House of the Dragon vs. The Rings of Power: Which Was Better?

We are lucky to live in a time when we can partake of different versions of high fantasy. I myself am a HUGE Tolkien fan starting from the books. I read The Silmarillon within the day I got it one Christmas morning, stopping only for brief naps, and getting something to eat. On the other hand, my experience with House of the Dragon is primarily with the HBO series of which I suppose I am in the minority when I say that I enjoyed how that series ended. Having said all of that, I will now share my ratings of these two high fantasy series with a five-star rating scale. Five stars is the highest score on this scale. It’s a bit uneven since Rings only had eight episodes while House had ten. Though I will be averaging the scores in the end. For those of you who haven’t watched both or either yet this is a WARNING THAT THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. It’s time to go on an adventure. Come join me.

Episode One: Heirs of the Dragon vs. A Shadow of the Past. House of the Dragons got me at DRAGONS while The Rings of Power got me at VALINOR. These are two very exciting beginnings with both episodes setting the table quite well on what to expect in the stories to come. That being said, the first episodes were a very good start for both franchises. To that I gave each series four stars, and so the first episode duel ends in a tie. Moving on…

Episode Two: The Rogue Prince vs. Adrift. In The Rogue Prince we get a better look at Daemon Targaryen, the brother of Viserys, and apparently the black sheep between the two. The episode also establishes the closeness between Daemon, and Rhaenyra. On the other hand, Adrift focuses on Galadriel being lost at sea with an apparaent new ally, and Elrond makes the trek to Khazad-dum to visit his old friend Durin. With this I give House three stars vs. Rings two stars. In which case, House of the Dragon wins this round with its steady though unspectacular storytelling. I was really disappointed with the details of this episode of The Rings of Power. I mean, how in the name of Eru do you get to meet ship stragglers in the Sundering Seas? Inconceivable. Then there is Elrond making the walk from Eregion to Khazad-dum within a day? Without any encounters? Really. That just didn’t ride well with me, hence the rating.

Episode Three: Second of His Name vs. Adar. In Second of His Name, we are at the name day of young Prince Aegon who is named after the legendary Aegon the Conqueror. There’s a bit of a time jump here where we see the fruits of Allicent’s marriage to King Viserys. This is all happening while Daemon faces the Crabfeeder. In Adar, we finally get to see a glimpse of the legendary kingdom of the Dunedain: Numenor. Also, we get to delve into more events that happen in the Southlands which many a Tolkien geek will know eventually becomes Mordor. Numenor was enough for me to give Rings of Power four stars for this episode. On the other hand, House gains three stars for me. The episode was good, but nothing caught my eye to nudge the score higher.

Episode Four: King of the Narrow Sea vs. The Great Wave. After the events in Second of His Name, Rhaenyra continues her search for a suitable husband, while Daemon continues being the black sheep by seducing his underaged niece Rhaenyra in King of the Narrow Sea. Yikes. Over in The Great Wave, some shenanigans happen over at Numenor involving Galadriel while back in the Southlands the ranger elf, Arondir, has a decision to make. I’ll be blunt. Both episodes get one star for me for VERY BAD storytelling. You’d think that the security in the Red Keep could be a lot tighter going IN and OUT. How in all of the Seven Kingdoms can Daemon, and Rhaenyra go in and out with NO resistance? I’m surprised that Viserys or any of his blood didn’t ‘benefit’ negatively from those lapses in security. While over there in The Rings of Power, I can’t believe the same thing with the security of Numenor giving Galadriel that opportunity to escape. Come on, writers. This is Galadriel we are talking about…of course she’ll easily escape given the chance. Then there’s Adar, and his chance to just end the life of Arondir. That’s another head-scratching moment for me. You’re supposed to be one of the first fallen elves, Adar. Your wisdom is found wanting. Overall, I’d really like to forget that these episodes happened.

