Season 8 is the most divisive in the whole history of GAME OF THRONES, but so far we're off to a good start with this opening episode. Generally it works well, although Arya's still oddly off and there's at least one childish and stupid interlude, the dragon flying sequence between Jon and Daenerys, which feels like it belongs in a Disney film - a shame that CGI budget didn't get added to episode three. Otherwise, this is well directed and entertaining, with lots of interesting meeting and dialogues between characters who haven't seen each other for years. A set-up episode, for sure, but one that works.
639 Reviews
You can tell they have run out of books
tamaraomcikus16 April 2019
Its not bad, it is just becoming very blank, what made GOT GOT is lost.
It's very sad they ran out of books and it seems without that guidance they are turning to classic hollywood style of filming.
Caracters have lost their identities, they are just a pale version of themselves and everything is filled up with predictable conversations seen in thousand hollywood movies.
Season 7 all over again.
GRRM why didn't you finish the books? Lol
Underwhelming, bordering on disappointing
FelixMH16 April 2019
We got a very tepid start for the last season of one of the greatest shows of the decade, and it seems this season will suffer from the same deficiencies of Season 7, namely, absolutely terrible pacing, mediocre writing and predictability. I think the magic of the earlier seasons are definitively gone at this point.
All those problems stem from the fact that there is no longer any source material. Instead of condensing an already fantastic series of books, now the writing team is tasked with filling gaps and turning an outline into a coherent narrative. And thus, all the deficiencies (such as tropes, gaping plot holes, and predictability) of standard Hollywood screenwriting became apparent the in last couple of seasons.
Many central characters such as Tyrion, the Hound, Daenerys and Jon Snow have progressively lost key aspects of their personality and become run-of-the-mill tropes. The terrible pacing simply exacerbates this issue as the show-runners attempt to go through a "check list" and juggle so many different arcs in a 45-50 min episode. The result is a complete lack of depth, character development, and very short scenes, and we the audience simply can't get as emotionally invested in the characters as before.
But, we can expect some key revelations tying up the story and fantastic CGI dragons and battles, so this will definitely be entertaining just not on par with earlier seasons.
All those problems stem from the fact that there is no longer any source material. Instead of condensing an already fantastic series of books, now the writing team is tasked with filling gaps and turning an outline into a coherent narrative. And thus, all the deficiencies (such as tropes, gaping plot holes, and predictability) of standard Hollywood screenwriting became apparent the in last couple of seasons.
Many central characters such as Tyrion, the Hound, Daenerys and Jon Snow have progressively lost key aspects of their personality and become run-of-the-mill tropes. The terrible pacing simply exacerbates this issue as the show-runners attempt to go through a "check list" and juggle so many different arcs in a 45-50 min episode. The result is a complete lack of depth, character development, and very short scenes, and we the audience simply can't get as emotionally invested in the characters as before.
But, we can expect some key revelations tying up the story and fantastic CGI dragons and battles, so this will definitely be entertaining just not on par with earlier seasons.
Each Season is a Unified Piece
Hitchcoc19 April 2019
I don't know what people expect. Would you prefer that they end the whole thing in one episode? The first is always going to be transitional. We have to have reunions. We have to have relationships re-established because all the forces are congealing. I thought the dragon riding scene went on too long. But there are highly significant facts revealed that are necessary to set up what will transpire in the other five episodes. It's much like a chess match where two excellent players have their pieces all set for the endgame. Also, remember that it has been nearly two years since we saw these figures.
We warmed up!
ahmetkozan15 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Opening credits! The change in the credits has been nice. There were radical changes and the icons had changed. The details of the ice from the broken wall to the south were very nice. I liked the new credits. In this episode, there were parallel things about the first episode of the series. In the first episode of the series, Robert Baratheon was coming to Winterell and Bran was watching the armies from the tower. In this episode, one child climbed up the trees and watched Daenerys's army. Even the music used on the stage was the same. The reaction of the northern people to the dragon was fun. The scene of Cersei and Euron Greyjoy was a short, good and consistency. It was a scene I never expected. Theon Greyjoy's rescue of Yara was one of my favorite scenes. The scene where Jon Snow flew with dragon was very fast and a bit simple. I think it should have been more difficult. It made me feel like something Jon was always doing. The most critical part of the episode was to Jon learned that was the true heir to the throne. I wish we could see the elephants. Unfortunately they did not. Actually, it was an episode to warm the fans. This episode reminded us what kind of history the characters has with whom. 8/10
Don't know what you guys expected...
marijastokuca16 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Ok guys, I really don't understand what did you expect 'cause I see bunch of you disappointed or whatever-yeah, we waited for almost two long years for this season to come, but it's just the first episode.
