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scifi_rewatchWelcome to our first controversial death of the season! I’ll share my thoughts under the spoiler cut.
It’s a very strong episode, over all. One thing I really appreciate is the mash up of the Sparrows/Faith Militant vs the Sons of the Harpies. One is a religious fanatic group and one is a group of socio-political, reactionary terrorists. I think this drives home the point that blaming all of religion for extremist violence is just wrong. This is about human nature, and groups of people can always find excuses to be war-mongering. Elsewhere in Dorne, it’s all about revenge.
This episode also does a good job of showing how a person can be judged differently by friends vs enemies. Sansa, no doubt aided by her father’s perception (it’s part of the reason why the Starks fought in Robert’s Rebellion, after all,) sees Rhaegar Targaryen as a rapist who kidnapped her aunt. Barristan, meanwhile, remembers Rhaegar as a singer who gave money to the poor and hated killing. There’s a lot of mystery up in the air about what kind of dude he was (and just what the circumstances were, regarding his relationship with Lyanna Stark.) Unrelatedly, we also see a softer side to Stannis at the Wall.
Only a couple of misses for me this hour, particularly with Dorne. *eyeroll* Otherwise, good stuff.
Summary
Essos
Jorah steals a boat in the night and hauls Tyrion onto it. Later, when freed of his gag, Tyrion learns that Jorah is taking him to Daenerys, not Cersei. He guesses his identity from his accent and armor, and single-handedly figures out Jorah’s scheme to get back into Dany’s good graces, much to the knight’s chagrin.
Dorne
Jaime and Bronn take a Pentosi ship to Oldtown, drop off early and kill some unfortunate sentries who cross their path. But the ship's captain betrays their plan to the Sand Snakes. The girls meet up with Ellaria and decide to seek vengeance through Myrcella for Oberyn’s death.
King’s Landing
Cersei sends Mace Tyrell, escorted by Ser Meryn, to Braavos to deal with debts from the Iron Bank. Then she arms the Faith Militant, who wreak havoc on brothels and other sundry activities, and tells the High Sparrow of Loras’s sexual liaisons with men. Loras is arrested, and Tommen is unable to use his authority to stand up to his mother or the High Sparrow, much to Margaery’s consternation.
The Wall
Melissandre makes sure that Stannis will take her to battle this time. Later, she tries to seduce Jon in order to make him join them, but Jon refuses to break his vow, or his commitment to Ygritte’s memory. Shireen pays a visit to her father and they share a surprisingly tender moment.
Winterfell
Sansa lights candles for her ancestors in the tombs and picks up the feather that Robert left for Lyanna back in season one. Littlefinger recalls the tourney where Rhaegar chose to honor Lyanna over his wife, Elia, which had broad-reaching consequences. As for the present, Littlefinger, though leaving for the capital, predicts that Stannis will win the battle against the Boltons and install Sansa as Wardeness of the North.
Meereen
Barristan regales Daenerys with amusing tales about her brother, Rhaegar. He leaves to deal with the Sons of the Harpy while Dany hears more evidence from Hizdahr about the merits of the fighting pits. Elsewhere, Barristan and Grey Worm are both grievously wounded.
Changes from Book to Screen
Essos: The specifics are a little off (book Jorah wants to take Tyrion to Volantis, due to a twistier plot,) but the characterization is pretty much on course.
Dorne: There’s no Pentoshi ship/dead sentries, obviously, as Jaime and Bronn aren’t headed to Dorne. Show Bronn also knows a bit more about who helped release Tyrion and who fathered Cersei’s children. There are fewer Sand Snakes on the show; Ellaria’s children are supposed to be much younger. Obara’s mother’s background has also been changed from Oldstown prostitute to Dornish peasant. Ellaria fails to get the Sand Snakes to help her seek revenge, because the character in the book wants peace. The Sand Snakes themselves are unable to plot much, because Doran has imprisoned them.
