I don’t think this much happened in a Game of Thrones finale since Season 1, right? Maybe I’m misremembering though. I will say this: it was a bloodbath and some of my favorite characters were killed off, and unlike some of the other episodes, I wasn’t able to predict some of these of these characters’ actions. So, let’s do this…
SPOILERS.
In convenient list form!
*I felt like I was the only one who liked last week’s episode, The Watchers on the Wall, and I was interested in seeing what was going to happen to Jon Snow when he went to see Mance Rayder. I did not predict that Stannis Baratheon would ride in with thousands of soldiers to save the day. Damn. King of the North! Also, the way Stannis stared at Jon… there’s more of a backstory there other than “Ned Stark and Stannis were tight.”
*I genuinely cried when The Mother of Dragons had to chain up her dragons. Well, actually, I cried when the dragons cried for their mother as she left the catacomb. She’s trying to be a responsible dragon-mother but they don’t understand. Their cries were… *sob*
*I stopped giving a crap about Bran Stark. I was glad that Jojen died, although I felt sorry for Meera. So, at least we finally got resolution on that whole one-eyed raven three-eyed raven (see how little I care?) thing. The raven is some creepy old guy in some underground brambles. Got it.
*The whole Arya/Brienne/The Hound scene pissed me off!!! We’ve been waiting all season for Arya to see someone she can trust and I was hoping it would be Sansa, but instead it’s Brienne. Brienne tried to explain why she was there and she made a mess of it and Arya saw no reason to trust her. When The Hound and Brienne started fighting… damn. They were evenly matched, right? I still thought Brienne was going to die, but no… she got the upper hand over The Hound at one point and threw him off a cliff. And Arya went to find him… but not to kill him and put him out of his misery. She just listened to him, then stole his money and walked off after he begged her to kill him. HARDCORE. So, The Hound is dead? Sad. I loved that character. And Rory McCann did a hell of a job as The Hound. RIP.
*I was so excited in the “previously on” beginning when they showed that clip of Arya getting the coin from the man from Bravos. I was like, “YES, we might finally get some resolution on this!” And we did. Arya didn’t go to Brienne, she rode off on horseback on her own and used the Bravos coin/medallion to pay her way onto a boat that is (now!) heading north. So Arya is trying to get to Jon Snow, I guess?
*The Kings Landing stuff…I worried that it was just going to be Cersei and Jamie having sex or Cersei telling her father that YES, she bangs her brother exclusively. Then Jamie saves Tyrion, and leads him out of the jail cell where Tyrion could find freedom (in the form of a boat ride to God knows where). After a moving scene where they brothers say goodbye (Jamie kissing Tyrion was another teary-eyed moment), Tyrion has second thoughts and re-enters the castle. I really thought he was going to kill his sister (and I was like YEEESSSS), but it turns out that he entered his father’s bedroom… and found Shae in his father’s bed. She grabs a knife, they fight, he ends up strangling her. He grabs a crossbow and finds his father on the toilet. Long story short… Tywin Lannister is dead now too.
So, what did you think? I enjoyed this season a lot, but I’ll be genuinely sad to see Charles Dance and Rory McCann leave the series. I’m not looking forward to the reality of Cersei being the most powerful person in King’s Landing (ugh) or of Arya being on her own.
Photos courtesy of WENN/HBO.
Stoneheart would have been a great cliffhanger……. Just sayin.
THIS. This is 100% how I expected this season to end, and now they’ve ruined it for the non-book readers. (Stoneheart was trending on twitter last night, and people have been complaining about it all day) There’s no way to keep that spoiler from coming out this summer.
Not sure how’d they be able to keep any spoilers quiet, considering how old the source material is.
I’d forgotten about Lady Stoneheart, maybe because she was introduced and Martin doesn’t seem to have done much with her since.
I don’t think people would have been able to wait 10 months after that reveal.
I reckon Benioff and Weiss were being merciful for once!
And who knew computer generated dragons could make you so weepy? *sniff*
Lady Stoneheart stopped being a book reader only thing when EW started to post articles about it last week. As for the showrunners being merciful-we are talking about a show that killed Sean Bean in the first season. They were never merciful. 😉
Seriously! I kept waiting and waiting and waiting but nooooo, no Stoneheart. I really hope that doesn’t mean that the writers have scratched that whole plotline. Maybe they’ll work it into season 5 somehow?