It's unrealistic if you meant that there is going to be war/death etc already-we had to see the arrival to Winterfell, reunions, some pieces coming back together like a puzzle-just the temperature is starting to grow. I mean, you saw the ending, long winter is here, that's it. ;)
We still have 5 episodes, and I believe they're going to be great. :)
All in all-it is a great opening for all the upcoming events.
It's unrealistic if you meant that there is going to be war/death etc already-we had to see the arrival to Winterfell, reunions, some pieces coming back together like a puzzle-just the temperature is starting to grow. I mean, you saw the ending, long winter is here, that's it. ;)
We still have 5 episodes, and I believe they're going to be great. :)
All in all-it is a great opening for all the upcoming events.
Predictable, even cheesy, but necessary build-up for hopefully the best to come
slowcando16 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I could've written this episode:
Speaking of Jon & Daenerys, having the two most wooden main cast members lead the show is a little risky, and we know they'll both be the main story this final season as Jon found out about the clichéd revelation that he's 'the chosen one'. This will inevitably create distracting conflict between him & blondie despite Jon trying to tell everyone (and himself) that titles & rank no longer matter.
Personally I would've been fine had the final season been just about the White Walker threat, but it looks like the hints dropped in previous seasons will play a major part here: that Daenerys is a potential psycho power-mad Queen who's more concerned with people bending the knee than anything else. Jon would do well to not mention he's the actual heir so we can all concentrate on the epic zombie action.
6/10 is about as poor as a GOT episode gets, to be positive we can view this as a necessary build-up for the hopefully big-event stuff to come. A lot of pieces were put in place, tho' that does make some of the events to come somewhat predictable. Here I'll list 3 things which in this 'fan-service' era of GOT will probably happen (let's hope they won't, as GOT's strength used to be its unpredictability):
One unpredictable element is Bran. His story might be the key to making this final season a success, and success needs not just fan service, but shocks & twists. It was his idea for Sam to tell Jon about his heritage, which looks like it'll only put a spanner in the works. Who's side is Bran on? He & the Night King (a 'big bad' who has been somewhat underwhelming so far) will hopefully surprise us with a big bad story this season.
- Theon saves his sister.
- Cersei has betrayal in mind.
- The Ice Wall crew didn't die from the destroyed wall.
- Tyrion makes a remark about Varys's lack of balls.
- Jon & Daenerys do a Never-Ending Story dragon ride, then kiss in front of waterfalls...so much cheese.
- lots of reunions, and lots of mistrust of each other so plenty of the same old paranoid bickering.
- ends with a mild cliffhanger soap-opera style just as Jaime sees Bran for the first time since pushing him out the window 8 years ago.
Speaking of Jon & Daenerys, having the two most wooden main cast members lead the show is a little risky, and we know they'll both be the main story this final season as Jon found out about the clichéd revelation that he's 'the chosen one'. This will inevitably create distracting conflict between him & blondie despite Jon trying to tell everyone (and himself) that titles & rank no longer matter.
Personally I would've been fine had the final season been just about the White Walker threat, but it looks like the hints dropped in previous seasons will play a major part here: that Daenerys is a potential psycho power-mad Queen who's more concerned with people bending the knee than anything else. Jon would do well to not mention he's the actual heir so we can all concentrate on the epic zombie action.
6/10 is about as poor as a GOT episode gets, to be positive we can view this as a necessary build-up for the hopefully big-event stuff to come. A lot of pieces were put in place, tho' that does make some of the events to come somewhat predictable. Here I'll list 3 things which in this 'fan-service' era of GOT will probably happen (let's hope they won't, as GOT's strength used to be its unpredictability):
- Theon, Yara or Cersei (possibly via the Mountain) will end up killing Euron in a brutal manner.
- Daenerys finds out Jon is the actual heir and it causes all kinds of drama, maybe because Sansa finds out too and is pushing for Jon to take over. All this despite titles & rank not mattering anymore.
- Bronn will almost decide to kill Jaime & Tyrion despite all their buddy-history, but after a dramatic build-up will in the last minute not pull the trigger after all.
