We still don’t know when the final episodes of Game of Thrones will air. Everyone assumes that it will be late spring 2019, but truly, we don’t know. I’m not even 100% on how many final episodes will air? We know for sure that these episodes will be super-sized, almost like episodic movies. And I’m fine with that. I’ve committed so much time and so many resources and so much brain space to the Game of Thrones world, I just want to see how it ends. We know the show’s ending will be close to George RR Martin’s (theoretical) end to the book series, but as always, the devil’s in the details.
So with that in mind, what do you make of Entertainment Weekly’s Game of Thrones preview? For one, Kit Harington/Jon Snow’s head looks tiny and Photoshopped. I also think Dany/Emilia Clarke looks like she’s wearing a designer fur coat. Still, I’m willing to overlook that if we get some good details. Do we?
“It’s about all of these disparate characters coming together to face a common enemy, dealing with their own past, and defining the person they want to be in the face of certain death,” co-executive producer Bryan Cogman says. “It’s an incredibly emotional haunting bittersweet final season and I think it honors very much what [author George R.R. Martin] set out to do — which is flipping this kind of story on its head.”
On the cover, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington embrace — tellingly, in the snow — in the first official photo from the set of the final season. The actors endured a grueling 10-month shoot to create just six episodes amid the cast and crew’s obsession to make every detail of the final hours as excellent as possible.
“It’s relentless; scenes that would have been a one-day shoot five years ago are now a five-day shoot,” Harington says. “They want to get it right, they want to shoot everything every single way so they have options.”
Agrees Clarke: “[Camera] checks take longer, costumes are a bit better, hair and makeup a bit sharper — every choice, every conversation, every attitude, has this air of ‘this is it.’ Everything feels more intense.”
“It’s an incredibly emotional haunting bittersweet final season and I think it honors very much what [author George R.R. Martin] set out to do — which is flipping this kind of story on its head.” Insert skull emoji. I mean… if George RR Martin “set out” to flip the story on its head, then why hasn’t he? Why is he still writing the fakakta books??? I honestly think that Martin is waiting to see the reactions to certain plot points in the show and then deciding what to change in the future books. As for the whole idea of everything being flipped on its head… what does that even mean in GoT-context? The Night King is already super-powerful and HE HAS AN ICE DRAGON. I’m struggling to think of some “ending” that would really be unexpected AND bittersweet. I mean, maybe Sansa on the Iron Throne? No one is really expecting that. Nor do we want that? I don’t know.
EW also did a longer story about The Last Days of GoT – you can read it here. Kit Harington didn’t read any of the scripts before their first read-through for the final episodes. When they were all seated for the read-through and he was learning about everything, he wept. Twice. The EW journalist got to see some of the filming of the final episode, and this is what was written:
Several actors are performing, and I’m stunned: There are characters in the finale that I did not expect. I gradually begin to piece together what has happened in Westeros over the previous five episodes and try not to look like I’m freaking out. There is absolutely nothing more that can be said about that scene at this time.
… At some point HBO will release a proper final-season trailer revealing more. Until then, here’s some basic setup we can tell you: Season 8 opens at Winterfell with an episode that contains plenty of callbacks to the show’s pilot. Instead of King Robert’s procession arriving, it’s Daenerys and her army. What follows is a thrilling and tense intermingling of characters — some of whom have never previously met, many who have messy histories — as they all prepare to face the inevitable invasion of the Army of the Dead.
There’s also the news that Sansa isn’t happy about Jon and Dany’s new relationship, and that there’s one full episode devoted to the battle with the undead, and it’s a huge undertaking that took about three months to film. UGHUUHHKHKHKHKHKHULSH. I want this now.
Photos and cover courtesy of EW and HBO.
