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Post by Zadeth on Apr 21, 2019 7:46:09 GMT
Spoilers for 8x02 are permitted, but spoilers for future episodes are not.
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Post by Zadeth on Apr 21, 2019 23:38:36 GMT
I caved and watched the leak, because it means I don't have to stay up until 3am, so read below at your own peril; though I don't know why you'd be in the review thread unless you'd seen the episode or aren't that bothered about spoilers! I'll put things in spoiler tags just in case, though. I thought this was another pretty good episode, it really set everything up for the Battle of Winterfell next episode! I am hoping next week will be extended, it's going to be so hype! I gave the episode 8/10. I'm typing this just after watching, so it may be a stream of consciousness and word vomit because I didn't post in the live viewing thread (since I didn't want to spoil anyone actually watching when it airs), so there'll be things I just want to say I thought were cool. Likes:There was a lot of good stuff in this episode, and I could probably just write 'everything' here, but some highlights for me were: Theon - though limited, all of his scenes tonight were really touching and well acted! I'm glad to see him come full circle and pledge to protect Bran in Winterfell, considering his history with both Bran and the castle. I can see him sacrificing himself next episode to finally repay the debt of his sins to the Starks. Jaime's 'Trial' - I thought this was really well done, it was nice to see Sansa and Dany finally agree on something, but I was hoping Sam was going to have something to say. Dany can go on forever about how Jaime killed Aerys II, but sees no problems in killing anyone in her way (sure, Jaime swore an oath but it's still something that could have been highlighted). Sandor - as always, Rory McCann was execellent tonight and I was glad to see more of Sandor. His banter with Arya was enjoyable, and the line of the episode for me goes to "Thoros isn't here any more, so you better not give a sermon. If you do, the Lord of Light will wonder why he brought you back 99 times only for me to throw you over this fucking wall"  Fireside Gathering - I really enjoyed seeing all these characters interact, from Pod reuniting with Tyrion to Tormond trying his luck again with Brienne. It was really nice to see Brienne get knighted, though I hope this won't taint her for death in the upcoming battle. Jorah - it was good to see Jorah and Lyanna finally have a scene together, though it'll probably be their only. Sam giving Jorah Heartsbane was really touching, hopefully he won't regret giving it away during the Battle. Dislikes: There was very little I disliked in this episode. That being said: Romances - similar to the previous episode, I'm just not that interested in Gray Worm and Missandei's plans to go to Naath. I can only hope that their lovely dovey conversation and kiss means one, or both, of them will bite the dust in the Battle for Winterfell. Similarly, I could not be less disinterested in Arya/Gendry's sex scene. That being said, it was nice to see Arya grounded and made more human again; rather than the kiling machine she's become lately. Though it was quite weird to see Arya, who I still view as a child, have this scene.
General Thoughts: Davos seeing the little girl with the facial disfigurement was so cute, she's a little Lyanna Mormont in the making! There must be something more to the Crypts of Winterfell. The women and children are being hidden there, and Bran was very stern and adamant that he was not to go to there, but to the godswood instead. Of course, it could be that he needs to be close to a Weirwood in order to somehow discover how to defeat the Night's King or whatever, but the Crypts have been a device for so long that it will be disappointing if they are simply just crypts. I thought the scene with Sansa and Dany bonding was nice. Seems like Sansa is hinting for Northern Independence when the fighting is over, perhaps the survivors (if any of a significant amount) will come to a compromise in the end and there will be some sort of Council. I am glad they got Jon telling Dany about his parentage over and done with. It'll be interesting to see the conflict between the man she loves and the one thing she's been working for now coming into contention. Dany was bringing the concept of Fake News to Westeros instantly doubting everything, DT = both Danerys Targaryen and Donald Trump, coincidence? It was really cool to see Ghost, even if in the background of this scene. Though the pessimist in me thinks it's just because they're going to kill him off next episode, and wanted to remind the casual viewer(s) that Jon had a Direwolf. It would be interesting to see if Ghost is raised by the Others if he gets killed. Not that the show explored the other Starks being Wargs, but I wonder if the connection would still be there for a raised Direwolf. I am hoping that the Night King's motivation is more than "he wants to destroy the world" as Bran says. I have to wonder with us seeing that religious Children symbol last week if we're going to get more early flashbacks. I wonder if it's programmed into him, since IIRC this is the reason for the Children creating them, to destroy the living in Westeros. I think the Exodus theory is still one of my favourites for the possible ending. There are a lot more White Walkers than I thought, and it's interesting to see that the Night King was absent at the end. I have to wonder if he's gone further south on unViserion to raise further Hell there. It would be easy for him to, say, fly over King's Landing and decimate it and get 1,000,000 new recruits for his army whilst his Walkers deal with the Northern forces. Jenny of Oldstones song foreshadowing perhaps? Maybe it will be reversed and Dany will give up her claim for Jon, perhaps sacrificing herself for him? As I said at the start, sorry if this is just a big ramble and stream of consciousness! |
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Post by day dreamer on Apr 22, 2019 0:51:52 GMT
I read the leaks and I'm so excited. 10 more minutes!
