Things I/m Looking Forward To Seeing in GoT Season 8

1.  Tyrion and Sansa reunion – this one is rife with so many opportunities. I don’t ship them romantically but they did start to get along and I think they would have eventually found their way to friendship if not for the Red Wedding and the rest of Tyrions’s family.

2. Varys and Sansa –  They’ve interacted very briefly and I don’t think they’ve ever done that on camera. After her wedding and Tyrion is already drunk, Sansa excuses herself and can be seen talking to Varys. Varys may not have cared about her as much in the beginning except that she was and remains the key to the North, but that might begin to change once he sees the way she’s readied her people for the wars to come. I think in Sansa, he’ll see someone who has a sharp mind and has stopped hiding it. Remember, she’s learnt the game from someone that Varys respected, so I’m looking forward to seeing them interact.

3. Jamie and Brienne – We saw them briefly interact in season 7 at the Dragonpit but at that point they were on opposing sides and hardly got to speak to each other. Season 8 may give us more screen time with these 2.

4. Jamie and Sansa – Jamie only knows of Sansa from what he remembers seeing when she was a young and naïve girl and knows a little from what Brienne has told him so far. He’s seen a bit of Dany when she burned him men to cinders so I’m curious what his reaction will be when he sees Sansa who is quite different from the other queens.

5. Jon and Arya – Jon hasn’t seen Arya since they both left for their respective destinations. Since then, they have both gone through traumatic situations that have vastly changed them from the people they used to be. It’ll be interesting to see them navigate their way to each other while, at the same time, realizing that neither is who they used to be.

6. Jon and Bran – A lot of what’s true for Jon and Arya is also true for Jon and Bran. They are vastly different people from who they were when they were younger. Jon died and came back while Bran is now the 3-Eyed Raven. Their meeting will have even more significance considering the news that Bran has for him. The news that has the power to change a lot of things.

7. Dany and Sansa – Dany and Sansa have had a pretty similar arc, both were underestimated and sold, used and abused by others. They both also managed to survive and got rid of their abusers along the way. But the one thing that Dany had that Sansa never did were allies. Even when Dany was a nobody, she was married to a Khal who loved her and she had Jorah who served and protected her. Sansa, on the other hand, lived in the vipers’ pit, surrounded by enemies on all sides and no allies, she judged a person’s decency based on how hard they hit her and that is a truly sorry state of affairs. They have come out on top and both have something that they didn’t earlier, agency. They finally have control over their lives. Sansa has Winterfell and her family, Dany finally has the forces to take back the IT (whether or not she deserves it or would be a good ruler is not the point right now) Seeing these two women facing each other should make for interesting television, provided the writers handle it well. They are vastly different women and their approach to ruling reflects that. Add to that, Jon will probably come with the news that he did a lot more than merely bend the knee. This should make for an interesting dynamic between the ladies. Ideally, I don’t want them to have fights or disagreements because of Jon, that would  be a disservice to both characters. So here’s hoping.

8. Sansa and Jon – Now, this would be truly interesting to watch. We know that Jon and Sansa have a very different methods of ruling. When he comes back, having bent the knee and with Dany in tow, his already position will be made even more so. He’s going to come back to a Winterfell that is in a far better condition than he left it in. It’s going to feel more like the Winterfell that he grew up in, when he was truly happy. He’s going to realise that while the Northern Lords did swear loyalty to him, they give more weight to words from Sansa. Sansa who can address their concerns while also not undermining Jon’s crown. The Sansa that he will meet upon his return will again be different from the one he left, more confident, self-assured. Sansa was never going to just sit back and let him make decisions that affects all of them. She was far from happy when he bent the knee without consulting her. He’s going to have an even tougher time making snap decisions like that while in Winterfell, especially once he finds out that the Northern Lords feel more loyal to her than they do to him.

Sansa Stark vs Cersie Lannister – Part 2

I’ve already written one meta about Cersie and Sansa which you can read here.

Having seen all of Season 7, I have to say I am even more convinced that the final showdown must be between Sansa and Cersie for a number of reasons.

First off, there are parallels, both Sansa and Cersie are usually overlooked and underestimated by those around them. Dany doesn’t suffer from this because of her dragons, but neither of these two women have that luxury. They are both ordinary (and I use that term very loosely) women who have nothing but their wits to keep them alive. They have had to become smart in order to survive. Cersie had to do it because she was stuck in a love-less marriage with Robert, a man who never really had any ambition to be king and was therefore not as careful as one might have been had they cared about the position. Cersie also knew what had happened to Rhaegar’s wife and children and would not let that happen to herself or her children. In the earlier seasons, her entire focus is on the survival of her family and all her actions lead to that. Sansa, on the other hand, had to learn because her very survival depended on it. She had no alternatives, no protectors, no one to speak up for her.

