If it’s true that episode 5 of Game of Thrones this season will be even bigger than the Battle of Winterfell, the show needed something of a breather in between. This week’s entry may not be as action-packed, but it makes some big moves to set the stage for the next conflict.
The Aftermath
The war against the Night King now over, the survivors gather the many dead into huge piles for a mass funeral. Daenerys sheds a tear over Jorah, and Sansa one for Theon. Jon gives a sufficiently stirring and kingly speech mourning “the shields that guarded the realms of man.” As the pyres are lit to burn the corpses, it strikes me that the ceremony is taking place far too close to the castle. That smell will take years to fade, and it can’t be too healthy for anyone to breathe in all the ashes.
The funeral is followed by a very somber dinner in the main hall. Daenerys breaks the awkward silence by calling out Gendry and publicly revealing him to be Robert Baratheon’s bastard. Just as it seems that this scene is about to take a very bad turn, the queen announces that she’s officially legitimizing him as the former king’s lawful son, and names him Lord of Storm’s End. The boy is thrilled. It’s a smart play that sidelines him as a claimant to the Iron Throne, and brings some much-needed good will from the other Northerners Dany’s way. Tyrion sees the strategy immediately. The Hound does as well, and is unimpressed.
The mood in the hall lightens a bit further when Daenerys raises a toast to Arya. However, Dany’s own mood sours when she sees Tormund drunkenly sing Jon Snow’s praises. She recognizes that the Northerners love Jon in a way they’ll never love her, which makes him a threat to her reign, especially in light of recent revelations. Varys watches all this with interest.
Jaime, Brienne, and Tyrion play a drinking game in which they must guess private facts about each other. Tyrion embarrasses Brienne by calling her out as a virgin. She leaves the room and Jaime follows. Tormund sees where this is going and is heartbroken, but finds another random girl to console himself with.
Sansa sits for a moment with the Hound. They discuss the fact that her life would have gone very differently if she’d left Winterfell with him back in the day. Sansa says that all the experiences she went through, terrible as they were, forged her into the person she is now.
In the background of all this is the amusing suggestion that Podrick is about to have a threesome.
Gendry leaves the party and finds Arya alone, practicing with a bow and arrow. He tells her his news, proclaims his love, and proposes marriage on the spot. Arya is flattered but has no interest in becoming anyone’s wife.
Jaime follows Brienne to her room and, in the episode’s biggest fan-service moment, the two finally consummate the sexual tension between them.
Jon and Daenerys have a frank talk about what his true heritage means for them. Despite Jon’s assurances that he will remain loyal to her as his queen, she demands that he keep his Targaryen blood a secret. He insists that he owes it to Sansa and Arya to tell them the truth. Dany begs him not to, but he’s already set his mind on what he believes is the proper and honorable thing to do. In the moment, it becomes clear that their relationship is dying.
The Next Day
One war may be won, but another awaits. Daenerys, Jon, and the other leaders meet to discuss their next battle strategy. An offhand line of dialogue confirms that Yara Greyjoy has taken control of the Iron Islands.
The plan is to surround King’s Landing and lay in siege until the public’s support for Cersei dwindles and the people revolt against her. When Sansa points out that their armies are exhausted and need rest before marching off to another battle, Daenerys gets angry and impatient. She insists that they can’t afford any postponements. Jon puts an end to the debate by siding with his queen.
Daenerys will take her dragons and the Unsullied and sail to Dragonstone as a staging area. Jon will lead the rest of the armies and march by ground. Jaime will stay in Winterfell with Brienne.
Jon, Sansa, Arya, and Bran – the last of the Starks – meet privately and argue about Daenerys’ impetuousness. Jon of course stands up for Dany, but the girls don’t trust her. Jon swears them to secrecy and makes Bran tell them about his (Jon’s) true parentage.
Tyrion and Jaime have a drink and a laugh about Jaime’s new relationship. Their talk is interrupted by Bronn, wielding a crossbow. He informs them that Cersei offered him the kingdom of Riverrun if he’d kill Tyrion. Neither of them takes this seriously, thinking him a friend, but Bronn reminds them that he’s a mercenary first and foremost by decking Tyrion and bloodying his nose. The only reason he didn’t kill them off the bat is because he thinks Daenerys’ odds of winning the war are better than Cersei’s. Tyrion had once promised to double any offer Cersei ever made to Bronn, and does so by pledging him Highgarden. Bronn finds this fair and accepts, but won’t join their army or fight alonside them.