One unpredictable element is Bran. His story might be the key to making this final season a success, and success needs not just fan service, but shocks & twists. It was his idea for Sam to tell Jon about his heritage, which looks like it'll only put a spanner in the works. Who's side is Bran on? He & the Night King (a 'big bad' who has been somewhat underwhelming so far) will hopefully surprise us with a big bad story this season.
Best season premiere!
Thrones9414 April 2019
I had the honour of attending the first episode of the last season in Belfast. What an experience! You can clearly see that HBO has done everything in their power to make the season feel as grotesque as possible. The episode has everything a good Game of Thrones episode should contain: tension, shock, surprises, nudity and emotional moments. The episode is filled with beautiful and surprising reunions and feels much more cinematic. The pacing is fine and the fifty minutes feel like five minutes in the end. For me personally, this is the best season opener, closely followed by "Two Swords" and "The North Remembers". The episode also has an unexpected end, something to look forward to.
What a start!
staticsc14 April 2019
Should've been much better (very mediocre)
Kizaya15 April 2019
The episode doesn't tell you very much, like, even if you didn't watch it, nobody could spoil you anyways because everything that happens in the episode was anticipated already before the season.
All that we've seen in the episode should've been in the trailer for the season. And to waste a WHOLE episode on "few reunion scenes", out of 6 episodes, that's too much wasted time.
The episode is NOT bad, it's just not what you would EXPECT from the opening of the FINAL season of (considered by most) the "BEST" tv show nowadays...
All that we've seen in the episode should've been in the trailer for the season. And to waste a WHOLE episode on "few reunion scenes", out of 6 episodes, that's too much wasted time.
The episode is NOT bad, it's just not what you would EXPECT from the opening of the FINAL season of (considered by most) the "BEST" tv show nowadays...
Give me 3 good boats
Ar_Pharazon_the_golden18 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Jon Snow brings Daenerys back to Winterfell, heading "the greatest army the world has ever seen". Which tells us enough about the thought, or lack thereof, going into the story nowadays - if anyone needed a reminder. I mean, sure, it appears as though not a single person in Daenerys' army has died in the past several years and wars, judging from the size of the approaching cgi, but still, no one seems acquainted with the history of Westeros.
The surviving Stark siblings are finally reunited, and I was not at all surprised that no one bothered to mention Rickon is dead, what a pity - then I realised I am being unfair. Sansa, Bran and Arya have been reunited since last season, so it has been much longer that no one has bothered mentioning him.
On a positive note, Sansa does bring some reasonable logistical points about the coming war: how are we going to feed this huge army? Winter has, after all, come, even though one might wonder how it is that the only case of actual winter and a snow storm in the past 4 seasons was when Stannis attacked Winterfell. On a negative note, no one ponders Sansa's question any further. Maybe you could say "we'll just go to the farmer's market in Dorne and be back in a couple of hours" based on the show's current travel times - at this point, why not.
Davos, Tyrion and Varys have been relegated, at least in this episode, to being commentators whose job is to explain to the audience just what it is they are seeing - namely, that no one in the North likes Daenerys or that Jon Snow bent the knee. Which is of course something that I, fostering a pure and absolute hatred for Daenerys, like. But given how D&D have made the series predictable and good vs evil, I can wager that the whole "we don't like her and you are the actual rightful king" will just end with a barf-inducing marriage - after all, there is a pointlessly long scene of dragon-riding, along with 90's sitcom visual 'gags' about the dragons watching them kiss. I could also comment how these people suddenly care about the order of succession, but when Stannis was the rightful heir, noooooo, who cares.
I won't comment much on the Cersei scenes - her actions and motivations have simply stopped making any sense ever since D&D decided she is the villain, so she must do bad things. Her decision to hire Tyrion's close friend Bronn to murder him, because what could be wrong with this plan, is indicative.
Sadly, we remain around King's Landing long enough to see what is easily the worst thing about the episode: continuing on the long tradition of ridiculous covert operations, Yara, chained in a ship in the middle of Euron's oversized fleet, is rescued. How, you ask? Well, suddenly Theon and 5 good men burge in the room and free her. Cut to the next scene, where they are happily sailing away, without anyone providing even a semblance of an explanation how this happened or showing any remorse for a plot hole that would have been too big for a Dolph Lundgren film.
Lastly, the scene at the Last Hearth, where the white walkers have killed everyone, including recently introduced little Umber Lord, is good at inducing horror elements. Of course, if I really wanted to be critical (and I do), I would be forced to wonder how the little Umber lord, who was in Winterfell at the start of the episode, got back and got executed already. Tormund declares they must reach Winterfell before the Night King, who has a head start - so logically the dead should reach Winterfell on the next episode at the latest. But logic has long died (without being reanimated) and I somehow suspect it will take quite a bit longer.
