Game of Thrones and the Women of Westeros 4/2
The Lion and the Rose
And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for… Hodor’s back! Also, some other stuff happens.
I’ve gone into some detail on Two Swords last time, but the “previously” also reminds us of Jojen and Meera Reed and their Harry Potter-esque camping adventures north of The Wall with a rapidly aging Bran Stark, who’s a warg, in case you forgot. It also wants us to remember that Melisandre gave birth to a smoke monster version of Stannis (as if I could ever forget!), that his wife, Selyse, is totally cool with it, and that his daughter, Shireen, suffers from a mutilated (and still adorable) face. Roose Bolton and Walder Frey were not just co-conspirators in The Red Wedding, but in capturing Theon Greyjoy by way of Roose’s bastard, Ramsay Snow, who is the scariest thing since Joffrey, though not half as smug.
In a nutshell…
It’s Purple Wedding time! I have to say, this wedding is a lot more sun-drenched than its Red counterpart and fun for all of us… except Joffrey, by the end. Okay, Cersei, too. Joffrey is so insufferable, ungrateful, and insensitive even before the wedding that I laughed with fiendish glee when I noticed the wedding was well under way and there was still plenty of time left for poisoning. Speaking of creepy bastards, Ramsay Snow hunts people for sport and demonstrates his hold over Theon, now calling himself Reek, for his father with a tense straight razor shave. Theon reveals that Bran and Rickon Stark are alive. Roose, though initially disappointed in his bastard for how thoroughly he’s broken Theon, offers him the chance to redeem himself and possibly earn legitimacy through battle.
Tyrion comforts Jaime, now about as loved by Tywin and Cersei as himself, and encourages him to train using his left hand and the services of the always delightful Bronn. At Dragonstone, Melisandre keeps burning devotees of The Seven and cementing her influence over Stannis, who doesn’t seem to like her methods, but puts up with them because they get results. Ser Davos still hates her guts. Bran is exploring his warg side by taking over his direwolf, Summer, at the expense of his own health, while Jojen and Meera try to keep him going. He finds a magical tree and goes on a little vision-trip, which tells him to look for someone beneath a tree in the north.
Varys helps Tyrion make arrangements to send Shae away for her own protection, as Cersei and Tywin now know about her. So Tyrion is miserable enough when the wedding feast starts, only to have Joffrey humiliate him and offend Sansa. It doesn’t get any better for him after Joffrey turns a lovely shade of purple and Cersei immediately accuses him of Joffrey’s murder. Luckily for Sansa, she is spirited away by Ser Dontos before anyone sees.
As for whodunnit, I kept my eye on the Queen of Thorns.
The Women Of Westeros…
We have some new blood! There’s Roose’s new wife, “fat” Walda Frey-Bolton, chosen because Roose Bolton was told if he wed from Walder’s daughters, he could have that daughter’s weight in gold. She seems sweet and friendly. It’s a shame she doesn’t live in a world where those qualities are rewarded.
Alas, poor Tansy. We hardly knew ye! But I’m sure you deserved a better end than being chased down and savaged by Ramsay’s dogs.
As for Ramsay’s friend (girlfriend?), Myranda, she’s new to me as a book reader, though I think I spied her last season helping with Theon’s torture. I can’t say I’m looking forward to more of her.
I can’t say that for Ellaria Sand. We only get two lines from her! But she makes up for it in shiny head-wear.
Olenna Tyrell is still the most fun, especially if you watch her movements very closely throughout the wedding feast. Remember Sansa’s seven-stone necklace? It seems to be missing one in every shot after Olenna toys with it while comforting her about that other wedding. “Killing a man at a wedding. Horrid. What sort of monster would do such a thing?” I cackled at her knowing grin at Joffrey’s goblet. I also love the way she greets her son, Mace — “Not now, Mace! Lord Tywin and I are speaking!” — as if we didn’t already know who’s the boss of House Tyrell. Besides that, she argues with Tywin about the need for an extravagant wedding with them on the brink of what looks to be an even more expensive war. Can’t she just take the Iron Throne? I’m sure she’ll only poison the right people.
Margaery is all smiles and loving glances, basically putting on a great show. As for my (totally right and shared by many) theory about Olenna, I don’t think Margaery was in on it. Margaery doesn’t do much here but attempt to keep a smiling face in light of Joffrey’s antics, only faltering a few times. But she makes an attempt to ingratiate herself to the populace with a big announcement about giving the wedding leftovers to the poor. Her new mother-in-law pretends to love the idea…
… up until she tells Grand Maester Pycelle to tell the kitchen staff that the feast’s leftovers will be fed to the dogs — or he will. Cersei’s bitterness and drunkenness has been growing since last season and she’s in rare form here. She’s the only woman present who seems to enjoy Joffrey’s vulgar pantomime, if only to triumph in how much it offends everyone else at the head table. She also informs Brienne she’s a lady “whether she wants to be or not, “ gives her some back-handed thanks for returning Jaime to her, smilingly tells her she “flits from one camp to the next,” and accuses her of loving Jaime.
