The Last War

“Dracarys!” — Missandei

The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones kicked off on Sunday, April 14. Each week during the final season I’ll recap episodes, look at highlights and make predictions for what’s to come.

Well, for those who complained last week it seems the show heard you. This week was much brighter — taking place during the day — and featured some more heart-breaking deaths, coming at times when you least expected them. It was an episode that, like so many this season, will likely divide audiences. And I don’t think that’s going to go away as we hurtle toward the ending of the series. We’re in the endgame now, and what we want the story to be and what we want for the characters to do is starting to diverge from the vision of the showrunners. And sometimes it’s going to be brutal.

The fourth episode, titled “The Last of the Starks,” had those sometimes brutal moments. It began with the aftermath of last week’s battle episode, “The Long Night.” We started with a bit of mourning and saying goodbye to the dead, a moment that was stirring. It also revealed some of the tension. Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) is gone, and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is shaken. Her separation from Jon (Kit Harrington) was noticeable during that ceremony and again during the feast following.

On the main dais sat Sansa (Sophie Turner), Jon and Daenerys (and, at times, a Starbucks cup for those paying attention). And while there were some nice moments and some fun — like Gendry (Joe Dempsie) becoming officially the last Baratheon (then subsequently getting the shaft from Arya (Maisie Williams)) and Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) offering Jon a horn full of wine — but it was also notable for Daenerys feeling ill at ease and threatened by Jon. Something she made known later when she noted that no one has ever looked at her like they did with Jon following that battle.

And, finally, this episode really explored the truth the showrunners called the most incendiary fact in this world — that Jon Snow is really Aegon Targaryen.

An Incendiary Truth

We finally saw Daenerys and Jon have a real conversation about this reveal — which happened on the cusp of the big battle at the end of episode two. And it goes about as well as expected. They both claim to be in love, but there’s this big block between them. Daenerys asks Jon to keep it a secret, essentially lying to everyone — including his family. We already know that truth and honor, regardless of cost, have always been part of who Jon is. Both of them showed their flaws in the exchange. Jon wants to believe that the truth won’t matter, which is the kind of naiveté about the world he’s demonstrated many times in the past. And Daenerys wants Jon to lie, and also fears he wants power. Neither of those are who he is. So as much as they claim to want to be together, neither seems to full understand each other or the situation.

Daenerys leaves him with an ultimatum of sorts — we can be happy together, so long as you conceal the truth. And Jon, naturally, can’t keep the truth from Sansa and Arya. This comes after yet another dubious battle plan, where Jon sided with Daenerys and pledged to march the battle weary northern troops on the capital over Sansa’s objection that all the armies could do with a bit of a break. Arya pulls Jon into the Godswood for a family conversation.

There, Jon feels conflicted. Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) tells Jon it’s his choice. But there was really never a choice. We always knew that Jon was going to tell his family. He felt duty bound to do so. That the show robbed us of that moment, and the reaction from Sansa and Arya, is somewhat disappointing. But Jon let Bran reveal the whole story, pledging them to secrecy. Arya, for the time being, appears to have held up her end of the deal.

Sansa, on the other hand, shares this bit of news with Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) as they discuss whether Daenerys is the best fit to lead the Seven Kingdoms. As Daenerys rightly predicted, once Jon told his siblings, the truth would come out. This sentiment is echoed by Varys (Conleth Hill) when Tyrion tells him the truth of Jon’s parentage. He asks how many know about this, and Tyrion says at least eight. Varys replies, “then it’s not a secret, it’s information.” And that was always Daenerys’ fear — that the truth would come out and open up a debate.

Varys and Tyrion, long troubled by some of Daenerys decisions and the way it reminds them of the past, have that discussion. (And can we take a minute and appreciate that, finally, someone is talking about the fact that Daenerys is Jon’s aunt. Varys with a great line when Tyrion still suggests marrying them off.) And the events of the episode further trend toward a falling out and conflict between Jon and Daenerys, but more on that in a minute.

The Jamie Problem

The other big story of the night was Jamie Lannister ( Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). We all wanted to believe in his redemption arc as he arrived at Winterfell, chose to stand for the living against Cersei (Lena Headey), knighted Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and fought in the Great War. And things started OK last night, as Jamie, Tyrion and Brienne participated in the drinking game, leading to the coupling of Jamie and Brienne. It was a seemingly sweet and tender moment the show had built toward since they were in captivity together in season three.

