Photo: HBO
Game changer. That’s the only way to describe the second to last episode of Game of Thrones. We all expected Cersei’s reign to come to an end this episode, we just didn’t expect Daenerys to become the worst villain we’ve seen in the show in the process. She was the hero we rooted for from day one, and in a few short episodes, she became the biggest slaughterer of innocents we’ve ever seen. Here are the five biggest takeaways from season eight, episode five, “The Bell.”
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Varys' Death
"I hope I'm wrong."
The first thing we must remember in this scene is that Varys is far too smart to have himself killed like this for no reason. We saw him writing many notes, and putting himself out there like we've never seen him before. He's been very clear that he serves the realm above all, and after deciding Daenerys isn't fit to rule, we expect he put a yet-unseen plan in place that started with his brutal death.
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The Cleganebowl
"Hello, brother."
This showdown has been set up for years and it's clear the show runner only kept The Hound alive long enough to make sure this happened. While this didn't go in any unexpected turn, the ghoulish reveal of The Mountain's full zombified body was shocking enough to make this brutal, bloody, and gut-wrenching fight feel like it paid off. The Hound finally got his revenge at the expense of his life, which was as fitting an end as he could have wanted.
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Queen of The Ashes
"If you do this, tens of thousands of innocent women and children will die."
We have to look back after this and wonder "Why?" What was it all for with Daenerys? She wanted to rule the seven kingdoms, and in doing so, wiped out so many innocents. This has been a study of a ruler with ultimate power and a messiah complex. Many people are seeing this as a huge logical jump for the character, but she's been torching people alive for eight seasons now and you just decided not to notice. She snapped in the last episode at the loss of Rhaegal and Missandei, and like we predicted last week, became the Mad Queen.
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The Lannisters Paid Their Debts
"We can’t choose who we love."
The scene where Jamie Lannister left Brienne last week was misread by everyone (including us). That's not due to a lack of perception by the audience, it's the confusion by Jamie's actions. After this episode, it seems clear he did go there in a last ditch effort to save her. Much like Theon went through last season when he had a "Reke" relapse and jumped ship leaving Yara alone with Euron, Jamie had a Lannister relapse in these two episodes. They always had to die together, and while neither character deserved a "fitting" end, they both got it regardless.
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Queenslayer
"I'm loyal to my Queen."
Jon Snow has some real decisions to make now, and he is at the same impasse that Jamie Lannister was during Robert's Rebellion. His oath to his ruler? Or what's best for the realm? The show was very blatant in making sure we knew Grey Worm saw Jon Snow trying to stop them from slaughtering the Lannister soldiers after they surrendered. They also continued to show Wildfire stashes going up in flames around the city as Daenerys and her dragon torched every structure they could. Remember, the Mad King's final straw was his decision to burn Ned Stark's brother and father with wildfire. The wildfire call back was clear evidence of the decision Jon must make moving forward, and being the Queenslayer may be in his destiny.
