Hi, folks! temujin is back! I’ve been away for a while, but here I am, bringing you another post, for your reading pleasure!
Right, let’s get to it! Last Sunday, HBO released episode 8 of season 5 of the hit show Game of Thrones.
= = = = = = = SPOILER ALERT = = = = = = = = = = = SPOILER ALERT = = = = = = = = = = SPOILER ALERT = = = = = = = = =
Right, you’ve been warned!!
Now, having read all the books published thus far, I had been disappointed in what was going on so far this season. I mean, Barristan Selmy is killed?? Sam Tarly, Gilly and Maester Aemon DON’T travel to Essos?? No Griff and Young Griff (which means no Aegon Targaryen)?? Jorah gets Greyscale?? Sansa marries Ramsay Bolton?!!?!?
What the hell??!!
Besides all these inconsistencies, the show was becoming astonishingly boring. Except for a few fights here and there, it was all politics. Granted, some parts of the book are slightly boring (don’t shoot me), Martin somehow manages to make even those bits fun, somehow.
So I started watching episode 8 having pretty much the same frame of mind, preparing myself for another hour, give or take, of utter bollocks. And for the first 40 minutes or so, I was not wrong! More rubbish from the Sparrows and their fanaticism, Cersei in prison and licking water off the dungeon floor (ok! I admit I liked that! hehe) and more from the white trash/trailer park lifestyle in Winterfell. So more of the same.
But then, just as I was about to fall asleep, it happens!
Now, readers of ASOIAF know that something terrible happened at Hardhome, basically forcing the Wildings to flee the North and head through the Wall to accept Jon Snow’s invitation to an alliance. But what that was, isn’t really explained in the books. All we know, is that Cotter Pyke brought the massive numbers of the Free-Folk to Castle Black.
In the series, we see that, other than Cotter Pyke not appearing on the show, it’s Jon Snow himself who travels with Tormund Giantsbane and a few brothers of the Watch to Hardhome to convince the Wildlings to join them. Obviously there’s a debate whether to do so or not, whether to keep the Crows as enemies or survive. Most of the Free-Folk take the offer and decide to join Tormund and make peace with the Nightswatch, facing the common enemy. All except the Thenn, being the stubborn pricks they are, who decide they would rather face the White Walkers/Others on their lonesome than join up with the “Crow King”.
So, as the people are being boarded on to boats to head for Stannis’ ships, we hear something in the mountains. At first, I honestly thought “that’s some fierce thunder”!
Then we hear screaming in the distance. “Awesome! The Others / White Walkers!”, I think to myself. Before that moment, all we see are a few hundred, at the most. Even when, at the end of season 2, we see Sam terrified at the passing of an army of Others and we get the first glimpse of some sort of leader, hinting that these zombie-like beings are organized and not some brainless undead. That was pretty cool. But this… This would turn out to be something awesome!
Hardhome is attacked by thousands of Others, a true army! And to boot, we see 4 beings on horseback at the top of the ridges overlooking the village. The Battle of Hardhome was on!!
Already getting goosebumps, I’m now thinking “this is cool!”!
But it got better. Jon had shown the elders of the Free-Folk dragonglass and all the shards had remained in the main hut of the village. He went to get it, after a giant (Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun) had destroyed the place getting out and it had caught fire. Once inside, alongside Magnar Loboda, leader of the Thenn, they face this guy:
This dude, a White Walker lieutenant of sorts just steps in the flaming hut, WALKING THROUGH FRACKING FIRE!!!!! My jaw dropped! I mean, I was dumbfounded! He then kills Loboda, like he was some preppy junior on speed up against The Rock and beats the living bejesus out of Jon Snow. His weapon, some sort of spear made out of ice just shatters any weapon it clashes with. And this guy isn’t even the toughest soldier in this army! Jon gets thrown out of the hut. He picks up Longclaw, that he had lost right in the beginning of the fight. Right about now I’m expecting something terrible to happen (readers, shut up! No spoiling it for the rest of the gang!)! Jon, valyrian steel at the ready, defends himself from the attack of this baddass! And what ho but what should happen? The sword does not shatter!!! Jon then turns himself and destroys the White Walker! AWESOME!!!!
So the White Walker is shattered into a million pieces, we figure out that valyrian steel also kills these ugly chumps and they’ll all get home.
But wait, Benioff and Weiss aren’t done yet! The episode is not over! After they manage to get on to the last boat, minus two of the Wildling elders, Jon stares back at the shore, where the leader of these evil bastards stands, staring back at him, seemingly interested in the Commander of the Watch. Then, in a final “F you” to Jon, HE RAISES THE BLOODY RECENTLY DEAD!!!! In a matter of minutes, the already huge army of the dead is now even larger.
So now they are numbered in the tens or hundreds of thousands!
All in all! I LOVED those last 15/20 minutes!
I’m not going to go into all the theories and explanations of who this leader is and where these Others come from, because the internet is filled to the brim with GoT theorists. I just wanted to share my feelings watching the episode.
Oh… Sorry… Did I mention “Battle of Hardhome” earlier? I meant Massacre of Hardhome!! The Nightswatch / Free-Folk alliance got their asses handed to them!
My jaw is still open which sucks, seeing as I can’t eat! 😀
See ya!!!
Gif source and other gifs: http://uproxx.com/tv/2015/06/game-of-thrones-hardhome-highlights/5/
A Geek and the Sea 