Obligatory warning: SPOILERS AHEAD! Do NOT read if you have not watched the episode.
I am not a Game of Thrones superfan.
I have not read the books.
I don't visit the fan sites.
So one could say I'm not qualified to write about the show.
But everyone is entitled to their thoughts and their feelings, and to express them.
So here goes.
I found the penultimate episode quite disappointing, for two main reasons.
#1 Daenerys becomes the mad queen.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
This season has been leading up to this.
But to see such a strong female character that so many fans loved and celebrated, believed in and rooted for, to see her slaughter an innocent population, including women and children, when she didn't have to - this just mystifies me. Why would the producers ruin one of the most important characters? Sure, some of it was satisfying and triumphant - Dani and her dragon taking out Euron (or so we thought) and the Red Keep, but to keep killing even when Cersei's army surrendered and the bells tolled - why? What was the point? To show that the loss of her second dragon and Missandei plus Jon and Tyrion's betrayal had rendered her mad with rage and grief? Doesn't this send a terrible message that women are too emotional and can't be effective leaders? I just don't get it, and I feel cheated, that the Daenerys we thought we knew is gone, and it is so difficult to celebrate her victory.
#2 Cersei's death (apparently)
One of the biggest speculations of the season would be who would kill Cersei, and how? There were several suspects - Jaime, Tyrion, Arya, Daenerys, the Hound, even Sansa and Brienne. It was Daenerys, if Cersei is actually dead, but it wasn't the face to face, satisfying demise we were waiting for, or maybe it was for some fans. Maybe Cersei and Jaime getting crushed as they were locked in an embrace was the conclusion people hoped for. Not me. I am not a fan of the violence of the show, but I have to admit I was waiting for her to be decapitated by Arya or strangled by Tyrion, or something like that. I even had a vision of Jaime shoving her out the tower, a la Bran. I wanted to see a single person wipe that perpetual smirk off her face. I most wanted it to be Tyrion. In a way, it made sense for the sibling lovers to die together. But I still think the fans were cheated - again.
The viewers were treated to two epic battles - the Hound vs the Mountain, and Euron vs Jaime. And we can be comforted by the fact that some of our favorite characters have survived, at least for now - Jon, Tyrion, Grey Worm, Arya, Sansa, Brienne, Sam, and Gilly. But within the celebration there are tinges of sadness and disappointment: Brienne the Gallant Knight became a sniveling, annoying cliche after sleeping with Jaime, and Grey Worm lost our respect when he continued the battle after Cersei's army laid down their swords.
I am very nervous for the final episode. I think there is a good chance that Daenerys will kill Tyrion - and that will absolutely devastate me. Yes, he betrayed her, but he was trying to avert carnage of innocent people - and he was trying to save his brother, the one person who was truly good to him.
What will happen in the final episode? Will everyone turn against Daenerys? Will Jon, the rightful heir, become the reluctant ruler of the Iron Throne?
Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of fans who are so frustrated that they just don't care anymore. Perhaps Game of Thrones, the beloved and celebrated series, will go the way of Lost, St Elsewhere, and Battlestar Galactica by presenting finales that perplex, anger, and disappoint their legions of devoted fans.
Sigh.
librarianintx
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