The Nights Watch. GAME OF THRONES. SEASON 8 EPISODE 5. May 13 UK. SPOILERS AFTER 2am.

[OneInAMillionYou]

So, now we battle for King's Landing and the Throne.

The penultimate episode of this most epic of tales. Can Cersei survive? Will Euron catch on and wonder how Tyrion could have known of the pregnancy? Will Arya and the Hound beat Jaime in the race south?

As ever, no leaks or spoilers please until we watch the episode live together. Our Watch begins....

That was some visual episode.

Well, Dany used Drogon. Really used him, just as Jaime tried to warn Cersei after The Spoils of War, his exact words.

decormad Tyrion said to Dany at dragon stone “if you hear the bells call your men back” or something to that affect

Decormad38, no Tyrrion asked Daerneys earlier on in the episode to hold back if they ring the bell. She didn't really reply, but she heard him alright

I reckon that as Grey Worm is her last, long time, long serving trusted face, Dany has him as her adviser. He's a soldier - so what advice will he have given..? Tyrion pleaded to stand down if the bells rung, but Dany and GW were alone in her chambers, presumably reminiscing about Misandae and I wonder if there was an agreement led by GW that dany should go in, and go in hard. It was GW who struck the first blow after the bells rang and he would've done that only with the permission of his queen, loyal as he is.

It’s a good point that the camera lingered on showing Greyworm monitor Jon carefully at the stand off between the two armies and whether Jon would fight back. Perhaps this does suggest GW knew D planned for total annihilation. Up until reading comments on here, I hadn’t read D had made a definite decision to burn KL to the ground even when the city surrendered. Now peoppe have pointed out GW’s scene I can see there is the suggestion D and GW had conspired before the battle even began.

@Tanselle, I need to watch it again, I thought GW only struck once he saw D continue burning KL even after the bells were rung?

Great comment on the Guardian blog that we should save our sympathy for the real victims: all the innocent girl babies who’ve been christened Khaleesi in the last eight years.



Have there been many Khaleesis in the UK I wonder?

I have a friend whose daughter is called Khaleesi...I was just thinking about this last night, bet she's thrilled

I do feel people are over complicating with theories.

I really enjoyed it. I love the Jamie and Cersei death. Of course he went back to her. He loved her. He has done terrible terrible things for her. He went to fight the NK because he saw no escape. He is a solider. He respected Brieanne, probably the only person he does, and after a traumatic battle she was the right choice, but she wasnt Cersei. No one changes that much.

I really like Sansa too and don't see this as her doing. Dany had it in her. We can't blame another person for what she just did.

I really like Tyrion. He is a good person just flawed. His compassion is a weakness as he is going against evil people.

I hope Jon survives. And Sansa, Arya. I feel maybe some of them wont as this is war and good people die.

I loved that episode. It was one of the best - the same shock and horror as the Red Wedding but amplified by thousands. I love that GoT has always pulled the ru out from under us - we thought Ned was the one to follow, later Robb - all these major players and their forces have been wiped out and Dany finally getting her dream in sight just to burn it all away was very much in keeping with the show. I think they are tying things up beautifully. I’ve just rewatched Season One and the callbacks are so numerous and so well done.

I feel really saddened by the noise of disappointed fans and I can’t help feeling there is a correlation between people who think the show is spoiled and people who have read the spoilers! The thrill of that episode was the suspense - I was literally on the edge of my seat. I think if you read leaks and then don’t enjoy the show, that’s a major reason why! Anyway, anyone saying the ending will be shit if in keeping with the leaks - I have found this season amazing and I think the writing, acting and performances are immense so I think I’m going to love the ending as well as I’ve disagreed with the naysayers so far! Slightly wondering if I should turn my phone off for a week to avoid any spoilers now we are so close to the final end...

I’m not sure the “ring the bells” made D think Tyrion has betrayed her. It was people within the Red Keep who were shouting for the bells to be rung. I don’t think that’s an indication that Tyrion betrayed D by getting Jamie involved.

I honestly believe it was more a case that D wanted to prove to Cersei that Cersei was wrong to assume D wouldn’t harm innocents in order to get to the Iron Throne. She wanted Cersei to realise that she (D) was also capable of ruling with fear (same way Cersei does) as opposed to love.

D did say to Jon Snow (when he backed away from her kiss) something along the lines of “fear it is then...” I do think she and GW conspired beforehand. And that’s when you see the realisation on JS and Tyrion’s faces.

Even when Tyrion first told D to stand down if she heard the bells, his face afterwards knew that she heard him but wouldn’t comply with him. Remember at Winterfell when Sansa said to Tyrion along the lines of that he was stupid for trusting Cersei (when he trusted Cersei would send her army up North to fight the NK and Army of the Dead) - this is Tyrion realising he was stupid for believing D would stand down when the bells were rung.

That’s my take anyway. I could be wrong. I’m genuinely interested to see what happens next week.

• bell (just realised I said “bells” throughout my post above - plural - there was only one bell)

There were lots of bells!

Honestly I don't care who sits on the Iron Throne as long as its not fucking Bran.

Yes there is a theory that it will be Bran. Over my dead body will that useless little space cadet get it.

But it'd be just like fucking Jon to refuse it. Cos thus far he's been utterly crap. I'm starting to believe all he can do is swing a sword and look constipated.

