Game of Thrones S8.04 — On the brink
By: Lizzie Kreitman
Tags: Game of Thrones, Recaps, HBO, TV Series, Tv Reviews

Game of Thrones S8.04 — The Last of the Starks

After last week’s epic battle, it was obvious this episode would start by burying the dead. The funeral pyres, piled high with unnamed soldiers and then the 5 named characters on top of each, are lit by the actual main characters.

Now that they have had their moment of sadness, it’s time for a massive feast, complete with lots and lots of wine. We get a chance to catch up with some of our favorite relationships — Gendry and Arya, Jon & Danaerys, and, of course, Brienne & Jaime.

Arya has escaped the party to continue practicing her archery (isn’t she really good by now? She’s just hitting bullseye after bullseye). Before Gendry can find her, Dany makes him the rightful son of Robert and the Lord of Storm’s End. She did this to curry some favor with the northerners and to keep Gendry and Storm’s End in her back pocket. But, I’m worried this can lead to his eventual death, now that’s he not a bastard. Something to think about.

Gendry finds Arya and confesses his love for her. He proposes because he needs “a lady at Storm’s End.” Obviously, she refuses because she’s not a lady. She’s been saying this since the beginning, people! You cannot hold her down!

Sansa spends most of the feast shooting daggers at Danaerys (with her eyes, not real daggers, which I feel like needs to be specified in this show). She chats briefly with the Hound, another conversation about how all of the bad stuff that has happened to the characters has shaped them/the story now. YES, we get it! There have been so many conversations about this, it is not necessary to continue bringing it up!

Meanwhile, Jaime, Tyrion, and Brienne are playing Tyrion’s favorite truth-telling drinking game and everyone’s having fun until Tyrion basically calls Brienne a virgin who can’t drive. She gets upset, rightfully so, and goes back to her (very warm) room. Jaime follows and they finally hook up!!!

I’ve called this since they take the bath together when they are both prisoners because in the book he gets a little boner and also I love them! They spend a couple of glorious days together until he is reminded of Cersei and how terrible she is. He leaves in the night to ride for King’s Landing. He says it’s because she’s “hateful” and so is he, but I’m sure in the end he’ll kill her because that is what needs to happen.

Dany finds Jon in his room, where he is just a little drunk. They start making out, until he remembers that she’s his aunt. They continue the fight from before the Dead arrived and she begs him to remain silent about his birthright so that they can go back to normal. Of course he can’t do that because he’s a ridiculously “honest” and by honest, I mean annoying.

Jon tells his sisters after they swear to keep it a secret. We don’t really see their reactions, but I’m sure neither of them are that happy about it. Sansa almost immediately breaks this promise by telling Tyrion, knowing that he will tell Varys and once Varys knows, it will spread. Arya just leaves, heading for King’s Landing alongside the Hound, both to accomplish unfinished business (read: killing the Mountain and killing Cersei).

Even though the army is beyond tired and injured, Danaerys demands that they begin the “last war.” Grey Worm, Missandei, Tyrion, and Varys are on one of their ships to Dragonstone while Dany and her remaining dragons fly alongside. Varys & Tyrion have a cynical conversation about what is right and what is good…again, we’ve seen this before. Seems like Tyrion is remaining on his Queen’s side and Varys is being Varys.

Unfortunately, they kind of forgot about the Greyjoy fleet, which is unfortunate because they have the dragon killing scorpions on deck of each ship. They make short work of Rhaegal, who is now at the bottom of the sea, and the ships. Dany is down to one dragon, a lot of Unsullied are killed, and Missandei has been captured.

Tyrion convinces Dany to meet with Cersei and demand her surrender. It’s a meeting of the Hands (alternative start to this sentence: mano e mano), where Tyrion demands Cersei’s surrender and Qyburn demands Danaerys’. Obviously neither side backs down and Tyrion makes a plea for Cersei’s humanity. If she surrenders, all of the citizens would be saved. But since she won’t, it looks like Dany is on the brink of reliving her father’s story.

Tough look, she has none left. In one fell swoop, the Mountain beheads Missandei and the war has begun. But, not really, because it will probably take 2 more weeks ( Thrones time) for Jon and the rest of the army to arrive. Next week is supposed to be an even bigger, more insane battle that last week. I bet it will have Clegane Bowl and hopefully, Jaime killing Cersei.

Can I say, though… I’m not happy about Danaerys becoming a new Mad King (Queen). She has had so much happen to her and all she wants is to be a good queen! Can we just let her do that? Instead, we kill her babies (in front of her) and make her distrust everyone around her! I’d go crazy too!