Aside from that, I liked the finale. I wasn’t very surprised, since I’ve read the books, but it was still shocking for me to see Arya just walk away from the Hound. As to whether or not he’s actually dead now…I don’t know. Methinks we haven’t seen the last of him!
I’m glad SH didn’t appear and I hope she never does as she was introduced but then her storyline seems to have ended. I love GOT but I really think Martin is getting lost in his own world, picking up story lines and then just putting them down for no reason. Reminds me of the show Lost
It kinda makes sense to cut her, because there hasn’t been anything about her in subsequent books. I hope they don’t chop her out entirely though, because she’s AWESOME
As an “I’ve read the books” observer, I thought the finale was excellent. The GOT team, in collaboration with GRRM, has delivered a great show week after week, so I have no problem with what they decided to leave out or change. Truth be told, I love this show and I wished I’d never read the books so that I could feel the same heightened level of anticipation (and anxiety) that my friends and family feel before and during each episode.
thank you. My thoughts exactly.
Agreed! I read the books years and years ago and have, happily, forgotten nearly everything. Season 1 was pretty predictable for me (that first book was the one that stuck with me most clearly) but from then on it has been much more tense and surprising and I love it!
Same here. I almost forgot everything since I read them so long ago. I do remember a few key plot points, but forgot enough to still feel fresh about the show.
I expected a closing shot of Stoneheart but we’ll have to wait until next year. And nobody is ever truly dead on Game of Thrones until the body is burned
if she even makes an appearance…
Or their head is removed from their body! Poor Ned Stark!
@Cris, perhaps if he hadn’t sent Thoros off with Beric Dondarion, Ned could have been restored, separated head and all, but we’ll never know.
I suspect Lady Stoneheart will appear at the end of season 5’s premiere episode?
I wasn’t sure how much was goin to be shown last night, so I am pleased that everyone’s stories are caught up. I was really hoping for Stoneheart too though!!! Butttt, I suppose it was best to wait. They had plenty to do without introducing a “new” storyline.
I LOVED brienne vs the hound. That was an excellent surprise. ( I’ve read the books).
And Arya is heading to Bravos, not the Wall.
Since there are so many new characters coming up, I wonder how far ahead HBO is going to go with Dany, Tyrion, and Jon’s stoeylines now….
Wasn’t that fight something?! No holding back, warrior vs. warrior (if you want to call the Hound that). Best part of the evening for me.
That fight was totally unexpected and totally awesome! And, of course, Pod didn’t watch Arya.
That was a deviation that’s better than the books.
If they had actually finished the Wall stuff last episode, they could have fit it in. The biggest thing bugging me all season: Bad time management. They put in useless filler and it makes the important pieces get lost as a result.
I think I’m done with this series, honestly. The writing will not get better from here, and the show writers aren’t good. Not worth the frustration of watching.
The woes of being an ASOIAF fan.
Yup. This season was a disappointment for me. The best parts of the season were Oberyn Martell, Tyrion and Rory Mc Cann. It’s a sin that HBO did not submit Rory Mc Cann for emmy consideration, he was terrific this season.
I agree with G. The wall stuff could have been in the last episode. The showrunners cannot manage a clock at all. This episode felt so rushed, like Cartman going through Casa Bonita, most big moments did not have the time to breathe…particularly Tywin and Shae, it’s more like “Oh look what Tyrion did!”
OMG. I know. I was so expecting her reveal to be the “Dun-dun-DUN!!!” moment. Maybe they are saving her for next season since, to be honest, Book 4 is pretty much a drag.
I was waiting for it…and it never happened.
Yep. Wasn’t she supposed to appear this season? Very disappointing.
The entire first 2/3 of the finale was an utter waste and so so boring. Kit Harrington is SUCH a crap actor that not even the great Ciaran Hinds could save those deadly scenes together. Ugh. And I loathe Cersei and hate Jaime when he’s with her. Dany is now beyond stupid and clueless and I find her story entirely dull and repetitive. And what the hell was up with Ray Harryhausen’s skeletons, those elves and Gandalf? Gee, derivative much?
BUT – thank GOD they shifted to Brienne’s, Arya’s, & Tyrion’s stories in the last third, which almost made up for the dreck before it. Excellent, and far too short. I am totally going to miss Charles Dance, whose presence made up for a lot of the crap storylines this season. In all, a very lackluster season, and next year only promises to be more of the same.
