Game Of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5 Review: When Fear Took Over Love!

An episode all about fire! Fire in Daenerys Targaryen’s heart, eyes, a burning soul and of course, Drogon’s roars (The review has spoilers and you may want to come back to it after watching the episode). The first time Danny said "Dracarys" and her little beast engulfed the Master of Astopor in flames, gave us goosebumps, a feeling of victory and thrill. But today, in the episode 5 of Game Of Thrones Season 8, when the Mother Of Dragons ordered her child to engulf Lord Varys, in the very beginning of the episode, something didn’t feel right. Our fears seemed to be coming true. Yes, Danny has, unfortunately, done everything possible to earn the title of Mad Queen, in the Battle Of King’s Landing.

The episode begins with Team Danny assembling at Dragonstone after facing a jolt by Cersie, as she kills Daenerys’ second dragon, Rhaegal and her loyal friend, Missandei. Danny is depressed to no end; she has never been this lonely. Locked up in her chamber, her eyes quickly give away her frame of mind. There is something burning inside her, quite literally. On knowing by Tyrion that Lord Varys has changed his mind about serving to her and feels Jon Snow has a better claim, mind and stability than Danny, the Queen indicated what’s in store ahead, by sentencing him to death. Farewell Lord Varys, you truly wanted good for the realm.

If you thought that Danny was only upset with Tyrion (for passing on the secret to Varys) and of course the late master of whispers alone, then sorry to disappoint but Jon Snow is also on the list. If he never told Sansa Stark about it, no one would have known. Yet, Danny controls herself, as it’s about her lover, and tests him one last time. Danny tells Jon that she only feels "fear" across the Narrow sea and "no love".  Jon, who has been holding himself back from any romantic involvement with the Queen (who is also his aunt), practices restrain again and does not reciprocate to Daenerys’ emotions. Now, this completely puts off Danny, who finds herself standing alone against all the others. Her expressions change, you don’t see the old Danny anymore as she announces that if fear is what everyone wants over love, then be it. It’s fear what they will get.

Riding high on Drogon, Daenerys Targaryen burns down the iron fleet, as she flies towards King’s Landing. What follows is just what we always feared. She doesn’t stop, she doesn’t mourn, she knows no limits- all she does is BURN relentlessly, even though the city surrenders, the bells ring but the inner noise of vengeance inside Daenerys is too loud to hear it. Clearly, the makers wanted to show a change in Danny’s character, they have set the grey shade. The last episode, which marks the end to HBO’s most successful fantasy series, will be about the fight between good and evil, inside and outside. Talking about Episode 5’s highlight moments, here’s what kept me on the edge:

He knew it that it’s the end for him, the day he decided to change his loyalty. The scene where he burns the scroll, carrying information about Jon’s true lineage and the way he takes out his favourite rings, tells you that all this is happening for the last time. His old friend, Lord Tyrion, who he saved him from King’s Landing and smuggled into East, into the service of Queen Daenerys, was the cause of his death but he holds no regret, for he knows he deserves this end.

While I feel it’s a little early to say that she has indeed turned into the Mad Queen, but her actions, all of them, during the one-sided battle proves her to be. She is lonely, angry, possesses a lot of power and is a Targaryen- a lethal combination. The change in her character is heartbreaking but somewhere I feel for her as it’s the situation which has led her to be what she is today. With none of her close associates left by her side to guide her, all she has is a reputation of being the daughter of a Mad King, after all.

Now, that was a bit disappointing. Not that I ever wanted Cersie to win or live on, but her end did move me or maybe it was because Daenerys was being quite unreasonable in burning down the innocents. Whatever it was, in one of the previous seasons, Jamie had told Bronn that he wants to die in the arms of his lover and fate had it that way, he did die holding Cersie in his arms. A quick and abrupt end to the twins, especially Cersie, who made the world of many topple. Wonder if the makers didn’t feel the need to have a face-off between Cersie and Danny, instead of giving a poetic end to the evil lady.     

The fight which all expected to end with both the Clegane brothers dying, was dramatic, visually and emotionally. In Season 7, the Hound warned his brother, The Mountain, who he despises, that he will be coming back for him. And so he did. After a tough fight, the Hound ends up choosing fire to end his life instead of dying at Mountain’s hand. He takes him along and jumps into the fire. Quite a poetic end there as well. We all know how much Hound hated fire, courtesy his brother.

Overall, the second last episode of the famous series was moving, depressing, a bit underwhelming in terms of Cersie’s end. It has raised too many questions- Will Jon realise that he chose the wrong side and retreat? Will the pack of wolves defeat the Dragon queen and take over the realm? Will Arya Stark stab the knife, one more time, in Daenerys’ heart, who burnt down the entire city of King’s Landing? Will Tyrion take revenge of his brother, Jamie’s uncalled death? Many unanswered thoughts along with a strange feeling of gloominess seeing Danny, the Khaleesi, change into what her father, The Mad King, was.

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