Game Of Thrones Recap - Episodes 4 - Season 8

Now the smoke has cleared and the bodies have been burned (why tho) we can see what Game Of Thrones, at the cusp of the finale is really all about. It’s not just about power and the lust to be in the big chair - it’s about measure and the make of the person who sits in that big chair. Now don’t worry, I’m not abandoning the classics - YES there was some direwolf badassery but we’re a long way from people getting their throats ripped out by dogs. And sure, there was a lil more family feud of Westeros but for me this episode was extremely illuminating because I realized what the show is doing - they’re gonna let Daenerys go FULL EVIL and then win. It won’t feel good but that’s the game.

It became obvious she was crazy when last season when she had a Tarly BBQ in the middle of the day, but Daenerys has been climbing the evil ladder very steadily. I think what show runners Benioff & Weiss are doing is showcasing how everyone’s favorite #girlboss becomes a monster. All the speeches, all the kick-ass moments, all the “hardship” - basically everything that made Daenerys a household name and your sister/daughter/mother/girlfriend/wife’s go to Halloween costume - is gonna be real complicated when she roasts half of King’s Landing alive and the innocents are screaming.

You could see this as Benioff and Weiss showcasing just what the personal cost of power is, but this is really about abandoning the noble female archetype. So many LEGENDARY characters on TV have been moral black holes and still achieved GAWD status - I’m looking at you Walter White, Tony Soprano, and Don Draper - but never has a woman been so evil and so cool - until now. Well that’s about to change because while Daenerys has always been cool - we’re about to get tested in how much dope dragon shit and one liners we can take before we' bail on her. Drapes, White, and Soprano were not good people but none of them were full blown mega psycho mad queen dictator maniacs.

Who knows maybe at Halloween this year when you see someone with an amazing wig looking medieval -you’ll say “Wow, nice Mother of Dragons,” and they’ll say ‘uhhhh - this is Elsa from Frozen.”

It's not about Cersi, Dany, Sansa, Brienne, Jaime, and even the dragons - IT IS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP! Jon Snow and Tormund are friendship goals and I'm here for it! #goals #GameofThrones #Justice4Ghost pic.twitter.com/KOtH8MEMF8

— Tim Goessling (@thislalife) May 6, 2019

Game Of Thrones Recap - Winterfell - Season 8 Premiere

So good to be back with my GAME TIME - aka my Game of Thrones recap. Everyone is amped so let’s just get into this.

Direwolf Badassery - Don’t you think for one second just because Jon Snow rides a dragon means we should forget about the direwolves. Don’t want- I NEED to see Ghost return to start kicking ass.

Family Feuds Of Westeros - Looks like there is going to be a lot sibling strife here and this episode certainly was hitting reality TV levels! Damn, someone just get the Starks on a recap show with Andy Cohen!

1. Between the ultimate “come at me bro” moment in yonder season and now this very dark art sculpture with a kid - The Night King is officially not only the big bad guy on the show but the ultimate in evil swag. He has moved past Joffrey.

2. I thought Euron was gonna get sliced in half by the mountain for a moment there.

3. Those opening credits were very shiny. Guess with this being the final run you gotta go big!

4. Ser Beric’s light em up sword is still amazing. So happy that Tormund is alive and even more happy to see Edd from the Night’s Watch. It is going to be very epic when all these characters come together.

5. As the seasons have moved on show runners Benioff & Weiss have really leaned into their comedy chops. There were some amazing one liners in this episode and I really enjoyed it. Now - does this mean we will get some Arnold style one liners later in the season? We will have to see!

6. It’s keeping me up at night when I think about which characters are going to become wights and then have to battle their friends. Wight Arya would be nuts.

7. What is that weapon Arya wants build? Looked like a hidden blade dagger.

8. I’m happy Theon and generally happy for the Greyjoys in general. They’ve been so through so much.

9. Alright, let’s get into this, I think that they’re setting this whole season up for Dany to die a heroes death and save the realm. She clearly has a lot to learn about leadership and the show has secretly been showing all the ways she tries and fails to adapt to new cities and cultures. That shit won’t fly in the North and in the end she’s going to have prove herself through something bold.