There was something else that struck me as I was starting this meta, in a way, Cersie was a surrogate mother to Sansa. It makes sense, Sansa was twelve when she went to KL and her mother did not accompany the two young girls, which in itself if quite strange. And before Ned lost his head, Cersie made herself into a mother figure for Sansa. Sansa looked up to her and admired her, wanted to be like her. After Ned’s death, Sansa’s life became a living nightmare but, in a weird way, she still had Cersie who would occasionally advise her, in a way a mother would (albeit it was otten harshly delivered, but that did not lessen the importance of the advice itself). It was Cersie who told Sansa that she could try to love Joffrey, implying that he was already a monster and even Cersie could not always control him. In her most formative years, it wasn’t Ned or Catelyn who were with Sansa, it was Cersie. I’ve also stated that, in those early years, she did care for Sansa, in her own twisted way. This gives Sansa an insight into the kind of women she really is which is why there is a part of Sansa that does admire her, because she’s survived where other, more able players have not.

Game of Thrones has been setting up Tyrion as a master strategist and this season just served to illustrate that that reputation may have been premature. He pledged to serve Dany and help her become queen of the Seven Kingdoms and was outmaneuvered time and again by Cersie. In the beginning when Dany’s war council were going over plans of taking KL, it seemed like a great plan, using Westerosi forces to take KL and the Unsullied to take Casterly Rock but while he was feeling smug, he forgot that he was dealing with Cersie. Cersie who learned from her father who was indeed a great strategist. Even at the end, she played both her brothers, especially Tyrion. That entire conversation is a very finely staged performance on Cersie’s part. Every action and word was carefully chosen. When she placed her hand on her stomach, it felt so out-of-character for her. This is Tyrion, she doesn’t trust him, she doesn’t even like him but she does have him figured out. She knew that he did genuinely love Tommen and Myrcella and he does regret that they died. Here’s another thing to consider, Tyrion does have a blindspot where his family is concerned. He hates his sister but she is his sister, there will always be a part of him that sees her through the lenses of a younger brother. Cersie has no such concerns, she would burn the world down and happily watch it burn.

Which brings us to Sansa. We spent the entire season worried sick over whether Sansa would indeed betray her family. Of course, the makers never gave any proof to set up that betrayal but that’s besides the point. If Tyrion was Cersie adversary, LF was Sansa’s. As we found out at the end, Sansa’s problems from the beginning were the handiwork of LF, if not for him Robert would not have come North and would not have betrothed Sansa and Joffrey. The Starks would have stayed home, healthy and whole. But LF’s hunger for power got the entire plot going. He then betrayed Ned and then used and abused Sansa. Sansa suffered some of the worst abuse at the hand of the Boltons and that match was arranged by none other than LF. Like Tyrion (and mind you I love him) LF also has too high an opinion of himself, he’s started believing his own publicity. Throughout this season, he tried to sow the seeds to dissent, first between Jon and Sansa and then between Sansa and Arya. And it would have worked except all season, LF was telling Sansa to think about the bigger picture, to view everyone with suspicion and always play out scenarios in her head so that nothing ever surprises her. This was great advice, except LF thought that for some reason, he was exempt from all these scenarios. Killing him would have been easy but to do so without losing the support of the Knights of the Vale, that was going to be exceedingly tricky. That scene where LF finally meets his end, that too is very carefully constructed, it’s the Knights of Vale who line the Great Hall with Lord Royce present, who already didn’t like him very much but couldn’t openly oppose him for fear of Sweet Robin. She sets him up perfectly, so much so that he never sees it coming.

So Season 7 saw both Cersie and Sansa outplay men who thought themselves to be smarter than the women they were trying to manipulate..

It also set them up in contrast to each other. In Season 6, Cersie burned down the Sept with all those people inside, not to mention all the collateral damage. Whereas Sansa was more worried whether they had enough food to make sure that everyone would be fed and they could take in refugees when the fight against the WW really came. She takes a personal interest when she really doesn’t need to and her people see this. This is evident when Arya comes to Winterfell and the two sentries don’t want to bother Lady Sansa, not because they’re scared but because, in a strange way, they’re protective of her.