Brienne doesn’t have anything to say to that. She also suffers Cersei’s mockery before that (“Did you just bow?” Cersei titters) as she attempts to swallow her loyalty to Renly and congratulate Margaery and Joffrey in hopes his reign will be one of peace.
Sansa is heartbreaking in this episode. We get a rare flash of spirit from her after the wedding with her droll “We have a new queen.” But most of this episode features her reacting with a stoic, quiet misery to Joffrey rubbing her face in the loss of her family. I was so glad when Ser Dontos pulled her away as there’s only so much of Sansa’s deadened eyes I can take. Poor kid. Remember when she was a bratty teen and I rolled my eyes at everything she said? Of course you don’t. Well, I did. But that changed at the end of the first season and it’s been over two years of watching her will to live get slowly leeched away. I’m glad to see her out of that hellhole.
Shae is, by all appearances, sent away. She insists she loves Tyrion, but he pulls the same move Arya pulled on Nymeria in season one, throwing insults at her in order to get her to leave him for the relative safety of Braavos. It all ends in tears and Bronn’s assurance to Tyrion that Shae got on the boat.
Meera hasn’t gotten much to do so far in the show. She seems to be a bit more on the action girl (link to tv tropes?) side of the spectrum, like Arya and Brienne, but all I see her do here is camp and talk. I seem to remember the book fleshing her out a little more. Here’s hoping the show finds some way to make her more interesting to watch.
Selyse Baratheon had already shown a decided lack of self-esteem, hating herself for the son she could never give Stannis and that Melisandre could. (You mean the smoky demon who killed Renly, then disappeared? That one? What a lovely bundle of joy!) She’s been indoctrinated into Melisandre’s Lord of Light cult to the extent that she joyfully watches her own brother burn alive and suggests beating their daughter for the sin of stubbornness because it’s not enough Shireen’s been locked in a cell all her life.
Stannis does not want to beat his daughter, so he sends Melisandre to talk to her. She’s a bright, inquisitive kid who doesn’t seem to enjoy the idea of a god who demands people be burnt to death while screaming. This kid, right? I don’t know how Selyse puts up with her sass.
Melisandre continues to creep me out. I’m not a big fan of her character, book or show. Maybe my opinion’s colored by how much Ser Davos Seaworthy despises her. She’s fanatical, dismissively cruel, and convinced she is in the right, and horribly smug. But she’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Selyse worships her and Stannis does almost everything she tells him to these days.
Passing the Bechdel test…
It was a catty episode for most of the women of Westeros, but it’s a pass. Melisandre and Shireen discuss religion. Cersei and Brienne discuss loyalty, even with talk of Jaime in the mix, and I’m counting some of those little moments between Cersei and Margaery and Olenna and Sansa.
Other notes…
Ser Davos really should hang out with the remaining Starks. He’s the closest thing we have to a man with a conscience since Ned Stark was taken out.
I always marvel, with this book and show, at how the twists and turns force me to sympathize characters I previously hated and Theon Greyjoy is perhaps the strongest example of this. When he took Winterfell, I despised him and wanted him dead. But to see him tortured to this extent is hard to watch. So I guess I still want him dead, if only to put him out of his misery.
Is no one even pretending Joffrey is a Baratheon anymore? I saw lots of golden lions and barely anything stag-like.
Fare thee well, Jack Gleeson. From all accounts his castmates loved him as much as we all hated Joffrey. I hear he’s retiring from showbiz to study theology. If that’s not a contrast… At least he’s going out having played one the most loathed villains ever. Some villains have that love-to-hate quality with the cool one-liners, but every word out of Joffrey’s mouth was just smug and obnoxious. Then you’ll find the villains who have piles of fanfic and fanart woobifying (link to tv tropes) them or insisting they’re just misunderstood. I haven’t seen any attempt with Joffrey. He’s just despised. But I think we will all miss gleefully anticipating his death. Well done, Sir!
Fangasms…
“In some places the highborn frown on those of low birth. In other places the rape and murder of women and children is considered distasteful,” Oberyn says before turning to Cersei. “What a fortunate thing for you, former Queen Regent, that your daughter, Myrcella, has been sent to live in the latter sort of place.” I am LOVING the Dornish so far!
Jaime Lannister warns Loras Tyrell that he will never marry Cersei. Loras only responds with “And neither will you.” Not bad. He’s still nowhere near as cool as the ladies of house Tyrell, but I like that they’re starting to give him a personality.
My God, Margaery Tyrell’s dress was gorgeous. I had to keep pausing to take it in. I particularly loved all the sharp, winding, silver thorns.
Varys! I missed you.
I love the way Tommen starts to laugh at the dwarf pantomime until he sees the rage on Uncle Tyrion’s face. Aw! At least someone cares!
Previously: Game of Thrones and the Women of Westeros (an introduction), Game of Thrones and the Women of Westeros (Two Swords)
Next: Game of Thrones and the Women of Westeros (Breaker of Chains)
Additional thoughts on the social media frenzy surrounding THAT SCENE in Breaker of Chains.
*****
All Game Of Thrones promotional images courtesy of David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and HBO.
