(This review
contains spoilers for episodes 9 and 10 of season 5 of Game
of Thrones)
Game of Thrones
reaches the end of its fifth
season with some of its biggest changes yet, teasing towards a future
that's just as uncertain for book-readers and show-watchers.
One
of the most talked-about events is Stannis's sacrifice of his
daughter to grant him victory against the Boltons. It's a profound
turning-point for Stannis, showing just how far he's prepared to go
for what he believes his right. It also dooms for his campaign,
starting with the defection of huge swathes of his men, then his
abandonment by Lady Melisandre, and the suicide of his wife.
Shireen's sacrifice encapsulates the theme of belief which we've seen
elsewhere with the Sparrows and the Sons of the Harpy. Once again,
we're shown the brutal lengths these characters will go to for their
beliefs. It's also caused a considerable stir in the fandom, with
Stannis's real-life supporters also defecting in light of what they
see as a betrayal of what Stannis should stand for.
People
say that sacrificing his own child is a line that Book Stannis would
never cross, and that this scene only exists for shock value. We
still have a while to find out if that's true. Personally though, I
would say this doesn't feel too inconsistent with what we've seen of
Stannis so far. He knows the threat the White Walkers pose and
genuinely believes that this will help defeat them. The show also
establishes how desperate a position Stannis and his men are in, to
do something like this. Retreating to Castle Black could mean giving
up on Winterfell for years, as they wait for the snows to melt, by
which time the Boltons could have dug themselves in so deep they
could become unshakeable. And then there's Ramsay's guerilla attack,
which only forces Stannis's hand even more. I would say the show has
done a decent job of showing why Stannis would be pushed to such
extremes.
I
feel the scene also works because it conveys the morally grey nature
of the show. On the one hand, sacrificing someone (especially an
innocent child and in so gruesome a fashion) is a horrifying act for
any reason. Shireen's screams certainly make this one of the hardest
scenes in the whole show to watch. On the other, Stannis believes
that this one death will save millions of lives later on. We've
already seen that Melisandre's magic is real, so this is definitely
not based on mere superstition. Finally, there's immediate crisis
that Stannis and his men are starving and freezing, which serves as
the final tipping point. Whether burning Shireen was justifiable,
even in such extreme circumstances, is a difficult issue and fans
will no doubt be debating this for decades. And seeing how moral
complexity is so integral to the series, I feel this scene fits very
well into its established framework.
I
also felt Stannis's fate in “Mother's Mercy” was a fitting one.
Rulers in A Song if Ice and Fire never seem to get noble
deaths, so a wounded Stannis being executed in a lonely wood feels
appropriate for the series. Yes, they don't show the deathblow, but I
honestly can't see any reason why Brienne would change her mind at
the last second. Besides, the scene works so well as a death scene
that undoing it would cheapen it. The linking back with season 2
gives the scene a sense of closure. I loved the brief break from
Stannis's usual stoicness when he realises why he's being
killed, and I felt giving a glimpse of the man underneath his cold
exterior was a good way to lead into his death. It highlights how
vulnerable Stannis has become that even his psychological armour is
cracking. On top of everything, it's obvious that Stannis is not Azor
Ahai, so really I don't see what keeping him alive would bring to the
show.
Another
character shown in a drastically different light is Lady Melisandre.
Her realisation that Stannis is not the one she's been waiting for
all this time is the first time where we see her shaken and uncertain
about the future. I thought more time could have been spent on this,
not to mention Davos's shock at Shireen's execution. Hopefully, the
fallout between them will be properly explored next season –
especially Davos's realisation that Melisandre influenced Stannis's
decision. Since these two have been at Stannis's side since the
beginning, and now their faith in him has been irreperably damaged, I
think this is the surest proof that Stannis's story is done. I doubt
either of them will go to great lengths to resurrect him.
We
also saw a huge power shift in Meereen when Daenerys was rescued from
the Sons of the Harpy by Drogon, leaving her council to rule the city
in her absence. I thought the riot in the arena was very well
executed, and a good example of the show taking full advantage of its
budget. There was also a potent contrast between Drogon incinerating
the assassins, and Shireen's gruesome death moments before. I found
this an interesting way to show the parallels between Daenerys and
Stannis. Both have a much wider sense of duty to the realm other than
consolidating their own power, and both have used fire as a weapon
and symbol of authority. Shireen's death by fire is portrayed as a
horrific act, while Drogon's use of it carries a certain level of
catharsis, in light of the Sons' various crimes. I feel this contrast
shows how fine the line can be between acts a viewer finds
satisfying, and those a viewer finds repulsive.
Daenerys's
departure leaves Meereen in the hands of Tyrion and Varys, and it
seems as if their relationship will be a driving force behind next
season's plot. It would be interested to see how the show handles
Varys, although given how he's one of the most enigmatic characters
in the whole series, I imagine this will cause yet more ruptures
between the book purists and show-watchers. We also get teased for
another road trip as Daario and Jorah leave to track down Daenerys.
