This is a Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5 review written live as the episode airs. So this post will be showing live reactions to plot twists and events. This post will have major spoilers for Season 8 Episode 5. I’ve been nervous about tonight ever since Episode 4 ended with the devastating death of Missandei (poor Grey Worm!) and the heartwrenching death of Rhaegal. There was no good reason for Euron’s sneak attack (and I’m not buying the “Dany forgot” explanation from the behind-the-scenes interview.) In addition, I just can’t see Daenerys going down the Mad King path. Her father wanted to destroy his own people so no one else, good or bad, could rule them. Dany’s just not like that. And I’m still really sad about Ghost. :( [UPDATE: This intro didn’t age well, but I’m not changing it.] But it’s time to move on from last week’s heartbreak and face this week bravely. What was it that Sansa said? “None of us can do anything. That’s the truth. That’s the most heroic thing we can do now: look the truth in the face.” It’s a nice reflection of how I feel as a fan watching the final season. So here we go. The episode begins with Varys writing a letter about Jon’s lineage and being the true heir to the Iron Throne. One of his “little birds” tells him that Daenerys isn’t eating (she doesn’t name her, but that’s the assumption.) Jon Snow arrives at Dragonstone and Varys greets him. Varys tells him Dany hasn’t seen anyone or accepted any food. “She shouldn’t be alone,” Jon says. Varys says he’s worried for everyone because she’s a Targaryen. Jon’s not impressed with Varys’ riddles. But Jon is clear that he does NOT want the throne. Varys just won’t take no for an answer. “You will rule wisely and well while she…” “She is my queen,” Jon corrects Varys. Good for Jon. I get so mad at everyone who doesn’t trust Dany after all this time. Tyrion approaches Dany. She guesses someone has betrayed her and thinks it’s Jon. Umm, no. It’s Varys, Tyrion says. But Dany says the fact that Varys knows the truth about Jon’s lineage is a bad sign because it means that Jon told Sansa. “He betrayed me,” Dany says. But Tyrion says that as her hand he needed to know. Dany’s mad that Tyrion spoke to Varys first, but Tyrion says it was a mistake. She also points out that Sansa trusted Tyrion to spread secrets that could destroy Dany. Dany’s not wrong. Tyrion apologizes. “Our intentions were good.” Honestly, Tyrion’s defense of Varys and Sansa is bugging me. Jon didn’t betray Dany because he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but Varys and Sansa are being ridiculous in my opinion… Dany is grieving. People need to realize that and act accordingly. She lost her child AND her best friends. Grey Worm arrives to arrest Varys. It has to be done. Varys is espousing treason at this point. Tyrion is there, watching, as they take him outside late at night. Dany is there with Jon by her side. She’s still painstakingly heartbroken, you can see it on her face. “It was me,” Tyrion tells Varys. “I hope I deserve this,” Varys says. “I hope I’m wrong.” We all do Varys. OMG GUYS LEAKED PIC OF DROGON BURNING VARYS OTMFNFHDJSJ pic.twitter.com/BXSCEhSo24 — daenerys is baby (@daeneryswrath) May 10, 2019 Dany lists her titles to Varys, with Drogon menacingly behind her, and sentences Varys to die. “Dracarys,” she says quietly. Drogon rises up, terrifyingly, and burns Varys. He’s dead. WOW. For some reason that is the most scared I’ve been of Drogon. And Varys didn’t even scream as he was burned alive. It had to be done, but I hate seeing Varys’ story end this way. In the next scene, Dany gives Grey Worm Missandei’s last possession, which he throws in the fire. Jon and Dany are now alone. Jon reaffirms that he doesn’t want the throne. “She (Sansa) killed Varys as much as I did,” Dany says. “This is victory for her.” And Dany is right, not mad or crazy. “I love you,” Jon says. “You will always be my queen.” Dany wants to know if that is all she is to him. Obviously it’s not. They kiss. I’m still rooting for these two. But he pulls back. I’m honestly not sure why and he’s not saying. Daenerys: Is that all I am to you… your queen? Jon Snow: No, you’re also my aunt? #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/NFN7ZaFbAS — The Root (@TheRoot) May 13, 2019 How Jon kisses Daenerys since finding out they’re related #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/v371FeX7tR — Syd (@sydschaefer) May 13, 2019 Next we’re in the Dragonstone throne room. Tyrion tells her the people of King’s Landing are slaves themselves and thousands will burn. But Dany tells him that Cersei believes mercy is weakness. Dany believes the important thing is being merciful to FUTURE generations by freeing them of the tyrant, not being overly concerned now. Tyrion asks her to not attack if she hears bells in King’s Landing, which will indicate surrender. She agrees, but that might not be so smart if you know about the Battle of the Bells, which happened