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Game of Thrones, “Last of the Starks” Review

After what happened last week with the Battle of Ice and Fire, I admit that I had my worries. That the show has jumped the shark. But I was wrong, because this week’s episode just sent us on an emotional roller coaster as hearts were broken, faces were broken, and any chance at a happy ending flew out the window.

Except for Sam and Gilly. I think they’re pretty much the only ones who will live happily ever after.

The episode starts off on a somber note as we say goodbye to those who fell in the Battle of Ice and Fire. I thought that this was an emotionally powerful scene on a number of levels. For one, we were saying goodbye to characters that we had known for years, with Theon and Jorah being theirs since episode one. For me, in particular, it felt like this was the funeral for Night’s Watch itself.

Think about it. With the White Walkers extinct and the Free Folk and the North on good terms, there’s no point for them to keep operating. They fulfilled their purpose. And now their watch has ended. It’s up to the living to pick up the pieces.

A big part of this episode is trying to find the answer to an unspoken question: can those left remain united? For a while, it feels like they can. The feast in the Great Hall start out quiet and awkward, but it turns into a party when Daenerys singles out Gendry.

Since he came back in Season Seven, one of my biggest hopes was to see Gendry be legitimized as Gendry Baratheon, Lord of the Storm Lands. I got my wish, and I was happy to see that Daenerys didn’t hold a grudge against him for his dad running her family out of Westeros.

Too bad Arya turned down his marriage proposal. Their kids would have been so bad ass.

So after Gendry’s made a lord, everyone starts getting drunk and celebrating. Brienne and Jaime consummate their relationship, which was a nice sub-plot. But amidst all the merriment, cracks are starting to form. Almost everyone goes around praising Jon for his heroism (and riding a dragon) and treating him like a King, while Daenerys gets little praise.

Jon has said it several times by now: he doesn’t want the Iron Throne, though as Daenerys points out in private, that won’t matter. People will still try and put him on the Throne, regardless, and that makes him a threat to her. They could resolve that issue if they either A.) kept quiet about it, or B.) get married, making it a moot point.

As Daenerys prepares to move her remaining forces south to take King’s Landing. She’s lost a lot of the Dothraki, and only half the Unsullied remain alive. But now she has the support of the Iron Islands (Yara’s taken them back) and Dorne. Jon will lead the North and the Vale south down the King’s Road while she flies for Dragonstone with her fleet. Meanwhile, people start to go their separate ways.

Arya and the Hound are headed down to King’s Landing on their own to settle with Cersei and the Mountain. I’m rooting for her to kill Cersei.

I don’t know where Sam’s going, but with the Night’s Watch pretty much disbanded, he can become Lord of Horn Hill, with Gilly, Little Sam, and their unborn child with him. That’s right, they’re having a kid; and if its a boy, they’ll name him after his best friend, Jon.

Jaime and Tyrion get blackmailed by Bronn into giving him Highgarden in exchange for not killing them. And since Jaime can’t stay away from Cersei, he ends up leaving Brienne and Winterfell to head back to King’s Landing. Hopefully to kill her.

That’s a jerk move, Jaime, and we get it. You used to be a huge jerk, but the fact that you’re owning up to it means you’re a better person than you think you are.

Tormund decides to take the Free Folk back up North now that the White Walkers are gone. With the hole in the Wall and the Night’s Watch having no reason to fight them anymore, they can come back whenever they want. And Jon decides to send Ghost with them so he can with the other direwolves (poor Ghost. No love anymore).

And right before he left, Jon did the one thing he shouldn’t have done: he told Sansa and Arya his heritage. And despite swearing not to tell anyone, Sansa tells Tyrion, who then tells Varys, who then rightfully says that it’s not a secret anymore. And now Varys is considering backing Jon instead; not because he’s the rightful heir (or because he’s a guy) but because Daenerys may not be suited anymore.

The Mother of Dragons has lost a lot since she came back to Westeros. Most of her original allies are gone, she lost one dragon, and she just found out she may not be the rightful Queen, after all. So what does the show do? Break her even further.

As soon as she returns to Dragonstone, Euron Greyjoy’s fleet ambushes her and wrecks her ships. Worse, they’ve mass-produced Qyburn’s Scorpion, and they use it to shoot Rhaegal out of the sky. In another blow to her mental state, they capture Missandei and, in the episode’s final moments, behead her as Daenerys watches from outside the city gates.

