Game of Thrones S8E5 The Bells - Rant & Bollox Review

[@McCaffery]

She even burnt down the Starbucks, no loyalty card for her.

[@oobrocks]

😆

[@stevediament1448]

HBO said they could have 10 episodes. The writers said no and chose to have only 6 episodes.

[@blastermaster5009]

Apparently GRRM thought they needed atleast four more seasons to properly tell the story. Turns out he was right.

[@idleeidolon]

the thing about subversion is that it shouldn't come at the cost of audience investment. if chekov's gun is there, if it doesn't fire, there has to be a reason that was set up. if a character is going to change, earn it, if there will be a twist put in seeds that lead up to it.

[@stevediament1448]

so true

[@Windupchronic]

This is what I wrote in another thread: I think they could have kept most of what happened in this episode if they made a few small changes, and added some set up. First the set up: Introduce a poison vial in episode three. Varys has it in the crypt. He removes it from his cloak, comments on how he carried it to spare himself a painful death at another's hand. But when he dies tonight, he'll just come back as one of them. He reaches out and hands it to Sansa. Sansa asks, "Why are you giving this to me?" "Because something tells me that if any one of us survives this night to need it tomorrow, it will be you." Sansa tucks it away. In episode four, a scene in Brienne's quarters where Sansa gives it to Brienne. Brienne asks why. "Because I've survived far too much to think about ending myself on purpose. I'm not asking you to keep it for yourself. But maybe you'll meet someone someday who needs it." One of them sets it on the table. You could even make this scene the same one where Sansa gets the Raven, just move it to Brienne's room and have Jaime walk in. Brienne has the vial when she and Jaime are together. He wakes in the middle of the night, rises for something to drink, and sees it sitting out on the table where it was left. He recognizes it for what it is. An idea is hatched. He knows what he needs to do. In episode five, have Tyrion free Jaime. Show that Jaime has the vial. He checks himself to make sure it's still there after Tyrion frees him. Have the first stage of the attack play out as is, but instead of the bells ringing, there's nothing. Jaime reaches Cersei (he never fights Euron; Euron gets incinerated by Drogon and goes out like the bitch he is; give Dany this moment before all goes wrong). Cersei is refusing to surrender. She knows too well what happens when an army invades, and what's coming for her. He tells her it's over, but they can go out together, on their terms. He shows her the vial, just like the one she was going to give Tommen back in season two. He tells her they'll leave the world the way they came in, together. They both drink, and die. Dany flies up to the tower to find their dead bodies. Feeling robbed of her revenge, betrayed by Tyrion whom she now knows freed Jaime, she snaps. She burns the Red Keep, and then keeps burning everything. I think that would have worked better than what they gave us. Even still Dany's going nuts would feel rushed, but I think it would have played better. This also adds a touch of irony. Jaime's act leads directly to setting off the Mad King's daughter and causing the very destruction Jaime had killed the King to stop.

[@RantandBollox]

HAVE YOU EVEN WATCHED GAME OF THRONES?!?!?!? ...well then we're sorry but you can't have a job writing for Season 8, we ain't about that around here. Foreshadowing? How can someone have four shadows? And why are all your ideas connected together? Sincerely, D&D

[@Windupchronic]

@@RantandBollox What makes me even sadder is what they did spend time setting up. It was much more important to set up Cersei sending Bronn after the Lannister brothers cause... um.... I mean, it did nothing to stop Jaime from going back to her, knowing she'd ordered a hit, so that, no... Wait, she's dead, so she can't pay Bronn... Jaime's dead, so he can't get anything there.... Tyrion's *probably* about to die at Dany's hand, so he's not in a position to pay anyone; he certainly can't deliver Highgarden; Dany's certainly not going to give anything to Bronn for Tyrion.... Wait, why did they bother setting that up, again?

[@RantandBollox]

@@Windupchronic Everything with Jamie was wheel spinning really. Sure its "people don't change", but he clearly did. He went against Cersei's wishes, he chose to put his life at risk for the greater good, he changed his attitude and was honest with his emotions...then he hops on a horse "I'll never change"...pointless non-arc for the season. Don't worry, Tyrion will think of something, he's smart. Sansa isn't a little bird anymore. Jon is a leader of men. They say it so its true, doesn't matter that we show Gendry, Bronn, or anyone else onscreen...what a clusterfuck

[@Windupchronic]

@@RantandBollox I think I found the source of the problem. Did a little research (and by research I mean used IMDB), and looked at who was actually writing these episodes and what else they'd done. Aside from D&D, two people are credited with writing this season, and they're credited on every episode. Both are former personal assistants to D&D and for both it's their first screen credit (one did a few shorts, but that doesn't really count, right?). So D&D farmed out writing the final season of Game of Thrones to their personal assistants. I wish that was a joke, but it's real.