I don’t ever want her to make an appearance!!! Honestly, that was the worst mistake GRRM did with his books. All the subtle supernatural elements, ok, but then later he goes shit crazy and starts turning his reality-dipped-in-fantasy story into fantasy-dipped-in-realistic-elements. I hated it so much.
I know they can’t really omit the character altogether, but shit, I REALLY wish they would.
I’m guessing she’ll appear in the season 5 finale.
3 eyed raven!!!!!!! Perhaps I misinterpreted, but Arya is going to Braavos w the ship. I can’t wait for scenes in Braavos. I hope she joins the faceless men.
Arya said she wanted passage to the North and he said no, then she whipped out the coin and he said he would take her. I got the feeling he will take her North?
No, Arya is going to Braavos, where Jaqen H’ghar (the hot guy who gave her the coin) and Syrio forel (her swordfighting/dancing teacher) came from.
No, she’s going to Braavos. When he said he was going to Braavos she realized she could get onto his ship with the coin Jaqen H’ghar gave her.
The captain said he wouldn’t go North because of the danger. He said the ship was bound for Bravos. That’s why she took out the coin – it isn’t money. Jaqen told her that if she gave that coin to anyone from Bravos, they would take her there.
Valar Dohaeris!
They can give me a Becoming Arya Stark about everything that happens In Braavos to her in the off season… I hope they really focus on that a great deal.
I feel like really are gonna need to slow pace themselves and show a lot of details of the new players, Dorne and even what Arya goes through cause if they don’t, end of next season they are caught up to the books, Im so stressed about that possibility!, Like Sansa’s and Bran Storylines are pretty much caught to the book so how is that gonna work? A season half spent on Tyrion and Arya? Or all Dorne everything?
I was so sad for Jon Snow having to burn his wilding girl… *le sigh*
@QQ-the show runners have said that they know enough of where Martin is going w/the story line that they aren’t worried about the remaining books.
I still find it laughable that it was reported Martin was to add another book (book 8). Just finish book 6 & 7 first Martin.
Martin’s editor is the worst. Such an enabler.
I’ve kinda resigned myself to the fact that George R R Martin will never finish the books. Plus, books 4&5 were waffly and boring. If the TV show gaining on him didn’t give him incentive to finish his last 2 books, nothing will. I like his world, but he’s ridiculous.
QQ the new book comes out tomorrow and the writers already received advanced copies. No need to fret.
Where have you read that?!? No announcement can be found via Google and most observers are predicting at least 2015 before release for Winds of Winter.
WHAT?! I Cant Process this Info…what?!
Winds of Winter is slated to be released in Jan of 2015.
No, no. The boat is heading to Braavos, not to the North!
Arya is not heading north. The captain told her he was sailing to Braavos which is where Stannis met Mycroft this season. So she’s sailing east.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about the finale. As a book fan… I’m just fed up with the deviations. Not sure why D&D are making their own stuff up when they have an actual plot they can follow.
I’m pretty happy about the deviations, actually. I think the B&W’s writing makes the whole thing much tauter and stronger and I trust them. Honestly, Martin’s writing has been getting progressively worse.
YES. GRRM is actually a terrible writer. He’s good at world and character building. But to actually create arcs and resolve them? He just writes like he wants to disappear into that world. His editor is an enabler as well.
YES. Agree. So many of the storylines are drifting in the latter books. New characters introduced, total ignoring of established characters, loads of pointless travelling. He has an amazing imagination, but his plotting is getting stupid. (First three books were great, though).
I look forward to seeing where the TV writers take it.
I agree on the mixed feelings about it. They omitted one of my favorite lines in the book from when Tyrion kills Tywin and he asks where Tysha went and Tywin says “wherever whores go.” And Brienne and the Hound fighting? What tha what?? I did a double take when that scene started. I dunno, would have liked it better if Lady Stoneheart made an appearance in the finale.
They also omitted one of my favorite lines a few minutes before when Tyrion tells Jaime that Cersei slept with Lancel and a bunch of others, including the court jester.
I’m relieved they omitted the line about whores. Tyrion spent all of the last book asking that question ad nauseum to random strangers.
The final confrontation in the book between Jaime and Tyrion was much missed. It would have been a great scene for both Peter and Nikolaj to do and it would have been heartbreaking.
