GOT: Season 8 Notes and Predictions 2 (Spoilers)

Click here to join my mailing list and stay up to date!

Episode three was awesome! The battle at Winterfell is over and there were some surprises for sure. A few main characters are dead and I predicted one of them (Theon), which was pretty obvious, but still. Jorah Mulmont and Lyanna Mulmont are dead. The old red lady is dead after playing a major role in defending the living. Jon and Daenerys still need to get their shit figured out and after all the commotion it looks like most of the main characters that we care about are still alive, conveniently enough. Kind of miraculous that so many survived.

The Night King is dead and I was genuinely surprised at how it happened although it was pretty obvious once I saw it. She has been training to be an assassin so who better to sneak in and get the kill than Arya? She really kicked ass in this episode and it was interesting to see Jon and Daenerys struggle to make a difference. Daenerys especially fucked up by staying on the ground long enough for the wights to almost kill her dragon. That was stupid and she almost died when she fell off. Good thing Jorah is always there to save her. I think it's kind of annoying and formulaic that they keep saving main characters at the last second. Someone just swoops in to save them. It takes away from one of the reasons why GOT is so good; it's not formulaic. It's probably a decision that comes from the writers of the show and not from George R. R. Martin but whatever. It's still awesome. 

In my previous notes, I predicted that the Night King would be alive going into the end of the season, so that was way off. I really appreciate that all the wights are dead for good but it came as a bit of a shock as they have been the "real" threat for so long. Metaphorically, it makes sense though because they represent death and at this point, all the characters have come to terms with death and so now the real threat is from humans, which is always the biggest struggle. Real people with power and the struggle with one's own evil tendencies is an ancient parable and one that is played out in Game of Thrones.

Episode four seems to be a preparation for the war for the throne itself. Cersei has a formidable army and was smart to let the north fight and die without her. Now they are weaker and she has a better chance to win. The north will have to be clever and I think this is where Tyrian will redeem his previous failures in strategy. Jamie will have to confront Cersei at some point and resolve his feelings toward her. He might be put into a situation to be able to kill her, mirroring his betrayal of the Mad King but I don't think he will be able to kill her.

I would think episode five would be the final battle at Kings Landing and if that's the case then episode six could be devoted to wrapping everything up in a nice little bow, which seems a little too nice. I think Arya will make a play for Cersei but it can't work out as she isn't going to kill both the Night King and Cersei. It would be fitting for Daenerys to kill Cersei to take the throne like a true ruler would.

With three more episodes a lot can happen and I think a lot more main characters will die. I bet they will introduce something totally new like a character or a strategic item in the next two episodes that will change things up. This might be someone from one of the neighboring areas coming to fight unexpectedly or the bankers coming to collect a debt or a new undead threat we didn't see coming. After being so wrong about what episode three would look like I assume there will be some great surprises in store.

No one has ever taken King's Landing by force so this will be an opportunity to break that streak. I did guess that only one dragon would survive and I hope it survives to the end, although it doesn't seem likely. It represents the old world and I think the main lesson will be that things change and old ideas are put aside. This is why the red lady died and why so many female characters are taking power. They represent a paradigm shift. Regardless, I'm excited to see the next episodes!

Photo Journal 4/25-28/2019

Click here to join my mailing list and stay up to date!

Washington

NPC Emerald Cup

Shot with Canon G7X Mark II

Click to Enlarge

GOT Season 8 Notes and Predictions (Spoilers)

Click here to join my mailing list and stay up to date!

After seeing episode two of season 8 I thought I might write down my ideas about what might happen by the end of the show and episode three, more specifically. All the characters are back together at Winterfell and Cersei is held up in King's Landing on a throne she doesn't deserve. Essentially it is a reversal of the situation that led to the Targaryen's losing the throne. Now, Cersei is the Mad King, but she will probably not be killed by her hand. Then again, maybe she will...

Gendry and Arya are like Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark, except that they get to fuck. Brienne is a sir, Jon Snow is now Aegon Targaryen and the white walkers are at the gates when episode three begins next week. What will happen next? I have no fucking clue but here are some thoughts and notes on what I'm thinking about. 

First, I think that the battle in episode three will be the biggest single battle in the series and all the subsequent battles will be smaller in scale but the stakes will be higher for their outcomes. The battle in episode three at Winterfell has a two-prong strategy; one goal is to defend the North from the hoard of white walkers and the other goal is to get the Night King alone by using Bran/Three-Eyed Raven as bait and to bum rush the Night King at the God's Wood. Bran will not die during this exchange but someone else important will. I would guess that it will be Reek. He betrayed Bran and the Starks and this will be an opportunity to sacrifice himself for their house by saving Bran from death. Also, the previous Three-Eyed Raven was stuck in the roots of a God's Wood tree and this might be a foreshadowing of where Bran will end up; in the Winterfell God's Wood Tree. The God's Wood tree might get torched by the Frost Dragon and Bran is responsible for reviving it as it re-grows around him.

I think that Daenerys and Aegon will have to work together during the battle but at some point, one will be forced to save or kill the other. This will be a difficult decision that will ultimately test their love and in the end, they will choose each other over their claim to the throne. This will cause a new power realignment but ultimately will end with them becoming King and Queen together, ushering in a new era of just and honorable governance; if they live that long. One of them will probably die. 

