"‘Game of Thrones’ Review: Daenerys Loses Ground in " Topic

…third-to-Last Episode

""Game of Thrones" has picked up a step in its final season — and the third-to-last episode of the series was proof of "Thrones's" ability, still, to toggle between plotlines and tones elegantly even as the story winnows down to a few key characters. The two episodes preceding Sunday night's had been tightly focused on the world of Winterfell, with the season's second episode dealing with the preparations for a massive battle and the third looking at the battle itself. Sunday night's episode established the stakes of what will be the show's last hours by expanding out into the world beyond Winterfell — and doing so through the eyes of Daenerys, a character who's been all over the Seven Kingdoms in her quest for glory and one whose power seems slightly attenuated at the moment.

This episode exists in a sort of inversion of audience expectations, as Daenerys's confrontation with Cersei was meant to happen, in many viewers' minds, before the climactic battle with the show's putative Big Bad, the Night King. His seeming final end in the season's third episode allows the show to spend its final hours on more interesting matters. Killing off your main villain with three episodes to go is a weird thing to do, and "Thrones" handled it doubly well this week: First, through a party scene in which every member of the Winterfell team worked out or worked through their feelings around the previous episode's conflagration, and then, by establishing exactly what Daenerys and company would be dealing with going forward. The Night King may be gone, but the path forward seems perhaps harder than ever…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Always compelling television, GoT. Lots to ruminate over with this one.

Yeah, after last week, this was a return to form. I still wonder what happened to Dany's tactical acumen. While those anti-dragon bolts had ridiculous range in the show, she was close enough to those walls for bowshots at least.

You'd think as mother of dragons healing them up before moving on would have been a bit more of a concern to her.

ambushed for the 2nd time by euron's fleet is just really poor form .

how will the trial for treason in the dragonpit pan out I wonder … ?

So, the ballista is not just a great dragon-killer, it's a more effective anti-ship weapon than 16" guns.

Why did the Greyjoy fleet not press the naval attack? Why did they not put troops ashore against an enemy who presumably lacked even a garrison force to defend it to begin with? Why did they let the Targaryen force LEAVE to go to King's Landing?

I'm now at least happy that its clear that the showrunners KNOW Dany is a paranoid megalomaniac. With Melisandre's death, the really, REALLY rash behavior can commence.

Who is going to kill Dany?…. I presume who would kill Cercei…

Amicalement
Armand

Yup, there is no way those Ballista Bolts would do what they did to those ships.

Plus the reload time is like 2 seconds.

I think that the writers really have no clue on what a Ballista can do.

Sure kill a Dragon but smash sides out of ships no way.

While it was still an enthralling episode it raised many uncomfortable questions or reactions. In no particular order:

1. The inlet would make an ambush possible for other ships at sea level, but how in blazes could the dragons way up high not see the ships?

2. Why are good women always drawn to bad boys? Well, Brienne?

3. Jon/Aegon is good at delivering speeches but he is such a dolt.

4. Those Warhammer repeater scorpions? Just a ridiculous ROF.

5. Did Dany or Drogon turn away at the last second?

6. In the preview it looked like Tyrion was at Dragonstone. For real or a vision?

7. Euron looked surprised gazing skyward in the preview. Have more dragons hatched, ridden by Tyrion? (It was hinted somewhere that a clutch of eggs had been laid, don't recall where.)

8. All the motivation has been set to end the show in two episodes via the two deaths this time. A necessary evil I suppose.

I'm still holding to my prediction that Arya kills Cersei wearing Jaime's face, but I don't know who else goes. Perhaps everyone in Wildfire?

If Danny starts acting like her father then someone will have to take her out. I doubt Jamie could get close enough. Jon Snow? He loves her but he may love the Kingdom more.

Yup those ballista were deadly. Thank goodness trebuchet technology is still beyond them.

Okay to answer the above questions.

1. They just were not paying attention, Dani was enjoying the moment and she lost a Dragon.

2. Jamie is not a Bad individual, sure he started the series off being a jerk but he has grown since then.

3. True and he will end up being King even when he does not want that job. He did not want to be Lord Commander of the Black Watch either. Because of this he will become one of the greatest Kings ever.

4. Yup, way to fast of a fire rate and way to powerful as well. But Euron will get his probably next week. Also Cersei does not know that the Golden Company belongs to Dani completely.

5. It was Dany because Dragons would not. Though I do not know why she did not fly away and come around from the rear.

6. They might have stop off there initially. Remember that they play very loose with time. Come on they cleaned up the battlefield at Winterfall, cut down that forest where Stannis died, and created 4,000 funeral pyres, with what was left of the living.

7. Well with two female dragons and one male Dragon the chances are good that there are far more Dragons.

8. Next week will have Jon show up with his army that would have grown.

9. Cersei made a huge mistake with her killing off Melisandre.

How for a question of my own.

