Game of Thrones 8.02
Apr. 22nd, 2019 10:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beer_good_foamyAh, so this is the episode where they're all going to die tomorrow so now the people who want to bone bone and the people who want to snark snark and the rest get drunk. So, some really good character beats throughout.
Jaime gets his day in court! "The things we do for love..." ...Well, that was easy, no kneeling or anything. But Bran just keeps a-starin'. "How do you know there is an afterwards?" That's one weight in the scales of "Bran is team whitewalker or something entirely else".
Arya practices some knife-throwing. Did you see that guy behind the pillar who ran away when he realised his head was almost a target?
Sansa and Danaerys speak alone about being just when you need to be just and ruthless when you need to be ruthless. And everything's sunshine and roses and grrrl power until the topic of The North and its backstop gets brought up, where Dany abruptly draws one of her red lines. Also, Theon comes back because of course he does.
GHOST! Ghost sighting! And Sam out-snarks Edd! But did I mention that we saw Ghost?
So the dragons and Theon's Cthulhu cultists (unless he chickens out again) will be protecting Bran and they'll be betting everything on killing the Night King, which we can be reasonably sure won't happen in episode 3. And nobody brings up the fact that the Night King has a dragon of his own? Is this good strategy? And did Tyrion actually get any useful information out of Bran?
That entire scene around the fire is wonderful. Thormund weaponising the concept of TMI, and possibly actually getting to Brienne a bit. Jaime knighting Brienne. JAIME KNIGHTING BRIENNE. Podrick singing a bit. I wish I believed them when they said "Fuck tradition", but this is all very bottom-of-third-act stuff, however nicely done.
The Hound and Arya get to talk. And apparently Berric isn't on her list anymore. So that's nice. And are they really going there with Arya and Gendry? "We're probably going to die soon." FUCK YEAH THEY ARE! Good for Arya. Plus hey, if they survive, that puts her closer to the throne than most. Should Jon and Dany bite it, Gendry is probably the good guys' best bet for a pretender. (You might even argue that he'd be a better king even if they don't bite it, but...)
And Greyworm is soooo dead. :( DO. NOT. MAKE. RETIREMENT. PLANS. BEFORE. THE. BATTLE. Yeeeesh.
Lyanna Mormont is still worth 20 of everyone else, but calls Jorah "cousin" (awww!) and Sam gives Jorah a sword (awwwwww!) Ser Davos and Gilly sending kids off to probably die in theDeeps of the Hornburg crypt is a nice moment too.
And is Jon going to tell Dany? Is he? IS HE? Yes he IS! "A secret no one in the world knew except your brother and your best friend, does that seem strange to you?" Girl's got a point. And it opens up a question as they head into battle: If given a choice, would Dany (who in her talk with Sansa spoke both about how Jon has "manipulated" her with love, and how you sometimes need to be ruthless) choose to save herself or Jon? But of course, they don't have time to say anything more about that before the arrival of...
Wonder how they spent their last night, hmmm? Anyone want to fic that?
Nice episode with some really good character work, but for the second episode in a row, not much bloody happened, did it? Four episodes to go, you'd better have more in store for us than "Battle scene!" But still, this does give us a basis to guess who'll survive the fall of Winterfell, because they're going to need to sacrifice some actually important pieces soon. Anyone agree/disagree with the following?
- Jon: I'm... not sure? I used to think he was an end player, but something in this episode - mostly his interrupted declaration of being Aegon The Aunt-Fucker - makes me wonder if either he or Dany is going to bite it next week, and he doesn't have dragons on his side. Then again, you'd think they wouldn't introduce the whole Rightful Heir business only to make it moot. I'd say his chances are more than 50% but less than 75%.
- Dany: See above. It'd be typical to leave that discussion unfinished. (Whether it'd be typical for this show is another matter, but the Weiss/Benioff show is very different from the GRRM one...) If Jon's odds are a bit shaky, hers are probably slightly better. They won't both die, at least.
- The dragons: Weren't in this episode, at all, so who knows? I'd be pleasantly surprised if they both make it out, but I'd be even more surprised if both are killed. We still have that big crossbow waiting in Kings' Landing.
- Arya: Will live. They brought up her list again, plus made her actually acknowledge her mortality.
- Sansa: Probably live? Logically everyone who goes into that crypt should be dead, but I have a hard time believing that. They can't kill off everyone whose only superpower is a major in political science. Plus we have Dany's line about her being "ruthless" - what choice will she have to make next week?
- Bran: No fucking clue. I'm not even sure whose side he's on. I wouldn't be half surprised if his plan to play bait is part of some greater scheme. I like how they explain his role here - to be the memory of mankind - but mankind, or at least specific members of it, doesn't have to be alive for him to be that. Also, they've been very obvious about hinting that there's something about that Weirwood tree.
- Theon: Probably about time to kill him off now, but then I've been saying that since season 2.