Season 7 has so far established 3 main groups, Dany and her quest for the IT, Cersie and her quest for who-knows-what and the North that just wants its own independence and also survive both the WW and Cersie. I’ve stated multiple times that I don’t see Jon retain his crown in Season 8 which makes Sansa the QitN. Jaime recently left Cersie and rode North to fight against the WW and while there he will join Sansa and not Dany. Dany burned his men alive, he doesn’t like her and he doesn’t trust her. Jaime redemption arc started when he was paired with Brienne and tasked with getting the Stark girls safely delivered to their family. Plus he knows Sansa, he knew her father and mother and while he may not have liked them very much, I believe he does respect them. I personally can’t wait for him to meet Sansa and see the capable woman that she’s grown into. Jaime is often blinded by his love for Cersie but he’s starting to see that most of it may have been one-sided. When it is time to make a final choice as to who he will support, I believe he will pick Sansa, simply because she’s the better candidate. The fight against the WW will end with the elimination of one of the groups and I don’t believe it will be the Starks. They’re the protagonists of the series. I believe that Cersie will make it out alive as well with Dany sacrificing herself in the fight against the WW.

In the Starks vs Cersie battle, there will be one key difference from the BotB, Jon will seek out and heed Sansa’s counsel when it comes to how best deal with Cersie.

Anyway, that’s what I think and this post got way longer than I thought it would, but I hope it makes sense.

Varys and Sansa in Season 8

So, I was doing rewatch for Season 7 and in the episode where Dany and Varys have that very tense exchange, he says something very interesting, he says to Dany, “I choose you because I know the people have no better chance than you” This is a very telling line, he doesn’t support her because he believes that its hers to inherit, or that he buys her vision for the kingdom (which let’s face it, is vague af), it’s none of those things. He literally says that he supports her because she’s the only viable option they have currently. We’ve already seen that he’s very worried about her temper tantrums, especially when they result in burning men alive. She’s more than capable of falling in the same trap as her father, the Mad King, the seeds are already there, the shades of tyranny, the very thing she claims to be fighting against. He even tells Tyrion that he must find a way to make her listen.

But who’s the one person that he knows close to nothing about, Sansa Stark. As of now, Jon is KitN and Sansa is ruling in his stead. I don’t see him holding on to his powers for too long though. For one, Jon is an elected king and as such cannot take decisions unilaterally, not when the decision affects all the other Northern territories. And I am not even talking about Lord Royce and the Lord Glover but Lyanna Mormont, I can’t imagine her being too happy that yet again they must bow to another Southern Ruler and one who has no ties to the North or even the continent.

Add to that, we also know that next season will definitely spill the beans about Jon’s real parentage. He was chosen, in a big part, due to fact that, at the end of the day, he is Ned Stark’s son. But when they find out that he’s not, well, it’s going to fall apart soon.

When LF said that Jon was named the KitN and he can unnamed just as easily. That wasn’t just word-babble on LF’s part, also, we know that Sansa does not covet Jon’s power and position. So what purpose did that line serve? It was to remind the audience that Jon’s position is that of an elected leader and when the leader does not fulfill the duties or the people who elected him are unhappy with his decision, are well within their rights to elect someone else.

If you think about it, Jon hasn’t actually done since he became KitN. He upped and left to go South. It was Sansa who was left saddled with having to make sure that Winterfell and the North were gearing up for Winter, that they have enough food to make sure that the refugees are fed and making sure that the army has armor which would also keep them warm. As KitN, Jon did nothing. His people asked him to stay in the North and he ignored that.

And her strategy to take down LF without losing the Knights of the Vale was a masterstroke. She genuinely cares about her people, they love her and she’s politically savvy, she can play the game, something that both Jon and Dany lack. I think it’s plausible that Varys would switch sides to her. Remember that he doesn’t side with any king or queen but with the ordinary people. Who then is better suited? Someone who burned soldiers alive and their food stores or the queen who’s making sure that her people will be fed during the Winter. Dany has to be constantly held back, first by Tyrion and then by Jon when she’s about to make an impulsive decision and that decision is almost always a very unwise one. That’s not a balanced ruler. Either way, I don’t see Varys sticking with Dany for too long. What are your thoughts, feel free to add or disagree..

Sansa in Game of Thrones Season 7 Finale

So we have 2 shots of Sansa in the promo:

She is standing at the same place where Jon offered her Ned and Catelyn’s room and where Sansa tried to warn him of the threat that is Cersie. When I saw the still earlier, I thought she looked despondent. But seeing it in the promo followed by her walk away, I am inclined to change my opinion. I think she looks like she finally made a decision. I think she goes up there to think in peace without the prying eyes of those around her. Now, I’m hoping that that this is where she decides that LF is too big a threat to be left unattended and therefore must be taken out.

I think she’s at a stage where she knows she can’t trust anyone. Arya being homicidal and whether that’s for LF’s benefit or Sansa’s remains to be seen and she sure as hell can’t trust LF because the only person LF helps is himself. But she is taking his advice and playing out all possible scenarios in her head before coming to a final decision.

it’s also possible that she went up there to clear her head and gather courage for what she’s about to do. I do believe that this season must end with LF’s death, and the Starks banding together, but I also expect it to be hard won.