Agreed! As a book reader I was pretty unhappy with the finale.
The deviations don’t bug me. The only one that did was Grenn and Pip’s deaths. If they were kept alive, you see how significant they would be to Jon’s story later on.
Ayra is not going to the wall but to Braavous.
I was very intrigued by how the Red Woman was staring at Jon Snow, too. Was that lust in her eyes?
I think (SPOILER) …………That’s his mother.
Nah, from a really boring, non-conspiracy theory standpoint, I don’t think the age gap between the actors is quite right.
What? Why do you think that? I always suspected Jon is Rob’s and Ned’s sisters kid. Or Ned’s sister and that Rhaegars child.
I hope Jon is rob’s and not Rhaegars, because I want him to get it on with the mother of dragons!
And if he’s Rhaegars’s, then he has king’s blood and we all know Melisandre wants to sacrifice people with king’s blood to help Stannis. As for getting it on with the Mother of Dragons, Targaryens marry siblings, nephews, cousins, etc.
If he’s Rhaegars’s , he’s the one true king. And Stannis would give in me thinks.
My bf and I have a running bet….we think that Jon’s parents are rhaegar and lyanna (Ned stark’s sister). So he has king’s blood AND he’s Targaryen.
Nope. She (along with Stannis) just knows who and what Jon really is.
I agree with those who think he is Ned’s sister’s child with Robert Baratheon. Therefore, he would be the rightful king. I, too, am hoping for him and Dani to get together. He has to be on his guard around the Red Woman.
@ jen34.
How would being Rob’s child make him the legit king? Rob took the throne by force because Lyanna had been “kidnapped”. Rhaegar was the rightful king, so if he’s his son, then yes, he would be the heir to the throne.
I have no idea if it’s true, but she’s certainly old enough. Jon is eighteen or so, and women had children in their mid teens.
Kimmy, I’m new to GoT, but your theory is very common. R+L=J.
Heck. It is just my theory. Wasn’t saying it was fact. I just think it would be very shocking if she were.
Jon is definitely the child of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. That’s why Ned refused to allow any speculation about Jon’s origins and why he’s pretending he fathered Jon himself. Robert wass bound and determined to kill any Targaryen who still lived and if he knew that Rhaegar fathered a child with his love Lyanna, he certainly would have killed him. In the first book, Ned frequently recalls seeing Lyanna in her “bed of blood” and hearing her say over and over “promise me, Ned. Promise me.”
As those who have already said it, Jon is Lyanna & Rhaegar’s child. I believe this has already been confirm by higher powers. And none of the Baratheon’s are a true heir because Robert stole the throne.
@Maria, do you mean Robert? Because Robb is Ned and Cat’s kid and supposedly Jon’s half brother. They’re the same age.
I loved last week’s episode too. I thought it was taught and satisfying to get some payoff on that whole “wall” storyline.
I thought last week’s episode was fantastic.
Last night’s episode was very satisfying. For me, it answered several questions.
I too, was saddened by the dragons being chained up. The meanest one has gone rogue and I wonder are the dragons eventually going to turn on their mother in retaliation for being punished?
I loved Arya and The Hound. Am sad they are no longer together.
I have now figured out who Jon Snow’s mother is. It has always been in the back of my mind but last night more or less confirmed it for me. I could be wrong but we shall see.
I am curious as to what they are going to do to Cersei’s Champion. The medical proceedures left me wondering how he will be when he recovers next season.
Tywin Lannister will be missed by me. He was a great character and I love the actor who played him. I know he was rotten BUT he was amazing to watch.
Tyrion is one bad ass dude.
I hate that I sometimes love Jaime Lannister. Beyond his beautiful face, his periodic acts of decency make me forget he is a sexual deviant with his own sister and often a brutal and savage killer.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything you wrote, except who do you think Snow’s mother is, if you don’t mind me asking? The problem with (my) theories is the books haven’t been finished yet (obviously), so Martin could essentially tweak the plot if a theory gained too much footing. Does that make sense?
I too will miss the Hound & Arya sideshow. *sniff* They were brilliant together. Valar Morghulis indeed.
I just had a wild theory (that everyone has freely told me I am wrong about) that Melisandra is his mother. I am probably wrong but it makes it interesting for ME to think so. Lol.
Arya and The Hound needed their own show! They were great together.
