Sebastian LimThe following article is a recap of ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Episode 5: The Bells.
SPOILER WARNING! If you have not seen the latest episode, click here to read Neue’s (spoiler-free) article – “Top ‘Games of Thrones’ Questions For Season 8”.
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Game of Throne’s epilogue has finally arrived … A stream of fiery-tears, jaw-un-equipping suspense, and to some, a tone of bitter madness.
Episode five’s ‘The Bells’ calls for experienced-direction by the forerunning episode’s ‘The Long Night’ Miguel Saponchnik, alongside duo David Benioff and Dan Weiss as they steer towards the climax of the Emmy Award series’s end.
Cersei Lannister once prophetically spoke that “When you play the Game of Thrones, you win, or you die; there is no middle ground.” An ambiguous statement to blare, but she wasn’t wrong.
Penultimately ‘The Bells’ ring in harmonious gloom as the fictional characters charge towards their final bloodied-resting grounds, with or without the intention to. Here’s a list of victims caught in the sharp-end of their demise in ‘The Bell’.
Silencing The Little Birdies
Master of Whispers, the shiny-headed eunuch Varys was caught in an ethical dilemma – foreseeing Dany’s psyche deteriorating and no longer fitting to rule. He rallies in secret to rebel, siding with a neglectful Jon. Though his scent was soon picked up by the Mother of Dragon (singular).
Tyrion snitches and informs Dany of Varys’s substantial underlying scheme, “I hope I deserve this. Truly, I do, I hope I’m wrong — Goodbye old friend.” The ascetic’s last dialogue to Tyrion, before inevitably being caught in execution by Dragon-fire.
Iron Fleet’ed
Euron Greyjoy, the titular self-titled Lord of the Iron Island’s fleet of dragon-skin-piercing balistas was swamped single-taloned’ly by Dany, with the help of Drogon. Euron wounded up ashore, where he found a dishevelled Jaime waddling his way to Cersei. “I’ll bring your severed head to Cersei for one last kiss!”
Both men engage in a battle to the death. Euron lunged and manages to maim Jaime, leaving two mortally gushing-wounds on his side. Jaime returns the favour by leaving a puncturing final-blow onto Euron’s chest. Mustering up a “But I got you! I’m the man who killed Jaime Lannister!” before gagging in his own pool of crimson.
Epic Fight
Cersei’s very own Maester, Doctor, Doc Frankenstein, and representative, Hand of the Queen Maester Qyburn. After the first hour mark of the episode, when Dany begins wreaking a-blazing purgatory upon the red-keep and the innocents around, Cersei is escorted by Qyburn, The Mountain and some grunts. Only stopping at a stairway, staring at a familiar foe.
The Hound unsheathes his silver, enraging The Mountain. Qyburn attempts to issue dominance and commands him to stop, only to be grappled and propelled down the staircase, waning death instantly.
While boulders drop like snow, grazing, leaving nothing but bruises without concussion when Clegane and The Mountain brawled. The Hound manages a heavy-swing, discarding Mountain’s helmet, showing an undead vessel of what was once the strongest living warrior. The Mountain pins Clegane onto a crumbling wall.
At an effort, The Hound sheathes his dagger into the skull of The Mountain. However, that does not kill him, which made him (it) barbarous beyond limit, applying the Oberyn ‘eye-popper’ onto Clegane. As Clegane wept blood, he made a final sacrificial endeavour to ram The Mountain down the keep, into a heap of never-ending fire. In the past, his big brother, The Mountain scarred The Hound with fire in the first place, and now, it is the grave of both.
A Lannister Always Repays Their Debts
Love, it breaks boundaries, that of even genetics and social systems. The Lannisters in season eight started off on different footings, Romeo & Juliet if you will! In opposing sides, fighting in different armies. But love always prevails right?
Jaime, after hearing of his sister’s soon-to-meet massacre, conspires a plot to leave his fling Brienne at Winterfell, riding on horse-foot to King’s Landing for Cersei. He gets caught by Dany’s frontier, leaving all his plans in the dumps. Tyrion risks his neck to help Jaime escape, a brother’s bond? A short-straw to end the war? Tyrion tells Jaime that there is a hidden-boat under the keep, making Jaime promise to leave together with Cersei, somewhere far, to start anew as husband & wife. Invigorated, Jaime marches to King’s Landing.
In the midst of Dany’s incandescent temper-tantrum, Jaime meets Cersei in the red-keep, leading her down to the crypts. But all hope was seemingly lost when the light in-the-end-of-the cave was obstructed by rubble, this leaves Cersei in a blank hopeless state, sprouting “I want our baby to live, Don’t let me die, I don’t want to die, Not like this,”.
Jaime acknowledges their grim state and says “Look me in the eyes, Nothing else matters, Only us,”. They embrace for one last time before the ceiling collapses on the defeated blonde-siblings.
Our Sentiments
Now, picture this, if you were culminating a series, releasing a weekly-string of episode-after-episode in a slow-attempt to cull the growing ‘hype’, to ensure the longest periods of interest and expectations may actually be your undoing. Game of Thrones, however, seems to be doing just fine, as they hurl towards next week’s finale-of-the-finale.
If a pilot episode comes first, then the landing comes last. How are you feeling after this episode? There, honest-to-Westeros had outwardly more deaths compared to the attack of the Night King.
Despite the numerous claims of displeasure from GoT’s digressing plot, we all can’t help but keep our eyes peeled at a Legendary Series.
Holding to biased truth, I can preach that there won’t be another like this.
Let us know what you think about this episode in the comment section or reach out to Neue on social media on Facebook or Instagram. (All photos courtesy of HBO)