The promos only ever show the audience scenes from the first half of the episode which leads me to believe that the scene is from close to the beginning.

Damn I am simultaneously excited and dreading the season finale. Also, the wait is killing me…

P.S. – where is Dany? She seems to have sent all her forces south but she herself is missing. I can’t see her not attending but then again, she also loves making an entrance so we’ll see..

Game of Thrones Season 7 – Starkbowl

Greetings anxious fans (moreso if you’re a Sansa fan) things seem to be heating up in anticipation for the final episode of season 7 and episode 6 was nothing if not a real clusterfuck which made little sense and further destroyed characters we’ve fallen in love with.

Let’s start with Arya. Arya is a veritable badass and has been through her own fair share of torture and trauma. But her sheer level of antipathy towards Sansa is out of character. Now, there are some fans who are saying that well, they never liked each other, you only have to watch season 1 to figure this out. But they were both CHILDREN! They’ve both grown and their entire world has been upended. If that doesn’t get you to change and change your outlook, then there’s something wrong with you. They’ve both gone through horrible things but over the last few seasons, their outlook towards each other changed, where Sansa grew to fondly remember Arya and not complain about Arya’s sense of dressing, similarly, even Arya holds a somewhat more sympathetic view of Sansa, saying that she would like to see her sister as well. Arya is the character who killed Walder Frey in his home surrounded by his men and that was after she killed and cooked his sons into a pie. You can’t do that unless you’re stealthy as fuck, to the extent that no one sees you coming. But at Winterfell, she feels sloppy. I still think that she’s being way too obvious, lurking in the corridors. She’s smarter than this. Plus, I think the Starks have a real problem with communicating with each other and they seriously need to work on that, but that’s a post for another day.

Now, moving on to the whole “Sansa will betray her home and her family”. To this too, I say, where is the proof? There is none. The Northern Lords preferring her over Jon is fickle and Sansa says as much, she doesn’t lay much importance in their allegiance because it changes as the winds do. The other reason I think it’s a red herring is just because of just how plugged it is.

Literally every interview with D&D and the main cast points to Starkbowl and Sansa’s betrayal. They’ve brought it up in every interview and played it up. Now, if this were legitimate, why plug it so hard, where’s the excitement and the shock that GoT loves to spring on its fans? It’s absurd. Let me illustrate with an example, you make a murder mystery but throughout the marketing, you start giving away the culprit and the motive for the murder. Why would you do that? But here’s an alternative theory, what if you want to misdirect the audience? How would you that? Well, in the same fashion as the GoT makers, you lay a false trail, you get the actors to go along with you. You get them to say some really stupid stuff and keep on laying the red herrings. If Sansa was really going to betray her family, I bet everyone would have been saying that she’s a true daughter of the North and that she loves her family, that way, when the betrayal did come, it would catch us completely by surprise.

Game of Thrones is hugely popular and the people behind the show knows this. Before every season, we are met with leaks ranging from set-photos to the actual plot. Now the first few times it happened, it may have been legitimate but you can’t tell me that the writers and the producers are going to let the leaks keep happening. GoT is a very expensive show and is a huge cash-cow for HBO, you mean to tell me that they’re just going to sit back and not put a cap on the leaks? I think they did just that with season 7. They knew that the leaks have played a huge part in ramping up the interest for the upcoming season, so the leaks were controlled. They told us what a lot of the marketing machinery was telling us, making us even more apprehensive. Think about it, the leaks told us nothing new, a lot of “what was revealed” were things that a lot of us had seen coming and therefore were not surprised. I’m not saying that all the leaks were false, they can’t be, not if they’re meant to be effective. There’s some truth mixed in with a lot of horse-shit. There were instances where we had the bullet points but no context and context is everything. But I digress.

The reason I think Starkbowl is false is because of how hard the marketing pushed it, you simply don’t start giving out integral plot points and Sansa’s betrayal should have been that. Unless, she’s truly committed to protecting her family and the North. Well, then the fans get complacent, they know they can trust this character, that she’s good. That doesn’t make for very interesting television ( at least in producers’ and writers’ minds) So if Sansa is indeed fighting for the Starks and the North, how do you create discord to keep the fans on their toes? By creating it. By putting LF by her side and reuniting her with her family but making their reunion one that is fraught with suspicion and thinly veiled threats. But I’m not convinced and perhaps I am giving too much credit to the makers of the show.

Also, where is Bran in all of this? You can’t mean to tell me that he’s not involved in someway or another. He’s the Three-Eyed Raven, he sees the past, the present and the future. He’s seen the web that LF weaves and the way he plays people against each other. Just because we haven’t seen him interact with Sansa and Arya doesn’t mean it’s not happening off camera.

