#got s8e1

bran:

Me :

Jaime locked eyes with Brandon :

Me :

Bran: the night king has your dragon

Dany:

Mostly because, like, just objectively Sansa ISN'T the smartest person Arya has ever met. Not even close. She's met castle maesters, Tywin Lannister, and I'm sure a decorated host of other brilliant people. It just doesn't make sense.

the very same episode that showed us a passive jon when dany threatened Sansa also showed us a jon where he asks sansa to have faith in HIM. Not dany. In him. This means Jon hasn't forgotten about his promise to protect Sansa. He knows what he's doing but just needs her faith.

Sounds to me like Jon stayed silent for a reason and its not dany love

HERE BE SPOILERS

It’s time for my favorite part of GAME OF THRONES which is picking apart the clues and figuring out what is happening. 

Don’t agree? Think I missed a detail? Awesome! Let me know! I’m interested in hearing what you thought. 

1) The Red Wedding In The Opening Yes, the Red Wedding was a huge game changer for the Game of Thrones and very memorable, but why bring it up?

Well... because someone has to get married. We currently have three queens running loose controlling the world and in this world marriages are about political alliances. If Dany and Jon survive the battle with the White Walkers what will happen? Well, people are going to expect a wedding. And House Lannister will not be happy about that alliance.

There are already a lot of fan theories about Sansa being kidnapped and a betrayal at a wedding + a kidnapping would fit the Lannister MO. 

2) The Sex Scene Thankfully no one has GIF’d this but I’m confused why, if Jon and Dany are the main couple who will see everything put right, they didn’t get the sex scene in the season opener. Shouldn’t we see them being happy and loving and working together?

Two theories on this...

1) Sex scenes in the past have always ended badly. It’s almost a sure thing that the couple will break up or one of them will die (which means Grey Worm and Missandei are doomed - but we anticipated that anyway - he’s likely going to die in battle). So maybe keeping Jon and Dany away from each other this season is a way to undo Boat Sex and promise a happy future? It’s a stretch.

2) Dany and Jon aren’t a major couple and won’t last. And, I’m sorry to all the Jonyers fans out there, I really do think that’s what they are setting up. Currently Jon and Dany are running parallel to Cersei and Jaime and we all know how well that turned out. 

In isolation this isn’t a huge problem. But there are a couple of other telling things that hint at an unhappy ending for the favorite power couple in Game Of Thrones.

3) The Frozen Waterfall I know, I know... it should be so romantic. Jon came back to the place he first fell in love with the woman he’s now with.

*record scratch*

Wait. What?

That’s heckin’ creepy, man! Like taking your date to the place you had your first date with your ex. Jonny Boy, Dany is not a replacement Ygritte. So either this is a big YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT DATING, JON SNOW! moment or there’s some symbolism happening here. 

First off, the cave is a stark contrast to the last time he was here. With Ygritte the colors were vivid and bright. There’s was a beautiful sunset and he looked genuinely happy and in love (and since he married Rose Leslie some of that was real - but Kit isn’t a bad actor and he can look like he’s in love when he wants to). With Dany the scene is faded out with the white and blue (Night Walker) colors dominating the background. Jon’s black cloak is the major contrast with accents from the red on Dany’s dress.

3.5 Colors!) Game of Thrones has been *amazing* at coloring and color theory and color matching and all those little visual cues that signal that Person A belongs with or sides with Person B. It’s seen best in Sansa and Cersei’s dresses that change color to reflect their moods and alliances. Dany (since coming to power) has stood out in her color choices. But in this scene she’s not matching her lover, she’s matching the Night Walkers.  (Notice how Jon and Ygritte are dressed to match in their kissing scene? There’s even red in his hair from the light. This is important.)

In fact, all of Dany’s color choices since the first teasers came out had me scratching my head. She isn’t wearing her trademark blue and she isn’t wearing Stark black. She isn’t even in the white and black coat she wore to rescue Jon (which would have made sense). 

Red on Dany is ALWAYS a warning color. Her costumes have it when some act of violence is about to happen or just happened (the scene after the dragons hatch is mostly shades of white and the red of the dragon - the color scheme is white and red when she burns the Dothraki). 

Blue is the color of Happy Dany. 

Black and white are the colors of Commanding Dany (black for when she feels threatened and white when she doesn’t).

Red is the color of Dany + Violence. 

But that’s not all there is at the waterfall...

Assuming Jon isn’t an idiot who can’t plan a date, the waterfall is a reminder of a specific relationship: Jon and Ygritte.

