Game of Thrones: S8E4 Reactions

1. After last week’s epic battle, I’m excited to keep this train going and see what will happen to Cersei. There has been an TREASONOUS lack of her character this season.
2. I still can’t get over how much I’m into these new opening credits.
3. Alfie Allen is still listed? Oo will Theon come back from the dead??
4. They’ve really set the tone with this opening scene eh? Just a straight panning of Jorah’s dead body.
5. Ah there’s Theon too. That explains the credits.
6. Panning out to all the dead bodies is quite a sight.
7. It’s pretty cool how the smoke covers the entire screen as they’re all burning.
8. Cue a dinner feast and Daenerys staring off into space. Weirdo.
9. Sansa is getting a bit too dramatic with her reactions to Daenerys; we get it, you don’t like her.
10. Bran telling Tyrion “I don’t really want anymore” reminds me of that emo kid in high school who stays in his room all day and goes on a hunger strike to prove a point.
11. Time for the Westeros version of Never Have I Ever.

    

12. Oh god Tyrion’s gonna ask if she’s a virgin isn’t she? Which will in turn set the backdrop for Jaime later deflowering her. (spoiler alert: that is indeed what happened. For shame producers, at being so predictable, for shame).
13. Drunk Tormund would be an absolute treat at a party.
14. Seeing Daenerys so isolated and alone at this dinner really takes me back to my high school days  is not relatable for me at all.
15. This dinner scene has been quite long hasn’t it? Getting a bit drawn out.
16. LOL at Podrick taking a drink when Tyrion says Brienne is a virgin. He does not get nearly the amount of screen time that he deserves.
17. Tormund drunk crying over Jaime and Brienne really takes me back to my university days is not relatable for me at all.
18. Though Tormund seems to move on rather quickly. Typical man.
19. Arya not being at the dinner is pretty disappointing tbh. I would have liked to see everyone’s reaction to her being the mf-ing badass of Winterfell. How shocking that the achievement of a woman is going unrecognized -_-
20. Whoa Gendry! Did not see that proposal coming. Though he should really know better than to think Arya would have simply settled down with him.

    

21. Anddd we are brought to the cliche scene with Jaime and Brienne. See point #12.
22. I like that they’re not hiding the fact that Brienne is taller than Jaime.
23. “It’s bloody hot in here” is going to be the new “let’s Netflix and chill”.
24. Sooo it’s been about half an hour and nothing has actually happened yet. Just sayin.
25. Daenerys has gone to Jon’s room to…. make out? Da fuq?? Did she not realize the implication of Jon’s bombshell last week? Does Jon need to draw a family tree for her?
26. This conversation feels very disjointed. First Daenerys was all over Jon and now she is overly focused about Jon’s popularity.
27. Daenerys is pretty naive if she thinks Jon will actually not tell Sansa and Arya about his lineage.
28. Though in fairness to her, I’m not really sure why Jon *needs* to tell anyone. Liiike, if he allegedly doesn’t want the throne, what will it achieve to tell people who he really is? That’s some Ned Stark-level self-righteousness.
29. Finally! We have moved on to some actual strategy about Cersei.
30. Dany is really not mincing words about what she wants to do – “rip her out root and stem”.
31. Sansa makes a good point about letting people rest before fighting again. Daenerys may not have realized this while she was flying on her dragon, but those wights were a bit of a challenge.
32. Ouch. Jon Snow effectively shut Sansa down.
33. It’s cute to see the Stark kids hanging out in the Godswood – just like old times.
34. “I need to tell you something”. Ughhhh Jon!!!!! Idiot.
35. Making them promise not to tell anyone means nothing Jon. Clearly you have never been to middle school.
36. LOL at him making Bran break the news to Sansa and Arya. As if Bran doesn’t have enough troubles of his own.
37. Ah, Tyrion and Jaime, just two bros having drinks and talking about the ladies.
38. BRONN! Yassss! (The love I have for him is truly inexplicable)
39. This chat between the boys getting boring. We don’t even have music to build up some suspense. Unlike last week’s episode.
40. That Ramin Djawadi is a musical genius. “The Night King” has been on perma-rotation all week.
41. Maybe I will look up Ramin’s bio. Was he basically just born with a conductor’s baton?
42. He’s German-Iranian?!?! How did I not know this?!
43. Oh right. Back to this episode.
44. I’m getting a bit restless. Might have something to do with the fact that we are over halfway through and NOTHING HAS HAPPENED.
45. Wait what, Arya just told the Hound she’s not planning on coming back to Winterfell?? That’s cold. I hope she said a proper goodbye to everyone.
46. Cut to a brooding Sansa staring at Daenerys’ dragons.
47. Tyrion: “You seem determined to dislike her”. He makes a good point. I mean, we, as the viewers, know why Daenerys is bad news. But objectively, given how little Sansa knows about her, she shouldn’t be as put off by Daenerys as she is. It’s a bit irrational – though I suppose it serves the plot.
48. Anddd in no time flat, Sansa has spilled the beans about Jon.
49. We now bid adieu to the wildlings. Goodbye Tormund, you sexy beast.
50. Ah ha! I knew Gilly was preggers!
51. Samwell telling Jon that he’s the best friend he ever had is the most adorable …. just the sweetest…. sorry I need a minute.
52. Cut to Grey Worm and Missandei, the purest and most innocent love story ever told.
53. Tyrion, you told Varys?! The people of Westeros cannot keep a secret.
54. Varys is really the sole voice of reason here, promptly shutting down Tyrion’s suggestion that Jon and Daenerys could rule together. Even he can see that Daenerys has no interest in sharing the throne.