Episode Five: We Light the Way vs. Partings. In We Light the Way Daemon visits his wife, Lady Lhea Royce, in the Vale which results in Lady Lhea dying ‘accidentally’. There is also some politicking between the Targaryen’s, and the Valaryons. Such a classic move for Game of Thrones viewers. Over in Partings, this is the coolest I’ve seen of Galadriel since episode one, and the calmest in all of season one. I like this version of Galadriel over the arrogant, and impetuous one that we see most of the time. We also get insight of the relationship of elven trees, and mithril. This all leads to the story of the Silmarils. I’m a sucker for Tolkien lore, and this version of Galadriel so with that I’m giving Rings five stars vs. House’s three stars. So far, House of the Dragon has been pretty steady, but nothing really catches my eye since episode one.

Episode Six: The Princess and The Queen vs. Udun. We have a ten year time jump for The Princess and The Queen. Allicent becomes more curious of Rhaenyra’s children because they do not have the recognizable silver hair. Daemon loses his wife Laena Velaryon after she commits suicide by exposing herself to Vagar’s dragon breath. You really can’t blame her since she lost her baby at childbirth. I suppose the emotional struggle was unbearable for her. Over in Udun, war happens as the army of Numenor steps in to save the Southlanders from the attack of the orcs led by Adar. All’s not so well as we get the reason why Mordor is the way it is as the episode ends with an eruption from Mount Doom. Three stars for both series with up-and-down storytelling, but nothing really happened to deserve a higher score for both.

Episode 7: Driftmark vs. The Eye. Here’s where House of the Dragon gets interesting for me in Driftmark. This is the funeral of Laen and aftermath to that. This is a beautiful episode that is the calm before the storm. Viserys is dying, and it shows. He manages to gather his family to get along up to one ominous dinner. You can feel his influence in the factions of Allicent, and Rhaenyra. It really is just his presence, and influence that are holding the Targaryen’s together. There isn’t a lot of action here, but the tension is at a boiling point, and I really love the undercurrents set in motion here. This episode is worth five stars. On the other hand, The Eye gets three stars for me with a slow but even story in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption. Queen Miriel of Numenor is now blind. The Harfoots run into a group that is hunting for a returned Sauron. Durin sides with Elrond for the mithril. All good, but nothing to push my rating beyond three stars.

Episode 8: The Lord of the Tides vs. Alloyed. The Lord of the Tides showed the last exercise of power by Viserys. He supports in person on the Iron Throne the legitimacy of his grandson’s (Rhaeneyra’s son) succeed in the Driftmark. Vaemond Valeryon challenges this by calling out the parentage of Rhaenyra’s sons which leads to him being decapitated by Daemon. Also, in his dying breath, Viserys causes enough confusion to make Allicent believe that his grandson Aegon, and not Rhaenyra should succeed him on the Iron Throne. Such a beautiful episode that gets five stars from me. In another world, Alloyed is the last episode of The Rings of Power. We find out that ‘meteor man’ is Gandalf, and Halbrand, Galadriel’s closest ally, is in fact Sauron. I’m not surprised with this, and I can deduce from what I know from Tolkien lore that Sauron as the Bringer of Gifts is in fact Sauron. Same goes for Gandalf though his appearance in Middle-Earth is a bit off to me. Also, we get to see the Elven Rings of Power made with the help of Halbrand/Sauron. Having said that, I can only give Alloyed four stars, and not five. I was expecting something much more for a final episode. These events weren’t enough for me to give Alloyed five stars.

Episode 9: The Green Council. Since there aren’t any more episodes of Rings of Power, I will be moving forward with my review with only House of the Dragon episodes starting with The Green Council. Here we get to see the aftermath of Viserys’s death. Allicent makes her move to establish her son, Aegon as King of the Seven Kingdoms. With her allies, Allicent begins to remove threats to Aegon’s rule, and preven anyone from joining Rhaenyra’s side. She gives an offer to Rhaenys Velaryon to basically ‘join her or die‘. Rhaenys gives her answer with a roar from her dragon, Melys. Rhaenys then storms out majestically on Melys out of Aegon’s crowning ceremony, and off to join Rhaenyra. The battle lines are being drawn, and the Dance of Dragons is coming. This episode gets five stars for me.