in the past. Tyrion is giving bad advice again. Or is he trying to set her up? Seems unlikely because of his move with Varys, but his advice is odd considering King’s Landing’s history. “Next time you fail me will be the last time you fail me,” Dany says. In the next scene, Arya and the Hound are traveling together. Arya is planning to kill Queen Cersei and is pretty open about the whole thing. The Hound says Arya could stop the whole war, and that’s a good point that Dany and Jon should have included in their plans. (“Dany and Jon kind of forgot about Arya’s assassination skills, but the Hound didn’t…” to paraphrase Benioff probably.) Next we find out that Jaime’s been captured. Tyrion visits Jaime where he’s being held prisoner by the Unsullied. Tyrion wants Jaime to convince Cersei to change her mind, which is just blind dumb hope because no one can do that. Jaime says he never really cared for the people of King’s Landing. But Tyrion insists he cares about their unborn baby. (Whom I’m doubting even really exists. Not to mention, Cersei didn’t care about Tommen’s welfare one bit at the end.) “Swear to me,” Tyrion asks Jaime. He wants Jaime to agree to try to change Cersei’s mind and then ring the bells. Tyrion hopes Dany will show mercy if this all works. Honestly, Tyrion’s faith in Cersei is really not warranted. He says that the life of one not-so-innocent dwarf for the thousands of innocent lives is a fair trade. (But let’s not forget that if Dany had attacked Cersei in the beginning like she planned, thousands of lives wouldn’t be at risk. They’re at risk because Cersei invited them into the capital to protect her.) Jaime and Tyrion have a heartwrenching goodbye. Everyone is turning on Dany. Next we’re at King’s Landing and Euron is readying the ballistas. The soldiers are all preparing for battle. The people of King’s Landing hide in their homes. And The Hound and Arya arrive in the gates, safely in King’s Landing to attempt to enact their plans. Things have come full circle for these two. Jaime is there too when the gates close. And the Golden Company is here, on the ready. AMAZING. They stand before King’s Landing, intimidating. Across the desert wasteland (why is King’s Landing a desert again?) are the Dothraki and Unsullied army. I guess more Dothraki survived than I realized. And many, many citizens are locked out of King’s Landing. Jaime is among them, as it turns out. The citizens are terrified. Tyrion tries to convince Jon to call off his army, which is ridiculous. Euron is on the water, looking into the sky. The moment is here. Dany flies in on Drogon from directly above Euron. (I was hoping that scene would show Drogon with armor or a second dragon.)<doc-sep>The penultimate episode of any season of Game of Thrones is often the most explosive, but did the final second-last outing live up to expectation? Spoiler alert for anyone who has not seen Season 8 Episode 5 Yes and no. In terms of season eight, which has suffered greatly with pacing issues and inconsistencies, it is probably the best technically executed episode, but when you take into account the show as a whole it only has glimmers of the greatness we've come to expect. This week's episode, aptly entitled The Bells, is kind of a win in a similar way that The Long Night's Battle of Winterfell was a win; things happened and we got some great character moments. Both episodes centred on a big battle and showed two key moments in defining the future of the Seven Kingdoms; the fight against the Night King and the fight against Cersei, both of whom have now been defeated. Daenerys has gone full Mad Queen Killing the Night King and defeating the army of the dead was necessary to keep the living alive, but the way Cersei was defeated just shows the horrors of war, the corruption of power and how the innocent are the ones to suffer. Those who want to rule don't care about their people and those who care, don't want to rule, and history will just keep on repeating itself. It was more of a massacre than anything. The episode opened strong on Dragonstone as it took its first victim with Varys' execution. His parting words, "I hope I'm wrong" particularly poignant. Daenerys has gone full Mad Queen now and one by one her inner circle comes to realise the extent of this. When she tells Jon, "Now she knows what happens when people find out about you" it's a real worry. She will literally kill whoever she needs to just to keep his parentage a secret and protect her claim to the Iron Throne. Will Jon realise that Varys has a point? I have a problem with this. Over the course of the first seven seasons, Daenerys has wanted to liberate slaves, protect the vulnerable and rule with love. She showed a few moments of potential madness but listened to her counsel and in the end did the right thing, or at least realised where she went wrong and you got the impression she was learning. Now that the people of Westeros have not shown her love, she is happy to rule with fear, and