Game of Thrones season 8, episode 4 reactions and surprises

Ashley Weyler

Photo Credit: HBO

Game of Thrones SPOILERS AHEAD! If you haven’t watched “The Last of the Starks,” stop reading!

Last night’s Game of Thrones delivered a roller coaster of emotions to fans. We felt sadness, joy, shock, intrigue, pain, and a whole hell-of-a-lot of uneasiness.

Coming off the heightened anxiety-ridden “The Long Night,” there was nowhere to go but down. But this Game of Thrones. And with three episodes left, there is no time to calm down.

Before Sunday, we only have roughly four hours of content to bring this bad boy to a satisfying conclusion. We can’t waste an entire episode crying over Jorah and Theon. We can’t waste a ton of time traveling south to Kings Landing either.

I loved how the episode began so poignantly, paying tribute to the hundreds who died in the Battle. And Daenerys finally kissed Jorah.

Photo Credit: HBO

“The Last of the Starks” was so jam-packed, that I got a little whiplash. I’m having trouble processing everything I just watched. Am I alone or do you feel the same way?

It makes me wish they spread things out just a bit. I’m nervous the last two episodes will be much of the same, and I want to savor this show I love so much.

Photo Credit: HBO

Surprises of the week

More from Show Snob

1. R.I.P. Missandei

It was genuinely heartbreaking not only watching Daenerys’ right-hand-woman meet her demise but that she did so in chains. As you know, earlier in the series, Daenerys set Missamdei free, and she chose to stick with her queen. I can’t believe she died before Grey Worm. Instead of pulling Cersei off the wall as her last action, she chose to scream “dracarys” as her last words. When this happened, I thought maybe we’d have an Avengers: Endgame scenario here where Captain America could summon Thor’s hammer. I thought for sure Drogon would show up and kill them all with fire. But instead, it was a message to Dany, “Burn them all.”

2. Will they or won’t they: Jaime and Brienne will!

I’m not going to say I didn’t want this to happen, but it’s something I never thought would. Brienne has been in love with Jaime for quite a while now, and Jaime, well, he was busy with his sister. So, with them both emotionally stunted in the love department, I was surprised to see that they had their day in the dark. Maybe it was weird for some, but I am happy that they finally acted on their chemistry.

3. Jaime leaves Brienne.

Photo Credit: HBO

And just when I thought he had changed, Jaime leaves Brienne to ride south to Cersei. While some Jaime haters might not be surprised, I was because I believe, aside from Theon, Jaime Lannister has come the furthest. We hate him, now we root for him. I don’t want to believe Jaime has reverted back to a scumbag. I think we have an Old Yeller situation here. I think Jaime is going to kill Cersei himself (I’ve been saying this for a while now) and he knew if he told Brienne this, she’d want to go with him. But he knows it’s probably a suicide mission. So, he pretends he’s a bad guy and that he doesn’t love her so that she can move on and not go after him. Something tells me she won’t let him go that easily.

4. R.I.P Rhaegal

They did not just kill off another dragon. Like wtf?! It just freaking happened. Now we’re down to one dragon? It feels like Game of Thrones wants us to believe these animals/creatures are going to serve some sort of significance, and then they kill them off like it’s nothing. But, if you looked closely, the dragons were pretty beat up from the Battle of Winterfell. One of them even had holes in its wings.

5. Gilly is preggers.

I had a feeling Gilly was hiding something the last episode, but I thought it had to do with little Sam showing signs of him being a White Walker. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find out she’s pregnant. It also seemed as though this would be the last we see of Sam and Gilly, which seem strange to me. But what purpose would they serve to the rest of the story? Anyway, congrats you two!

Photo Credit: HBO

Not surprised

1. Arya rejects Gendry’s proposal.

Even though this completely depresses me because I am a hopeless romantic and Arya has loved Gendry since she was a girl, I am not surprised she rejected Gendry’s proposal to be his Lady. That’s not who she is. Arya told her dad way back during season 1, episode 4, and nothing has changed. Doesn’t mean I can’t be bummed about it.

