Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Game of Thrones: Game of Thrones Season 7, Episode 2 Review: 'Stormborn'
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
Game of Thrones
Season 7, Episode 2
By Garrett Yoshitomi
Last week’s episode of Game of Thrones literally broke the
internet. Well, maybe not the entire internet, but at least HBO's little corner
of the world wide web. HBO.com
crashed during the first half of the seventh season premiere of its most popular
show ever. And yes, that's most, with an ‘m,’ popular, with a ‘p,’ and ever,
with an 'e.' Despite these website issues, Game of Thrones shattered the
record for its most watched single episode, with
10 million viewers. And, if you include live streaming, last Sunday's
"Dragonstone" was watched by approximately 16
million people- a pretty solid turnout for the devout fandom that made Game
of Thrones HBO’s most watched series, ahead of The
Sopranos, back in 2014. For all
this record breaking, you'd expect the season premiere to have been packed to
the gills with action, but it was a relatively slow episode that got off to a hot
start, with Arya wiping out the Freys, but then reduced itself to a simmer for
the remaining fifty-five minutes.
“Stormborn” picks up
roughly where last week’s “Dragonstone” left off, as Daenerys and her council finally
get to work on devising a plan to take back Westeros. It’s not all peaches and
creams for the Mother of Dragons; however, as Daenerys quickly learns that her
constituents have a very strong, and different, opinion on what her first steps
of conquest must be. It’s good that Daenerys faces some push-back on her
decisions. It would be boring if her storyline was devoid of internal strife, her
supporters unquestionably falling in line behind her every decision. Plus, it’s
fitting that Ellaria Sand and Olenna Tyrell are the ones dissenting, since
they’re the newest additions to the crew, and motivated more by their thirst
for vengeance against Cersei, rather than a firm belief in Daenerys as a ruler.
There is a balance that needs to be struck, however. It will get old pretty
quickly if Daenerys is being challenged at each and every turn. We’ve waited
long enough for the young Targaryen to make her move on Westeros, and to have
her progress stalled by contrived, unnecessary infighting would be incredibly
disappointing.
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
To a certain degree,
it makes sense that Daenerys would question Varys’ intentions- after all, he
did send an assassin after her, on Robert Baratheon’s orders, back in season
one. But still, it’s a little weird that she’s having this conversation with
him now, as opposed to two seasons ago, when he first joined her cause. For
casual fans, and most non-book readers, Varys has always been a difficult
character to peg. His scenes are brief, and filled with double talk and
metaphors that tend to muddy their relation to the plot. But, for all his
convoluted Master of Whispers babble, he’s remained a reliable ally to Tyrion,
and by extension, Daenerys, as well as unwaveringly consistent with his goal of
getting a Targaryen back on the Iron Throne. Overall, I find Varys’ explanation
for why he will remain loyal to Daenerys, despite his disloyalty to previous
kings, to be satisfying. Plus, his desire to find a ruler for the common folk
rings consistent with his own rags to slightly-nicer rags story; though, it’s
clear that Dany will continue to hold a healthy, and arguably necessary, dose
of skepticism towards the eunuch.
Last week, I
talked about Euron Greyjoy, and how he'd have to prove himself
in the coming episodes to be considered anything more than early season dragon
fodder. Surprisingly, (to me at least), the King of the Iron Islands came
through, delivering a bad guy performance that would make even Cersei Lannister
proud. It was easy to be skeptical of Euron, given that his list of nefarious
on-screen accomplishments had been limited to overpowering an old man, and
threatening to murder his niece and nephew. Plus, it's a little strange to see
this character suddenly arise from obscurity and exile, only to become a major
player in the war for the Iron Throne. Regardless, the only thing that matters,
when you play the game of thrones, is your final score, and after this week,
Euron certainly finds himself towards the top of the standings. It will be
interesting to see how his role, and relationship with Cersei, continues to
evolve, though I still don't feel like he'll last past this season.
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
Cersei
spends this episode trying to rally some of the bannermen of House Tyrell
against their own Queen of Thorns, Olenna. Notable amongst them is Randyll
Tarly, who initially declines Cersei’s offer, and manages to come across as
rather noble in the process, despite a long history of mistreating his son, Samwell
Tarly. Although initially, Cersei appears to be outgunned against Dany’s set of
dragons, it’s easy to see the writers forging a bit of plot armor to even
things up in her favor. Jaime’s comments last week, about how the Lannister’s
are firmly on the losing side, certainly ring true, but it would be an
incredibly boring season if Daenerys and co. steamrolled through King’s Landing,
as they realistically should.