I saw the look of grief and rage in her eyes when Rhaegal died. It was like a fire that threatened to consume her. But the look she gave in the final shot of the episode scared me: it looked like she was one step away from losing her sanity.

What. The Heck, GoT? I know that the Targaryens have a history of mental instability, but I wanted to see Daenerys dodge it. Yet ever since she got back to Westeros, it feels like the show is determined to push her to becoming similar to her father. I’m not even sure I want her on the Throne anymore, but since I hate Cersei and Jon doesn’t want it, she may be the best chance we have left.

Regarding the question that I posed before, I think the answer that this episode gives us is a big no. Even after standing united in the face of death itself, humanity can’t help but turn on itself the moment the crisis is past. It’s sad to watch, and its made even more difficult by the fact that the people who survived the Great War may end up dying at each other’s hands. Which is as sad as seeing World War 1 Veterans die from the Flu.

But, that’s what Game of Thrones does. It messes with our expectations. Sometimes, they work. Other times, it doesn’t work. Here, I think it does both. Either way, though, this episode proves that even after a climatic war against death incarnate, Game of Thrones still has what it takes.

But I’m still upset at how Daenerys, Brienne, and Missandei get treated, so that brings down the experience.

I Give “Last of the Starks” a 3.5/5, at best

Stray Observations

• Cersei promised Bronn Riverrun. Last time I checked, Edmure Tully’s alive. Even if he wasn’t, he has a kid.
• The improbable travel speed of the dragons strikes again
• My reaction when Rhaegal died:

• I wished that Missandei chose to walk off the wall instead of letting herself get decaptitated. And I’m not the only one.

• Daenerys needs to find more dragon eggs. Unless Drogon turns out to be a girl.

• Why is the show not giving any love to the dire wolves? First we don’t get to see Ghost fight in the Battle of Ice and Fire, and now they’re setting him free north of The Wall?

• Who saw the coffee cup?

My 7 Favorite Scenes from Season Five of Game of Thrones

I will honest with you, people: I didn’t really like Season Five of Game of Thrones. I didn’t like the Dorne subplot, and I hated the Sparrows because they’re a bunch of religious fanatics. I’ve read enough of history to know how dangerous religious fanatics can be. And do I even have to mention what happened to Sansa? I can’t even watch that scene!

Yet despite being the worst season of Game of Thrones, the show still manages to give us some great scenes and memorable moments. With three days left until the final season premieres, who are my favorite moments from Season Five of Game of Thrones.

#7-Cersei Gets Arrested, “The Gift”

Ah, Cersei, too stupid to even realize that you’re in trouble. After finding herself being forced out of power by the Tyrells, Cersei attempts to turn the tables on them by backing the religious movement known as the Sparrows. Initially, her plan works, with Maragery and Loras Tyrell arrested by the Sparrows. It then backfires on her, though, when the Sparrows arrest her for all the crimes she’s committed.

While WatchMojo said that this moment was pratically cathartic, it just isn’t doing it for me. I hate Cersei so much, I doubt I’ll be satisfied unless I see her run out of Westeros or die on-screen. Since it’s being done by the religious fanatics of the Sparrows, I can’t get much satisfaction from it.

#6-Cersei’s Walk of Atonement, “Mother’s Mercy”

After being held captive by the Sparrows for who knows how long (I wasn’t paying attention), Cersei becomes so desperate to return to the Red Keep that she confesses to sleeping her cousin Lancel. The High Sparrow lets her leave, but she forces her to walk naked through the streets all the way back to the Red Keep . And the angry mob of people who jeer and pelt food at her.

As much as I love seeing Cersei get what’s coming to her, again, I could not get any enjoyment from this. I never thought I’d say it, but I actually felt bad for her. The sight of her bloodied and in tears was one of the most pitiful things I’ve ever seen. On the other hand, I’m impressed at how the show’s crew was able to pull this scene off. The way that they combined Lena Headey with her stunt double was well-executed.

#5-Stannis’ Army is Slaughtered, “Mother’s Mercy”

If you read the counterpart to this article, then you know that I did not shed any tears over seeing Stannis Baratheon die. What I did feel bad watching, though, was how easily his army was rundown by Ramsay Bolton. After being sabotaged by Ramsay Bolton, half of Stannis’ army deserted him for burning his only daughter alive. The remaining troops are then run down by Ramsay’s cavalry, while Stannis himself is killed by Brienne of Tarth.

