(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
Earlier this month, HBO announced its month-long “Iron Anniversary” – a celebration marking 10 years since Game of Thrones premiered on the service on April 17, 2011. The premium cable network/streaming giant has also recently announced a slew of Game of Thrones spin-offs that will keep fans of George R.R. Martin’s dragon-filled tomes and the original TV adaptation satisfied for the next 10 years. At least. (First in line: a prequel taking us back 300 years from the events of Thrones to a very turbulent period for the Targaryens called House of the Dragon.)
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So, we’ve got fire and ice on the brain this week. Which was a perfect reason to go back in time ourselves – just two years, mind – to the time when the very last episodes of Game of Thrones arrived on HBO: an, um, turbulent period for fans of the series, many of whom began season 8’s six-episode run with expectations soaring and ended it in a state WTF disbelief. Story arcs felt rushed, they complained, and characters were taking very out-of-character turns; meanwhile, even the best moments were marred by questionable creative choices. (How much better would “The Long Night” have been if we could have actually seen it?).
Just how much did fans dislike the final season? Its Audience Score sits at just 30%, and critics were only slightly more generous, with their reviews combining to form a Tomatometer score of just 54% – the only Rotten score for any Game of Thrones season. (And it was a big drop from previous years: Every other season is Certified Fresh with a score of at least 90%.)
But was season 8 really that bad? Did a few wrong moves overshadow a whole ton of awesome moments? Was Bran really that terrible a choice for the Iron Throne? That’s what we’re asking in the latest episode of podcast Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong (A Podcast from Rotten Tomatoes). Joining hosts Jacqueline Coley and Mark Ellis this week is Andres “Ace” Cabrera, co-founder of YouTube channel First Cut and co-host of podcast The Meaning Of. Will he be House Rotten Tomatoes… or tear that Tomatometer score down like some suddenly unhinged dragon queen laying waste to a city and all the innocent civilians who dwell there? Tune in to find out.
Check in every Thursday for a new episode of Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong (A Podcast From Rotten Tomatoes). Each week, hosts Jacqueline and Mark and guests go deep and settle the score on some of the most beloved – and despised – movies and TV shows ever made, directly taking on the statement we hear from so many fans: “Rotten Tomatoes is wrong.”
If you have a suggestion for a movie or show you think we should do an episode on, let us know in the comments, or email us at rtiswrong@rottentomatoes.com.
Meet the hosts
Jacqueline Coley is an editor at Rotten Tomatoes, with a focus on awards and indie coverage but with a passion for everything, from the MCU to musicals and period pieces. Coley is a regular moderator at conventions and other events, can be seen on Access Hollywood and other shows, and will not stand Constantine slander of any kind. Follow Jacqueline on Twitter: @THATjacqueline.
Mark Ellis is a comedian and contributing editor for Rotten Tomatoes. He currently hosts the Rotten Tomatoes series Versus, among others, and can be seen co-hosting the sports entertainment phenomenon Movie Trivia Schmoedown. His favorite Star Wars movie is Jedi (guess which one!), his favorite person is actually a dog (his beloved stepdaughter Mollie), and – thanks to this podcast – he’s about to watch Burlesque for the first time in his life. Follow Mark on Twitter: @markellislive.
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In 2019, Rotten Tomatoes turns 21, and to mark the occasion we’re celebrating with a series of features that look back at the brightest moments on screen of the past two decades – and one year – and the things that have us excited for the future.
Game of Thrones is the latest title in the history of era-defining television – Seinfeld, Friends, The Sopranos – to reach its conclusion. Now that we know more – that Dany’s visions of the Red Keep at the House of the Undying so many years before was about ash, not snow, for one – some of the standout moments that brought us to this conclusion become clearer as well. We also talked to director Alan Taylor about a few of the epic scenes he oversaw. Read more of our interview with Taylor here.
Below are 21 of the biggest moments in the series’ eight seasons. Don’t like our picks? Take our poll or tell us your top moments in the comments.
(Season 6, Episode 5: "The Door" 98%)
Directed by: Jack Bender
Written By: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: Bran wargs into Hodor to help fight the wights invading the Three-Eyed Raven HQ. When Bran and Meera are safely out the door, she pleads with Hodor to “hold the door” – a refrain that young Hodor hears in Bran’s time-travel realm, forever changing the character.
MVP: Kristian Nairn
Why It’s On the List: Understanding how Hodor came to be afflicted was hugely satisfying, harrowing, and unforgettable.
(Photo by HBO)
(Season 8, Episode 5: "The Bells" 49%)
Directed by: Miguel Sapochnik
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: The Hound finally faces off one-on-one against his brother.
MVPs: Rory McCann, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
Why It’s On the List: It’s the battle royale that fans had been clamoring for, and the series did not disappoint.
(Photo by HBO)
(Season 1, Episode : "" --)
Directed by: Timothy Van Patten
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: Climbing a Winterfell tower, Bran Stark happens upon the queen, Cersei, having sex with her twin, Jaime. The latter pushes Bran from the tower hoping to permanently silence him.