For
all the excitement that's going on in other parts of Westeros, I think Sam
currently has the most interesting individual storyline. He's fairly isolated
from the rest of the major players, but he does cross paths with Jorah Mormont
for the first time. Despite the two never meeting before, Sam shares a strong
connection with Jorah, through the latter’s father, Jeor Mormont, former Lord
Commander of the Night’s Watch. I think it's pretty likely that both Sam and
Jorah top most people's list of most adored supporting characters, so it's
quite enjoyable to see Sam's bravery shine through, as well as the prospect
that Jorah might live to fight another day by Daenerys’ side.
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
This season is shaping up to be an all-out war between Daenerys and
Cersei, with Jon Snow, and the rest of the North, finding themselves roughly in
the middle. As semi-omniscient bystanders, we know that Daenerys and Jon, as
the protagonists, are destined to join forces and kick Lannister, as well as
White Walker, butt. However, to those in-show, Jon’s choice seems less clear. Everybody,
from Sansa to Lyanna Mormont, raises a good point regarding the riskiness of
Jon abandoning the North to negotiate with the unknown daughter of one of
Westeros’ most tyrannical kings. However, the alliance between Daenerys and Jon
Snow is something that both casual fans and book readers, alike, have been looking
forward to for years, and even though the scene features well-balanced
arguments from both sides, there’s little doubt that Jon will set off for
Dragonstone, with the goal of bolstering his forces.
While
it’s easy to feel invested in Jon’s storyline, Sansa is the character I’m most interested
to see develop in the aftermath of her brother’s decision. Before heading
south, Jon leaves the North to Sansa, as the only Stark in Winterfell. For the
past season or so, Sansa has been skirting around the edges of leadership, but now
her time has finally come to take the reins of House Stark. Sansa’s come a long
way from the naïve and childish girl she started as, back in season one. She’s
faced her fair share of adversities and horrors since then, and just like her
siblings, ultimately emerged stronger for it. Of course, the potential for
Littlefinger interference will always loom as long as Petyr Baelish, and the
need for the Knights of the Vale, hang around. But, it appears that Sansa is
aware of his untrustworthiness, and she ultimately might have enough savvy to use
this for her own gain.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
(TV) Game of Thrones Season 7 Premiere Review: ‘Dragonstone’
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
Game of Thrones
Season 7 Premiere
By Garrett Yoshitomi
Game of Thrones is back! But, you
probably don’t need me to tell you that. It’s been a long offseason for Game
of Thrones, which typically airs in the spring. However,
the need for dreary winter skies pushed
filming, for season seven, into February, two months later than any of the previous six
seasons wrapped. That extra two months
might not seem like a long time, but the wait for fans has been real, and season seven figures to be one of the
most anticipated seasons of any show, ever. The first trailer for season seven
dropped in late May, and quickly reached 61 million views in the first 24
hours, a record for a TV trailer during that time span.
But, it’s not
just the extra two months of waiting that has fans riled up. With this Song of
Ice and Fire fast approaching its final measure, we’re only two short seasons
away from the end of Game of Thrones. In fact, with seasons seven and
eight receiving an episode order shorter than the ten we’re accustomed to, in
all, there are just thirteen episodes left of Game of Thrones. It's strange to think that this epic tale will soon be reaching its conclusion after gracing our screens for the past half-decade. But, the end is near. “Dragonstone”
represents the beginning to this end, as multiple storylines and character arcs
that have been teased since the very beginning, finally get put into motion.
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
For all the #WinterIsHere hype that HBO has been throwing around, “Dragonstone” is more of a slow
burn than some viewers, including myself, might have been expecting. It neither leads with an epic battle, nor ends
with a shocking cliffhanger- and that’s okay. Because what “Dragonstone” does
is ready the audience for a final act that will unite important plot points that have been scattered
throughout the series, and subtly
woven into even twist and turn
of this six year journey. For a
lot of viewers, remembering what an Umber or a Karstark is, or even just
understanding the significance of Dragonstone, will seem frivolous. But, these are crucial world-building
details that will ultimately make
these last thirteen episodes more
enjoyable to watch- even
if most of what you're watching for is some sweet, sweet Drogon vs. White Walker
action.
Last year's reunion, between Jon Snow and
Sansa Stark, was one of the high points of the season, made even better by
their eventual victory over Ramsey Bolton, and subsequent reclamation of
Winterfell. Fans have been yearning for a Stark family reunion since season
one, but with the number of episodes, as well as Stark children, dwindling, it’s
possible that Jon and Sansa might be the longest lasting one we’ll get. A big
storyline heading into this season, though, has been the relationship between
Jon and Sansa, and whether Jon's rise to power, in the North, might ignite
jealousy and hostility between them. Given how long it's been since the Starks
have had a 'W' tossed their way, it would be a shame if Jon and Sansa are brought
back together, only to be quickly torn apart by infighting.
