Game of Thrones (season 8)

[SebastianBlue]

Even if they did tie up all those characters, even if they have one last amazing battle scene , even if the dialogue is great and they do everything perfect ... it won’t matter.

The same usual people will still moan.

I’ll have you know there’s nothing “usual” about me!

 

[Citizen in Pakistan]

The biggest flaw imo is they paced the show for 10 seasons till season 7 and then cramed everything in season 8. Its a let down.

 

[meltonblue]

Thought as a spectacle, it was a stunning watch. I do think they’ve forgotten why GoT was rated so highly in the first place though, which was the complexity of the characters and how every word and decision had a consequence - the journey up to the payoffs were the best bits. Now, I think they’re struggling to do those characters justice (Tyrion, Varys and Jaime in particular) and instead it’s stuff happens, then a big battle that goes on slightly longer than it needs to, then stuff happens again.

I still really enjoy it as I’m so invested in it and I hope the last episode at least gives a satisfactory ending. I wish they’d done two ten part seasons to finish though and give a bit more time (end of the night king should have been the last three eps of the last season, then all this season could have been all about the main characters).

There’s going to be at least a couple of characters they won’t get chance to resolve fully.

 

[Henkeman]

The spectacle was great, and there's nothing wrong with that.

The problem they have is that they've carefully built the characters and their machinations, and now they're killing them off without giving any meaning to the deaths. Varys could have been done away with at any time over the last five years for that. Having played the game from behind the scenes with expertise he suddenly went "bollocks to it, I don't care who knows". Not really.

Same with the twins. It lacked having a meaning in the face of what had gone on for seven and a half seasons, while Daenarys has spent all that time being the liberator and chosen one, and turned into Saddam Hussein inside five minutes after a dragon and a handmaiden got the chop.

It's still not awful by any stretch. It's still fine TV. But it can't help but feel that about four of the previous seasons could have been chopped out at this kind of pace. It's been a game of chess for years and has suddenly morphed into Aussie Rules football.

 

[Saddleworth2]

For me Series 8 has been teetering on the brink so far with some undoubtedly fine action and excitement but poor character and plot development. Episode 5 made my mind up. It was poor, poor, poor. There was so much potential for great scenes between the main protagonists that (with a couple of exceptions) were missed. Very disappointed.

 

[Saddleworth2]

The spectacle was great, and there's nothing wrong with that.

The problem they have is that they've carefully built the characters and their machinations, and now they're killing them off without giving any meaning to the deaths. Varys could have been done away with at any time over the last five years for that. Having played the game from behind the scenes with expertise he suddenly went "bollocks to it, I don't care who knows". Not really.

Same with the twins. It lacked having a meaning in the face of what had gone on for seven and a half seasons, while Daenarys has spent all that time being the liberator and chosen one, and turned into Saddam Hussein inside five minutes after a dragon and a handmaiden got the chop.

It's still not awful by any stretch. It's still fine TV. But it can't help but feel that about four of the previous seasons could have been chopped out at this kind of pace. It's been a game of chess for years and has suddenly morphed into Aussie Rules football.

Completely agree. Tyrion has morphed into Goofy who’s only line seems to be ‘sorry, I made a mistake (again)’ what the hell?
The fall of Danny from being the ‘breaker of chains’ to the wicked witch of the west has been criminally underwritten and given Emilia Clarke little opportunity to prove that she can be a fine dramatic actor. We have had a fair bit of flairing of nostrils to indicate she is not best pleased but that is piss poor after 8 series. Such a shame.

 

[Lee1983]

So Danaery’s decided she needed to rule by fear as she has no respect or claim to the throne, in Westoros. She’s the mad queen and I always thought it would happen. The signs were there early in the series. Poor bastards, naming your Kid after the mad queen haha.

I’m not betting on Cersei being toast just yet either...

 

[without a dream]

Completely agree. Tyrion has morphed into Goofy who’s only line seems to be ‘sorry, I made a mistake (again)’ what the hell?
The fall of Danny from being the ‘breaker of chains’ to the wicked witch of the west has been criminally underwritten and given Emilia Clarke little opportunity to prove that she can be a fine dramatic actor. We have had a fair bit of flairing of nostrils to indicate she is not best pleased but that is piss poor after 8 series. Such a shame.

She has always had this aspect to her character, she's still a kid all the advisors she actually liked and trusted are dead, she's lost two of her dragons, she's been 'betrayed' by the person she loves and she knows that she's not loved by the people on this side of the sea. I don't really get the idea that this is somehow out of character or even particularly unexpected.

 

[Henkeman]

She has always had this aspect to her character, she's still a kid all the advisors she actually liked and trusted are dead, she's lost two of her dragons, she's been 'betrayed' by the person she loves and she knows that she's not loved by the people on this side of the sea. I don't really get the idea that this is somehow out of character or even particularly unexpected.

She's just deliberately murdered thousands of innocent people. If that's not out of character, what has she been doing all this time? And why are all these supposedly intelligent characters following her?

 

[FCBarca]

Was busy enough yesterday that I averted any spoilers before watching with my wife last night - we both agreed these battle sequences are far too long & intense but hey, it's GoT

Personally, this was nearly a 'jump the shark' sort of episode with Danaerys' red mist all too conveniently fitting the Targaeryan narrative of all being mad