HBO: Game of Thrones

[Vee]

I was shocked Yara did not buy it during the sea battle. I was sure she'd go down and Theon would be the only survivor. He made the right choice leaving to fight another day, fear or not. I thought those were Ellaria and the third Sand Snake hanging from the mast, but maybe not.

 

Daenerys' war council was great.

[YRBB]

A thrilling second episode, full of highlights. I can't believe there's only 5 episodes left!

 

So many unexpected returns... Melisandre, Hot Pie, Nymeria! 

 

The female-led war council was spectacular. I loved how they settled on a strategy and then Olenna was like, ignore all that! Be a dragon!

 

So happy we got the tender Missandei and Grey Worm love scene I always hoped we'd get.

 

Sam is determined to become a maester and disgust us every episode lmao But that man cutting into the pie and making us think it's pus coming out of Jorrah's flesh was inspired. Puke-inducing, but inspired. 

 

I cried when Arya learned Jon Snow is in power. So of course he decides to go to Dragonstone just as Arya is going back to Winterfell. The truly unexpected thing was Arya and Nymeria seeing each other again. Maisie did phenomenal work in that scene. She's got an Emmy nomination, that's for sure.

 

I was so happy when Jon appointed Sansa responsible while he was gone. That look she gave him, and the happiness in Brienne's reaction... 

 

I really like that they upped the ante with the Lannisters actually having a way to fight back against the dragons.

 

And that unexpected final battle. Truly, unbelievably stunning. Some movies wish they could pull that off. I did not expect Reek to come back, but of course -- you do not simply get over the horrendous torture Theon went through. I hope this is the beginning of him finding even more of his strength. Those moments of a psychotic Euron (I guess he's not all talk) laughing next to a betrayed Yara were superb.

 

Also, I think it's interesting how they fulfilled one of my wishes (to see the damn sand snakes gone) but they subverted it -- as one by one, they found gruesome death in the hands of Euron, I felt bad and then worse. Those were horrible deaths. 

 

 

Edited July 24, 2017 by YRBB

[dm.]

The throwbacks to earlier seasons were delicious, it was one big walk down memory lane while slowly progressing the story. I won't go much into detail because most of you covered everything that made this episode work. Now a week of waiting is upon us. :'D

[Vee]

I loved seeing Davos try to connect with Missandei, and Tyrion and Jon reconnect. Loved hearing him ask after Sansa.

 

The Daenerys/Jon summit - a four-hander, really, with the two of them plus Tyrion and Davos - was as magnetic as one could ever have hoped for. I love whenever Davos goes off on a tear about the leader he believes in. Also liked the moment with Melisandre and Varys, and her final prophecy, and Daenerys and Jon coming to terms re: dragon glass. The two have chemistry. I wonder when the show first tested Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke together, because I think many of us suspected from Day 1 it would come down to these two together.

 

Pilou Asbæk is great as Euron, but honestly we've had so many laughing sadists on this show over the years that after Ramsay (who was at it for what felt like forever) he just feels like a bit of an also-ran. They should've introduced him earlier than last year and not rushed it so. But he sings onscreen with everyone, and he is amazing opposite Lena Headey.

 

The little moments with Indira Varma/Ellaria clocking the Mountain again after all this time, and locking eyes with Cersei at the throne, were great. As was that amazing scene in the dungeon - Lena Headey's Cersei at her most evil and psychotic, and yet relatable. As to Indira Varma I think Ellaria has not been a great showcase for her post-S4 but Varma always deserves more exposure. I first saw her on Rome as Kevin McKidd's long-suffering wife in the 2000s - ironically, Rome was HBO's precursor epic show that foresaw GOT, which was a lot of fun (with a great cast - Polly Walker! Lindsay Duncan! Ciarán Hinds! Tobias Menzies! Ray Stevenson!) but wildly over-expensive. It flamed out as a result and taught the network how to make costume dramas more effectively. Worth a watch if people have never seen it, and a fun history lesson.

 

I didn't think Cersei would be able to handle the Iron Bank but she managed to put forth a strong argument. Great scene between Headey and Mark Gatiss.

 

Bran's a little out of it! Not sure that'll ever change, but it was a thrill seeing scenes between Sophie Turner and Isaac Hempstead Wright, back at Winterfell together again. He's gotten huge in the last year - trying to remember how he looked when they last saw each other is staggering. Great speech from Littlefinger: "Everything that happens is something you've seen before." Sansa should still waste him. She knows what she's doing running the house.

 

I was amazed Jorah was cured, and I did love his bonding with Sam. Jim Broadbent is excellent as always as the Archmaester.

 

Great sendoff for Olenna, and a magnificent final scene with Jaime. I wonder whose idea abandoning the Rock and going for Highgarden was. Doesn't seem clever enough for Cersei, but it does solve her gold troubles with the Iron Bank + divests Daenerys of another ally.

 

EW talks to Clarke and Harington about Jon and Daenerys.

 

The showrunners on Olenna.

 

Isaac Hempstead Wright about Bran's metamorphosis.

 

Indira Varma on Ellaria's fate.

Edited August 3, 2017 by Vee

[YRBB]

I'm glad you commented. I was too lazy to write it all out.

 

 

I thought it would be a disaster too but Cersei did indeed prove she's just like her father, which was probably the point. 