Episode 10: The Black Queen. Now this is how you end a season with a promise of what is to come. The Black Queen shows us the reaction of Rhaenyra to the crowning of Aegon II as ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. It is interesting to note that the crown worn by Aegon II is the crown Aegon the Conqueror while Rhaenyra wears the crown of her father Viserys who was an advocate of peace. And, this is exactly what Rhaenyra did in the episode: eveything in her power to avoid war. It’s what her father would’ve wanted. To the very end of the episode she was forging alliances to ensure peace. Unfortunately, Vhagar and Aemond had other plans. In a diplomatic mission, Luke Targaryen, and his dragron , Arrax, were devoured by Vhagar in an aerial assault. Rhaenyra’s expression at the end of this episode says it all. No need for words. THIS IS WAR. Five stars for me on an excellent ending to the first season of House of the Dragon.

So who won the battle of supremacy in high fantasy? Totalling my scores, ten episodes vs. eight, House of the Dragon wins over The Rings of Power 3.75. over 3.25. House of the Dragon was mostly steady until it reached its second act where the story really picked up. On the other hand, Rings of Power had all the lore within its grasp, but suffered from inconsistent, and sometimes lazy storytelling. As a long-time Tolkien fan, I’m hoping that the showrunners come up with a much better season two. Season one was passable, but below expections. Meanwhile, House of the Dragon is on course for an explosive second season getting us into the meat of Dance of Dragons. In any case, I enjoyed both series. It just so happens that House of Dragon was better.

Agree with me? Disagree with me? Give me a comment. I’m off to the next adventure.

‘Peacemaker’ Made Good Use of Its Ef@@@g Chance

There were people who saw the ‘Peacemaker’ series as a laughable concept when news of it first came out. I suppose there are fewer people laughing now as the HBO Max series has become a certified hit, and used its ef@@@g chance quite well. Already renewed for season two , let’s take a look back at what made ‘Peacemaker’ one of the best series of this young year. Warning THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS. If that bothers you, why don’t you take out Judo Master for some chips?

Peacemaker and Adabayo Opening Dance Sequence

There’s no question now that the opening dance sequence for ‘Peacemaker’ is a major draw to the series. It’s quirky, hilarious, and downright in-your-face. It makes me giddy in aticipation to what James Gunn has planned for season two. Note that being part of the opening credits doesn’t assure you’ll survive season one. In fact, A LOT of the characters in that dance sequence die by season’s end. Though, that opening musical scene is partly what makes ‘Peacemaker’ entertaining from beginning to end credtis.

(From top left moving right, and down) Harcourt, Eagly, Economos, Vigilante, Murn, and Adebayo

Part of what makes ‘Peacemaker’ so special is the solid supporting cast from Vigilante to Eagly. Each has their own unique personality quirks that make them very relatable. If we’re talking about flaws, these characters wear them on their sleeves like badges of honor. All these mundane imperfections create a very rich core of character background, and development. Too bad that Murn bites the dust in this season. As for the other characters in Christopher Smith’s team, I expect to see more character development moving on to season two.

Peacemaker’s Father: The White Dragon

One of the more well-written,and most important characters in ‘Peacemaker’ is his father: Auggie Smith aka the White Dragon. Yes, he’s dead by the end of season one, but that doesn’t mean that the character will leave the show. He appears to be haunting Christopher Smith’s mind much like what is done in the comics. The comic books show that Peacemaker regularly converses with his dead father, and it looks like James Gunn is incorporating this in his story moving forward. This just solidifies Peacemaker as full-blown crazy with daddy issues. This is bad for Chris, but good for ‘Peacemaker’ in general since it just provides more layers of storytelling.

