Game of Thrones 6.8: Strategic Advantage

A strategically satisfying Game of Thrones 6.8 tonight, in which the game is played to better effect on multiple fronts than it often is.

My favorite was Jaime's retaking of the castle from the Blackfish, with one of the best interactions of Jaime and Brienne that we've seen so far in the series thrown into the bargain.  With all their knightly courtesy and regretful promises to fight each other if need be, this seemed for all the world like a passage from King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable.  And that parting scene with Jaime waving to Brienne as she moved down the river was an especially memorable little icing on this cake.

Arya had one of the best nights in years, too.   Her seeking refuge with the Game of Thrones play-within-a-play Shakespearean troupe and its deadly outcome for the actress in this troupe playing Cersei was a perfect parable about the dangers of mixing reality and fantasy, truth and fiction, which could provide a good lesson for our lives in general.

And Cersei herself has an excellent night, finally getting something of the upper hand over that sanctimonious Sparrow, courtesy of that huge, super knight she has at her disposal.  The fly in her ointment in that too-good son of hers, but as irritating as he is, he's still preferable to his late older brother.

The joke session with Tyrion, the unsullied head, and Daenerys's chief assistant was also a gem, with some pretty good jokes and meta-jokes thrown onto the floor.   And what more could you ask for than Daenerys herself delivered to the top of the pyramid by her dragon at just the right moment.

Not much going in the bitter north tonight, but lots is clicking into place in all parts south, and the coming attractions promise of big battle for Winterfell next week.

See also Game of Thrones 6.1: Where Are the Dragons ... Game of Thrones 6.2: The Waking ... Game of Thrones 6.5: Origin of a Name ... Game of Thrones 6.6: The Exhortation ... Game of Thrones 6.7: Giveth and Taketh

And see also Game of Thrones 5.1: Unsetting the Table ... Game of Thrones 5.8: The Power of Frigid Death ... Game of Thrones 5.9: Dragon in Action; Sickening Scene with Stannis ... Game of Thrones Season 5 Finale: Punishment

And see also Games of Thrones Season 4 Premiere: Salient Points ... Game of Thrones 4.2: Whodunnit? ... Game of Thrones 4.3: Who Will Save Tyrion ...Game of Thrones 4.4: Glimpse of the Ultimate Battle ... Game of Thrones 4.6: Tyrion on Trial ... Game of Thrones 4.8: Beetles and Battle ...Game of Thrones 4.9: The Fight for Castle Black ... Games of Thrones Season 4 Finale: Woven Threads

And see also  Game of Thrones Season 3 Premiere ... Game of Thrones 3.3: The Heart of Jaime Lannister ... Game of Thrones 3.6: Extraordinary Cinematography ...Game of Thrones 3.7: Heroic Jaime ...  Game of Thrones 3.9: A Critique 

And see also Game of Thrones Back in Play for Season 2 ... Game of Thrones 2.2: Cersei vs. Tyrion

And see also A Game of Thrones: My 1996 Review of the First Novel ... Game of Thrones Begins Greatly on HBO ... Game of Thrones 1.2: Prince, Wolf, Bastard, Dwarf ... Games of Thrones 1.3: Genuine Demons ... Game of Thrones 1.4: Broken Things  ... Game of Thrones 1.5: Ned Under Seige ... Game of Thrones 1.6: Molten Ever After ... Games of Thrones 1.7: Swiveling Pieces ... Game of Thrones 1.8: Star Wars of the Realms ... Game of Thrones 1.9: Is Ned Really Dead? ... Game of Thrones 1.10 Meets True Blood

And here's a Spanish article in Semana, the leading news magazine in Colombia, in which I'm quoted about explicit sex on television, including on Game of Thrones.

And see "'Game of Thrones': Why the Buzz is So Big" article in The Christian Science Monitor, 8 April 2014, with my quotes.

Also: CNN article, "How 'Game of Thrones' Is Like America," with quote from me

 
"I was here, in Carthage, three months from now." 

#SFWApro