Tag: spoilers

So it looks like in the show that Daenerys will take King’s Landing from Cersei (maybe Euron gets involved somehow). But the conventional wisdom for TWOW has been that Aegon will take King’s Landing from the Lannister-Tyrell regime (how Myrcella and Tommen die would still be up in the air). So is Aegon’s excision from the show indicative of how he’s ultimately unimportant? Because in the show there’s no opposing candidate for a second Dance and Dany will steamroll everyone in her path.

I don’t think it’s so much ultimately unimportant as unimportant to Benioff and Weiss, who are being rather radical in chopping out material so that they can skip to the end.  

So is Rickon really just a shaggy dog story in the books given his fate in the show? I’ve always felt that the Davos-goes-to-Skagos-and-retrieves-Rickon plan seems too convenient to work as intended. Wyman Manderly is going to die (either from his recent wounds or being killed by Stannis before he can reveal his true colors). And doesn’t it seem just a little farfetched that Wex followed the group across half of the North without being observed or sensed even once, then waltzed into WH?

No, I think it’s that Rickon is five, so he’s not going to accomplish anything himself. So the show decided they could kill him off without changing the plot that much. 

About some of your doubts concerning the HBO show’s finale: given the results of Cersei’s last play (i.e. everyone else is dead), isn’t there enough of a political vacuum for Cersei to realistically be able to seize the throne without facing too much official protest about it? There is basically no credible claimant yet. The entire Baratheon/Lannister/Tyrell succession is extinct. Wouldn’t Cersei be the closest KL has to some semblance of political continuity? It is suicidal, yes, but right now?

As for a vacuum, in the city itself, there’s no one left to oppose her on the Small Council, the Sparrows are leaderless, and Cersei does have some guardsmen. But without any shred of popular legitimacy, all it takes is one good riot to bring it all tumbling down. 

And for outside the city, the Florents are the closest in proximity, followed by the Estermonts, followeed by the Targaryens themselves. Lannisters are way too remote. 

But as to continuity…the attraction of continuity is stability, security, and predictability. Cersei offers none of those things; she’s basically Aerys the Third. If allying with the Lannisters through a dynastic marriage, the closest form of alliance there is in Westeros, brings you death by wildfire, there’s literally no upside to being on her side, and no downside to opposing her because she’s going to kill you anyway. 

Dany’s arrival makes all this moot anyway. She’s got the two biggest Targaryen loyalists on her side, in the show anyway she’s got an ironclad claim to both the Targaryen succession and the Baratheon succession, she’s got an enormous army, and she’s got dragons. 

Thoughts On Season 6, Episode 5

As usual, thoughts are below the cut to avoid spoilers:

Castle Black:

– it was really, really good to see Sansa comprehensively smackdown LIttlefinger. 

– OTHO, while trusting LF is a bad idea, so is turning away 30,000 knights. Although I think I know why they’re doing that and I feel kind of meh about it.

– Well, the Boars, Gore, and Swords guys are very happy right now!

– And I’m happy that Brienne is going to the Riverlands, because that means LSH!

– I’m more happy that I think Davos is going to White Harbor!

House of Black and White:

– seriously, this much stick fighting was not necessary. 

– I did like the backstory of the Faceless Men coming into the show.

– GRRM did “Mercy” better, and their more farce than Shakespeare version was ironically self-critical, but I think I know where they’re going with it. Batman doesn’t join the League of Shadows, after all. 

Kingsmoot:

– I liked Asha and Theon together, Euron’s speech was not as cool as in the book, and I missed the horn.

Dany: 

– while I don’t really care about Jorah, that was a nice sendoff.

Meereen:

– I thought the discussion with the R’hllorites was very interesting, although I don’t like the Rh’llor = burning unbelievers reductionism.

– I especially liked seeing Varys shaken by the High Priestesses’ knowledge.

Beyond the Wall:

– Well, that was eventful. I still think I’m right about the White Walkers – this version has some major sequencing problems, like the War between the First Men and the Children, and the Pact that ended it, coming before the Long Night, and the Children fighting against the White Walkers during the Battle for the Dawn. However, evil magic turning against its masters is still evil. 

– Bran getting the mark of the Night’s King was interesting, although the whole not ready/dead mentor thing was very very Hero’s Journey in a way that GRRM is more deft with. Hope he’s learned everything he needs, because he’s not getting another chance. 

– Bran causing Hodor’s condition through time I could definitely see; the whole thing about Hodor being “Hold the Door” seems a bit small potatoes.

– Meera killed a White Walker!

– Benioff and Weiss must be tired of dealing with the animal wranglers, because they really are on a direwolf-killing rampage. 

– the whole staging of the zombie movie sequence was very dark and confusingly staged on the TV I saw it on. 

Thoughts on GoT 6×4:

Below the cut as per usual:

Castle Black:

– Loved pretty much everything here. Jon and Sansa’s reunion was incredibly heartwarming, it was great to see Sansa being the political mind behind Jon’s warrior. 

– Brienne being a dick to Davos and Melisandre wasn’t cool. Tormund trying to seduce her with his sensual eating habits was amazing. 

– I like that we really got a sense from this episode where the Northern plot is going, and a sense of narrative momentum. Good. 

The Vale:

– teenaged Robin Arryn is bigger, but just as nuts.

– watching Littlefinger run rings around Bronze Yohn Royce was the most impressive he’s been in seasons.

Meereen:

– Well, I feel more vindicated on my Meereen-is-Reconstruction argument now. Good to see Missandei and Grey Worm having political opinions on slavery and pushing back against Tyrion’s privileged bullshit while Tyrion still had a general point. Still would have worked better if Meereen was actually being besieged. 

Vaes Dothrak:

– oy vey. Daario and Jorah’s scenes were painfully bad.

– this show is making threats of rape against Dany cliched and trite, and that’s fucked up.

– final sequence would have worked a lot better with a 40 foot dragon towering behind Dany.

King’s Landing:

– as with Castle Black, definitely got a good sense of narrative momentum, with Cersei burying the hatchet with the Queen of Thorns and planning to take out the High Septon. 

– Jonathan Pryce is an amazing actor as always, but I feel like his scene with Margaery was lacking in motivation for him. What is he trying to get from Margaery? Just informing on her brother? Not enough to justify this much screen time. 

Pyke:

– well done, and a very unexpected and heartfelt end to that scene.

Winterfell:

– no scenes in Winterfell again? Weird. 

– joking aside, this shit is also getting cliched. We know Ramsay’s evil, you have shown us this over and over again to the point where it’s not interesting any more. 

– can’t wait to see what GRRM has in mind for Osha that isn’t this.