Christopher Smith with ‘microphone’ half-naked

Chris’s relationship with his father goes to the core as to why ‘Peacemaker’ is so appealing : Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker is the underdog we can empathize. His morals are questionable, but his intentions are pure. But aren’t we all like that sometimes? Wanting to do the right thing by doing the wrong thing, or worse ending up doing the wrong thing? Chris also brings super heroes from DC lore down to earth with all of his supposed inside information, some of which are proven actually true (like that Aquaman snipe). Granted, these slights mask his insecurties. Then again, that just makes Peacemaker more relatable, and lovable. People love rooting for the underdog especially when they see themselves in the character. In this case, Chris is relatable on so many levels to so many people.

Vigilante and Peacemaker Having a Chat in Peacemaker’s Home

The story flow of ‘Peacemaker’ itself is a great balance of action, violence, sex, comedy, and emotional storytelling. The comedy reflects on the characters themselves, and is balanced out by the emotional beats that each main character is given in the story. Yes, even Emilia Harcourt has her soft, and mushy side too. The effect is that ‘Peacemaker’ doesn’t fall into the trap of being one long overextended comedy skit, and balances excellent storytelling with character development. ‘Peacemaker’ doesn’t get tied down by DC lore like another HBO Max show I love. Instead, it adds to the lore, and uses existing lore to its advantage. In particular, there’s this little bit of DC Cinematic Universe lore that it uses quite well.

Peacemaker meets the Justice League

With the last episode, ‘Peacemaker’ has established that it exists in the same DC Universe as the Justice League, with particular cameos of both Aquaman, and the Flash. More importantly, the Justice League’s appearance late in the story solidifies the importance of Peacemaker in this common universe. The Justice League can’t always be around, and someone has to do the dirty work. This helps in establishing Chris’s place in the super hero order now that the Suicide Squad, and its operations have been outed to world at large.

Adebayo and Peacemaker Avoid an Explosion

All in all, ‘Peacemaker’ is a breath of fresh air in a live action genre that has become formulaic for the most part. What ‘Peacemaker’ provides is an alternative storytelling pattern that caters to a much different audience than what has been established by many. The series is not for children, and that’s a good thing. ‘Peacemaker’ can be crass, and offensive to the socio-culturally sensitive. That too is a good thing. In spite of all these, ‘Peacemaker’ expands the boundary on what CAN BE DONE with super hero adaptations. The series dances to its own beat right from the onset, and it works to the benefit of the comic book genre as a whole.

Peacemaker outsid of his trailer park home

So, if you’re willing to give ‘Peacemaker’ a chance, you’ll be feasting on a storytelling style that is fresh in its damaged goods. ‘Peacemaker’ is now streaming on HBO Max.

DC Fandome 2021: My Top Five Major Takeaways

It came and went like a Flash of Shazam! Yeah I’ve been waiting to say that. Long enough to give you loads of information. Short enough to keep you wanting for more. DC Fandome gave us a glimpse of what is to come for all things DC. And yet, with all the news and fan service, there are some news that are better than others. I’m sure there will be some people who would question my list. However, note that this is MY LIST. So, if you disagree with it or highly agree with it, check mine out. Here are my TOP FIVE takeaways from DC Fandome.

At number five, we have ‘Catwoman: Hunted’. In celebration of Catwoman’s 80th anniversary, DC has decided to give her a film all her own. Selina Kyle has been one of DC Comics’s longest anti-heros, and has appeared in many media. It’s fitting that she gets her own animated film for the first time. Why is this so groundbreaking for me? Normally you get material spearheaded by the DC Trinity. In this case, you have a female character (not Wonder Woman OR Harley) heading this film. It comes as a surprise for me, and I am glad for it. Gives me hope that one day we’ll have a Zatanna project in the works (MAKE IT HAPPEN!).