*runs around flailing wildly*
Sansa isn’t happy about John and Danny AT FIRST is what I read. So I’m assuming discontent is short-lived. Kit said he cried at the end of the script because when they finished the read-through, the words, ‘The End of Game of Thrones,’ was emotional. Hell, I’m emotional! Even after that whirlwinded whiplash of a season seven.
Best part of the last season for me was watching Dany burn the wagon train loaded with stolen Tryell kingdom treasure.
Me too, that was ‘well struck!’ I totally lmao, however, when Danny unloaded on John during there first meeting.
“Do you know what kept me standing through all those years in exile? Faith.
Not in any gods, not in myths and legends.
In myself.
In Daenerys Targaryen.”
My stomach hurt so much from laughing.
Man up Jon Snow/Stark. You should be crying because you married a Wildling. You were raised from the dead by the witch. No time for tears.
That’s the coat Danys was wearing when the Night King killed Viserion.
Looking forward to the reunions of Arya and Gendry and Arya and the Hound.
And will a Man return?
I don’t think it’s exactly the same coat. That one was white and grey, this one is white and red. It’s the ‘same’ coat, only this time the Targaryen colours are showing. I still don’t know if that’s good or bad…
Indeed a woman wants to know what happened to a man.
*SPOLERS for LORD Of the Rings*
Think of the ending in the Lord of the Rings finale (our hero becomes king, the whole middle Earth is happy again, those touched by the ring going off to Elf land instead of dying) and reverse it. Especially those who touched and were influenced by the ring part. GRRM hated it, he thought they should have died. So IMO, all our “good guy” characters who have supernatural power from the awakening of another long night will not make it: Jon, Dany, Arya, Bran.
Sansa never connected with her Dire wolf so she’s safe as will be the new Jon-Dany incest baby! I’m also not sure if the monarchy will continue, for sure the “small folk” will have more freedom from their overlords. Another theme of consequences of war harming the innocent.
Also of course Sansa wouldn’t like Dany. She’s Cersei-like in her entitled personality.
If the Night King wins, which I think is possible, I suppose everyone with supernatural powers could survive, but if he loses, I don’t see how they can exist in the regular world. Tyrion, Sansa, and Arya have been the consummate survivors in the show and the books. I tend to think some combination of these three, plus Jon and Danny’s baby will end up on the throne. Tyrion and Sansa are technically still married which gives her a small claim to the throne.
This reminds me of a crucial difference in the lives of both authors: one went to war, a truly horrible one, and survived to come home, the other was not tempered by such an experience, so of course he is merciless- and points at history as his excuse.
I just do not find GRRM world as not as rich or as in depth as the one Tolkien created so try as he might, the Song of Ice and Fire is no Lord of the Rings. And at least Tolkien finished the main series.
*I* want Sansa on the throne.
(Side note: I’m really sick of Sansa being raked over the coals for things she did as a naive and sheltered preteen. Hasn’t she paid for it all enough?)
Sansa has no birthright to the iron throne, she’s neither Targaryen or Baratheon. She’d be an usurper, and you’ve seen what happens to those types!
Aegon Targaryen “conquered” Westeros only 300 years ago. Before that, the Starks had been kings for thousands of years. The same goes for the other kingdoms, save the Reach whose ruling family the Targaryens burnt alive.
Plus, Danerys has no blood claim to the throne anymore. Her family was overthrown. If she takes the throne it’s not due to a blood claim but through conquest. Her father broke faith with the kingdoms, the North in particular, when he cooked their Lord Paramount over wildfire and tortured his heir to death. The bonds of fealty go both ways.
She can marry Gendry and they can rule together.
The Targs and the Baratheons were usurpers, too!
The only possibility I see for Sansa to be on throne, would be for her to marry Jon, to unify the North (who are weary of outsiders) and the South (who would accept a Targaryan more easily).
My two cents: maybe the wheel will break, in the sense that there will be no Iron Throne left. Instead the regions will go back to governing themselves, just like it was before the Targaryans conquered them one by one.
@balehead2012
Exactly.
