TV Rundown: June 15 - 20: 'Game of Thrones' Signs Off

Throne Showdown: Game of Thrones: The season finale had its share of pivotal moments as some major stories finally converged. Stannis met Jon Snow, Brienne found Arya, Bran finally made it to the tree, Cersei came to an agreement with Jamie in regards to their twisted relationship and Tyrion made two shocking moves. The showdowns are what stuck out in this finale, series-long payoffs and the bitter end to characters whose exit will leave unfulfilled holes in the series.

Brienne vs. The Hound and Tyrion vs. Tywin were the big battles. The latter stayed true to the essence of its characters. Brienne and the Hound’s face-off ended controversially.

Signing off for the series was the youngest Stark and who better than Arya to sail away in the final moments of the finale? While book fans were left disappointed with the omission of one particular character, the good news for them is there is always next season. For more “Game of Thrones” coverage, check out Season 4's TV Report Card.

1 Cent Closer: Penny Dreadful: Vanessa and Dorian’s hookup was the saucily vicious tryst that set the demon inside of Vanessa free. The Creature filled with self-pity and undeterminable supernatural strength killed what one would’ve assumed is a key character.

This episode is the perfect example of how one comes close to feeling sorry for The Creature, only for him to do something far more monstrous than what is done to him. His behavior is reminiscent of hitting a fly with a sledgehammer; overkill. 

Another nitpick continues to be Ethan’s disregard for Brona’s highly infectious disease. The writers need to give viewers a reason as to why he is so blasé when she is coughing blood into his mouth when they kiss. It is beyond cringe-worthy. Thus far the story continues to be moving slow, and hopefully, a payoff abounds soon, making all of this waiting worthwhile.

Finale: Fargo: Well the finale brought with it a lot of mixed feelings. Perhaps it was because the build-up was so spectacular and it felt like the series would sign-off with an ironic twist that was shocking and a tad more daring. In the end, the predictable “Hollywood” ending happened, and while it might have seemed unpredictable by the very notion that the series had remained so un-Hollywood in the nature of its narrative, it was surprising. It was conventional, and that was the most surprising thing about it. 

The bad guys met their end under unbelievable circumstances. Malvo was outsmarted by an absolute dullard and Lester went out falling prey to a stupidity beyond credulity. Especially given that he had passed a “genius test” earlier in the episode and had an experience earlier in the series where he would’ve known the conditions full well.

Meanwhile, the lone hero, Molly, was left with a hollow victory. However, she lost major points when she was willing to endanger her unborn child in the quest to get Malvo and Lester. Had she been to the scene a little earlier Molly would've been undoubtedly caught in the crossfire and she knew full well she was taking that risk when she arrived. Want more "Fargo"? Check out Eclectic Pop's post 'Thin Ice: The Morality Tale of "Fargo"' by clicking here

Ugly Behavior: Pretty Little Liars: It was an entertaining episode that returned the girls to Rosewood and dealt with Ali’s reemergence as she integrated back with her family. Spencer and Emily wasted no time spreading false allegations about Ali’s brother, Jason’s involvement in both Ali’s “death” and an ominous text message.

Among the suspicious activity was Jason cleaning out his car after a long road trip, coming into his newly returned sister’s bedroom when she was faking slumber, and…well he wore a sock hat, which was mildly strange. 

At this point, Emily and Spencer are suspicious of anyone who looks at Ali for more than two seconds before accusing them of something horrific. Have they learned anything after falsely accusing several innocent people, some of who died as result of their accusations?

The most frustrating liar of the week was definitely Emily, who is apparently suffering from a nasty bout of amnesia when it comes to Ali’s record of terrible deeds. She is far from a saint, and it only makes Emily look bad to see her constantly up in arms defending her. Where is her compassion when it comes to Paige?

[Featured Image by HBO]

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