King’s Landing: Book Cersei simply refuses to pay the Iron Bank and does not send Mace there, who is also not the Master of Coin. Cersei is more manipulateed than manipulator, when the High Sparrow exacts that she arm the Faith Militant for her religious debts to be forgiven. Said Faith Militant also appears less concerned with the sins of the common folk, and doesn’t rampage brothels and alcohol supplies. Lancel remains tattoo-less and Loras is not arrested. Margaery is arrested a far bit later, thanks to Cersei’s efforts, for sexual indecency, since her culture still demands that she remain a virgin.
The Wall: In the book, it’s Tommen whom Jon doesn’t want to beg for men, not Roose. Selyse and Shireen aren’t at this location to interact with Stannis and Melissandre about their concerns. The whys of Shireen’s grayscale not killing her are still shrouded in mystery in the novels. The canonical stone men don’t reside in the ruins of Valyria, but elsewhere. Melissandre doesn’t attempt to seduce Jon, but she does utter Ygritte’s line of “you know nothing, Jon Snow.”
Winterfell: A lot of backstory comes from Ned’s book one reminiscences, though there’s no reference to Littlefinger and the Tullys. Otherwise, Littlefinger’s purported plan to raise Sansa up in the north is a longer game, involving a marriage pact in the Vale.
Meereen: Barristan still be aliiiiive (and Grey Worm is unharmed). The Sons of the Harpy never organize such a coordinated attack; they tend to be more covert. Hizdahr actually brings some former fighters to Dany to help him with his plea. Rhaegar is presented in the books (still by Barristan to Dany) as more melancholy and belabored by his sense of prophetic purpose.
Thoughts
You could tell from the next episode’s preview that Barristan was dead (Grey Worm is more up in the air.) Here are my arguments for why it was better for Barristan to die. The show is pretty lacking in both racial diversity and depictions of healthy romance; Grey Worm provides both of these. Also, I imagine this was a way to clear the path for Tyrion and Jorah, both more prominent Westerosi characters, to take up more screen time in the Daenerys story. Barristan was a good character and Ian McElhinney was a fine actor. I imagine he will have significant plot in the remaining books because his story is more nuanced. But for the purposes of the show, I get it.
I also get making the Sons of the Harpy and the Faith Militant more outwardly violent—visual media requires action. There are some other reasons why I’m a fan of making the Faith Militant more…militant in the show. :P First of all, it fits with various stripes of religious fanaticism throughout history. Secondly…I don’t see much difference between the canonical sexism of punishing Margaery for sexual autonomy and the show’s bigger emphasis on punishing homosexuality. The fact that Margaery is queen and ergo it’s imperative that her children are the king’s, yadda yadda, is still emblematic of patriarchy. The type that makes a big deal about who has sex with who, so that men are seen as powerful and in charge and women are seen as subservient helpmates.
Anywho, meta narrative off. :P There’s a lot I loved about the staging of the rampage scenes, too. The way that we first perceive Lancel getting his tattoo as possibly someone being tortured. The vicious way in which men engaging in sex together are treated, which understandably leads to Olyvar’s fear. Loras being arrested while blithely engaged in a fun activity seems endemic to every period piece I’ve seen about nobles in troubled political times. :P And then it ends with Margaery storming in on the king. Poor Tommen, so out of his element. (So is Cersei, really. Do you think the Faith Militant will just ignore all of these rumors about your son being a bastard, just because you gave them power? Well…yes, she does. :P) Even cunning Margaery is a bit out of her element, and has to call on Lady Olenna for help. I feel for her; girl likes power, but she genuinely cares about her brother, too.