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Post by day dreamer on Apr 22, 2019 2:03:10 GMT
I loved it!
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Post by TheMadQueen on Apr 22, 2019 2:14:03 GMT
I really really loved it.
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Post by Basil on Apr 22, 2019 7:01:22 GMT
Loved it. The knighting of Brienne was an incredibly moving scene. It felt like the culmination of Brienne's storyline, and to have it done by someone she respects and admires was really powerful to me. Beautiful bit of acting by Gwendoline Christie, her smile was so precious. I was basically sobbing during that entire scene. Sansa and Theon hugging made me tear up a bit, too. Never felt any romantic energy between them until now, but I'm kind of into it. The Arya / Gendry sex scene made me feel a bit uncomfortable though, not gonna lie. Maybe it's just me, but despite Maisie being in her 20s, in my mind, Arya is still a kid. I wasn't ready for this. This whole episode gave me major Helm's Deep vibes, just that feeling of impending doom with very little hope for victory or survival. And it really felt like they set up a bunch of characters to die in the next episode, particularly Jorah, Grey Worm, Tormund, Theon ... and maybe even Brienne.  Lyanna Mormont wishing Jorah "good fortune", and Sam's wanting to see him when "it's through" ... yeah, thanks for the death sentence, you two.  And also, they kept repeating like a million times how everyone was gonna be safe in the crypts ... yeah, I don't think the crypts will be that safe. I feel like something super fucked up is gonna take place down there. I kind of want them to be done with the Night's King storyline by the end of next episode, and the last three episodes of the show to deal with Cersei and the politics of what happens after, mainly in regard to Jon's claim to the Iron Throne versus Dany's. That would be a pretty Game of Thrones thing to do, imo. Absolutely fantastic episode overall. I really appreciate that it had so many scenes between characters just talking and reminiscing about the past, those have always been some of my favourite moments in Game of Thrones. This episode really allowed the relationships between characters to breathe, which made them feel more real and more human. |
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Post by Father of Dragons on Apr 22, 2019 9:30:06 GMT
Another really good episode. I enjoy the "big battle" episodes and those which advance the plot as much as the next person, but I live for these slower, character-driven episodes. I mean with so many characters in the one place, you may as well let them talk to each other! All of the small character scenes and reunions pretty much play out as expected, but that doesn't diminish them for me. I think I may have said this last season, but I would have easily watched an episode which is just all characters talking, and that's exactly what we got.
The highlight is definitely Brienne getting knighted. Great writing, beautiful music, and perfect acting all round, particularly from Gwendoline - she's always good in these emotional moments but this is definitely a stand-out. My only worry is that, now that her arc is kind of complete, Brienne may be marked for death. Other scenes I liked: "Bran" forgiving Jaime, Jorah talking with Lyanna and being given Heartsbane by Sam, Theon returning to Winterfell and later having some stew with Sansa, the brothers of the Night's Watch (AND GHOST) reuniting, and Davos' nice scene with the little scarred girl. I think the only other reunion scene I would've expected was Sandor and Sansa, but I don't think we'll be getting that now. I'd never really thought about Arya and Gendry as a romantic couple - their relationship to me was at most platonic and it'd stay that way. After their first scene in this episode though, I suspected they'd take a more romantic route, and I think the actors are definitely good enough to carry that off. I was not however expecting them to go quite as far as they did, and I'm glad I'm not the only one made a bit uncomfortable by that.
As for the crypts, I can't be the only person who thinks the plan to hide from an army of dead people in a place where dead people are buried is a bad idea, can I? Particularly if the Night King manages to get into Winterfell, which he most certainly will. I wasn't expecting any kind of last-minute revelation about the White Walkers before this episode, but if Bran interacts with the Night King in the Godswood, then maybe we'll get something? I dunno, I've kinda made my peace with the "weapons gone wrong" origin story, but if there's anything more I'll certainly be open to it.
