Leading up to the April 14 premiere of the final, six-episode eighth season of HBO’s massive hit series Game of Thrones, Pop Culture Maniacs will be rewatching the entire series (season by season) and writing on how each season fares in light of all that we know now (and thoughts about how the major plot points that came before might impact the great battles still to come). Each season article will contain spoilers for the entire series through season seven, so you have been warned. Any speculation on what might happen in the upcoming eighth season is merely that: speculation.
Season three was the turning point for so much of the series. Dany became entangled in fates of the slaves across the Narrow Sea in the season’s final moments (which she would not escape for another three seasons – still significantly quicker than her novel counterpart). The Red Wedding took the two most powerful Starks off the chess board, making a Lannister victory in the game of thrones seem all the more likely (as well as breaking the hearts of every person who didn’t read the novels, like my poor younger sister, who thought my offer of a friendly ear after she finished watching “The Rains of Castamere” was a joke . . . until she finished the episode). Sansa’s situation improved, in the smallest of ways. Stannis’s stagnated. Arya’s was a wash. Jon knew nothing (and, to be honest, he still knows next to nothing four years later). Jaime learned he could live without his hand, if he started having some honor. And Theon became Reek. Lots of small things happened in the various arcs, but nothing truly earthshattering in the grand scheme of things (well, aside from that wedding and Jaime’s slow climb back from rock bottom). At the time, season three of Game of Thrones appeared to be the pinnacle of the series. But looking back? Yeah, not so amazing.
Obviously, The Red Wedding still holds up incredibly well. Each moment Catelyn and Robb appears on screen in season three creates a countdown in the mind of the viewer, inching ever closer to the massacre at The Twins. And it’s easier to appreciate Catelyn’s despair throughout the season, as it grows with news of her missing and presumed dead children. Sansa (and, she believes, Arya) are in the control of the Lannisters. Bran and Rickon are reported murdered by Theon. All she has left, once she’s traded away Jaime Lannister, is her first born son, who should have listened to her. As she stands, despondent, awaiting her own death in that hall, you can see that there’s literally nothing left for her. All has been lost. Her last hope is Brienne of Tarth, who will eventually fulfill her oath, but only after so much more pain and suffering befall the remaining Starks. It’s a powerful moment, etched in the fabric of the series.
Arya’s escape from Harrenhal allows us to meet important characters who will continue to make an impact up to and through season eight, with the introduction of Ser Beric Dondareon and Thoros of Myr, and the time spent road tripping with the Hound. However, from a rewatch standpoint, it’s less enjoyable to watch a second time through. So much of this arc is merely getting Arya from point a to point b (with point b being Braavos, where she will again stall out for a few seasons) and serving as a means of exposition. We need to know Ser Beric’s story (although we get it again when he joins up with the Boy Band Beyond The Wall in season seven), and we need to start seeing The Hound turn into a much more complex character. While Maisie Williams does great work with these characters, it’s hard to watch Arya slowly walk toward her destiny without making much progress.
Also running around in circles without much advancement is the torture of Theon, something that will continue for another two seasons, at the hands of Ramsay, the most sadistic character in the series. Game of Thrones has many faults, but none so egregious as how long it took the show to dispatch with this heinous character, who’s villainy did nothing to advance the story or provide sufficient narrative arcs for those who were impacted by it. It’s all the more difficult to watch a second time, knowing that it will not have a quick resolution, but rather a long and drawn out arc that will only serve to punish those watching as much as it does the characters.
Also taking its sweet time is Dany’s march to Mereen, where she will stall out completely (while the show’s writing staff desperately waited for George R.R. Martin to finish the six novel that never came). One new thing I’ve realized about Dany’s story arcs in the series: Each season, she journeys to a new place, meets resistance to her ideas/right to rule and she burns the offenders to ash. There have been many theories positing that Dany might be more like her father than she would like to believe, and rewatching the series makes it clear that Dany could easily become a leader who burns first and asks questions never. One of the big mysteries of season eight is how Dany will react to learning that Jon has a better claim than her to the Iron Throne. Sure, Jon might not want it, but is Dany so hell-bent on her right to rule that she’ll take out whomever might back Jon? It’s worth keeping in mind as we move forward with the endgame.
Final Thoughts:
— I hadn’t really noticed how much foreshadowing the series had put in place for Tyrion being accused of Joffrey’s death. He’s constantly threatening him each chance he gets, often in front of power players who could easily recall these statements once needed. It’s shockingly short-sighted for someone like him (and, perhaps, explains why he’s relied far less on his drinking and far more on knowing things later in the series).
— Poor Sansa, once again a pawn in a scheme. I had forgotten how lovely Tyrion is to her. I suspect she’ll be rather kind to him when he shows up at Winterfell.
— Ser Barristan is such a badass. I had forgotten how awesome he is.
— Jaime’s entire series arc comes into focus in season three, from losing his hand to baring his soul to Brienne to finding his honor when he thought it was completely gone. It’s, by far, the best and most complete arc in the series, and Jaime’s ultimate fate is one of the major reveals most fans are looking forward to seeing come season eight. As I said back in my season one piece, I never would have pictured rooting for such a despicable person back in season one, but here we are.
— Oh Jon Snow. It looks like you do know something. Perhaps Jon and Pod should get together and write a how-to guide for the men of Westeros?
— The more I rewatch, the more I love Sam and Gilly. Not as a ship, mind you, but as characters. They don’t have mystical futures. They aren’t Lords and Ladies who are seeking higher power. They’re just people, who happen to eventually solve several major mysteries. And who are utterly charming and kind to boot. Such a rare combo in this show.