10. The next time we see dragons flying on the show they need to be kicking ass not going on a sightseeing trip!

So good to have #GameofThronesSeason8 finally here! Check out my recap where we learn more about the true meaning of the episodes title! #GameOfThrones #GOT #Recap pic.twitter.com/CJWyv73Gwf

— Tim Goessling (@thislalife) April 15, 2019

I AM HYPE - My Most Anticipated Content Of 2019

It’s all content bayybeeee. These days it’s incredibly hard to keep up with the deluge of content that bombards our senses. Between Netflix, gigantic tentpole movies, HBO series, video games, and more - it is an exciting time to be a fan of storytelling. So considering the fact that I live off hype - here’s a breakdown of what content I’m hyped for in 2019 in no particular order or genre.

1. Game Of Thrones Final Season (April) - Let’s stop playing games, this is fuckin it. Thrones is the life force of all the content. All of the memes, all of the theories,  all of the direwolf badassery, and all of the moments where the show bleeds into real life have all lead to this. I’m less concerned about who will sit on the Iron Throne (the show has never really been about that btw) and if the showdown between Jon Snow (the greatest “hero” character ever btw) and the Night King will be as an epic as it was teased. CANNOT WAIT for this.

2. Ad-Astra (May) - This is the most artsy fartsy movie on my list but don’t let that turn you off because this movie is pure HYPE. The follow up to the film LOST CITY OF Z (which is an all time exploration of faith, obsession, and the desire to explore) - AD ASTRA is director James Gray’s space epic. All of the great directors (Kubrick, Nolan, Spielberg, Bay) make a space movie and this one is no exemption. Oh - you wanted to know about the plot, well here you go: Brad Pitt travels across the universe to find/reconcile with his father who may pose a threat to humanity or hold the key to its survival. The father is played by Tommy Lee Jones. Cannot wait.

3. The OA Season 2 (TBD) - Forget about Stranger Things Season 3 or whatever 80’s nostalgia they’re cooking up over there, the real rocket Netflix series is THE OA! No other show explores more interesting themes (life, death, purpose, faith) through a fascinating puzzle box of a story. I cannot wait!

4. Six Underground (New Michael Bay movie) (December) - Michael Bae, Ryan Reynolds, and the writers from Deadpool have been given 200 million dollars from Netflix to make a balls to wall insane action movie. Bad Boys II is one of the best movies ever and my expectations of us getting pure Bay insanity of the dankest kind could never have been higher. The plot? Who cares as long as the action is clean and the camera is spinning - let’s get it.

5. The Last Of Us II (TBD) - If Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man, and God Of War pushed the concept of games as art/blockbuster entertainment far in 2019 - expect this game about a teenage girl/badass living in a brutal post apocalyptic world to take bring the video game art form to unprecedented levels.

6. Avengers: Endgame (April)  - Life is about the little things and in the case of the Avengers: Endgame here’s a couple of them. Captain America getting his original shield back. Cap & Tony reconiles. Hulk’s rematch with Thanos. And lastly the fact that after all the misdirection from the directors in Infinity War - no one has any idea how this is all going to go down except for the fact that Spiderman is going to survive.

7. Star Wars Episode 9 (December) - The Last Jedi was a visually stunning and though expanding epic and I’m firmly in the camp of people who “get it” and that the message of the force being for everyone (not just Skywalkers) is beautiful, that being said I’m here for the action and the lightsaber battles in these “new” movies have been kickass. I’m hyped mostly for the epic final battle and have fingers crossed that it can top the epic throne room battle from The Last Jedi.

8. Lovecraft Country (TBD)  - This a new series from Jordan Peele and JJ Abrams about a family in the Jim Crow south who encounters magic and evil. It’s hard to describe but with Peele involved I’m very excited for this kind of genre storytelling.

9.  Hobbs & Shaw (July 26th) - Has anyone else’s life been empty this year without a Fast & Furious movie? Glad I’m not the only one! While this one doesn’t technically feature the full family it does build on the epic prison breakout and airplane sequences from F8TE Of The Furious. My two biggest questions are if they’re going to use this story to resurrect Han and if this will set up what we all want - FAST 10 in space.

10. Godzilla: King of The Monsters (MAY) - Let’s be honest, the 2014 Godzilla was better than anyone thought it would be. It had decent characters, an interesting ground level POV of monster action, and some epic visuals. I’ll forgive the ultra annoying Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven from Stranger Things) doing her “brain hurts” acting style because the monsters throwing down in this thing demand to be seen on the big screen!