Viewing Review: Game of Thrones 8 Episode 4

This post contains spoilers from ‘The Last of the Starks’, Episode 4 of GAME OF THRONES. Let us begin…

“She’s hateful, and so am I”—Jaime Lannister

‘Last of the Starks’ begins where last episode left off. The victors at Winterfell buried their dead, and we have a clearer understanding who is still alive. Not that there are any surprises. But, that’s not the reason why this is such a hateful episode. Rather, there are so many decisions made by a lot of characters that remind us that this is GAME OF THRONES, and no one is truly and completely good. Save maybe Jon Snow at this point.

For instance, Arya was propositioned by Gendry to marriage. Gendry, having recently been elevated to Lord of Storm’s End by Daenerys for his part in the Battle of Winterfell, gathered the courage to ask Arya to be his wife and lady. Though Arya is fond of Gendry, she declines and declares, as she has always, that she is no lady. She wishes Gendry well, but has other plans for herself, and it does not include being a lady to a lord.

Then there is Daenerys herself who basically begs Jon Snow not to tell her family, aside from Bran who already knows, about his parentage. She says this is the best way for all of them to live together in harmony. Of course, the hidden agenda there is that Dany does not want to give up her claim to the Iron Throne. In fact, she is fearful of Jon for his charisma with the people, and rightful claim to the throne as the Aegon Targaryen. It’s not that she doesn’t trust Jon for bending the knee. She doesn’t trust the people around him to be as giving as he. She is right, but this doesn’t stop Jon from telling his two sisters without Daenerys’s knowledge.

Sworn to secrecy, Sansa and Arya hear about Jon’s parentage from Bran. Secret kept safe, right? No. Sansa tells Tyrion and offers up Jon as a ‘better choice’ for the Iron Throne. Arya, on the other hand heads off to King’s Landing for some unfinished business with The Hound. With her knowledge of who Jon is now, it’s not safe to assume that her target is only Cersei. She just might have other plans to further the Stark narrative.

Then, Tyrion tells Varys who now thinks that Jon is the better choice to rule Westeros on the Iron Throne. Varys sees Dany as too unstable, and too overwhelming a personality to share the Iron Throne with anyone. He is after the betterment of Westeros above all else, which causes him and Tyrion to debate on the merits of loyalty to Daenerys. Knowing Varys from previous seasons, he already has something planned for both Daenerys and Jon.

There is also Jaime Lannister. In spite of it all, he still decides to go to Cersei’s aid. This is after he decides to sleep with Brienne of Tarth, and effectively breaking her heart. He doesn’t care how hateful Cersei is. All he cares about is Cersei, and Brienne gets emotionally crushed in the process.

As if all the deception in Jon and Dany’s camp wasn’t enough to make this episode hateful, Rhaegal gets shot down and killed by ballista as Dany’s forces return to Dragonstone. He survived the Battle of Winterfell barely, and just when you thought he’d make a significant contribution to the war to come, he falls from the sky courtesy of Euron Greyjoy. So, Daenerys is left with only Drogon, the last of her three dragon children.

The resulting attack at Dragonstone also led to the capture of Misandrei. Rhaegal was not the only major casualty of the Euron’s ambush. Daenrys’s fleet was also devastated, and Misandrei was captured by Euron. Misandrei’s abduction sets up the gore and death to come. In spite of Tyrion’s pleading for peace with Cersei, Misandrei is beheaded by The Mountain on the battlements of King’s Landing. There will be a slaughter. You can expect a lot of death and a lot of suffering. The manner of it will be revealed in the next episode.

‘Last of the Starks’ tells a tale of decisions made and the consequences that accompany them. Let there be no mistake, this is GAME OF THRONES. However kind and noble these characters appear, they will always maneuver to progress their own agendas. And, some of these decisions can be truly disturbing. GAME OF THRONES is heading towards an expected heart wrenching dramatic conclusion. ‘Last of the Starks’ sets the standards high to lead this series to its inevitable finality.