The fifth season of Game of Thrones just ended and it’s been a doozy, so I figured it was time to peel off some disgruntled, freakish reflections on the show. In typical Kaedrin fashion, I’ve waited 5 seasons to do so, though I did once comment on the Red Wedding as it related to Joss Whedon. Major Spoilers for the entire show up until this point!
- I enjoy the show a great deal, as evidenced by the fact that it is one of two shows that I actually watch live (the other? Silicon Valley, the show after GoT and coincidentally my favorite active comedy), a distinction that might be more due to its timeslot than anything else, but still. On the other hand, I’ve never really considered it more than a really violent, fun soap opera. Sure, you can read into it if you want, and the epic scope of the story is indeed impressive, but it feels a little on the bloated side, and I don’t know that I’d ever really want to rewatch the show. Indeed, it took me a while to get into the show for that reason. It’s a show that I watch to see what will happen next, not a show I generally obsess over. Nothing wrong with that, and the series ain’t over yet, so maybe I’ll change my tune on that in the future.
- The first half of this season felt like setup and filler, but once things started happening, they came on fast and furious, and hot damn, the last three or four episodes were quite engaging. Cersei’s short-sighted and petty attempt to get back at Margaery finally turns back on her, as everyone expected (doesn’t make it any less satisfying when it happens!) Daenerys meets Tyrion! The Dorne thread doesn’t entirely work, but it ends with a bang. And then there were the really big things.
- The battle of Hardhome was fantastic and signals a shift from petty politicking to existential struggle. The TV series is called Game of Thrones, but it’s worth noting that the book series is called A Song of Ice and Fire. The icy White walkers have been hinted at all throughout the series, but this appears to be the start of their campaign proper. Much is made in this episode about the ability of Dragonglass to kill them, and then we find out that John Snow’s valyrian steel sword can also do the trick. Note that valyrian steel is also referred to as Dragonsteel, and who do we know that has access to firey Dragons? Yeah, I’d say the endgame of the series is coming into focus, which is interesting because as I mentioned earlier, it really did seem like more of a neverending soap opera than a complete narrative. This isn’t to say that the series (book or TV) doesn’t have their work cut out for them, as this will still be exceedingly difficult to pull off. The themes of the series so far just don’t fit with Dany riding to the rescue on her dragons and then triumphantly taking the throne. Honor and righteousness is punished in this world, and though Dany has snuck by with her dignity, I don’t think unambiguous triumph is in the cards. On the other hand, I don’t know that anyone would be particularly satisfied by a cynical, nihilistic, and tragic ending either. There’s a fine line to walk here. Fortunately, it seems possible that this could actually work, which is a good thing.
- Stannis has always been a turd, and attempts to soften his image earlier this season really telegraphed some of his (horrendous) actions later in the series, and when he finally burns his daughter at the stake (in a scene that genuinely had me asking why I watch this show – seriously one of the two most brutal moments in the series, particularly because they linger on it for so long). This resolution has me wondering what the whole point of the Stannis storyline actually was. Did we really need Stannis at all? I mean, I like Davos and I guess Melisandre could do some interesting things now, but otherwise, Stannis really is the Pierce of this show (perhaps one of many, but still). Tick this in the GoT is just a soap opera column.
- On the occasion of the Red Wedding, I had opined that “while the Red Wedding is the end of characters we like, it’s also the beginning of a villain we’re going to love to hate!” and in large part, one of the things that keeps people watching this show is that we want to see our villains get their comeuppance. But it’s worth noting that this comeuppance is rarely as satisfying as we might think. Sometimes it’s great, as in Joffrey’s death. But it is often undercut in one way or another. Take Arya’s final revenge on Meryn Trant in the finale. It was fantastic! Then Arya goes back to the house of black and white, gets scolded, and finds herself going blind. While the show’s initial conceit was that honor and righeousness was a flaw that would get you killed, it seems that vengeance is also not all it’s cracked up to be, which is an interesting turn for the series, and we’ve seen a fair amount of that in this season…
- The finale was a bit odd in that so much happened, and so quickly, that much of it felt unresolved and unsatisfying. But then, that’s kinda the point of a finale. Still, there were a lot of deaths, only some of which felt earned, and some of which might not actually be deaths? I mean, what happened to Sansa and Theon? Was that suicide, or were they jumping into a soft snowdrift or something? And whenever someone dies offscreen, it’s hard to not succumb to pointless conspiracy mongering (did Stannis actually die?) And so on. John seems like the most substantial death, though I can’t say as though I hadn’t been expecting it. I mean, that whole Ollie character seemed to be telegraphic it, and the fact that John actually came into his own as an honorable leader means that his time was coming to an end. I can’t say as though John was my favorite character though, and indeed, much of his misadventures north of the wall seemed kinda lame to me, though it was starting to turn around this season. Rumors abound that Melisandre might resurrect him, which feels kinda lame, but might come off ok if done well. Still, next season seems like a bit of a corker. As I understand it, we’re now caught up with and even eclipsing the books at this point, though it does seem like the next installment might be out in early 2016.
- Speaking of the books, at the urging of a friend, I’ve taken to listening to the audiobooks of the series, so I may have more to say about that as I listen to them. My initial thought is that watching the TV show was actually good prep for the books, as the amount of detail and obscure characters packed into even the first few hours of the book would have been overwhelming or simply lost in the shuffle. But knowing who the Tyrells or Boltons are, right from the start, gives you a bit of a leg up on the books. As I mentioned earlier, I have no real desire to rewatch the series, and listing to the books makes me wonder if that’s actually true because I’m enjoying them well enough. They are super long, but because of my familiarity with the general thrust of the story, it helps.
That’s all for now. Will probably have more to say once I finish the first book…