(This review contains
spoilers for episode 4 and for A Dance of Dragons)
This week was an interesting one for Game of
Thrones. Interesting in the sense that the show seems to be improving in some areas, but souring in others.
This
week is season 5's bloodiest yet, as we get two sequences of armed mobs
causing havoc, the Faith Militant in King's Landing and the Sons of
the Harpy in Meereen. It's interesting to compare the two sequences
together. While the Faith are fighting a religious war, the Sons are
fighting a political one. The Faith don't care about class but the
Sons are rooted in it. Both onslaughts may be based around very
different issues, but they both amount to the same thing: violence
and mayhem. Littlefinger's maxim looks sadly more verified with this
latest episode.
Of
course he's not doing so well himself, what with the Faith
brutalising his employees and clients. This is the first major loss
Littlefinger has suffered since the series began, but it's only part
of a greater whole. The Faith's assault is a reaction to the
corruption and decadence the nobility have enjoyed for generations.
There's an ominous sense that Cersei has unleashed something she
can't control. After all, she's never been one to respect social or
moral conventions, and rumours of her children's illegitimacy is already spreading throughout the capital. Things are so bad the Faith won't even allow the king entrance to the sept. For all her smirking, it's pretty clear that Cersei has all but cut the Lannisters' collective throats.
Aside
from Lancel, the only other face of note among the Sparrows is of
course the High Sparrow. His manner is just the same as last week,
but when you compare it with the brutal acts of his followers, he
comes off as disturbing instead of compassionate. I think the
intimate discussions between him and Cersei subtly show to parallels
between them. Like him, Cersei has managed to keep a composed
demeanour throughout much of the show, even while plotting the
destruction of her enemies. It's the kind of nigh-unflappable
restraint that only a zealout could have – except Cersei only
believes in herself and not the Seven.
And
after three weeks of frustration and doubt, Cersei's familiar coyness
returns when she toys with Tommen. I think the way she blithely tells
him to go and release Ser Loras (knowing full well that he can't)
says a lot about her character. She may love her children, but she's
also determined to control them. Even if it means demeaning Tommen
and subtly mocking his failure to govern his own people, she'll do so
if it means she can stay on top. The scene with her and Tommen shows
the thin line Cerse walks between a loving mother and a controlling
one.
If
Cersei has become more confident, Margaery's composure takes a blow
this week. We see what could be her first moment of sincerity with
Tommen when she berates him for failing to release her brother. Is
she really so shocked that she has to return to Highgarden to comfort
her family, or is it just another bout of emotional blackmail. You
have to feel for poor Tommen, who looks like he'd be far more at home
in a Disney movie, instead of being caught up in all this deceit and
factionalism.
In Dorne, Jaime and Bronn
get into their first fight within hours of arrival. After surviving
his first scrap since losing his hand, Jaime shows more of his old
sardonic self when he glibly leaves Bronn to bury the bodies. I
actually hope we see more of this side of Jaime again – which is
odd given how much I detested it in Jaime at the start of the show,
like when he casually tried to murder a child. I also like how
Jaime's new hand gives him some new advantages, which I'm sure will
come in handy when they meet the Sand Snakes.
Speaking
of which, we do finally meet the warrior band, whom are planning to
hunt down Jaime as revenge for the Lannisters' past crimes. It's only
a short introduction and it didn't really leave me dying to see more
of them, but it's a start at least. I'll admit I felt the Sand Snakes
were a bit underwhelming in A Feast for Crows; we barely got
to know any of them apart from their names (which I've already
forgotten) and their specific traits which I'm a little fuzzy on.
One's bloodthirsty, one's flirty and I can't even remember the third
one. Granted, it was Arianne Martell who was the focus in the books,
but since she's been dropped (along with her whole plotline) it may
give the show a chance to develop the Sand Snakes more.
Up
North, Jon is still caught between the Wall and Winterfell.
Melisandre (Carice van Houten) tries to fuck him into compliance,
which I found a little too blatant. Given how her seduction of him is
more subtle in the books, it feels like HBO just using any excuse to
get some tits on screen. I was glad that he was able to resist her
advances for now, but who knows how long that will last? Melisandre
doesn't seem the type to give up easily. We also see Stannis and his
daughter Shireen (Kerry Ingram) share a moment as he prepares to
mobilize for Winterfell. The dialogue is a little corny, especially
towards the end, but it is nice all the same to see Stannis has a
heart. Now if only he'd stop standing knee-deep in the snow and go
kick some Bolton ass like we all want him to.
An
interesting point about this episode is that we get two mentions of
Rhaegar Targeryen, but from very different sources: Sansa remembers
him as the monster who abducted and raped her aunt, while Ser
Barristan (Ian McElhinney) recalls him as a man of his people and who
loved to sing. It encapsulates one of the series' most fascinating
themes; how history and opinion can distort people's memory of
someone. We've seen it in the way Ned Stark is cursed as a traitor in
the south, but beloved in the North. We've seen it in the way Tyrion
has risked his life for a people who despise him, yet gets villified
as a Kingslayer. And it shows how a person's character are never
certain, when we keep hearing different opinions of them.
What's
also interesting is that these two references come from the same
episode, after Rhaegar's mythological status has been heavily
downplayed by the show. The Griff subplot seems to be another
non-entity in the show's universe, but could this sudden interest in
Rhaegar mean the show is going to work that particular plot in some
different way?
And
finally, the episode ends with that other bloody attack: the Sons of
the Harpy and the Unsullied massacring each other. It culminates with
the death of Ser Barristan, which I have to admit I'm not too pleased about, firstly because it's just a blatant deviation from the books for the sake of it. I get that some of these changes are for pragmatic reasons. Sansa's subplot has already been completely adapted, so the show has to find something for her to do. The Greyjoy subplot would probably break the show's budget if they tried to work that in on top of everything else. The jettisoning of other plots like Griff's and the Riverlands were probably done to tighten up the story so that casual viewers wouldn't be left confused by all the goings-on. (Though I'm still holding out on an appearance from you-know-who. D&D wouldn't really leave a character that important out, right? Right?)
But as for the Meereen plot, this feels like a grave misstep. Given how important Ser Barristan becomes later in the series, it doesn't make sense why the show should suddenly decide to kill him off. My other reason for disliking this is purely for personal reasons. I just don't find any of the other characters in Meereen as interesting as Ser Barristan So with this unfortunate development, my interest with Meereen has taken a considerable dive.
Here's hoping the show can continue to build on its strengths while overcoming its flaws.
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