Cersei Lannister

Game of Thrones Season 5 finale: Review and Thoughts

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

I’ve been terrible keeping up with my Game of Thrones reviews this season. The truth is I don’t really have time to go into in-depth reviews unless I’m getting paid for it — and as priorities go — writing fiction and other such nonsense really does take center stage. But. BUT. I feel like it would be awful of me, disrespectful even, not to give my two cents on last night’s finale. So here goes… (Also, I’ve now read the books. So, some book information might be hinted at here. But no book spoilers.)

Arya-Goes-Blind-in-Game-of-Thrones-Season-5-FinaleNote*** Spoilers a head!

A quick recap:

Pretty much all of the story lines that we’ve loved and adored have ended in cliff-hangers. (Well, with the exception of Stannis who I could, quite frankly, do without!)

***In Dorne, Jaime has finally recovered his “niece” and they are on their way home. After a heartfelt scene, where Myrcella tells Jaime that she’s known all along that he was her father, she starts bleeding from her nose. Lady Ellaria had given her a kiss goodbye, but her lips were smeared with poison. We don’t know that the young princess is dead, but it is certainly assumed that Dorne finally has their revenge for Oberyn’s death.

In Meereen, Tyrion, Jorah, and Daario all sit around the throne room trying to decide what to do now that their Khaleesi is probably wandering around the countryside some where. They decide that Tyrion will stay and try to rule Meereen with the help of Missandei and Grey Worm, while Jorah and Daario go off in search of Dany. Oh, and Varys shows up to help Tyrion.

imagesMeanwhile, Dany is indeed stuck in the middle of no where with her black dragon, Drogon, who doesn’t want to go anywhere he doesn’t want to. Getting desperate, Dany takes off on her own, but she is discovered by a Dothraki horde who immediately surround her.

Meanwhile, caught in the hell hole he’s now found himself in, (kharma’s a bitch, eh Stannis?) “The one true King” did not find favor with the Lord of Light by sacrificing his daughter. (The sweetest character in the show so far!)  His wife has committed suicide, half of his men have deserted and the red woman has abandoned him. On their march to Winterfell, the Boltons meet them halfway and it is a massacre.

got510_111414_hs_dsc_42601Wounded and alone in the woods, Stannis is discovered by Brienne of Tarth, who believes it is her duty to avenge the death of Renly Baratheon. The scene ends with Brienne swinging her sword, and we are left to assume that this is the end of Stannis. (This is not something that is confirmed in the books, but I say: good riddance!)

Arya steals a face from the hall of many faces, so she can cross another name off her list. Disguised as some random girl, she attacks Meryn Trant gruesomely; gouges out his eyes and stabs him repeatedly, and slits his throat. She reminds him that she is Arya Stark and that his death is for Syrio Forel, her sword-fighting instructor.

Naturally, she gets punished because the many faced god did not ask for this life, and Arya is not the no one she claims to be. Jaqen H’ghar, takes Arya’s eyesight.

Alfie-Allen-and-Sophie-Turner-in-Game-of-Thrones-Season-5-FinaleOn a more positive note, Sansa decides to take her life into her own hands while the Boltons are away in battle. She lights a candle in the tower that Brienne tells her to, but she is confronted by Myranda, Ramsay’s mistress.

FINALLY, Theon finds some redemption as he stops Myranda from harming Sansa. Theon and Sansa grab hands and race to the wall, where they jump into the snow and to freedom.

Meanwhile, Cersei has finally decided to confess. She admits to sexual relations with her cousin, but nothing else. The high sparrow says that she can return to the red keep…after her atonement. Cersei walks naked through the street; through shit and blood and who knows what else. We’ve seen her remain strong, but near the end of her long walk, filthy and bloody, she finally breaks down.

GoT-S5E10-CerseiQyburn is there to comfort her at the red keep and presents her with her new, mysterious champion, (who we can assume is the Mountain in zombie form.) He swoops her into his arms, and Cersei’s tears disappear.

But, it wouldn’t be a finale on Game of Thrones without some kind of tragic death.

images7We learn in earlier scenes that Sam desires to be a maester to be helpful to Jon and to keep Gilly safe. He and Gilly leave for Old Town. Tricked into thinking that his uncle Benjen has returned, Jon is cornered by men from the night’s watch who think he is a traitor because of the alliance that he has formed with the Wildings. They stab him repeatedly, but the most heartbreaking is from the young Olly, who delivers the finally blow.

The finale ends with Jon’s sightless gaze, and his dark, red blood seeping into the white, white snow.

My Thoughts?

Not Jon Snow! He is one of my favorite characters, and I choose to remain hopeful. It doesn’t make sense to me to end Jon’s storyline at the wall, and it is my opinion that the red woman, will bring Jon back to life. If not…well…I can’t see the sense of his death. As he is a great character.

Anyone have a Julius Ceasar moment while watching Jon’s death. Et tu Brute?

We’ve seen Cersei at her worst, and although you feel like you should feel sorry for her, you still remember she has done terrible things. Wonder what Jamie ever saw in her?

I was very pleased with Stannis’ death, as I never really was a great fan of him in the first place. And after the last episode, with his daughter’s death…I think it is much deserved, to be honest. I also can’t wait until Ramsey Bolton gets what is coming to him!