2. Daenerys is going mad, just like her father.

Photo Credit: HBO

There have been foreshadowing to this the entire series. Dany has a severe temper and shows no mercy when those she doesn’t care about cross her. Jorah is probably the only exception because she cared about him. But she’s never been pushed to this point before. She’s lost two dragons, her army, her best friends, and maybe losing her love and claim to the throne – the thing she has been working for her entire life. I might go mad, too. It doesn’t change annoyance at her telling Jon to keep his secret parentage to himself. It was low and manipulative. And with Missandei’s “dracarys” cry, a lot of innocent people may die.

3. Sansa’s loose lips

Photo Credit: HBO

I knew Sansa was going to tell Jon’s secret just by how she responded when Jon made her promise not to tell anyone. “I swear it” just wasn’t convincing enough for me. The next closest person to her was Tyrion, so it made complete sense she would tell him.

4. Cersei DGAF.

Photo Credit: HBO

I’m not sure how else to say it, but she just doesn’t care about anyone or anything except staying on the throne. It doesn’t surprise me in the least because I just had a feeling she was worse than the Night King. And just throwing this question out there… why won’t she kill Tyrion? She’s had ample opportunity to, yet, she lets him live. What for?

5. Varys is jumping ship, literally/figuratively.

Photo Credit: HBO

From the first time we met this plump, bald-headed eunuch, he stated his loyalty was to the realm. So, it should come as no surprise that he will support whoever is the best choice to rule it on Game of Thrones. Between Cersei and Daenerys, of course, he’d support the Mother of Dragons. But who’s the better of Daenerys and Jon? Jon wins every time. Lord Varys tends to get what he wants, so I worry that Dany, and anyone who supports her, is in grave danger.

Photo Credit: HBO

Things you missed

1. Winterfell Starbucks?

It’s the coffee cup seen ‘round the world. I didn’t see it at first glance, but the Internet made sure everyone knew about the abandoned coffee cup on the head table during the feast at the beginning of the episode. To make matters worse, the show’s creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss made cameos as wildlings in the same scene. At first, you might think, how did hundreds of people review this before it got released. But mistakes happen. Even HBO got in on the fun and released the statement, “The latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake. Daenerys had ordered an herbal tea.”

2. Tyrion’s favorite game.

Photo Credit: HBO

The “game” Tyrion, Jaime, Podrick, and Brienne play at the feast, which seems to be a twist on “Never Have I Ever,” is the same game Tyrion, Shae, and Bronn plays way back during season 2. Tyrion also tries to get Grey Worm and Missandei to play seasons later, rather unsuccessfully.

3. On the road again.

Photo Credit: HBO

More from Game of Thrones

The Hound and Arya seem to be on a journey together once again, just how they had been years before. The Hound tells Arya that there is “business left to be done.” This “business means killing his brother, the Mountain. Arya replies, “So do I.” There happen to be two more people on her hit list: The Mountain and Cersei. And they happen to be south, the same direction they’re traveling to together.

4. Bran’s wheelchair

Bran tells Tyrion that his wheelchair is the same one that Daeron Targaryen – the oldest son of King Aegon III – had built for his nephew more than 100 years prior. It’s a strange tidbit of information just to drop if it doesn’t have any significance. And how did the chair end up at Winterfell?

5. Being dishonorable runs in the family.

Photo Credit: HBO

If you noticed, Cersei gave the signal to kill Missandei, yet the Mountain carried out the execution. Back in season 1 of Game of Thrones, Joffrey gives the kill order for Ned Stark, yet he’s not the one doing the actual killing. This is in “stark” contrast to the Starks. Ned told Bran back in the very first episode, that kills “the man who passes sentence should swing the sword.” It’s also something Jon understood and carried out years later as the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.

Photo Credit: HBO

Bonus tidbit: Jon leaving Ghost like that, without even saying goodbye really pissed me off. How many times did this dog save him? And didn’t this poor animal almost die during the Battle of Winterfell? Come on, Jon, you’re better than that!

What did you think of this week’s episode? Next week is rumored to be “mental.”

Read the recap of The Long Night.

Sources: TV Line

Ashley Weyler

Ashley Weyler, or simply Smash as her friends call her, is a freelance writer from Philly. She spends most of her time writing, watching movies and TV, singing karaoke, and cheering on her beloved Philly sports teams.