[@RantandBollox]

@@Windupchronic That is...heartbreaking. Totally understandable in Hollywood-land though, it's who you know. And yeah, them getting the gig is fine (everyone has probably been someone's underling at one point), but to get a whole season of the biggest show in TV, and it's most critical one, is absolute madness!

[@reanimat25]

"That sounds pretty shitty, so it's probably gonna happen." So much truth in just one sentence.

[@RantandBollox]

Interviewer: So, Benioff and Weiss, where did you draw your main inspiration for Season 8 from? D&D: Okay

[@JorgenPakieto]

I can forgive every flaw in this episode except for Danny’s choice to burn everyone. It didn’t feel like her character had reached that point yet. I understand that they were making attempts to develop her for that narrative but they needed to be more effective about the development process because as of right now, It felt like she burned everyone because the story needed her to. A lot of characters are changing because the story needs them to and there’s little effort going into the character development to justify these changes.

[@RantandBollox]

Very true, I think that's clear in the 'choice' to not once show Daenerys on top of the dragon. Someone might argue, "she's a faceless terror of the people", but the reality is there is no way the actress could project any emotionally believable performance based on the character we, and she, knew this whole time.

[@oobrocks]

I don't want to eat, sleep or live....i just want to listen / watch this channel!

[@stevediament1448]

Do the writers think Daenarys is Venom?

[@1971ironmike]

I feel like I'm watching Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus fold their tents for good.

[@RantandBollox]

It does feel like a dying elephant

[@renegadexblackout]

My fix for episode 5 while working within a 1 episode flip of dany: Have rhaegal still be alive for the attack on kings landing. (That stupid ambush in 4 doesnt happen) The bells ring for surrender, a few minutes later while everyone's guard is down, euron shoots rhaegal and kills him from a ballista in the red keep. Danny flies to the red keep to burn it with Cersei, euron, etc inside because lets say it was the last holdup of her forces and they had a bunch of civilians in there as shields so danny wouldnt burn them. But she has to make the decision to go ahead and light it up with the civilians in there too. And maybe Cersei even has it rigged so that causes all the wildfire to go off across the city, and she is then labeled the mad queen by the masses. Much like jaime was labeled the king slayer and shit on because no one knew his intentions of saving kings landing from aerys.

[@Cunnysmythe]

I've seen the spoilers and they're totally accurate so far Your rebellion repeated ending is so much better

[@Ryplaysbass]

Was waiting all day for your guys thoughts on this episode. I also read on reddit that the whole scene with Arya in the streets was a good idea to give us that sense of Carnage. But it had no stakes as we all knew she'd live through it. If they used Davos however... that wouldve been much more powerful, especially since he grew up in Flee Bottom and lived among the civilians of Kings Landing at one point. Also why do the northerners just start attacking and raping people... shouldn't they be following Jon's commands. He clearly didn't want to fight!

[@Gotten37]

How did the wildfire not nuke the entire city?

[@RantandBollox]

Because reasons

[@zamarickz]

Honestly, if the episode post "Mad Queen" had been either Jon or Jaime or both trying desperately to find a way to stop Dany (maybe there's one scorpion left) that would have added a lot to this episode. Dany could even kill Jon/Jaime before they could shoot off a bolt and the episode could end exactly the same way. But it would have been a lot better. Instead nobody does anything.

[@marsmartin]

My prediction is that, since we never saw her face during the carnage, Dany will claim to have blacked out and not know what happened... and we're going to discover that Bran warged into her and did it. He's the final big bad, and the Night King and Whitewalkers were trying to kill him with good reason...

[@hollandscottthomas]

The whole series they’ve been saying that GRRM gave them “the broad strokes” for the ending and I think that’s true, but I suspect he was maybe too cryptic about it. Jaime and Cersei died in each other’s arms, but even a cursory reading of that suggests some cruel twist should have been present. Daenerys was always going to be a villain, but it definitely wasn’t going to be so blunt and simple. What if she burned the city to stop the Night King gaining an army? Oh right, he’s just gone already. What about every single prophecy in the series so far? Pointless. Bran can see the past and warg into animals? Why tho? So frustrating. At least the memes are funny.