Oh durrr, sorry I just saw you posted your theory upthread. Well who knows, right? And since the show has greatly deviated from the books, I think it’s anyone’s guess at this point. I agree, it’s fun to speculate! That’s why it’s called fiction, folks.
P.S. I know what happens to The Hound, do you? 😀
It really was a great fight between the Hound and Brienne. I also cried with the dragons. It almost sounded like the dragons were saying “mom” as they were sealing up the door. Love the revenge Tryion got on his father and Shae.
I hated that dragon scene. I felt so sorry for them. They didn’t understand what was happening and their dragon mommy was locking them up in a dark place.
Yeah in the books the fight between Brianne and the Hound doesnt happen. Its been a few years since I read the books, but the Hound gets injured fighting someone else (I want to say its the scene with the chickens a few episodes ago).
It was and his wound never fully healed because he wouldn’t let Arya burn it shut. I could have sworn that she does stab him in the heart. I didn’t bother to go back & re-read Book 3, mostly because I just couldn’t re-live the Red Wedding, now I’m thinking I should have.
She doesn’t stab him. She takes his money and leaves him in a shed near the harbor. And there is no clear understanding as to whether he lives or dies.
Well, I know I’m in the minority but I LOVED the Jaime/Cersei scene. It was everything the altar sex scene from episode 3 was supposed to be and made me so happy. In real life they would obviously be disgusting but they are my favorite relationship in the series (book and show!) and I can’t wait to see how their storyline continues in season 5.
I like them too, you are not in the minority. I know its wrong on so many levels, but its somehow sweet. I like Jaime better than Cersei though. :/
NGL I was glad the Children were brought in finally. I’ve been waiting for them since the faces on the trees.
I’m still waiting for the dude on the elk.
I was SO HYPE and happy to see the Children of the Forest!! It made me so happy it was so well done, I Hope the Dead Watchman in the elk comes but i think his job was safe passage for Bran so it wont happen…i was despondent at poor Jojen dying but i think it wrapped up nicely , like he knew that was the mission, he was ill and all that
I think we won’t be seeing Cold Hands, although I always suspected he was the missing BenJen Stark. Who is STILL missing.
Arya is going to Braavos to meet her destiny.
You bet your boots Stannis knows more about Jon Snow than he’s letting on! Jon is a pivotal character in the Game of Thrones – he doesn’t know it yet, but I bet Stannis does!
Did Tyrion grab Joffrey’s crossbow? I thought that was fitting. I loved The Watchers on the Wall episode. The fight scenes were spectacular. I did not read the books and I don’t plan to. Not yet anyway. I enjoy not knowing what’s coming next.
Don’t read the books if you enjoy the show. I love the books and borderline hate the show now.
reading the books won’t spoil the show thou, they don’t follow the books that well.
I wouldn’t say that is necessarily true. They do follow the books core story lines for each character but what is missing is some of the key (or what some of us would see as being key) speeches & set up for events yet to be shown. It’s not like this is True Blood & just threw the books out the window starting w/season 4.
I’ve read the books and adore the show.
I was really sad about the Hound as I’ve been loving he and Arya on the road together. The fight with Brienne was nerve-wracking but fun to see how evenly matched they were! I was sad to see Arya didn’t go after Brienne nor put the hound out of his misery. I wonder if he’ll really die or pop up somewhere along the way…
What a mess Dany seems to be creating in her quest to free cities from slavery. I’m starting to get bored with her journey, so I hope something picks up there next season. I felt so bad for the dragons, too! Heartwrenching!
So glad that Tyrion wasn’t executed. My husband declared a few weeks ago that if they kill off Tyrion, he’s done with GoT.
I think there’s a LOT more to Jon Snow’s parentage than we know.
I admit I get really bored with the Bran scenes.
I was confused about where Arya is sailing to. Did they head North because she gave him that coin? Or was that the only reason they let her on board – but still sailing to Braavos?
I’m so tempted to read the books this summer but I keep hearing how painful and confusing they are to read…
I am actually really tired of Khaleesi’s storyline as well! I feel like they did NOTHING with her character this season.
My prediction is that Khaleesi and Jon Snow will somehow get together at the end. Whether romantically or strategically… They are just complete opposites that it makes sense to me. Jon dark and from the North, her light and from the warmth. Opposites attract maybe? Haha.
Well it is a song of ice and fire. and Dany is the mother of dragons (fire) and Jon is well..snow.
