Death came a calling on last night’s episode of Game of Thrones. And before you cry “spoilers”… If you think saying that there were deaths in GoT gives away spoilers, do you even Game of Thrones? (That being said… this article contains spoilers for GoT, Season 8, episode 5, “The Bells”.) Yes, if the Grim Reaper has a quota, he’s likely done collecting souls for the remainder of the year following what happened in Kings Landing. Sadly, however, the penultimate episode of HBO’s former flagship show contained probably the most dissatisfying death of the season, and perhaps the entire show.
Cersei Lannister more or less won the stare-down between the two mad-queens-who-like-to-blow-stuff-up from the prior episode. Her arrogance had her order Missandei beheaded in front of Daenerys and Grey Worm. The dire consequence, however, was that Cersei triggered in the Mother of Dragons the family madness. Once that genie came out there was nothing Tyrion could do to sweet-talk it back into the bottle. We knew what was going to happen. We saw the beginnings of it in episode 4. It didn’t make it any easier to watch, but that’s a subject for another article. Enter death from above (Dany and Drogon), and the eventual, most dissatisfying death of the show.
Most Dissatisfying Death of Game of Thrones: Cersei Lannister
Kings Landing is in flaming ruins, the Red Keep has fallen, and Cersei attempts to flee with The Mountain and Qyburn. The Hound, however, throws those plans in the hopper as The Mountain flattens Qyburn and abandons his queen to battle his brother. Cersei ultimately makes it to the map room for a tearful reunion with Jaime. Together they find their way to bowels of the Red Keep and a wholly dissatisfying death. Why? Because there they find their passage to safety blocked at every turn. She weeps, he holds her, the castle topples down on them, they die.
Wait, what?
For eight seasons Cersei Lannister has been the queen we love to hate. Just when you feel the slightest sympathy for her, she blows up the sept, or beheads a beloved character. She probably kicked a puppy, too, who knows. Yet… she gets her tearful farewell in Jaime’s arms? She dies with the love of her life? There’s no “DRACARYS!!!” No Arya stepping out from behind a pillar saying calmly “my father sends his regards” before, well, you know. (*slice*) Just… tears and regret?
Honestly, I lost a $20 bet over this. I thought for sure Jaime’s sense of honor would have him return to King’s Landing to kill another mad monarch before the people of Westeros suffered the consequence of ego. Obviously I got that one wrong.
Now, I understand the symbolism of the scene, her world literally and figuratively crashing down around her, etc. Notwithstanding, I still found Cersei’s to be most dissatisfying death so far this season. Come on, Benioff & Wiess. She deserved so much more than she got.
What did you think?