The surviving Stark siblings are finally reunited, and I was not at all surprised that no one bothered to mention Rickon is dead, what a pity - then I realised I am being unfair. Sansa, Bran and Arya have been reunited since last season, so it has been much longer that no one has bothered mentioning him.
On a positive note, Sansa does bring some reasonable logistical points about the coming war: how are we going to feed this huge army? Winter has, after all, come, even though one might wonder how it is that the only case of actual winter and a snow storm in the past 4 seasons was when Stannis attacked Winterfell. On a negative note, no one ponders Sansa's question any further. Maybe you could say "we'll just go to the farmer's market in Dorne and be back in a couple of hours" based on the show's current travel times - at this point, why not.
Davos, Tyrion and Varys have been relegated, at least in this episode, to being commentators whose job is to explain to the audience just what it is they are seeing - namely, that no one in the North likes Daenerys or that Jon Snow bent the knee. Which is of course something that I, fostering a pure and absolute hatred for Daenerys, like. But given how D&D have made the series predictable and good vs evil, I can wager that the whole "we don't like her and you are the actual rightful king" will just end with a barf-inducing marriage - after all, there is a pointlessly long scene of dragon-riding, along with 90's sitcom visual 'gags' about the dragons watching them kiss. I could also comment how these people suddenly care about the order of succession, but when Stannis was the rightful heir, noooooo, who cares.
I won't comment much on the Cersei scenes - her actions and motivations have simply stopped making any sense ever since D&D decided she is the villain, so she must do bad things. Her decision to hire Tyrion's close friend Bronn to murder him, because what could be wrong with this plan, is indicative.
Sadly, we remain around King's Landing long enough to see what is easily the worst thing about the episode: continuing on the long tradition of ridiculous covert operations, Yara, chained in a ship in the middle of Euron's oversized fleet, is rescued. How, you ask? Well, suddenly Theon and 5 good men burge in the room and free her. Cut to the next scene, where they are happily sailing away, without anyone providing even a semblance of an explanation how this happened or showing any remorse for a plot hole that would have been too big for a Dolph Lundgren film.
Lastly, the scene at the Last Hearth, where the white walkers have killed everyone, including recently introduced little Umber Lord, is good at inducing horror elements. Of course, if I really wanted to be critical (and I do), I would be forced to wonder how the little Umber lord, who was in Winterfell at the start of the episode, got back and got executed already. Tormund declares they must reach Winterfell before the Night King, who has a head start - so logically the dead should reach Winterfell on the next episode at the latest. But logic has long died (without being reanimated) and I somehow suspect it will take quite a bit longer.
It's awesome
samuel-lewis1214 April 2019
I like GOT, but....
simplyanotherjen15 April 2019
An extension of the tone of Season 7
jaskunwar99315 April 2019
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.
Reunions and Revelations
claudio_carvalho15 April 2019
Jon and Daenerys have a cold reception in Winterfell. Jon meets his brother and sisters and rides the dragons with Daenerys. Then she discloses to Sam the fate of his father and brother. When Jon meets Sam, he discloses who his parents are. Euron Greyjoy meets Cersei to collect his recompense for joining to her army. Theon rescues his sister Yara and decides to go to Winterfell. Jaime arrives in Winterfell and sees Bran Stark.
"Winterfell" is an episode of reunions and revelations. Now Jon knows who he is and we will see his final decision. Sam learns the fate of his family. Cersei is pregnant of Jaime and will certainly lure Euron. How will be the meeting of Bran and Jaime? My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Winterfell"
"Winterfell" is an episode of reunions and revelations. Now Jon knows who he is and we will see his final decision. Sam learns the fate of his family. Cersei is pregnant of Jaime and will certainly lure Euron. How will be the meeting of Bran and Jaime? My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Winterfell"
DON'T listen to the people saying this is underwhelming !
fifanatik15 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Seeing some of these reviews almost makes me want to just never read any reviews ever again. To all the people saying this was boring and too slow, please stop watching tv shows if you are not gonna pay attention to them.
So many good things in this episode:
* So much tension created with quotes and even with simple glances.
* Reunions that we have wanted for such long time. (It really has that vibe of the very first episode)
* Amazing score with breathtaking visuals and a very nice tone overall, feels like a very well done setup.