by the end of the episode she essentially burns them all, indiscriminately zigzagging dragon fire through the streets burning everyone and everything in her wake. My problem isn't with her eventual descent into madness; it's the way in which it's been developed. Like everything as the end draws near, it's been rushed, and it seems a bit obvious to have the Targaryen Queen go off the rails like this. I think the obviousness generally of the episode was a problem; there was no big shock. Every great episode of Game of Thrones has a big shock, something you really didn't see coming. Perhaps this week's was supposed to be the moment Daenerys rides Drogon towards the Red Keep as the bells of surrender ring out, but it just didn't hit the mark because she's said so many times that she wants to do it, and she doesn't have Tyrion by her side to talk her down. It would've been more surprising at this stage if she had shown mercy. As the city burned, I did enjoy the puffs of green wildfire popping up across the capital, it was a nice nod to Daenerys' father the Mad King's plan to burn it to the ground, before being stopped by Jaime. Daenerys tells Tyrion "If you fail me again, it will be the last time you fail me" Poor Jaime. The scene with him and Tyrion was a personal favourite of the episode. It was a fitting and emotional goodbye between the brothers. His final scene, too, also very apt, dying together with Cersei – "Nothing else matters, only us". While it was nice that they died together, it was a disappointing exit for two original characters who have provided us with so much drama and intrigue for so long. I also really enjoyed the final moment between Arya and The Hound, even if it did seem a bit funny to tell the girl who killed the Night King that she wouldn't make it out alive if she went with him to try to kill Cersei, but whatever, it was touching and tied up their unlikely friendship effectively, and with him protecting her one last time. I'm glad she thanked him. Cleganebowl finally happened, and it worked well that neither made it out alive. It was a real fight amidst the fiery carnage. Does Jon finally know something? Arya's journey through the streets is surely set to build up to her adding Daenerys to her list. She came to King's Landing to kill the Queen, Cersei is gone but another has taken her place. I didn't really like this whole bit though, we'd already seen the destruction and dread unleashed on the city through the lens of the soldiers and swarms of innocent people running, so it felt a bit drawn out (usually I complain about things not being drawn enough) but there is only so much repetitive burning you can take. The point was already made. I loved the episode's opening and how Jon comes to the slow realisation over the course the battle that maybe Varys was onto something; I hope he talks to Sansa about it all, she'll know what to do. Overall it was an adequate instalment, at times maybe even a season highlight, but I'm not completely won over on how this whole season has been going. One episode left. Oh my. Click here for more Game of Thrones<doc-sep>The wait is over, you can finally see this adorable panda cub Viral 'Charlie bit my finger' video to be taken down. Here's why Jon Snow went from outsider to king. Is the Iron Throne next? (CNN) — If someone asks you about what happened this week on that little dragon show you watch, you are more than allowed to just scream at full volume for an hour and 20 minutes. Because that’s what this episode was. Just one, long 80-minute “AAAAHHH!! !” Things start off quietly enough. Without Missandei around to braid her hair or apply her undereye concealer, Daenerys is leaning into the “foreshadowing fiery genocide” aesthetic while moping around Dragonstone. She’s mad at Jon, mad at Tyrion and especially mad at Varys for going around blabbing about Jon’s true lineage. It appears the “Master of Whispers” has become the “Master of Discussing Deadly Secrets at Full Volume,” and before you can even get emotionally prepared for this week’s carnage, everyone’s standing on the beach looking stoic and Dany is sentencing Varys to death and Drogon is bearing his 3,000 teeth and wow, we’re off to the races. One major character death down, a shocking amount left to go. Tyrion, full of doubt and fear and definitely not used to either, finds Jaime who has been captured and imprisoned at Dragonstone. The two brothers share a good hug and Tyrion outlines a plan for Jaime to escape with Cersei and start life anew in Essos, where ostensibly they are more forgiving of murderous incest. Courtesy of HBO But first, it’s time for war. The mood is tense in Kings Landing, where throngs of common folk are being herded inside the Red Keep, and the Golden Company and the Iron Fleet are assuming their positions as unwitting dragon appetizers. If Dany’s general haggard appearance wasn’t foreshadowing enough, we get lots of good, salt-of-the-earth shots of the innocent citizens of Kings Landing