90
Matt Fowler
IGN
“But there was some awesome stuff in tonight’s installment - the second in a row of the Michelle MacLaren (Breaking Bad’s “One Minute”, among many other great episodes of that series) directed episodes.”
Critical Assessment
What Critics Praise
- Spectacular spectacle
- Ambitious storytelling
- Masterful direction
- Climactic battle
- Great Action Sequences
- Effective Flashbacks
Points of Contention
- Underwhelming emotional stakes
- Setup episode
- Pacing issues
- Narrative frustrations
- Inability to set aside differences
- Character Focus Loss
Professional Reviews
9 reviews from 3 critics88
Jesse Schedeen
IGN
“"The Last Watch" serves as a fitting tribute to the many people who helped bring Game of Thrones Season 8 to life.”
80 Laura Prudom 7 reviews · avg IGN “It feels like someone just randomly fell over and knocked into the big red "Mad Queen" button, turning Dany into an irrational psychopath in the last half of the penultimate episode just because the plot necessitated it for the final showdown.”
Laura Prudom 7 reviews · avg
IGN
“It feels like someone just randomly fell over and knocked into the big red "Mad Queen" button, turning Dany into an irrational psychopath in the last half of the penultimate episode just because the plot necessitated it for the final showdown.”
All 7 Laura Prudom reviews, aggregated above
95
Game of Thrones S8 Ep 3 - "The Long Night
“An epic, ambitious episode unlike any we've seen before, but one that still falls prey to some convenient plotting.”
90
S8 E2 – "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
“A satisfyingly dense (and yet somehow too‑brief) episode that sets the stage for the epic battle to come.”
88
S8 Ep 4 - "The Last of the Starks
“A heavy‑handed but surprisingly nostalgic installment that stays true to the characters and their hubris.”
80
Game of Thrones S8 Ep 5: "The Bells
“It feels like someone just randomly fell over and knocked into the big red "Mad Queen" button, turning Dany into an irrational psychopath in the last half of the penultimate episode just because the plot necessitated it for the final showdown.”
80
Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 1
“The Game of Thrones Season 8 opener has a number of spectacular and satisfying moments (some that feel like outright fan‑service and others that are completely earned), but it also feels like a lot of set‑up considering we only have five episodes after this installment to tie up a tale that George R. R. Martin has been wrestling with for decades at this point.”
70
Game of Thrones S8 Ep 6: "The Iron Throne
“A bittersweet if underwhelming climax to a show that's been a true cultural obsession. We'll never see its like again.”
60
Game of Thrones Season 8
“the whole never quite added up to the sum of its impressive parts—mostly because the season seemed to be aiming for impressive rather than meaningful.”
