RJ Writing Ink

I’ve been putting this off for three weeks now, and I can’t take it anymore. Game of Thrones is over, and I need to talk about the show some more!

To say Game of Thrones is the biggest show of the decade would be an understatement; it’s one of the biggest shows of all time. It’s changed our culture in ways that few stories have ever done. The tens of millions of fans, references and parodies by other shows, works by scholars; I could go on! Not to mention that the places they used to film the show got significant boosts in tourism. Croatia and Northern Ireland have websites dedicated to Game of Thrones tourism.

What I’m saying is that this GoT has gotten a lot of love, and that’s why the final season was so divisive. Its sad feeling seeing a story you love end in an unsatisfying manner, and for some, it can sour an otherwise good memory. I’ve spent the past three weeks thinking about that, and I want to give my answer to this question:

Is Game of Thrones Still a Good Show?

The Plot

Few adaptations are capable of carrying over everything from their source material, and Game of Thrones is no exception. The show took liberties with the source material from day one, but they were never too drastic. Some characters got aged up, appearances changed for casting purposes, things like that. As time went on, though, it began to deviate from the books.

Martin gave Weiss and Benioff an outline of how he was going to end the books, and that’s what they used for Season 6 onwards. Which is good and all, but I’m not alone when I say this: they made the final two seasons too short. HBO tried to go for quality over quantity with fewer episodes, but by doing so, they lost both. I liked Season 7, but it was one big event after another. That may work on paper, but in truth, we need extra time to flesh the story out. In short, they should have stayed at the ten episode mark.

You have to admit; though, even at its worst, GoT is still enjoyable to watch. The casting’s amazing, the music is world-class, and the special effects are incredible. It speaks to the high quality of the show when the worst of it is still fun to watch. I still hate Dorne, though.

The Worries about the White Walkers

Depending on how you look at it, the White Walkers are either the best or the worst thing about Game of Thrones. Despite coming from the book, the White Walkers are more of the show’s work. They’re hardly shown in the book, and they don’t have as significant a role as in the show; not yet, at least.

The reason why its a problem is because the show spent so much time building them up as the ultimate big bad of the show. I even considered all the power plays in Westeros as distractions to weaken them for the war against the dead. By Season 7, it was all I cared about. Then in one episode, it ended thanks to the most badass woman in the show, Arya Stark.

I realized then that prophecies in Game of Thrones are worthless. So much Jon being the one to save the day. Then again, since Game of Thrones likes subverting expectations about fantasy, this wouldn’t be out of the question.

Its Take on Medieval Fantasy

Before George R.R. Martin, people would think of medieval fantasy being something like Lord of the Rings or Ivanhoe. Noble heroes fight against evil, epic battles of magic and things. Game of Thrones takes all that and splashes it with a ridiculous dose of reality.

In real life, the medieval world was more or less the same as life has always been: violent and as filled with jerks as it is with good people. More to the point, it’s not a black and white story, either; its grey. As in real life, people sometimes have to do bad things to survive or achieve their goals. As a student of history who has seen some messed up things, I appreciate the fact that they don’t sugar coat anything.

My favorite moment was still The Battle of the Bastards.

My Verdict

So, was the finale to Game of Thrones not what we expected? Yes. Though, the show may have ended up falling victim to its hype. It had become the most excellent show on TV, so expectations for the final season were high, maybe too high ever to meet.

Does the finale make it any less of a show as a whole, though? I can honestly say that, no, it doesn’t.

The show had its fair share of controversies and bad moments before the final season came around, yet it kept going through it all. When you look back on it as a whole, it’s still an incredible story; one of the best stories humanity has ever told, in my opinion. I am upset that we never got to see Jon slay the Night King as I wanted, or Arya kills Cersei, but we can’t get everything. It may have tripped at the finish line, but I still think that Game of Thrones is worth watching. If you don’t agree, then I respect that.

Team Stark 4 Life, people!

