Game of Thrones: 8.05 - The Bells

[REBerg]

I really liked that Tyrion used his rank to gain access to Jamie,

I really liked how he again demonstrated his impressive mastery of languages before one guard ended the linguistic pain with the condescending "We speak the common tongue."

 

[Al Jackson]

I really liked how he again demonstrated his impressive mastery of languages before one guard ended the linguistic pain with the condescending "We speak the common tongue."

That was funny, I suppose, some Unsullied spoke common tongue, show never implied that before.

 

[The Big Peat]

I honestly think people have not been getting the trail of breadcrumbs with regards to Danny.

I agree, I saw it coming... but if a lot of people have missed the trail of breadcrumbs, then it needed to be bigger.


I have to say that, apart from the sudden unexpected competence of Dany at dragon warfare and the utter waste of Jaime's arc, I loved that episode.

 

[Susan Boulton]

I agree, I saw it coming... but if a lot of people have missed the trail of breadcrumbs, then it needed to be bigger.


I have to say that, apart from the sudden unexpected competence of Dany at dragon warfare and the utter waste of Jaime's arc, I loved that episode.

I feel if they were any bigger, folks would be moaning it was too obvious. It's a balancing act, and to be honest there are always going to be folk that complain that the story did not go the way they they wanted it too.

As for Dany's Dragon warfare, I think she just let it go, her command of it has always been shaky I feel, like having a pet tiger.

I rather liked Jamie's arc. It fitted. Came into the world together, went out together.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Not to mention she doesn’t have any heirs. Since when has she ever been about future generations? It was always about her personal right.

Yes, at least from the book, she is barren.

But technically, since Daenerys legitimised Gendry to be Lord of the Storm lands, he is partially related to the Targaryen line and would, I guess be next in line after Jon and herself. Does the TV show do the Blackfyres?

 

[Phyrebrat]

I also wondered about the sudden improved tactics of the dragon attack.

ph

 

[REBerg]

I honestly think people have not been getting the trail of breadcrumbs with regards to Danny.

Some may have seen but refused to follow the trail in the hope that it was either intentionally misleading or that Dany might overcome her genetic predisposition and thwart her dark side.

 

[Ursa major]

I feel if they were any bigger, folks would be moaning it was too obvious.

I thought it was a thing (in, for instance, murder mysteries) to have the reader think back after they've read/seen the dénouement and say to themselves, "How did I miss that? It seems obvious now," rather than blame the author/director for not spelling it all out for them without the least hint of subtlety.

 

[Venusian Broon]

What do you good people think of the rumour, buoyed by strange betting patterns that Bran will be the one that ends up on the Iron throne?

 

[The Big Peat]

Then maybe it still wasn't obvious and the balancing act was wrong. It's up to the writer to sell it and clearly a lot of people haven't been buying.

 

[REBerg]

What do you good people think of the rumour, buoyed by strange betting patterns that Bran will be the one that end up on the Iron throne?

His three-eyed-raven powers would make him an infallible judge for the cases brought before him.

 

[Koopa]

bran as king would be terrible. dude is a living zombie

 

[anno]

Was the breadcrumbs related to Danni kicking everybodyelses ass?
Go Danni, go Danni,go Danni!!!!!
(I’m 55.)

 

[svalbard]

Dare I say it. A brilliant episode and for me right up there with the best. As Susan pointed out in her post this was building for Dany although I did not believe the show runners would go there to the extent they did.

Still some tactical issues with the Golden Company lining up outside the walls, similar to to what we have seen in earlier battles. You wouldn't catch me in any of those armies.

Anyway need time to ponder what I have just watched.

 

[svalbard]

What do you good people think of the rumour, buoyed by strange betting patterns that Bran will be the one that ends up on the Iron throne?

I can't see it. Even from his last words in the previous episode where he claims 'I live in the past'. There is a meaning to those words but cannot fathom what it is.

 

[Dave]

Well, that didn't go the way I expected. I felt sure that either Dany or Jon would die, so solving the problem. From the fact that Dany and Cersei were trending on Twitter earlier today I thought.... well, usually when someone trends on Twitter you think the worst!

[Dany] argued that the people Cercei had locked inside the walls were there in their own will, and therefore supporting tyranny. But her suggestion of only accepting her in the Iron Throne is tyranny. To be honest, this makes want to melt down that throne and possibly replace it was something more elegant.

She may have let loose and released all her pent up tension, but it wasn't a very clever move for someone who really needs to win friends and influence people. Nor was killing Varys. He is still a useful person even after he betrays you.

I honestly think people have not been getting the trail of breadcrumbs with regards to Danny. She had, even in exile, been taught of her family's birthright. Who she was, what blood ran in her veins. She had also learned that women were, "second class," just useful tools of the male members of her family. Her brother, and her first husband. (and don't tell me that was love, it was first him using her, then Danny learning to use him, and in the end, on destroying the council, his people) Men have been in various guises through out the series, the enemy, if not in reality, then in her eyes. Useful, yes, but not trustworthy, even Ser Jorah Mormont . She used his love for her from the beginning, in the beginning by survival instinct, then later consciously. As she has grown in power, she has begun to believe she is the not only the rightful Queen, but only she has all the answers to the problems of the seven kingdoms. To her, Jon at first useful, and attractive. Is it love, no, I don't think so, maybe she believed she loved him, but he became a threat, once she found out his birthright. It made her second class again. All this not only challenges her belief that she is the rightful Queen, he is also a man. Danny has displayed at times, in the last three series very narcissistic tendencies at times. How many shots has there been of her looking at herself, measuring her expressions, and the affect she has on others.