 

Olenna's end was marvelous. What a great ending scene. That little smile she gave Jaime. I thought he'd lose it and stab her with his sword. (I also need to gush about the production values once again. Highgarden, which we might never see again, was so beautiful. That balcony of Olenna's, the castle that we briefly saw as Jaime walked through it, it was all peak medieval fantasy design. Just gorgeous).

 

I thought for sure we'd see Jorah infected or something and suffering. I guess maybe the shorter episode order could have affected that lol

Edited August 3, 2017 by YRBB

[Vee]

IIRC the showrunners say in the BTS stuff that Jaime made the call to ditch the Rock and take Highgarden. Makes sense.

[YRBB]

[Vee]

Incredibly satisfying to see the Stark children reunited - according to new interviews I'll probably post later Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner have been aching to work together again for years and made the most of it. They click so well as the women running Winterfell, with all their tween angst and bickering behind them. And their handling of Bran - still out of his head - was perfect. Bran gets a lot of backlash from fans for his zonked state but the fact is he can't help the way he is now. I do hope he eventually comes out of it; I felt for poor Meera. I think Bran knows on some level they will have to dispose of Littlefinger, hence the dagger. And I think Littlefinger is slowly realizing he can't manipulate any of these young people and is finally in way over his head - White Walkers, Three Eyed Ravens, etc. are all not his world, not something he can manipulate. I think his end is swiftly coming. Isaac Hempstead Wright's performance with Aiden Gillen and Ellie Kendrick was perfect.

 

Brienne seeing the Stark kids together and Pod telling her she'd honored her vow to Catelyn was wonderful. And I loved her and Arya reuniting and sparring.

 

Clarke and Harington still have a ton of chemistry. The ending was amazing. I'll try to discuss it more later.

[YRBB]

Phenomenal. Sansa and Arya finally back together. I loved how Arya held back a little bit at the beginning but they both came to a better understanding of who they are now and, by the end, she hugged her sister again much more warmly. And Brienne/Arya fighting was wonderful, not to mention Podrick congratulating Brienne on all she's done. Both the reunion and that made me cry.

 

It's sad to see Bran the way he is now, but understandable. Acquiring the powers he has now, that's bound to mess you up for  a little while, and that goodbye scene with Meera really underscored that. I don't know where all this stuff with the dagger is leading -- might have been a full circle thing, since it took us back all the way to Season 1 -- or this will come into play later. Either way, I do hope Littlefinger ends up dead.

 

Dany and Missandei chatting about sex briefly was a welcome little moment.

 

The end battle -- they manage to top themselves each time. Naturally, it's cool to see one of the dragons in battle for the first time, but they played both sides: The devastation caused was massive. They did not shy away from the effects of being burned alive. I loved Bronn's continued greed but, despite that, he literally rode to Jaime's rescue at the last second, still loyal and a friend. I hope neither one is dead. I wonder if 

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All the dragon fire was cool and all but the REAL fireworks were between Jon and Dany. Goddamn, I would not have been surprised if those two tore their clothes off in that cave and went on each other. My ideal scenario has always been those two ending up together/working together to rule.

[YRBB]

Seth Myers & Leslie Jones did another Game of Jones with the most recent episode and it's so much fun. AND there's a surprise guest!

 

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[Cheap21]

I really loved Dany in earlier seasons but now Im finding it hard to like her. I was rooting for Jamie to kill her in that moment

[YRBB]

So many tense moments!

 

I'm glad Jaime and Bronn are alive. The dragon on top of the rock and everyone beneath was such a powerful shot. Such complexity in Daenerys' actions. I don't like what happened with Randyll and Dickon, but I understand it. I had completely forgotten they were Sam's father and brother!

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 Speaking of Sam, his exit from the citadel was surprising but makes sense.

 

Jaime & Tyrion together again! And Cersei knew!

 

Cersei's pregnant! Whoa, was that a shocker! Imagine if she gives birth to a dwarf just like Tyrion? And that warning to Jaime not to betray her again....

 

Gendry! My God, another shocker! My, what a fine, king-like man he's grown up to be. Him walking up to Jon and straight out telling him who he is, and their bonding over being bastards, and sons of best friends was perfect. Beyond perfect.

 

Of course I cried when Jorah and Dany reunited. Shut up.

 

That scene where Drogon let Jon pet him was so goddamn beautiful. My heart. And so massively important. Notice how they sneaked in a little bit of history to set it up and then it was interrupted.... It (seems) we finally have the answer!!

 

Littlefinger, that little piece of sh!t, looked so evil as he observed Arya, his plan having worked. Arya and Sansa will have a tough time beating him.

 

Never in a million years would I have predicted Jon, Davos, Gendry, Hound, Jorah (yay, mention of Commander Mormont!), Tormund (he asked about Brienne!) and Brotherhood all working together. Ever. There's something very right, poetic about Jon back beyond the wall. It feels like it's coming full circle again. It will surely not go well, but boy I can't wait to see it!

 

Only 2 episodes left.  

Edited August 14, 2017 by YRBB

[YRBB]

The fast pace (people traveling back and forth to the ends of the world at the blink of an eye, when it would usually take episodes, if not seasons) is such a huge reward and payoff for the years of loyal viewing to their slow, deliberate pace. I am just so excited!!

[Bright Eyes]

Gendry's return made me so happy. May I finally get the Cassie/Chris reunion I've been longing for? (Probably not, lol)

[YRBB]

They got their biggest audience ever for the third time this season.