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chavalahI can forgive the last episode for more crap than I can forgive this one. This one has a lot more to live up to, of course—the very last Game of Thrones coda before the curtain drops. And I wish it had felt more authentic.
To address the big dragon in the room—who will be the next ruler of Westeros—this definitely felt a bit slapdash. In an earlier season, full of political machinations, it would have been someone else. I realize that Tyrion was trying to take the positive aspects of Dany’s “break the wheel” metaphor by switching things up a bit, but would the lords and ladies of Westeros really have gone along with it that easily? (In the show’s defense, I guess, maybe they were sick to death of war and strife. Anything to just start rebuilding already!) But yeah—it was too quick and too simple.
Can I just go ahead and spoil here who the next ruler is? Hopefully anyone reading this has watched the show? It’s Bran. And from a fandom perspective, he doesn’t work because we’re not invested enough in his character. That’s why it doesn’t give us the warm, fuzzy, resolution feelings. And I love Bran! He’s my favorite male character! :P Though to be honest, I’m responding more to the Bran of the books than I am to the Bran of the show.
At the end of the day, I didn’t completely hate the episode. I certainly didn’t go off to sign a petition to have Game of Thrones re-filmed, or talk about the show’s legacy as a complete waste. Some of these character moments still worked for me. (And worked a lot!) Others didn’t…even the ones that I sorta wanted? :P That’s weird.
It is likely that a show like this is impossible to end effectively. Part of its intrigue was always tied up in the never-ending drama, which I suppose is a plus for the show, because most of those storylines didn’t go stale. But I also think that David and Dan rushed the ending for the last two or three seasons, and that worked to the show’s detriment.
Basically, my rewatch of season 8 of Game of Thrones confirmed everything I wrote more immediately after the finale. :P If I were to add something more explicitly, it would be that Essos was a big stumbling block, for both the books and for the adaptation. Alas.
But in terms of what I wanted thematically—a grimdark show about complicated people that left room for hope over nihilism—this final season, this final episode, delivered. So kudos.
( Episode Summary and Thoughts )
To address the big dragon in the room—who will be the next ruler of Westeros—this definitely felt a bit slapdash. In an earlier season, full of political machinations, it would have been someone else. I realize that Tyrion was trying to take the positive aspects of Dany’s “break the wheel” metaphor by switching things up a bit, but would the lords and ladies of Westeros really have gone along with it that easily? (In the show’s defense, I guess, maybe they were sick to death of war and strife. Anything to just start rebuilding already!) But yeah—it was too quick and too simple.
Can I just go ahead and spoil here who the next ruler is? Hopefully anyone reading this has watched the show? It’s Bran. And from a fandom perspective, he doesn’t work because we’re not invested enough in his character. That’s why it doesn’t give us the warm, fuzzy, resolution feelings. And I love Bran! He’s my favorite male character! :P Though to be honest, I’m responding more to the Bran of the books than I am to the Bran of the show.
At the end of the day, I didn’t completely hate the episode. I certainly didn’t go off to sign a petition to have Game of Thrones re-filmed, or talk about the show’s legacy as a complete waste. Some of these character moments still worked for me. (And worked a lot!) Others didn’t…even the ones that I sorta wanted? :P That’s weird.
It is likely that a show like this is impossible to end effectively. Part of its intrigue was always tied up in the never-ending drama, which I suppose is a plus for the show, because most of those storylines didn’t go stale. But I also think that David and Dan rushed the ending for the last two or three seasons, and that worked to the show’s detriment.
Basically, my rewatch of season 8 of Game of Thrones confirmed everything I wrote more immediately after the finale. :P If I were to add something more explicitly, it would be that Essos was a big stumbling block, for both the books and for the adaptation. Alas.
But in terms of what I wanted thematically—a grimdark show about complicated people that left room for hope over nihilism—this final season, this final episode, delivered. So kudos.
( Episode Summary and Thoughts )
