Game of Thrones Review: Season 5 Episode 10
I can't believe it's OVER!
Ugh, I can't wait ten more months for the next season. I JUST CAN'T! As many of you know, I've been sort of lukewarm about this season, but this episode made up for all of the awkward scenes this season. Random deaths, battles, and dragons: this is the Game of Thrones we know and love. I have a lot of thoughts about this episode, so lemme break it down:
Favorite Moments:
Dad of the Year: We've sort of had a theme of people attempting to be dads this season (cough, cough Stannis, cough, cough), but no one has succeeded as well as Jaime Lannister. His scene this week with Myrcella was so cute. In fact, it was so cute that -- in true Game of Thrones fashion -- someone had to die. I kid you not, my heart broke into a million pieces when she was like "I'm glad you're my father" and then she DIED! Ugh, so many FEELS! Like, it was worth having Myrcella in Season 5 for that scene alone! Of course, we didn't actually see her die, but, let's be real, if she isn't dead today, she'll be dead tomorrow. On a related note, how much do you hate the Sand Snakes??? (More about that later). Bonus points to Game of Thrones for making us side with the pretty-in-pink princess born of incest and her uncle-father and not the people trying to kill them -- that's a long ladder to climb. Tangentially, Myrcella reacted way too happily to someone telling her that she is actually not royalty at all and her brothers are her cousins. Anyway, I was among the people last season who thought that there was no way that Jaime's character could be rehabilitated after he essentially raped his sister. We were wrong. Somehow, they managed to make Jaime likable again and this scene was an excellent illustration of that. (Side-note, death toll: 1).
Valar Morghulis: I'm not a super fan of Arya's plot (as many of you know), but you have to admit that her scene this episode was pretty awesome. I loved that she got to kill someone on her list; we're seeing assassin Arya blossoming and that's some major foreshadowing. Plus, Meryn Trant was a psycho and I'm glad he's not around to sexually assault underage girls and kill people anymore. (Death toll: 2).
Bye, Bye Stannis: Things have never unraveled more quickly for anyone than Stannis on Game of Thrones. A couple of episodes ago he was on top of the world, chilling with the Lord of the Light. Now, all of the sudden, he's murdering his own kid and being served justice for Renly. Now, a lot of people are saying that Stannis might not be actually dead because we didn't see him die. Generally, that's a good rule on Game of Thrones, but I think he's actually dead. Honestly, I think he sort of wanted to die. In that moment when Brienne is standing over him with the sword, you could just see him thinking: "I did all those horrible things and I'm not even king? I just can't anymore." Actually, in that final moment, I had a lot of respect for Stannis. I like that he owned up to killing Renly, I like that he went out fighting, and I like that when Brienne told him that she had come to kill him he was like "all right, do your duty." Don't get me wrong; he's still a seriously misguided dude who made hideous decisions (come on! he wasn't even upset when his wife killed herself), but he has some good qualities. The great thing about Game of Thrones is that no one is completely bad (except Ramsay -- he's pretty evil). Another important point about Stannis' death is that there is now no legitimate heir to the throne. Think about it: all the legitimate Baratheons are dead, Gendry is a bastard (maybe the High Sparrow can legitimize him or something like that, but it's still a long shot), Tommen is no true king (and he's a bad one), Jon Snow the possible Targaryen is dead, and Dany -- the only real heir left is in Essos! Plus, the Lannister family is falling apart at the seams. (Cersei is out of power, Jaime is in Dorne, and no one actually thinks that Kevan Lannister can rule). With Stannis dead, Dany is really the only one who can grab the reigns of Westeros (Death toll: 3).
