Game Of Thrones Season 8: 7 Ups And 3 Downs From 'The Bells'

2. Arya Stark & The Horrors Of War

Arya Stark turns up at King's Landing hoping to kill the Queen. She might still do that, albeit not the one she originally envisaged. But somewhere in between we get not only some great character work, but also a stunning bit of filmmaking that makes her the focus through the carnage.

A Song of Ice and Fire is, at its core, an anti-war story. It's not a message Game of Thrones has always been completely successful in conveying (though it's broadly done a good job of it), but it gets the point across here loud and clear: war is hell.

It's not pleasant to watch, but it's a smart choice to ground the action on how it affects the smallfolk - the ones so often overlooked while the rich and powerful play their game of thrones. Following Arya, with a series of superb long-takes, gives us a character to latch on to to help make this more emotional and tangible, but it's what we see through her that really stands out. Bodies burning, people screaming, the stink of desperation and fear. It's some of the most brutal, visceral storytelling Game of Thrones has done.