She doesn’t have to be on the Iron Throne. What if the kingdoms just reverted to being individual kingdoms as they were before the conquest? The notion that they should all be united under one banner is quite new, relatively speaking. Separating seems the best option.
People can’t say that it’s an impossible idea to defend, either, because Dany already granted freedom to the Iron Islands – you know, before she abandoned Yara, her ally, to Euron and Cersei’s tender mercies.
Bran is paralyzed, so it’s unlikely he’ll have children which means the burden of providing heirs for the North would be on Sansa’s shoulders anyway. Plus, he’s rarely focused on what’s going on around him, what with being so wrapped up in his greensight.
Sansa’s the eldest, she’s the only making sure people have enough to eat, furs to fight against the chill. So what if she’s female and doesn’t fight with a blade? She trusted the wrong people as a child, that doesn’t mean she should be punished for all time. Arya spent time as Tywin’s cupbearer and could have said his name to Jaqen but didn’t – shall we call for her head now? Smh, people mystify me.
Hey, Terra,
I don’t think the Mad King used wildfire. He roasted him alive in his armor with regular fire, IIRC.
@Athyrmose
Fair enough. It is never stated explicitly what type of fire it was, just that it was fire. But even if it were just the regular type that’s quite bad enough, I think. Rickard Stark was literally cooked alive by Aerys’ pyromancers, the men who created such wildfire stores for him in the not-too-distant future.
Burnt alive is burnt alive, right?
My 2 cents (I am Targaryen through & though & I WANT dragons of my own) I think the child of Jon & Dany will rule. But since I believe it’s parents will not survive (which makes me sad) it will be regented by Sansa & Arya who will do a good job as they will be guarded by dragons.
I’m also a Sansa fan. I read a great critique on why audiences love Arya and hate Sansa — it’s because if it were us, we all wish we would handle it like Arya, with her list and assassinations, but in reality, we’d probably all make the mistakes Sansa made — being a naive 13 year old, trusting the queen, etc… Sort of a weird self-hate situation.
I think it’s much more insidious than that. Sansa is traditionally female, whereas Arya is a tomboy and much more masculine in her behavior.
And as society so often does it’s best to remind us, women are weak and incapable of leading, don’t you know?
Misogyny’s hold is tight, even in fantasy.
Most book readers hate Sansa because she was a rock d!ck to Jon their whole lives. She followed her mother’s lead in treating him like a servant and never saw him as her brother. Book Sansa is a complete snob who in many ways wants to rise above her family’s station. Jon is the character most readers identify with this the Sansa hate.
I think TV watchers hate Sansa because she sold out her own family. Betraying your family at age 6 for some candy I can understand. You are too young to think of consequences of such action. At age 13 though? Her ambition and lust to social climb was more important to her than her family. Ditto her lie about Arya. Lying about your sister to your parents ok, but a king where there could be big consequences?
Anyway, everyone one of these characters has huge flaws. That is what is so great about these books and separates them from others. My beef with the TV version is that it’s becoming more formulaic and not as witty as GRRM’ own version.
And telling the truth wouldn’t have been dangerous for her at all, then? When she was betrothed to the very boy she would have been calling a vicious liar? Her wolf ended up being killed as a result, her father died in front of her. She’s been punished quite a bit already. And I don’t for a second believe that if Sansa hadn’t told Cersei they were leaving she never would have found out otherwise. Littlefinger and Varys were both in the Red Keep, after all, not to mention Cersei’s own spies.
I’m not saying she’s perfect because she’s not, but thirteen is not old. Especially not the Stark kids who’d never left Winterfell in their lives. And in the books, she’s eleven. The show aged all the kids up. They all made mistakes. Robb made several and they ultimately ended up costing him his life. Arya’s decisions have been questionable at several points. Jon, too. Hell, in the books it’s very thinly veiled that Bran eats a paste that is made up of Jojen’s dead body.