What’s even more obvious is that Sansa knows this too as does Arya, though she didn’t spend as much time around him as Sansa did. You mean to tell me that you set-up a Stark reunion after Winterfell is back in Stark hands only for the House to implode? The Starks are the good guys in the GoT universe and this is their time. They’ve taken their home back and are slowly but surely making their enemies pay. The Freys and the Boltons are gone, LF is next on the agenda, he just doesn’t know it yet.

Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 4 and 5

Okay, I didn’t see the previous episode due to work so I saw both episodes back to back. I really liked The Spoils of War but episode 5 was a more than a little frustrating.

First off, let’s start with Dany. The people around her keep saying that she has a good heart and that she’s not her father but there are things that she does that are quite problematic. The scene where she burnt all those men was downright horrible. The way that scene plays out clearly demonstrates her as the villain. Listen to the music that plays and the way the Dothraki are shot, they were not being portrayed as the heroes. the camera and therefore the audience , stayed with the Lannister and Tyrell army. We saw Tyrion’s horror at what was happening. In that moment, Dany was every bit the villain that Cersie described. She may not have enjoyed it, but she didn’t regret her actions/decisions either. She burnt people alive and didn’t even blink. Dany does have a dark side and there’s not getting away from that. Even the aftermath is not shot like a heroic victory. Randall Tarly was a horrible man and yet in his last moments, the show makes us sympathize with him and Dickon. Dany also burnt the food and supplies, supplies that would have fed the common folk, people that she claims to be fighting for. And yet she never stopped to think about it.

Tyrion and Varys: Tyrion has started repeating the same old line and it’s getting old. Saying that he’s her hand and not her head is not enough. Varys’ line about what he told himself when the Mad King “punished” people was very telling. I think Varys is definitely wondering if he made the right decision when he joined Dany. *psssst, Varys, you can always join Sansa*

Jon: Okay, the past 2 episodes were really trying to push the Jon x Dany ship but it was very overt, in the sense, it had to be stated by other characters because it wasn’t as apparent, the way it is with Jon and Sansa. Also, I loved the scene where Jon and Drogon interacted. And I liked that he finally told Dany off and told her that he’s a king himself and she can’t hold him at Dragonstone. But I can’t help but think that Dany won’t be happy to learn that not only do her dragons like him but also that he’s a Targaryen himself and he’s not a bastard as we found out this episode. Rhaegar married Lyanna after annulling his marriage to Ellaria. She won’t share her power, she believes that the Iron Thrones is her birthright. Once she finds out that not only is Jon a Targ but that he’s Rhaegar’s legitimate son, she will be far from happy. Let me repeat, Dany will not share power. He’s a contender and has a strong claim to the Iron Throne. For those who think that Dany won’t mind, they don’t really know her. She’s not as cruel as Cersie but she’s just as ambitious and driven and won’t tolerate any competition.

Cersie and Jamie: these are so messed up together. I think Jamie has the potential to be truly decent and honourable, but that can’t happen as long as he’s with Cersie. He also genuinely loves her, but I don’t think she loves him anymore, at least not as she once did. Now, she only has one goal, defeat her enemies and rule the seven kingdoms. That’s her sole mission and Jamie is just a convenience. Someone she knows she can mould because she knows that he’s truly in love with her. I also don’t think she’s actually pregnant, I think that’s a ploy to keep Jamie loyal to her and what better way of doing that than making him think that he’s about to become a father again. And now, he won’t have to hide that he’s the father.

Arya and Sansa: I was thrilled to see that Arya was finally back at Winterfell and the reunion between the sisters was absolutely heartwarming. But sadly it didn’t last. They weren’t close to begin with and they’ve both gone through so much that they’re not who they were. You can see that Sansa is disturbed by the mention of Arya’s list. Her skill with the blade is also something that concerns her because it makes her wonder where and who she learnt from. While she and LF stand at the battlement, she casts LF a quick look before moving on. She doesn’t want him to see that she’s worried. She hides that from him. Sansa knows LF and knows how he works. But Arya doesn’t. LF lays out an elaborate trap that Arya just walks into. He shows her precisely what she wants to see. She doesn’t trust Sansa, she verbally attacks Sansa before LF lays out the breadcrumbs. And these supposed “clues” are just adding more fuel to her fire. He’s pitting the two sisters against each other and Arya is falling for it. For those Sansa haters saying that Sansa is trying to overthrow Jon, there is no evidence to support your claim. Arya berates her for not standing up for Jon and implies that those who question them can be beheaded. Well, Arya honey, that’s how Robb lost the war that he was actually winning, when he cut off a bannerman’s head off, he lost the entire house and all the people who came with them. Also, need I remind you, that Jon didn’t want to behead people either, did not even want to punish the houses that stood against them. I can’t imagine that Jon would be happy with Arya’s plan. Arya is smart, I just hope that the sisters find a way back to each other.

