Alright, it’s been a couple of days, so if you haven’t watched the latest episode of Game Of Thrones… number one, what is wrong with you? And two, find something else to read ASAP because there are going to be spoilers. Oh yes, there will be spoilers.
Now I’m not going to review the episode because honestly I’m still processing the greatness of what took place on our television screens this past Sunday. Even though you could hardly make out what was happening sometimes, I personally feel that HBO delivered a signature installment of the show, but possibly some of the best programming TV has ever seen. In less than 90 minutes Game Of Thrones saw the deaths of Jorah and Lyanna Mormont, Edd, Beric, Theon Greyjoy, the Night’s King, the Army Of The Dead, Mellisandre, thousands of Dothraki, Unsullied, Northerners, also one angry AF undead dragon.
“The Long Night” was so damn amazing I’m starting to wonder exactly what I have to look forward to? I mean, could Game Of Thrones actually get much better than that? Are we now just here to say we saw the show through to the way end?
If I knew season eight of GoT was only going to be three parts and if “The Long Night” was the finale, I’d have ended my tenure with Thrones on the highest of notes. But there’s still more to come. While I believe we’ve seen our last great battle, there’s plenty for us to get excited about. So to answer the question in the headline of this article, yes, we do need the rest of the season. Mainly because everything is completely turned upside down and a few potential events I thought weren’t going to happen are now very much in play.
For starters, the fan proclaimed “Clegane Bowl” is almost a given to occur. I had originally thought the North would be decimated by the Night’s King thus legitimately uniting the Seven Kingdoms against a common enemy, for real this time. There’s would be no reason for Sandor and Gregor to duke it out on a field of corpses their responsible for. But now, they’re fighting on opposite sides and if Weiss and Benioff had Jon Snow riding a dragon as a shot of fan service, there’s no reason this long awaited fight couldn’t happen.
I originally thought Arya would kill Cersi, in the last minute of the show no less. It would complete her list, provide yet another moment fans have been yearning for, and simply put an end to that awful individual known as Cersi Lannister. However, after Arya Stark single handedly saved humanity from a frozen wrath of death, I’m not feeling her having two major acts of heroism. Even though she’s totally deserving of it. She killed the Night’s King, which Dany couldn’t do with a dragon hurling fire at the guy. Taking out Cersi seems almost too easy, even with the Golden Company surrounding her. Arya’s list could wind up being a nine year MacGuffin.
Remember in movies in television, the challenges are supposed to get progressively more difficult. I’m not ruling out the possibility of Jamie shoving another pointy thing through his sister. Honestly it’s the better ending. But after last Sunday, I can see Cersi being alive all the way to the final closing credits. Hell, she could still be on the Iron Throne.
My reasoning is rooted in the fact Game Of Thrones always has an episode where the bad guys win a big victory over the good guys. These twists have ranged from beheading Ned Stark in season one, all the way to the Lannisters getting a unexpected win over Dany in season seven. It wouldn’t be out of character for the show’s closer to climax by having our central protagonists defeated as their goals are within their grasp.
I’m not betting my house on a Reign of Castamere because if you subject the audience to years of having your main characters tortured, beaten, even killed, then resurrected, and not one of them succeeds, it’s just bad writing. Somebody has to triumph. I’ll take Sam sitting on the Iron Throne if it means Cersi isn’t.
There’s still something big on the horizon. “The Long Night” seemed to bring so much resolution while opening up new doors to new possible outcomes. If you were to remove the subplots and individual character final destinations, the story is simple, the good guys we’ve loved so long, versus the bad guys we’ve hated even longer. I’m not sure on the caliber of a battle scene we’ll watch or if there will be one at all, but I am sure that in three weeks we’ll sit down and watch the television event of a generation.
And Ghost better be alive.
By Adam Chmielewski
@PolishKaiju
Photo Credits- HBO
How long do you think you’ll cry once Game Of Thrones comes to an end? Let Nerdbot know in the comments!!