* And the last point, this is NOT a slow episode AT ALL. They have crammed into basically 49 minutes of runtime: Jon and Daenerys arriving at Winterfell, Arya reuniting fully with the family, the people in the north seeing the dragons, intriguing plans and dialogue from each "camp", Jaime arriving at Winterfell, JON RIDING THE DRAGON, Jon FINDING OUT the truth about him, seeing what happened to the people near the wall.
I am actually very surprised they did all of this in one episode, while I was expecting some of them to be scattered in the first 3. People act like they lost a lot of time while there are still OVER 6 HOURS with the base being already set. I am honestly sick of people thinking an episode without explosions or mindless action slow, and this comes from a guy that loves a good, entertaining action movie/show.
The best season Premiere in Game of Thrones!!
nayehorne14 April 2019
This episode was was full of shock, excitement, humor, tension between a few characters, some nudity to spice things up😂😂and many much awaited character reunions. Followed by the new amazing score by Ramin Djawadi.
Soo much negativity why smh
ikhmayesleith16 April 2019
People r putting low rating for the episode because it wasn't what they expected....the episode was just fine it's very underrated...that's wrong. The reunions were great everything was just fine ... some comedy was added that's so nice actually ... U don't have to underrate it just bcuz it wasn't what u expected...the episode was great and very fascinating actually stop ur negativity...and we all know the next episodes will be even better
Greatest season opener of the series
dwoolfe9915 April 2019
Not the best.
katedriver15 April 2019
Bittersweet disappointment
slipping_beauty17 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This was, undoubtedly, the most boring Game of Thrones episode I have ever seen. This show has once put itself on a very high level of quality, but since season 7 this quality is drastically dropping down. The highly anticipated first episode of the last season turned out to be a poorly written parody of what GoT used to be. Everyone met everyone, Winterfell is suddenly the center of the universe, gathering absolutely all major characters except for Queen Cercei (because she's BAD and those at Winterfell are GOOD). The quantity of smirks from female characters is overwhelming. Daenerys is extra proud of being "the Mother of Dragons" and also turns into a silly teenage girl while looking at Jon Snow (absolutely no chemistry between the two whatsoever). What kind of dialogue is this: "I don't know how to ride a dragon" - "Nobody does - until they ride a dragon ;) ;) :)". What was that about and why?..
The dialogues look more like a combination of one-liners. Everyone tries too hard, and that looks pathetic. Showing emotions becomes something alien - Arya stays absolutely calm while meeting Jon, Gendry or the Hound. You haven't seen each other for 64 years - show a little emotion! Same goes to poor old Bran Stark - the guy just weirdly sits there, ignored by everyone.
The writers are dropping hints, but god knows if those hints are real. Sansa and Arya keep reminding Jon that he's a Stark - what's gonna happen to them when they find out that he is in fact a Targaryen? Same goes to Daenerys - is she capable of killing her beloved nephew in case he interferes into her plans to claim the throne?
We know for sure that Cercei is pregnant, We suspect that Daenerys is pregnant too. However, they're both happily unmarried - does this mean that we're gonna welcome two more bastards to the show?
The wonderful exclamation "he's got blue eyes!" is somewhat weird since the White Walkers all have, umm, blue eyes. But okay, this was supposed to be fun. As was the pox reference. As was "the only rich girl you know" reference.
And why do we keep getting those repetitions? Was it just me or did everyone get the "Ygritte in the cave" vibe when Daenerys said that they could stay near the waterfall for a thousand years? Ant this "smartest person I know" thing - why put the same words into different characters mouths?
I'm happy GoT is back. We all need closure to this story. Let's just hope this closure will be as amazing as the first 6 seasons of the show.
I'm happy GoT is back. We all need closure to this story. Let's just hope this closure will be as amazing as the first 6 seasons of the show.
A good season premiere.
rluxton-6938515 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This first episode offers the character-devoted, detail-filled hiatus before a season filled with "fire and blood". Akin to many GOT premieres, 'Winterfell' is hardly packed with action. Instead, it provides many long-awaited reunions and narrative posturing. The simmering animosity between Dany and her new Northern subjects is impressively visceral, considering the lack of time to develop these feelings. The episode is filled with strong moments like this and succeeds in setting up the "Great War" to come. However, amid this well-structured episode were some unnecessary and 'Hollywood-like' moments. A far-cry from the seasons of old, the Avatar-like dragon ride seemed awkward and misplaced. True, the special effects were very good. But this scene, and a few others, lack necessity and harm the flow of the episode which was established quite well during the opening. Quality scenes, however, outweigh the bad. For example, Tormund, Beric and Edd's final scene returns the frightening presence of the White Walkers to the fold, and highlights the quality we have come to expect from GOT. Overall, this was a great start to GOT's final season.