One last thing! Did you guys know that there’s a hand-woven tapestry that depicts the events of the show? I’m serious! Located in a museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the Game of Thrones Tapestry was modeled after the Bayeux Tapestry in France. It has all the big moments from the show on it up to the end of Season 7, and they’ll be adding the final season soon. Click the link below to see the website about it:

Cool Game of Thrones Tapestry

Game of Thrones, Season 8, Episode 3 Review

Again, I have to apologize for this. You’d think with how much I love Game of Thrones, this would be the highest priority. But then I worry that I won’t write it right, stuff piles up, and this happens.

More to the point, I needed a couple of days to process what happened. The show had been building up to this moment since the very first scene. Then HBO said that this was going to rival the Battle of Helm’s Deep in the Lord of the Rings films. That this was going to be the longest continous battle in television history. Game of Thrones had a lot to ride on. The question is, were they able to live up to the hype?

The short answer is, yes and no. To better explain, let’s head back to the start of “The Long Night”.

As stated last episode, the army at Winterfell can’t win a head on fight. Numbers aside, the enemy has no fear or rational thinking. The plan is to lure the Night King to Bran, then Jon and Daenerys will swoop in on Drogon and Rhaegal and kill him.

Right away, things don’t go the way I expected when Melisandre shows up. I had a hunch that she would show up, but instead of bringing a couple thousand Red Priests as help, it’s only her.

I wanted to see the Red Priests play a role in the Great War since they talked about fighting the darkness. In the end, though, I had to settle with Melisandre lighting all the Dothraki’s swords on fire, which was awesome.

For a brief moment, I thought that things would work out as the Dothraki charged at the enemy. Then I remembered that this was Game of Thrones.

This is what I thought when I saw the Dothraki’s swords go out one by one:

Then the plan falls apart when Daenerys charges into battle anyway. We all get where she’s coming from, but she has a history of letting her emotions get the best of her.

When the Wights appear out of darkness, I thought it was like watching a wave of evil crashing on a shore. It was terrifying to watch, but it would have been scarier if we could actually see them!

I don’t know if they wanted to make the moment even more terrifying, but it was pointless if we couldn’t see a thing. I hope HBO fixes that in future releases. Thank god we had Drogon and Rhaegal to light it up. But then the dragons and their riders got caught in a snowstorm the Night King created.

From that moment on, the battle turned into a scene from hell. Fires burning in the distance, the dim lights, and the snow looked like ash. That was a good way to use the low lights; it conveyed a sense of terror, a feeling of true hopelessness.

When faced with despair, the cast reacted in different ways, but the one who took it best was Arya Stark. She was by far the best fighter in the episode, killing dozens of wights, sneaking past them, and being a master assassin. Then the one moment when she almost gave up, all it took was Melisandre reminding her what Syrio Forel said.

What do we say to death? Not today.

There were plenty of awesome moments in this episode, but aside from Arya proving she was co-mvp, the biggest was the fight against the Night King. In the series’ lore, the last time the world had seen dragons fight each other was in the Dance of Dragons 150 years ago. The fight, while short, didn’t disappoint, and the heroes almost beat the Night King.

Then we saw that it was all a red herring. As it turns out, not even dragonfire can stop the Night King, and seeing him just smirking in the flames scared me. A LOT. Then when I saw Jon chasing after the Night King, I thought, like many people, that this was it. the fight between Jon and the Night King that we had waited for all this time.

As much of a buzzkill that was, I have to give the show props for making the Night King smart enough to not fight Jon. Jon would need one hit to end him, and with him pinned by Viserion, that wasn’t happening.

Despite all their efforts, it looked like the Night King was going to win. The heroes were on their last legs or too far away from Bran to save him. Then I realized something: we hadn’t seen Arya in a while, and I realized what was about to happen.

A master assassin only needs one moment to strike. And while the White Walkers were focused on Bran, Arya reminded us what we say to death: not today.
Just like that, it was over. With one lightning stike, Arya had slain the Night King. It’s ironic that she used the blade that had caused her family so much.
I hereby dub Arya “Arya Stark the Nightkiller”.

