We went into ‘The Last of the Starks’ expecting a filler episode, and although we spent a great deal of time with characters conspiring, sharing tender moments, and heading off towards their destiny, these weren’t without some huge game-changing moments. Unfortunately the result was an episode that felt more like two episodes crammed into one, with some developments moving a little too quickly and feeling too forced.
Right from the opening we are immediately reminded of the heavy cost from last week’s battle against the army of the dead. It has left a real impact on so many characters, and their absence will certainly have an impact going forward. Most notably, the loss of Jorah leaves Dany with one less ally, and one less rational advisor to keep her grounded. Her claim to the Iron Throne is weakening by the day, and she is realising that.
The Stark siblings are making all sorts of poor choices this episode. Actually let’s count Arya out of that one – fair enough not wanting to settle down as Lady of Storm’s End, and it is kind of poetic seeing another Stark girl reject a Baratheon boy. But Jon’s decision to share his true heritage with Sansa, and her fleeting, unconvincing turmoil as to whether she should keep it secret will only divide them further down the road.
Important decisions like these were brushed over a little too quickly and could have been drawn out a little longer, but considering there are only two episodes left the writers are clearly pressed to move everything forward. Even while Jon’s farewell to Ghost was probably supposed to represent his acceptance of his Targaryen heritage, it was still a little unsatisfying seeing this important part of his history dismissed with such indifference.
Bronn’s arrival doesn’t herald a dramatic change of heart, but it instead continues to show just how much he is invested in his own self-interest – he’ll side with whichever queen will give him the bigger castle. At this point he’s just a thorn in everyone’s side, and it is likely his lack of loyalty isn’t really going to pay off in the end.
After a while, Dany’s armies make the move down to King’s Landing to take on Queen Cersei, and everything seems pretty dandy right up until Rhaegal gets a bunch of scorpion arrows through his neck and chest. Yeah, that came out of nowhere. Euron’s ship really is as silent as its name suggests apparently.
The ensuing battle destroys a number of Dany’s ships, devastating her forces even further. Euron is proving to be a pretty valuable asset for Cersei, and now that he believes her baby is his he’s going to be more ruthless than ever to protect his offspring.
Euron’s triumph marks a turning point in “The Last of the Starks”. Cersei is asserting herself as a powerful and cunning leader, overpowering and outsmarting Dany and the Starks at every turn. She identifies Dany’s key weakness in wanting to harm as few people as possible, and makes things even more difficult for her inviting all the smallfolk of King’s Landing into the Red Keep for “safety”. By keeping them there, she is using them as a barrier that must be destroyed to get to her. This, paired with Euron’s takedown of one of Dany’s main weapons before any battle has even commenced, puts Cersei in a pretty decent position for the next episode.
Missandei’s execution ends the episode on an ominous note, infuriating both Dany and Grey Worm, and motivating them to potentially unleash all their fury upon King’s Landing – regardless of how much collateral damage will come as a result. It concludes a rocky episode that tries to connect one battle to the next too quickly, and also hastily ties up the loose ends of minor story arcs that the next two episodes won’t have time to address. Having said that, it is also a return to the political strategising that gave Game of Thrones its appeal in the first place, and it steps further away from the fantasy aspects that have taken over in recent years. The impending battle that will finally give us the demise of Queen Cersei next week has been set up, and even though we have just come off the back of ‘The Long Night’ the stakes still feel monstrously high.
