We’ve had some big moments these last two episodes in Game of Thrones. We’ve seen Westeros make The Walking Dead look like Sesame Street; We’ve witnessed Dany finally taking to the skies as a dragon-riding Targaryen. We’ve had queens imprisoned, children burnt alive, and Sam even popping his cherry! But ask any of the cast and they’d tell you we haven’t seen anything yet. Many have been feverishly Tweeting away that the season finale will deliver the biggest shocks of them all. It could have been a clever marketing ploy, but it wasn’t. In true Game of Thrones tradition, the bar just keeps getting raised higher and higher with a finale that delivers satisfying and thrilling conclusions to many if not all the season’s storylines with a couple earth-shattering moments for good measure. In the interests of health and safety, Team Epicstream does not recommend watching this episode alone; afterwards, you’ll probably need a hug.
Mother’s Mercy – After his sacrifice Stannis finds the snows have passed but his bad fortune has not as he marches on Winterfell. Ayra takes her vengeance on Ser Meryn, but at what cost? Jaime and party sail home from Braavos with an unexpected gift. Beyond Mereen, Dany’s journey makes an odd loop back, and in King's Landing, Cersei finally confesses her crimes but her atonement becomes a greater ordeal than expected.
If this episode has a motto, it’s very clearly “things can always get worse”. Whether things seem good or bad, there’s still another steel gauntlet slamming towards your face ready to send the world spinning again. The worst luck of them all by far goes to Stannis. He’s had some bad days from the show’s timeline alone but nothing quite like this. Yet you still have to love the great non-smiling man all the way through it. From the first signs of trouble to the last, defeat is written all over his chiselled features. Even his men look like a broken reflection of the host that bested The King Beyond the Wall ,but still he marches on and faces his fate. As the “Battle” of Winterfell ignites, many will hear Stannis mumbling his old “9 out of 10 times” speech in their heads. After last week’s tough love, Stannis may not be everyone’s favourite character but he really should be. Despite everything that befalls him, he still finishes the season as a man of honour, and Stephen Dillane’s performance should not be understated as he pulls us through the painful emotions of a famously unemotional character. His story also delivers a very surprising long-term payoff and point of character fulfillment. Those inside Winterfell sadly do not fare as well. Sansa started off the season so strongly, looking like we’d really see her character develop. Then of course, came that infamously divisive wedding night. We needed something from her in this finale to show that was all worthwhile, and it just isn’t there. While the events trigger the much foreshadowed beginning of Reek/Theon’s redemption, would it have been too much to ask to see Sansa showing at least some strength and character of her own rather than just being rescued again? If the pair will be sticking together in Season 6, this could give Sansa a much need chance to “Catelyn up” when Theon’s lingering fear and social ineptitude forces her to take the lead, but for now we’ve left viewing her as the same red-haired damsel in distress she’s been for so many years.
Ayra’s story has wavered a little over the season but her finale delivers both excellent payoff and a tantalizing tease of a cliff-hanger. From the moment last week, when Ser Meryn found a girl to satisfy his “unique” tastes, it become very clear how his finale would go. While many a villain goes unpunished and prospers in Game of Thrones, even here, sadistic pedophiles (thankfully) get what they deserve. For the moments of brutality, we could almost be watching a slasher horror film as Ayra tries to give Jon Bernthal a run on his Punisher casting. There’s a clear feeling of suffering, but even this episode’s girl-bashing prelude allows us to enjoy this powerful guy reduced to a feeble moaning coward before our very eyes. Ayra’s calm and patient little speech while he wallows gives her a curious air of Lisbeth Salander. The season one throwback is also a nice touch to remind us of Ayra’s personal feelings towards him, “You were the first person on my list you know... for killing Syrio Forel”. Yet for all the crimson rain of her brothel scene it’s Ayra’s return to the Faceless Men that hits the hardest. You have to love Ayra’s little Empire Strikes Back moment as the consequences start tumbling on her.
There was a real danger of Cersei’s big scenes losing their impact this episode. They were one of the most talked about leaks in the season’s run up, and with only one episode remaining, their inclusion now became a certainty. However, her Walk of Shame still hits as hard as it should. The sheer length of it alone grinds in Cersei’s suffering as every drop of her pride is drained from her. There has been some controversy surrounding the use of a body double but the simple truth is this: anyone staring at Cersei below the neck should just put The Mountain’s hands over their face and call his mother a dirty whore. The undisputed money shots here are the facial close ups as Lena Headey delivers an absolute master class of progressive emotion. The gradual grinding and disintegration of her resolve is positively epic to watch as her ordeal seems ever endless and every new level of humiliation is endured. It’s just a shame this is all but discarded the moment she passes the Red Keep gates. Rather than keeping the focus on her emotions, the episode is far too keen to wave Darth Mountain/Robert Strong in our faces to give Cersei a point of recovery. It takes the edge off her atonement ordeal in the wrong way and should have just kept her in anguish for her final moments. It also feels like there’s a few too many questions left unanswered here, going into the 10 month break (start saying it now, it’ll help). While it’s understandable some cliff-hangers are required, at least a brief nod to the Tyrell’s fate would have been appreciated, or some indication of how Tommen’s Howard Hughes style reclusiveness worked out for him.
At first, the Dorne scenes confuse as that story felt wrapped up last week. Thankfully, these scenes do justify their existence in delivering some great prospects for next season, and it's a well-deserved point of gratification for Jaime. Many times, this season have alluded to Jaime stepping up in a father capacity to his secret children, so having “the talk” with Myrcella feels very natural in extent of that. Her surprise reaction turns out to be the episode’s most heart-warming moment and after everything, Jaime has been through, it feels good to see him find this genuine happiness. Bronn and Tyene’s departure is brilliant and hopefully we’ll see them paired up some more next season. In any other episode this season, Dorne’s scenes would be the episode’s big shock moment. However, less we forget this is a season finale. While the literary fans may be pages ahead, TV followers will find themselves facing one of the most heartbreaking moments they’ve ever had to endure in the episode’s climax. Not just for the deeply beloved face involved but the bitter way in which it comes to pass. Let the moment hit you. Let the emotions fill you and scream, shout, rage, throw (non breakable/valuable) nearby objects, let the tears fall, and maybe even post all over social media how you’re never watching the show again..... but when that passes, take a moment. Think about not what you’ve felt but why. Then realize it was all because the show made you care. Above all else, Game of Thrones exhibits phenomenal levels of character empathy, and though it may be hard sometimes, we must remember that a show that makes us feel is a show that makes us live.
As the long off season dawns on us for another year, the show departs on a definite high even if doesn’t quite achieve the levels of some prior finales. Despite the heavy feel of tragedy, it sneaks in just enough sparse and subtle humour to still feel like an entertainment show (the “Pervy Pycelle” eyebrows are a personal highlight). Many of the cast regulars are on outstanding form in ever present reminder of their contributions. So here we leave another season of Game of Thrones reviews on Epicstream, and we hope you’ve enjoyed at least some of them. Gods and White Walkers abiding, we will see you again next year, but for now at least.... and so our watch has ended.