I remember myself at eleven and nine, which was Arya’s age in the books at the start of it all. My little brother is fourteen right now and incredibly immature. He’s brilliant, but he couldn’t make it through a week by himself. You do what you have to do to survive, no matter your age. You trust the wrong people, you make mistakes. Children are even more disadvantaged because they lack the life experience to navigate the situations thrown at them.
I don’t hate TV Sansa but I agree with terra that she is traditionally “female” and so I can’t relate to it like I can Dany and Arya. I am not a traditional female in that I have no desire to marry anyone or have kids. I like the badassery and f*ck tradition aspect of Arya even if it may not always be realistic. And even if i were to go for a more ‘traditional’ character I liked Margery’s arc more.
I hated Sansa for at leas 5 seasons. But in the last two she changed.
She has changed probably more than anyone else, she had to change probably against her will, because she wanted to survive and I liked it. When she get rid of Littlefinger, and she confronts him I was WOW.
Sansa’s a great character going from a silly pre-teen to a rock solid woman. Some say that she sold out her family before Ned was killed, but she did the only thing she could to try to save her father. Ultimately, I think Jon will die, either Dany or Tyrion will gain the throne, and Sansa will be the Warden of the North.
Sansa will end up happy mostly ‘wins’ the throne, because I’ve earned a PHD from the little finger &Z Cersei academy of Westeros. I’m sure you realize Jon and Danny weren’t accepted to this elite school. I’m now ready to rule.
@terra
Sansa was always one of my favourite characters, even when I read the books, and I’ve never understood some people’s hatred for her. To me, her journey seems more realistic than for example Arya’s. The idea of a young girl becoming this badass killer never really appealed to me. It’s like a fanfiction answer to how would you survive in this horrible situation.
Sansa’s journey, on the other hand, always interested me more, because it showed in a more realistic way the battle for survival when surrounded by conniving people, having no real help, no magical creatures to pop up and save you and still being able to survive somehow.
@balehead2012
Exactly. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Sansa take the thrown. I want it to be a woman or Tyrion or nobody. I’m still hoping for Daenerys but one of the Stark girls would be rad too. Whoever gets it (or nobody) I want to watch Cersei’s end GoT style, meaning bloody and ruthless.
Sidenote, my BF got me a GoT wine glass and I’m dying to drink red wine over some Westeros blood and gore, why is it taking so long?!?!
Yeah, I could never figure out why a middle school girl whose biggest crime was acting like, well, a middle schooler has consistently been one of the most vilified characters in the fandom. I mean Sansa is all of 17/18 by this point and has been a political prisoner in King’s Landing, the Erie and her own home over the course of the last handful of years. I say cut the girl some slack.
I get especially mad about this because both Robb (especially Robb) and Jon are equally naive and romantic at the start of the series (hell, Robb’s lack of foresight and diplomatic skills trigger a plot to kill him, his mother, his pregnant wife and nearly all of his banner men) and they get NO WHERE near the amount of shit that their baby sister gets, so I def thinks sexism is playing a part in the viciousness behind Sansa’s detractors.
@arr
I don’t want to start repeating myself, so I’ll just say yes to your comment, lol. Needless to say, I agree with you entirely. I’m glad to see there are others who don’t villanize a child for making mistakes, you know? Especially considering all she’s gone through since. She’s paid for her mistakes time and time again and she’s still doing her best as a Stark for the North.
Sansa has shown mostly poor judgment as an adult. Trusting Littlefinger. Not telling John about the Vale army being an option before the battle with Ramsey. Wanting to execute the Umber and Karstark kids and take their castles. Arguing with Jon in front of the other houses. Etc.
I don’t “hate” the character, and I feel badly since she suffered a lot (the show can be very misogynistic at times). But her suffering hasn’t made her a good leader. If anything, she shows some Cersei meaness (without the psychosis, of course). I just think she would make a terrible leader — at least, beyond running the Stark’s own lands.
