[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”21889″ img_size=”800×450″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]If you don’t watch Game of Thrones, you’re probably wondering why everyone is so upset over last night’s episode “The Bells”. The fifth and second to last episode ever for the HBO series, this episode certainly was even crazier and more insane than episode three of this season. Despite any criticism the story arc for The Bells warrants, you cannot deny that it was a beautifully shot episode. The pacing, the way certain moments stopped your heart, and the cinematography really were all stunning features in this episode.
But, we are not here to speak about the good things about this episode, we’re here to examine what has gotten viewers so riled up. Game of Thrones has always done a good job in tugging the rug out from under you and making things happen that you never thought would. From a personal standpoint, none of that bothered me (well, except one of two that we’ll get into), but it’s the main points that people are having problems with. Let’s get to the big one right away.
Daenerys Said: “Burn Them All”
Daenerys Targaryen has established herself as the breaker of chains and all her other titles, so seeing her absolutely lay waste to a city even after the bells signaled their surrender was shocking. Was it though? Daenerys has made threats throughout the series that she would burn cities down and her stance of power has always been something her followers such as Jorah admired about her. Is it perhaps due to the fact that she is a Targaryen, having made such a bold decision; that has the people of Westeros see her as a tyrant? Daenerys has lost so much and you can say she’s gone a little mad in wake of it; you can even make a claim that hearing the surrender was not enough – she had to burn the city to the ground to truly destroy those who have squashed the Targaryen bloodline. You could make a small argument that the people of King’s Landing were the same ones who cheered on Ned Stark’s beheading and many other things, but the picture Game of Thrones painted was one of the innocents fleeing for their lives in fear. Which, Daenerys had said that it would be fear she chooses to rule with, just as Cersei had proclaimed she chose violence.
This can seem out of character for her, considering the heartbreak she felt when a dead child was put in front of her, which caused her to lock away her dragons. But, that was a mistake and this was Daenerys intentionally making this move. In her mind, it was Cersei who had doomed these people’s lives when she didn’t initially surrender. Whatever you make of it, it was a bold choice for the showrunners, and we’ll see the ramifications in the series finale next week.
Jaime Lannister: The Dumbest Lannister
This reminds me of when Thor told the Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok that he was the “stupid Avenger”. Jaime Lannister has certainly lived up to the title of “dumbest Lannister”, which is what he tells Tyrion at some point in this episode. As someone who has enjoyed Jaime’s arc throughout the series and jumped for joy whenever Jaime made Brienne a Knight and then made love to her, it’s been heartbreaking to see that Jaime has back peddled into his addiction for Cersei. This episode had a very beautiful and tragic moment between Tyrion and Jaime, which is now the last time Tyrion ever sees the only family member who cared about it; which did remind us that that “good person” is still inside of Jaime. The one who has always loved his brother and done whatever he could to help him, even it was going against Cersei and Tywin to smuggle him out of the city.
While many of us had hoped that Jaime’s decision to leave Winterfell and Brienne meant he was on his way to kill Cersei, in reality, he was there to die with her. While I more than loved that it was Jaime who killed Euron, I really was hoping it’d be Jaime who delivered the final blow to a queen who finally realized that she wasn’t unstoppable. While it seemed that Cersei regardless did die, it was in the arms of the man she loved. Who, might I remind everyone; had put a hit out on him. So, Jaime, why? I understand that underneath all of the “romance” that they’re still siblings, twins; with a strong connection and that once Cersei had said that they’d leave this world together as they had come into it, but still. I’ll still love Jaime Lannister, but ignore his existence in season eight.
Cleganebowl!
I have been hyped up for Cleganebowl forever. I’ve written numerous articles on it and I am the first one to say that I never expected the Hound to make it out of season eight alive. Where Jaime Lannister’s redemption arc lacked, the Hound’s was given aplenty. We see a character who doesn’t care much about what or who he is killing; he’s just killing. We then get this beautiful journey with him and Arya, where not only do we see Sandor Clegane’s walls breaking down, but we see that it is possible for him to care for someone else. And we get Sandor’s final act of selflessness, when he tells Arya to leave. Arya is a badass and while we would have loved for her to kill Cersei to finish her list, Sandor knew that this wasn’t where she should die. That her life didn’t need to end as his and all we have to see is “thank you, Sandor.”
The fight between Sandor and Gregor was beautiful. On top of those steps with rock crumbling around them, it was gorgeous. So, where is my gripe here? Well, Sandor is a skilled fighter. He’s brutal, as we know the Mountain is. The problem is, the Mountain is pretty much a zombie at this point. So, where’s the fair fight? Sandor would have killed his brother at least a half of a dozen times if it weren’t for the fact that Gregor was seemingly undead. It wasn’t like in their fight in season one (albeit different actors for the Mountain) where it seemed like it was on an even playing field. This was an uphill battle and even though the Hound was giving it his all and ultimately, went out like a champ, it felt a little underwhelming for me. Maybe we’ll never be happy? Also, food for thought; the Hound essentially died in a pit of fire, the one thing he was most terrified of.
What did you think of last night’s episode and what do you think we’ll see in the conclusion of this long journey? For a full recap of the episode, click here. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
