Game of Thrones moves into the unknown in ‘The Last of the Starks’
By: Simon Cocks
Tags: Culture, Review, TV, Game of Thrones, Television

Game of Thrones moves into the unknown in ‘The Last of the Starks’

The Battle of Winterfell is over and a new chapter for Westeros begins. (IMDb)

All of a sudden, it’s just that little bit more difficult to predict where Game of Thrones is headed. The show had built up the confrontation with the Night King and the army of the dead so much that the fallout and aftermath weren’t really what viewers were considering. And that’s a sentiment that it seems like the characters feel too, with them all shellshocked and recovering from the battle at the start of this episode. They burn the numerous dead, and talk about how their forces are now half as strong as they used to be. With the White Walkers defeated, Daenerys inevitably turns her attention to Cersei and how she’ll now head south to take King’s Landing. The show gave us two weeks without Cersei, and it’s all too easy to forget that while the heroes have been fighting for the living, she’s been plotting and scheming ways to hold onto the Iron Throne and defeat her enemies. If this episode is any evidence, she’s made some smart moves and will be well-positioned when the two forces (now equal in strength) face off against each other in the next episode.

Celebrations and commiserations

When the episode kicks off, it’s all about celebrating the unlikely victory against the White Walkers. For once, the show is allowing its characters to really enjoy themselves. It feels good to see them all having fun and feasting to their heart’s content. We know it can’t last, but it’s fun to watch these little moments. It’s great to watch Jaime and Brienne share an easy chemistry, and to later see them finally talk about what has been a relationship that’s been building for years (even if the later twist to it all is hard to accept, given all of Jaime’s character growth). It’s great to see Tormund rejoice too, along with everyone else. Even Daenerys seems like she’s getting to relax, at least initially. And Arya rejecting Gendry’s far too hasty proposal feels very in character. Things do unravel, though, and we see how much Dany wants Jon to keep his secret about his heritage to himself. We know he’s too noble to do that though. After another war planning meeting, he tells his sisters the secret under the condition that they don’t tell anyone else. It doesn’t last long. Sansa soon decides that Jon would be a better ruler for Westeros and spills the beans to Tyrion. He tells Varys soon after, and now it seems the information is spreading like wildfire. We now know it’s sure to spread further. Will it cause even more tension and conflict between Jon and Dany? Almost certainly.

The armies prepare for battle again

Daenerys wastes no time in getting her forces rallied together for the coming battle. She doesn’t have much patience, and has few allies. And, with her Dothraki and Unsullied troops depleted and her trusty queensguard Jorah dead, she’s more isolated than she has been in a very long time. She doesn’t take advice from Sansa that she probably should, about how the soldiers are exhausted and won’t be ready for battle again so quickly. Her plan involves taking the remaining ships and the Unsullied back to Dragonstone while Jon marches to King’s Landing with much of the rest of the force. It’s a flawed strategy, but the show has worked hard to get us to feel that luck is on the their side even when we can see divisions and conflicts forming. Without the Dothraki and with one dragon clearly injured, it seems evident that Daenerys is certain to struggle. But it still feels triumphant when we see her swooping into Dragonstone with the fleet of ships beneath her. The odds may have changed, but the show clearly wants us to feel that she can still win this war.

Daenerys is ambushed and shocked

In perhaps the most shocking twist of the episode, Euron Greyjoy is waiting for Daenerys with a small amount of the Iron Fleet when she arrives back in Dragonstone. He successfully shoots an injured Rhaegal out of the sky, killing the second of Dany’s dragons in a heartbreaking moment. Her remaining ships are attacked and a small number of her forces make it ashore to Dragonstone. This ambush is a sudden and surprising way to remind us that the war is no longer against the mindless undead, but against schemers who have tricks up their sleeves. Dany’s dragons have long been her advantage, but now she only has one left for the final fight. And Qyburn has clearly mass produced his dragon-killing ballistas, making it more difficult than ever for her to use Drogon successfully in the battle to come. After the ambush, Cersei captures Missandei and Tyrion makes one last, clearly hopeless, attempt to reason with his sister. It’s unsurprisingly unsuccessful, and the Lannister queen has Missandei beheaded in order to anger Daenerys. Her last words to the dragon queen are “Dracarys”, which should give us some idea of just how much fire and blood will be coming in the next episode.

Best scene of the episode

The episode probably began with its strongest scene, in which Jon gives a stirring speech about the battle that has just been won and how important it’ll be to remember those who’ve fallen. The episode opens with the characters seeming battered and broken, setting alight funeral pyres and highlighting just how many of the key figures we’ve now lost. Seeing the bodies of Jorah, Theon, Edd, Lyanna, and Beric is emotional and affecting. And Jon’s use of the Night’s Watch eulogy is moving and powerful. “They were the shields that guarded the realms of men, and we shall never see their like again.”

MVP of the episode

There aren’t really any obvious candidates in this episode of Game of Thrones, so let’s just give it to Podrick Payne as a recognition of his continued unlikely survival, his general loyalty, and how he just hasn’t done anything objectionable or betrayed anyone. He leaves the feast with a woman on each arm (a callback to Season 3), and doesn’t really show up for much of the rest of the episode. So, with no better options presenting themselves, Pod gets to be the MVP of this episode. Oh, also, Ghost needs to be acknowledged. The direwolf clearly fought hard (he even lost an ear) in the battle and barely gets any recognition from Jon before being sent off with Tormund. He deserved better.

What’s next

Another bloodbath? Emilia Clarke has already teased that episode five is even “bigger” than episode three. ‘Hardhome’, ‘The Long Night’ and ‘Battle of the Bastards’ director Miguel Sapochnik will be back for the 80-minute showdown between the two queens fighting for the throne.

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