MVPs: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Isaac Hempstead Wright
Why It’s On the List: Jaime’s act set the tone for the series to come: no one is safe.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
(Season 7, Episode 7: "The Dragon and the Wolf" 88%)
Directed by: Jeremy Podeswa
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: Sansa Stark puts Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish on trial at Winterfell and sentences him to death for his crimes. Arya carries out the sentence.
MVPs: Sophie Turner, Aiden Gillen, Maisie Williams
Why It’s On the List: Machiavellian Littlefinger – the man who betrayed Ned Stark in season 1, then traded Ned’s daughter Sansa to the Boltons – finally gets the end many thought he long deserved.
(Photo by HBO)
(Season 4, Episode 8: "The Mountain and the Viper" 96%)
Directed by: Alex Graves
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: Accused of regicide in the death of his nephew Joffrey Baratheon, Tyrion Lannister opts for trial by combat. Cersei chose violent, cruel, and massive Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane as her champion. Tyrion named his brother, skilled swordsman Jaime, to fight for him, but was refused because the elder Lannister was far away fighting in the Riverlands. Because the Mountain raped and killed Elia Martell and murdered her children, her brother, Dornish prince Oberyn Martell – “The Viper” – steps up to defend the former acting hand of the king. Instead of a triumphant victory, he gets his eyes squished out of his head after taunting The Mountain.
MVPs: Pedro Pascal, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Indira Varma
Why It’s On the List: One of the series’ most gruesome moments, the Viper’s death was the eye-squishing that shocked the world. The events lead to a complete breakdown of the Martell family’s rule over Dorne. The Viper’s lover, Ellaria Sand, stages a coup of the kingdom-state, murdering Prince Doran Martell, and later allies with Daenerys Targaryen.
(Season 6, Episode 10: "The Winds of Winter" 99%)
Directed by: Miguel Sapochnik
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: Don’t remember Cersei’s trial? That’s because there wasn’t one. The Queen Mother blew up the Great Sept of Baelor – and one-fourth of King’s Landing along with it – with wildfire rather than submit herself to examination by the High Sparrow and his righteous thugs.
MVPs: Lena Headey, Dean-Charles Chapman, Natalie Dormer, the VFX team, editors, and composer Ramin Djawadi
Why It’s On the List: Cersei’s simmering glee, Queen Margaery’s desperate terror, the green plumes of ignited wildfire, and King Tommen’s utter devastation after the explosion – all accompanied by Djawadi’s haunting score – added up to a beautiful symphony of treachery, mayhem, and death.
(Photo by HBO)
(Season 8, Episode 1: "Winterfell" 92%)
Directed by: David Nutter
Written by: Dave Hill
The Moment: Samwell Tarly tells his best buddy Jon Snow who his birth parents are: “You’ve never been a bastard. You’re Aegon Targaryen, true heir to the Iron Throne…sixth of his name — all of it.” The next episode, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” followed this moment with its companion scene: Jon telling Daenerys (to her horror). Sam and Jon’s chat was also preceded in the season premiere by Jon riding Rhaegal (pictured above) — as if Dany needed more proof of his lineage.
MVPs: John Bradley, Kit Harington
Why It’s On the List: It wasn’t the splashiest scene or the most dramatic, but it finally aired out the best-kept secret in the Seven Kingdoms. It was a highly anticipated moment and it had arrived.
(Photo by HBO)
(Season 8, Episode 5: "The Bells" 49%)
Directed by: Miguel Sapochnik
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: The Northern coalition led by Jon Snow and Grey Worm meet the Golden Company at the gates of King’s Landing. While they stare each other down, Daenerys has been busy blowing the Ironborn fleet to hell with dragon fire on Blackwater Bay. When she’s done there, she starts on the city’s ramparts, destroying the scorpions meant to bring down her dragon, and finally makes her way to the main gate where she surprises Harry Strickland and his men with a blast of dragon fire from behind. Daenerys takes a breather with Drogon on the wall waiting for the bells to ring, signaling the city’s surrender. The bells do ring, but the Dragon Queen gets a wild-eyed look and sets upon the streets of King’s Landing, unleashing Drogon’s fiery vengeance. “You slaughtered a city!” Tyrion later scolds her.
MVPs: VFX team, Emilia Clarke for her effort in selling a moment that no one wanted
Why It’s On the List: Many didn’t agree with this plot turn, arguing that the behavior Daenerys displayed was out of character and only served as a cheap way of getting to an end; that is, giving Jon Snow irrefutable cause to also act out of character and execute her. The episode landed dead last on the Tomatometer of all 73 episodes. The burning of King’s Landing makes our top 10 here for its artistry, horror, and infamy.
(Photo by HBO)
(Season 7, Episode : "" --)
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: Traveling beyond the Wall to save Jon Snow and his wight-hunting party, Daenerys finds out that her dragons are vulnerable when the Night King hurls a lance and kills Viserion. Before he can reload his magical throwing arm, she loads up Drogon with the hunting party (minus Jon) and flies away back to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.
MVPs: VFX team, Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke
Why It’s On the List: From the wight army threat to the dragon flame, exploding ice, and downing of the great beast, everything in the final fight of the episode up and through the moment of Viserion’s death was epic, and the turning of the dragon was one of the series’ most surprising twists. Plus, the emotional investment the actors put into the moment was palpable and perfect.
