Game of Thrones Season 8 Ep 5
May. 16th, 2019 05:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightCame back from the wedding on Monday night, but only got around to watching this last night.
Spoilers behind cut.
Not that I think I have anything to say thatbeer_good_foamy hasn't already said, and better (and way more amusingly).
In fact, I don't have a whole lot to say at all. It was the most beautifully filmed piece of character trashing I've ever had the dubious privilege to watch.
Okay, I know that Dany isn't a 'nice' person. She does not, as Jorah several times said, have a 'gentle heart.' In fact, she's pretty implacable when it comes to her enemies, as showrunners Benioff and Weiss pointed out in the Self Justification After the Episode bit. However, it's a step up that seems to me a step too far from not batting an eyelid as her horrible brother is killed in a horrible way to destroying a whole city and all the people in it because she's pissed off with one person (ie. Cersei). It's also really stupid. How is she going to sit on the Iron Throne if it's a pile of molten slag?.
Then there's Cersei. She was pretty horrible actually-always has been- and the whole thing is in many ways her fault, given that she chose to execute Missandei. But come on! She deserved a better death than being weepy all over Jaime. Just as Brienne deserved better last week (though at least she didn't die).
It feels like the show built these two up - Dany and Cersei, I mean - to be these scary leaders, only for both of them to succumb to some form of brain-slagging PMS when the crunch finally came. And in Dany's case in particular, it seems like everyone has forgotten that many of the things that have happened to her since coming to Westeros happened because she tried to do the right thing.
And I still don't get why she was treated so badly after the battle of Winterfell.
Anyway, at the moment, it looks likely that Mr Mopey will end up king, unless Dany kills him, which she might (probably to get killed by Arya afterwards). On the other hand, he might well kill her, then sit down under a tree somewhere and look even sadder (if that's possible).
My (no doubt completely wrong) predictions for the finale are that Dany will kill Jon, Arya will kill Dany, then Sansa will become queen, and everyone will realise she's just as bad as the rest of them.
Since I like Dany more than Jon this pisses me off somewhat, but really the only character I genuinely care about now is Drogon the dragon. I hope he suddenly realises that following these Targaryans around is stupid and flies off somewhere sunnier.
Trivial stuff: Jaime's death was pretty rubbish too, wasn't it? As was his main contribution to the episode being to have a big fight with Uncle Urine. Not that I miss him, of course (Uncle Urine, I mean). The Clegane smackdown (though unwatchable for me due to excessive violence) was a much more satisfying way to see a character go out, and it even had a funny moment, when Ser Gregor disposed of Qyburn as casually as someone swatting a fly.
Was that snow falling at the end, or ash? Do we actually care?
:Crosses fingers that the scene in whichever season it was when the Night King turned a baby into a White Walker will have some relevance, as in the White Walkers aren't all gone at all and will arrive to save the day by killing everyone and everything - except the dragon, 'cos I like him:
Spoilers behind cut.
Not that I think I have anything to say that
beer_good_foamy hasn't already said, and better (and way more amusingly).In fact, I don't have a whole lot to say at all. It was the most beautifully filmed piece of character trashing I've ever had the dubious privilege to watch.
Okay, I know that Dany isn't a 'nice' person. She does not, as Jorah several times said, have a 'gentle heart.' In fact, she's pretty implacable when it comes to her enemies, as showrunners Benioff and Weiss pointed out in the Self Justification After the Episode bit. However, it's a step up that seems to me a step too far from not batting an eyelid as her horrible brother is killed in a horrible way to destroying a whole city and all the people in it because she's pissed off with one person (ie. Cersei). It's also really stupid. How is she going to sit on the Iron Throne if it's a pile of molten slag?.
Then there's Cersei. She was pretty horrible actually-always has been- and the whole thing is in many ways her fault, given that she chose to execute Missandei. But come on! She deserved a better death than being weepy all over Jaime. Just as Brienne deserved better last week (though at least she didn't die).
It feels like the show built these two up - Dany and Cersei, I mean - to be these scary leaders, only for both of them to succumb to some form of brain-slagging PMS when the crunch finally came. And in Dany's case in particular, it seems like everyone has forgotten that many of the things that have happened to her since coming to Westeros happened because she tried to do the right thing.
And I still don't get why she was treated so badly after the battle of Winterfell.
Anyway, at the moment, it looks likely that Mr Mopey will end up king, unless Dany kills him, which she might (probably to get killed by Arya afterwards). On the other hand, he might well kill her, then sit down under a tree somewhere and look even sadder (if that's possible).
My (no doubt completely wrong) predictions for the finale are that Dany will kill Jon, Arya will kill Dany, then Sansa will become queen, and everyone will realise she's just as bad as the rest of them.
Since I like Dany more than Jon this pisses me off somewhat, but really the only character I genuinely care about now is Drogon the dragon. I hope he suddenly realises that following these Targaryans around is stupid and flies off somewhere sunnier.
Trivial stuff: Jaime's death was pretty rubbish too, wasn't it? As was his main contribution to the episode being to have a big fight with Uncle Urine. Not that I miss him, of course (Uncle Urine, I mean). The Clegane smackdown (though unwatchable for me due to excessive violence) was a much more satisfying way to see a character go out, and it even had a funny moment, when Ser Gregor disposed of Qyburn as casually as someone swatting a fly.
Was that snow falling at the end, or ash? Do we actually care?
:Crosses fingers that the scene in whichever season it was when the Night King turned a baby into a White Walker will have some relevance, as in the White Walkers aren't all gone at all and will arrive to save the day by killing everyone and everything - except the dragon, 'cos I like him:
no subject
Date: 2019-05-16 08:55 pm (UTC)I think out of the current ending theories the ones I hate the most are the ones about pseudo democracy.