Also, watch the “behind the episode” for episode 5, D & D clearly say that LF is pitting the sisters against each other.

I think Sansa will realise what LF is trying to do and will try to get through to Arya. We hear Arya saying something like “what are you afraid of?” in the promo for episode 6, I think she’s saying that to Sansa and confronting her about conspiring with LF. The thing is that Sansa is trying to communicate with her, she’s trying, but Arya isn’t. There is so much aggression in Arya’s voice when she lays into Sansa in their parents’ bedroom. The problem is that when it comes to plotting, she is vastly outclassed by LF, she has no idea just how insidious he is. Arya is so sure of her skill that she hasn’t stopped to think that everything that she saw and heard might be a trap.

We only have 2 more episode to go, I need LF to die and I need Sansa to do it. Arya can help but the driving force has to be Sansa. She’s the one he’s tormented the most and she deserves this kill. Arya needs to get her head out of her ass and actually see how much good her sister is doing. When Lord Glover said that they perhaps made a mistake in choosing Jon, he was right, Jon is a military man, like Jamie, he’s not made to rule. He’s a man of action who has no patience for politics.

I feel like so far, the plot hasn’t really moved anywhere. We have 8 episodes to go, and so far the only thing the show has done is thin the herd and move the characters so that they align neatly in groups. But in terms of actual plot progression, precious little has happened. I don’t think that we’ll see either the Cercie plot or the White Walkers plot line resolved. It looks like both of these problems will come up simultaneously in season 8. Jon, Sansa and Arya will have to deal with Cersie and the White Walkers. And Dany, once she finds out that Jon is Rhaegar’s son. I think this season will see the death of LF and making the Starks one unified front. These individual splinters will become a pack and stick together, against all odds. I am so done with characters falling for LF’s schemes, it’s gotten old. I want Varys to switch sides and come work for Sansa. She needs someone as smart as him and someone who will also stay loyal to her.

Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 3 – The Queen’s Justice

Episode 3 featured a good amount of Jon and Sansa but separately. Jon has finally landed at Dragonstone, ready for his meeting with Dany. I know there are many who are worried that Jon and Dany will get into a relationship but so far, there is nothing in their interaction to indicate that.

Look at the way they’re staged, so far away from each other and the way they are both in isolated shafts of light with the dark patch in the middle. It’s almost as if they’re in two different spaces. And they are, their motivation is very different. Dany wants to be queen because she believes it’s her birthright and Jon never wanted to be king or the leader of the Night’s Watch, he doesn’t power and he doesn’t care for it.. He’s also not smitten by her at all. In fact, not only does he keeps refusing to kneel to her, he also refuses to aid her in her quest for the throne. He’s there for the dragonglass and possibly her help in defeating the White Walkers and yet he offers her nothing in return.

Look at his face:

Jon doesn’t trust her and he doesn’t believe in her cause. Now look at Dany:

She doesn’t like him any more than he likes her, she hates that he refuses to bend his knee to her, refuses to swear allegiance to House Targaryen.

Even when they are in the same frame, they are separated from each other. The lighting is also key in these scenes. It is cold, even when the characters are standing in the shafts of sunlight, the light is cold. Contrast that with Sansa and Jon, in most of their shots, they are bathed in warm light, faces illuminated. There is a marked difference in between the two.

Plus there was that entire exchange between Jon and Tyrion when Jon first landed when they’re discussing Sansa. When Tyrion asks him if she misses him terribly, Jon’s face shuts down. He does not want to discuss their marriage. If Jon’s feelings for Sansa were that of her brother, he would not been bothered by it because surely he knows that Tyrion was kind to her, he treated her well. Why then did he get so agitated? There is no reason for a brother to react the way he did. Now, a rival suitor, that’s a different story and Jon’s reaction fits perfectly. He doesn’t want to know about her relationship with her exes, he doesn’t want men walking up to him and telling him that they love her. Those are the things that make him lose his cool.

Add to the fact that Jon says that he wants to go back and Sansa soon mirrors it by saying that she wished that Jon was at Winterfell.

Now onto Sansa, being the amazing queen we all knew she was:

She’s taking an active part in running Winterfell, making sure that they have enough grains, the armor is being made the right way. These are relatively small things, clearly someone else could have taken care of them. But while she does delegate, she also takes a personal interest in the management.

I love the look on Yohn Royce’ face when Sansa points out the armors, that look of exasperation and horror that while Sansa noticed this, he didn’t.

