I get that some people were really disappointed by the last season. I liked it even though it felt rushed (as did last season.) But these quotes made me laugh:

“but the final season aggressively thumbed its nose at almost every major fan theory, so by the finale it wasn’t unexpected.

That would’ve made Cersei seem more cunning than she got to be in the last season, and made Dany’s story stronger too. Get your notes to George R.R. Martin!

He shut down his restaurant in L.A. so that people could use the space to phone bank for Hillary before the last election. And by all accounts was kind and polite to everyone who came by. It’s as if people are complicated.

I haven’t heard that term since the late ‘80s!  Glad it’s still around!

Really? I think plenty of people were pretty shocked by her turn last week (I was surprised by it in the moment, but thought it definitely in character). And I didn’t seen Bran in charge coming at all.   For me, definitely kept things unpredictable.

I think Sansa was adored because she genuinely seems to care about the people of the North and got them their independence back.

That’s funny.  As a kid it was my favorite part!

The movie is definitely a bit of a slog, but I always loved the scene with Pvt. John Steele (played by Red Buttons, because why not) gets stuck on the church tower of Sainte Mere-Eglise.

“The fact that she did so because some BELLS were converging upon her to make her Go Crazeeeeeee was absolutely absurd and I cannot!”
If the bells ringing were her motivation, that would indeed be absurd. Thankfully that’s not what was portrayed in the show.

I totally see the argument that her turn felt fast and…

Great article, Myles. Even where I disagree it’s thoughtful and engaging writing. Look forward to your take on the finale (and on the next books, should they ever come out.)

Thanks for all the great reviews, Kate!

Not sure if someone else mentioned it but the Tom Hanks bit at the end, supremely dark and funny as it was, was also a callback to the first episode where Selina had made some mistake and Mike said something along the lines of maybe they would get lucky and Tom Hanks would die…

She’s been getting crueler and more focused on the throne as an end despite the means for a while now. Then in the last few episodes she lost Jorah, another of her children, Missandei, and her claim on the throne.  Oh and the love of her life betrayed her and made it clear they couldn’t be together romantically…

Really surprised by the reaction here as I loved it. But I did watch many seasons at once to catch up at season five so maybe I’ve got a smaller emotional attachment to Dany than some others. Seems she’s been getting crueler and crueler since she got back to Westeros, so while her turn is disappointing for the…

For the “Veep” finale I’m hoping Selina ends up in jail in a cell next to the one with Elaine, Jerry, George, and Kramer, who have been in jail since ‘98.

Definitely. I loved when Bart went to their offices. And early Simpson’s writer Jay Kogen is the son of Arnie Kogan, a longtime MAD magazine writer, and the magazine’s influence is all over the show. But none of that means it’s odd Buttigieg wasn’t a MAD reader in the early to mid-90s.

Kenan’s pilot got picked up this week for next season, meaning next week is likely his final episode. Hope they bring back some old cast members so he can do “What’s Up With That?” one more time.

I like your theory!