I'm not so sure anymore... I've been binge-ing the earlier seasons in anticipation of this episode, and whilst I was sure even while watching Season 7 that there was something drastically wrong with the pacing and writing of it, now more than ever the lack of quality is crystal clear.
Having just finished episode 1 of season 8 (weren't all these episodes supposed to be an hour-and-a-half long?), I feel a little disheartened. Not much happens in this episode, and that's fine, I am all for holding the action back and ramping up the drama leading up to it... however it's the same issues as Season 7 - the writing feels unintentionally comic, at times. The moments we all expect to see, unfold on screen in the most obvious manner possible. It conveniently cuts between different sequences to keep all storylines moving forward (of course, that has always been a pattern, but it never felt this constructed before). The characters seem to be wrapping up a major Hollywood Fantasy Blockbuster rather than the Game of Thrones we have grown to love and adore.
I felt no emotion, just a smile here or there, which can't be helped... these are people I've spent the last 10 years with, even if they are delivering corny lines with a straight, serious face, I can't help but admire where they have reached in this tremendous journey.
They do leave you with an interesting cliffhanger, where, for a second, I genuinely got excited about the moments that would follow... and were they the 1.5-hour episodes I was expecting, it may even have delivered some strong punches. But alas, in true Hollywood-Netflix-binge style, the only moment which carried within in some fire and some potential to get the heart racing... the screen cuts to black following a dramatic eye-exchange between two characters we love, and the credits roll.
Having just finished episode 1 of season 8 (weren't all these episodes supposed to be an hour-and-a-half long?), I feel a little disheartened. Not much happens in this episode, and that's fine, I am all for holding the action back and ramping up the drama leading up to it... however it's the same issues as Season 7 - the writing feels unintentionally comic, at times. The moments we all expect to see, unfold on screen in the most obvious manner possible. It conveniently cuts between different sequences to keep all storylines moving forward (of course, that has always been a pattern, but it never felt this constructed before). The characters seem to be wrapping up a major Hollywood Fantasy Blockbuster rather than the Game of Thrones we have grown to love and adore.
I felt no emotion, just a smile here or there, which can't be helped... these are people I've spent the last 10 years with, even if they are delivering corny lines with a straight, serious face, I can't help but admire where they have reached in this tremendous journey.
They do leave you with an interesting cliffhanger, where, for a second, I genuinely got excited about the moments that would follow... and were they the 1.5-hour episodes I was expecting, it may even have delivered some strong punches. But alas, in true Hollywood-Netflix-binge style, the only moment which carried within in some fire and some potential to get the heart racing... the screen cuts to black following a dramatic eye-exchange between two characters we love, and the credits roll.