Just how does the Hound even get close to his brother? Arya will have no problem but she is a little short to pull off being Jamie.

Oh and just what mayhem will those two end up doing?

Oh and some more for question #7.

I would also expect that Dany's got some armor for her last Dragon.

@Mithmee:

1. Okay, Dany was daydreaming, but the dragons are supposed to be highly intelligent and they have seen ships firing before.

4. Golden Company, why? They are not the 2nd Sons are they?

7. Yes, saw an interesting post that suggested Jon and Dany's flight was also a mating flight for the dragons. But they take time to grow up to fighting size. Though I could really enjoy a flight of eagle sized ones taking out Euron.

8. I'm assuming the Dornish army is going to arrive and probably Daario with the 2nd Sons (or whatever they were called).

Conservation of mass doesn't seem to apply with the assassins. Jaqen appeared as the Waif once.

I'm sure the Hound will create lots of mayhem. Whether he kills the Mountain or Arya crosses another off her list remains to be seen.

Armor (from Gendry?) would be a good idea but it won't protect wings or a rider.

How if Cercei ended as prisioner Due to her pregnancy … she demands the same judgment that her dwarf brother had and … she chooses the Mountain … and…being the Hound who must impart justice …

Another question… what happened with the six thousand or more Cavalry who fought for Sansa in the Battle of the Bastards… did they charge with the Drokatis…? We saw their Commander each chapter before the last battle….

Who is Dario from Dorne?… I understand that both the King and his son were killed…

Amicalement
Armand

The Golden Company thing has been mentioned before in that (at least in the books) it had large numbers of Targaryen supporters exiled by Robert after the rebellion in its ranks.

They appear for some reason to be outside the walls in the next episode (with a hooded person in the close up shot of them leaving Kings Landing) for some reason.

Also the super OP ballistas (if they can aim low enough) make any attack on Kings Landing impossible as they would massacre anything Dany has left at this point.

Actor Toby Osmond is the new as yet unnamed prince of dorne , so they have a role . maybe he rescues ellaria ? Toby has also been named by fandom as new character victarion greyjoy who possibly despatches euron for raping his wife …
GOT Dragons do not need a mate to lay an egg , and there are still two dragons at large in the GOT verse ; cannibal and sheepstealer . At 0.02 of the ep 5 trailer as dany looks out the window of dragonstone there are two dots in the sky … dragons or crows ???
The Golden company formed by bittersteel were as described the tagareans cadets , the blackfyres being as tied to the targareans as a tied thing . harry strickland their leader gets plenty of airtime in ep 5 … apparently .
The hooded figure in ep5 trailer seems to be heading away from the golden company … is this the hound or jamie sneaking in to KL .
The obsession with sky gazing in the ep5 trailer seems to be overwhelming … eurons face is with worry not with glee .
Expect the battle to start well for the good and then take a turn for the worst and with all seemingly lost , the good guys are rescued by a miracle , well thats what happened in the last two major kick offs , , so why break with tradition .
OR could it just be the mother of all twists and its the undead dragon in the sky that euron sees link

Jamie is not a Bad individual, sure he started the series off being a jerk but he has grown since then.

He has not grown enough. And I can only hope he gave Brienne the nasty "it's not you, it's me" speech so he could kamikaze Cersei. Because only a complete ing idiot could still love someone who threatened to have him killed with no more mercy than you'd show a mosquito.

And I think that's two of us who meant to say "Missandei".

I knew about the link with the Targaryens and the members of the Golden Company, but they have made a big deal about how they have never broken a contract. Till now?

Couldn't see the dots on my TV. Now that would be exciting.

They would not have broken any contract if Dany's contracted them to join up with Cersei in the first place.

But Euron is more than likely going to die come this Sunday.

Because if Dany's has a lot of little Dragons those Railguns that Cersei has will not help them.

As for Toby he looks more Dornish than Greyjoy.

I believe that the Golden Company has broken a contract, I'm sure its mentioned that they broke a contract to come to Westeros…..could be wrong.

@Earl of the North. Yes, after posting I did some digging and they technically have broken one, though they claim extenuating circumstances. Very excited to see how it plays out Sunday.

Logic has drifted away after they have gotten beyond Martin's material.

Dany should have spotted fleet from the air (not to mention scouting ships). But in any case once engage could have flown around behind the Greyjoy fleet and attacked from behind which would have at least given some reason for Euron (one someone please kill this card board sniddly whiplash style villain?) to break off. D&D not too up on actual capabilities of medieval torsion artillery.

TomT

Why sail the unsullied south at all, Dany's already lost an army to the Iron Fleet before they had railguns so sailing south where she should expect the Iron Fleet to be didn't make a lot of sense. She would have had to wait for the Northern/Dothraki army marching south anyway before confronting Cersei.