Director’s Note: “The fact that you’re basically killing a puppy,” Taylor told Rotten Tomatoes, “you know it’s gonna have a very strong resonance with the audience, so I was really grateful to be able to handle that moment. And the reveal of the turn at the end, of course, was one of the yummiest episode-enders I’d ever been given – when we see the blue eye open and know what that means.”
Read more of Taylor’s take on the birth of ice dragon Viserion.
(Season 6, Episode 9: "Battle of the Bastards" 98%)
Directed by: Miguel Sapochnik
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: Technically two moments, but so intertwined that the latter could not have happened without the former – and Sansa Stark gets mad credit for both. From her “I’ll do it without you” shaming of Jon at Castle Black, to calling in the Knights of the Vale, to releasing the hounds on Ramsay: all Sansa. “Your words will disappear. Your house will disappear. All memory of you will disappear.” Jon swung the sword, but when all hope was lost, the future queen’s diplomacy and strategy saved the day.
MVPs: Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Iwan Rheon
Why It’s On the List: All corners of the episode from performance to directing, to production and art design, costuming, and the pure blood, sweat, and tears – surely there were tears! – that made this scene come together were superb. The episode won six Emmys in 2016: Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Special Visual Effects, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour), Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series. The series also won Outstanding Drama Series that year.
(Photo by HBO)
(Season 8, Episode 3: "The Long Night" 74%)
Directed by: Miguel Sapochnik
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: Theon Greyjoy finds redemption protecting Bran Stark from the wight horde and the Night King, but loses his life. Just when it seems all hope is lost, the hero of Winterfell breezes past the White Walkers before they even know she’s there, and puts a knife in the Night King’s belly. He shatters into a million ice shards, the White Walkers also explode, and the wights, including ice-dragon Viserion, all crumble to the ground as so many rotting bags of bones.
MVPs: Maisie Williams, Alfie Allen
Why It’s On the List: Thus, the war against the dead ends.
HBO(Season 1, Episode 10: "Fire and Blood" 100%)
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: Daenerys Targaryen honors her dead husband with a king-size funeral pyre and places her dragon eggs alongside him, she adds the witch for a taste of vengeance, sets the lot on fire, then walks into the inferno. At daylight, Jorah Mormont and Rakharo approach the smoldering embers and find Daenerys, naked with three newly hatched dragons.
MVPs: This was Emilia Clarke’s moment with an impressive debut by three adorable baby dragons
Why It’s On the List: The arrival of Daenerys’ children delivered the fantasy to this fantasy epic after an entire season of talk of magic, monsters, and dragons.
Director’s Note: “A lot was going on there, obviously. It’s a tragedy, it’s a funeral, it’s the end of things, and as we discovered, it’s the beginning of everything, too. I know — I’ve heard this, and we spoke about it — that Emilia did not think her character expected to die in the flames…There’s a wonderful look she gives to Iain Glen, when he’s all torn up, when she’s about to walk in, she looks at him, and it’s such a forgiving, letting-go look, from such a place of wisdom, that I thought it was really beautiful, and that for me, was sort of the attitude that Emilia had Daenerys take into the flames, that she knew the rightness of what she was doing,” Taylor said. “She’s a Targaryen, and I think in her mind, she sort of knew flames were not gonna be the problem…that it wasn’t necessarily her death that she was walking to. I don’t think, certainly nobody, including her, expected the birth that happened, with her three sidekicks. But that was the beginning of the new dawn.”
Read more of Taylor’s take on the hatching of Daenerys’ children.
(Photo by HBO)
(Season 8, Episode 6: "The Iron Throne" 47%)
Written and directed by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The Moment: So it’s all come down to this. Eight seasons of following the adventures of the young Night’s Watch warrior and the Dragon Queen, worrying about their choices and the dread of what’s to come, feeling their heartbreak and pain, and witnessing their phoenix-like rebounds, only to have the one (Ice – not the sword) kill the other (Fire). And to punctuate the moment, Drogon melts down the Iron Throne.
MVPs: Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, and the episode’s VFX team for Drogon
Why It’s On the List: Putting aside other major developments from the finale – that Bran the Broken is now king of the Six Kingdoms, the North seceded the union and crowned Sansa queen in the North, and Arya is now a famed and feared assassin-adventurer of Westeros – this was the true end of the tale, the “Song of Ice and Fire.” That this Targaryen love story couldn’t have a happily-ever-after ending was devastating to a vast swath of fans who hoped or expected that the characters would choose love, not tyranny and assassination. Vocal fans on social media weren’t the only ones grousing; critics weighed in and gave the episode one of the worst scores in the series’ 73-episode history, and, in perhaps an even more stunning turn of events, the season is now Rotten on the Tomatometer.
Read more of Taylor’s take on the beheading of Ned Stark.
That’s it, free folks: “The Iron Throne” (55% on the Tomatometer as of publication) has closed the book on the Game of Thrones world, and completed the saga of why people with the last name of “Stark” should avoid the South at all costs. In honor of the 73 episodes that have been released since 2011, we decided to do a Tomatometer deep dive into all eight seasons.
