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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms! Game Of Thrones – S8E2

lilacjream / April 24, 2019 / Leave a comment

Favorite Moments from S8E2, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms!

OMG the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode of Game of Thrones is so good and so full of meaningful moments for me, that I cannot limit myself to just five this week. We saw more reunions, plans for the future, and moments that were long overdue! I will list these moments in the order that they happened in the episode so as not to confuse myself or my readers.

Brienne defends Jamie

I cannot tell you how significant this moment is. Simply for the fact that it means so much to Jamie. I love Jamie’s character arc. He began as the Kingslayer. As a result of his interactions with Brienne, we understand why he’s made some of the decisions he’s made. I find it interesting that he was so in love and close with his sister, yet could never really express his true feelings or be vulnerable with her.

Jamie is totally different with Brienne. Upon killing the mad King Aerys, his honor and reputation were totally besmirched. Jamie was hard-pressed to find anyone that trusted him or took him seriously. Brienne, on the other hand, is one of the most honorable characters of the show. She is loyal to a fault and determined to keep her oaths. There is never any doubt about Brienne’s intentions or integrity. To have her step in and vouch for his honor and integrity was HUGE for Jamie. He knows what an honorable person she is and to have her speak on behalf is a sort of validation for Jamie that he has changed and there just may be some redemption for him. I could feel his gratitude at that moment and it was heartwarming.

Fierce Girl Talk

But what About the North?

So far this season Sansa consistently rebuffs and undermines Dany. Dany asks to speak with her privately, hoping to bond over their mutual love for her brother. And while they begin to understand each other in the beginning, Sansa questions what is to happen to the North once they’ve defeated the Night King and Dany has taken her throne.

The people of the North have gone through so much over the years. They’ve marched south to fight the war of the five kings, only to later be fighting wars in and amongst themselves. The Northern people were burned, pillaged, ravaged and betrayed. They are a proud people and are finally ruling themselves once again, and are unwilling to hand that rule over to another outsider. Dany does not receive the implications of Sansa’s questions well.

Missandei and Grey Worm

Out of all the couples on Game of Thrones, these two are by far the most adorable. I love their connection and dedication to each other. They are in a strange land amongst strange and cold people. Even with the Northerners suspicious and unwelcoming of outsiders, Missandei and Grey Worm’s treatment is akin to how ‘others’ are treated in the real world. Poor Missandei offers a simple hello and is shunned and shut out.

Grey Worm is loyal. He will fight for Dany until she defeats her enemies and takes her throne, however, he would prefer to go someplace more welcoming. He and Missandei agree to go to The Isle of Narth, where she was born. Personally, it is a relief to see someone still holding onto dreams and making plans for the future. Everyone else’s outlook is really bleak. These two give me hope that there actually can be some sort of happy ending.

I saw a GHOST! Nights Watch Reunion

Auuuugghhhh! I FINALLY saw Ghost! After a whole season and an episode without him, it was so wonderful to see Jon’s Direwolf posted up with his master in this episode. Thinking they were cutting him out again, I am happy to see he made it into the new season! As is right, there he was along with Jon, Samwell, and Ed. It was a small reunion of the Nights Watch, and it was nice to see the surviving brothers standing together again. And now their watch begins!

Got Giant’s Milk?

Look here, this was the most entertaining scene of the entire episode. Tormund Giantsbane proceeds to have a little bit of a pissing match with Jamie over the affections of Brienne. To impress her he offers up the most hilarious story of how he was nursed by a Giant for three weeks after killing her husband at the age of ten. He claims Giant’s milk is the reason he is so strong. When I tell you I cackled at his story and the looks on the faces of those who bore witness to it. Definitely one of my favorite scenes this episode.

Arya and Gendry

I’ve been waiting for this moment for some time. Arya, being the self-sufficient woman she is, has never ascribed to the whole happily ever after fairytale. But when Gendry came along her attraction to him was undeniable. Even at so young an age. These two connected in the very midst of madness and mayhem and found a way to survive together. I believe their eventual mating was inevitable, even if a bit awkward. I like these two as a pair and it may fulfill what should have happened long ago. The joining of House Stark and House Baratheon!

Ser Brienne!

This moment was long overdue! I was damn near in tears at Brienne finally being knighted. There are very few characters in this series who have kept their words and stayed the course they were set upon from the beginning. Brienne, however, has done just that. From avenging Renly’s death to keeping her oath to Catelyn Stark, she has been a beacon of light, hope, and strength throughout this series. To finally see her getting the honor, respect, and acknowledgment she so greatly deserves makes me proud and happy. All day YES to Ser Brienne, a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms!

You Can’t Handle the Truth!

The truth will out y’all! Cue the goosebumps, because again I had them the entire time this scene was happening. Dany finds Jon in the crypts. He stares intently at Lyanna Stark’s statue and Dany wonders how her brother Rhaegar, someone so highly regarded, could have kidnapped and raped her. Jon reveals that it didn’t happen that way at all. That they were in love and married, and Lyanna had a son. She knew that Robert would kill the child had he known, so she entrusted him to her brother to protect and raise as his bastard son. Jon is Aegon Targaryen, 6th of his name, and rightful heir to the iron throne.

Dany immediately realizes the implications of this. She understands that Jon has a strong claim to the throne and insists on knowing where he got his information. She is incredulous when she learns Sam and Bran put the events together. Dany and Jon are about delve deeper into this when the warning horn sounds three times. The Night King’s army has approached and is outside Winterfell’s gates. It ends with the following scene!

Check out my summary of S8E1: Winterfell here! And I also did a quick rundown on my Youtube channel here! Comment below and let me know what your favorite scenes were in this episode!