They let her on the boat to Bravos because she had the coin. Jaqen told her that the coin would gain her entry and acceptance into Bravos. And she still has the coin.
I won’t be reading the books any time soon so I appreciate all who are careful of spoilers!!!!
I liked last week a lot. No, it wasn’t Blackwater but that is pretty tough to live up to. The scythe was crazy.
So I was completely and totally wrong about the dragons, etc. They’re the OPPOSITE of going to King’s Landing. I did feel horrible for them as the door closed, but I feel like they’ll be let out eventually so I’m not too worried about their fate.
I was pretty satisfied overall, I was psyched that Tyrion didn’t die (they can’t do that, they’ll lose half their fanbase). Loved the fight between Brienne and The Hound. I was a little bummed Arya didn’t kill him out of mercy though. I didn’t think he was so bad to her and I thought they’d formed a bond so I figured she’d be humane about it. However, this sets up a great shocker where he shows up for revenge on her after somehow surviving.
I’ve been bored with Bran’s storyline all season so I’m glad SOMETHING happened. I expect this will expand next year.
I’m just glad to hear that I wasn’t the only one crying when Dany chained up the dragons! 🙂
Can anyone tell me what happened to Osha? I have seen every episode and have totally missed what happened to her. Last time I saw her she was still with Bran and the gang but I did not see her last night. I must have missed what happened to her.
Didn’t she off with the littlest stark boy?
Yea the last time we see her is when she separates from Bran with the little brother and we haven’t seen her since. I’m guessing they are going to pop up next season. Hopefully. I want to know what’s going on with them!
Thank you. I guess I somehow forgot that.
Osha has taken Rickon and ShaggyDog to islands off the coast of Westeros. No real spoiler but they really aren’t mentioned again in the books until much later on with no details. In fact, they actually separated from Bran when they left Winterfell but HBO liked the response the actress got so kept her on for three seasons.
Osha was a wildling and not even Hodor could drag her to the other side of the wall if he tried. She knows whats out there.
Arya is going to Bravos, not to the North.
It was a great episode, and I too will miss The Hound. He was such an awesome character and I am hoping he is not dead.
Tywin was an ass, and I also enjoyed watching him…..but alas, he got what he deserved.
Tyrion’s escape – I am so glad he left safely.
I am still conflicted about Jamie. He does horrible things, yet he has redeeming qualities. Definitely in the gray area for me.
I am really liking the Jon Snow/ Wall storyline. It is just beginning for him and it was sad to see him burn the body of the wildling Ygritte.
Finally, the last greenseer…the three eyed Raven. Finally. It’s been a long road for Bran.
So much happened in this finale and it’s going to be such a long wait until next season.
:/
One last thing, where were the White Walkers???
I have to respectfully disagree on Bran’s storyline. Although it is in some ways disconnected from the main action in the other stories, its obvious his journey and he himself will play some crucial role in the resolution of GoT. In this last series we see two important parallel developments: 1. Daenyrys losing control over her dragons as they get bigger; and 2. Bran turning into a Super Warg who can take control not only of animals but of humans as well. In fact, Bran, Arya and Jon all have warg capabilities. I have to assume Bran will eventually be the one or one of the ones to control the dragons, who also can kill white walkers by scorching them.
In addition, I have cared about Bran from the start — what an absolutely adorable little 10 year old actor in Season 1! And with a cute British accent. Can’t resist him.
I agree. I have always enjoyed Bran’s journey.
All of the Stark children are supposed to have had the ability to warg, but Since Sansa lost her wolf Lady, and Rob died too soon, that leaves the other four, Bran, Jon, Arya and Rickon.
Bran’s coma awakened his higher powers, and Jon and Arya have been seeing through their wolves for a while. The Arya situation, in particular, is like a link to her old life in Westeros through her crazy Alpha female Nymeria. I am looking forward to see what happens to her.
Rickon is supposedly well, but he was already a boy who was growing without parents, and his wolf was wilder.
I really wish the show had touched on Nymeria more. There is still war and unrest raging across Westeros with various groups attacking one another and making life extremely unpleasant, difficult, and dangerous for the common folk. While the various bands of broken armies are at risk from one another, they are also at risk from deadly attack by a huge pack of wolves, led by Arya’s direwolf Nymeria. Sansa has been lost without her direwolf Lady. Robb worked with Grey Wind to win battles and died when they were separated. Jon and Bran keep their direwolves close and work with them. But Arya’s direwolf is free and wild and a powerful killer; just like Arya.
