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Game of Thrones' season 8 episode 5's hidden treasures: The white toy horse, Cleganebowl and more

Arya might have ridden off into the sunset on a white horse, but did you notice what was in the hands of the little girl she was trying to save in the episode? It wasn't the only treasure!
PUBLISHED MAY 19, 2019

This article contains spoilers for season 8, episode 5.

A lot has been spoken about the poor writing that has been consistent with this ongoing eighth and final season of 'Game of Thrones', but at the same time, fans have also unanimously complimented the stellar cinematography and little hidden gems throughout the fifth episode. While the whole Jaime and Cersei dying in each other's arms while Jon and Daenerys try to overcome the newly discovered incest aspect of their relationship came off as a scene fresh out of a soap opera, we had Arya with her white horse, Cleganebowl, and several sequences of Khaleesi's remaining dragon, Drogon, setting fire to King's Landing that have won fans' hearts all over the globe.

After the massacre that was Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) burning down the entire city of Westeros in a fit of rage, we see Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) rise from the ashes of whatever was left. The first thing she sees is a white horse seemingly waiting for her amidst the rubble of destruction and as she hops on it and sets off at the end of the episode, a lot of fans assumed that she is coming for the newly established Mad Queen - Daenerys. But what a lot of fans overlooked was the little girl that Arya tried her hardest to save amid Daenerys wreaking havoc, and in one of the shots, the little girl was seen to be clutching onto a toy white horse in her fist. 

The little girl that Arya was trying to save holding a white toy horse. Source: HBO

True, Daenerys completely changing her character arc and suddenly emerging as the mad queen for shock value might have seemed totally unnecessarily and poorly executed in terms of plot development, but little hidden treasures like the little girl symbolizing Arya's fate is what helped carry the episode on its bare shoulders. Another similar instance is of a little child, hiding behind a pillar, as Daenerys' army goes about murdering and torturing the innocents of King's Landing in the background. The contrast between the raging chaos and the intimidated little girl hiding for her life is striking and has become the focal point of a lot of discussion among fans about how stellar the cinematography of this episode was. The child can be seen terrified and confused about why whatever is happening, is happening. And it symbolizes all the innocents suffering because of the stubbornness of two mad queens.

A little girl hiding from the aging chaos wreaked by Daenerys army on thousands of innocents in King's Landing. Source: HBO

Similarly, the penultimate episode of the series also offered us the highly anticipated Cleganebowl - aka the fateful fight between the two Clegane brothers - The Hound (Rory McCann) and The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson). The Hound wanted to confront his older brother - The Mountain, who is Cersei's (Lena Headey) deadly guard - for putting his face against the fire as a child. The final face-off between the two brothers was quite anti-climactic in terms of the fight, but the whole scene will be etched in fans' minds purely because of how beautifully it was shot. In their final moments, The Hound and The Mountain really came together as one, with Drogon flying overhead as the two brothers stood on the stairs, and their fates culminated with the two of them falling off a tower into a giant fire of ruins. 

Cleganebowl from episode 5 where The Hound and The Mountain face off, with Drogon flying overhead. Source: HBO

There was also the final scene shared between the Lannister brothers - Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) - where the dwarf and the Kingslayer (respectively) have a heart to heart conversation. Tyrion is able to talk sense into Jaime and the latter agrees to convince Cersei to run away with him, for the sake of their unborn child. But throughout the time the scene pans out, Tyrion - even though a dwarf - can be seen towering over Jaime purely because of how beautifully it is all shot. And of course, eagle-eyed fans didn't overlook that either. Let's hope the upcoming epic finale is somehow saved by these little treasures even if the writing doesn't live up to the mark. 

'Game of Thrones' returns with its series finale on Sunday, May 19, at 9 pm only on HBO.

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