At number four, we have the Peacemaker series on HBO MAX. I’ll be honest, I really don’t like Peacemaker for the Suicide Squad. That film was awesome mind you, but I’ve always seen Peacemaker as a solo operator or at the very least a member of Checkmate (look it up DC Fans). So, seeing this series come into fruition just shows how Warner Brothers is allowing other DC characters to spread their wings. Though, it helps that you have geek fans of the property in the form of John Cena and James Gunn heading the reigns of this series. Also, you have Vigilante here as a supporting character who appears pretty comic book accurate. Time to give ‘peace a fuc@ing chance. Speaking of fans…

At number three, we have ‘Black Adam’. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnshon has been pushing for this movie since time immemorial. You can see the passion in his eyes when he talks about the ‘man in black’. We’ve seen very little of the film so far. That is not the case for Fandome. We got a visual feast with a reveal of Black Adam in his costume AS PART OF a clip for the upcoming movie next year. I’m hyped more than ever with this news and video.

At number two, we have ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths (2?). In the build-up to DC Fandome, visual artist god, Jim Lee, has been revealing pieces to a puzzle that were completed at DC Fandome. Combined we see an homage cover to the seminal Crisis on Infinite Earths cover by George Perez. In the image above you notice that the frames are not the same, but depict similar concepts. Also, during the interview with Jim Lee most of the dalogue was censored teasing what the image actually means. I’m going to give a shot at this as to what this all means. Quite recently, Darkseid has returned to his villanous ways, and stories across the comics have been hinting on an incoming ‘crisis’ Also, this year marks the 35th anniversary of ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’. Could this be the next major storyline for DC Comics? One can only hope, and if the image given above is any indication it will be EPIC. This was actually a very sneaky bit of news mostly lost in the shuffle of all the other media shown. However, let’s remember that everything DC springs from the comic books. This story, if it happens, will just give more material for other related media. This news would be in fact number one if not for my choice for number one on this list.

At number one, we have ‘Young Justice: Phantoms’. It’s here! The fourth season of Young Justice has made an appearance in DC Fandome. I’m not kidding. DC Fandome gave us the FIRST EPISODE of ‘Young Justice: Phantoms’. While all other things DC gave us sneak peeks, behind the scenes updates, and trailers; ‘Young Justice: Phantoms’ gave us the first episode to watch ahead of the season. This is the animated series with layered storytelling, and in-depth chaaracter development. It’s focus is on the legacy characters without alienating fans of the comic books while providing new material for followers of the series alone to not be alienated as well. You have a rich source of DC comic book lore all fabricated by some of the most brilliant minds in DC’s creative pool. Of course, it helps that the animation is drop-dead gorgeous, and the voice actors knock it out of the ballpark. How else could I not put this at the top of my list?

And, that’s all for DC Fandome. Agree with me or disagree? Let me know in the comments below.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League: A League of His Own

Maybe this will teach the Warner Brother’s movie higher ups to allow their creators to create with trust and confidence. Maybe this will erase the memory of a messy and inconsistent film that reflected its patchwork pieces to come up with a pedestrian interpretation of a better film. Maybe this will open the door to a far different and more adult way of interpreting super hero films that might not be for every age, but becomes ageless. Enough of the maybes, ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ does all of the above.

Breaking away from what is expected of super hero movies nowadays, ‘Zack Snyder’s Jusctice League’ provides a super hero film consistent with the original vision started with ‘Man of Steel’. It is dark, it is gloomy, but it is hopeful. I liken this film to the gothic stories of old wherein you have characters set in a situation that is near hopeless with that rare light at the end of the tunnel driving them to their destinations. For truly, wasn’t the reason Dante Alighieri’s Inferno came before Paradiso to make people face their own darkness first to better appreciate the light? That was the case for this film.

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The story takes place directly after the events of ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’, and you can see from the onset that this was a completely different film from the previous ‘Justice League’. Zack Snyder’s vision came to light with his setup of character buildiing of new heroes such as Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash while balancing it with previous character staples in Batman, Wonder Woman and even Alfred. The dramatic build up to the impending doom was just what the film needed to justify the gambit of reviving Superman from his eternal slumber. Never mind Steppenwolf. He’s small fry. When you’re going up against a threat like Darkseid, you truly need the hope that Superman gives on your side.