I think there is a lot that we can’t take for granted here, though; readers of the books know that just because you are dead in Game of Thrones, doesn’t mean you can’t rise again.

Oh! Well, lets hope the red woman get’s to Jon’s body before they decide to burn him…

Any thoughts on last nights finale?

 

What Game of Thrones can teach creative writers about hidden context

/ Ajmorse / 3 Comments

Source: HBO;  Margaery and Cersei walk together.

We saw it a few nights ago in the latest episode of Game of Thrones, in First of His Name. Margaery and Cersei are standing side by side, both staring out at the new King Tommen talking about King Joffrey, about the new king, about whether or not Margaery still wants to be queen. Talking about everything else than what is truly on their minds.

Game of Thrones, or more specifically, Game of Throne’s characters, presents a fine example of the importance of hidden context for creative writers.

In context:  Margaery and Cersei are having a conversation, they are talking about the troubles on hand: a recent death, a new queen and what they should do now. Margaery, is polite, beguiling, charming. She knows how to twist words to her favor, to ask a question, yet answer it in the same sentence. Meanwhile, Cersei’s words are clipped, sometimes barbed. The things she says are meant to shock, to entice some reaction from the person next to her, to try to make the person she is having a conversation with, uncomfortable.

Out of context: The tension between the two. The fact that they aren’t looking at each other. The pauses between words. The politeness. Margaery wants the throne and is doing what she can to get it. Cersei doesn’t like Margaery, but knows she must play nice and make small talk, or in Cersei’s case, idle threats. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

While the two, strong, beautiful women are making conversation, most of what goes on between them is what they don’t say. The glances, the gestures, the false smiles. Cersei says it best with a glance, a frown, or a twitch of her eye.

And all the while, there is tension.

You hear it time and time again, from a lot of creative writers, or teachers of the craft. There must be tension. Without tension of some kind there is no story, no problem or obstacle to overcome.

If two characters are having a conversation, and everything is happy, perfect, agreeable, there is no reason for the conversation and as such, there is no story.

That’s why it is so important to create great detail in your stories. Sensory details. Describe the scene and character and conversation in detail.

With detail you will create the tension, and in that tension is what isn’t being said – the hidden context. Which is sometimes the most important thing of all.

What are your favorite stories or TV Shows? Who are your favorite characters in them? And what does it teach you about writing or story telling?

Thoughts below if you’ve got ’em!

 

 

Game of Thrones TV Show Review: Oathbreaker, The Good vs The Bad

/ Ajmorse / 2 Comments

Being an avid Game of Thrones watcher, I thought I would put my two cents in about the most recent Game of Thrones episode…

Note: This is conjecture based purely on the TV Show, I have not read the book series completely, and so I can only judge the show based on what I have seen.

Also, SPOILERS AHEAD.

Photo credit: HBO

Review of “Oathbreaker” –

It’s great to see the characters grow and change in Season four – Daenerys freeing slaves and grooming her army, Jon Snow training recruits, Jaime Lannister’s more humble attitude, (except for that whole incest rape thing, I mean what the heck?), but it’s difficult sometimes to focus on the good that happens, when being good in the Game of Thrones sometimes means losing your head, sometimes quite literally.

In Oathbreaker, Jon Snow receives permission to take a party to Craster’s Keep and capture or kill the traitors who killed Mormont . Meanwhile, said traitors are rapping and abusing Craster’s daughters and offering a last child sacrifice to the white walkers.

They capture and subdue Bran and company, and tie up and torture, Hodar, and trap the Direwolves, Ghost and Summer. 

Okay, we get it, these traitors are bastards and need to die. But did we need to see it so graphically?

While Daenerys is helping free slaves, Cersei is her bitter alcoholic self bent on seeing her little brother, Tyrion dead, although everyone else seems to think that he is innocent.

At least we got to see a neat scene between Brienne and Jaime, and Brienne vows to find Sansa Stark. It does beg the question: does Jaime love lady Brienne? Could it be the Kingslayer cares for someone more than himself? It is clear that she feels something for him, but perhaps what he feels goes deeper than love…I think he truly respects her.

The change and growth in his character is refreshing, although it is still difficult to move pass the rape scene that everyone can’t seem to stop talking about. Perhaps we can just forget it ever happened.

That seemed to be what the writers wanted in this episode. No mention or thought was given to that scene, except for Cersei’s chilly demeanor, but really, that just means nothing has changed then.

Meanwhile, Margaery is forming a new alliance with the next King in line to the throne, Tommon, and we learn that Little Finger is indeed behind King Joffrey’s death as well as Margaery’s grandmother.

Daenerys’ story is becoming very interesting. She believes in dealing with injustice with justice, and while we root and cheer for her story, the villainous characters bent on slaughter, rape and dead babies always seem to take center stage.

Sometimes it makes for an uncomfortable watch when you don’t always know if your favorite characters are safe or not, if justice is really met, if good actually wins in the end.

It is true Game of Thrones is not for the faint of heart, and it definitely keeps you guessing. I will always root for the good guys, though.

My favorite characters are Daenerys and Arya. I think they have the more interesting stories. Who are your favorites? What did you think of last night’s episode? Think we will see the good guys win in the next episode?

Thoughts below if you got ’em!