Also, what a double whammy of sending Mace and Meryn to Braavos. Obviously it’s a ploy to get the Lord of Highgarden out of the way while the Queen Mother wreaks havoc on his family, but there’s an unknown (to King’s Landing folk) component in Braavos as well…the show keeps finding ways for characters who are looking for each other to interact. Let’s hurry up and get to a Stark reunion already. :P
Let’s talk about what I hate from Dorne. I already mentioned in an earlier recap that Ellaria is supposed to be a voice for peace. I still hate that she isn’t. :P I hate that the Sand Snakes seem to be standard “ badass girl” stereotypes, complete with Obara’s tropey story about how she chose to be a warrior like her father rather than a weeping woman like her mother. Gag me. They didn’t have much to work with from the source material (I’m not a big fan of the Sand Snakes there, either,) but they only made it worse.
I was indifferent to most of the killing spree bromance between Jaime and Bronn, but I liked their (read: Jaime’s) more personal talks, concerning his anger at Tyrion, his heady emotions about what the hell he’s doing in Dorne, and his love, presumably for Cersei. But he also did pass the island of Tarth, so he got in some Brienne feels, too. Nice reminder of their connection.
I also was really annoyed at the Mel/Jon seduction scene. Didn’t cover any new ground (WE KNOW, Stannis crew, you want Jon to help you take Winterfell!) Seemed like solely one of the standard, pervy opportunities for poor Carice to have to disrobe. I am totally in Emilia’s corner about her decision to stay covered up. If the fact that you can’t see her tits anymore is that big of a deal for you, just go watch some online porn. It’s cheaper than HBO. :P
I liked the repetition of Jon’s hatred of the Boltons. Does serve as a reminder that as Lord Commander, he has to put his personal issues (you know, refusing help from his brother’s murderer) aside. It’s also more direct and understandable than hating on poor Tommen. Selyse is still singing the same old song and dance about her failure to produce sons, and Mel’s words about Shireen’s importance are certainly a little ominous. /zips lips But nothing quite beats the scene between Stannis and Shireen, beautifully acted by Stephen Dillane and Kerry Ingram. It’s important for characters, at least most characters, to have some dimension. Yes, Stannis is a hardass, but he also does have some capacity as a father. Wibble.
So of course Jorah is taking Tyrion to Dany, and I suppose I can’t question Tyrion’s ease at so easily catching onto the other man’s game. I mean, accents are accents, a Bear sidgil means Mormonts and Tyrion was involved in the small council. Plus, it helps out the audience members who might have forgotten about Jorah’s motivations. :P Decent chemistry between the actors, too (with the understanding that Jorah is a bit standoffish.)
Finally, we have Sansa in the crypts under Winterfell. There’s a meaningful callback to season one, in case we need the point driven home that the girl is trying to honor her family. She and Littlefinger exchange backstory, which certainly seems like it might be coming to the fore, now that we are reaching the latter seasons of “Game of Thrones” and we have to confront some mysteries and broader themes. Anywho.
We also get new dimension into Littlefinger’s schemes, which seems more optimistic, for Sansa’s point of view, than just marrying into the Boltons. Hopefully Stannis will defeat them. If not…disregarding that I still think Littlefinger’s sudden lack of knowledge about the boy is out there, Sansa should be able to manipulate Ramsay. It’s not really her fault that he happens to be the most dangerous psychopath on the show. :/ Though it does seem to be her plot arc to suffer a lot. But in general, probably most husbands are closer to Tommen than they are to Ramsay. That’s a game that maybe Sansa would be able to play. At least she’s definitely made some strides in manipulation.
Man, Wardeness of the North…as a Sansa fan I got chills. I only want her to be secure and safe, which usually means having a degree of power. (Besides, she’s a STARK, and Starks belong at Winterfell, dammit. :P) Littlefinger would obviously prefer someone controlling the north who is in his corner. I can’t believe that their parting kiss won’t be the most creepy thing about Sansa’s storyline this year. :/
Just to end with Rhaegar…I have a feeling that Barristan’s remembrances are supposed to be more accurate than Sansa’s biased hearsay. The fact that the show is building him up as a nice guy might point to the fact that Lyanna was his willing companion, rather than an abductee. Once again, the showrunners seem to be setting things up to be resolved in the final seasons. I have my theories based on incredibly popular book rumors, but…we’ll have to see how this goes.