True, the film does not pit our Justice League directly against Darkseid himself. But, that’s more the case that they were able to prevent his coming in the first place, and not because they weren’t set to face him. For in all DC Comics lore, there are few greater threats than the Lord of Apokolips and his cronnies, Steppenwolf being just one among them. This raised the stakes to a worldly threat to an existential one. With Darkseid’s presence in ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’, we get to appreciate more the value of Superman to this story.

Let there be no mistake, this is a different film from ‘Justice League’ that came before it. Aside from the length, the treatment of the setting, characters and storytelling provide a better basis for the DC films that came after it. The vision is clearly set, and even sets the narrative up moving forward with what hopefully will be a proper continuation of this revived superhero franchise. Even the appearance of Martian Manhunter provides something to look forward to in future installmens of ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ as they move towards the power seven that is Justice League minus Green Lantern. However, elements of the film suggest that we might have a ring slinger making an appearance in the DC Extended Universe’s future. If not in this film, then maybe somewhere else.

All in all, ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ is a redemption film that reflects the true vision of the director. True, one might argue that the reshoots could be an afterthought of what worked in the previous film, and removing what didn’t work. However, that’s just pure cynical and insidious thinking. Zack Snyder loves these characters, and this story. Given a chance to show what he wanted, he would do so, and did so. What ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ provides us is an alternative way of telling super hero stories. Rather than be a super hero story, this film is a story about super heroes, and the difference can be seen in the end product.

‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ not only heralds the return, and highligths the importance of Superman. It also serves as a reminder of what happens when a creative genius is left to his own devices. Impending doom is averted, and hope in the future is restored.

Viewing Review: Game of Thrones 8 Episode 6

This post contains spoilers for ‘The Iron Throne’, the last episode of GAME OF THRONES. The fate of the Seven Kingdoms is at hand.

‘They don’t get to choose.’—-Daenerys Targaryen

This statement of Daenerys broke the camel’s back. The camel being Jon Snow who decided the fate of the Mother of Dragons with his action. In a private moment with Daenerys, in the remains of the Iron Throne room, Jon stabs Daenerys in the chest effectively killing her while claiming that she is his queen ‘now and for always.’ It was an anti-climactic death to a predictable outcome and end to the ‘Breaker of Chains’. She never saw it coming. She should have, but she didn’t. Her love for Jon Snow blinded her from seeing this coming. Jon on the other hand, in spite of his love, knew that something had to be done or other places and people will suffer the same way as the citizens of King’s Landing. Even those people who know what is good but do not see eye to eye with Daenerys Stormborn. Death waits for them in fire and blood while Daenerys remains alive.

A lot of people might disagree with the resolution of Daenerys’s fate(among other things) though the signs were evident from mid-season. But, with the change in direction,this was the most acceptable outcome. Daenerys had lost her favor with the citizens of Westeros. Her Hand, Tyrion, has abandoned her. She is more feared than loved, and admits to Jon that she does not have the same emotional clout here as compared to Essos. To the citizens of the Seven Kingdoms, she is an alien power trying to conquer their lands. Her doorway to acceptance, the destruction of the Night King and his undead army, has all but shifted with the slaughter of King’s Landing last episode. And, her proclamation that she alone will decide what is good was the final straw. Daenerys broke the wheel. But, in so doing, thousands of innocents died…rather brutally and horribly.

Also, I was surprised that Grey Worm and the rest of Daenerys’s forces kept both Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister alive with the Stormborn’s death. Maybe this was done out of respect to both of them? Even though Grey Worm is a trained killer, he always took his orders from Daenerys. This was probably one of those decisions he couldn’t make alone.

On the other hand, Drogon made his own decisions. One, he decided not to incinerate Jon Snow for murdering his ‘mother’. Two, he decided to burn the Iron Throne instead. With these decisions, Drogon proved himself to be a smarter beast than others realize. In fact, he is more beast in form than mind. Dragons are smart creatures in a lot of fantasy settings. And, I think Westeros is no exception. Why not kill Jon Snow? It might make him a martyr if he is toasted or if he’s not(because of his Targaryen blood) he might end up taking Daenerys’s place on the Iron Throne. So, Drogon melts the Iron Throne so that no one sits on it again. This leaves Jon being more mortal than messiah. Afterwards, he brings with him the body of Daenerys to parts unknown.