And yet, it wasn’t meant to last. As the armies moved south, Jamie stayed in the north with Brienne. But upon learning that his sister was winning again, a conflicted Jamie sought to slip out in the middle of the night. And when she confronted him, saying he’s become a better man, Jamie offered a counter point. He listed his misdeeds and concluded that he was awful, riding away and leaving Brienne shattered.

This is a moment that caused a lot of strife among audiences. We wanted to see Jamie redeemed, but this seemed to be a gigantic backslide. And, while I wasn’t excited by what he said, I want to see how this plays out. We’ve long believed that the Valonqar theory would come into play for Jamie with Cersei, and the only way that happens is if he’s back in the main action. And while his leaving could be perceived as him regressing and going back to her, which may be true, it could also have been a ploy.

I choose to think — or hope, maybe — that he is going to fight Cersei, and doesn’t think he’ll survive or deserves to survive, so he’s trying to push Brienne away. We’ll know in a couple weeks, but pre-season I predicted that Jamie would both be the one to kill Cersei, and would die. I still think both are true, and I could see him coming full circle and killing his sister for much the same reason he killed the Mad King. Time will tell.

A Tribute to the Fallen

Of course, the episode wasn’t without its heart-break. Some, myself included, thought this would be a quieter episode before all out war in episode five. Like with “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” I thought this might be the calm before the storm. But things got rather stormy during the final third of the episode, as we lost a couple treasured members of Team Daenerys. I mentioned earlier the seemingly ill-conceived battle plan (a running theme the past few seasons), which didn’t take long to backfire. As Daenerys made her way back to Dragonstone on her ships, with her dragons aloft, they were ambused by Euron (Pilou Asbæk) and his fleet. And with their new and improved crossbow bolts, they managed to take out Rhaegal, who fell into the sea. The poor dragon (barely) survived the fight with the Night King to die on the cusp of returning home.

Euron also decimated what’s left of Daenerys’ fleet. And as they landed ashore, it was clear that one member was missing. Missandei ( Nathalie Emmanuel), one of Daenerys’ most trusted advisors, was captured and brought to Kings Landing. There Cersei held her as prisoner, threatening to execute her if Daenerys didn’t surrender. She didn’t surrender, and Missandei was indeed executed — in front of Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and after shouting Dracarys — closing the episode and seemingly bringing on the next battle.

There’s a lot to unpack here. First, I think this confirmed for me that Game of Thrones is walking down as similar path to The Walking Dead. Let me explain. There was a lot of hand wringing last week when the Night King and the Army of the Dead were defeated so early in the final season. I wasn’t surprised, in fact that’s what I predicted, because it always seemed the show we were watching was driving toward the idea that what was most important (to them and likely to viewers) was who sits on the Iron Throne at the end. Similarly, in The Walking Dead, the zombies serve as an existential dread. But it’s always been the living who posed the greatest threat. The same is true in Game of Thrones. While the Night King and his army have always been a looming threat, the most cruel and vicious enemies have been the ones playing the game. Beating the Night King is satisfying, but seeing Cersei defeated will be more satisfying to the overall narrative. And that’s where we’re going as the show concludes its run.

Second, while we can all debate a bit the way the show has handled it, I think it is clear that Missandei’s death is a catalyst that will push Daenerys in a certain direction. And, really, is it all that surprising or inconsistent? We’ve seen characters throughout the show pushed in difficult directions after being attacked and feeling threatened. And Daenerys, above all, has lost that sense of security. It completely fell away with Missandei’s head. Just as Cersei gave in more fully to the viciousness inside when the last of her children was lost.

In “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” while chatting with Sansa, Daenerys reflected on the confidence Sansa has in Brienne. There is a great trust there, and Daenerys said she didn’t feel that win any of her advisers. The closest she probably came was with Jorah — who fell defending her in the battle — and Missandei, who was taken from her. Now she’s left with Jon, who has let this secret out that threatens her goals and position, and Tyrion and Varys, who’ve never been in lock step with her. When people are backed in a corner, they often lash out. And I think we’ll see that with Daenerys next week.