And we all know what happened to Ygritte. 

That plus the red makes me think this love is doomed. 

4) What do dragons eat? This is actually where the politics of leadership come into play and it’s a defining moment. 

Sansa Stark, Lady of Winterfell and de facto Queen of the North, says she planned on feeding her people through winter, not the Dothraki, Unsullied, and dragons. 

Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen,First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea,Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons replies that dragons eat whatever they want.

The problem here is that what Dany needed to say was WE BROUGHT FOOD FOR OUR TROOPS, NO WORRIES. 

Because a good leader would have thought of that problem. 

If you look at the leaders who didn’t survive the Iron Throne (Robert, Joffery, Tommen, the Mad King, ect ect ect) you notice one of the major flaws is not planning ahead. The Mad King didn’t. Robert was busy hunting and one of the big problems the Starks had back in Season 1 was convincing people to prepare for this inevitable ice war. Jofferey was too busy killing people to reign. Cersei tried, bless her heart, but didn’t do a good job.

The overarching thesis of leadership in GOT is that GOOD LEADERS PLAN FOR THE FUTURE.

Dany, for all her many virtues, is a conqueror not a queen. Queen of the Andals. Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea. Breaker of Chains... but for some reason she’s not prepping those areas she’s in Winterfell where they literally have the worst chance of successfully holding back an army? 

Winterfell is in the plains. It’s not at a pinch point. Strategically... it’s just not a good place to hold a battle.

The Wall is down, the smart move would be to line the armies up along the line between The Cape of Eagles and The Bite using Greywatch Tower as a base of operations and the coast and islands as an emergency retreat zone. 

I know it isn’t wonderful to lose Winterfell or not have that be the site of the big battle, but it would be the strategically intelligent thing to do. And, if Dany were looking at the big picture, she’d realize that.

I expect Jon and the people of the north to defend Winterfell because it’s HOME. 

Dany is (in name at least) ruler of an epic amount of land and people. The Night King is coming there for ... reasons? Narrative?

I assume in the book Bran’s presence draws the Night King, but in the show it’s a bit sketchy. Why is the Night King headed to Winterfell when he could walk around? Seriously WHY? 

George and I need to have a chat about maps and where forts should be built. 

But let’s let that go for a the time being.

The end problem here is the same, Dany thinks in the heat of the moment. She thinks in terms of ego, pride, and people recognizing her greatness. She is an amazing General and a great conqueror and a breaker of chains. She is the Mother of Dragons. But she is not a good ruler by all the guidelines set by GAME OF THRONES.

Who does rule well?  Quite a few people actually. Tyrion could rule easily. Cersei and Jaime at least know how to handle politics. Sansa makes a great ruler. Jon ... would be okay with someone smart helping him out (Tyrion or Sansa for preference). Brienne could rule. So could Tormund. Bran would be okay (again with help). Arya could figure it out and so could Gendry. 

But Dany? She has to learn how to plan and rule so her encounter with Sansa, and the animosity there, can only break two ways.

1) Dany realizes quickly that she made an error and then gets a lesson on how to rule. She makes Sansa one of her advisers ASAP and goes to The School Of Queens. She makes plans, gets food, and actually becomes the queen she wants to be.

2) Dany falls on the worst traits of House Targaryen, feeds her ego and pride, and we see her tragic downfall. Hubris is the cause of tragedy. Her pride will kill her if she doesn’t learn fast. 

5) The Happy Reunions Tyrion and Sansa are reunited!

I have mixed feelings about this because Tyrion - objectively - is a terrible human being. He’s smart and funny, but he’s also terrible to the women around him and the only reason anyone likes him is that, compared to Cersei, he’s amazing. But Cersei is a nightmare and Tyrion is still the guy who considered having sex with a 15yo girl (or was she still 14? she was YOUNG). 

Still, I think they compliment each other in many ways. They are both intelligent and both aware of what’s happening enough to be good friends. It will be interesting to see what happens with them.

BUT!!! Back to point 1.... Tyrion and Sansa mention another tragic wedding.

If I were betting money on this season I would not put any cash down on someone getting a joyful wedding. If you hear wedding bells just go ahead and cry because someone is going to DIE. 

Gendry and Arya! Arya and Jon! Jon and Bran!

So many more happy reunions!

I sincerely hope Gendry and Arya will be able to fulfill the promise of Robert and Ned (You have a son. I have a daughter...) Could they rule the kingdoms together? Yes, they could, but I don’t think that is where this is headed. I’m not even certain the Iron Throne will exist by the end of the series, but looking at Gendry and Arya’s arcs I don’t believe they are destined to rule much more than themselves and their family. 

