For this final season of Game of Thrones, Team Experience members Ben Miller and Eric Blume have been alternating on coverage. Now they're joined up for the final wrap. - Editor
BEN MILLER: Alrighty Eric. We are at the end of the line. Before we get to the final episode, are you happy with the final season leading up to the finale has gone?
Personally, I feel it's been pretty fulfilling. The problems everyone seems to be having are more related to the spectacle and anticipation as a whole. This might be the last piece of monoculture we have for a while, so everyone has strong opinions about what it should and should not be. I also believe our culture does not lend itself to objective criticism. Instead of watching an episode and forming your own opinion, you watch the episode while the rest of the world is simultaneously tweeting about it. After the episode, you watch the immediate reaction videos and fiery blog posts. The next day, you laugh or scoff at the thousands of produced memes, read seven reaction articles and reviews, take in another dozen YouTube videos, then you suddenly have an opinion. I started my personal media blackout until my opinion was formed after episode 2 of this season.
ERIC BLUME: While I agree with your assessment of how movies and TV are now consumed, I think there's a more disturbing trend at hand with this season: armchair criticism. Obviously it's cool to be disappointed with this final season in whatever way you're disappointed. But the ugly dismissal of Benioff and Weiss by viewers is deeply gross to me...
The amount of hard work, careful thought, intelligent judgment, and sheer love these two men have poured into this series over the last eight years is staggering, and the lack of respect many viewers have given them shows a very lousy side of human behavior. Half a million people signing a petition for HBO to redo the entire season is just such a hideous impulse. Again, be disappointed and be sharply and smartly critical, but please don't pretend like you (the collective you) could have done this better.
I'll admit this viewpoint is personal as someone who works actively in the field and knows how hard it is to get ANYTHING right, let alone accomplish what Benioff and Weiss did, including this season, when their task was monumental, and so many people's expectations were impossibly high.
The episodes leading up to the finale were emblematic of the series: beautifully directed, gorgeously shot, and smartly acted. I think the writing was weaker this season than in years past, and some of the plot mechanics were creaky, but I liked that they wrapped up many plot details in the penultimate episode, so that this finale had room to breathe and stay so low-key.
Were you satisfied with the finale?
BEN: I said when we started that I wanted one of two possibilities for a finale. Either a Breaking Bad finale where everything is perfectly neat and wholly satisfying, or one like The Wire where storylines are wrapped up as well as they can be and there is an openended-ness to further explore. We got The Wire ending last night. The big question was: who would be left to survive and pick up the pieces? The answer was everyone except Daenerys. Emila Clarke really sold her stoic mania in that final throne room scene, and it was made plenty clear as soon as Jon entered what was going to happen. I think Jon killing her is the right thing and I think Jon not becoming king is also the right thing.
Now, on to the more interesting question...are you happy with the new king and how the new king was chosen?
Personally, I see Bran as a terribly boring character with zero charisma who speaks like a beat poet. Bran on the throne is not exciting, but the more I think about it, boring is the way this kingdom needs to be run. Robert Baratheon wasn't boring. Neither was Joffrey or Cersei. Maybe it's time for a boring monarch to restore some normalcy to the kingdom? The high council is filled with people who do not seek further power. Bronn is the most devious of the group, and he seems content with whoring and drinking.
I also thought Sam's suggestion of a democratic vote was going to be the solution, and I was SO happy it got shouted down as ridiculous.
ERIC: Ha! Nobody wants a scene where the Wildlings go the ballot box. Indeed, I thought the choice of Bran was a bit of a wee-wah, as he's a snooze as a character... but seeing the many traps the writers could have fallen into on resolving that issue, it feels right, partly because of your smart rationale. It would have been too obvious had Jon gotten on the throne (well, the new non-melted one), and I liked that they brought it all back to the Stark family, as it's really their story from the beginning.
Emilia Clarke did fine work in these last three episodes. Her character got very tiresome in the two prior seasons, where her scenes were often repetitive, but she has several moments this season with no dialogue where she has to carry a lot of psychology and emotion, and get away with scenes in a made-up language where it all could be completely ridiculous. The specific kind of acting Clarke had to do in this show was different than what was required of most of the others: in lesser hands, the entire role could be preposterous.
What did you think of Peter Dinklage's work this past season? Is he headed for Emmy number four?
BEN: I am a huge Dinklage fan and thought his first two Emmy wins (Seasons 1 and 5) were very well deserved. He didn't have very much to do in Season 7 but he won the Emmy anyway, because everyone loves him. I thought he would receive a token nomination this year, but after that speech he gives to Jon before Dany's death, I think he has Emmy #4 wrapped up. Just think about it in terms of eyeballs. Two of the most viewed pieces of serialized television in the past year were episodes 5 and 6 and Dinklage had major showcases in both. If we want to get into a little prognostication, who is going to beat him? Nicholaj Coster-Waldau or Jonathan Banks are probably his biggest competition, but there is no one who came out of nowhere to take it from him.
On the Emmy front, I can see a world where the show gets SEVEN acting nominations from this season. Dinklage and Coster-Waldau are pretty locked in, as is Lena Heady. Assuming they are going lead, I would think Kit Harrington and Clarke will be nominated as well, with a less-than-zero chance to bring home the gold. I think the really interesting part is to see if they will put Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner in alongside Heady. I think Williams is solidly in, but Turner has had some late steam. If you were to put a gun to my head, I think they will end up with six nominations, with Harrington missing out.