Given how weak the Dornish plot was this season, my hopes for this
aren't exactly high.
That
said, the Dornish plot does at least have an effective ending, where
Myrcella dies of poison right after accepting Jaime as her father.
After a whole season of empty hype, it was nice to see Ellaria and
the Sand Snakes in a properly menacing light, though I still wish we
didn't have to wait so long for this to happen. Plus, this can only
lead to all-out war between the Lannisters and the Martells, which I
suppose means that Dorne will feature next year as well. I just hope
it's a bit more interesting this time around. I also wonder how this
will affect Jaime's character development. His first proper moment
with one of his children and she's then snatched away from him. Will
Jaime start to become as paranoid as Cersei, or will he regress to
the callous cynic he was at the start of the series?
Apart
from Dorne, I would say the weakest plot this year was Arya's
training in Braavos. This was another plot which I felt meandered
somewhat with no real sense of momentum. Plus, all those portentious
lines from Jaqen H'gar start to grate after a while. The last two
episodes do, however, shake things up a bit. First we have the
arrival of Lord Mace Tyrell, someone who's just been a background
character for years, but finally gets a brief moment in the
spotlight. Roger Ashton-Griffiths takes full advantage of his chance
to ham things up, fleshing out this formerly forgettable character
and giving the episode some much-needed levity. We also have a brief
but welcome return from Mark Gatiss, who also gives it his all for
this one small scene.
We
also get Arya's satisying and gruesome dispatch of Ser Meryn Trant,
which then leads to one of the strangest yet most hilarious scenes
I've ever seen from this show. As well as the slow pacing and
repetitiveness, what bothers me about the Faceless Men subplot is the
sheer bizareness of it, with Jaqen's ability to teleport while giving
dead bodies multiple faces. Even for a fantasy series, this feels out
of place. Dragons are self-explanatory. The White Walkers are also
not too hard to figure out (a race of Necromancers) even if we don't
have all the details yet. But what we see in the House of Black and
White just feels like weirdness for the sake of weirdness.
Thematically it makes sense – Arya is being made to learn not to
kill for pleasure – but the omnipotence of the Faceless Men just
feels out of step with the rest of the series. Maybe the payoff will
be good, but for the moment, I wouldn't mind if this subplot was
completely discarded.
In
King's Landing, Cersei is made to endure her walk of shame. I found
this a very powerful scene, because while there's a definite sense of
justice to Cersei being brought down to the level of the people she
despises, it also shows the cruelty of mob mentality and almost made
me feel sorry for Cersei. Lena Headey and David Nutter did a
fantastic job of wringing some sympathy from this repellent
character. But once Cersei returns to the Red Keep, we're reminded of
her ties with Qyburn and his experiments, showing once again how
Cersei will go to the most appalling lengths to stay in power.
In
Winterfell, we get a small but brilliant scene where Sansa refuses to
be intimidated by Ramsay's psychotic girlfriend, and Theon finally
grows a backbone and offs her. It was a nice moment for both of them (though I wish Sansa could have been more proactive in her escape),
before they're both literally dropped into an uncertain situation by
fleeing the castle. I imagine they'll both be found by Brienne next
season, as that seems the only chance they have of survival, beyond
being found by Ramsay's troops. Unfortunately, Ramsay himself escapes
his comeuppance yet again, but there's always next year.
And
finally, Jon's strain with his men finally reaches breaking point
with his assassination. While this has clearly been building for a
long time, I was surprised by its depiction onscreen. Until now, all
Game of Thrones seasons have ended on a huge, cinematic note:
Dany's dragons; the White Walker army; Daenerys hailed as a
liberator; Arya sailing for Braavos. This season defies that with an
unceremonious shot of Jon lying in a pool of his own blood. We didn't
even have Lady Melisandre coming across his body. At first I was
disappointed by how lacklustre it felt, but like with Stannis, I
eventually decided that it worked in showing how ignoble death is in this
series. Of course, unlike Stannis, it's almost definite that Jon will
return, but how or in what form is still unclear.
With
that we come to the close of another season of Game of Thrones.
I enjoyed it for the most part, though I feel the show has been
pushed almost to breaking point in terms of subplots and characters.
I know that producing and financing a show of this scale must be an
absolute nightmare, so it's inevitable that some stuff would have to
be skimmed over or else cut entirely. As stuff gets dropped, it leads
to more deviations from the source material, which I don't feel is a
bad thing in itself. I'd say the show has stayed true to the spirit
of the books, even if it hasn't adhered to the plot. Besides, the
show needs to have its own identity and not just slavishly follow the
source; after all, if a person wants an exact copy of the books, they
can just read the books.
We've
now reached the point where nobody save GRRM and the showrunners know
where the story is going. It'll be fascinating to see where the two
media go from here, though it'll be a long wait yet. Until then, the
long winter will carry on ...
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