Ugh, I can't wait ten more months for the next season. I JUST CAN'T! As many of you know, I've been sort of lukewarm about this season, but this episode made up for all of the awkward scenes this season. Random deaths, battles, and dragons: this is the Game of Thrones we know and love. I have a lot of thoughts about this episode, so lemme break it down:
Favorite Moments:
Dad of the Year: We've sort of had a theme of people attempting to be dads this season (cough, cough Stannis, cough, cough), but no one has succeeded as well as Jaime Lannister. His scene this week with Myrcella was so cute. In fact, it was so cute that -- in true Game of Thrones fashion -- someone had to die. I kid you not, my heart broke into a million pieces when she was like "I'm glad you're my father" and then she DIED! Ugh, so many FEELS! Like, it was worth having Myrcella in Season 5 for that scene alone! Of course, we didn't actually see her die, but, let's be real, if she isn't dead today, she'll be dead tomorrow. On a related note, how much do you hate the Sand Snakes??? (More about that later). Bonus points to Game of Thrones for making us side with the pretty-in-pink princess born of incest and her uncle-father and not the people trying to kill them -- that's a long ladder to climb. Tangentially, Myrcella reacted way too happily to someone telling her that she is actually not royalty at all and her brothers are her cousins. Anyway, I was among the people last season who thought that there was no way that Jaime's character could be rehabilitated after he essentially raped his sister. We were wrong. Somehow, they managed to make Jaime likable again and this scene was an excellent illustration of that. (Side-note, death toll: 1).
Valar Morghulis: I'm not a super fan of Arya's plot (as many of you know), but you have to admit that her scene this episode was pretty awesome. I loved that she got to kill someone on her list; we're seeing assassin Arya blossoming and that's some major foreshadowing. Plus, Meryn Trant was a psycho and I'm glad he's not around to sexually assault underage girls and kill people anymore. (Death toll: 2).
Bye, Bye Stannis: Things have never unraveled more quickly for anyone than Stannis on Game of Thrones. A couple of episodes ago he was on top of the world, chilling with the Lord of the Light. Now, all of the sudden, he's murdering his own kid and being served justice for Renly. Now, a lot of people are saying that Stannis might not be actually dead because we didn't see him die. Generally, that's a good rule on Game of Thrones, but I think he's actually dead. Honestly, I think he sort of wanted to die. In that moment when Brienne is standing over him with the sword, you could just see him thinking: "I did all those horrible things and I'm not even king? I just can't anymore." Actually, in that final moment, I had a lot of respect for Stannis. I like that he owned up to killing Renly, I like that he went out fighting, and I like that when Brienne told him that she had come to kill him he was like "all right, do your duty." Don't get me wrong; he's still a seriously misguided dude who made hideous decisions (come on! he wasn't even upset when his wife killed herself), but he has some good qualities. The great thing about Game of Thrones is that no one is completely bad (except Ramsay -- he's pretty evil). Another important point about Stannis' death is that there is now no legitimate heir to the throne. Think about it: all the legitimate Baratheons are dead, Gendry is a bastard (maybe the High Sparrow can legitimize him or something like that, but it's still a long shot), Tommen is no true king (and he's a bad one), Jon Snow the possible Targaryen is dead, and Dany -- the only real heir left is in Essos! Plus, the Lannister family is falling apart at the seams. (Cersei is out of power, Jaime is in Dorne, and no one actually thinks that Kevan Lannister can rule). With Stannis dead, Dany is really the only one who can grab the reigns of Westeros (Death toll: 3).
Welcome Back Theon: One pleasant surprise in this episode was Reek's defiance of Ramsay. His scene with Sansa this week was so dramatic! For a moment I actually thought Sansa might be recaptured when I saw Ramsay's lover with the cross bow. I was so happy when Theon killed her. I thought they ended the scene perfectly with Sansa and Theon jumping off the wall of Winterfell. There was just enough ambiguity: maybe they're dead and maybe they're not. Personally, I think they're alive. There were really deep snow banks at the base of the wall, those cushion a blow pretty well. Even if they survived however, they're not out of danger. As we all know, Ramsay likes to hunt women with dogs, so this could still end hideously. I'm hoping that Sansa and Theon manage to find Brienne and Pod. Maybe they can all go searching for Bran and Rickon together. Wouldn't that be fun? (Death toll: possibly 6)
For the Watch: I've read the books, so I knew that there was a chance that Jon might die, but it was still hard to watch. The look of betrayal on Jon's face was so sad! And, of course, you have to hate the Night's Watch because they're acting against their own best interest like idiots. When Olly was stabbing him I was both angry with him and sad for him. Obviously, I was angry with him because he killed Jon and possibly doomed the free world, but I feel sorry for him because he is just a kid and he did lose his family to Wildlings. All this being said, I don't think Jon is permanently dead. As a lot of people have pointed out, Melisandre is now at the Wall and could -- theoretically -- resurrect him. He could also warg into Ghost or be resurrected by Bran. Or, my least favorite theory, Jon could become a White Walker (don't do that to me, GRRM)! (Death toll: either 5 or 7).
