Frewns (GoT S8E3 SPOILERS)

Wow. What a ride. And I didn’t forsee the Arya jump at all, and then when it happened I thought, wow, they’re killing Arya off (which I didn’t expect) as well as Bran (which I did), so who’s going to kill Cersei then, and then she hit the Kill Switch Ex Machina and just like that all the white walkers and the whole existential threat thing was gone. Cillit Bang has nothing on La Starkette. This at least explains That Look Bran gave Arya when he gave her the knife last season.

We got to see Little Lyanna Mormont as a wight – a truly terrifying prospect – and she went out like a boss beforehand. Jorah had a hero’s death, as did Theon, and Edd a more realistic one (inasmuch as anyone killed by reanimated dead people in a mystical ice storm armed with dragonglass and under an aerial battle being fought by two live and one undead dragons could be considered to have a realistic death). Mel went out like she promised. I’m genuinely surprised Brienne and, I think, Gendry AND Grey Worm made it through. I thought all three were toast.

The character scenes, such as they were, were beautifully drawn and the changes in focus – strategic overview to up close and personal, overweening chaos and death to terror barely contained in near-silence – kept it interesting. I thought it good that they threw in the “dragon queen” piece and another sign of shifting political loyalties: I think Tyrion will betray Dany and side with Sansa/Jon when push comes to shove.

WHERE WERE THE FUCKING DIREWOLVES?

All the religions played a part in bringing us to this point: Mel quoted Sylvio Forel (“what do we say to the God of Death”) but it was that God who trained her; the Lord of Light who worked Mel’s tricks and revived Beric so that he could fulfil his role of keeping Arya alive so she could kill the Night King; the old gods who worked through Bran to set the whole thing up. I think that’s interesting because GRRM has said that no religion in his universe is “true”, but magic is definitely real (obviously).

I think both Dany’s dragons survived and I guess we now pivot to Jon-Dany-Sansa-Cersei and all that jazz. I’m surprised – I expected a heavy defeat for The Good Guys this time and a big Final Battle with the Walkers in ep 5. I like being surprised 😊 I did expect more Big Name Deaths, and feel they’ve wussed out there again; but I suspect some more might be coming in the remaining episodes.

All the previews and so on have been for the episodes we’ve already had – we really are in blind territory for the last three, which is excellent. Bring it on.

Posted By: Old Man, Apr 29, 07:28:21