Snowball II

All I can think of when I hear about the petition:

Arya rode to King's Landing on a black horse, and rode away from King's Landing on a white horse. The way I interpreted it is, Arya came to KL living a life that was all about death, and left KL with hope for an actual life, that wasn't all about death/killing. The symbolism of a knight on a white horse coming to save her was there, only Arya acted as her own knight, and saved herself. Maybe that's dumb, but that's how I saw it.

I doubt D&D will be humiliated. We can bitch all we want, but they're laughing all the way to the bank. I hope you're wrong about the books, because I want this ending to be handled by GRRM. I don't hate everything that's happening, I just hate the way it's been written. We've gone from point A to Z with a lot of things, and it just doesn't feel satisfying.

I love reading your posts, Sistermagpie. They are so thoughtful and intriguing. I feel like I am getting more out of your analysis of season 8 than what D&D are giving me, lol.

Since forever. She was always running off and exploring, in the books. Ned could never keep her in one place, for long.

Thanks for sharing. I agree with this, 100%.

LOL...oh my god, that sounds so bad. I'm getting so much entertainment from the way this show has crashed and burned. It's sad, but it's also funny how the showrunners do not give a fuck. They just slapped an ending together, and told the audience to go fuck themselves. I love it. 😛 Okay, so, questions/observations/whatever... 1. Is Dany killed in the first ten minutes of the episode? It sure seems like it. Jon stabs her right at the start, and the rest of the episode is full of boring, bureaucratic bullshit. Way to go out with a bang, show. 2. Bran is just as dumb as the other characters, choosing Tyrion as his Hand. Is there no one else in Westeros who is smart and capable enough for the position? 3. I'm glad Sansa has a happy ending, and gets to rule as Queen of the North. Yeah, I said it. 4. How the HELL is Ellaria still alive?! That has got to be a mistake. No way Cersei would not have made sure Ellaria was really most sincerely dead. Gotta be BS. 5. Is Edmure still alive? If so, wouldn't he be Lord of Riverrun? I am so confused, by that. Funny how Sweet Robin doesn't do anything and isn't affected by all the shit that has happened. Nope, he's still sitting pretty, in the Vale. Lucky little asshole. I know some of you are not interested in watching on Sunday, but I will be there with a tub of popcorn. If this is true, it has to be seen to be believed. This ending is even worse than Boardwalk Empire.

David was ranting at the social workers so much, they had to remove him, and Jenelle showed no emotion, whatsoever? Yeah, sounds about right.

I agree with you. I don't like Jenelle at all, but I am disturbed by the idea that she deserves to die. It makes me deeply uncomfortable.

This should be the new title of Dany's thread.

Yup. I don't think Jaime could ever live without Cersei, even without the incestuous relationship. The bond between twins can run deep. Random thought on this subject: I think there is an extra bit of tragedy in Cersei and Jaime dying by trying to do what Ned advised Cersei to do way back in season one: take Jaime, take the kids, sail to Pentos, and never come back. How many lives would have been saved if they had just done that? Well, they made their choice, and they lived- and died- by it.

Well, now that I've let this episode marinate for a good twelve hours, I'll comment on it... I can't say I liked everything about the way this episode was executed, but I don't know what people were expecting Dany's end game to be like. She was never going to rule peacefully over Westeros, she has always been entitled and ruthless, and she has dragons. You can't be loved when you have giant, winged, nuclear weapons flying over your subjects' heads, that's keeping your people in line with fear, in its purest form. I knew at some point that those dragons were going to wreak havoc. She used them when she lost everything else and (in her mind) ran out of options. Not surprising, and Emilia Clarke's acting was great. Her conversation with Jon, when she says "Let it be fear" is going down as one of the most chilling moments of the series. There is nothing going on in Dany's eyes but pure resignation and hate. I loved it. I didn't see Jaime and Cersei's deaths as romantic, at all. Sure, they got to die in each others' arms, but at what price? Their children were dead, and they pushed everyone else away, or killed them. Not exactly a happy ending. I also loved Cersei going out like a coward, whimpering about how she didn't want to die. This is the same woman who talked a big game about how she should have been a soldier instead of a lady, but she couldn't handle it when the shit hit the fan. Typical. LH's acting was amazing, though. She really brought Cersei to life, and I don't think anyone else could have sold the role the way she did. Good job, LH. Jaime going back to Cersei is...whatever. I thought it was totally in character, because Jaime has always been addicted to Cersei's love, and they never had a healthy relationship. I also saw it as Jaime punishing himself for all his sins, which is exactly what he told Brienne, last episode. I wasn't surprised by it, but I will miss looking at NCW, because he is pretty. I am shallow. I was never invested in Cleganebowl, but I did like the Hound telling Arya that living off vengence is not the answer. Hopefully, Arya will regain her humanity and make a life for herself instead of moving through Westeros, killing people. I have never thought that was badass or cool, it was sad. Arya was once a spirited little girl who had a future ahead of her, and she grew up to be a soulless killing machine. I'm glad the Hound told her that living the way he did was no life, at all. She needed to hear it. All in all, it was an okay episode. I'll join the kids' table with my unpopular opinion.