- Tyrion: See Sansa. Did he google-fu anything useful out of Bran? Please, writers, give us the actually clever Tyrion back, or are we to take it that years of alcoholism have finally dulled his little grey cells? Of course, Dany's declaration that she needs him might not be good for him...
- Varys: Wasn't in this nearly enough to warrant dying.
- Jorah: If Dany lives, it's not looking good for Jorah. If she dies, he'll live. Because the writers are just cruel like that.
- Sam: Not a fighter, despite what he said in this episode, but that might actually be a good thing. Though if his, Jon's and Edd's discussion is anything to go by, only one of them will make it...?
- Ser Davos: Apart from running commentary and general pep-talks, I'm not sure what purpose the writers have for him. He will either make it to the end or be killed off in an emotional way, but I wouldn't be surprised if he makes it through this battle.
- Jaime: On very shaky ground. He had way too many sympathetic moments in this episode, plus Bran's hint that they won't both make it through. He may have a destiny to kill his sister, but nobody said he had to be alive to do that... (Seriously, we've barely seen any named characters as wights so far, that's going to have to change.)
- Ser Brienne: Gonna live. Or possibly die proving herself a knight, but I'm going with live.
- Podric: Might just fuck his way out. Or not. He got a lot of focus this week, that doesn't bode well.
- Berric: Honestly not sure. His entire purpose in the in-story story is to perform one great feat of heroism, as The Hound reminded us this week, and I don't see him of all people killing the Night King, at least not in episode 3, so... who knows? Might die saving Bran or somesuch.
- The Hound: Gonna live. He still has to face his brother. (Although Wight!Hound vs Zombie!Mountain would be an interesting Cleganebowl...)
- Thormund: Too tough to die. Then again, he's cheated death way too often. Would make a good sacrifice.
- Greyworm: Sooo dead. :(
- Missandei: Will live. :(
- Edd: Will die, as the last of the brave but redundant Night's Watch.
- Gendry: I'd say he's toast for hooking up with Arya, but he did bring up being Robert's bastard, which might still make him an outside favourite to sit on the throne.
- Lyanna Mormont: Dead, but will go full River Tam and take at least 50 whitewalkers with her.
- The Night King: Will live. In his own special way. There's no way they're stopping the Army of Darkness here. Winterfell will fall, the big question is how badly.
• Episode one – 54 mins <-- Everyone says hello
• Episode two – 58 mins <-- Everyone says goodbye
• Episode three – 60 minutes <-- Fight! Fight! Fight?
• Episode four – 78 minutes
• Episode five – 80 minutes
• Episode six – 80 minutes
Jaime gets his day in court! "The things we do for love..." ...Well, that was easy, no kneeling or anything. But Bran just keeps a-starin'. "How do you know there is an afterwards?" That's one weight in the scales of "Bran is team whitewalker or something entirely else".
Arya practices some knife-throwing. Did you see that guy behind the pillar who ran away when he realised his head was almost a target?
Sansa and Danaerys speak alone about being just when you need to be just and ruthless when you need to be ruthless. And everything's sunshine and roses and grrrl power until the topic of The North and its backstop gets brought up, where Dany abruptly draws one of her red lines. Also, Theon comes back because of course he does.
GHOST! Ghost sighting! And Sam out-snarks Edd! But did I mention that we saw Ghost?
So the dragons and Theon's Cthulhu cultists (unless he chickens out again) will be protecting Bran and they'll be betting everything on killing the Night King, which we can be reasonably sure won't happen in episode 3. And nobody brings up the fact that the Night King has a dragon of his own? Is this good strategy? And did Tyrion actually get any useful information out of Bran?
That entire scene around the fire is wonderful. Thormund weaponising the concept of TMI, and possibly actually getting to Brienne a bit. Jaime knighting Brienne. JAIME KNIGHTING BRIENNE. Podrick singing a bit. I wish I believed them when they said "Fuck tradition", but this is all very bottom-of-third-act stuff, however nicely done.
The Hound and Arya get to talk. And apparently Berric isn't on her list anymore. So that's nice. And are they really going there with Arya and Gendry? "We're probably going to die soon." FUCK YEAH THEY ARE! Good for Arya. Plus hey, if they survive, that puts her closer to the throne than most. Should Jon and Dany bite it, Gendry is probably the good guys' best bet for a pretender. (You might even argue that he'd be a better king even if they don't bite it, but...)
And Greyworm is soooo dead. :( DO. NOT. MAKE. RETIREMENT. PLANS. BEFORE. THE. BATTLE. Yeeeesh.
