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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
Game of Thrones
Season 7, Episode 5
By Garrett Yoshitomi
After last Sunday's
thrill-filled episode, Game of Thrones takes its foot off the gas pedal,
downshifting into a slower, more expository episode, in this week's
"Eastwatch." It's always hard for an episode to follow-up an
all-timer like "The Spoils of War." "Spoils" gave us almost
everything we've been waiting six years for, in terms of battle scenes,
including a fully unleashed dragon, as well as Daenerys' Dothraki seeing their
first major action on Westerosi soil. "Eastwatch" has none of this,
and very little action at all outside of the first five minutes. Obviously, we
need these kinds of episodes- the kind that set the stage narratively, so that
the battles that do eventually occur have more importance, beyond just whose
side beats whose. But, "Eastwatch" is especially slow, and feels scattered,
with awkward pacing, and forced, tangential storylines that distract from the
season’s main arc.
A
couple of weeks ago, I talked about how Daenerys could be shaping up to be the
next major antagonist for the final episodes of Game of Thrones. Admittedly, it seemed a bit far-fetched at the time,
given that Daenerys has been one of the few characters worth rooting for, for
much of the show. But, after Dany unapologetically burns Randyll and Dickon
Tarly to a crisp, during the opening minutes of this week’s episode, it’s a bit
easier to see this villainous transformation coming to fruition. And, it’s just
not us, as viewers, who are catching on. Tyrion and Varys are both becoming
more concerned with just how brutal Dany is proving to be in her thirst for
conquest. Varys, in particular, can sense the similarities between Daenerys and
her father, the Mad King Aerys. And while it’s not like Dany is committing any
act of war that a Cersei or a Tywin wouldn’t, that’s more or less the problem. As
Jon said last week, if Dany uses her dragons, not to inspire hope in others,
but to “melt castles and burn cities.” Then she’s no different than every other
previous ruler of Westeros; she’s just more of the same.
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
And yet, despite her recent missteps, I actually think it’s less likely
now that Dany will turn into the next villain. Because unlike the Mad King,
Daenerys has followers and a council that ultimately believe in her goodness.
Both Tyrion and Varys are willing to work with Dany, to help her become the
fair and just ruler she has the potential to become- even if she’s currently
walking the path of a tyrant. Above all else, I think Jon Snow will have the greatest
impact on her. The show is obviously pushing these two characters together, and
despite their, err, “relatedness,” it’s clear that Dany has taken a liking to
Jon, and respects his opinion, not just as a fellow leader, but as a person.
Prior to the season,
it sounded like the tension,
between Jon and Sansa, would be the Stark family drama dominating headlines
in season seven. But, with all the (living) Stark children finally reunited, it
seems like the real sibling rivalry will be between the current Lady of
Winterfell, Sansa, and her younger sister, Arya. Even dating back to the beginning
of the series, Sansa and Arya have always mixed like oil and water. Back then,
Sansa was more concerned with appearing lady-like, and attracting the attention
of a noble prince, whereas Arya yearned for adventure, preferring archery practice
with her brothers, over sewing lessons. But, even more than just a difference
in hobbies, the rift between the Stark sisters runs deep. Sansa looked down on
Arya for her tomboyish-ness, while Arya mistrusted Sansa’s obsession with
marrying Joffrey. Their feud came to a head, when Sansa refused to side with Arya,
in her testimony of Nymeria’s attack on Joffrey. The two were separated for
good shortly after, at the end of season one, depriving both sisters of the
chance to make amends.
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| (Photo Credit: HBO) |
We’ve spent six
years waiting for the Starks to be reunited, and when it finally happens, it’s
pretty disappointing that Sansa and Arya almost immediately fall to
in-fighting. Sure, Littlefinger’s involvement makes things a little more interesting,
as it gives the long-time schemer something to do before, what many fans assume
will be, his final act. But, even from Arya and Sansa’s first interaction this
season, in the crypts of Winterfell, it’s clear that there’s still lingering
tension between the two. There’s only eight episodes left in Game of Thrones, and from a story
standpoint, character arcs need to start getting narrower and more focused,
rather than becoming broader by reintroducing plot points that haven’t been
relevant for multiple seasons. Nobody wants the Stark kids to get back together
just so they can rehash their season one beef. Simply put, it’s too late in the
game for this Arya and Sansa b.s. to take place.
We know that Arya and Sansa aren’t going to
turn into mortal enemies, we know that
they’ll eventually triumph over Littlefinger. There’s no suspense when we
already know the outcome, and there’s no enjoyment when the outcome isn’t even
that interesting to watch. Even though I already know that Game of Thrones will probably end with Drogon melting White Walkers
in a shower of dragon fire, I’ll still enjoy watching it because dragons
fighting White Walkers is literally what I live for. But, I know this whole
Sansa-Arya-Littlefinger triangle of scheming will ultimately end with some
variation of Arya stabbing Littlefinger with his own dagger. And it’s not like
I wouldn’t be excited to watch this, I just think that there are a multitude of
better ways to get there- ways that would have made much better use of what
precious, precious Game of Thrones screen
time we have left.
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