Ayra will sneak about strategically killing white walkers, but not in the front lines.  She will fight with her new blade and Gendry will end up fighting by her side at some point. They will survive and if Aegon and Daenerys both die they would be potential throne contenders, although Arya probably wouldn't accept it. Also, Arya will probably make her way to King's Landing after episode three to take out Cersei but things won't go quite as planned or be as easy as the others she has assassinated. The real question is what face will she take when she attempts to infiltrate King's Landing? Maybe Euron Greyjoy or maybe the unsuspecting face of a handmaiden.

The Hound will most likely end of fighting The Mountain, potentially as a distraction for Arya to take out Cersei. I hope they take each other out and die together with The Mountain's face on fire. 

Jaime Lannister and Sir Brienne will fight together on the front lines and save each other's lives a few times and one might die in the melee. I could see Jamie dying and coming back as a white walker and Sir Brienne ends up killing him in this form. That would be appropriately tragic. 

The catacombs will not be safe and those there will have to defend it against white walkers, and potentially one of the leaders of the white walkers. Tyrian and Gilly will play a role in this defense. The little girl that wanted to help will die, because its GOT.

I'm not sure what the sea-faring people are up to. Yara and Euron will most likely fight over the Iron Islands at some point but I'm not sure who really cares about it. Euron has way more ships but Yara is clever and she might come up with a plan to keep the throne and be the first female ruler of the Iron Islands, if Daenerys allows it in the end. 

The two living dragons will fight the frost dragon and only one living dragon will remain alive in the end. The Night King will not be killed until the very end. If he takes Bran as a captive that could be an interesting twist. Maybe the Night King needs his info or something deeper than just killing him in mind.  

Bronn will catch up with Jaime and/or Tyrian after the battle in episode three and will act like he is going to kill them or is thinking about it but then will side with Jaime and Tyrian to help take King's Landing in episode 5. Episode 4 will be the aftermath of the battle at Winterfell and planning the next move. Cersei could attack Winterfell in Episode four or five but so far it seems that she is going to sit back and wait. Possibly use wildfire to blow shit up.

In episode four Daenerys and Aegon will decide to embrace their heritage rule together. They will decide to take King's Landing with their remaining force and hold up in the south as the frozen dead folk don't do so well in the warmer weather. Daenerys and/or Aegon will make their last stand at King's Landing in episode 6. The Night King will finally die but someone will take his place, maybe Bran. The winter will be long and full of terrors but the humans will survive. Samwell will live to tell the tale of the Game of Thrones to a new generation of Winter-Born children.

Summers will come and go and the winters will do the same. And in a thousand years or so the white walkers will come again.

Book Review: The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Click here to join my mailing list and stay up to date!

This book is the perfect accompaniment to the author's previous release "Extreme Ownership".  In "Extreme Ownership" Jocko Willink and Leif Babin make the case that for leaders to succeed they must take responsibility for everything in their world and while that is an extremely important and difficult lesson to learn, there was more to the story. That is where their new book, "The Dichotomy of Leadership", comes in. In "The Dichotomy of Leadership" the authors dissect real-world situations, both in the military and in business, that illuminate the balancing act that all leaders face. When a leader starts to slide too far to one end of the seesaw they risk falling off the ride. This book is for those that want to continue the fight and lead their teams toward victory. 

Like "Extreme Ownership", this book is broken into chapters, each with three sections: military examples, principles to take away and a real-world example of the lesson from the business world. Each chapter focuses on two opposing forces and breaks down the importance of each side. Then, it illuminates strategies for finding a balance between them. For example, the first chapter is about balancing the need to care about each team member while understanding that each team member is at risk of being killed, in the military case, or being replaced, in the business case. In this chapter, the reader learns that, while a team leader must be connected to their team members they cannot lose sight of the overall goal and mission that they are tasked to accomplish. A leader cannot be so close to someone that they neglect to hold them accountable and they can't be so detached that they engender no loyalty or respect. 

Another example I really enjoyed was in chapter two entitled: "Own it all, but empower others". In this chapter, we get more insight into the lessons that were discussed in "Extreme Ownership". The dichotomy of taking ownership of one's own responsibilities must be balanced with the ability to allow others to take ownership or their responsibilities. If a leader only holds him or herself accountable then they are doing their team a disservice by not creating a leadership mentality among the entire team. On the other hand, if a leader blames their team for every mistake then they are separating themselves from the team and not taking responsibility for their role the team's development.

As one continues to read they learn more and more about different opposing forces and how a leader can successfully identify when they are neglecting one aspect over the other. Each chapter empowers leaders with entertaining and instructional lessons, plucked from the real world, with strategies and tactics to correct the many imbalances that can occur. In chapter nine, A Leader and a Follower, we learn the power of humility and it is only with humility that one can look at one's self honestly and attempt to improve. This book is for those that have the humility to not take their own abilities for granted. By detaching from one's ego one can begin to see things more clearly and this book offers great insights into the many internal and external perils that leaders face.   

While this book can be read without having read its predecessor I think that they are really just extensions of each other. Both "Extreme Ownership" and "The Dichotomy of Leadership" contain the fundamental strategies, concepts, and philosophy that underly all successful leaders. One can choose to lead from a place of authority and may get compliance or one can lead from a place of friendship and they may get loyalty but for a leader to gain all the benefits that come from gaining the respect of their team one must learn to be balanced. A leader that does not take into account the dichotomies inherent in dealing with complex social interactions is bound to fall flat on their face, leaving their team directionless. Do not be that kind of leader. 

For my review on "Extreme Ownership" click here.