As I said, I didn’t lose any sleep over watching Stannis die. Even so, I thought the way his army was destroyed so easily was sad. This was the man who almost took King’s Landing three seasons ago, dying in the frozen north. It shows just how far the man who could have been king had fallen.

#4- Theon rebels and Sansa Escapes, “Mother’s Mercy”

Thanks to Brienne being distracted by her quest for vengenance against Stannis, she’s not there to see Sansa give the signal for her to be rescued. As Sansa tries to return to her chambers before anyone knows she’s gone, Ramsay’s Harley Quinn, Myranda, and Theon corner him. Before Myranda can do anything, Theon throws her off the balcony. Right as Ramsay returns, Theon and Sansa jump off the walls into the snow below.

This scene’s important to both Sansa and Theon’s stories. The Sansa of Season One would have been too terrified of Myranda to move, but here she openly chooses to die rather than go back to Ramsay. As for Theon, his concern for Sansa’s enough to finally make him rebel against the man who had tortured him for years. It’s a very satisfying moment, and it pays off with both characters, for the first time in years, gaining back their freedom.

#3-Arya Avenges Syrio, “Mother’s Mercy”

Remember how in King’s Landing, Syrio had that awesome swordsmaster from Braavos, Syrio Forel. When Ser Meryn Trant tried to take Arya hostage, Syrio held Meryn and his thugs off with just a wooden sword while Arya escaped, losing his life in the process. Year later, while visiting a brothel in Braavos, Arya disguises herself as an underage prostitute (because that’s Meryn’s fetish) and stabs him to death.

How Ser Meryn got to be a Kingsguard is beyond me. I’m betting it has less to do with his swordskill and more with his ability to kiss people’s butts. After seeing him regularly beat up Sansa in King’s Landing, plus his lies at Tyrion’s trial, I was happy to see Arya kill him. It was another name that both of us could cross off our lists. That’s right, I have my own Game of Thrones hate list.

#2- Drogon Saves Daenerys, “The Dance of Dragons”

Some people just can’t let the past go. After outlawing slavery in Slaver’s Bay, Daenerys Targaryen finds herself facing a rebellion in the form of the Sons of the Harpy. To try and curb people’s concerns, Daenerys decides to re-open Mereen’s fighting pits, only for the Sons of the Harpy to attack en masse. Just when it looks like Daenerys and her allies will die, Drogon appears and drives away the assailants before flying off with his mother.

Since the previous season, Drogon had largely been absent from the show, having left on his own to fly around Essos while his brothers were chained up underneath Mereen. Despite briefly returning, Drogon left after his mother was safe, and wouldn’t appear again until the second half of Season Six. Oh, and he left Daenerys in a field to be captured by Dothraki. Nice job, Drogon.

#1-Massacre at Hardhome, “Hardhome”

I thought the Battles of the Blackwater and Castle Black were brutal, but this was some of the bloodiest fighting I’ve ever seen. While evacuating the Free Folk south of the Wall, the Free Folk settlement of Hardhome comes under attack by the White Walkers and their undead wights. Despite the best efforts of Hardhome’s warriors and the Night’s Watch, the settlement’s overrun.

This was one of the most terrifying moments in the entire show’s run. We had seen the wights in action before, but never in numbers this great. It was akin to seeing a medieval zombie apocalypse. The most terrifying part, though, was the Night King himself. Without saying a word, he quietly raised his arms and reanimated everyone who died as a wight. The fact that there was none of the show’s iconic music present highlighted the sheer terror of the evil that Jon would one day have to face.

Like my picks? What were the moments you liked? Tell me in the comments.

Click here to see the best deaths of the season.

The 6 biggest deaths from Season 3 of Game of Thrones

If I could divide Game of Thrones into a play or a movie series, then I think Season Three would be the end of the first part. One of the bloodiest seasons in the show, this saw a lot deaths across the board, with major, secondary, and minor characters all biting it. By season’s end, a lot of players had been taken out of the game.