The Hound leaves Winterfell on horseback, alone. Arya catches up with him. The Hound says that he’s heading for King’s Landing on “unfinished business.” Arya has some there as well and will join him. Neither plans to come back.
Tyrion meets with Sansa to discuss Daenerys. He urges her to give the queen a chance. Sansa wastes little time breaking her promise of secrecy by filling in Tyrion about Jon’s heritage.
As the armies prepare to leave, Tormund tells Jon Snow that the Freefolk have played their part and he’s going to lead them back home north of the Wall. Jon asks him to take his direwolf, Ghost, with him. Sam and Gilly then bring Jon news that they’re expecting a child. Gilly promises to name it Jon if it’s a boy. Jon says that he hopes she has a girl. They say their goodbyes, leaving the impression that this may be the last we see of Sam.
The Ambush
Daenerys flies on Drogon, with Rhaegal at her side, while the Unsullied sail to Dragonstone. On board the lead ship, Tyrion spreads the news about Jon Snow to Varys. He says that only a handful of people know so far, but Varys correctly assesses that once the information is out, it can’t be contained.
As they approach Dragonstone, Rhaegal is suddenly pierced by a gigantic arrow into his chest, shot from the Iron Fleet in the sea below. All the ships are equipped with massive “scorpion” crossbow weapons. Another bolt nails Rhaegal through the neck, and the dragon plunges down into the water, dead. Daenerys is shocked. She’s just lost another child. As more arrows fly, she pulls back and retreats to her own fleet.
The Iron Fleet then take aim at Daenerys’ ships and tear them to pieces with a barrage of high-powered artillery. Tyrion jumps ship into the sea and is nearly smashed by a falling mast beam. Luckily, he survives and washes up on shore. So does Varys. Grey Worm frantically calls out for Missandei.
Euron returns to King’s Landing to gloat about his victory, and he presents a captive Missandei as a gift to his queen. Very pleased with his actions, Cersei officially accepts his marriage proposal. She then issues an order to open the castle gates and allow civilians (in whom she has drummed up significant fear about the mad Dragon Queen coming to roast them all alive) into the compound. Of course, Cersei doesn’t really care about the people. She’s using them as a buffer to discourage Daenerys from sending in the Unsullied to sack the city.
Daenerys is furious about being taken by surprise like this. Varys counsels her against storming the city, warning, “Do not become what you have always struggled to defeat.” Unfortunately, she’s set on her course and won’t be dissuaded, not even by a reminder that Jon Snow is still two weeks away with the rest of their army. Tyrion manages to get her to back down slightly, suggesting that she should demand Cersei’s surrender first. In Dany’s mind, this will show the public that Cersei – who’s being given an opportunity to avoid bloodshed by surrendering – is to blame for what’s about to happen.
Varys meets with Tyrion privately again. He says that he worries about Daenerys’ state of mind, likening her to her father, the Mad King. He suggests that Jon Snow would be a more level-headed ruler, and his shared Stark and Targaryen blood would finally unite the North and South. Tyrion says that Varys’ words amount to treason. At the same time, he can’t dispute the truth of them. His only suggestion is that Jon and Dany should marry and co-rule, but he and Varys both know that Daenerys wouldn’t have that. Even so, Tyrion still believes that Daenerys is a good queen and will make the right choice – or, at least, he really wants to believe that.
News of the defeat reaches Winterfell. Jaime leaves Brienne in the middle of the night. She catches him saddling his horse and begs him to stay. Jaime coldly reminds her that he’s not a good man, and confesses to her some of the awful things he’s done out of love for Cersei. A heartbroken Brienne is brought to tears as he rides off.
Daenerys and what’s left of the Unsullied march in formation to King’s Landing. Their force looks small and outmatched by what they’re up against. Freshly fortified and backed by the Golden Company, Cersei stands on a battlement and smugly looks down at them. She sends Qyburn out as her envoy. Tyrion steps forward to speak with him.
Tyrion conveys Daenerys’ demand that Cersei surrender immediately. Qyburn in turn relays Cersei’s demand that Daenerys surrender. Realizing that talking to Qyburn is futile, Tyrion walks right past him, up to the castle gate, to address Cersei directly. Cersei signals her archers, including one manning a gigantic scorpion, to take aim at Tyrion, but withholds them after a tense moment.
