Death and destruction, thy name is Euron Greyjoy

It wasn’t supposed to kick off so quickly. At the very least, Daenerys should have been able to keep her two dragon children beside her for a little longer, since they’re pretty much the only advantage she has in her quest for the throne.

*Update: The full boxset of Game of Thrones S1-8 is ready to be binge-watched on Showmax.*

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t watched Game of Thrones Season 8 episode 4 yet, stop right here.

 

For all those who watched the episode on Showmax (new episodes of Season 8 land at 22:00 every Monday), let’s chat.

Before Daenerys’s plan to take the Iron Throne can be put into place, Winterfell is a hub of merriment. In the wake of the mass funeral for those who fell in the Long Night, one and all come together to celebrate the fact that the Night King is gone, and they’re all still alive.

In the midst of the jollity, there are a number of romantic entanglements (it’s about time, Jaime – but we’ll come to you later) as well as a “yas queen” moment from Arya – she can’t marry Gendry, even if he is lovely, and has recently been promoted to a Lord. She’s the hero of Winterfell and she knows herself.

And there’s a heated conversation between Daenerys and Jon, or, in this context, her nephew Aegon, about the Iron Throne. Jon’s “maybe a little” drunk and Daenerys is terrified, never a great combination for a lovers’ quarrel, and neither of them walk away satisfied. Daenerys urges him to keep the secret of his claim to the throne from Arya and Sansa, and he insists that they’re his family and they deserve the truth.

He tells them, of course. Sansa can’t keep the news to herself, especially because it means that Daenerys might not become queen after all. At least she chose a sensible person to tell – Tyrion, of all people, will know what to do with the revelation. Except he believes one hundred percent in the Dragon Queen, and can’t believe anyone else is questioning her right to rule.

And after all the drinking, the hook-ups and the talking, the episode gets really messy when the Unsullied fleet, accompanied by Daenerys and her dragons, and with Tyrion, Lord Varys and Missandei on board, arrives at King’s Landing. Euron Greyjoy unleashes hell, and takes down Rhaegal the dragon, who, thankfully, Daenerys is not riding as he plunges into the sea.

Missandei has been captured, and Daenerys is forced to send Tyrion to communicate the message to Cersei that if she releases Missandei, she can escape the battle for the throne with her life – and the life of her unborn child – intact.

For a moment, we thought he had her. We really did. But this is Cersei Lannister we’re talking about. She’s not giving up that throne without a fight.

If there’s one person who knows Cersei better than Tyrion does, it’s Jaime. And at the end of the episode he rides away from Winterfell, away from Brienne, toward King’s Landing and his twin sister. We really hope he’s going to avenge her for turning him into a “hateful” person. But maybe he just misses her.

Stream the whole of Game of Thrones Seasons 1 to 7 on Showmax, and catch every new episode of Season 8 at 22:00 on Mondays.