While many expected things formed the first part of the 1 hour 14 minute long episode, a few unexpected and heartbreaking moments gave it a dramatic end. (Spoilers ahead, you may want to read ahead after watching the episode).
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The Last of The Starks, as the episode is titled, and I wonder why (sure there will be some theory to it) was less about Starks and more about Daenerys fighting with her insecurities with Jon Snow and the fear of sharing power with him. It sets a stage for an upcoming aftermath by the hands of Mother Of Dragons, where she has made up her mind to sacrifice lives of thousands of innocents living at King’s Landing, to snatch the Iron Throne from Cersie. She is determined to rule and determined real hard, which is making her own people unsure of her being the right Queen to rule. We’re surely missing Ser Jorah and his advice.
The conversations between Tyrion and Lord Varys, twice in the episode, indicate that the seed of doubt has been sown in Danny’s core group’s mind about her irrational quest for the throne. Her behaviour is questionable even when she begs Jon Snow to not share his real identity with anyone, including his sisters- Sansa and Arya. She asks him to promise to her that no soul will know about his lineage, if he wants that nothing between them should change or be destroyed! However, Jon being Jon, family first, shares the little secret with his sisters before marching to King’s Landing and Sansa, being the new (intelligent) Sansa that she is, shares the information (no more a secret now) with Tyrion (BTW are they still husband and wife?).
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Coming to what’s lost in the bargain? The second half of the episode takes away Danny’s second child, Rhaegal and her loyal friend, Missandei. When Euron Greyjoy attacks Danny's ships and her dragons, while they sail towards Kings Landing, we witness the two most heartbreaking moments in the episode.
While the episode lacked a bit of pace and felt a point (about Danny being the right person to sit on the throne) was being repeated a bit too many times, here are a few moments which form the highlight of the show:
JON SNOW AND DAENERYS FINALLY TALK!
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Danny and Jon Snow, after ignoring each other for long, finally talk about the sensitive topic- Aegon Targaryen. Danny begs Jon to not let out the secret, exposing how vulnerable she is at the moment and how desperate to sit on the throne.
RHAEGAL HITS THE WAVES
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Daenerys has been losing quite a lot in the recent past. Her second child, Rhaegal gets hit by Euron Greyjoy and crashes into the sea, now leaving the Mother Of Dragons with just Drogo, by her side. Does this say anything about Danny’s side getting weaker by the day?
MISSANDEI SAYS DRACARYS!
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Missandei, Danny’s loyal friend, the slave who the Queen freed from Master of Astapor in Season 3, loses her life in this episode, when Mountain strikes her head off on Cersie’s order. But the last word which she says before dying is “Dracarys” Now whether it meant giving her Queen an indirect signal of burning down all in the city or it was a mark of respect for Danny, as it was when the Mother of Dragons quipped Dracarys, Missandei was freed of slavery, is unclear but it has surely stirred lot of questions about what Daenerys will do ahead.
Overall, the episode was a bit disappointing in terms of its narrative, predictable turn of events and repetitions but if you see it as a part of what’s in store ahead, it forms a good base, but then again, were we not always debating about Daenerys turning into her father (Mad King) eventually? We hope the makers don’t serve what the fans demand as the end of the show! We need a typical GoT bolt in the next episode, don’t we?
Image Source- Hotstar