It’s a very strong episode, over all. One thing I really appreciate is the mash up of the Sparrows/Faith Militant vs the Sons of the Harpies. One is a religious fanatic group and one is a group of socio-political, reactionary terrorists. I think this drives home the point that blaming all of religion for extremist violence is just wrong. This is about human nature, and groups of people can always find excuses to be war-mongering. Elsewhere in Dorne, it’s all about revenge.
This episode also does a good job of showing how a person can be judged differently by friends vs enemies. Sansa, no doubt aided by her father’s perception (it’s part of the reason why the Starks fought in Robert’s Rebellion, after all,) sees Rhaegar Targaryen as a rapist who kidnapped her aunt. Barristan, meanwhile, remembers Rhaegar as a singer who gave money to the poor and hated killing. There’s a lot of mystery up in the air about what kind of dude he was (and just what the circumstances were, regarding his relationship with Lyanna Stark.) Unrelatedly, we also see a softer side to Stannis at the Wall.
Only a couple of misses for me this hour, particularly with Dorne. *eyeroll* Otherwise, good stuff.
Summary
Essos
Jorah steals a boat in the night and hauls Tyrion onto it. Later, when freed of his gag, Tyrion learns that Jorah is taking him to Daenerys, not Cersei. He guesses his identity from his accent and armor, and single-handedly figures out Jorah’s scheme to get back into Dany’s good graces, much to the knight’s chagrin.
Dorne
Jaime and Bronn take a Pentosi ship to Oldtown, drop off early and kill some unfortunate sentries who cross their path. But the ship's captain betrays their plan to the Sand Snakes. The girls meet up with Ellaria and decide to seek vengeance through Myrcella for Oberyn’s death.
King’s Landing
Cersei sends Mace Tyrell, escorted by Ser Meryn, to Braavos to deal with debts from the Iron Bank. Then she arms the Faith Militant, who wreak havoc on brothels and other sundry activities, and tells the High Sparrow of Loras’s sexual liaisons with men. Loras is arrested, and Tommen is unable to use his authority to stand up to his mother or the High Sparrow, much to Margaery’s consternation.
The Wall
Melissandre makes sure that Stannis will take her to battle this time. Later, she tries to seduce Jon in order to make him join them, but Jon refuses to break his vow, or his commitment to Ygritte’s memory. Shireen pays a visit to her father and they share a surprisingly tender moment.
Winterfell
Sansa lights candles for her ancestors in the tombs and picks up the feather that Robert left for Lyanna back in season one. Littlefinger recalls the tourney where Rhaegar chose to honor Lyanna over his wife, Elia, which had broad-reaching consequences. As for the present, Littlefinger, though leaving for the capital, predicts that Stannis will win the battle against the Boltons and install Sansa as Wardeness of the North.
Meereen
Barristan regales Daenerys with amusing tales about her brother, Rhaegar. He leaves to deal with the Sons of the Harpy while Dany hears more evidence from Hizdahr about the merits of the fighting pits. Elsewhere, Barristan and Grey Worm are both grievously wounded.
Changes from Book to Screen
Essos: The specifics are a little off (book Jorah wants to take Tyrion to Volantis, due to a twistier plot,) but the characterization is pretty much on course.
Dorne: There’s no Pentoshi ship/dead sentries, obviously, as Jaime and Bronn aren’t headed to Dorne. Show Bronn also knows a bit more about who helped release Tyrion and who fathered Cersei’s children. There are fewer Sand Snakes on the show; Ellaria’s children are supposed to be much younger. Obara’s mother’s background has also been changed from Oldstown prostitute to Dornish peasant. Ellaria fails to get the Sand Snakes to help her seek revenge, because the character in the book wants peace. The Sand Snakes themselves are unable to plot much, because Doran has imprisoned them.