Bran’s is one of my favorites.
I always liked Bran as well. I can’t help but notice though how much the actor who plays him has grown from the little 9 or 10 year old from Season 1! He looks like he’s 15 or 15 now, hard to tell since we never see him standing, except when he walked the Red Carpet for the season premiere in London. He’s not that tall IRL and neither is Maisie Williams who plays Arya — my absolute favorite. I was so happy to see a scene with her and Brienne (Gwendoline Price). Riccon has been MIA for awhile. Hope he reappears next season.
Season I, Isaac was an astoundingly beautiful child, now he is a handsome young man and he appears to be quite tall.
I agree. The green seer told Bran that he will never walk again, but he will fly.
In think he will definitely use his ability to control the dragons.
I swear I saw a very short – probably a 3 second preview of Lady Stoneheart in one of the commercials in HBO. That was like after the 3rd or 4th episode of S4 so I got excited and was actually expecting that they would show her in the finale.
Arya was going to Braavos not the north. What you think is going to happen to her is not. Her story is really the only interesting one in the next book. Well, her and Lady Stoneheart. I did think it was an amazing finale. I loveddddd it. The Tyrion scene was perfect. He gives it such such depth. I’ll probably have to watch it again. I didn’t give a crap about Jon Snow but this last episode kinda made me like him. That fight scene with Brienne and The Hound, omg, better than the whole hour long fight at the wall. All around faaaaaaaaaaaantastic.
Less disappointed about putting lady SH- more disappointed they didn’t include the revelation about Tyron’s first wife tysha. That would definitely make me want to kill somebody way more than finding my old prostitute in my dad’s bed.
Yeah but I was reading some of the articles and comments at EW and as several have printed out, his first wife hasn’t been mentioned since season two(?). So I think part of the reason it was left out was for the show watchers only who might not remember.
One word: Cersei. I’ve never been much of a fan of hers, but she stole the show last night. I’m so glad she had a chance to take down papa before Tywin ended him.
And yeah, I got choked up about the Dragons. I don’t think I could watch that scene again.
Tyrion not Tywin. Can’t edit that now.
yes! Lena Headey deserves a nomination.
I’m still screaming “I want my epilogue!” Errr. It was a lovely episode, tying up loose ends and ending Book Three nicely I thought.
It was very, very quiet last night when we were watching this. Nobody was talking at all. Everyone was so focused on absorbing every scene.
The season has been uneven and some things did not make sense. Episode 9 didn’t impress me much, truth be told. I am happy to see Kit Harrington improving every season, though.
But the finale was very satisfying. I’m sad that we have to wait another year for the new season.
The scene with Stannis and his men circling the Wildlings…damn. The army’s power and discipline vs. the Wildlings’ aimless hacking and running around. They never stood a chance.
Daenerys and her dragons…doomed to fail. Daenerys herself is showing her youth and naivety. She expected the freed slaves to be happy and grateful all the time. She is now confronted with the reality that not everyone welcomes freedom the way she thought it would be for the freed slaves. She freed them but I don’t think she knows what to do with them beyond the short-term ‘shelters’.
Same can be said for her dragons. She let them run around and Drogon got too big and too wild for her to keep an eye on. Now a little girl was dead. Compare her reaction last night to the one before where she was smirking while a farmer told her of Drogon burning his farm and goats. Back then she looked like smug parents nowadays who blame everyone but their “little angels”. Now she looked stricken and shocked at the realization that she had such little control over her dragons.
Brienne and the Hound’s fight was choreographed and filmed beautifully. The fight was brutal and vicious, just how it’s supposed to be.
I felt sorry for the Hound. I feel that for him, he and Arya had established a relationship that worked for the most part. I did wonder whether Arya not granting the Hound’s wish to be killed was a throwback to the old man who wanted a drink but the Hound killed him instead. Arya looked terrifying just watching the Hound struggle. I don’t think she blinked. Stone-cold.
I also don’t think she sympathized with him at all. She was re-born from a tomboy treated like a Princess at Winterfell to King’s Landing’s world of savagery and cunning. No matter how many things they’ve gone through together, the Hound still killed Arya’s friend and the Hound was once Joffrey’s right-hand.