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
The
main point of contention between Jon and Sansa, this episode, is how he handles
the punishments, or lack thereof, for the Umber and Karstark families. If
you’ll remember, though both houses were loyal to the Starks for centuries, they
withdrew their support for Robb Stark, during the War of the Five Kings (season
3), and subsequently swore fealty to the Boltons, who had subsequently taken
over Winterfell. The heads of the Umber and Karstark houses, the men who
personally decided to abandon the Starks, both died during the Battle of the
Bastards, which according to Jon is punishment enough for both houses, though
Sansa disagrees. For now, it appears as if the conflict between Jon and Sansa
will be kept at bay. Although, it’s easy to see Sansa growing resentful towards
Jon, especially if he continues to treat her like his little sister, rather
than as a capable and savvy political adviser.
Poor Sam can't
seem to catch a break. Even after he manages to leave the dinginess of Castle
Black for Oldtown, he still finds himself trapped in his own personal nightmare
of soul-numbing, elbow grease-requiring, manual labor. The brief montage of
Sam's daily routine of scrubbing chamber pots and eating stew (hopefully not in
that order) is incredibly well done, and feels almost melodic. And, in a show
that sometimes sees its lighter moments run too few and far between, Sam
remains a rare source of levity, and dare I say, even comic relief. It seems
fairly obvious that Sam's stay at the Citadel will yield a significant amount
of plot progressing information and world-building. But, I'm not ready to
completely rule out the possibility of some action taking place, as we get a
heavy hint towards one way Sam's arc will intersect with another major
storyline.
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
We get a nice
sequence between Cersei and Jaime this episode, and it will be interesting to
see how their dynamic evolves with Cersei's ascension to the Iron Throne
coinciding with (and resulting directly from) the death of their last child,
Tommen. For the past several seasons, the Lannister twins have moved along
opposite trajectories, with Cersei growing more ruthless and vindictive, while
Jaime's developed a stronger sense of compassion and honor. The Lannister's
have always operated from a position of power, but for the first time all
series, Cersei and Jaime find themselves playing from behind. Normally, these
two star-crossed siblings can count on their devotion to each other, but it's
fair to wonder if this will change, now that their backs rest squarely against
the wall, and with their differing opinions on how best to handle desperate
situations. Cersei's violent, sociopathic methods, and manic desire to rule,
will hardly sit well with Jaime, who infamously struck down his own king (Mad
King Aerys) for the same behavior. But, at the same time, Jaime has always
cared much more deeply for Cersei than she has for him, meaning that any act of
defiance, on his part, will not be made easily, if at all.
In the short
term, we’ll have to be content with Cersei going toe-to-toe with the likes of
Euron Greyjoy. Euron made a couple of appearances last season, but for the most
part, he’s a relatively new and unknown character. He lacks the bad guy resume
of a more experienced Tywin Lannister or Ramsey Bolton; and as a Greyjoy, it’s
reasonable to assume that his bark is considerably worse than his bite- not
exactly the hallmark of a feared villain. But, as far as early season
antagonists go, we could do a lot worse (*cough*Sand Snakes*cough*). Euron’s got
that iron price swagger to him, and seems just dangerous and sinister enough to
provide a compelling first challenge to Daenerys and her forces.
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
Surprisingly, this
episode’s namesake, “Dragonstone,” doesn’t make an appearance until the closing
minutes. After spending six seasons consolidating power in the neighboring continent
of Essos, Daenerys Targaryen finally touches down in Westeros, specifically in
Dragonstone, the ancestral seat of her family. This scene by itself isn’t
particularly rousing, though we do get some nice shots of Dany making her way
through the castle she was born in, and the absence of dialogue throughout is
quite powerful. But, it’s more what this scene represents- from timid young
girl to Mother of Dragons. The conclusion of a journey six years in the making,
to the start of a new journey to reclaim the kingdom that had been under her
family’s rule for nearly three centuries.
But, just like
Daenerys can’t expect to conquer Westeros with a single trip to Dragonstone, we
can’t expect Game of Thrones to dive
right into the action with the first episode. “Dragonstone” is unexpectedly
action-less save for a scene or two at the beginning, but it’s not
uncharacteristic of this show, at all, to have an episode mostly dedicated to
exposition. There have always been a lot of moving parts in Game of Thrones, but as we enter the
series’ home stretch, the way these parts move and interact is of the utmost
importance, and requires deliberate setup. There’s a lot to look forward to for
the rest of season seven, as evidenced by its record-breaking trailer, but with
the series’ end in sight, even the episodes where swords remain sheathed, and
arrows un-nocked, deserve to be savored just as much as the “Hardhomes” and “Battle
of the Bastards” of the world.
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