King’s Landing: Book Cersei simply refuses to pay the Iron Bank and does not send Mace there, who is also not the Master of Coin. Cersei is more manipulateed than manipulator, when the High Sparrow exacts that she arm the Faith Militant for her religious debts to be forgiven. Said Faith Militant also appears less concerned with the sins of the common folk, and doesn’t rampage brothels and alcohol supplies. Lancel remains tattoo-less and Loras is not arrested. Margaery is arrested a far bit later, thanks to Cersei’s efforts, for sexual indecency, since her culture still demands that she remain a virgin.
The Wall: In the book, it’s Tommen whom Jon doesn’t want to beg for men, not Roose. Selyse and Shireen aren’t at this location to interact with Stannis and Melissandre about their concerns. The whys of Shireen’s grayscale not killing her are still shrouded in mystery in the novels. The canonical stone men don’t reside in the ruins of Valyria, but elsewhere. Melissandre doesn’t attempt to seduce Jon, but she does utter Ygritte’s line of “you know nothing, Jon Snow.”
Winterfell: A lot of backstory comes from Ned’s book one reminiscences, though there’s no reference to Littlefinger and the Tullys. Otherwise, Littlefinger’s purported plan to raise Sansa up in the north is a longer game, involving a marriage pact in the Vale.
Meereen: Barristan still be aliiiiive (and Grey Worm is unharmed). The Sons of the Harpy never organize such a coordinated attack; they tend to be more covert. Hizdahr actually brings some former fighters to Dany to help him with his plea. Rhaegar is presented in the books (still by Barristan to Dany) as more melancholy and belabored by his sense of prophetic purpose.
Thoughts
You could tell from the next episode’s preview that Barristan was dead (Grey Worm is more up in the air.) Here are my arguments for why it was better for Barristan to die. The show is pretty lacking in both racial diversity and depictions of healthy romance; Grey Worm provides both of these. Also, I imagine this was a way to clear the path for Tyrion and Jorah, both more prominent Westerosi characters, to take up more screen time in the Daenerys story. Barristan was a good character and Ian McElhinney was a fine actor. I imagine he will have significant plot in the remaining books because his story is more nuanced. But for the purposes of the show, I get it.
I also get making the Sons of the Harpy and the Faith Militant more outwardly violent—visual media requires action. There are some other reasons why I’m a fan of making the Faith Militant more…militant in the show. :P First of all, it fits with various stripes of religious fanaticism throughout history. Secondly…I don’t see much difference between the canonical sexism of punishing Margaery for sexual autonomy and the show’s bigger emphasis on punishing homosexuality. The fact that Margaery is queen and ergo it’s imperative that her children are the king’s, yadda yadda, is still emblematic of patriarchy. The type that makes a big deal about who has sex with who, so that men are seen as powerful and in charge and women are seen as subservient helpmates.
Anywho, meta narrative off. :P There’s a lot I loved about the staging of the rampage scenes, too. The way that we first perceive Lancel getting his tattoo as possibly someone being tortured. The vicious way in which men engaging in sex together are treated, which understandably leads to Olyvar’s fear. Loras being arrested while blithely engaged in a fun activity seems endemic to every period piece I’ve seen about nobles in troubled political times. :P And then it ends with Margaery storming in on the king. Poor Tommen, so out of his element. (So is Cersei, really. Do you think the Faith Militant will just ignore all of these rumors about your son being a bastard, just because you gave them power? Well…yes, she does. :P) Even cunning Margaery is a bit out of her element, and has to call on Lady Olenna for help. I feel for her; girl likes power, but she genuinely cares about her brother, too.
Also, what a double whammy of sending Mace and Meryn to Braavos. Obviously it’s a ploy to get the Lord of Highgarden out of the way while the Queen Mother wreaks havoc on his family, but there’s an unknown (to King’s Landing folk) component in Braavos as well…the show keeps finding ways for characters who are looking for each other to interact. Let’s hurry up and get to a Stark reunion already. :P
Let’s talk about what I hate from Dorne. I already mentioned in an earlier recap that Ellaria is supposed to be a voice for peace. I still hate that she isn’t. :P I hate that the Sand Snakes seem to be standard “ badass girl” stereotypes, complete with Obara’s tropey story about how she chose to be a warrior like her father rather than a weeping woman like her mother. Gag me. They didn’t have much to work with from the source material (I’m not a big fan of the Sand Snakes there, either,) but they only made it worse.