Little Finger is still hanging around, the little creep that he is. I love that she continues to shut him down while absorbing the lessons, he so graciously gives her. He doesn’t yet realise that all he’s doing is handing her the tools that will eventually be used against him. Unlike LF, Sansa knows his weakness and what he wants. LF on the other hands, can only guess at what she wants because she reveals nothing.

Then there was the reunion some of us were looking forward to:

Sansa’s face when she finally realises that it’s Bran and he’s finally home. But this reunion was also very different from her reunion with Jon. This was very clearly a brother and sister coming together, and unlike her scene with Jon, there was no nuzzling, no rubbing of her cheek against Bran. And we don’t linger too long on their hug, the way we did with Jon and Sansa.

What really throws me off though, about Bran, is the scene that followed the hug. They are both sitting under the Godswood and Sansa tells him that he’s the trueborn son of Ned Stark and the rightful King in the North and he refuses saying that he can’t be because he’s the Three-Eyed Raven. When Sansa asks him to explain that, and mind you, she does this in a very gentle manner, things take a turn for the bizarre. It’s not so much what he’s saying as it the way he says it. He starts off by saying that he knows horrible things happened to her right here at Winterfell and you can see the change on Sansa’s face:

And then he says that it was a beautiful night and it was snowing, that she looked beautiful. She’s clearly getting triggered:

There was no need to say any of that. It makes no sense. The only way I can rationalize it is that he’s been seeing the events unfold as the Three Eyed Raven. He’s been an observer but he hasn’t really had any real contact with the people he’s seen in those visions. When he sees his visions, there’s always a distance which obviously doesn’t exist for someone who lived through those experiences. Also, he was still absorbing the visions till quite recently, and I am guessing that he’s still reeling from all that he saw. Pushing his emotions down is his way to dealing with what he sees.

Having said that, there is no real  excuse for the way he acted, the fact that he couldn’t see how affected Sansa was. Also, the Godswood scene seems to be a whole lot shorter in the episode than it was in the trailers.

Game of Thrones – Cersie and Sansa

First off, can I just say that these episodes seem really short. Also, this season feels more like something that needs to be binge watched as opposed to one episode at at time. Having said that, let’s get on with it.

For the past few episodes, people have been drawing a comparison between Sansa’s hairstyle and Cersie’s and I just had a thought about it. We already know about the prophecy that says Cersie will be dethroned by another queen, one who is more beautiful than her, she will take everything from her. So far, the only other queen anywhere near Cersie is Sansa. This is where the hair comes in. We know that the costume designers and hair stylists are meticulous when it comes to crafting the look of every character in the show. Sansa’s hair mirroring Cersie is no accident, nor does it mean that Sansa is turning into her. I think it’s the show runners’ way to drawing a parallel between the two women. They have both been through extremely traumatic events, been betrayed, used and abused but have come out of as very different women. Cersie’s loss of her children, spelled her doom, her children humanised her, kept her grounded. But she turned from Tommen even before he killed himself. She gave up on him when he repeatedly undermined Cersie, his own mother. When she was forbidden from even saying goodbye to Myrcella, Tommen did nothing. All of these little things turned her away from him. Meanwhile, so far, Sansa has only known abuse in one form or another, it is only now, at Winterfell that she has some semblance of control and power over what happens next and her own actions.

Unlike both Dany and Cersie, who rule from high towers and palaces, Sansa walks among her people, seeing them work, getting involved in the little things, while also knowing that it is important to delegate, it is important that the people who work for her, know that she sees their value and trusts them to handle things on their own. Dany is not yet a Queen, not in the real sense and so far both she and Tyrion have been outsmarted and outclassed by Cersie.

We know that Cersie is very likely insane but she has still has her sharp mind, the things she learned from Tywin are still very much part of her. Tyrion never spent much time with Tywin and Dany is so confident about her dragons that she’s never had to think about strategies. And then you have Sansa, someone who lived at King’s Landing and spent a great deal of time with Cersie before her engagement to Joffrey was annulled. She watched Tywin and Tyrion work, she saw the court and the games people played. Even now, she is learning from Little Finger. he’s a little creep but you can see her absorb his counsel when it is sound. In my opinion, the only person who is likely to outsmart Cersie is Sansa.

I believe the other Queen in the prophecy is Sansa becuase of their shared history. They know each other whereas Dany and Cersie are adversaries but they’ve never met. They know of each other but that’s it. Dany hasn’t had anyone from the Lannister house killed and it is the same with Cersie. But Joffrey killed Ned Stark, Tywin organised the massacre that killed both Robb and Catelyn, they set up the Boltons in Winterfell. The Lannisters and Cersie and Joffrey are personally responsible for all the misery that Sansa has suffered. And Cersie believes that Sansa killed Joffrey or helped Tyrion do it.

