3) Game of Thrones – The Massacre at Hardhome
It’s easy to remark on the inconsistency of Game of Throne‘s fifth season after the four exceptional years that came before it. I liked the show, nearly as much as ever, in its fifth year, but it became harder to fully anticipate each episode on such an uneventful set-up that is required by the series’ source material. Nevertheless, there are great moments here: Cersei’s Walk of Shame, Arya’s weird arc in the House of Black and White, and Daenerys’ first flight on Drogon.
But it’s the battle north of the Wall in the Wildling nexus dubbed Hardhome that skyrockets the final episodes of Game of Thrones‘ fifth season onto the level of earlier years. Jon and Tormund are trying to convince the wily Wildlings into uniting with the Night’s Watch against the impending horde of White Walkers, not to mention their growing army of the undead. Not much goes to plan, and the Walkers descend on the peace accords with a desolate and grim fury.
The slow-build of the show’s structure lends itself to satisfying the-shit-has-hit-the-fan moments, and Hardhome’s freaky man-vs-dead-man battle of the Night’s Watch, Wildling, and Wight forces – with White Walkers standing ominous guards on a nearby bluff – could easily break into a Top 5 All-Time Game of Thrones Moments list. The capping shot, of the Night’s King standing on a pier as Jon and company paddle to safety, is a line-drawn-in-the-sand, come-at-me-bro moment that finally feels like co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss assuring the show’s fervent fanbase: yes, we know these forces have to battle it out sometime, we know where this is going, we got you.
Published: Dec 29, 2015 02:57 pm