Alright, I feel oddly compelled to complain about this. My feelings about the Season 8, 3rd Episode of Game of Thrones had a big problem. Here be spoilers if you haven’t watched it, so be warned.
I’ve complained about Arya in the past. Not because I don’t like her character, but I think she’s overpowered. I don’t agree with the Critical Drinker that she’s a Mary Sue. She isn’t. Her powers were at least earned and she is a flawed person who has room to grow.
But I don’t like how she’s effectively an unstoppable plot tool who just…kills everybody and resolves storylines. The whole deal with the Frey’s was too easy a resolution, I believe. And her killing the Night King in this episode was simply unacceptable. There was nothing to build up to this and it wasn’t satisfying at all. It was a bad choice.
Yes, I know. Every woman I know who watches the show loves Arya and I have to wonder if this really was just fanservice for them. I had genuinely hoped that Jaime Lannister would be the one to do it. Put “Kingslayer” in a whole new context, right? At the minimum, it should have been Jon Snow who has been spending years getting ready for the confrontation, right?
You know, if the Night King and Bran had ended up on a wall at Winterfell or something and the Night King had Jaime in a headlock and Bran said, “The things I do for love” and bumped the Night King with his wheelchair and knocked him onto a dragonglass spear stuck in the ground below, it still would have been better than this.
Please tell me that the next episode isn’t going to have Yara fighting Euron at the Iron Islands and Arya will pop up as a sailor and slash his throat just before he kills Yara. Or that Jaime will be choking Cersei out in the episode after that and Arya will just dump poison down her throat to kill-block him as she then throws Needle across the room into The Mountain’s skull. It can’t really be this simple and completely stupid, can it?
That said, the Sansa/Tyrion and Theon/Bran scenes were the greatest thing ever. I don’t know how it bodes for the end of the series, but those were already two of the finest in this season. It’s just for the final episodes, I’m nervous.
There’s an Arya Problem and I hope it can be managed tastefully and satisfyingly (which her sex scene wasn’t).
Honestly this all benefits Cersei, who doesn’t do any of the fighting herself and is probably more than happy now that the two kissin’…er, relations Dany and Jon will probably be fighting over that mass of swords now.
“Eh, that sounds complicated. Let’s just have Arya kill Cersei, Dany, and John and get it over with”
-The writers, probably
Me, from elsewhere: In Season 8, everybody is getting to finish their arc. I’m not angry about this but it’s definitely a significant change in tone from the “nobody is safe” mentality of the first half of the series where no plotline or big plan was spared. Last episode, I thought Dany could/would have executed the King Slayer — had it been any other season. But, of course, he needs to live to resolve his storyline with Cersei. Sunday’s episode was actually ridiculously kind to the main characters. I’m sure more will fall in the next 3 episodes but the… Read more »
Arya was a favorite from my book reading days. Her story was interesting and Martin did a great job in the telling. I do not hold the writers of the show to account for not being GRRM. From all accounts, he has at least temporarily abandoned the series, telling the show writers roughly how it ends. There is quite a bit of foreshadowing Arya killing one of the major players. Of course, I thought perhaps it would be Cersei, but it also makes sense for it to be the Night King. She has trained as an assassin, starting (at around… Read more »
makes sense for it to be the Night King. She has trained as an assassin, starting (at around 8 years old) with her “water dancer” Syrio. There is quite a bit of foreshadowing Arya killing one of the major players. Of course, I thought perhaps it would be Cersei, but it als I don’t know. It’s like Critical Drinker observed in the video. She trained for assassination, not battle. She didn’t use her previous training to disguise herself as a wight or anything. Just kind of…came up and stabbed him. But as I said, her killing powers at least are… Read more »
I’ve never been “Lost”ed before with a series that I’ve watched in real time, thankfully. However, I’m fully expecting to be utterly disappointed by the conclusion of GOT.
Two episodes left and, frankly, I’m not even mildly interested in who ends up on the throne. All of the characters feel like strangers to me.
Only happened to me with one series. Battlestar Galactica. I’m definitely getting the same “let’s just get this over with” vibe.