Does that mean she is a bad person? This has never been a show that seemed to traffic in black-and-white interpretations of its characters. She might not be the right person to rule, but I don’t think it has ruined her character. And, again, we have to see how this all plays out. In some ways it’s impossible to judge the storytelling of this one episode without seeing how it fits as a piece to a larger puzzle.

Justice for Ghost

There is another big story from last night that continues an upsetting theme this season, and that is Jon’s lack of concern and affection for Ghost. And, frankly, it’s troubling. Whether this is lack of time or poor writing, it has stuck out like a sore thumb. Ghost has been Jon’s faithful companion and Dire Wolf since episode one. And while we haven’t seen him since Season Six, it made sense there would be a big reunion in the final season. And yet, it’s been handled pretty poorly. Ghost made a brief appearance in episode two, and then was seen at the outset of the fight in “The Long Night.” But last night’s episode was the worst.

Ghost was back, battered from the war, and didn’t have a single interaction with Jon. No petting, no scene together, nothing. And then, in what felt like a toss off after an emotional farewell with Tormund and Sam (John Bradley), Jon tells Tormund to go ahead and take Ghost back north of the wall. He’s saying goodbye to a faithful companion who’s been with him for years, fiercely guarded him, saved his life and mourned over his dead body, and he can’t so much as come over and give him a hug? 

I have a pet, a cat named Ellie. And that picture above is approximately an hour after I returned from being gone for a week to visit family at Christmas. She was excited to see me and needed a hug. That is what happens when you have a pet, who becomes more like family. And that’s what Ghost has been for Jon throughout most of this story. And you can laugh at the fact people are upset about this, but it feels like a terrible narrative choice. I get the idea of Jon trying to free Ghost to live his best life, but at least give us a reunion and interaction…. As they say on Monday Night Countdown, C’Mon Man!

Odds and Ends

There were a few other things that happened in the episode worth considering.

• It was heart-breaking to see Arya rebuff Gendry, but it makes sense. She’s not the kind to settle down and become a Lady, and Gendry should know that. His proposal, while sweet, was a reflection he didn’t totally get Arya. But also interesting was her response when she joined The Hound (Rory McCann) on the road to Kings Landing that she doesn’t expect to return to Winterfell. I had thought I could see a future where she helped Sansa rule the North, but I’m thinking she may end up returning to Essos, her mission accomplished, to return to the Faceless Men. I’m also just really hoping she doesn’t die.
• Speaking of The Hound, his exchange with Sansa was rough. This show, true to its total run, still seems to find a way to provide cringe-worthy moments even when it seems like it’s trying to be sweet.
• Bronn (Jerome Flynn) returned in what has to be one of the most ridiculous scenes of the season. I don’t know if we’ll see him again, but it was a pretty poor payoff on an odd scene from the premier. As we hurtle toward the ending, it feels like they don’t have a solid plan for every character left in the world. Bronn might be one that was left out.
• We knew when Grey Worm and Missandei talked of their post war plans on the beaches that it wasn’t looking good. Conventional wisdom suggested that he’d be the one to miss out, falling in the Great War. Instead, the show pulled a bait-and-switch that is in keeping with everything we’ve seen over eight seasons, and it was Grey Worm who had to watch as Missandei was lost. It was a sad moment, and sad to see one of the sweetest relationships in the show end that way.

The Wars to Come

We have two episodes left, and I doubt we’re done with heart-break. Next week is shaping up to be a big battle with Cersei, and then the finale will have to wrap things up. And that’s looking more-and-more like a conflict between Daenerys and Jon. This isn’t a show where we expected a lot of happy endings, and it looks like that’s going to hold true. But here’s a couple predictions as we end.

• I still think Cersei will die, and Jamie will be the one to do it. That’s what makes the most sense.
• I think Euron will go, and Yara (Gemma Whelan) will come into play at some point.
• I think The Hound will face, and defeat, his brother.
• I think the Golden Company will break its contract with Cersei, playing a key role in ending the war.
• I think Daenerys will die before its all over.

Agree? Disagree? Have a bold theory? Fire it up in the comments and we’ll see how it all shakes out.