As the credits rolled, so many thoughts raced through my head. I loved seeing Arya become the Nightkiller, but it also felt a little anti-climactic, and disappointing that we didn’t get an epic sword fight between Jon and the Night King. Then again, this is Game of Thrones, and Game of Thrones is all about taking the medieval fantasy and throwing it on its head. So, it makes sense, in a way. And it cements Arya Stark as one of the best assassin’s in fictional history.

So in the end, was this the battle that HBO promised us? It did live up to the hype at times, but it was also hindered by the poor lighting, and the ending seems anti-climactic. But let’s not forget that while the White Walkers were always going to be a major plot point, they weren’t going to be the end all for the show. This show has always been about one thing: the Throne and who sits on it. And while I may have some issues with the episode, I will not deny that I was entertained from start to finish.

Valar Morguhils

I Give “The Long Night” A 3/5. Fix the darn lighting already, and give me the head of Cersei

Stray Observations

• Just once, couldn’t we just let Ghost fight in a battle? For god’s sake, we don’t even see him again
• A lot of people agree that the “tactics” the living used were idiotic.
• I’m almost tempted to just bail on the show now that the White Walker’s are dead. Only thing keeping me here is the hope of seeing Cersei dead.
• RIP House Mormont, Beric Dondarrion, Melisandre, Dolorous Edd, Qono, and Theon Greyjoy. You didn’t die in vain.

The 6 Biggest deaths from Season Seven of Game of Thrones

If the first three seasons of Game of Thrones were the first act, and seasons four through six were the second, then Seasons Seven and Eight are the final act. With the Great War upon the Seven Kingdoms and all who live in them, Season Seven was about putting all the remaining players and pieces of the game into their roles. It also meant clearing away the pieces that weren’t needed for the war to come.

One day remains until the final season of Game of Thrones, and we are going to look at the six biggest deaths of the penultimate season to this legendary show.

#7- House Frey, “Dragonstone”

In the opening scene of Season Seven, there appears to be a flashback of Walder Frey meeting with his sons to discuss House Frey’s plans for the winter. After a quick toast, he then reminds them how they murdered Robb Stark, his army, his wife and unborn child, and mother at the Red Wedding. One by one, the Freys fall to ground, spewing up blood from drinking poisoned wine. It’s then that we see that “Walder Frey” was, in fact, Arya Stark wearing Walder’s face.

While I was already satisifed with the masterminds behind the Red Wedding dead, Arya took it a step further and wiped out everyone who took part in the massacre. The fact that it’s not revealed until the end that it was Arya in disguise was a very satisfying twist. What makes this even cooler, though, is what Arya tells the women who witnessed what happened: that the North remembers, and that winter came for House Frey. That last line’s turns House Stark’s words into not only a warning of bad times will eventually come, but a threat to anyone who incurs House Stark’s wrath.

#6- Olenna Tyrell, “The Queen’s Justice”

After her entire family is killed when Cersei blew up the Sept of Baelor, House Tyrell’s was doomed to extinction, and Olenna Tyrell knew it. So, she decided that she would take Cersei down before she died, allying with House Targaryen to get revenge. Sadly, Jaime Lannister is one step ahead of her, and marches the Lannister army on Highgarden before she can rally her forces, then allowing her to commit suicide by poison.

Olenna Tyrell was one of my favorite characters in the entire show, and I was really sad to see her go. She dished out the best insults! But my sorrow turned to joy when Olenna used her final moments to troll Cersei one last time. She let Jaime and Cersei know that she was the one who killed Joffrey. She may have died, but she got the last laugh!

#5- Randyll Tarly, “Eastwatch”

Despite claiming to be a man of honor and loyalty, when Jaime offered House Tarly the chance to become the new Wardens of the South, Randyll Tarly turned on Olenna Tyrell. Forutnatley, he didn’t get to live long enough to enjoy his new status. After being capture by Daenerys’ army at the Kingsroad, Daenerys burns him and his son Dickon for refusing to bend the knee

This one’s on here less because it helped drive the plot forward, and more because of personal feelings. From the moment I saw Randyll Tarly, I hated him and his Q-ball hairdo. He was a cruel and abusive father who constantly bullied his son Sam because he couldn’t fit his idea of what it means to be a man. He even went so far as to tell Sam that if he didn’t join the Night’s Watch, he would make sure he would “accidentally” die on a hunt.