[@RantandBollox]

Sweet sweet memes

[@renegadexblackout]

The thing most people don't understand is: foreshadowing doesnt equal character development. Im sick of show apologists making any excuse for objectively bad writing. Its fine if you like the show, but fuck off calling people who criticize the show "crybabies, entitled, dont understand the foreshadowing, etc"

[@DansPiratelife]

I simply hate the way they're taking female characters in this season...

[@ChicaLocaGB]

No time for anything - except meaningless slow mo, atrocious

[@theoenemeloen1500]

Total disbelief and then thinking ...'Have I missed episodes? .... 'cause this makes absolutely no sense ... and where did the dialogue go to??? Might as well be reading a comic book ......

[@RantandBollox]

Ouch...way to take a dig at comic books!

[@oobrocks]

Dany didn't go mad; it's "absolute power corrupts absolutely" (u less that's madness) i do concur: it didn't match her character

[@crazykid2210]

Great show cuz

[@hotimportknight]

Why did Bran have to forgive Jamie and get his help if that's all he ended up doing? Bran wanted a romantic death for Cersei? Why did Jon have to know about his parents at that moment when it lead to this mess? It made no sense why everyone hated and mistrusted Dany, plotted against her, when what had she done up to that point to harm them? She brought armies and dragons to save the north, and Sansa hates her why?? The enemy of my enemy is my friend... Made me hate Sansa even more. Everyone pretends she's a political genius all of a sudden a season or two ago, and her contribution to season 8 was people need to eat food, and destabilizing the alliance... I forgave season 7 because I was huge fan of the books and series, "the long night" broke my faith in the show, then ep 4, then this. Just wow!

[@josephinereed2298]

Bran said he no longer wants anything - he is no longer Bran

[@kivanc5789]

I was thinking maybe Dany tries to burn Jon with Drogon in front of everybody maybe for some Arya treason or some another bs and Jon survives that and everybody witnesses he is fire resistant (therefore a Targaryen) and goes "oh shit he is a true heir and not as crazy as this bitch" . I think just a rumor of Jon being R+L=J is not enough of an evidence for people to rebel against Dany because they fear her very much now after what she did. Also Jon vs grey worm incoming. I am almost certain that this is the only way this garbage final season can lead to. Hope you guys read this awesome stuff keep it up!!

[@ChicaLocaGB]

that Jon reveal would have been amazing!

[@jacoshneko]

Not going to happen. Jon burned his hand in S1 saving Lord Mormont. (although the writers are forgetting ALL their own details from previous seasons, so who fucking knows anymore)

[@Lycku]

Jon's already been burned in season 1 so if they did that it would be the biggest fucking retcon in the latest decade.

[@kivanc5789]

@@jacoshneko ohhh so nvm lol i was sooo sure and now im lost how do they prove the truth about Jon now

[@nathanielbables8652]

These writers have no creativity, so they through shit at the wall to see what would stick. Nothing did.

[@hecatesdaughter2207]

I quit after episode three. I saw that the ruination of all the years that came before no longer matter. D & D are off making Star Wars now. Oh joy! Can’t wait to see the Dothraki settling down.🚽

[@lapolicedelapensee7047]

PS : Bell = Be Hell

[@Dispo030]

too much spoiler in the thumbnail

[@vegasgirl3538]

My husband is the biggest action-movie, war-movie junkie on the planet and he got bored halfway through the battle. Everything became so senseless and repetitive after a certain point.

[@blee7200]

No it didn't.

[@blee7200]

Nah. It was fine. You're all making a "mountain out of a mole hill" instead of enjoying epic television like 99% of us. They earned whatever story they decided to tell.

[@RantandBollox]

GRRM earned whatever story he wanted, they told their nonsense on the back of 6 seasons of his writing to be fair

[@blee7200]

@@RantandBollox To be fair George R.R. Martin has approved of everything that has been written and printed onscreen. You guys should rant about things that will impact society in a positive way instead of whining about a silly television show whilst belittling and insulting the creators behind it. Therefore... adding more unnecessary negativity to the world.

[@RantandBollox]

​@@blee7200 Seems like this moralistic stand is a bit of pivot from your original point of "epic television... 99% of us (enjoy)' Do you just not like people not liking things you like? Cause that's okay, you can be like that, we like people who like what they like, but we really like people who like what they like without telling other people they're wrong to like what they like or dislike