Game of Thrones eighth and final season is in full swing, and its stirring up plenty of controversy with each and every episode. We're all familiar by this point with the amount of twists and turns the hit HBO series will bring to our screens, but the sheer spectacle of what we've seen in the last four episodes is unprecedented.
It's hard to tell what we'll be in for in next week's episode, but it's sure to be as tragic and brutal as the previous ones we've seen - if not more so.
For those desperate to know, here's the sneak preview of next week's episode:By far the most shocking part of last week's episode was its ending, one which looks to be driving its characters into a war unlike any other we've seen on the show. Tyrion extended the olive branch of peace to Cersei, asking her to have mercy on the citizens of King's Landing and ensure the safety of her unborn child, but she chose to continue the cycle of violence and seems to have forced Daenerys hand.
Missandei, Daenerys' confidante and Greyworm's love, was captured by Cersei's forces and used as a captive. Held on the wall to the capital, she was killed as a brutal statement of refusal, right in front of her friends and allies. She used her final words to say "dracarys," undoubtedly hoping her Queen will reign fire down on their enemies.
Missandei utters her final words in the shocking scene:While most fans directed their anger towards Cersei, the woman who ordered the execution, the Mad Queen wasn't the one who landed the final blow. Instead, it was Gregor Clegane, best known as 'The Mountain'. The skilled fighter has done plenty of horrible things in his life already, not least of all killing off Oberyn, one of the most beloved characters on the show.
Icelandic strongman Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, the man behind the intimidating villain, later posted an apology for taking her life in a tongue-in-cheek Instagram post.
"So sorry," Bjornsson wrote in the caption of a photo of him and Missandei actress Nathalie Emmanuel. "Cersei made me do it. Hope we're cool!"
Watch Missandei and Greyworm joke around behind the scenes:The actress also bid farewell to her character on Instagram, in a much more heartfelt way. "It's been one of my greatest joys playing Missandei of Naath ... The quiet and kind translator," she wrote. "A brilliant woman who overcame so much suffering and found herself, her voice ... and her one and only love."
"To the fans of the show, and of Missandei ... Thank you for all the love and support ... It's been a pleasure playing her for you. I know last night was pretty intense for some of you so I invite you to participate in my fantasy where I like to think that, right now ... Missandei is sipping a rum on a beach somewhere in sky."
Her response on Twitter was much more to the point.
Well said.