Game of Thrones: The Iron Throne

Smith’s Verdict: ****

Reviewed by Tanner Smith

I would issue a SPOILER ALERT, as I did for my “Avengers: Endgame” review a couple weeks ago…but people have no trouble spoiling “GoT” anyway, so why should I be different?

People are complaining all over the Internet about Season 8 of “Game of Thrones” because they don’t like the direction it’s been headed. Well now, it’s there, with the series finale, entitled “The Iron Throne.” Let’s see what people are saying about it…

A mixed reception. Why am I not surprised? People have complained about the finales for “Lost,” “The Sopranos,” and “Seinfeld” too…except those shows didn’t have the crazy amount of social-media craziness (read “silliness”) that “GoT” has received in recent days. (It’s even gotten to the point where over a million fans signed a petition in an attempt to demand HBO to remake season 8…yeah, THAT’s gonna happen, I’m sure.)

As for me, I appreciate the places “GoT” went. It went even darker than expected, the characters went through changes, and I was interested BECAUSE it wasn’t what I expected. (But I never read the books by George R.R. Martin, so take that for what it’s worth.)

“The Iron Throne” picks up where its previous episode “The Bells” left off, with King’s Landing being utterly devastated by the wrath of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), with so many dead and survivors covered with soot and ash. It’s especially heartbreaking when Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) wanders through the debris of the Red Keep to find the corpses of Jaime and Cersei Lannister.

Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) and Davos (Liam Cunningham) have also survived and find that Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and his men are about to execute captured Lannister soldiers, causing Jon to question his queen.

Daenerys is now in full power, having proved triumphant and won the battle. (The shot of her addressing her troops, with Drogon the dragon hovering behind her, won’t leave my memory anytime soon.) She’s had the power for a while now, but now that she’s obtained the full capacity (and the Iron Throne, now covered in ash as she approaches it), you can tell her blood has run its coldest and her lust for glory is unquenchable. When Jon confronts her about the evil things she’s done, such as killing small children, she simply states, “We can’t hide behind small mercies.”

Before we get to that point, however, Jon still serves Daenerys and defends her actions, even when he knows something isn’t quite right here (as if things have been right before all of this). One of my favorite scenes is a conversation between Jon and Tyrion, who has been imprisoned by Daenerys for treason. Tyrion has clearly learned from all of his mistakes and is willing to pay the consequences for what he’s done throughout the series. And he’s the one who puts things in perspective for Jon. (Tyrion Lannister has always been the best character in the show, simply because he’s the smartest character in the show.)

OK fine, for those who missed the series finale and aren’t given the displeasure of having it spoiled for them, this is where I’ll stop explaining the story and just say what I think of it overall. (I guess I WILL be different.) At 80 minutes, it’s one of the best “films” of the year. Of course, as with just about every “GoT” episode, the cinematography is gorgeous and incredible—not just with the scene of Daenerys directing her troops, but also the scene in which she approaches the Iron Throne (it’s not only bittersweet; it’s kind of beautiful to look at). The acting is very on-point, with Peter Dinklage possibly delivering his most compelling work on the series; I loved seeing his character grow in this episode alone (but again, he’s been growing for a while). Even near the end, when he gives an impassioned, heartfelt speech about why a certain person should lead a kingdom, I listen to every word he is saying and I believe him because of what he’s been through and because of the kind of person he could become in the future. (Don’t rule out the possibility of a sequel series, btw.) And as if fans weren’t accustomed to the sudden deaths of certain characters throughout the series, they are forced to face one of the ultimate, melancholy, not entirely undeserved ends of one of the most infamous characters in “GoT.” Again, I won’t give it away here, but it’s as bittersweet as it is powerful.

There’s also room for a little humor—nothing too forced, just enough to be welcomed after facing some pretty harsh material. With Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) suggests to the remaining leaders that the people should decide for themselves who is worthy to lead from now on…everyone bursts into laughter. (I can’t say this is speaking for the Twitter whiners about the show or even for the American registered voters…but I can’t doubt it either.)

I’m looking through my Facebook feed now, and I’m already seeing memes about the resolution involving Bran Stark, or Bran the Broken (Isaac Hempstead Wright), and regarding what happens with him… Honestly, I didn’t mind it. Maybe it was because Tyrion’s speech about why he deserved it won me over. One critic even argued that the particular resolution should have happened with Tyrion himself…was he even listening to Tyrion’s speech?? The guy’s had enough.

I think “Game of Thrones” wrapped up nicely and effectively with “The Iron Throne.” Hopefully, when those same complainers think about what they’ve gotten over the past eight years and what it amounted to, they’ll be fair and say that they got what they deserved. Maybe they just didn’t want to see their favorite show come to an end. As Stephen King himself tweeted about this season recently, “All good things…” Congratulations to everyone involved, I say.