Some Unforced Errors & Zero Stakes Cleganebowl

Published May 13, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hey, fellas,

I love your work and am looking very forward to next week’s conclusion and your wrapup coverage.

Re: Season 8, episode 5 “The Bells,” I do think the Double D’s Have been navigating their own Kobayashi Maru this season and with this episode in particular. Given how emotionally invested this gigantic fanbase is, there was zero path to victory for them. Anything they did would have been met with criticism. (Give us a dramatic death for Cersei? Well, that’s too obvious. Give us a Cleganebowl where the stakes mean saving Arya Stark? Cliche. Have Daenerys accept Cersei’s surrender? Boring.)

That said, there were some unforced errors. As Big D pointed out, Euron being the only survivor of the Iron Fleet and conveniently showing up in time to fight Jaime? Oh, come the fuck ON with that hack twaddle. And the Cleganebowl as portrayed was fan service and nothing more since there were zero stakes.

On the whole, I think this episode is a Ferrari that had its engine swapped out for an ancient 2-cylinder-gorgeous to look at while it sputters and clanks. The Double D’s took an unwinnable situation and shat the bed while they shat on everyone’s TV.

Peace, gentlemen….

Richard Clark

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