Concerning
BigChris77718 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I was so excited for the return of GoT. The storyline for this episode is fine. What concerned me was the quality, or lack of it.
The Disneyesque flight scene has poor CGI, looking a good decade out of date. A pointlessly drawn out interlude. There were more nuanced ways to show Jon has a Targeryan affinity with the dragons.
The scene where Sam learns about his family was brilliantly acted but then the scene where Jon learns about his ancestry was rushed and too simple. This is the climax of so much build up and it completely lacked any tension.
I hope it's just a blip but something, quality or grit, feels missing.
Just Not Good.
hunterwhall15 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I thought Season 7 all in all was a major step down from Seasons 1-6. The show had a shift from unpredictable, well-written, developed seasons in 1-6 into a rushed mess in 7. This episode kicks off Season 8 in the same fashion.
Sadly, the only thing that surprises me on this show any more is how the writers continue to disrespect and dumb down many of the characters they (or GRRM) built for the first 5 or 6 seasons. Example 1: I know Bran is the Three Eyed Raven now, but really?? He's just being weird for no reason. He can know things AND have at least a trace of the same characteristics that he had in the other seasons. Instead he's this meloncholy stump that is not enjoyable to watch at all. He's only used as a device to reveal things that the show doesn't have time to spell out any more. Example 2: I have no clue why the writers have decided to make Sansa out to be someone she isn't. Arya literally says Sansa is the smartest person she's ever met. Sansa? I mean she isn't dumb by any means, but after watching the previous episodes, I would not give her the right to say "you know I used to think you were the most clever man in Westeros." To TYRION! Tyrion was an incredible "game player" in the early seasons. He's very smart. Now the show has reduced him, as they did to my guy Littlefinger, to someone he isn't. Getting dissed by Sansa...never thought I'd see it. I could go on and on about how every character on the show just seems to be acting out of character- and it's not their fault, it's the dialogue and plot written. People are doing things they just never would've done previously.
Another thing I really disliked about this episode: the dragon scene with Jon and Dany. What was that? It was like something you'd see in some corny movie. That was not Game of Thrones material...(why did they even go flying anyways, they had just said how the dragons had barely been eating, and hated the North, why waste their little energy by flying further North?) the cheesy dialogue along with the dragon being behind them as a punchline made this feel like How to Train Your Dragon or a Disney film.
Overall this episode was just corny, sloppy, and boring. I was hopeful they'd turn it around after all of Season 7's rushed mistakes and plot holes. Doesn't look like that will be happening, barring a miracle.
Sadly, the only thing that surprises me on this show any more is how the writers continue to disrespect and dumb down many of the characters they (or GRRM) built for the first 5 or 6 seasons. Example 1: I know Bran is the Three Eyed Raven now, but really?? He's just being weird for no reason. He can know things AND have at least a trace of the same characteristics that he had in the other seasons. Instead he's this meloncholy stump that is not enjoyable to watch at all. He's only used as a device to reveal things that the show doesn't have time to spell out any more. Example 2: I have no clue why the writers have decided to make Sansa out to be someone she isn't. Arya literally says Sansa is the smartest person she's ever met. Sansa? I mean she isn't dumb by any means, but after watching the previous episodes, I would not give her the right to say "you know I used to think you were the most clever man in Westeros." To TYRION! Tyrion was an incredible "game player" in the early seasons. He's very smart. Now the show has reduced him, as they did to my guy Littlefinger, to someone he isn't. Getting dissed by Sansa...never thought I'd see it. I could go on and on about how every character on the show just seems to be acting out of character- and it's not their fault, it's the dialogue and plot written. People are doing things they just never would've done previously.
Another thing I really disliked about this episode: the dragon scene with Jon and Dany. What was that? It was like something you'd see in some corny movie. That was not Game of Thrones material...(why did they even go flying anyways, they had just said how the dragons had barely been eating, and hated the North, why waste their little energy by flying further North?) the cheesy dialogue along with the dragon being behind them as a punchline made this feel like How to Train Your Dragon or a Disney film.
Overall this episode was just corny, sloppy, and boring. I was hopeful they'd turn it around after all of Season 7's rushed mistakes and plot holes. Doesn't look like that will be happening, barring a miracle.
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