Got: The Bells

Published May 14, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hey guys,

Todd the Tanker here (the guy who last made comment on the ballista-versus-dragon bit from the “Spoils of War” episode).

The Bells.

I LOVED this episode. They nailed it. I bought into everything. The Euron bit was a stretch, but it made sense that he was trying to get back to Cersei the same way Jaime was. I would have done it differently (maybe Euron plus 20 dudes that he then sends off so he can take on Jaime alone, or some such). They did it this way for expediency, but Euron being there… ultimately made sense to me. And before anyone says anything about Jaime somehow having the strength to carry on. I think he suffered gut stabbings. With enough adrenaline, you can power through a lot… and gut wounds, though they’ll kill you, it will be slow. I suspect Yara takes him out in the books though. Just not enough time here.

Dragon versus ships:
In the previous encounter, I read it as Daenerys being distraught and unsure of herself and indecisive and just fled. This time, she knew what to do. Attack from directly above and then weave in and out of the ships where no one could get a bead on her. Perfect. Euron was as over-confident as usual and lost his whole fleet. And the scorpions on the wall… Like Cersei said, she was hoping for one lucky hit. I mean, two dragons were already eliminated was her thinking… they were not invincible. Cersei was a bit dellusional though and the interaction with Qyburn bore this out.

Destructive fire:
I did not see more power here. Dany laid waste throughout the Winterfell episode continuously if you watch it again, and she continued here. This was the first time we saw Drogo nuke walls. But we saw Zombie Dragon do it, so… Made sense to me. I love that they began the battled on the other side of the city. Awesome.

The troops surrendering, but then Dany screwing it all up:
The bells rang and thought, “Oh thank god! Now she can round up Cersei and then we have a bit of politics and an execution. Perfect. Done.” NOPE! Dany loses her shit. Someone said they thought her losing it was a bit rushed. I didn’t think so. We saw her touch of insanity all throughout the shows. Mercy then merciless. Sometimes even cruel. Dany was always a bit of a loose canon. This time literally. So Dany heard the bells ring and she lost it because she did not want to see the final transition be peaceful. And… she has lost everything at this point. Grey Worm really is her one true remaining ally in her mind. Everyone else betrayed her at some level to her thinking. All she had left was tyrannical fear. But shit… why not just burn the Red Keep down? Nope… she nukes all the small folks. Devastating. It cements her as out of control and not fit. And… what a shock. I thought for sure she was just going to lose it and then nuke the keep. Gah. Jon, everyone, was horrified. I think even Grey Worm was or will be, but of course, right now, he gives a shit about nothing.

Arya:
They portrayed her perfectly in this. She has always been measured in what she does. Yes, she wanted Cersei, but she is not an idiot. And Sandor — she called him Sandor! Awesome — talks sense into her and convinces her that (a) her odds of even getting to Cersei were slim, and (b) don’t become the broken monster he is. Arya is a badass (side note: I saw the Nightking leap as her just being a frickin’ ninja), but she is not a monster. Plus she had a genuine affection for The Hound. And her fear? She has shown fear all the time. It was one of the aspects of the Winterfell episode I loved. She was terrified for half of show and running for her life. Her difference is her skill and determination. As for all those people… Arya always gave a shit about innocent folks. From the butcher’s boy onward. It made sense that she was shell shocked at the horror she witnessed. My prediction is she is gunning for Dany after this. And no, I would not be surprised if she rethinks Gendry. She doesn’t have to be The Lady. She can be a very non-lady Lady. Fewer doilies; more pointy things. Gendry couldn’t have it better. 🙂 I kinda want to see her wander off to the north though and become legend. We’ll see.

Clegane bowl:
Loved it. Yeah, It didn’t quite hit the emotional cord, but I was still on the edge of my seat. I thought it happened the only way it probably could have. The Hound knew where to find the Mountain and headed straight that way. The Qyburn death-as-an-afterthought bit was a perfect plot choice IMHO. Just like that. Dead. And Cersei scuttling away in terror was well done. The brothers fighting a fight that could not be won by the Hound was so poetic. It ended in fire! The element that started their journey of hatred long ago.

Jaime and Cersei:
What I loved about this was that Jaime just wanted her to live. That’s it. Not on the throne, none of that. He just wanted to save his twin. Their lives ending in a crumbled ruin clinging to each other to the last was fitting. And the fact that it was not a giant boss level fight scene was a nice surprise. They died like so many of the small folk with a satisfying look of terror and despair on her Cersei’s face. A surprise end and I loved it.

Arya riding out on the white horse:
There is a lot of symbolism there. On a pale horse and all that. I don’t know that it had a deeper meaning, but it plucks that mythical cord.

Now, I want to see what Varys set in motion. Did he get a note off? What does that mean? And his little birds? It was a nice touch that he took off his jewelry prior to the execution as I imagine countless others have done before him. What did he burn? A note detailing a portion of the plan? We’ll see.

In the end, I thought this was a near perfect episode, and probably one of my favorites.

Keep up the great analysis. Cheers.

— Todd the Tanker

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