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Final Season of Game of Thrones Didn’t Feel Rushed to Me

Season Eight Worked for Me just Fine

By Rich MonettiPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
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Photo by Gage Skidmore

The DVD at the library out, I finally got to see Game of Thrones, Season 8. Why pay when I can have it for free. Of course, I’ve heard the public reviews weren’t so good. I disagree and don’t understand what all the fuss is about.

First up, the darkened battle scene with the White Walkers. Yeah, I couldn’t see what the hell was going on either so you must look to our world to see the light. HBO used to received subsidies from the European Regional Development Fund and Brexit cut off that stream.

Thus it follows that a battle filmed in the dark where you can’t see anything, requires a lot less expense. For my money, that’s absolutely fine. We’ve seen that battle many times before, and I’m not much for violence

Moving on, another criticism I’ve heard is the rush prevented a number of threads from being completed. They may have a point again. But I saw Season Seven so long ago, I don’t remember what was left out. I am good again

The rush, though, bores out the most significant critique. Daenerys' complete descent into tyrannical madness, and the resulting carnage played out way too fast. I believe the dissatisfied have a pretty good point here.

The Mother of Dragons laying waste to King’s Landing, and all its unfortunates, was pretty excessive and didn’t quite measure up to the journey Daenerys made to that point.

Still, we had plenty of lead up in previous seasons. Her assured sense of idealism left little room for mercy or nuance among those she vanquished on multiple occasions.

Easily dismissed as alliance becomes necessity, she reminds us by showing signs of unraveling as Jon Snow’s ever-present popularity gets under her skin. The all boys club she faces doesn’t do her ultimate demise any favors either.

But while victory should have eased her doubts, Daenerys can’t role with the aftermath. Jon Snow is accruing more accolades for the same aerial bravery, and has envious catastrophe written all over her dismay.

Still, the discussion of a fiery death for a large mass of civilians at King’s Landing is a rational conversation, and her strategy doesn’t stray far from warfare as we know it.

On the other hand, we do have cause for concern with Daenerys justification for a slaughter. By killing children now, we save future children from tyranny, she reasons.

Her assured sense of idealism sounds like it has the potential to go off the rails. She is however open to giving Cersei the opportunity to surrender and calling off the attack at the sound of the bells.

Of course, the beheading of Missandei and another fallen dragon certainly has us wondering about her mental state on the eve of battle.

So hovering over the city as the decisive moment arrive, will we see an enlightened leader looking toward the future or a tyrant who wants to settle the score. Her eyes are hard to read, and as the carnage ensued, I again thought it was a bit much.

That would mean the rushed criticism has validity, but would we actually be satisfied with more buildup. Possibly, but for me, the unraveling with Jon Snow negates the entirety of this criticism.

Basking in the glory of victory, the hysterical glare she exhibits is cognitive dissonance on steroids. Overdone for sure, Stalin, Lenin and Hitler probably never sported such a look. But she shares the singleminded notion that only her leadership could usher the so-called better world humanity should seek.

Even so, our hero hopes enough reason and humility can temper this destructive brand of idealism. “What about everyone else? All the other people who think they know what's good,” Snow implores.

On deaf ears, she seals her own fate. “They don’t get to choose.”

His assured words failing to penetrate, Snow isn’t left an option, and her Dragon seeing the true source of the problem, lays waste to the Iron throne.

Brilliant and cooler heads prevail but who’s in charge now. “Maybe the decision about what's best for everyone should be left to well, everyone,” Samwell tenuously ponders.

Did the learned dissertation on the perils of Utopian idealism just succumb to schlock? Say it ain’t so, and eight years almost completely going up in smoke, the quorum saves the series by breaking out in sardonic laughter.

A little democracy is better than no democracy, though. On the other hand, the arrogance that the elite exhibit demonstrates our ongoing struggle, and the upper echelons today would just as soon take us back to the middle ages or the gilded age.

How far have we come anyway. They control the information, they control the money, they control us.

The machinations of government haven’t changed either. Tyrion and crew bantering over brothels and military budgets bites with an irony that leaves a familiar mark

Still, at least we are in position to struggle, and Ayra’s sail west goes in search of that new world. Her brethren going onto similar uncertainty does provide hope - and best of all - that we may see them again.

Sounds pretty good to me. So why all the fuss.

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Rich Monetti

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