So who gets to rule the Seven Kingdoms now? That decision is tied to the fate of the Starks and Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion suggests that the next king should be decided by the ruling families. And, after much debate, this was unanimously decided to be Brandon Stark. This body of lords and ladies are now left to decide on who will rule next on this basis as well: a vote. As the new King of the Seven Kingdoms, Bran decides to exile Jon Snow to The Wall (or what’s left of it). Jon is to live the remainder of his life way up North. Bran also decides to name Tyrion his hand in spite of Tyrion’s protestations.

However, not everything is smooth sailing for Bran. Sansa decides to break ties with the Seven Kingdoms and declares the North a separate kingdom. Sansa becomes the new Queen of the North. What about Arya? She doesn’t decide to stick around. Instead, she goes out to explore the west of Westeros where all maps end.

The rest of the story is all about tidying up loose ends. Sir Bronn becomes a member of the King’s Small Council. Brienne writes about Jamie Lannister. Grey Worm migrates with the rest of the Unsullied to Naath (Missandei’s birthplace). I don’t know where the Dothraki went (to Naath as well?). Then Samwell Tarley writes ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’. This reminds me of Bilbo and Frodo when they write ‘There and Back Again’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ respectively. Well, Sam does have some similarity with Hobbit physique in width.

Is this the ending I was expecting? Not entirely. I expected there to be more bloodshed. Tyrion would die at the hands of Ser Bronn. Gray Worm who defends Daenerys would die at the hands of Jon. Arya would kill Daenerys in the shadows. The result would leave Jon on the Iron Throne as the one true Targaryen heir. Of all these, the one that remained on point was Daenerys dying though not at the hands of Arya but Jon. Coincidentally, Daenerys’s death has similarities with Jean Grey dying at the hands of Wolverine after she goes all Phoenix force in a movie years back.

All in all, this was a safe ending for a series that had become, for the most part, predictable from the midpoint of the season. By this time, GAME OF THRONES had lost a lot of steam even though the viewership remained high. Regardless, this was still one of the best fantasy series that ever came out from television. There are a great number of people who might not agree with the storytelling GAME OF THRONES has taken. But, without a doubt, GAME OF THRONES will be a standard sought after by many series to come.

‘The Iron Throne’ is the final chapter of GAME OF THRONES. This is the last you will see of these characters for a while. Plot lines were tied up as is fitting a final episode in a series. As it ends, we are left to wonder whether we will find a contemporary series with such great an impact on popular culture ever again. Whatever its faults, GAME OF THRONES has embedded itself in the minds of a vast number of viewers. The fate of the Seven Kingdoms has been resolved. Our Watch is over.

Viewing Review: Game of Thrones 8 Episode 5

This post contains spoilers for, ‘The Bells’, episode 5 of GAME OF THRONES. Though, the fate of the Seven Kingdoms is at stake here. Now is not the time to be squeamish.

“They say that every time a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin and the world holds its breath.” —Varys, Master of Whispers

The above are very ominous words from Varys. And this is what happened in this episode. Everyone held his breath to see what Daenerys would do with the continued existence of King’s Landing hanging in the balance. And what happens? She sacks the capital city of the Seven Kingdoms. This is what happens if you piss off a person who controls a dragon. It’s a show of absolute power, and there are a lot of stories that emphasize where that kind of raw power takes you. This doesn’t bode well for the ultimate fate of the ‘Breaker of Chains’.

That’s not to say there weren’t chances to stop Daenerys from going on a war path. The quickest solution was initiated unsuccessfully by Varys himself. If you were astute enough to notice at the beginning of the episode, Varys was talking to a young girl named Martha. From their exchange, you could see hints that Varys was trying to poison Daenerys’s food, but she wouldn’t eat. Varys never saw this plan come to any fruition because he was executed by Drogon for betraying Daenerys.