The following statistics cover all 73 episodes of the series, and are accurate as of noon on Monday, May 20, 2019.
SPOILER WARNING! WE LOVE DATA AND WE SPOIL THINGS.
This article contains spoilers from the entire series of Game of Thrones.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
The 91% Tomatometer average for the 73 episodes does an excellent job of summarizing the series has a whole. A little more than 5 percent of the episodes have been Rotten — four in total, including season 5’s “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” (54%) and season 8’s “The Last of the Starks” (episode 4, 58%), “The Bells” (episode 5, 47%), and “The Iron Throne” (episode 6, 55%). The majority of the show, however, has been brilliantly executed and its given us classic episodes like “Baelor” (season 1, episode 9, 100%), “Blackwater” (season 2, episode 9, 100%), and “The Door” (season 6, episode 5, 98%), which are genuinely thrilling and made us feel so many feels. (We miss you, Hodor.)
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
Critics have chilled on the GoT world since season 8 brought winter with it. However, the 69% Tomatometer average for the six episodes is still Fresh. The Fresh average can be attributed to the first two episodes, “Winterfell” (92%) and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (88%), which kicked things off by reuniting the core characters so they could battle a seemingly unstoppable force of ice zombies. It’s too bad that the Tomatometer scores for “The Long Night” (75%), “The Last of the Starks” (58%), “The Bells” (47%), and “The Iron Throne” (55%) plunged to record low scores.
Forget saving the best for last: GoT kicked off its 10-episode first season with the 100% Tomatometer rated “Winter Is Coming,” and it ended with the 100% rated “Fire and Blood.” Not only was the season bookended by perfect episodes, it had a total of eight 100% episodes that critics lost their heads over (sorry, Ned). Only “Lord Snow” (86%) and “The Wolf and the Lion” (95%) failed to achieve perfection.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
After season 1 kicked things off with eight 100% episodes, the subsequent seasons have had a hard time matching its Tomatometer dominance. Season 2 had five 100% episodes and season 3 had four, whereas seasons 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 could only manage six perfectly rated episodes between them. (Watch season 5’s “Hardhome” now. It’s amazing!) In fact, the last episode to receive a 100% Tomatometer score was 2016’s “Book of the Stranger” (season 6, episode 4), which is the highest-rated of all the GoT episodes owing to the massive number of reviews it received compared to the rest of the 100% episodes.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
An explanation for the show’s Tomatometer dip in seasons 6, 7, and 8 can be partly attributed to the show going “off-book.” By the end of season 5, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss couldn’t rely on writer George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire source material any longer. They forged a new path, and the results were still super Fresh — at first. The 86% Tomatometer average for the episodes featured in seasons 6-8 is very good, but when compared to the 95% average for seasons 1-5 it starts looking like the Dothraki army after battling the Night King.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
With season 8 receiving uncharacteristically low Tomatometer scores, it might be easy to forget how stellar the show has been for 8 seasons. The majority of episodes — 69 of 73, or 94.5 percent — have Fresh scores. As for the four Rotten episodes, the first came in season 5 “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” (54%), featuring the controversial wedding and rape scene between Sansa Stark and Ramsay Bolton. The other three are season 8’s “The Last of the Starks” (58%), “The Bells” (47%), and “The Iron Throne” (57%).
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
Critics loved when Daenerys Targaryen’s three dragons were born during the 100% Tomatometer rated season 1 finale, “Fire and Blood”; however, critics weren’t as hot (pun intended) for the four episodes featuring them getting killed (or killed again). Season 7’s “Beyond the Wall” (84%) and season 8’s “The Long Night” (75%) and “The Last of the Starks” (58%) killed off Rhaegal and Viserion, respectively (twice for Viserion). The series finale, “The Iron Throne” (55%), featured the death of their mother. The result for all four episodes is a 68% Tomatometer average, which is well below the 92% overall Tomatometer score for the 73 episodes.
Quick Tomatometer Fact: Episodes featuring a direwolf being killed have a 96.25% Tomatometer average. We still strongly dislike the Freys for killing Grey Wind, though.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
The five GoT episodes featuring very expensive weddings that take place in front of large crowds have 100% Tomatometer scores. Episodes including “The Rains of Castamere” (season 3, episode 9), “The Lion and the Rose” (season 4, episode 2), and “Winter Is Coming” (season 1, episode 1) go BIG with their weddings and occasionally end horribly for beloved (or hated) characters. All of these episodes have 100% scores, and have provided some of the most murderous moments (the Red Wedding), awkward moments (Tyrion and Sansa), and violent moments (Joffrey being poisoned at The Purple Wedding) of the series.
Quick Tomatometer Fact: The GoT episodes featuring smaller weddings have an 84% Tomatometer average.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
It turns out that more is less when it comes to death in the GoT world. The 53 episodes featuring fewer than 25 people dying have a Tomatometer average of 93.2%, whereas the 19 deadly episodes (more than 25 kills) have an 89.2% average. While several episodes featuring mass mayhem like “Hardhome” (season 5, episode 8), “The Battle of the Bastards” (season 6, episode 9), and “Blackwater”’ (season 2, episode 9) are excellent, they are outweighed by less deadly episodes, such as the No. 2 ranked “Mockingbird” (season 4, episode 7), that don’t relish in killing too many of our favorite (or least favorite) characters.
