The Last of the Starks! My Favorite Moments from Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 4
In this episode, we witness the aftermath of a harrowing battle with the Night King. It is chock full of meaningful moments, tearful goodbyes, and heartbreaking deaths. Let’s get into it! My favorite moments from Game of Thrones S8E4, The Last of the Starks!
The Funeral Pyre:
After the Long Night, we were met with many deaths of characters many of us had grown to love. So it is only fitting for the characters left, who had ties to them, see their bodies safely burned and turned to ash. Jon gives a rousing speech imploring everyone to remember their fallen heroes. That they did not die in vain and it was their responsibility to see that they lived on in memory.
A Victory Celebration:
After the funeral everyone gathers in Winterfell’s hall to celebrate their victory over the Night King. There are several little moments within this one scene that are significant to me.
-Daenerys declares Gendry a Baratheon and makes him Lord of Storm’s End
-Dany witnesses how beloved Jon is to the Northern people and Wildlings. Jon inspires love and loyalty and she’s not particularly here for it. She sees it as a threat to her quest for the throne.
-Sansa reconciles herself to the Hound. She is no longer a frightened Little Bird, and they come to terms with the change and growth in both of them.
Gendry Proposes:
After being declared Lord of Storm’s End, Gendry finds Arya and proposes to her. I love this scene because even though Arya holds affection for Gendry, she has been declaring to us who she is since day one. As a throwback to season one, Arya answers Gendry with the same words she answers her father upon suggesting he’d marry her off to some nice Lord. “That’s not me.”
The Cards are on the Table:
In this scene, we see Jon and Dany. They both love each other and want to be together. Dany is threatened by Jon’s truth and wants him to keep it to himself. She understands the loyalty he inspires in others and fears if the truth were known, the people would want him as King. It is not lost on Dany that the people in Westeros have little to no trust for her. Jon insists he owes the truth to his family and that they can make it work regardless. Dany agrees that they can if he does it her way and her way only.
The Last of the Starks:
After a particularly tense scene drawing up battle plans, Jon’s family requests to see him. They meet in the Godswood and have a little family meeting. While they understand that Jon needed Dany and her dragons to defeat the Night King, they do not trust her. They insist that they are family, the last of the Starks. Jon then reveals to them the truth of his lineage and swears them to secrecy. Well, the secret didn’t last long and Sansa passes the information to Tyrion who later informs Varys. So if we think about this Arya, Bran and Sansa are all who are left. And it is unlikely that Bran will have children, and women cannot carry the name on. So we truly are looking at the Last of the Starks.
Jamie and Brienne
Yesssss! This whole thing finally happened and it was long overdue! I think they have been a little bit in love with each other since their time at Harrenhall and being captured by the brothers. This thought was solidified for me when Brienne tried to return Oathkeeper to Jamie and he told her it belongs to her. That it would always belong to her. I think he was speaking on more than just the sword.
So it was also a little heartbreaking to see the way in which he leaves Brienne after their night together. Brienne insists that Jamie is a good person and Jamie counters that by recounting all of the horrible things he’s done in the past. With news about Dany’s devastation, Jamie is off to King’s Landing. For now, this is for the best. Jamie has unfinished business.
Down Goes Rhaegal:
This scene was so unexpected and so shocking to me. Still recovering from having his wing torn, as Dany and her army approach Kings’ Landing by sea, Rhaegal is shot out of the sky by Euron and the Iron Fleet. He is not just injured, he is dead. Not only is Rhaegal taken down, but Dany’s fleet of ships are destroyed and the surviving army must make their way to the shore. It is then we find that Missandei is missing.
Dracarys! Game of Thrones:
The ending scene is heartbreaking. The negotiations between Cersei and Dany do not go well. Cersei and her army have captured Missandei and at the moment it’s quite dangerous for Drogon to fly in and do anything. Tyrion pleads with Cersei to listen to reason, but she is not having it. Cersei asks Missandei if she has any last words to which she replies “Dracarys.”
I promise at this point I expected Drogon to rise up and light their asses on fire! But it did not happen and upon re-watching this scene, I believe Dracarys was a message to Dany and Grey Worm. Missandei was telling them to beat this Queen and her army and show no mercy!
Overall Thoughts:
Another episode in the books. Of course one of the only two people who were making future plans before the Long Night gets killed and poor Rhaegal! I was just not expecting for any of the dragons to die in this series, so losing two of them is kind of blowing my mind. While I’ve come to expect the deaths of beloved characters in this series, it still hurts. I absolutely adored Missandei. She was the last person that deserved to die so it was hard to see her go like this. I’m am anxious to see how it all pans out next episode. Euron looks as if there is something quite surprising on the horizon and I’m anxious to see what that is!
You can read my recaps for episodes one, two, and three and also check out my recap video playlist here! Please let me know what you all thought of this week’s episode The Last of the Starks, in the comments below or on my video!