there was any evidence that he was there. cared for soldiers who fell in battle, not just the end result of the war. And he did not even try to prevent anyone from killing tens of thousands of innocent people in King's Landing?

Being a good, just and wise leader is not just a question of power, especially not the power to disappear in the head of a raven to gather information. It's about taking care of people and making decisions based on their interests. This requires empathy, and Bran has none. It requires a desire for justice, peace and balance, and Bran says he is no longer able to desire anything. And in Westeros, you have to be a politician, and Bran is not that.

But he will always make a better king than Jon "I obey the orders of all those who tell me that I do things with principles" Snow. Throughout the series, Jon makes many strong and risky moral choices: supporting the Wildlings, becoming king of the North, abdicating after Dany and killing Dany. It is always someone else who has the idea, however, to convince and squeeze him until he falls. He has sad, sweet and suffering eyes and people like him, but he would have made a weak king.

Photo: HBO

Chaim: The fact is, I'm not sure who else could have made a better king. Sansa is the only candidate to have been almost able to qualify, and she seems more focused on managing the North and getting as far away as possible from the Six Kingdoms, without reinstating or governing the rest.

For the rest: Tyrion, a clear no for the reasons he gives in the episode; Jon, as you rightly pointed out, is utterly unsuitable for leadership; Edmure Tully, who is just the worst; Sam, who would clearly prefer to read a book; Gendry, Legitimate Heir a few weeks ago by the Queen today who has razed the city; Yara Greyjoy, who has already shaved Winterfell; and the new Prince of Dorne, who is not even a character with a name. Not the best pool of leaders. Will Bran be well King? I do not know. I like the chances of the North under Queen Sansa much better. But I do not think it will be a real wrong a. And after Crazy King Aerys, Drunken King Robert, Cruel King Joffery, King Tommen, timid and easily manipulated, the power-hungry queen and any other adjective that best describes Queen Daenerys' ephemeral but inflamed reign, can -being a "good enough" king is good enough for Westeros.

In addition, Bran has one thing for him: his master of the pieces, Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, finally rewarded, Lord of Highgarden and supreme lord of the reach. It only took eight seasons, but I have to give it to Tyrion: a Lannister pays (eventually) his debts. Of course Bronn!

Tasha: And I'll add: of course Brienne, who is still my favorite character, who survived without being killed for a pathetic cheap, and survived his boring tears on Jaime, and who takes the time to commemorate him properly. I found the scene where she writes her actions in Kingsguard Knights' big book is very touching. She saw that he had inherited his inheritance. She honored him in an honorable manner.

So what are your weak points of the episode? I was so delighted with the majestic tone and great graphics, and the time we spent on the weight of Jon's decision and his conversation with Tyrion about it, that it took me a lot by surprise when we had such a heavy and uncomfortable time. -jump. We do not know why Jon and Tyrion are not dead. Gray Worm said a little earlier in the episode that he does not make prisoners – and these two people conspired to murder his beloved queen. We do not know where the Dothraki went, or why they did not go astray either. There is just some kind of "Well, weeks have passed, and here we are" statement. Since rarely Game of thrones"These past seasons have even recognized the passing of time, I think it's nice to have put" weeks "in the dialogue, so we knew it, but … a lot of really important things happened in those weeks and the series that ignores them is much more typical of how this season went.

And what should we do with the wacky humor of the episode, around which Tyrion arranges chairs around the table of the little council and that Davos, Bronn and Brienne make fun of the brothels? Yes, we needed a moment of "continuous life" and a sense for the new normal, but nothing about the gags here really landed me.

Photo: HBO

Chaim: The jumps in time were also strange – was winter passing so fast? I know that the climate of Westerosi is strange, but the impression I had was that they were facing a fairly long winter and bad weather in natural weather cycles. But I guess not, given the sunny beauty and atmosphere of King's Landing at the end. I guess everything was fine. And considering the recent trend of the season to reduce travel times and the fact that our only true indicator of the length of its history was Jon and Tyrion – who already looked very jerky before jumping into the time – it was really hard for me to get an idea of ​​how this space really was.

But the biggest problem for me was Arya. Do not get me wrong, leaving for a new adventure was a nice ending. But the rest of the episode only underscores how underutilized she has been since she killed Night King. As she says herself, she came to King's Landing to kill Cersei, got there too late, and … hangs out for the rest of the episode. There is no magic of Faceless Man, no assassination of Dany, nor freeing Jon from his prison. I had the impression that the audience had no idea what to do with it.

Finally, a small part of me, a bit bitter, gave Sam a finite copy of A song of ice and fire, while I have yet to wait for the number of years it will take George R.R. Martin to complete his version. But I can not really blame the show.

Tasha: This is good. The final version of the book in the series does not even include Tyrion, arguably the most valuable and humanistic character of the series. How could he be good?

I agree that Arya's bow basically ends when she killed the king of the night – it would have been too fantastic, too much traditional fantasy, too much of a hero in this story for her to get Cersei or Daenerys too. And I'm happy to see her go on her own adventures, even though it's weird that she does not really use the magic of Faceless Man anymore after removing her costume from Walder Frey. Maybe she will have room in one of the next series. Unlikely because they would all be precepts without familiar characters. But hey, when you're dealing with a girl who is nobody, who can look like anyone, you can always pretend she's the secret protagonist of any story.