What’s more, he was also racist, deriding Gilly once he found she was a wildling, and calling her “a thing”. If I were there, I would walk right up to him, punch him square across the jaw, and tell him “Sam may not be perfect, but whatever his faults, he’s more of a man than you’ll ever be”. I’m only sorry that Dickon died with him.

#4- Ellaria and Tyene Sand, “The Queen’s Justice”

When we first met Ellaria, she was Oberyn’s lover and the mother of their children, the Sand Snakes. After the Mountain killed Oberyn, Ellaria became filled with hatred and became determined to destroy Cersei, even killing her innocent daughter, Myrcella, and Oberyn’s brother and nephew to seize power in Dorne. This comes back to bite her when she and her daughter are captured by Euron Greyjoy. Cersei then sentences Ellaria to life in prison, watching as her daughter dies from the same poison used to kill Myrcella.

I may have felt genuinely bad for Ellaria and the Sand Snakes for Oberyn’s death, but that turned to disgust when they murdered Myrcella and their own family. Ellaria was so consumed by her hatred for Cersei that she became that which she hates the most. Ellaria may not have died, but her character’s been written out of the show, so she’s basically dead. And personally, I think that she and her daughter got what they deserved.

#2- Viserion, “Beyond the Wall”

After Jon leads an expedition beyond the Wall to capture a wight as proof of the threat of the Night, they are cornered by his army. Somehow, Daenerys gets word of it in time, and, through the magic of plot convenience, shows up with Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion to rescue Jon’s group. Before anyone can react, though, the Night King wields a icy javelin, takes aim, and pierces Viserion straight through the chest.

I knew for a long time that the three dragons were going to be a major factor in the war against the White Walkers It’s probably why they hatched when Daenerys’ family failed so many times. But I never thought that the White Walkers would be able to kill a dragon so easily. I shared the look on the group’s faces: shock, then howling rage, and then sadness.

The worst part is that even though he’s dead, Viserion’s not gone. The Night King brought him back as a wight, and it seems he’s more powerful than he was in life. If Drogon and Rhaegal were to fight him now, they could end up losing. I hope that they do not.

#1- Littlefinger, “The Dragon and the Wolf”

Given everything that has happened since Season One, it’s easy to forget how the entire show started with the death of one man: Jon Arryn, King Robert’s Hand and Lord of the Vale. The mystery of his death didn’t even get solved until Season Four when Lysa admitted to poisoning her husband on Littlefinger’s command. And that was before the show even started.

Since then, Littlefinger continued to work in the shadows to amass more power, but all his schemes come undone when he tries to turn Arya and Sansa against each other. With their knowledge, and the fact that Bran can use his greensight to see everything, they finally corner him for everything:

• Getting Lysa Arryn to murder Jon Arryn
• Getting Lysa to lie to Catelyn and Ned, saying that the Lannister’s were behind Jon’s murder
• Betraying Ned Stark and letting him be wrongfully executed
• Murdering Lysa Arryn to gain power in the Vale
• Trying to turn the Stark children against each other.

With the overwhelming evidence, Arya then executes the snake using his Valyrian Steel Dagger, avenging the tens of thousands of deaths that he brought about.

Littlefinger has been on my “GOT Hate List” since I started watching the show, and next Cersei and Euron, he was the one I wanted to see die the most in Season Seven. When I saw the stunned look on his face as Sansa and Arya outed him, I grinned from ear to ear. When he finally died, I wanted to shout out, “YES!! HE’S GONE! HE’S FINALLY GONE!!! I’M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW, I DON’T EVEN CARE THAT CERSEI’S STILL ALIVE!!!!”

That was one of the best moments of my life. The only thing that can top it is seeing Cersei Lannister bite it in the final season.

Do you agree with my picks? Were you as happy as me to see Littlefinger die?

Click here to see my favorite moments from Season Seven

If you guys want to see which characters have the best odds of survival in the final season, click here. It will take you to a website featuring an advanced algorithm that predicts who survives.

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.