The Walk of Shame: You know a scene is gut wrenching when it makes you feel bad for Cersei (aka The Most Hated Woman in Westeros). I mean, the idea of the Walk of Shame is horrible! This scene was like everyone's worst nightmare ever! Game of Thrones is such an amazing show because just when you think someone is irredeemable, they show finds some way to make you feel for them. It's crazy awesome! However, this scene also went a long way to show the extent to which Tommen has lost control of the city and the High Sparrow is running things. Honestly, the monarchy is failing pretty epically right now, so it looks like King's Landing is heading towards a Savonarola-in-Florence scenario. I was also super excited to catch a glimpse of Ser Robert Strong (aka the Mountain resurrected -- side-note: when the Mountain was a kid, did they call him the Hill?). As always, I'm super entertained by Qyburn the Mad Scientist and his ridiculous creations. (Death toll: possibly 7 and one resurrection).
Drogon the Dragon: I loved Dany's scene this week with Drogon the Dragon. Drogon's little nest with all the burnt bones was so cute and I love how she tried to get him to fly and he just wanted to sleep. Aside from being a sweet, funny sort of moment, this scene illustrated that dragons are not invincible and Dany's control over them is extremely limited. You got some sense that it's going to be really hard for her to conquer Westeros if she can't even get Drogon to stop napping. Also, it was really cool to be the Dothraki again. As I've predicted before, I think that this group of Dothraki is going to become Dany's Westeros-conquering army. I can't wait to see them march into King's Landing!
Missandei's New Outfit: That's right, I noticed that Missandei got a new dress. You go Missandei! Continue correcting everyone's Valyrian and look good doing it. (Also, props to her for the continuance of her super adorable relationship with Grey Worm).
Least Favorite Moments:
Coward Sam: I'm a fan of Sam Tarly in general, but I think that the showrunners did him a great disservice in this episode. In the books, it's Jon's idea for Sam to go to Old Town. In the show, having Sam insist on going to Old Town even though Jon asked him not to makes Sam look like a really bad friend and sort of a coward. Also, his excuse that if he stayed he would be killed is a really bad excuse because it implies that Jon, as Lord Commander, has no control over the Night's Watch at all (although that turned out to be somewhat true). If Sam was so concerned about Gilly, Jon could have assigned someone to protect her. Plus, now that Jon's dead, the show made it seem like Sam abandoned his friend at the worst possible time for cowardly reasons.
Bumbling Brienne: I don't know what Brienne has been doing for 10 episodes, but it certainly wasn't rescuing Sansa. Seriously, has she just been watching that tower all season and doing nothing??? Didn't she think that, with an army marching towards Winterfell, now would have been a good time save Sansa. Her plot this season was unbelievably stupid and killing Stannis did not redeem her AT ALL. Let's hope she does something interesting next year.
Stupid Serpents: Once again the Sand Snakes have delivered a perfect 10/10 on the stupid meter. They've been doing stupid stuff all semester, but this episode took the metaphorical cake. Let me count the idiotic things they pulled off in an hour: killing Myrcella even though they were told not to and she had absolutely nothing to do with the death of Oberyn (not to mention that Oberyn probably would have been against killing Myrcella because he spent his entire life trying to avenge his sister Elia, who was an innocent woman killed because she was trapped in a war), starting a war between Dorne and the Lannisters, messing up Jaime's super cute scene with his daughter, and creating a really awkward/ weird relationship between Tyene and Bronn. Seriously, what was with that ear bite???? Let's hope Doran executes them all so that we can be done with their idiotic plot.
Things I'm Looking Forward to Next Season:
Zombie-Knight/Vengeance Machine (aka the Mountain): For once in her life Cersei actually deserves some vengeance and I'm looking forward to the Mountain delivering it (to a point).
Kevan Lannister: Mostly because of his ridiculous name. (Running out of pronouns there, aren't you, GRRM?)
Drogon the Dragon: Who is now officially the cutest fire breathing monster in the show and one of my favorite characters.
The Daario/Jorah Road Trip: Because getting the two guys who most want to have sex with Daenerys together sounds like an awesome idea. (Also, I am now accepting bets on how long it'll take them to find that ring she dropped).
