What I Watched: Game of Thrones, S8E2 and S8E3

Let’s just dive in, shall we?

As expected, Episode 2 consisted of yet more non-action, yet it was different in tone and impact than its predecessor. This was an opportunity for characters to tie up loose character arcs – and for the audience to say goodbye – before the upcoming battle with the Night King. Going into Episode 3, it felt like every character was potentially on the block. For that reason – because every line reading was a potential “adieu” – the episode resonated at an emotional level. Yeah, it was fan service-y as hell but it was a nice tribute to the loyal viewers at home.

Episode 2 random thoughts:

• I am prepared for anyone to die, but I would love it if the 6 people in the great hall – Davos, Tyrion, Brienne, Tormund, Pod, and Jaime – lived. Is it a coincidence that my 6 of my favourite characters spent their possible last night on earth together? [Jon is still a favourite, but I know he’s slated to die.] But even as I entertained hope, in the back of my mind I was reminded of something they used to tell us in law school at the beginning of first year: look to your right, and your left; one of you won’t be here by the end. Honestly, I don’t know which of these 6 I’d be willing to lose. Jaime, yes. It would complete his redemption arc. But the others? No.

• I don’t know if there is something romantical going on between Sansa and Theon, but I sure hope not. Don’t try to make me care about Theon, show!

• We are all dying to know what Bran told Tyrion, right?

• I would like to be Lady Lyanna Mormont when I grow up.

• Dany is the WOOOOORST. She is wholly obsessed with power even in extremis (with the Night King literally outside the castle walls), and everything else is window-dressing; she’s not doing much to live down her father’s Mad King legacy.

In advance of Episode 3, I tried to draft up my Dead Pool, but it proved to be such a difficult thing that I decided to create a Living Pool instead. Here were my 10 picks for who would still be alive heading into Episode 4:

1.Sansa – unless the Night Kings kills everyone, there is no reason for Sansa to die.

2.Tyrion – ditto (he was told to stay away from the battle).

3.Dany – as much as I would not mourn her demise, I think the show isn’t done with her yet.

4.The Hound – only because fan service demands Cleganebowl.

5.Cersei – Sansa still needs an antagonist, right?

6.Euron – there is no reason for him to be dead yet.

7.Arya – I don’t think we have seen the end of her character arc.

8.Lyanna Mormont – the show wouldn’t dare to kill her … would they?

9.Bronn – who knows what he’s doing, but I doubt it involves dying.

10.Ser Davos – honestly, I’m just hoping here

Editor note: I wrote the above last week. Below are my thoughts after watching Episode 3.

Episode 3 … whoo boy. I knew that the Battle of Winterfell was going to be brutal, but I realized pretty quickly into the episode that it was going to be way worse than I thought. Unlike some fans, I don’t enjoy the battle episodes very much. But the only way out is through, so I knew I would have to sit through an uncomfortable 1.5 hours to get to the other side. And I was right. The battle was an emotionally taxing slog, capped by an amazing final 5-10 minutes. In the moment, that finale felt like a perfect pay-off for my investment in the preceding hour. The more I sit with it, the more complicated my feelings about it grow. But in the moment? It was the freaking BEST.

So let’s talk about that, shall we? As a capstone to Arya’s character arc, it was perfect and it made sense. If I wasn’t so heavily invested in Jon’s character arc (and a bunch of apparently meaningless prophecies), I would have been simply thrilled with how it all played out. Personally, I don’t think the relatively quick dispatch of the Night King was a problem in and of itself. As I mentioned in my last post, the existence of the Night King distorted what is, as far as I’m concerned, the real focus of the show: the political game of thrones. The Night King is a trial-by-ice-fire which, one hopes, will lead to the forging of new alliances and bonds within Westeros and beyond. If the people that fought the Battle of Winterfell together aren’t now Ride-or-Die for the rest of their lives then … actually, that probably won’t happen, because people on this show never fail to surprise me by their short-sightedness and stupid pettiness, but whatever – THAT was the whole point of the Night King. He had no other motivations. Death doesn’t. Exeunt Night King stage left.

But as much as Arya-as-Kingslayer made sense for her character, it made Jon superfluous. I know lots of people don’t like Jon, and that’s fine; but both the books and show have invested so much narrative energy into his character arc as a Saviour type only to now that a sharp left turn. Now, his story feels like it’s headed to a letdown of all my hopes and expectations for the character, unless something truly unexpected happens next. Neither of the obvious choices will feel satisfying; Jon doesn’t want to sit on the Iron Throne, and having him die so that someone else (i.e. Dany) can capture the throne will feel like a cheap sacrifice after the Battle of Winterfell. In some ways, it would have felt more satisfying for Jon to play the part that Theon did, and go out the same way. As it is, why the hell did the Lord of Light bring Jon back? Does the Lord of Light care who sits on the Iron Throne? I think not.

This question is the only reason why I am not prepared to fully rule out the theory that there is more to the Night King, and Bran’s involvement in particular, than we know so far. But I still think it’s a crappy theory.

Lastly on this topic, I read online that the show writers apparently said that it made more sense to use Arya, rather than Jon, to kill the Night King (or something to that effect), which I found strange because it suggests they had some choice in the matter. Isn’t the identity of the character who kills the Night King something that George RR Martin would have dictated? It seems like a pretty major plot point to me but … ah, who knows? Maybe the writers were speaking for GRRM. Maybe GRRM has just given up on the books at this point, and the show writers are calling the shots.

Looking past Episode 3, I am curious and cautiously excited to see how the rest of the story will unfold. [I say “cautiously” because if there is one thing I learned is that the show tends to disappoint me with its narrative choices as often as not.] One thing I did not expect after the Battle of Winterfell was for so many main characters to still be alive. I am interested in seeing what the show does with them, and I have no ready theories – pretty much all of my previous theories have been laid to rest after Episode 3. But I don’t see how Cersei can be any kind of major threat anymore. One, the Targ-Stark alliance still has one or two dragons left; the Golden Company cannot be much competition given than its numbers are, in fact, exhaustible unlike the ice zombies. Two, Arya has now perfected the Strike-the-Leader gambit which would surely end any war; is the Golden Company loyal to anyone other than Cersei (who paid for them)? If Arya could sneak up on the Night King, don’t tell me she couldn’t dispatch Cersei in about 30 seconds. The fact that anyone is contemplating traditional warfare at this point seems especially stupid to me, but what do I know?

Other quick thoughts:

• Soooo … is Arya Azor Ahai, then? Or were the prophecies this show’s McGuffins?

• Ser Davos, along with every single other person who made up the Great Hall Kumbaya Party is still alive. Yay! I truly did not expect that. One on hand, the plot armour that made it possible is too ridiculous. On the other hand, I love all those characters and I’m glad they’re still alive.

• I wasn’t all that invested in my previously theorized Tyrion-Sansa ship, but I am ALL ABOARD now. I can’t see them ending up on the Iron Throne now that so many other contenders are still kicking about, but I can see them ruling the North as Wardens or what-have-you.

• RIP House Mormont. Both Lyanna and Jorah went out in a blaze of glory, completing their character arcs in a lovely way: Lyanna fighting and taking down forces greater than her, Jorah defending his khaleesi.

• Seriously, guys, I have no idea what happens next. Cersei is a dead woman, yes, but apart from that? So many loose ends that the Battle of Winterfell did not cut short. The rest of the season should be a good ride.

Give me your take on Episodes 2 and 3 (and predictions for 4, 5 and 6) in the comments!