Bran and Jamie!

The best part about this is the narrative arc that’s here and how everything is coming full circle (this is also the best reason to forgive George for having a big battle in Winterfell - this is ultimately a story about House Stark, not anyone else). I like the continuity here and I think it means we will see echoes of Season 1 throughout this.

S1E1 we had Robert and Cersei arrive with a promised wedding...  S8E1 we have Jon and Dany arrive with a hope of a wedding...

Jaime pushed Bran off a tower. Jaime will likely die saving Bran. 

WELL.  Here we are again, for the last time. Given what we’ve seen in this episode, I'm vaguely hopeful? The writing is solid, the characters are solidly in character, and no one’s been hit with the idiot stick.............yet.

ARYA WAS THE BEST PART OF THIS EPISODE.  The parallel between her in the beginning of this, and her at the beginning of the series, was so nice.  Watching her watch all these people she knew, who affected her so much, was kinda cool.  For a moment, I think she wanted Jon to look down and see her, but of course he doesn’t, and that sets the tone for their interactions, I think. Her reunion with Jon? SO NICE. she’s happy to see him, but also ready to cut a bitch if he threatens Sansa.  sisterly solidarity is my jam.

Sansa being cold to Daenerys was soooooo satisfying.  I’ve found that the longer the show goes on, the less I like Daenerys.  That line in season 6, about Daenerys being a conquerer, it was absolutely true.  She just...doesn’t work as a ruler; case in point, the thing with the food.  (Finally, Drogon burning that supply train comes back to bite her in the ass).  In my heart of hearts, I want all this political shit to stew for a couple episodes, get worse and worse, but I know thats not gonna happen.

Sansa telling Tyrion he’s a dumbass is on point, cause he is, and he's gonna pay for that shit. 

ARYA, REUNITING WITH THE HOUND AND GENDRY.  I honestly liked her reunion with the hound more than her reunion with gendry, mostly because their relationship was so complex and portraying it successfully is a better narrative feat, but I loved them both so. much.  just a little bit of flirting at the end.

Poor Sam, poor, poor sam.  Finding out the person your best bud is shacking up with burned half your family alive is rough.  His expressions, the difference in the way he took Randall versus Dickon, were incredibly satisfying. kudos!

I don’t give a flying fuck what Cersei and crazy eyes are up to, so that was boring.

But! Theon rescuing Yara immediately, and Yara immediately punching him in the face, were good moments.  Excellent moments.  Narratively sound moments, which is something the last season....lacked an abundance of. I wonder, since she’s going back to the Iron Islands and Theon is going to Winterfell; Theon has the potential to cause so much shit there with his relationships with various Starks, but beyond that: the fact that the motherfucking iron islands get to retain their independence while the Starks had to kneel will start some shit. I wanna see that shit. 

Bran is an ominous little gremlin and I love him even if he is pretending not to be a person anymore. This man waited outside all night just to catch Jamie as he came in so they could share a dramatic look.  And id really love to see him have one real human emotion about Jamie, if only because real human emotions are more satisfying to watch than an information source serving as a cheat for raven travel times. 

JAMIE.  HOLY SHIT. thats all.

okay thats not all, I want to see how he reacts now, as a person who’s grown from the incestuous piece of shit he was into a...slightly less awful incestuous piece of shit? whatever, when confronted with arguably the worst thing he’s ever done (pushing bran off a roof), which he did for a person he’s now renounced (cersei).  also, a neat comparison between his arrival s1e1 with this, as a dark rider unannounced, whose probably about to get his ass arrested.

What they did with Bron, gratuitous prostitutes aside, is excellent.  His whole thing is that he’s a sell sword who will do anything for money; now, paying him money to kill the two people he’s had the best rapport and closest thing to friendship with is a great way to explore his character, whenever we get there. 

Everyone giving Jon the cold shoulder is greaaaaat.  My man is honorable but he’s dumb as fuck, just like his real adoptive de facto uncle? like Ned.  Drag him. 

That scene with him riding dragons with Daenerys was so cool!! Animation flex, but cool, and excellent foreshadowing for...

the big reveal! Jon isn’t a bastard!  His father isn’t his father, and lied to him his entire life!  He’s the heir to the iron throne!  He’s been sexing up his aunt!, although tbh idk that he’s gotten that far yet. Jon’s emotions made that scene.  if only they’d done it in a room with better lighting!  but I know the catacombs were the place having that scene made the most narrative sense, so.