But I also suspect that her character has been pushed to the foreground recently because the show will make her an important figure in the end — whether it’s on the iron throne or otherwise. I have a gut feeling that’s what’s coming, but I still disagree with it.
If they kill the last two dragons I will kill them all.
I am still mourning Drogon.
Drogon is okay. It was Viserion who died. And I mourn him too and now, he’s being abused even though he’s dead.
I’m hoping that somehow Viserion’s love for his mother will save them all, that bond can’t be broken even death, right?!?
Yes I am really interested in seeing if a dragon can deal with this.
@Jess… that’s my hope, too
There is a v v clear theme through the books. The dragons will never hurt their mother. The dragons need to live and somehow Viseriob needs to come back to the fire breathing from ice breathing sort
Let’s not leave out the direwolves. Nymeria is off doing her own thing, but if Ghost dies, the Night King will be the least of their worries. I will unleash hell.
I’m still heartbroken over lovely, trusting puppy Lady. We never got to know ShaggyDog. Summer’s death nearly killed me. Run Ghost! Find your sister Nymeria! The lone wolf dies but the pack survives!
LOL. “I will unleash hell”. Thanks for the laugh. And I agree.
Tormund must live, just so he can hook up with Brienne.
Ghost must live, as the runt of the original litter, he’s a badass.
I wept over Viserion and I was pissed when Jamie speared Drogon.
Gendry and Arya must reunite and marry
I don’t care of Sansa lives, she’s an idiot and it takes her too long to wise up so she’d be overthrown easily if she at on the Iron Throne. Plus, she has a mean strike and just the faintest hint of being a sociopath due all the crap she experienced.
I’d love to see Yara again.
And there needs to be a battle between the Hound and the Mountain. The Hound must win and live or I will burn all seven kingdoms to the ground.
Jaimie and Tyrion must slay Cersei together. That would be awesome.
I lol’d at “I honestly think that Martin is waiting to see the reactions to certain plot points in the show and then deciding what to change in the future books.” George is a slow writer and has always been a slow writer. I doubt he cares about how people feel since the devil is in the details but also the show and books are different at this point.
I just hope it’s better than the mess that was last season (last 2, let’s be honest). I cringe recalling the Jon/Daeny fanfic, pacing issues, and added rape scenes. You can see the obvious drop off from when they followed the books to when they wrote it themselves.
Ugh. I will never forgive this show for beating The Americans for best drama last year. That’s the only thing I have to say about GOT.
+1 @Steff
Legit butterflies and chills just thinking about it! Cannot wait to see how this ends, I’m sure I’ll be angry, happy, sad, and a crying hot mess.
I think Jon and Dany will both die. The baby is Ice & Fire embodied and will be on the thrown. Sansa will be warden/guardian. So in a way, she will be queen. I really have no clue what will happen to the Lannister’s. I am excited to see the reunions….Hound and Arya/Sansa and Brienne, Arya and Gendry. IM SO EXCITED!!!!!
If i get Cleganbowl and Gendrya I will be happy.
Jon was killed already so i don’t know if he will die again. Also, the whole story has pretty much been about Jon. He is literally the living incarnation of Ice and Fire (Targ & Stark). Being hidden for so long and having to live as a Bastard and treated like crap instead of the royalty he is. It’s basically the tale of Jon’s come-up. He will be the one to fight NK one-on-one in hand to hand combat. In order to further the storyline I see another dragon dying. Because it will be too easy even with NK Ice Viserion. I think Viserion and Rhaegal will die fighting each other. Dany will be on Drogon but she is also pregnant so I would assume she may be more cautious and Drogon be very protective of her. And I hope she doesn’t die in childbirth. that will be too corny. I just don’t know who the “Nissa Nissa” will be in this version because we have yet to find out which sword will become Lightbringer once it’s forged, unless the theory is true that Jon himself is Lightbringer and that he was forged when Rhaegar plunged his “sword” into Lyanna and she died during childbirth.