Quick Tomatometer Facts:
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
The Tomatometer average for the six episodes that Alex Graves directed is a fantastic 98.3%. Highlighted by “The Lion and the Rose” and “And Now His Watch Has Ended” (season 3, episode 4), these episodes featured classic GoT moments such as the Viper vs. The Mountain battle (season 4, episode 8) and Tywin Lannister’s death at the hands of Tyrion (season 4, episode 10). Graves’ confident direction during seasons 3 and 4 helped the show reach next-level popularity, and it’s hard to believe that his lowest-rated episode was the 96% “Breaker of Chains” (season 4, episode 3).
Quick Tomatometer Fact: Tim Van Patten has a 100% Tomatometer average for the two episodes he directed, “Winter is Coming” (season 1, episode 1) and “The Kingsroad” (season 1, episode 2), which helped establish the tone and look of the entire series.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
Starting with season 1’s “The Pointy End” (100%) and ending with season 4’s “The Lion and the Rose” (100%), Martin’s four GoT scripts have a 94.25% Tomatometer average. The excellent 94.25% average puts him ahead of fellow four-plus episode writers Dave Hill (92.5% for 4 episodes), Benioff and Weiss (91.8% for 47 episodes), and Bryan Cogman (91% for 11 episodes). It’s impressive that three of Martin’s four episodes have 100% Tomatometer scores, and his script for the battle-heavy “Blackwater” set up some of the greatest carnage ever seen on screen.
Quick Tomatometer Fact: We’re not the only ones who wish female writers Vanessa Taylor (95% for three episodes) and Jane Espenson (100% for her single episode) wrote more.
Have any good GoT stats to share? Let us know about your favorite episodes in the comments!
(Photo by HBO)
Despite stirring speechifying by the Seven Kingdom’s newly crowned despot, her death at the hands of the man she loved, and a dragon’s moving lament, Game of Thrones went out with a whimper, according to critics. Season 8, Episode 6: "The Iron Throne" 47% is not the worst episode of the series, but it is in the bottom three based on the first reviews of the series finale.
With this final entry, the season’s current score is well below the 75% score needed to be Certified Fresh, marking the first season in the series’ history that will not receive the honor. The season is, in fact, now Rotten (updated May 23), which is just stunning given the series’ track record.
Here’s what critics had to say about the episode.
(Photo by HBO)
“It’s almost impossible to imagine it ending any other way.” — Steve Greene, indieWire
“After showing us a nightmare for eight seasons, Game of Thrones finally dares to dream of spring.” — Sean T. Collins, Rolling Stone
“A stupendous end that the series deserved.” — Mikel Zorrilla, Espinof
“The series finale, proved largely satisfying after eight seasons of incredible drama.” — Todd Gilchrist, Birth.Movies.Death.
Read more:
Game of Thrones’ Series Finale Best Moments: Breaking the Wheel and a Dragon’s Choice
(Photo by HBO)
“As a fan of the TV show, I felt battered into submission. This season has been the same story over and over again: a lot of tin-eared writing trying to justify some of the most drastic story developments imaginable, as quickly as possible.” — David Sims, The Atlantic
“Game of Thrones has lulled us into believing that its women would end up in charge. In the end, it’s only Sansa, by sheer force of will, who wears a lesser crown. The wheel hasn’t broken; the patriarchy is still alive and well in Westeros.” — Anne Cohen, Refinery29
“The kindest thing I can say about the Games of Thrones series finale is that it might have satisfied Plato.” — Judy Berman, TIME Magazine
“Gotta say this episode felt more like a season finale than the series finale it was, if only because this last season seemed so isolated from what went before.” — Glen Weldon, NPR
“It’s hardly an exit cry of triumph.” — Steve Johnson, Chicago Tribune
(Photo by HBO)
“The ending got rushed to the point of a fantasy even greater than the story told given all we had grown to know and love over six seasons (or seven, depending on your view) got torn asunder in the space of six episodes.” — Carissa Pavlica, TV Fanatic
“I liked this episode, and at times I thought it was truly brilliant… But the lords and ladies of Westeros picked a new king in five minutes, when we’ve spent eight seasons fighting a bloody war over who would sit on the Iron Throne.” — Erik Kain, Forbes
“It was hacky; it was cliched. Every character left standing received a saccharine coda. It was all too simple, too clean, even with a major death and a surprise contender for the Iron Throne. Closure is one thing, but pandering is entirely another.” — Kelly Lawler, USA Today
One second from every episode of Game of Thrones. pic.twitter.com/rFz2CFLwBx
— Andy Kelly (@ultrabrilliant) May 20, 2019
“Like most of Season 8, it felt like a Wikipedia summary more than a full story being told, with only Arya, Sansa, Sam, and Brienne getting endings I can halfway believe.” — Gina Carbone,
CinemaBlend
“But the pacing and the hurry to get to the finish line are not the only issues. There are large, gaping holes in the fabric of logic that one just cannot ignore anymore.” — Soumya Srivastava, Hindustan Times
“In dramatic terms, it may have resolved itself with something like indecent haste. But thematically, it made perfect sense.” — Karl Quinn, The Age (Australia)