True. I guess I'm just a romantic. 😛

I agree. I remember seeing the first actress they thought about casting as Dany, and I'm so glad they didn't go with their first choice. I'm sure the actress was fine (can't remember her name), but she had that bland, nondescript look to her, where Emilia was much more expressive. They nailed it.

Jon sacrificing himself for Dany and their child would be a true bittersweet ending. I know this series isn't sunshine and lollipops, but that's something more along the lines of what I expected, not EVERYONE IS DEAD OR MISERABLE, THE END.

Sansa should marry Gendry. True, Gendry has a thing for Arya, but with the goal being to have children and continue the family line, Gendry would not be the worst choice. He's hardworking, kind, brave, and strong. Highborn Sansa can teach him all about being a lord, while Arya does her own thing, and travels the world. Gendry wouldn't be wild about it, but I think he would warm to it, over time. And, we would come full circle with Bobby B's son marrying Ned Stark's daughter, just like he wanted. However, their children would be Baratheons, not Starks, so they would probably be raised at Storm's End, not Winterfell. Still, I like this little ship I just thought of, and I'm going to wrap it around myself like a cozy blanket as protection from all the crazy shit that is bound to go down in tonight's episode. **pulls blankie tight and sips coco** Exactly. Tropes become tropes because they work. I don't care if the most predictable thing in the world happens, as long as it is executed well, and is emotionally satisfying. When people subvert expectations just to subvert expectations, it takes me right out of the story.

Disregarding the DV angle, Jenelle is mentally ill, and addicted to the drama David gives her. I had a mother like that; she would bring a bunch of losers home and do drugs with them, and couldn't go a single day without fighting someone. When she wasn't fighting with losers and doing drugs, she was a flatline of a human, completely checked out, no interest in anything beyond when/how she was going to get that next high. Sound familiar? I'm not talking to you, specifically, I just feel like I understand why Jenelle does what she does because of my mother. It makes a weird sort of sense to me, because I lived it. I was Jace, Maryssa, Nathan, and Ensley. The only difference is, I had a loving extended family who realized the situation I was in, and never gave up on me. I also had a stepfather for a while who did all the heavy lifting when it comes to parenting, and taught me a lot of valuable things before he finally left my mother. I have a lot of sympathy for these kids, because I don't know if they have a way out of their shitty home life. At least Jace and Nathan have other family members. Not sure about the others. Sorry, I feel like I just barfed up my childhood and exposed myself, but I felt like maybe I could shed a little light on Jenelle, and how she "works". IDK. I could be all wrong, but I don't think I am. Jenelle has so much in common with my mother, it's not even funny.

Oh, god, Madonna, you were a rape victim, yourself! Give me a fucking break.

A thousand times YES. What a weak-ass retcon they're trying to pull. I hate it.

Remember when Cersei said, "Everyone who isn't us is an enemy"? I couldn't help but think of that when Arya told Jon that Daenerys wasn't one of them. The fact that it came from Arya, a character who has traveled the world, met many different kinds of people, and was trained by two foreign dudes, was very confusing, to me. Just...what? I'm sticking it out to the very end, but I don't understand what's happening to the characters. Hopefully, the end will at least be batshit crazy, and entertaining.

I think it makes perfect sense that Jenelle isn't leaving David. It takes a while for victims to leave their abusers, especially if their abuser kills a pet to send a message, which is what I think happened, here. Jenelle is a piece of shit, but she is also terrified. She knows it would only take a second for David to hurt her, or shoot her, so she's staying put. By killing Nugget, David made sure she would stay, for a good long while. It makes me want to vomit.

Why do they home school her, anyway?

I get what you're saying, but my emotional investment lies with the characters we have watched for eight seasons, so, disappointed.

I think Maryssa is in more danger, because she is old enough to talk back, and almost old enough to start rebelling. Abusers like David do not like that.

Yara dies, too? Oh, for shit's sake...can't we have a woman in a position of power who isn't Sansa make it to the end? I say this as a Sansa fan, BTW. I like her as a character quite a bit, but she is poised to be the only powerful female character left standing at the end, and I have a problem with that. I know I said I would wait to see how this all plays out, but fuck this show.