Also, don’t see Westeros returning to a traditional Monarch rule. I think it’ll go by way of the British monarchy. As in they still have the figurehead monarchs but they have Parliament. Or like how Greece had a senate. I see Tyrion with a role in this type of leadership.
I have so many more questions/theories and I cant wait to see what happens!
I can’t wait for the Cleganebowl either!
Re: the Targbaby. I don’t know what to think of it, it’s been hinted at so heavily during last season, that now everybody believes there will be one. But what if all of it is just one big red herring and there will be no baby? You know, GRRM-style the readers/viewers never get what they expect 🙂
It’s been too heavily foreshadowed for it not to be used IMO. The fact that Tyrion discussed a successor with her thinking she cannot have one of her own, her telling Jon the Dragons are her only children and Jon going all “challenge accepted” on her leads me to think she will get knocked-up for sure. It would also be nice to see that the only magic that can counter Mirri Maz Durr’s blood magic would be the magic of a Stark/Targ combo. Both Houses have a history of magic. Like Dragons and Warging. They better follow that lead! lol
Don’t forget that Cersei’s maester discovered that it *is* possible to reanimate the dead. He has a dungeon full of dead dragons, and a city overcrowded with people who are about tk starve to death.
Don’t forget that Sansa is honorable, like her parents, but ruthless like Arya, and commands the armies, not Jon.
Gendry still lives.
Jon can also command the dragons, he just doesn’t know it yet.
He is the blood of the dragon, and cannot be killed by fire.
He also is the blood of the wolf, and cannot be killed by ice.
Arya will kill The Mountain as an act of mercy, and will then be killed for caring.
Targaryans are NOT impervious to fire
First of all…I LOVE EVERYONE’S COMMENTS!!!! The dedication and introspection is WONDERFUL!!!!
I have to admit…I watched every episode of GOT…UNTIL Ned Stark was slaughtered…after that…my heart wasn’t in it…HOWEVER…thanks to wonderful people such as yourselves…I was able to keep up with the series due to the many blog sites that would deconstruct that HELL out each episode. I got caught up watching it again during season 7…watching a marathon of it on HBO…and I was once again…HOOKED! Last season was so difficult for me…because I’m so used to binge watching series now…that I’m now like a Lay’s potato chip binger…”I can’t eat just one!” But I couldn’t wait for the season to end…however I did train myself to wait and watch 2 episodes at a time….
LAWD…I’M SO READY FOR WINTER TO BEGIN!!! (not in real life…of course)
Six supersized episodes to start airing likely after June 2019 (so they can qualify for the 2020 emmys).
I read all these books when my daughter was a baby and now she’s SIX going on SEVEN.
We just need to find out what happens. It’s been ages. I almost don’t care but last season had some really great episodes like the Battle of the Bastards and when Circe decided to separate church and state.
I agree, it’s been so long that at this point I am no longer excited about it like I was at the end of season 7, by now I’m just indifferent to it. Dont know if I will even watch or just wait to hear from people what will happen, that said I hope Arya makes it, she’s the only character I hope doesnt die, everyone else feels like it might but I hope she makes it.
“He wept” – so sensitive and artistic. He didn’t cry, or blubber, or sniffle, like a commoner. He wept.
LOL, That was EXACTLY what I thought when I read that. Good lord. 🙄
The EW article foreshadowing makes me kind of uncomfortable (obviously the point)…
Like, they’re all gonna die, all of them.
The Iron Throne will be melted down (good riddance) by dragon fire or something and there won’t be 7 kingdoms anymore but a collection of separate mini kingdoms of the surviving straggler humans, if anyone survives the Night King. I dunno. What a mess. I can’t even imagine how else it could work out 😉
Maybe Bran will take out the Night King somehow and then go hide in a tree, is all.