*BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD*
“Kill the boy and let the man be born.”
Maester Aemon’s advice to Lord Commander Jon Snow has both literal and often metaphorical meanings as the question of leadership and the often difficult questions it poses takes center stage in this week’s episode of Game of Thrones. Whether it is Lord Snow at the Wall or the Mother of Dragons in Meereen, leadership has always been at the cost of affronting a significant many for the good of what Jon quietly states ‘the realms of men.’ And perhaps, that is the fallacy of good men and women in the books.
They do not necessarily make good or even comforting rulers for a significant many.
THE WALL
“You’ll find little joy in your command,” Maester Aemon says to Jon, as he proposes to bridge the enmity between the Night’s Watch and the Wildlings. And to say that there is truth in it is an understatement as Snow finds resistance emanating deeply from within his command. It is an impossible choice to make and yet, as opposition grows from the likes of Dolorous Edd and Olly, his steward, I can only wonder at the fascinating turn Snow’s arc has taken this season.
Now that he is heading to Hardhome, I can probably comprehend the degree of resentment brewing amongst the Night’s Watch that led to the cliffhanger in DwD à la the Ides of March (I call Edd and Olly).
It would seem that the entire character arc on the Wall on the show, is sticking more or less with that of the books. Which is why it is a pleasant distraction to learn of Samwise’ (force of habit) yearning for becoming a Maester in Oldtown, which may or may not be a beacon to where Tarly’s future lies (In the books, he does make it to Oldtown).
In other news up at the Wall, the show is still doing a great job of humanizing Stannis Baratheon, the one true king of Westeros; even if all he’s doing is correcting someone’s grammar (Grammar Nazis unite!). And yes, Stannis finally did get a move on towards Winterfell and the Boltons in what is promising to be a savory battle for such a promising set-up. But yes, I can’t say I’m not a little disappointed that Jon and Stannis won’t have any shared screen time anymore.
WINTERFELL
In the ruins of Winterfell, Sansa is gradually finding the situation even harder to acclimatize to. Of course, the Boltons are not particularly known for accommodating favorably to guests but to have a professionally homicidal and pathological bastard (figuratively, if not literally) as your betrothed is certainly not a marriage to look forward to. Not to mention the jealous ex-girlfriend who is as creepy, and perhaps more motivated than Ramsey. That said however, it was fun to see Sansa acting smug at Ramsey’s reaction as Roose Bolton announces the impending birth of a son with Fat Walda (They don’t call her that without reason).
Clearly, someone has Daddy issues.
And as expected, Theon/Reek and Sansa did finally cross paths (A ‘co-incidence’ engineered by the jealous ex-girlfriend Miranda) in the kennels, no less. Needless to say, she wasn’t particularly thrilled to see him, and neither was he (Although the latter was more out of fear and shame than revulsion and anger). Still, kudos to Sophie Turner and Alfie Allen for their scenes together, including those at the dinner table.
Now that Theon/Reek is all set to give away Sansa way in marriage next week on Game of Thrones, it would seem that the producers have more or less combined Sansa’s arc with that of ‘Fake Arya’ from the books. And perhaps, the arc on the show will go on as it has in the books, with redemption, however small it is in sight for Theon. However if that is so, I really can’t see how Sansa will typify her inner Lady Stoneheart and well, exact revenge.
The North Remembers, and knowing that she has friends on the inside as well as the outside (Brienne and Pod included), I’d bet Sansa would want to take that chance.
MEEREEN
Across the Narrow Sea in Meereen, in the aftermath of Ser Barristan’s death, Dany feels the same weight of leadership that confronts Jon on the Wall. In a rare case of decisiveness, or perhaps the characteristic Targaryen madness, she has members of the Meereenese noble families bandied out in front Rhaegal and Viserion. Needless to say, they piss their pants in a scene where the dragons actually consume noble Meereenese flesh (Which I suspect is a tribute to the Quentyn Martell storyline which has been left out).
Considering that Dany seemed to have simmered the madness for now and is well, looking forward to a marital union with Hizdahr the wimp, I think it is safe to say that we will see Daznak’s Pit in the coming weeks.
SOMEWHERE IN THE SMOKING SEA
The biggest WTF moment though came in the final ten minutes of the episode where Ser Jorah and Tyrion find themselves reminiscing poetically about the Doom of Valyria. Getting attacked by a group of Stone Men makes sense not only after Shireen’s scene last week but it also accommodates the same scene from the books, albeit with different companions. With every week throwing the possibility of the Young Griff storyline out of the window, it’s a stroke of genius to afflict Ser Jorah with Greyscale, affectively making him a man racing against time to reach the Queen he loves and serves.
Also, it was worth it to see Tyrion almost shitting himself at the sight of Drogon.
And yes, that was all that was covered in this week’s episode. No King’s Landing or Dorne. No Arya and Braavos and no sight of Jaime and Bronn tag-teaming in the sands of the South.
There has been a lot of criticism of the deliberate pacing the show has adopted this season with many, almost all of them non-book readers stating that the season is slow, dull and even boring. However, I beg to differ. As a reader of all of Martin’s works I can testify that to the contrary, this season is moving faster than ever before. As it stands now, the producers have not only trimmed a lot of fat that Martin’s A Feast for Crows and Dance with Dragons, but have also brought a coherence and pace to the proceedings, which these two books sadly lacked. In fact, I think the season will conclude on the same page as that of most characters by the end of DwD.
Therefore personally, my sole worry remains that the subsequent seasons do not ruin the reading experiences for me (If, and when the next book comes out. Get off the couch and ditch those nachos, Martin!).
Another strong episode for Game of Thrones this week. The mid-season finale has perhaps given a conclusive proof of where everyone will be by the end of the season (In what state is however, a harder question to answer).
With King’s Landing and Dorne all set to take over next week, it would seem that this season is turning out to be one which will keep even book-readers guessing.
Until next week, Hodor!
P.S: A perhaps knowing nod to the R+L= J theory this week when Aemon laments that a Targaryen alone in the world is a terrible thing, only to find Jon at the door. Coincidence? I think not. If it is, I’m a monkey’s uncle.