I almost think we should do one of those "who's gonna die?" threads again, because there's quite a lot of Dead Men Walking: Jorah, Theon, and Brienne at the top of my list. Although I've been convinced Jorah is going to die for like 3 seasons, so who knows? I also kinda hope the White Walker stuff is done next episode. It's possible they could keep that story going until the finale (presumably at King's Landing), but I'm not sure what that'd mean for all the characters at Winterfell. It runs the risk of being a little dragged out imo.
All round a fantastic episode. Definitely my favourite since Spoils of War, maybe even since Winds of Winter. Also it seems to be called "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms", which is perfect. |
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Post by kingeomer on Apr 22, 2019 11:47:54 GMT
Ugh...preparing for the volley of tomatoes to be thrown at me.
This was not my favorite episode. It had some good moments but it seemed like fanfiction. My husband gives the show way more lee way than anyone on any forum and when he's complaining, I know it wasn't that great. That being said I think there were moments that the actors performed so well, you didn't notice how bad the writing was.
Best Scenes in the episode: Jaime's "trial" (damn always forget how good NCW is until he gets something meaty do and then I'm blown away), Jaime and "Bran" chatting in the Godswood, Brienne being knighted and how happy Tormund was for her (I don't ship it but it was nice to see some real happiness), Sansa and Dany scene, and Theon. Missendi and Grey Worm realizing Westeros is not the place for them. Both versions of Jenny of Oldstones. Night's Watch reunion. At least their fallen members get a name check funny that Robb, Catelyn and Rickon don't.
Least favorite scenes: Sorry shippers Arya/Gendry, I don't mind them getting together (though I will admit I really prefer not to see Maisie in those scenes) but the way it went down, it was not romantic and it seemed more like she was using him so she doesn't die a virgin. I wish Sansa would have told Dany about how Tyrion treated her when they were husband and wife, I think that might have softened Dany's stance. The crypt scene was Jon and Dany which should have been emotional, strangely was not. I am surprised scarred girl didn't cause a freak out in Winterfell since she had greyscale. I am sure she was not only meant to remind Davos of Lyanna but also of Shireen. Can Brienne please be a little nicer to Pod? I also think it is a bad idea to hide the people down in the crypts when the army of the dead is coming. I really think instead of having Bran so mysterious, HAVE HIM REVEAL SOMETHING EVEN IF HE'S NOT TOTALLY RIGHT. The Night's King is going south because of Bran? But I thought they were making moves to go south prior to Bran and his powers?
I kind of feel like most of this episode could have been axed and we could have Jaime's trial. Brienne's knighting and Jon's reveal tacked on at the end of the first episode. Open this one up with the return Theon and Arya and Gendry waking up together.
Predictions: Grey Worm dies. He's making plans to get the fuck outta Westeros, which means he's dying. I kind of fear for Brienne though, she has a great moment this episode which usually means tragic death in the next one. I don't think Jaime dies until he wraps up business with Cersei. Theon is not long for the world, I fear. Probably Bran isn't either-he goes down with Winterfell if it falls. I'll be curious to see how Sansa feels if Winterfell falls and if it changes her mind about the North being independent (I don't disagree with her at all on this point, but just wondering depending on how the battle goes, if her mind is changed).
MVP this episode: NCW
Runner up MVPs: Gwendoline Christine, Tormund, and Sophie Turner
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Post by Zadeth on Apr 22, 2019 14:31:03 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2019 13:32:39 GMT
Again a bridging episode, i enjoyed it for what it was - the characters thinking it is the end of the world. The first scene in the great hall was well done, brave of Jaime to stand there but also a dick to say he's not sorry for pushing a boy out of a window. Jaime's character arc was not as well done on the show, he had an amazing season 3 and then seasons 4-5 we saw the return of season 1 Jaime and now he's where he should have been the whole time. Understandably Dany is angry at Jaime for killing her father, but i think she is more angry at the failures she's encountered so far in Westeros. She was a little naive to think the Westerosi would bend the knee automatically and obviously underestimated Cersei and her ability to play the game. She also knows her power is not that real in the North and it is merely resting on her dragons being there. One of my favourite scenes of Arya has to be in this episode where she visits Gendry. Really well done Maisie, and it also felt like the return of an Arya we haven't seen in a while. I loved her line about death having many faces. I wonder what Arya's tactic is going into the war, is she planning on face-changing a wight? i mean i don't know if this is possible, technically the Night King should be the enemy of the God of Death/Many faces or is their magic aligned? I can't help but wonder why Arya is asking Gendry about what they look, smell like and how hard they are to kill. Surely everyone should be informed by now? And here is Jaime just contradicting what he said in the great hall. Now he's sorry? And he's 'Not that person anymore"?! This