Fan hype for “Cleganebowl,” the final face-off between Sandor Clegane and Gregor Clegane, reached Alpine heights before Season 8 hit the airwaves. This is pretty easy to understand: Both brothers are legendary fighters with beef between them that has been simmering since childhood. Gregor, aka the Mountain, is a vicious sadist who is eventually transformed into a horrifyingly undead bodyguard. Sandor (Rory McCann), in tremendous contrast, goes from being a taciturn, fatalistic brute to someone capable of telling Arya to run away from a fight because revenge isn’t worth it. The Hound, as he is known, is a fan favorite for this duality, which McCann portrays with tremendous pathos.
But the thing about Cleganebowl is that for all its dizzying hype, it makes no thematic sense. At this point in the story, Sandor has accepted the pointlessness of vengeance — hence, his final conversation with Arya. He’ll never be a nice guy, but he’s no longer defined by his hatred, especially of his brother. Beyond that, Sandor’s victory over Gregor can hardly even be called a victory, as Gregor is already a crumbling shell whose very existence counts as nightmarish punishment for his sins. Fighting him makes Sandor a weirdly regressed version of himself, who lacks all the tension and growth that made him fascinating. Brother fights brother, and the viewers lose.