Lyanna Mormont is still worth 20 of everyone else, but calls Jorah "cousin" (awww!) and Sam gives Jorah a sword (awwwwww!) Ser Davos and Gilly sending kids off to probably die in the
And is Jon going to tell Dany? Is he? IS HE? Yes he IS! "A secret no one in the world knew except your brother and your best friend, does that seem strange to you?" Girl's got a point. And it opens up a question as they head into battle: If given a choice, would Dany (who in her talk with Sansa spoke both about how Jon has "manipulated" her with love, and how you sometimes need to be ruthless) choose to save herself or Jon? But of course, they don't have time to say anything more about that before the arrival of...
Wonder how they spent their last night, hmmm? Anyone want to fic that?
Nice episode with some really good character work, but for the second episode in a row, not much bloody happened, did it? Four episodes to go, you'd better have more in store for us than "Battle scene!" But still, this does give us a basis to guess who'll survive the fall of Winterfell, because they're going to need to sacrifice some actually important pieces soon. Anyone agree/disagree with the following?
- Jon: I'm... not sure? I used to think he was an end player, but something in this episode - mostly his interrupted declaration of being Aegon The Aunt-Fucker - makes me wonder if either he or Dany is going to bite it next week, and he doesn't have dragons on his side. Then again, you'd think they wouldn't introduce the whole Rightful Heir business only to make it moot. I'd say his chances are more than 50% but less than 75%.
- Dany: See above. It'd be typical to leave that discussion unfinished. (Whether it'd be typical for this show is another matter, but the Weiss/Benioff show is very different from the GRRM one...) If Jon's odds are a bit shaky, hers are probably slightly better. They won't both die, at least.
- The dragons: Weren't in this episode, at all, so who knows? I'd be pleasantly surprised if they both make it out, but I'd be even more surprised if both are killed. We still have that big crossbow waiting in Kings' Landing.
- Arya: Will live. They brought up her list again, plus made her actually acknowledge her mortality.
- Sansa: Probably live? Logically everyone who goes into that crypt should be dead, but I have a hard time believing that. They can't kill off everyone whose only superpower is a major in political science. Plus we have Dany's line about her being "ruthless" - what choice will she have to make next week?
- Bran: No fucking clue. I'm not even sure whose side he's on. I wouldn't be half surprised if his plan to play bait is part of some greater scheme. I like how they explain his role here - to be the memory of mankind - but mankind, or at least specific members of it, doesn't have to be alive for him to be that. Also, they've been very obvious about hinting that there's something about that Weirwood tree.
- Theon: Probably about time to kill him off now, but then I've been saying that since season 2.
- Tyrion: See Sansa. Did he google-fu anything useful out of Bran? Please, writers, give us the actually clever Tyrion back, or are we to take it that years of alcoholism have finally dulled his little grey cells? Of course, Dany's declaration that she needs him might not be good for him...
- Varys: Wasn't in this nearly enough to warrant dying.
- Jorah: If Dany lives, it's not looking good for Jorah. If she dies, he'll live. Because the writers are just cruel like that.
- Sam: Not a fighter, despite what he said in this episode, but that might actually be a good thing. Though if his, Jon's and Edd's discussion is anything to go by, only one of them will make it...?
- Ser Davos: Apart from running commentary and general pep-talks, I'm not sure what purpose the writers have for him. He will either make it to the end or be killed off in an emotional way, but I wouldn't be surprised if he makes it through this battle.
- Jaime: On very shaky ground. He had way too many sympathetic moments in this episode, plus Bran's hint that they won't both make it through. He may have a destiny to kill his sister, but nobody said he had to be alive to do that... (Seriously, we've barely seen any named characters as wights so far, that's going to have to change.)
- Ser Brienne: Gonna live. Or possibly die proving herself a knight, but I'm going with live.
- Podric: Might just fuck his way out. Or not. He got a lot of focus this week, that doesn't bode well.
- Berric: Honestly not sure. His entire purpose in the in-story story is to perform one great feat of heroism, as The Hound reminded us this week, and I don't see him of all people killing the Night King, at least not in episode 3, so... who knows? Might die saving Bran or somesuch.
- The Hound: Gonna live. He still has to face his brother. (Although Wight!Hound vs Zombie!Mountain would be an interesting Cleganebowl...)
- Thormund: Too tough to die. Then again, he's cheated death way too often. Would make a good sacrifice.
- Greyworm: Sooo dead. :(
- Missandei: Will live. :(
- Edd: Will die, as the last of the brave but redundant Night's Watch.
- Gendry: I'd say he's toast for hooking up with Arya, but he did bring up being Robert's bastard, which might still make him an outside favourite to sit on the throne.
- Lyanna Mormont: Dead, but will go full River Tam and take at least 50 whitewalkers with her.
- The Night King: Will live. In his own special way. There's no way they're stopping the Army of Darkness here. Winterfell will fall, the big question is how badly.
• Episode one – 54 mins <-- Everyone says hello
• Episode two – 58 mins <-- Everyone says goodbye
• Episode three – 60 minutes <-- Fight! Fight! Fight?
• Episode four – 78 minutes
• Episode five – 80 minutes
• Episode six – 80 minutes