conversation solidified to me that Jaime has a role to play. But i think at the end he'll perish. This is what i think the line "How do you know there will be an afterwards?", i think it was directed at Jaime rather than a more general statement about the fact that he can't see the future and its all muddy at the moment... The nice touch about the Northerners hating the Lannisters was a great addition. Tyrion coming in with a bit of wisdom.."You always knew what she was but you loved her anyway". This is not entirely fair, did he know all of cersei's deeds? did he know she would blow up the sept of baelor? There's plotting and scheming, which Cersei has done most her life and there's taking drastic and terrible actions which has only recently surfaced. Throwback to Tyrion's line about dying was funny. Was that the line he said to Bronn? Brienne being proud of Pod  Jaime and Brienne sound like a married couple, something about it seemed a little too casual for my liking. Jaime admitting his faults this episode is entertaining. The conversation with Dany and Jorah really centered her character, reminding her that everyone including herself makes mistakes. And finally Jorah saving the day to advise Dany to talk to Sansa. Dany was amazing with Sansa, came across a bit fake but she was definitely being more 'gentle' and having some girl-time which hasn't happened for a while. When asked about the North she went as stiff as wood. Not sure what that reaction means, offended because Sansa wants to be independent, or just realised she has no idea. The moment between Sansa and Theon was so touching, like she was suddenly reminded of a traumatic past and the one person who helped her. I feel like Sansa has true love for Theon, not romantically but platonic. Of course good guy Davos is feeding the poor and gets confronted with a little girl like Shireen. Hannah Murray looks pregnant. The burned girl was cute. Tormund YOU ARE THE MVP OF GAME OF THRONES. From the moment he entered the episode (intercepting the hug between Jon and Edd) he was just hilarious. The reunion between the black brothers was another throwback to a simpler time and i liked the voice over battle hype from jon snow. Edd joking about the end of the world and Sam not being a virgin The most annoying part of the episode for me was the battle strategy scene. I mean, all this time you're sitting there Bran flicking through the past and you haven't stumbled across one piece of information to tell people how to kill the Night King? Or better yet why he'd want you? I don't believe his story of 'erasing history erases man' because with Bran gone men keep on living. Bran is tied to the magic of the children of the forest, the people who created the night king. There is reason to believe him existing is somewhat tied to finally breaking the 'curse' put upon the man who became the Night King. And their strategy is to have Bran as bait, what is their back up strategy? What if it all goes sour, they are relying on dragonfire when they are fully aware that the night king is riding a dragon of his own, and will happily compete in the javelin throwing dragon olympics?!?! I have a feeling Tyrion will uncover something from Bran's journey and the conversation they had. I wish they showed that conversation a bit. It made me so happy to see Ghost again, but no reunion scene between Jon and Ghost? he just what....showed up? Ghost will be gone next episode sadly.. The campfire scene was well done, bit cheesy from brienne but again i think tormund's awkwardness saved it. arya and gendry made sense to me, not sure what her expression afterwards was about. Sam giving Jorah heartsbane makes sense. Not sure i like Dany's reaction to Jon's news but it is a bit shocking. I feel like her reaction is normal, as a woman she is scared people are just going to follow Jon now he is the 'true heir' just like they snubbed Sansa as Queen in the North and named Jon. When the battle is done next episode i feel like Dany will come around and if they are together, why does it really matter anyway. Jon has already expressed desires not to be the center of attention, in fact he spent all of last season avoiding his duties in Winterfell. |
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Post by stoneheartsrevenge on Apr 24, 2019 16:19:06 GMT
The Home Alone comparison  Some really great scenes, but as a whole it went on too long for me and didnt manage to keep me interested throughout. Inloved Brienne being knighted though!  Arya scene didnt bother me as such. Or at least it sort of did but only in the sense of “i watched this child grow up on screen, this feels weird.” But as Maisie tweeted, her family had to watch that so yeah |
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Post by Father of Dragons on Apr 26, 2019 20:05:23 GMT
This is the most detailed 'Beautiful Death' yet, and it's from the only episode where nobody died.  |
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Post by stoneheartsrevenge on Apr 27, 2019 0:03:59 GMT
This is the most detailed 'Beautiful Death' yet, and it's from the only episode where nobody died. The fire is stag antlers!  So many details... |
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Lyanna Mormont wishing Jorah "good fortune", and Sam's wanting to see him when "it's through" ... yeah, thanks for the death sentence, you two. 
And also, they kept repeating like a million times how everyone was gonna be safe in the crypts ... yeah, I don't think the crypts will be that safe. I feel like something super fucked up is gonna take place down there. 
So many details...