Game of Thrones "The Iron Throne" (S08E06)

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...

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Game of Thrones "The Bells" (S08E05)

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by Ben Miller

Boy howdy, that was an episode.  Regardless of your thoughts on the final season, we can probably all agree that the penultimate episode, “The Bells,” was the MOST episode Game of Thrones has had in a long while, if not ever.  Before we get to the big developments in the back half, let's focus on some of the other quieter scenes that really popped...

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Streaming Roulette May: Burning, Mermaids, Hairspray, and more...

As is our practice we've selected several random titles and frozen the films at utterly random moments without cheating (whatever comes up comes up!) for this quick preview. At the bottom of the page, check out full listings for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO for the first half of May 2019. Please do let us know if you're dying to discuss any of the films.  Okay, let's go...

Was there a well here a long time ago? A well deep enough to fall into?

Burning (2018) on Netflix
So good.  Still bummed it didn't make it to the Oscar nomination in best foreign language fi-- excuse me "best international film"

Please God, don't make me fall in love and want to do disgusting things.

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Game of Thrones "The Long Night" (S08E03)

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by Ben Miller

This weekend culminated with two of the most anticipated entertainment events in recent history.  While Avengers:Endgame was watched by everyone on the planet, Game of Thrones finally reached the Battle of Winterfell against the army of the dead...

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Game of Thrones "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" (S08E02)

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by Eric Blume

The Game of Thrones creative team are taking a very strategic approach into this final season.  While last week’s premiere episode laid the groundwork to reorient the viewer and feature satisfying reunions for characters parted for years, they’ve used Episode Two to provide an emotional tapestry between the characters, with a meditation on mortality, before they go into the big battle episodes ahead.  For loyal viewers, this episode served as a reminder of our attachment to these characters beyond the narrative, as well as a laser focus on the show’s main theme of honor.

We started with a killer scene where Jaime stands trial against the two families he has slain and wronged over the years, followed immediately by a tender exchange between him and his brother Tyrion (Nicolaj Coster-Waldau and Peter Dinklage are always magical together)...

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