Tyrion tries to appeal to Cersei’s humanity – what little she has – by telling her that he knows she’s not a monster. She loves her children, and if she wants to protect the one in her belly right now, it would be in her best interest to stand down.
What shouldn’t be lost in the moment is that Tyrion has just announced to the world – including to her betrothed Euron Greyjoy standing beside her – that Cersei is pregnant. Euron should be smart enough to know that the child isn’t his. If Cersei tries to pretend that it is, for appearance’s sake, Euron will always know that the next heir to the throne isn’t his blood.
Seething with hatred for her imp brother, Cersei walks over to the bound Missandei and asks if she has any last words. Missandei defiantly says, “Dracarys,” Daenerys’ command word for the dragons to breathe fire. In other words, she’s telling Daenerys to burn this place to the ground.
Cersei nods to The Mountain, who unsheathes a sword and beheads Missandei. Grey Worm is shaken at the sight of his love dying.
Barely able to contain her rage, Daenerys turns and walks back toward her troops. Bad times are coming very soon.
Episode Verdict
Last week’s episode of Game of Thrones proved to be incredibly divisive among the show’s fandom. Personally, I think that most of the complaints against it were absurd. Nevertheless, I do have to concede that the characters this week make some incredibly poor decisions.
Jon Snow blurting out his parenthood to his family, and defying Daenerys’ wishes against doing so to her face, is astoundingly tactless. I’m sure the point of this is that Jon takes after Ned Stark in being blinded by a devotion to notions of loyalty and honor, but it’s very frustrating to watch him learn nothing from his father’s mistakes. Considering everything he’s been through, he should be better at playing this game.
Likewise, Daenerys walking right into Cersei’s trap is incredibly naïve of her – not to mention her experienced advisors like Tyrion and Varys, who should definitely have seen the move coming. Daenerys knows about the scorpion weapon and was almost killed by one before. She’s also been warned repeatedly that Cersei is a cunning strategist. Again, I fully get that the intent is to show Dany falling victim to her Targaryen liabilities, allowing hot-headedness and arrogance to override her better judgment, but she really ought to be smarter than this. If we’re supposed to believe that she’ll take a dark turn and become the type of villain her father was in the last couple episodes, I wish it were set up better.
None of this ruins the episode for me. In large part, it’s another very good entry with some terrific character work from the other players and the shocking twist of a second dragon dying. But expectations for the show are unavoidably heightened this close to the big finale, and the gears of the writers’ plot mechanics are a little too transparent this time.
Guy
My main beef with last week was the editing. The dark didn’t bother me, but what felt like twelve cuts per ten seconds in the action bits of the episode did. Fog of war and all that, I know, but it’s a chore to watch. The brief naval assault in this one was a delight by comparison…
Even if it should’ve never been possible. Right before that arrow came flying in, my Spidey sense was tingling, thinking, “I hope they check every nook and cranny of that castle for assassins after this long.” Instead, there was a sizeable waiting assault force which means no one thought to scout the place ahead of time.
And if anyone was going to get captured and made an example of, it should’ve been Tyrion. That would’ve been a big deal. Missandei felt like throwing a near redshirt to Cersei and her death is going to be played like a fridging for Dany and Grey Worm.
Joseph Levitt
At the risk of making more “absurd” complaints, I have a few.
The Starbucks cup left in front of Daenerys at the post-immolation dinner. Ball drop.
Arrows that apparently can shoot around corners. You can’t convince me that Daenerys did not see the ships.
Why don’t we just walk up to the Red Keep within attacking distance? Heck, there could have been 10,000 armed warriors unleashed before Daenerys could have reached her dragon.
Episode verdict…Meh.
Timcharger
Jon hugs Tomund.
Jon hugs Gilly.
Jon hugs Sam.
Ghost, missing ear, fur still blood-stained, wounds remained undressed days after battle, the direwolf whines. And no hug, no affection from Jon.
Worst. Dog-owner. Ever.
Timcharger
“You know nothing, Jon Snow,” Humane Society
Timcharger
Dear Fan Service Gods,
I beseech Thee. Redeem the show’s mistreatment of direwolves. Have a glorious return of Ghost and Nymeria. May they be like the giant eagles of the Lord of the Rings. Jon needs to pet Ghost and affirm him, with a “Good Boy.” End the show like Babe. Jon looks at Ghost, “that will do, dog, that will do.”
