Game of Thrones
“The Dance of Dragons”
(HBO)
B+
Much like its predecessor, “The Dance of Dragons” featured grandiose effects and a memorable final scene, albeit more predictable and formulaic as a whole. It’s also split into two halves and manages to tie up storylines. Many characters are foreseeably finished, leaving us with a fairly predictable finale.
The Dorne storyline was the big drag here, much like the rest of the season. We’re coming up on its conclusion yet we haven’t gained much from the Dornes’ introduction — except that they like snakes. Every gift shop in Dorne has snake keychains and shot glasses.
The writers have already proven they will do whatever they want, whenever they want. Need a rape scene? Sure! Throw it in there. Why not? Want to kill some babies? Of course! Watching another scene of two parents standing by as their daughter is burned alive: just another day in Game of Thrones land. If you, at one point, admired Stannis’s unwavering hunger for the throne, this little act will have you rooting for anyone else. Cross another abhorrent thing off the Game of Thrones bucket list; it was one of the show’s darkest moments followed by one of its most exciting moments. It’s as if the showrunners wanted to immediately take your mind off what they felt was a necessary move in their story. This had been building for a while, and I guess they wanted to make sure we understood that during times like these (I know, it’s fantasy!), child sacrifices were not out of the ordinary. In a Stannis vs. Ramsey match, whose side are you on now?
You honestly can’t criticize a Gladiator-style ending on Game of Thrones, especially when you throw a fire-breathing dragon in the mix. (How did all of those Sons of the Harpy get in the stadium? They need some better security for an event like this!) Dany and her friends are talking in the “fighting pit,” and before you know it, our heroes are in a pretty tight stop. When all seems lost, here comes Mr. Rogue, “Old Red” himself, to save the day. The dragon takes some brutal hits (spears), with growing concern about whether this was the last time we would see our favorite red reptile. (Why am I so attached to these dragons?). This type of scene isn’t anything new to Game of Thrones vets, which took some joy out of it. It was heavy on CGI, and for the most part it looked good, but the execution was formulaic. The all-too-familiar scenario of being surrounded — with no hope — until in comes [insert hero’s name here] to save the day. In this one, it’s a dragon, but we do see how vulnerable the dragon can be. It’s not ready to go to war; it was almost Harpy dinner. Wherever Daenerys and that dragon go, I hope she starts devising a new plan to take the throne. The dragons aren’t ready yet. She needs to find someone to help her out, like Yoda or that kid from How to Train a Dragon.
But “The Dance of Dragons” never really leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I mean, Daenerys is riding her own dragon in the end! The big question is: Where is she going? Will there not be any more banter between Dany and Tyrion? Maybe Daenerys will train her dragon to talk.