Valar dohaeris
The Walk of Shame: You know a scene is gut wrenching when it makes you feel bad for Cersei (aka The Most Hated Woman in Westeros). I mean, the idea of the Walk of Shame is horrible! This scene was like everyone's worst nightmare ever! Game of Thrones is such an amazing show because just when you think someone is irredeemable, they show finds some way to make you feel for them. It's crazy awesome! However, this scene also went a long way to show the extent to which Tommen has lost control of the city and the High Sparrow is running things. Honestly, the monarchy is failing pretty epically right now, so it looks like King's Landing is heading towards a Savonarola-in-Florence scenario. I was also super excited to catch a glimpse of Ser Robert Strong (aka the Mountain resurrected -- side-note: when the Mountain was a kid, did they call him the Hill?). As always, I'm super entertained by Qyburn the Mad Scientist and his ridiculous creations. (Death toll: possibly 7 and one resurrection).
Drogon the Dragon: I loved Dany's scene this week with Drogon the Dragon. Drogon's little nest with all the burnt bones was so cute and I love how she tried to get him to fly and he just wanted to sleep. Aside from being a sweet, funny sort of moment, this scene illustrated that dragons are not invincible and Dany's control over them is extremely limited. You got some sense that it's going to be really hard for her to conquer Westeros if she can't even get Drogon to stop napping. Also, it was really cool to be the Dothraki again. As I've predicted before, I think that this group of Dothraki is going to become Dany's Westeros-conquering army. I can't wait to see them march into King's Landing!
Missandei's New Outfit: That's right, I noticed that Missandei got a new dress. You go Missandei! Continue correcting everyone's Valyrian and look good doing it. (Also, props to her for the continuance of her super adorable relationship with Grey Worm).
Least Favorite Moments:
Coward Sam: I'm a fan of Sam Tarly in general, but I think that the showrunners did him a great disservice in this episode. In the books, it's Jon's idea for Sam to go to Old Town. In the show, having Sam insist on going to Old Town even though Jon asked him not to makes Sam look like a really bad friend and sort of a coward. Also, his excuse that if he stayed he would be killed is a really bad excuse because it implies that Jon, as Lord Commander, has no control over the Night's Watch at all (although that turned out to be somewhat true). If Sam was so concerned about Gilly, Jon could have assigned someone to protect her. Plus, now that Jon's dead, the show made it seem like Sam abandoned his friend at the worst possible time for cowardly reasons.
Bumbling Brienne: I don't know what Brienne has been doing for 10 episodes, but it certainly wasn't rescuing Sansa. Seriously, has she just been watching that tower all season and doing nothing??? Didn't she think that, with an army marching towards Winterfell, now would have been a good time save Sansa. Her plot this season was unbelievably stupid and killing Stannis did not redeem her AT ALL. Let's hope she does something interesting next year.
Stupid Serpents: Once again the Sand Snakes have delivered a perfect 10/10 on the stupid meter. They've been doing stupid stuff all semester, but this episode took the metaphorical cake. Let me count the idiotic things they pulled off in an hour: killing Myrcella even though they were told not to and she had absolutely nothing to do with the death of Oberyn (not to mention that Oberyn probably would have been against killing Myrcella because he spent his entire life trying to avenge his sister Elia, who was an innocent woman killed because she was trapped in a war), starting a war between Dorne and the Lannisters, messing up Jaime's super cute scene with his daughter, and creating a really awkward/ weird relationship between Tyene and Bronn. Seriously, what was with that ear bite???? Let's hope Doran executes them all so that we can be done with their idiotic plot.
Things I'm Looking Forward to Next Season:
Zombie-Knight/Vengeance Machine (aka the Mountain): For once in her life Cersei actually deserves some vengeance and I'm looking forward to the Mountain delivering it (to a point).
Kevan Lannister: Mostly because of his ridiculous name. (Running out of pronouns there, aren't you, GRRM?)
Drogon the Dragon: Who is now officially the cutest fire breathing monster in the show and one of my favorite characters.
The Daario/Jorah Road Trip: Because getting the two guys who most want to have sex with Daenerys together sounds like an awesome idea. (Also, I am now accepting bets on how long it'll take them to find that ring she dropped).
Valar dohaeris
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