I can't argue with that. Is this meant to be some kind of moral that can also be applied to our own world? That even good people can be brought down by power. That power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But technically, since Daenerys legitimised Gendry to be Lord of the Storm lands, he is partially related to the Targaryen line and would, I guess be next in line after Jon and herself.

I did have an idea that everyone gets killed - all the Starks, Lanisters and Targaryens - and the only person left at the end with any noble blood would be Gentry, the blacksmith. That would be kind of fitting.

 

[Al Jackson]

Dare I say it. A brilliant episode and for me right up there with the best. As Susan pointed out in her post this was building for Dany although I did not believe the show runners would go there to the extent they did.

Still some tactical issues with the Golden Company lining up outside the walls, similar to to what we have seen in earlier battles. You wouldn't catch me in any of those armies.

Anyway need time to ponder what I have just watched.

Yeah , The Golden Company, The Smolden Company, that was as useless a plot point as Dorne. I was surprised Miguel Sapochnik strong point has been on-the-battle-field action, Hardhome , Battle of the Bastards, now Long Night looks good, this was so perfunctory I don't know why they had the GC at all!

 

[Al Jackson]

I was entertained by this episode , however it did not undercut my expectations, so that is disappointing.
With only one episode left , everything is so focused, that in 80 min. there are going to be a ton of loose ends.

 

[L.L.Lotte]

I feel kind of cheated in this episode:

• Cersei's death being nothing more than a casualty of Daenerys unchecked rampage.
• Arya getting to the Red Keep only to turn around and leave without achieving anything.
• The battle just being too easy for Daenerys's forces. They went to the effort of showing just how decimated Daenerys's army was, and then made their victory a landslide against all odds.
• The Golden Company having no plot at all other than to make people think Cersei had a fighting chance.
• I think Euron was also cheated on by the writers by making his fight against the dragon and his ships so pathetically one-sided.

I'm at odds about Jamie. It is kind of like a Romeo Juliet scene, him going out with Cersei, and I'm somewhat fine with that, but its something that will highly likely be different in the books, and because of that, I feel like he also was cheated.

But in saying all that... revisiting Arya being cheated of her attempt to assassinate Cersei... I can see that they put her in the position of being out in the city, trying to survive while watching all the innocent people around her murdered by Daenerys. They put the groundwork in there for Arya to put Daenerys right at the top of her list. No doubt in the last episode, Arya will at least try to kill Daenerys -- The anger in Arya's expression in the preview of the final episode backs that up. It is just a question of whether or not Jon will stand in her way. It would be a big stretch for me to believe that Jon will fulfill the prophecy of Azar Ahai. That plot died along with Millisandre -- there are no characters that believe in R'hllor left in the story for him to lead.

I think Jon is a little too stubborn and still a little bit innocent for his own good. Even after what happened this episode, it would still take a lot more for him to turn on Daenerys. There is some doubt there in his mind now though. We did see how he looked at Daenerys during Varys's execution. It wasn't a look of "I'm going to betray you," but it did look like he started to consider the possibility that maybe something has gone wrong with Daenerys. The razing of Kings Landing will of course reinforce that, there can be no doubt now that he knows Daenerys is broken psychologically. But Jon is a good person, the best of people. A younger version of Eddard Stark. And the same thing that got Eddard killed will likely get Jon killed as well.

What do you good people think of the rumour, buoyed by strange betting patterns that Bran will be the one that ends up on the Iron throne?

Very doubtful that could ever happen. I think people are hoping the show will be just as complex with its secrets/twists as the books were. IMO, without the source material of the books to go by, the writers of the show aren't really up to the task of doing such big twists -- unless GRRM told them to.

The only way I see it possible is if everybody dies, literally -- which is actually possible. Jon and Tyrion could easily be executed by Daenerys in the next episode. It would make sense that Jon goes out the same way Eddard Stark did, bringing the show around full circle, back to season 1. And in retaliation, Arya would kill Daenerys.

But the dragon is the problem. Without Daenerys to control it, what would happen? And would the dragon just sit back and let Arya kill Daenerys? It's not like there is any way left to kill a dragon.

Then maybe it still wasn't obvious and the balancing act was wrong. It's up to the writer to sell it and clearly a lot of people haven't been buying.

There will always be people who don't understand plots and details, even if they are the most obvious ever. That's what these discussion threads are for, so that people can discuss and explain bits that each other might have missed.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Okay have saw it.

My predictions- the Lannisters are all still standing and that family saga will play out next time. Jaime’s arc might yet be saved!

Dany has been predicted and this isn’t poor character development but actually the bittersweet element. Varys said it: you don’t know what side of the coin you’ll get. She has an inherited mental illness and tried so hard to fight it. It’s a tragedy and will play out like that, I reckon. Arya still has a queen to kill and she is pissed (Lotte - I think that was her role, to bear witness to the awfulness and then act)


Jon could win. He will not take the throne.

My money is moving to the North and Sansa. She’s the only sane one amongst them.

Or Bron. Bron for the throne! Huzzah!