“In this last season there was too little surprise, too many high-dollar digital theatrics, and less drive to really drill down into the essence of what made Westeros a place where so many people wanted to spend their Sunday nights.” — Hillary Kelly, New York Magazine/Vulture
Read more: Game of Thrones’ Final Season Is Officially Its Worst, According to the Tomatometer
(Photo by HBO)
“That finale was a mixed bag for me. I’m not sure how much it made ACTUAL SENSE in terms of how we’ve seen this world to work, but Jon ending up back at the Wall with Ghost actually felt to me like one of the best endings for his character.” — Huw Fullerton, Radio Times
“Wow. Drogon understood more about the geopolitical power struggle and human weakness than I would’ve thought he did.” — Kimberly Roots, TV Line
“Bran was the king of least resistance, with the added bonus of some superpowers that definitely are real, but which are dubiously useful at best.” — Kathryn VanArendonk, New York Magazine/Vulture
Read more: All Game of Thrones Episodes, Ranked by Tomatometer
(Photo by (Helen Sloan/HBO)
“This was a largely satisfying conclusion. One could quibble over a couple of plot points, and argue about the reassertion of the show’s regressive gender politics. But a piece of entertainment as complex as this was always going to involve some compromise.” — Nick Curtis, London Evening Standard
“Over all, though, it was a solid and largely satisfying wrap-up to one of the most exciting and enthralling TV series ever.” — Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“So, yeah, it all worked out in the end, really. Was it perfect? No, because it couldn’t be. Was it enough to course-correct some of the more truncated story decisions from this season? Yes, I believe it was.” — Tim Goodman, Hollywood Reporter
(Photo by HBO)
“Because the Game of Thrones finale is really a bunch of different endings rolled into one. All the outcomes combined add up to a finale that’s sort of … bittersweet, just as author George R.R. Martin has been saying all these years.” — James Hibberd, Entertainment Weekly
“After showing us a nightmare for eight seasons, Game of Thrones finally dares to dream of spring.” — Sean T. Collins, Rolling Stone
“It’s not quite the dream of spring we might’ve hoped for, but it’s not a disaster either. And now our watch has ended.” — Laura Prudom, IGN Movies
Did you agree with the critics? Tell us in the comments!
Game of Thrones season 8 is available to stream on demand, on HBO Go, and on HBO Now.
(Photo by HBO)
HBO’s fantasy epic Game of Thrones ended on Sunday night with a finale that tied together many loose ends – we now know the fate of doltish Edmure Tully, for instance – and left many still hanging.
One thing we learned is that in this world of Ice and Fire, a dragon is not a beast, but a passionate, intelligent participant in the world around him. Drogon chose not to burn Jon Snow, despite the fact that he killed its mother. Book readers will love that touch.
The critics are still weighing in with their verdict on “The Iron Throne,” but an early count of reviews, shows them split roughly down the middle, which gave the series finale an early Rotten score. (We should know in the next 24 hours where the score will settle.)
Until then, let’s look at some of the biggest moments of the episode.
(Photo by HBO)
Despite actress Lena Headey’s Instagram goodbye last week, we were unable to believe Cersei and Jaime were dead until Tyrion dug them out of the rubble on Sunday night.
The dead lovers are entwined and still beautiful in death. Considering that they were crushed by the Red Keep, that is something.
(Photo by HBO)
It just got all Hunger Games up in here. The scene has a fascist aesthetic – very Triumph of the Will, the 1935 Nazi propaganda film directed by Leni Riefenstahl. Or – another way of looking at it – like any Star Wars Stormtrooper assembly ever.
The Mother of Dragons first thanks her Dothraki bloodriders for defeating the men in the iron suits, tearing down their stone houses, and delivering the Seven Kingdoms to her. She names Grey Worm the Master of War.
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She addresses the Unsullied in Old Valyrian, congratulating them on being “liberators.” One person in the audience who may understand her is Arya, and she does not look happy.
Tyrion sidles up to Daenerys, who accuses him of treason. He throws down his Hand of the Queen pin, and she promptly has him detained.
Arya sneaks up on Jon: “You’ll always be a threat to her. I know a killer when I see one.”
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
Tyrion argues that Daenerys has gone beyond her initial purpose, now intending to recut the world under her rule.
“Love is more powerful than reason,” Tyrion says.
“Love is the death of duty,” Jon says, quoting Maester Aemon.
“You are the shield that guards the realms of men,” Tyrion reminds Jon. “Who is the greatest threat to the people now? … Do you think I’m the last man she’ll execute? Who is more dangerous than the rightful heir to the Iron Throne?”
The clincher? Tyrion reminds Jon that Sansa and Arya won’t bend the knee.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
First, Drogon emerging from under a pile of ash to greet/inspect Jon was spectacular – the effects are, of course, perfect this episode.
Daenerys lives the moment she dreamed about: her death.
Jon begs for mercy for Tyrion and the people who followed Cersei, but Daenerys refuses, painting a picture of an entirely new world order: “I know what is good. And so do you.”