    

55. I don’t know why Tyrion, who’s normally astute, is so flippant when it comes to Daenerys and her state of mind.
56. Another scene of Daenerys riding her dragon.
57. This episode is moving painfully slowly. When is it going to pic-
58. OMG.
59. WHERE DID THAT ARROW COME FROM?!
60. Noo, more arrows!!!!
61. Watching that dragon fall into the water is heartbreaking.
62. Seems a bit unrealistic that all of a sudden, no one is able to shoot down Daenerys and her dragon but ok.
63. Finally, some much needed action to this episode.
64. Omg it’s hard to watch Grey Worm frantically look for Missandei.
65. Cersei has finally made an appearance. You have to hand it to her, she plays her cards very well.

    

66. Cersei looks less than enthused as she tells Euron about “their child”. Hmm wonder why that is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
67. “So much for the breaker of chains”. DAMN that is cold Cersei, kidnapping Missandei like that.
68. People are not going to be happy that the one black girl on the show was captured and put in chains. I can see the headlines now.
69. How ironic given Varys’… condition….. that he is the only one with the erm ….. guts…. to stand up to Daenerys and tell her that she is making a mistake if she attacks King’s Landing.
70. “I’m here to free the world from tyrants”. Pot, kettle, black.
71. Okay, Varys and Tyrion are having another private huddle. Maybe Varys will be more successful this time in explaining why Jon is the better ruler.
72. “He’s a man, which makes him more appealing to the lords of Westeros”. Varys, you have no idea how true those words are across all realms.
73. Seriously, why does Tyrion keep bringing up his ridiculous idea for Daenerys and Jon to rule together? Whyyy does Tyrion have so much faith in her?
74. Ooo maybe he’s secretly planning a coup and needs to throw everyone off his scent.
75. For all his slippery ways over the years, I’m really respecting Varys right now.
76. Back to the gloomy world of Winterfell, where Jaime gets the news about what Cersei has done. It’s weird how surprised he is though — did he think Cersei was incapable of doing bad things? I don’t even think this breaks her top 10 of Mean Deeds.
77. Brienne, don’t cry and beg Jaime to stay! You are better than this!
    
78. And now we are at what is sure to be a calm, cool and collected meeting between Team Daenerys and Team Cersei.
79. Tyrion: “Qyburn, you’re a rational man”. Not exactly how I’d describe Dr. Frankenstein, but if there was ever a time for flattery…
80. Oh god,  Tyrion’s walking up to Cersei. Her heavy breathing sounds angry.
81. Oh god, she’s raising her hand to the guards. They are more than ready to kill.
82. Cersei’s eyes really shoot daggers don’t they?
83. Phew she puts her hand back down. Reminds me of her iconic “power is power” scene with Littlefinger.
84. Tyrion is making quite an impassioned speech.
85. Ooh smart move, bringing up her love for her children. It has literally brought tears to Cersei’s eyes. Maybe he’s getting through to her.
86. “If you have any last words, now’s the time”. Nope, he did not.
87. Poor Missandei 😦 I quite liked her character. Though she always made me feel fat. And unattractive. Maybe her death isn’t such a bad thing actually.
88. Although Daenerys seems to disagree.

    

    Ready to fuck shit up

89. Ah there’s that Cersei sneer as she stares down Tyrion. It is amazing how much she expressed in this scene despite only saying one sentence.
90. Well, at least this episode picked up in the end.

    

    Game on.

Final thoughts:

I know the show will get flack for killing off Missandei (the optics of her being the only major black character are admittedly not great). But honestly, Missandei is only one of two people that Daenerys truly cares about right now (the other being Jon — but even that’s questionable). Cersei needed to get Daenerys nice and riled up and Missandei’s death was the best way to achieve that.

While I am not overly impressed with this episode, I have faith that the writers know what they’re doing. There is often a mid-season slump in every show; with this season being only 6 episodes, I think we’re right in the middle of that slump but I assume the last two episode will be fabulous. After 7 glorious seasons, I am optimistic that the show wouldn’t drop the ball now.