But when she was on her way to Braavos, the smile on her face and the hopeful expression…wow. It reminds you that after all she has witnessed and she herself has done, Arya is still a child who wants to go back home, but now has taken on a new path in her journey of survival. Maisie Williams is so great.
Maisie Williams and Gwendoline Christie are my two favorite GoT actresses. I LOVE what they do with their characters. I would love for Arya and Brienne to team up and go on and adventure. But alas, that’s not going to happen. At least they got to meet for a fleeting second though…
I wish this could all be about the battle for the Seven Kingdoms. Bran and his dopey friends are soooooo boring. They were boring in the books too. I find Dany and her sideshow a complete bore too.
I love and miss Michelle Fairley so much on the show. So sad this was taken from her; still have finger crossed for next season….
She’s currently playing a terrorist on the new season of 24.
It was such a great finale, such an awesome show! And I too cried when Dany locked up her dragons :(.
I love all the Stark children and their storylines. I hope book 6 follows Rickon, the baby Stark. He’s just forgotten at this point.
yeah, there’s gotta be a reason he exists. He and his direwolf have rage issues. I bet that matters later.
The whole 3-eyed raven thing is ridiculous and superfluous. As is Bran’s entire storyline.
The Jaime-Cersei scene was disgusting. And totally makes no sense after the rape. But whatever. I’ve given up on any logic when it comes to those two characters.
Everything else was superb!!
No, Arya is not on a boat headed north to the Wall. She is on a boat headed east to Braavos. She asks the ship’s Captain to take her north and he says no, he’s going back home to Braavos. Arya has a slight moment of feeling dejected until she remembers the coin given to her by Jaqen H’ghar. Then, just as Jaqen had instructed her, she gives the coin to the ship’s captain then speaks the words “Valar Morghulis,” which translates to “All Men Must Die.” Upon hearing the words, the Braavosi ship captain’s demeanor instantly changes to which he then replies to Arya with the words “Valar Dohaeris,” which translates to “All Men Must Serve.” After speaking the words, not only does the captain allow Arya onto his ship, but also provides her with a cabin. If I remember correctly, the captain gives Arya his own cabin.
A. Never trust that ANYONE is dead until you see their cold corpse.
B. Arya is going to Braavos, not north.
Right. Unless you’re physically shown that a character is dead (show) or that a POV character actually sees and talks about physically seeing a character die or has died (books), never assume anyone is really dead, especially the Hound.
Why are the effing with the story? I read the books. AWESOME!!!
I share the theory of Jon’s lineage tracing to Lyanna and Rhaegar. I also concur that it seems like the future holds a pairing of Jon and Dany (eventually vs the White Walkers).
On the Bran storyline, I will submit this theory: Bran will use his powers to control the missing black dragon, and may eventually fly on its back, giving him an important role to play in uniting what is south of the wall against the White Walkers.
Sansa / Lord Baylish – My theory is their arc will follow this pattern: 1) Revenge against Roose Bolton (who will probably take care of the Greyjoy problem for everyone) and Walder Frey (for the sake of Catelyn Stark – who will more than likely NOT return as Lady Stoneheart (for many reasons, such as the fact they have changed Brienne’s story arc and the LS arc ends rather quietly in the story)); 2) Attempting to revive Winterfell; 3) May try to make a push for King’s Landing if they get that far before the whole world is side-tracked with the White Walkers (those things united the warring Children and First Men thousands of years before).
Martells: With Tywin’s death, House Lannister is finished. The Bank of Braavos backing Stannis pretty much proves that they realized their entire backing of the “king” in King’s Landing was entirely dependent on Tywin being there. He’s not anymore. Also, Tyrion must go underground, and Jaime is King’s Guard. House Lannister = done. House Martell will take over via the marriage to Tomlin. I wouldn’t count on Cersei to go quietly, though. Expect many heads to role.
Varys – Well, it looks like he pretty much knew he would get blamed for Tywin’s death on behalf of Tyrion’s disappearance. The capital is no longer safe, and if there is one thing Varys is apt at doing, it is keeping himself safe. Spider indeed. He’ll probably utilize his extensive network in Dorne to get into a similar position of power there.
The Mountain – I have no idea what they’re planning with that freakshow. Probably some sort of Hodor-like mentality functioning as a killing machine / bodyguard for Cersei.