Game Of Thrones Season 8 Premiere!

lilacjream / April 16, 2019 / Leave a comment

My Top Five Moments of the Game of Thrones Season 8 Premiere!

OMG I am thrilled and ecstatic that Game of Thrones season 8 is finally airing. I feel like we have all been waiting on this moment for so long and it’s finally arrived. And already there is so much to unpack. To prevent this post from being exponentially long, I’m limiting myself to the top five moments that had me transfixed and feeling all the feels. Besides the last two, these are in no particular order.

Five: Bran and Jamie coming Face to Face

I find it both entertaining and hilarious that Bran knows all and sees all, and still chose to sit in the courtyard of Winterfell all night waiting on Jamie’s arrival. The level of petty that Bran was feeling in that moment must have been overwhelming. I can’t even be mad at him. When someone pushes you out of a window there must be some satisfaction in confronting them years later. Especially when they thought you would die, or they’d never have to see you again. The look on Jamie’s face upon meeting Bran face to face after so many years was classic! I cannot wait to see how it plays out next week as this was the ending scene of the episode.

Four: Jon and Sam Reuniting

Augh! This one pulled my heartstrings. Sam is indeed a brother to Jon, both because of the Night’s Watch Bond, and because of their extraordinary friendship. To me, Sam is to Jon like Robert was to Ned. Growing up and becoming men together while facing unspeakable horror and having the other’s back created a deep level of trust and mutual respect between them. Except Sam is more kind, thoughtful, sensitive, and intelligent than Robert was. But the bond is unbreakable and it was so lovely to see these two reunited after all they’d been through together and separately.

Three: Jon and Arya’s Family Reunion

Out of the Stark children, these two were the closest. They both had more of the look of their father, whereas the rest of the Stark children had their Mother’s red coloring. At least in the books. They both felt like outsiders in their own home, and Arya always treated Jon as if he were her full-blooded brother. He was never a bastard in her eyes. So to finally see these two together again gave me all the feels. It took me back to when they had to say goodbye to each other and all the things that happened to each of them since. I believe these two fighting together will be a force to be reckoned with. It was so good to see them back together again!

Two: Jon Mounting and Riding Rhaegal!

Love, love, loved this moment in the show! It has been a moment I have been waiting for and anticipating for YEARS now! The fact that Jon is the rider of the dragon named for his birth Father is just so epic and synchronistic and appropriate. Ever since I found out Jon was a Targaryen, or a Stargaryen as I like to call him, I have been envisioning the moment when he would take control of his dragon and ride with Dany. In previous times, before the dragons had all died out, the Targaryens rode them together. Brothers and Sisters alike mounted their dragons to go out into the seven kingdoms and take care of business, and I am here for Jon and Dany doing the same!

One: Jon Learns the Truth!

Yassssss! May I present to you Aegon Targaryen, 6th of His name, Protector of the Realm, and King of the Seven Kingdoms! You talking about someone having goosebumps during this ENTIRE scene. Hell, I have goosebumps typing this up! First of all, it was entirely appropriate that Sam delivers this news to Jon considering their close relationship. Second, it was so good and satisfying to see Jon finally learn the truth of his parentage and realize that he’d never been a bastard at all. To learn that not only had he never been a bastard but that he is indeed the true and rightful heir to the throne and the legitimate son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen was incredible! We started from the bottom now we here! This news is overwhelming to Jon. He can’t believe his Father, the most honorable man he knew, would lie to him his whole life. Sam informs him that Ned made a promise to his mother and the lie was necessary to save his life.

The fallout will be fascinating!

Honorable Mentions

Lyanna Mormont gathering Jon Snow about bending the knee, Sansa and Dany’s rivalry, Arya and Gendry’s reuniting, and Tormund Giantsbane and company making it safely out of the destruction of the wall! I am just here for this whole episode. I am left with one question though, where TF is Ghost?!

Need a quick rundown of the Major Players in Season1 Episode 1, Check out my post here!

Netflix Show Recommendation: The Umbrella Academy!

lilacjream / February 25, 2019 / Leave a comment

A New Take on Heroes

Synopsis:

I recently binged the new show on Netflix, The Umbrella Academy. Later I found out that it was a line of comic books but had no previous knowledge of this before watching the show. I was all in from the very first episode. Seven adopted kids with special powers are raised together in the household of a strict disciplinarian. They are constantly trained and tested to use their powers and be a team to fight crime. Unfortunately one of them is determined to have no powers and grows up in this family feeling alone and isolated. Another disappears as a child, never to be seen again, and another passes away as a child. Bitter about their experiences at home they all drift off in different directions as adults and are only brought back together upon the death of their father. Mayhem and shenanigans ensue.

Quick Character Thoughts:

For me the standout character in this series is Klaus. A junkie, drug addict, Klaus is a complete disaster. He is also a sensitive soul who never learned how to properly cope with his gift. This is a result of his unbending father who threw him into traumatic situations with no regard to his sensitivity or age. Klaus is a very intricate, nuanced, and colorful character who immediately draws you in and captures your attention. While the rest of the characters have their lovable qualities, Klaus quickly became my favorite. I do however think the actor playing Number Five was excellent. He managed the juxtaposition of young and old expertly.

Additional characters I loved were the assassins, one of which was played by Mary J. Blige. It seems Mary is finding a comfortable new career as an actress lately and doing a damn good job. She was both fierce and hilarious as an assassin and makes me look forward to seeing her in future projects.

Overall Thoughts:

I was completely delighted by this quirky show. It is a completely new take on the concept of superheroes (at least for me). Every single character had something to offer, which made this show fun to watch. Of course, it ends on a bit of a cliff hanger so I am definitely hoping for and looking forward to a season two of The Umbrella Academy.