You mean he can’t make it so Han shot second?
I find the battle between brothers to be satisfying because of the multiple kill shots the Mountain suffers and still remains nearly unscathed. It’s not what you’d expect from a final confrontation. Mutual destruction was slightly more conventional, but that would usually be preceded by a more conventional loss in combat rather than skill defeated by an impossibly tough mortal humanoid.
I’d agree that Arya’s parting just before was a little pat. Overall I’m not too disappointed in the actual parting, I would have expected her to be just a little angry about it. Heck, they could have forced it by having a piece of rubble block her from following him and then it didn’t matter if she wanted to follow him.
I thought the show was great for four years and good for another three. It’s been some time since I watched the final episodes, and I can’t bring myself to rewatch that part. I’m not sure the final episodes deserve their 4/10 ratings on IMDb but the holes in the plot are excruciating.
The idea of having Arya put on the face of one of the dead before attacking the Night King is far better than what occurred. So is Jamie resigning himself to killing Cersei after failing to talk sense into her.
I’m okay with the army of the dead being defeated in one night. They go when their leader does. It must cost a fortune to shoot those scenes which are mostly impressive. When you could see them. Not much lighting on the set.
Dany was supposed to have gone insane, as Targaryens do. But everything she said or did seemed to make sense to me. She largely defeated the army of the dead, a fact completely ignored in the episodes once it had happened. As was Cersei’s absence. Jamie Lannister, seemingly reformed, ridiculously returns. I can live with that.
The part where Dany’s advisors, well aware of what Dothraki and Unsullied are, somehow start caring about “innocents dying” is the part I hate most. Dany met with Cersei, who lied about helping defeat the army of the dead, and who decapitated Missandrei in front of them, and who killed her dragon via Euron, and who was clearly more insane than Dany.
For all the talk of innocents, most who die in the battle are soldiers. Cersei never surrendered or showed any regret, yet because in the middle of the battle after all these indignities someone rang a few bells, Dany was supposed to stop. Tyrion and then Jon were enraged soldiers (who had a choice) were slaughtered, as had happened without comment many times before; every other time in the series except for Dany. No advisor much cared the Lannisters didn’t help fight the Dead, or hear anything about that battle at all.
Varys and Tyrion are profoundly annoying, as they are acting way out of character. Dany destroyed the city after they refused many chances to help or surrender. The whole Jon as Targaryen subplot fails. He kills Dany in a highly cowardly way violating every aspect of his character thus far. Because she interprets how she defines good, like every other character? Because war may occur in the future? Jon’s punishment, though the Unsullied have military control? Makes no sense if no future wars are expected. No one squawks when only one kingdom, the North, is made independent. Bran as leader is weak, Tyrion as his Hand still worse.
It was painful when, knowing Jamie had betrayed the North, he helped him escape. Worse knowing this was obviously treason. Worse still his sanctimonious pontificating and weak argument convincing Jon. Then expecting the Unsullied, infuriated by Missandrei’s execution, to start showing undeserved restraint. But agreeing to Tyrion becoming the Hand anyway.
It was hurriedly wrapped up, as said. That’s not as bad as such awkward and unsatisfying resolutions. It wasn’t 4/10 bad. It still looked impressive, AFAI remember. It had a few good parts and was better than the prequel so far. But it was very annoying, like you’d wasted a lot of time and caring. I recently read a book by the writers and actors who felt fans were disappointed simply because the series was ending and ten years from now they would realize how brilliant the ending was, like The Sopranos. No. It wasn’t that the ending was misunderstood but that it was badly mishandled. Though the series ending accounts for some of the 4/10 average ratings, there are many other reasons why it is below the series average. It will take much longer than ten years for anyone to consider this good writing, and such a strong series deserved so much more.
A well-timed bump because I just finished the series two nights ago. What I found jarring in the last two or so seasons was the compression of travel. So much time was spent on journeys. Later, characters from across the continent teleport between scenes. I realize there’s some assumed time lapse, but it contributed to the rushed feel.
While I knew about DT losing it, pretty much all the rest of the last season remained unspoiled for me. I had no idea who lived/died or who was in charge at the end.
I had a theory a while back that Jon and Tyrion were both Targaryens and the three would come riding in on dragons and have three-way incest babies. Not quite how it all went down.
I’ve started a personal tradition of re-watching the series every holiday season, and this time around I was impressed with the same subversion when Jon imitates a wight when he was walking away from the battle beyond the wall. Most of the time when people are close to a supernatural being or even a stock human enemy and don’t want to get caught, they either A) Successfully hide, B) Get immediately spotted because the enemy, especially supernatural enemies, never make mistakes, or C) Successfully and thoroughly imitate the enemy, sometimes to an intentionally comic degree.
This was none of those. He stumbled around and the wights thought from his movement that he was one of them, but that was understandable because he was far enough away that they couldn’t get a close look. If he had been a lot closer and had dirt and ragged clothes in all the right places, it would have been comical scenario C), and if they had taken one look at him from far away and known that he was human immediately, it would have been scenario B).