The destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor is undoubtedly a landmark moment in “Game of Thrones” history, but it’s not perfect. While it’s easy to get caught up in the grandeur of the green-tinted explosion, which Cersei Lannister witnessed with a cold grin from a safe distance, Redditor u/yoaver reminds us that narratively, the scene presents some glaring issues — chiefly the lack of consequences and logical follow-up to such a major development in Westeros. Not to mention, some of the worst of what came after throughout Season 7 and Season 8 can be, in some form or fashion, traced back to this exact event.
“Almost all the nonsensical plot afterwards, from the Wight fetching trip, the fall of Highgarden and Dorne, Rhaegal’s death, [Daenerys Targaryen, as played by Emilia Clarke] madness and death and Cersei’s lack of action can be traced to this event and its lack of consequences,” they wrote. Many in the comments agreed with the arguments presented in the original post, with a now-deleted user claiming that the scene marked a transition in “Game of Thrones,” taking it from a thoughtful political series to a more straightforward, Hollywood-ified drama.
Say what you will about Cersei’s big Season 6 power move and what it led “Game of Thrones” to become, but there’s no denying that the piano track accompanying it is absolutely perfect.