Timcharger
Not Starbucks, but…
At the Winterfell animal shelter, cue Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.” Images of an injured Ghost are slowly panned across the screen. Donations will pour in. Let’s raise money for a great cause.
…it’s the ASPCA that can be the real marketing beneficiary of this episode.
Timcharger
Josh: “You’re Not the Only One Who’s Clever”
While not many great lines in this episode, that’s a meaningless pick for the recap title. In a episode which the theme of Dany’s madness is repeatedly explored, you select Dany boasting her cleverness. Dany getting loyalty from Gendry is meaningless. Gendry is no player in the game. If Dany would be clever enough to win Sansa over, manipulate the Golden Company, or turn Euron against Cersei, that would be a game changing move.
Timcharger
Dany’s uncleverness also resulted in a dragon’s death.
Injured, slow, low-flying, but let’s prance through the skies like a princess pony ride? Her dragons are among those she didn’t allow to rest and heal.
Was ship-mounted, newly-improved Scorpion 2.0 a surprise? Yes, but you can’t claim to be clever. Marching towards war should be expecting ambushes and traps.
Josh Zyber
AuthorYou’ve completely missed the point of my choosing that line, especially when pairing it with the header image. Not to mention that you’ve missed why the show’s writers gave that line to Daenerys in the first place. Dany thought herself the clever one this time, only to learn how mistaken she was.
Timcharger
Okay, claiming irony is fair. Paired with the pic is more credible.
That’s some thought put into a recap title and picture selection.
Timcharger
Public service announcement:
After hugging a lady, do not, I repeat, DO NOT comment on her belly and inquire if she is pregnant.
Only exception is if you’re as handsome a Kit Harington. And in that situation, whether pregnant or not, the baby will be named after you.
Shannon Nutt
Jon Snow has turned into a complete idiot and Dany’s become completely unlikeable. I say Sansa gets the throne after these two morons wind up killing themselves and everyone around them. 😉
Timcharger
Correction:
Josh: “As they approach Dragonstone, Rhaegal is suddenly pierced by a gigantic arrow into his chest. The mists part and reveal the Iron Fleet below, all the ships equipped with massive “scorpion” crossbow weapons.”
Again, wrong dragon. 🙂
No seriously, “the mists part” part is wrong. Which makes the haters of this scene even more mad. There were no shrouds of mists obscuring Euron’s ships. It was a fair, sunny day in Dragonstone according to weather.com.
Why you saw mists, is precisely why the haters complain. Positioned around the island, blocked by steep cliffs is how Dany and the dragons couldn’t see Euron’s ships. They shouldn’t be able to see each other. So Josh, maybe you had to see mists for this to make physics-laws sense.
I’m okay with Euron on the hunt and Dany & dragons foolishly prancing around, to explain why only one side saw the other. If they had only Euron’s main ship, hidden in a small cove, darken by shadow from a steep cliff; I’d buy that. Instead of a dozen ships group sailing half a mile wide, that’s why grumblers are challenging the Scorpion arrows that can bend around corners.
Timcharger
Josh, able to rewatch this scene, to see if you really did see mists parting revealing Euron’s ships? For the winter, that was about as sunny, clear weather Dragonstone gets.
Josh Zyber
AuthorIt was a metaphorical mist. Yeah, that’s it. 🙂
Anyway, I already edited the sentence.
Charles M
People have been arguing for years that Dany is kind of mad. I think it’s been set up pretty well. It’s always been shown that she can be quite cruel.
Timcharger
Northern Racism
Showrunners, you should of wrote more.
Why put in those scenes from Episodes 8.1 & 8.2 of Northern racism against Grey Worn and Missandei, but have no resolution? The 2 characters were really missing in the post-war celebration banquet. They were seated at the end of Dany’s side of the table, in a blink and you’ll miss them moment.
You can go either way, showrunners, whatever your message is.
You can have Tormund drunkenly toast and wrap his arms around Grey Worm. Shouting praises for the “Protect the Retreat” which the Unsullied saved thousands with their sacrifice. That was one of the best scenes in the Battle of Winterfell.
Or go the other way. The Northerners continue to keep their distance and have the Unsullied outside in a lesser banquet speak to each other in Valyrian with the subtitles: “Protected the retreat for this treatment?”
Should have gotten more coffee to finish the writing on Northern racism, showrunners.
Timcharger
Actual title: The Last of the Starks.
So the scene with all 4 remaining Starks at the Godswood, that’s quite possibly the last scene with all 4 remaining Starks together.