Whar I hat the most is that I think the chracter developments could have been sold properly easily. Would have been so easy to create a ton of moral grey and darkness there. But no she needs to be a MAD queen now, so that whoever kills her next ep is the shining hero. Ugh.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-16 09:01 pm (UTC)Pretty much. Apart from that inconvenient little detail that the script is several different layers of shit, it's a fantastic 80 minutes of tv.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 02:22 am (UTC)Yep, feel exactly the same way.
My personal hope is that the dragon just kills everyone and takes off.
I just read another post, coffeeandink, who had decided to watch all of it, and came to the same conclusions we all did. WTF? Dany's actions don't work.
I've nicknamed Jon the Wet Noodle.
The current theory going around is that Jon kills Dany, Bran gets the throne, and Ayra takes off. But see, how could you kill Dany without Drogon eating you first? Not that the last three episodes have made any sense.
It was pretty good up to and including episode 3, then sort of went off the rails after that. I think they got tired of writing the thing and decided to rush the conclusion.
Anyhow agree with all of what you said above. Wrote my own insanely long post on it. And right now? Just want the dragon to survive. He better. I'll pissed off if Drogon isn't alive at the end.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 02:24 am (UTC)It makes a really good Michael Bay film.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 07:11 am (UTC)I don't know about bland. Maybe it's my age, but I would have preferred the sort of bland where Jon and Dany would have sorted things out like adults, got married and ruled as joint monarchs.
I think out of the current ending theories the ones I hate the most are the ones about pseudo democracy.
I don't know what the various theories are. This one, I assume, has both Jon and Dany dead and everyone else deciding to elect Sansa as president of the federal republic of Westeros?
But no she needs to be a MAD queen now, so that whoever kills her next ep is the shining hero. Ugh.
Yeah, pretty much.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 07:13 am (UTC)Heh! Well put, as always.
I understand there's a petition going to remake the whole of season 8, which has hundreds of thousands of signatures on it. Bet Benioff and Weiss think that's hilarious.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 07:15 am (UTC)Seriously, though, up until episode 4 I was actually thinking of rewatching the entire series from the start (though fast-forwarding through all the horrible Bolton scenes). If I do do that ever, I'd probably treat season 8 episode 3 as the finale.
Unless there's some huge twist in the last episode that makes me feel a bit less pissed off. But I'm not expecting it.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 07:44 am (UTC)I assume, has both Jon and Dany dead and everyone else deciding to elect Sansa as president of the federal republic of Westeros?
Something like that. Dany is killed and Jon "doesn't want it" Snow hands over power to some sort of council or something.
I'm glad it will be over soon and I really hope GRRM finishes the books. I didn't think the later ones were very good, but I'd like to see the end written in manner that makes sense for the characters.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 09:01 am (UTC)Me too, though I shan't be bothering with GRRM's version of the ending when/if it appears. I've never managed to read further than book one.
Jon "doesn't want it" Snow
God, he's so bloody annoying!
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 09:05 am (UTC)It's not that he knows nothing these days, it's that he DOES nothing. And everybody seems to think he is the awsomest for it.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 09:48 am (UTC)Dany has twice given him the opportunity to reconcile with her and both times she's been rebuffed (I suppose he can't get over the whole her being his aunt thing), and really he's done nothing else all season except open his big mouth to Sansa and look sad a lot.
If I were Westerosi I wouldn't want such an emo king.
Messenger: "Your grace, the peasants are revolting!"
Jon: "Oh gods, I'm so despressed!"
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 02:31 pm (UTC)This!
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 03:04 pm (UTC)I was fine up until episode 4 as well. Episode 3 was amazing. It was really good. I've more or less decided to make Episode 3 the finale. And if I ever re-watch, I'll just stop there and fast-forward through a lot of it. Actually, I already did fast forward through most of the Bolton scenes. (I was reading book 4 at the same time as I was watching it appear on screen -- and in the book it is easier, because we don't see the torture, it's referred to, also Sansa isn't raped, someone else is -- Sansa is never with Ramsay Bolton in the books.)
I don't think I can rewatch the series...though. And now, I'm less likely too.
Unless there's some huge twist in the last episode that makes me feel a bit less pissed off. But I'm not expecting it.
Agreed. But from theories I've seen online -- I have a feeling I'm going to be annoyed by the ending. I'm not even a huge fan of Dany (I just liked her slightly better than the Wet Noodle aka Jon Snow), but that pissed me off. (I also watched the Self-Justification at the end of the episode, because I wanted to see what the heck they were thinking -- and I thought...ugh.)
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 03:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 03:15 pm (UTC)Not that it makes any difference, of course. Benioff and Weiss were done with all this ages ago, and HBO don't care how the fans feel. After all, they've already made a gazillion dollars or more out of this show.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 03:37 pm (UTC)As someone just said on one of the MANY podcasts to discuss this episode: "Name one great work of art created by the collective voice of the Internet."
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 04:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 05:44 pm (UTC)fanwankfan justifications I've seen online are better, weirdly. Although they still seem to handwave way too many things in the last two episodes regarding dragons, battle strategy, etc.The thing of it is? I didn't really like Dany all that much -- loved the dragons. I did like her better than Jon, Sansa, and Bran. But that's not hard. So Dany going all mad ruler would have worked for me -- if they'd built up to it better, and did it differently. I can even see how they could have done it -- and in the space of maybe eight episodes this season, no problem. But no...they got bored and sloppy and raced to the finish line. (Apparently there's an online petition for someone to remake season 8, LOL! Keep everything but the writers/show-runners. LOL!)
no subject
Date: 2019-05-17 09:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-05-18 01:01 am (UTC)Yeah, I agree with everything you said. Glad this show is about to be over.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-22 03:34 pm (UTC)