Let’s just ignore the obvious pick for the number one spot, though, and remember that this season had a lot of other deaths. Here are the six biggest deaths for Season Three of Game of Thrones

#6- Ser Jeor Mormont, “And Now His Watch is Ended”

Ser Jeor Mormont was an important secondary character in the early seasons of the show. At the start, he was Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, becoming Jon Snow’s mentor, and even giving him his family’s sword, Longclaw. He essentially molded Jon into the leader that he would become. But Game of Thrones has a habit of killing off good men in awful ways. When members of the Night’s Watch mutiny at Craster’s Keep, Jeor is murdered by the mutineers in the process.

This death had a big impact on our two main characters in the Night’s Watch, Samwell and Jon. Without Jon or Jeor to protect him, Sam is forced to fight his own battles and become more of a warrior. As for Jon, Jeor’s faith in him proves to be well-placed, as he becomes the leader the Night’s Watch needs in the fight against Mance Rayder’s army, and eventually, one of the leaders Westeros needs for the fight against the White Walkers

#5- White Walker, “Second Sons”

In Season Two, Jon discovered that Craster had been sacrificing any sons his daugther-wives bore to the White Walkers in exchange for safety. Even after he was killed, the White Walkers intended to collect on that deal, coming after Gilly and her newborn son. Samwell Tarly managed to step up to protect the woman he loved, and slew the White Walker with a dragonglass dagger.

Aside from giving Sam the first of several badass moments, this was a pivotal moment in the show. Until now, the White Walkers appeared invincible. Having learned their weakness to dragonglass, Sam would bring that knowledge back to the Night’s Watch and humanity. That was the first step to preparing for the coming war against the White Walker.

#4- Beric Dondarrion, “Kissed by Fire”

After the Hound slays the leader of the Brotherhood without Banners, Lord Beric Dondarrion, in a Trial by Combat, everyone’s shocked to see Beric stand up, alive and unharmed. Apparently, the Red Priest, Thoros of Myr, has the power to bring Beric back from the dead. Even more shocking is the fact that this is the sixth time that he has done it.

Game of Thrones has already delved into the supernatural before: dragons, wights, White Walkers, and blood magic. But this was one of the craziest things that I had ever seen on the show. It started to make me believe that the Lord of Light may be real, and that he’s playing a role in the events of the show.

#3- Kraznys mo Nakloz, “And Now His Watch is Ended”

This man was one of the Good Masters, the Ruling Slave Master Elites of the city of Astapor. Under him, thousands of people were enslaved and subjected to horrible conditions. Then he made the mistake of trying to look down on Daenerys Targaryen. After tricking him into trading all of his Unsullied slaver-warriors in exchange for her dragon, Drogon, the Dragon Queen has him burned to death while the Unsullied kill all the other slave masters.

From the moment this man appeared, he had stuck his nose down on Daenerys, insulting her in Valryian and thinking she was just some stupid woman. The moment when he realizes that not only could she understand what he was saying, but tricked him, his face gives off a look of pure fear. We all shared that smug look on Daenerys’ face as Drogon barbecued the guy.

#2- Richard Karstark, “Kissed by Fire

When the North decides to declare itself independent, Rickard Karstark is one of the first of the Northern Lords to call Robb Stark the King in the North. As time went, his faith in his king waned. Frustrated at Robb’s decision to break his promise to marry Walder Frey’s daughter and losing two of his sons in the war, Rickard murdered two boys from House Lannister in cold blood. This led to Robb executing him for treason, but not before Rickard renounced him as his king.

While Rickard Karstark may have been a minor character, his death would have a big impact on the show. Without him, a good portion of Robb’s army left to return home, leaving him without enough men to continue fighting. This led Robb to return to ask Walder Frey for help, and that led to the horrible events that were to come..

#1- Everyone at the Red Wedding, “Rains of Castamare”

Where do we even begin with this? To start off, Walder Frey said he was willing to reopen his alliance with Robb Stark if his maternal uncle married one of his daughters. As it turns out, the wedding was a trap. The Freys, aided by the Stark’s own bannermen from House Bolton, turned on their guests, and slaughtered almost all of them. Just watch the video.

Even before I started watching Game of Thrones, I had heard about the Red Wedding. It’s one of the most famous moments in recent television history. A good part of the Stark characters were killed off, their army was destroyed, and the balance of power in Westeros had gone to the Lannisters. It also put all the people responsible for the massacre on my hate list. No other scene was as famous in Season Three as the Red Wedding.

Agree with my picks? Let me know what your favorite deaths were from this season

Click here for my favorite moments of Season Three.