Parsing the GRRTH

Sansa, the most politically savvy human left in Westeros, wants power but doesn’t necessarily want to rule. Sansa is a  player  of the Game of Thrones, and Jon Snow is her  piece. Sansa wants to be the Power  behind  the Northern Throne. She’s what would be called the Hand of the King in the South. And she consciously engineered Jon’s elevation to kingship if you go back and watch that episode. She makes the arrangements; she takes care of business; she’s the one pulling the strings, — while Jon Snow, the Charismatic War Hero Who Saved Winterfell and the North from the Boltons (it was Sansa, actually, who saved them), Who Fights to Fave Human kind — wears the crown, fucks Targ princesses, goes on joy-rides on dragons and fires up the imagination of the people. Meanwhile, Sansa’s behind things: making sure that harvests get stored, provisions are purchased, consulting with maesters, writing letters, making sure trade deals are struck and taxes are gathered...

George RR Martin doesn’t make characters “bad.” The truly bad ones are bad from the get-go. That is a gross misreading of his text. Dany has  always  been destructive with a bad temper, though. That’s not “bad”that is just the logical consequence of her power coupled with her character. That has  alway s been part of her character: the fact that the victims of her temper have been typically evil people who, like, rape children; or force people to kill babies and kill their own dogs; or crucify kids to make a point; or dip children in honey and have them fight bears — all that has sort of masked the consequences of her temper. Because these people definitely deserve it, the audience feels. Her victims are so evil and so despicable that we cheer when they are destroyed and we cheer at her intentions: freeing slaves and banning rape among the Dothraki, etc. She’s a  force of nature  that, in the books at least, has set in motion an absolute upheaval acro...

It’s not only about his claim to the Throne. But when you say “he obviously has no desire at all to rule the Iron Throne” -- that is only obvious to someone who has watched him for seven years on HBO, or someone who knows him personally. Dany doesn’t. Well, she knows him. They’ve had sex. But she doesn’t  know  his character. There has never been a claimant to the Throne in Dany’s lifetime who has not wanted her dead. Never. Her whole family, including babies and toddlers were murdered by the Lannisters. The Baratheon’s killed her uncle and the Starks helped that. This is her reality. She spent her childhood fleeing towns because assassins were after her. She only narrowly escaped death by poisoning from Robert Baratheon in Season 1. Her older brother, who wanted to be king, abused her physically and emotionally and maybe even sexually. So, yeah, she’s a little paranoid. But more than that.  She’s alone.  And the direction and writing of the episode brutally...

10/10 I know that the episode is going to have its critics, but I think it was beautiful. Upon my first viewing, I thought this episode was a load of treading water and time-filling…as if they had 55 minutes to fill and they just had to stretch it out as long as possible, cramming as many characters as possible on screen to fulfill contractual obligations, including some characters practically missing from last week’s show. On my second viewing, though, I came away from the episode surprisingly moved in a way that few Game of Thones episodes have moved me that weren’t actually based on GRRM’s writings. The empty spaces, the silences between lines; the darkness and gloom between the candles and open flames are quite haunting, as is the fleshed out “Jenny of Oldstones” song, which is used to excellent effect. It is one of the most beautifully shot episodes that I’ve seen in some time, made all the more beautiful for the relative lack of CGI effects and eye-popping moments that...

https://slate.com/culture/2019/04/game-of-thrones-daenerys-unfit-to-rule-plot-trap.html I can see why someone would think that, but my opinion is No ,  Game of Thrones is finally getting Dany right. However, the show is very inconsistent with its themes in some ways, as the article rightfully points out. But on the contrary I think the show in season 8 has given far, far , far  more depth of character and subtlety to Daenerys than in previous seasons: rather than building her up into some kind of demi-god as she was in earlier seasons, Season 8 has presented her as flawed; vulnerable; politically ambitious but less politically savvy than she needs to be; a little too hot-headed and rash for her own good; and, sadly, isolated and utterly alone — and lonely. She’s had quite a shitty life but she’s had a dream — and now she’s seeing it crumble and become meaningless. Game of Thrones is finally getting Dany right .  The fact that some peopl...

8/10 It was actually much less boring than most Season premieres, considering it was mostly exposition and gentle reminders of what happened ten years ago when we the last episode aired. Though, as Bran said early on:  none of this matters. And none of it does. When you think about it, all of it: Cersei’s evil schemes, the question of whether or not Theon’s going to go to Winterfell or Arya flirting with Gendry (gag) or Tyrion making bad jokes (I’m used to it now, by the way: Tyrion is now the worst, most pointless character on the show, followed closely by Baldy the Ball-less); or Sansa getting all sniffy’or the Onion Knight being all gruffly Teddy Bearish, or Sam getting caught masturbating in the library; or Euron’s mutton chops stealing the scenes again; or that kid climbing that tree…none of it amounts to a hill of beans. We all know what’s coming. But before it comes, there is also the inevitable conflict that is coming between Jon and Dany which will fill four...