ERIC: Dinklage will win Emmy number four. He had really meaty material this season, especially in this finale. I had hoped Lena Headey would get a more juicy scene somewhere in her last episode, but she's superb with what she has to do. I think nominations will go to those two, plus Coster-Waldau, Clarke, and Williams. I love Sophie Turner, though...we literally watched her learn how to act from start (no clue) to finish (sublime).
BEN: Which storyline conclusion did you find most satisfying?
ERIC: I found Jaime Lannister's storyline the most deeply satisfying. As you mentioned in our first post, his arc was colossal, and as frustrating on some level as it was watching him return to Cersei at the end, it felt right. Him being literally entombed with her is pretty perfect.
Was there anything about the finale episode that made you feel truly disappointed?
BEN: As we laid out, it all makes sense for Bran to be the king...but it's just such a bummer. No one in the world is clamoring for Bran to be the king. This is also a problem with fan service and Weiss and Benioff trying to appeal to the opposite of fan service (because we all know that Bran doesn't rank in the top 15 of favorite GoT characters).
My disappointment doesn't stem from how everything ended up, but the uneven timeline of how we got here. Episode 1 was reminding everyone where they were and setting the table for the battle against the dead. It's my least favorite episode of the series, but it only spans a few days of story. Episode 2 might be in the top five of all time GoT episodes, but that was only a few hours, just like the battle in episode 3. The timeline in episode 4 could be anywhere from days, to weeks to months, while episode 5 takes place over a few hours. The finale had the same problem. How much time has past between Dany's death and Tyrion's "trial'? How much time between Bran being crowned king and the first gathering of the King's high council? Some episodes were incredibly patient while others could not wait to get a move on. I would have loved at least two or three more episodes of Dany being the Queen of Ashes and fleshing out whether she really thought she was defeating evil or if she had truly gone mad.
Alright, time to get a little silly. What is your reasoning for why Drogon decided to melt the Iron Throne? And what kind of future do you see for the last dragon in the world?
ERIC: Poor Drogon! He was pissed about Mama. I thought that moment had a sweet poetic justice about it...perfect way to eliminate the actual throne altogether. I mean, it was kind of convenient for everyone...once he liquidated that item, everyone was forced to move on. But it was the best use of the CG in that you could "feel" Drogon's anger and pain there, and it's cool that he flew away, maybe never to return again, and he remains mythical. That's pretty awesome. I see him on a beach somewhere with a daquiri, as he didn't take kindly to the cold.
Okay, in keeping with the silly, three quick questions:
1) Who are the two characters you'd wanna have a beer with?
2) Who would you wanna hook up with?
3) Who do you hope to never think about again?
BEN: Have a beer with - I would have to include Tyrion because he has consistently shown that he is a solid drinking buddy. Bronn would be on the list as well because he always seems like he'd have some wild stories
Hook up - pour one out for Mrs. Jon Snow because I have a special place in my heart for Rose Leslie. Ygritte is definitely my A #1. I never had much of an affinity for Dany.
Never want to think about - plenty of characters on the show have been of the lowest character, but no one makes my skin crawl more than Walder Frey. I've never been happier to have Arya kill another character.
ERIC: Oh lord yes, Walder Frey...I literally blocked him out of my mind, as he was the most abhorrent character on the series. You're right: he literally makes your skin crawl!
Fun surprise on the Ygritte choice. That storyline wasn't my favorite, but she had moxie for sure. The hookup for me is a three-way tie: Richard Madden (Rob Stark) with those eyes(!), Joe Dempsie (Gendry) with those shoulders, and Michiel Huisman (Daario Naharis) with that, well, everything. If only these were life's choices.
BEN: One final thought - where would you rank this season in the seasons of GoT? I would personally rank it near the bottom, but that's mostly because I enjoyed so much of the earlier season. Season 5 and 7 were pretty awful, so those might be lower. Also, where does Game of Thrones place in the annals of great television? I would rank it along the lines of Lost with a ton of memorable moments, touching greatness but some overhyped expectations near the end.
ERIC: Season 5 especially was weak ...that Jonathan Pryce story was illogical and awful, and the only time the show truly went off the rails. But I thought the final season was superior to the very first season (the artistry is just in another league now). The Red Wedding episode will probably always remain the single most shocking thing I've ever seen on a television show. I couldn't even speak for ten minutes after that played out.
As for its legacy in the annals, I think it will always be viewed as a watershed, particularly for the production values. Even before this season, each episode was truly like a movie. The technical craftsmanship of the show is unparalleled and untouchable. And in sheer scope, it was enormous. I think it expanded network executive minds on how far a show could go in narrative scale and practical achievement. It's not in my personal top ten of all time, but I stand awed at what Benioff and Weiss were able to do with this material. They paid tribute to genre and transcended it, fleshed out the characters in surprisingly complex ways, and kept the level of creativity and expressiveness at virtuosic levels for a decade.
Any final word you'd like to add?
BEN: I very much enjoyed the show and I dont think we'll see anything like it on TV for a while. It doesn't crack my all-time dramatic TV list (The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Americans), but it falls into a second-tier. Some episodes reached true greatness, while falling into a lot of issues.
Thanks for going back and forth with me these last six weeks. Now, to find something else to watch and obsess over.
How about you dear readers? Are you content with the finale or were you screaming into the void with so many on the internet?