He does.
(Photo by HBO)
After her pitch/proposal, she and Jon kiss.
“You are my queen – now and always,” he says, as he stabs her.
Be comforted: Drogo and Daenerys’ son are waiting for her.
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Drogon senses something is amiss and touches down behind Jon. The dragon grieving for his mother is both fearsome and moving. At his full height, he resembles Maleficent in Disney classic Sleeping Beauty.
After seriously threatening Jon, Drogon melts the Iron Throne, picks up Daenerys, and flies away. We’re hoping not to a red priestess of R’hllor for some resurrection ritual.
(Photo by Macall B. Polay/HBO)
Grey Worm brings prisoner Tyrion before a council of lords and ladies of the realm. Among them: Samwell Tarly; Lord Edmure Tully; Arya, Bran, and Sansa Stark; Brienne of Tarth; Ser Davos Seaworth; Gendry Baratheon, apparently still Lord of Storm’s End; Yara Greyjoy; a Dornish lord; inexplicably hot Robin Arryn, lord of the Eyrie; and Lord Arryn’s bannerman Lord Yohn Royce.
They are here to decide the fate of Tyrion, Jon Snow, and the realm overall. Davos offers Grey Worm the Reach (Highgarden, former home of the Tyrells), but Grey Worm is being stubborn and just wants “justice.”
Arya almost steals the scene entirely, threatening to cut Yara’s throat for suggesting that Jon should die.
(Photo by Macall B. Polay/HBO)
Tyrion argues that the gathering should choose a new king to decide everyone’s fate. Looks like Edmure returned simply to make an ass of himself again, but Sansa stops him before he finishes nominating himself for king. Sam suggests an open election and is laughed back into his seat.
Tyrion denies that he wants the throne and suggests “Bran the Broken” – and so it is. When Sansa notes that Bran can’t have children, Tyrion says it’s for the best.
“That is the wheel the queen wanted to break. From now on rulers will not be born. They will be chosen – on this spot – by the lords and ladies of Westeros to serve the realm,” Tyrion suggests.
Sansa breaks the North off to be an independent kingdom. Because: Sansa.
Bran names Tyrion his Hand.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
Tyrion informs Jon that his cousin has ordered him back to the Night’s Watch. Grim, but not death.
Grey Worm heads for Naath; presumably, he and the Unsullied will protect the people who cannot protect themselves.
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“What’s west of Westeros? … No one knows. That’s where all the maps stop. That’s where I’m going,” a remarkably emotional Arya informs her family while saying goodbye to Jon.
Brienne becomes Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and fills in Jaime Lannister’s pages with brave deeds.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
Bran the Broken’s small council includes Ser Davos (Master of Ships), Ser Bronn (Master of Coin – this is another bad idea, Tyrion), and Grandmaester Tarly. Bran notes that they’re missing a master of whisperers, a master of law, and a master of war. While Tyrion addresses those vacancies, Bran is going to “search” for Drogon. We really wanted to see him warg into a dragon this season – alas, it was not to be.
Helen Sloan/HBOThe final words of the series are a chant for Sansa: “Queen in the North!” The final image: men, women, and children following Tormund and Jon into the frozen north, as we end where we began, heading into the wilds Beyond the Wall.
(Photo by HBO)
What was your favorite moment of the finale? What about the series overall? Tell us in the comments!
In the world of Game of Thrones, conventional wisdom would suggest Daenerys Targaryen has proved herself a fair and just leader, powerful, and compassionate, but firm. Others may see it that Jon Snow, aka Aegon Targaryen, truly is the rightful ruler by Westeros tradition, given that his father was the uncrowned king of the land Rhaegar Targaryen, killed before he could reveal his legitimate marriage to Jon’s mother, Lyanna Stark. Or maybe possession really is nine-tenths of the law, and Cersei Lannister, who in no other way is the legitimate ruler, should continue to reign.
Why bother watching season 8, when you can read our hot takes on who should sit the Iron Throne?