Arya later also mentioned to the Hound that she isn’t planning on returning.
So if that’s the last time all 4 are together, that scene ends with a sudden cutaway. Bran is about to tell his sisters of Jon’s parents, and what are their reactions? That’s off screen. This is how the writers wanted the final scene of the last of the Starks to be? Let their last moments together be off screen?
Thinking that 10 episodes would have done this better than 6.
Shannon Nutt
I can’t take credit for it, but a commenter in another online forum said that this episode should have been called “Jump the Stark.”
As Al Capone said in “The Untouchables,” we laugh because it’s funny and we laugh because it’s true. This was a pretty bad episode, overall.
Timcharger
Funny pun. But being funny, doesn’t make it true either. Saying this 8.4 episode jumps the shark, would mean you wanted the show to just end when the Night King bursts into ice shards in 8.3?!
The Deniro Untouchables’ funny-and-true line is about Capone’s response to the point that people of course want to have a drink, so he’s only “responding to the will of the people.” Great scene in a great film. This could be used as criticism that GoT may now have too much fan service. That the show may be responding too much to the will of the fans.
Going back to my point, I want the usual 10 episodes, like they did in the first 6 seasons. I want more. Let’s jump some kraken!
Timcharger
Missandei’s Final Word
“Missandei defiantly says, “Dracarys,” Daenerys’ command word for the dragons to breathe fire. In other words, she’s telling Daenerys to burn this place to the ground.”
This long distance talking thing. Shazam did it so well in a funny bit. On team Dany, only Tyrion would have heard Missandei. And Tyrion would advise Dany that Missandei really said, the “D” word: deliberate, not to make rash dracarys-like decisions. Yes, yes, That’s what Tyrion heard.
Timcharger
So Tyrion is standing there…
“Cersei nods to The Mountain, who unsheathes a sword and beheads Missandei. Grey Worm is shaken at the sight of his love dying.”
,,,in range of the archers. When she’s executed, I’m like, RUN TYRION RUN! Zig, zag! Zig, zag! Learn from Rickon’s mistake.
Timcharger
Don’t think more about this.
Don’t think more about this.
Don’t think more about this.
The more you think, the more it hurts.
So I get Cersei for calling off the archers at the approaching Tyrion. She’s likes the dramatic tension. Plus she knows there will be a head-rolling climax coming up soon; why upstage that? Let Tyrion waste his time and falsely raise hopes by talking a little bit more. But once Missandei’s head flies, why isn’t hell unleashed? Maybe Tyrion shows his excellent 40-yards-time, and miraculously weaves to back to a safe distance, after dodging a dozen arrows. But the arrows needed to be nocked and loosed against Tyrion. Why didn’t that happen? Did Cersei demand that only the special crossbow that Bronn’s holding, only those arrows can be used against Tyrion. This is stupid. Cersei wants Tyrion dead, but only with the poetic justice crossbow. Cersei is a PJW. Poetic Justice Warrior.
Timcharger
Lots of begging in this episode:
Tormond was really begging Brienne for a one knight stand (ba dum tss).
Gendry was on his knee before Arya.
Dany begs Jon to keep his heritage a secret.
Jon basically begs his sisters for secrecy.
Tyrion begs Varys to not plot treason.
So it appears none of the begging will work. Guess we’ll be finding out if Dany will carry out her threat of burning Varys alive for disloyalty.
Timcharger
GoT Dating Advice
Tormund: mentioning sh*t in your pants, not a good idea.
Gendry: saying the “love” word and proposing marriage, wait longer than 24 hours after 1st date.
Jaime: Nelly’s “Hot in Here” still works with the ladies (and knights) of Westeros.
Grey Worm:. On the bow of a ship, facing forward through the wind, never embrace or have physical contact. DiCaprio and Winslet of Titanic has already taught us that can only lead to tragedy.
Timcharger
Davos is the smartest person in the realm.
He should be one on the Iron Throne. After witnessing the craziest of supernatural phenomenon, he’s the only one asking the big questions. Lord of Light, Night King, what the f*ck was that all about? Tyrion responds with a, don’t worry, be happy. Bran uses his powers to copy wheelchair designs. If Davos had Bran’s abilities, the secrets of the universe would be revealed.
Timcharger
Contest to guess Josh’s recap title for 8.5:
Timcharger
“Let it be fear.”
Csm101
“Obey Your Queen”
Csm101
“It Doesn’t Matter Now”