I was indifferent to most of the killing spree bromance between Jaime and Bronn, but I liked their (read: Jaime’s) more personal talks, concerning his anger at Tyrion, his heady emotions about what the hell he’s doing in Dorne, and his love, presumably for Cersei. But he also did pass the island of Tarth, so he got in some Brienne feels, too. Nice reminder of their connection.
I also was really annoyed at the Mel/Jon seduction scene. Didn’t cover any new ground (WE KNOW, Stannis crew, you want Jon to help you take Winterfell!) Seemed like solely one of the standard, pervy opportunities for poor Carice to have to disrobe. I am totally in Emilia’s corner about her decision to stay covered up. If the fact that you can’t see her tits anymore is that big of a deal for you, just go watch some online porn. It’s cheaper than HBO. :P
I liked the repetition of Jon’s hatred of the Boltons. Does serve as a reminder that as Lord Commander, he has to put his personal issues (you know, refusing help from his brother’s murderer) aside. It’s also more direct and understandable than hating on poor Tommen. Selyse is still singing the same old song and dance about her failure to produce sons, and Mel’s words about Shireen’s importance are certainly a little ominous. /zips lips But nothing quite beats the scene between Stannis and Shireen, beautifully acted by Stephen Dillane and Kerry Ingram. It’s important for characters, at least most characters, to have some dimension. Yes, Stannis is a hardass, but he also does have some capacity as a father. Wibble.
So of course Jorah is taking Tyrion to Dany, and I suppose I can’t question Tyrion’s ease at so easily catching onto the other man’s game. I mean, accents are accents, a Bear sidgil means Mormonts and Tyrion was involved in the small council. Plus, it helps out the audience members who might have forgotten about Jorah’s motivations. :P Decent chemistry between the actors, too (with the understanding that Jorah is a bit standoffish.)
Finally, we have Sansa in the crypts under Winterfell. There’s a meaningful callback to season one, in case we need the point driven home that the girl is trying to honor her family. She and Littlefinger exchange backstory, which certainly seems like it might be coming to the fore, now that we are reaching the latter seasons of “Game of Thrones” and we have to confront some mysteries and broader themes. Anywho.
We also get new dimension into Littlefinger’s schemes, which seems more optimistic, for Sansa’s point of view, than just marrying into the Boltons. Hopefully Stannis will defeat them. If not…disregarding that I still think Littlefinger’s sudden lack of knowledge about the boy is out there, Sansa should be able to manipulate Ramsay. It’s not really her fault that he happens to be the most dangerous psychopath on the show. :/ Though it does seem to be her plot arc to suffer a lot. But in general, probably most husbands are closer to Tommen than they are to Ramsay. That’s a game that maybe Sansa would be able to play. At least she’s definitely made some strides in manipulation.
Man, Wardeness of the North…as a Sansa fan I got chills. I only want her to be secure and safe, which usually means having a degree of power. (Besides, she’s a STARK, and Starks belong at Winterfell, dammit. :P) Littlefinger would obviously prefer someone controlling the north who is in his corner. I can’t believe that their parting kiss won’t be the most creepy thing about Sansa’s storyline this year. :/
Just to end with Rhaegar…I have a feeling that Barristan’s remembrances are supposed to be more accurate than Sansa’s biased hearsay. The fact that the show is building him up as a nice guy might point to the fact that Lyanna was his willing companion, rather than an abductee. Once again, the showrunners seem to be setting things up to be resolved in the final seasons. I have my theories based on incredibly popular book rumors, but…we’ll have to see how this goes.
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