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
Some in Deanery’s shoes would be content to rest on their laurels: She has two dragons and a rightful claim to the throne – case closed. But Daenerys has gone above and beyond to earn her place on the Iron Throne. She’s endured personal losses (her dear dead Drogo, their unborn child, her dear undead dragon) and inspired audiences over and over again with moments of strength and steeliness. Most of all, across seven seasons of city-hopping and army-charring, she’s proven a master strategist and builder of alliances, bringing together groups as disparate as the Dothrakis and the Unsullied to form a formidable force as she moves towards what’s rightfully hers.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
Don’t dismiss Tyrion Lannister as the Miss Congeniality of Thrones’ remaining contenders. He may be likable and gentle-hearted – at least in Westerosi terms – but he is also the shrewdest political mind left, a key skill to have in a place that gets so stabby. He’s in many ways one of the series’ ultimate survivors, managing to make it to adulthood despite his family’s unbridled hatred of him, and working his way to Daenerys’ side (the likely winning side). It should be noted he’s also part of the reason there’s still a throne for the series’ aspirants’ to sit on at all, stopping the destruction/sacking of King’s Landing not once but twice – and earning his scar in the process.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
One key to good leadership is growth, and few characters have grown quite as much as Jaime. After all, the wounded, chisel-jawed hero who has slowly won your heart over seven seasons was not so long ago the sister-bonking cad who pushed Bran out of a tower in the final moments of Thrones’ first-ever episode. It’s been a “journey.” Throughout that journey, we’ve seen Jaime develop a number of the traits that would steer him well as king (but perhaps make his reign somewhat short): a developing sense of selflessness, a propensity for mercy (it was to be a painless death for Olenna), and an eye for talent in people, as demonstrated by his connection to Brienne.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
If Game of Thrones were a particularly bloody and blindside-filled season of Survivor – Outwit! Outslay! – no one could compete with Cersei’s case at final Tribal Council. Just look what she’s both achieved and been through on her little island of King’s Landing. No one has suffered as much: she’s lost, what, all of her kids; her glorious long locks; her dad; her lover/brother/Hand; and been paraded through the streets totally naked (shame!). And she arguably pulled off one of Thrones’ most stunning strategic moves in the destruction of the great Sept of Baelor. Sure, you can admire all those fresh-faced and ambitious kids in the North, forming unlikely alliances and proving themselves in battle as they seek to usurp her, but sometimes staying in power is harder than taking power. For holding on so tightly – and never dropping a drop of red while doing so – Cersei deserves to maintain her place on her throne.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
We learned in season 7 that Jon has the strongest claim to the throne, given that his dad was Rhaegar Targaryen, whose marriage to his mother Lyanna Stark was legit, but he also has Thrones’ ultimate mic-drop argument: He died and came back. Who else among these would-be throne-sitters can top that? (Berric Dondarrion isn’t really in the running.) Or say that they led a successful defense of The Wall against attack by the Wildlings? Or that they later forged a key alliance with those same Wildlings – an alliance that could prove key to defending everyone against the oncoming White Walker invasion? No? No one? We’re listening… As if that wasn’t enough, Jon has proved himself the bravest of Thrones’ lead contenders. Recall when he went beyond the Wall. Or when he stood, sword raised, circled by enemy forces in the Battle of the Bastards? And it’s not just cocksure bravery and resurrections that have us rooting for Jon. He’s a sharp mind, too, and one who puts ego aside to “bend the knee” for love.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
Sure, Jon’s survived the Wall, epic battles and, well, death. And Arya has been dodging swords and arrows all across the continent for several years now. But Sansa is the Stark offspring who has survived in arguably the most dangerous places in all of Westeros: under Cersei’s roof, under Littlefinger’s thumb, and in Ramsay Bolton’s bed. The once-naïve wannabe princess has had to grow up very quickly over seven seasons of Thrones, and her developing understanding of how the world really works and a growing skill to move within it have led her safely and triumphantly back to Winterfell. Also, if ruling the Seven Kingdoms requires a strong ability to deal with toxic men, Sansa should be your top pick: Not only did she manage to outlive a spiteful Joffrey, she escaped the physical and mental clutches of Ramsay and Lord Petyr Baelish, before killing both in wonderfully satisfying fashion.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
A girl has no name, perhaps, but she is a strong contender for the throne. More than any other Stark – living, at least – she has had to fight for her life, time and time again, and prove her skills in deception and combat (who else can go toe-to-toe with Brienne, as she did?). Arya’s racked up quite the lethal résumé in her journeys through Kings Landing, Braavos, Riverrun, and beyond: She can fully disguise herself, thanks to skills picked up with the Faceless Men; she’s developed a ruthlessness – sorry, Hound! – that will serve her well when ruling over a court of would-be usurpers; and she’s executed some of Thrones’ biggest moves, chief among them her delicious, crusty vengeance against the House of Frey. “They’re already here, my lord…” Chills.
(Photo by Helen Sloan/HBO)
If we’re going to consider other Starks for the Iron Throne, why not also the god-like all-seeing Three-Eyed Raven? Voted “Most Likely to Know About His Surprise Birthday Party” among the Stark kids, Bran’s childhood physical agility has given way to supernatural mental acumen now that he’s in his teens. He’ll foresee any and all plots against him, he can time travel to take lessons from the greatest rulers in the history of Westeros and beyond; with his all-seeing eye, he can find more dragons in the east and train them based on the methods of the best dragon riders ever; and he was a kind and sweet child and still seems so at heart. Honestly, other than his unsettlingly detached demeanor — which is far sight better (pun intended) than some of the crazies that have sat the Throne recently — Bran may actually be the very best choice to rule.
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You may not think Thrones’ own Ol’ Blue Eyes has much of a claim, given that we haven’t seen so much of him over the shows’ seven seasons and that we don’t actually know too much about his motives. But when we have seen him, he has almost always outsmarted the living. Case in point: In season 7’s mammoth battle north of the Wall between Daenerys and her dragons and Jon’s forces against the White Walkers and wights, he saw an opportunity in battle to take out Viserion and then resurrected the beast as a Wall-felling ice dragon. So, he’s smart. He’s strategic. And he’s patient, another key quality for a good ruler. He has waited some 8,300 years for summer to end, after all.
Game of Thrones season 8 premieres on Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. on HBO.
