Jaime didn’t have an arc, he had a circle.
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:-) Yeah, they did him kind of dirty. Oh well, the Lannisters have always been a pretty odd bunch.
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Like I said earlier you can take the same basic plot:

-Siege of winterfell
-John's true parentage coming out
- destruction of kings landing

and make it make sense and have the characters actually act like normal functioning intellectually intact people most of the time.
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Jamie reminds me of a druggie, that tried to get clean. Does all the steps, gets his token, looks like he's turned the corner, and the first opportunity he's presented with his drug.. goes right back to that well with barely a thought.

Simply can't not.
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Yeah, but like Cersei said, they were born together and will or should die together; they shared the same womb as twins. Paraphrased to the best of my memory. It was foreshadowed. So it was fitting they did die together and he returned to her. Heck, even Tyrion tries to save both of them. It's family.

I have a brother and sister who are twins and they act like that—always have each other's backs and protect one another even when one of them who does dumb shit all the time continues to do dumb shit.
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Relax. There are people complaining about the series because they don't like it. It's not some kind of attack on someone who has an opinion of it. Many of the people who don't like it (complain about it) are still entertained by it.
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No argument from me. I'd have had fun with Cersei dying a more horrible, public, degrading death... but the one that was given to us certainly makes logical sense to me as well.
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Pacing is absolutely the problem with this season.

In years past we would have gotten a full season leading up to the Night King. In fact it would have played out like season 7 and the first four episodes of season 8 and then the last three episodes would have gotten their own 10-episode story.

A good case in point is Clegane. We would have had an entire episode of the Hound and Arya deciding to go to Kings Landing. Instead it happens over 30 seconds. If works, but it doesn’t give us the same build up and payoff as past seasons where we felt and understood the character’s journeys.
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Putting aside the lack of a public death (something I hope happens when they pull her out of the rubble alive) for Cersei, there were all kinds of great moments. Her crying not for the deaths of thousands but for her own loss of power was well done. Her getting the bunker death treatment after once commanding the city was poetic justice — but I still wanted to see Drogon bite her in half.
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Oh no doubt! I waited with baited breath for her to finally get that or turned into a charred ember.
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The story line did seem accelerated in seasons 7 and 8 but the groundwork of understanding the characters and their journeys had already been laid. That is why it still works, IMO.

We didn't need the Hound and Arya's journey to King's Landing to be told in that same manner. It would have been redundant. The snippet of them teaming up at the end of episode 3 added to the depth of their relationship in an unspoken way. The growth of both characters was accentuated when they parted ways in the Red Keep.
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It really seemed like the show runners were trying to get us to feel sympathetic towards Cersei in her last scene with Jaimie. The only true problem I had with the episode. I've stepped back from the ledge.
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For me episode 5 was really good. I like Dany going mad queen as it has been something she’s been headed towards for multiple seasons. But as others have said getting her there the last few seasons was a bit rushed and required some things happening that didn’t always make sense.

Another thing has been areas where the viewer has to imagine things or where scenes seem like they are important but don’t actually lead anywhere. Those have been frustrating.

The character deaths from this season have been too easy and perfect for the characters. They have all basically gotten to go out in ways they would choose, other than perhaps Varys but he accepted it. Jorah, Baric, The Hound, Red Woman, Jamie and Cersei, even Little Mormont, have all gotten glorious deaths that were just not much Game of Thrones style. I thought for a moment Jamie would have his tragic ending but that didn’t happen. If he’s not going to die there then he shouldn’t get such a terrible injury. Those things don’t really ruin anything for me but it is a minor complaint.

Overall I think episode 5 was clearly the best of this season and really maybe a top 10 of the series. Within this episode itself I can’t think of anything plot wise that took me out of it. On its own it had great effects, music, and Dany finally snapping for good was well done. It was jus some things leading up to it that are problems but this episode did seem to undo a lot of those things or at least end in a spot where it makes sense even if getting there wasn’t perfect.
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I honestly didn't mind the manner Cersei's death. I thought it worked on multiple levels and was a nice twist. A public death would have just given us more of the same prideful and defiant Cersei.

Instead we were privy to her stunned state of shock as she stumbled through the ruins. And then when Jamie shows up we finally witness her humanity by way of fear and grieving. Treating that scene tenderly was both realistic and added to the depth of her character, IMO.
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Cersei got a GoT death for sure. If any one deserved a horrific death it was her. Instead she died in the arms of her only love. Almost peacefully. The exact opposite of what she deserved/people wanted. That's as GoT as it gets.
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