with their doe-eyed children in tow. By the laws of television, you only get affectionate close-ups of the unwashed if something really, really terrible is about to happen to them. And, happen it does. Drogon drops out of the sky like a 10-ton seagull, and within minutes the Iron Fleet, the Golden Company and all of the Lannisters’ fancy dragon-killing equipment is flambeed to oblivion. Grey Worm, who is so deep in his feelings he completely forgets his helmet, dispatches the leader of the Golden Company, and with that, the Unsullied and the smattering of remaining Dothraki set about sacking the city. It’s a laughably easy win for Daenerys and company. Even Cersei sees it, perched atop the Red Keep with a concerned Qyburn. Side note: Ol’ Cers must be about 500 months pregnant now, so why does she have the belly of someone who had, like, five bites of a burrito for lunch? Anyway, she’s hemmed in and she knows it. As the city’s fortifications burn to ash and enemy forces close in, the bells of surrender begin to sound. A single tear rolls down Cersei’s proud face. Drogon and Daenerys let up, the Unsullied and the Lannister forces exchange a hearty round of handshakes and the two sides proceed with a peaceful transfer of power. Just kidding! Dany goes full-on Mad Queen and burns the living hell out of EVERYTHING. Innocent children? You get a Dracarys! Entire city blocks? You get a Dracarys! Everyone gets a Dracarys! Jon and Tyrion’s faces say it all. This is definitely not how it was supposed to go. Daenerys Targaryen has gone rogue. Courtesy of HBO However, don’t think that just because thousands of people are being burned alive and King’s Landing is literally crumbling to the ground that there isn’t time to have a slapfight about who gets to be Cersei’s boyfriend. Somehow, among everything going on, Euron, the drunk cockroach of Westeros, finds Jaime and they have an extremely athletic tussle on the banks of Blackwater Bay. It’s not all bad though: Jaime kills Euron, which we can agree is a personal favor to us all. Oh, right! By the way, Arya and the Hound must have ditched their horses for high speed rail, because they’re also here in Kings Landing. The Hound urges Arya to get out while she can, and they part with as much tenderness as two soft murder beings can muster. There’s nothing like apocalyptic dragon fire to make a girl forget all about her kill list, and before long Arya is running terrified through the streets like everyone else. Helen Sloan/HBO Meanwhile, The Hound has revenge on his mind. He runs into Cersei, Qyburn and The Mountain as they’re fleeing the Red Keep, and after The Mountain ragdolls Qyburn into the afterlife, CLEGANEBOWL IS ON. (Again, gentle reminder: Everything is burning! Is now the best time to be settling personal scores?) Actually, the answer is yes. The Hound finally unmasks The Mountain, revealing a swole moldy Darth Vader where his brother used to be. They fight. It’s glorious and gory. Goryious? Apparently, The Mountain is impervious to literally everything, up to and including daggers through the brain, so The Hound does the only thing left he can do: Trucks him through a crumbling wall and off the side of the Red Keep to a fiery, mutual death. (By the way, people are still burning.) Jaime and Cersei finally find each other, and if they weren’t both deeply horrible people who have committed unspeakable sins and backtracked on seasons worth of character development, their reunion would almost be sweet. You would almost, for one second, be forgiven for hoping they could escape and be weird with each other in Pentos for the rest of their days. But you only get one second! Remember Brienne! And Missandei! And Margaery and everyone else who has ever suffered and died at these people’s three collective hands! Jaime and Cersei deserve the poetic, meaningful deaths that are inevitably coming their way! Hmm? What’s that? Oh, they get crushed under some rubble while trying to escape? Two of the main antagonists, who have driven the show’s id since the very first episode of the very first season, just kinda get squished? That’s disappointing. Alexa, play “The Rains of Castamere.” HBO Eventually, Daenerys lets up on her scorched earth campaign, leaving a horrified Jon to deal with what has become of his queen. With a million questions hanging in the air, we close with Arya escaping on a white horse that just happens to be prancing around the charred bodies of Kings Landing. Where is she going? Hopefully to Storm’s End, because a girl deserves to relax with a blacksmith lord and forget about this smoldering mess. Yeah, Valar Morghulis and everything but… come on. Burning questions If we’re supposed to buy Dany turning Mad Queen after seasons of building her up as a hero and a revolutionary, why did she get about 3.5 seconds of screen time once she started burning everything down? Bran was pretty insistent that Jaime had something important to do when he came to Winterfell, but other than