Then there was Tyrion who with the help of Jaime plotted to have the city surrender by ringing the bells. Part of the plan was for Jaime to escape with Cersei out of the city to lead a new life. The ringing of the bells happened, but it did not matter. Daenerys decided that she was too angry to let Cersei’s shenanigans from last episode go. Cersei and the city needed to be taught a lesson. As she shared with Jon, if she is not loved then fear will do. And Daenerys was a scary sight to behold in this episode.

What about Jaime and Cersei? They never made it out of the Red Keep alive. The tunnels under the Red Keep that leads to the coast had been blocked due to Drogon’s rampage. This left the two siblings trapped to die in each others arms as the underground chamber collapsed around them. It was a sweet yet tragic moment. That left Tyrion as the last Lannister standing by episode’s end.

What about King’s Landing? It’s reminiscent of the burning of Rome while Nero fiddled. In this case it was dragon fire while Cersei watched the destruction from the Red Keep. There was a lot of chaos to go around accompanied by a lot of senseless killings. Every citizen of King’s Landing was a target, civilian or soldier, of Drogon’s dragon fire or Daenerys’s army. It was a slaughter. Jon could only do so much to stop his troops from joining in the carnage. But, what can you do when your opponent attacks you with intent to kill? You still had to defend yourself, and Jon ended up killing soldiers because they were attacking him.

Pity that the city was taken so easily. Again, what do you expect with a dragon? It was a mismatch to begin, and Tyrion knew it. What about those vaunted scorpion ballista that shot down Rhaegal? What about the Iron Fleet? What about the Golden Company? They were no match for one angry queen and her child dragon. From my observation, it appears that these dragons are more dangerous with a rider than without. It probably has something to do with a Targaryen connection to dragons. I just can’t help but notice that the time the other two dragons were defeated was when there were no riders. Whenever the dragons had Targaryen riders, they were not so easy a target. This was shown with how Daenerys made mince meat out of everything even before her army entered King’s Landing. Hell, she barely needed her army. When all the scorpion ballista were taken care of, there was really no way to take down Drogon. That air superiority was just too much.

Other highlights includes Qyburn getting killed by the Mountain, and a duel to the death between brothers Hound and Mountain. The brothers die together from a fall from the collapsing structure of the the Red Keep. The duel was pretty brutal as can be expected from the Cleganes. Sandor did Arya that single act of kindness which probably saved her from a similar death as his. Though with what Arya experienced, and the focus on her emotional reactions to the fall of King’s Landing, you can expect her to play a major role in the last episode.

Then there was the duel of Jaime and Euron. Euron dies at the hands of Jaime, but Euron delivers a fatal stab at the side of his stomach. Jaime leaves Euron’s body by the coastal cave that leads to the Red Keep. He seeks out Cersei, and I’ve already mentioned the fate of the Kingslayer and the former Queen.

Things to expect? I don’t think Daenerys will live long to enjoy the Iron Throne. I think she’ll be killed by Arya when she least expects it clearing the way for Jon to take the leadership reigns. You can’t kill Jon. That would be lousy storytelling since he died already and was brought back to life. I also think that Grey Worm won’t survive next episode as well. There’s no point in him living now without Misandrei. He’ll probably sacrifice himself for Danerys to no avail. What about Tyrion? Sadly, I don’t think he’ll survive as well. He’s lost heart after Daenerys has shown her lack of mercy to the civilian populace. Bron will probably kill him. Bron will probably die next episode as well though I’m not sure how.

‘The Bells’ is the second to the last episode of GAME OF THRONES. Story strands ended, and actions committed by characters in this episode will have dire consequences in the last episode. There’s a lot on visual introspection made by major characters, and through their eyes you already have a hint on what they will do next. Prepare yourselves.For the end of GAME OF THRONES is now an inevitability.