Haven't RTFT yet, but I have a theory that Varys' death was intentional. Everything he does is for the good of the realm. I think that when Tyrion told Dany that Varys had betrayed her, this had been decided in that last conversation they had. I'm not sure why, but possibly an attempt to sow doubt in Jon's mind about her mental stability?

If you think about it, afterwards Tyrion suddenly starts to sound an awful lot like Varys in his speeches about all the innocent lives in Kings Landing.

I don’t think dany is mad.

I think she’s very alone, grieving, scared and did the only logical thing in her power to maintain her safety in brutal times - acted brutally herself.

She was protecting herself.

Yes it was an act of war by today’s standards but what else could she do? Let’s fave it jons decision making is utterly crap. I’d be more worried about him being the mad Targaryen.

Also grey worm is a soldier, and programmed to be a killer. Missandei was the thing that soften that. It’s only natural for him to revert to his conditioning at this point.

I think it will end with Dany on the throne but alone. It seems to have a theme of people realising their desires are futile.

As long as it’s not bloody Sansa I’ll be happy enough anyway.

There must be more to Varys/Tyrion than we saw. That long arm touch!

Why did the bells take so long to ring-who was supposed to be in charge of ringing them?

Bran won't sit on the iron throne. We know that much. I'm going to give the actor a break as I think he's doing a great job of playing someone who is emotionally dead. It can't be easy.

There are some really bonkers theories out there!

I loved Jaime's story arc. He had only ever slept with Cersei before Brienne. He just woke up in her arms one night and realised it was all wrong and not who he really was. He had only ever really cared about two things in life: fighting and Cersei, and nothing had changed. Much more interesting ending than him living happily ever after with Brienne. More fitting with his character, I think. He always was a selfish dick. So many scenes throughout the entire series have shown this.

I enjoyed it (I think!!). I was a bit disappointed Cersei's death wasn't more brutal/vengeful. (GoT has made me a sicko for violent deaths!!)

Can't help think Jon has a very Ned Stark hairstyle (like Arya) and thats an indication of where he'll end up or has ended up.

I'd quite like Dany to have a Julius Caesar death. With whoever is left killing her. Jon being the last one.

I’ve just listened to a radio production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Dany’s “Fear it is” is very reminiscent of the Marquise’s “Very well then. War.” With similarly disastrous consequences (half the cast die - it’s just a much smaller cast).

No idea whether that’s just in my mind.

Wow. Well I didn't expect that.

Not commenting yet as still processing what happened but reading this thread does help.

I dreamt of fights all night

I love Dangerous Liaisons.

I do think she and GW conspired beforehand.

He was definitely on board. Notice that he was the one leading the charge and the invasion of the castle. Not Jon.

I loved Jaime's story arc.
So do I. As I mentioned already I'm not bothered he didn't physically kill her, that was never in the show and the whole point in Jaime is that he is ultimately always only going to care about Cersei. Brienne showed a different side of him, but I'm so glad he went back to her and not to kill her and love that you still feel something when they reunite, in most shows two 'villains' don't gain that kind of empathy.

I actually love Cersei, pretty sad she's gone even though it had to happen. Fantastic acting, Lena Heady can stand there wordless and portray everything beautifully.

I think it was inevitable that some people will hate this episode/think it spoiled the series. Aside from people having different tastes, there is so much source material and such long gaps between books and between the last series that people have been able to develop very complex theories, plots and characters (some totally mad but some arguably better than the show). So it's a bit like the furore when a popular book is adapted and they cast an actor who doesn't look like the image of the character that a reader had in their head.

In my case, there was also a sense that over the last episodes going back to season 6 a lot of people miraculously survived who should have died (Jaimie and the dragon, wight hunt, wall collapsing, at Winterfell) so I was kind of lured into thinking that maybe they would find a way to work out the conflict and give some happy endings. And then they went all bleak and betrayal... And briefly I was annoyed but then I gave myself a shake and reminded myself that GoT was never about happy endings (I originally gave up after book 1 because it was so bleakly depressing and game back to it years later!)

In terms of prophecies (even though they are not such a thing in the show). I seem to remember reading that GRRMs relationship with prophecies is not as simple as they will come true and actually he is interested in the danger/tricky nature of prophecy. If that is true then Cersei dying indirectly due to her younger brothers (she wouldn't have been there if it weren't for them) rather than as a direct action that everyone expected is kind of in keeping.

Personally, I think you would have to be mad to want the throne now... Capital city destroyed (huge repair bill), thousands dead or with life changing injuries, half your noble families dead or transitioning to new/untested lords and the rest of uncertain loyalty, all the money spent on the golden company, the north under snow and reliant on food top ups from the south for a while longer (apparently the books make it clearer the north requires handouts in the winter though I have forgotten that), and presumably the economy still recovering from the depredations of previous seasons. I wouldn't want to be the one having to sort all that out!

I do think she and GW conspired beforehand.
I don't think there was any conspiracy. Dani could have quite easily told Tyrion they wouldn't be accepting surrender if she knew what was going to happen, I think she believed her own words when she said it, but in that moment turned to anger instead of mercy.

I think Grey Worm understood her though. Missandei is the only person he's ever loved and seeing Dani's rage gave him encouragement to act on his own hate and grief. It would make sense to have Grey Worm in charge, as battle commander, leader of the biggest portion of her army and trust, which Jon has much less of now.