breaking Brienne’s heart and going out like roadkill that… didn’t seem to manifest? Was the wildfire interspersed throughout the inferno significant? Why was no one wearing HELMETS? ! What is Jon going to do now that his aunt queen is completely off the rails? How much self control will it take Sansa to not laugh in Jon’s face and say “I told you so?” Has anyone outside of the North or Kings Landing been affected by anything that’s happened this season or are they just browning their butter and tossing back ale as usual? Speaking of, is Hot Pie okay? He wasn’t in this episode but just, in general. Can we get a welfare check? Best line Nothing matters. – Jaime Lannister Yeah. Same, Jaime. Best scene You either found this episode thrilling or horrible, but we can all agree after all they’ve been through together, Arya calling Sandor Clegane by name and thanking him is top-shelf emotional content. Death count 1 Varys + 1 Euron + 1 Qyburn + 1 Hound + 1 Mountain + 1 Jaime Lannister +<doc-sep>
For a battle that's been years in the making, that was more than a little disappointing. From a cinematography standpoint, Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 5 was a stunning affair, but the action in the installment felt like a desperate attempt to start the process of wrapping things up ahead of the series finale. If you watch Game of Thrones online, you know that Game of Thrones Season 8 has felt like a complete and utter rush job, and that's not the best way to end a show that's still going to be talked about years down the line. Daenerys: Far more people in Westeros love you than love me. I don’t have love here. I only have fear. Jon: I love you. You will always be my queen. Daenerys: Is that all I am to you? Your queen? Permalink: Is that all I am to you? Your queen? Permalink: Is that all I am to you? Your queen? The visuals of Drogon obliterating King's Landing were some of the best moments of the series, but beyond that, most of the stuff that happened bordered on tedious. Related: Get HBO via Prime Video Channels for Addictive Dramas, Hilarious Comedies & Hit Movies! The pre-battle moments played out at such a slow pace that much of the excitement was gone by the time Daenerys went all Dracarys on the Iron Fleet. There were many theories doing the rounds heading into "The Bells" about what Euron saw when he looked up into the skyline. Was it a new dragon? Was it Cersei on a flying elephant? Daenerys on Drogon was predictable, but it was the safe option, and it also introduced us to a whole new way for the Mother of Dragons to attack her enemies. Instead of coming down like a plane landing, she randomly dropped, and it made it difficult for her enemies on the ground to send the dragon-killing spikes her way. It's just a shame they didn't utilize that tactic on Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 4, and she would still have two dragons. Then again, all of the logic seems to have gotten thrown out the window for Game of Thrones Season 8. There were so many moments characters should have died, but somehow they managed to pop back up down the line as though they hadn't just been in a life or death moment. You were the only one who didn’t treat me like a monster. You were all I had, Tyrion Permalink: You were the only one who didn’t treat me like a monster. You were all I had, Permalink: You were the only one who didn’t treat me like a monster. You were all I had, Euron should have gotten burnt to a crisp, but he managed to swim his way out of the sea. Are we to assume by the need to save his unborn child drove him? Related: Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3 Review: Not Today The battle between him and Jaime lacked any sense of direction. It was obvious Jaime was going to make it out of that scene to be with his sister/lover/baby mama in her dying moments. We didn't need Cersei to realize that her exit was blocked. She had to die in this installment because it was the penultimate episode. From a logistics standpoint, Jaime making it there in the nick of time was a mere plot device to give them one final moment together before perishing. After successfully have one of the dragons killed, Cersei felt invincible. The odds were seemingly in her favor at the start of the battle. Who would have thought she would die with Jaime shielding her from the ruins of the place they once called home? It was a quick death for Cersei, and not one she deserved after the way she's treated many of the regular characters on the show. It should have been a horrible exit for a character that has been a true horror story since her first appearance. Lena Headey turned in an ice-cold performance, but it felt very one-note. In a sense, it felt like she got pissed with the direction the writers had taken her character. Cersei has never been one to bow down and accept defeat. I respect the need for the scene of her breaking down. You come with me, you die here. The Hound Permalink: You come with me, you die here.