We’ve seen all three women rule and there are stark similarities between Cersie and Dany. If not for Tyrion, Dany would have sent her forces to King’s Landing and taken it by force, collateral damage be damned. It was Tyrion who stayed her hand. Cersie has no such qualms. she saw a chance to take out all her enemies in one fell swoop and she took it. She didn’t care that she inadvertently also killed her own son. Dany has never lived at KL, she doesn’t care about it or its people. They are not her people. It is not her home. For her, taking the Iron Throne is purely based on power, she wants to rule the Seven Kingdoms, it’s all about her, her quest for the throne, her belief in herself. It’s not really about the people, they don’t feature in her grand plan. I am not saying that she’ll turn evil or is evil, just that they don’t fit, at least not in the prophecy.

Sansa’s hair matching Cersie’s, the Cersie who could occasionally be kind, who was still ruthless and who protected her family at all costs. That’s the part of Cersie in Sansa right now. She’s home and she’s slowly getting her family back and she will fight tooth and nail to make sure that they are safe. Sansa is the perfect foil to Cersie, this is who Cersie could have been had she been less hungry for power.

On a side note, I am inclined to believe that the cancellation of marriage between Joffery and Sansa was possibly one of the rare moments when Cersie was perhaps a little sympathetic to Sansa. Cersie never liked Margaery, she didn’t really care about what happened to her. Contrast that with the time she spent with Sansa, she told her about Joffrey, told her that he would never love her or be gentle with her. In her own way, she was trying to prepare Sansa for what was sure to be a truly horrible marriage. She does none of that with Margaery. Even at Sansa’s wedding to Tyrion, when Joffrey starts going towards Sansa, she tries to stop him and draw his attention to his own betrothed, sitting alone and looking bored and he shrugs her off.

The dynamic between these two women is so complex and layered that it’s fascinating to analyse which is why it would be fitting to see these two women facing off, as opposed to Cersie against Dany.

Will Sansa betray Jon?

Let me start by saying that I don’t think Starkbowl is a real thing and if it is, it’s too contrived and out of character for Sansa. So, now that Jon is no longer at Winterfell, does that mean that Sansa will side with Little Finger and betray Jon?

Well, I don’t think so. Let’s break it down. Following last season and the way it ended, Sansa’s main objective was getting Winterfell back from the Boltons, taking back her home so that her remaining family would be safe. That was the driving force. We also know that Jon never wanted to be King in the North, just as he didn’t want to be Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Both positions were thrust on him. Jon is a man of action, he doesn’t really have patience for politics or diplomacy, both of which are important if one wants to be a leader in either scenario. One also cannot ignore threats within their own camp.

Jon’s actions as Lord Commander were honourable but he ended up getting murdered by his own brothers for it because while he saw their dissent, he didn’t take the threat they presented seriously enough.

Then there’s Sansa, who was groomed for as long as we can remember to be a Lady, to be faithful and loyal to her husband. In King’s Landing, she got a rude awakening when her father was executed right in front of her. She soon found herself in a nest of vipers with no friends or allies, there was literally NO one looking out for her. This was true of her time in KL as well as when she travels to the Vale as Little Finger’s bastard daughter, and need I even mention her time as Ramsay’s wife. But despite all of that, she survived. She learnt from those around her, saw them play their games and adapted. It’s why she’s politically more savvy, she knows how the court works and that being good and honourable aren’t enough to survive. Ned and Robb were both of those things and they still died.

Which brings us to this season. There was some tension between Jon and Sansa in episode 1 where they disagreed very publicly but then, they spoke to each other and listened to each other. The change was evident in episode 2 where Jon actively asked for her opinion and considered it. Even their disagreement in the Great Hall wasn’t as aggressive as it had been in the previous episode.

The entire Starkbowl theory rests on the assumption that Sansa is hungry for power and so far we haven’t seen anything to support that. If Sansa is indeed power hungry, she has a very ineffective way of going after it. She let Jon know when she disagreed with him and when she was approached by LF, she rebuffed him. Even in their exchange in the Great Hall in episode 2, she let Jon know, in no uncertain terms that she wanted him to stay back, that it wasn’t safe for him to leave. That, by leaving, he was abandoning the North, their home and their people. And what is it that LF can use to manipulate Sansa to his side; that he can promise her power and the recognition she deserves. Except, that no longer works as a lure.

Jon voluntarily hands over his crown to her, to rule in his absence, thereby nullifying LF’s lure. Jon says that he doesn’t want to be king, he never wanted that power, Sansa doesn’t either. And he hands over the reins knowing full well that their approach is different, they both perceive the threat of the White Walkers and Cersie differently. Despite all this, he still trusts her enough to hand over all that power. And he’s taking Davos with him, the only man who could have second-guessed Sansa’s decisions. He does this because even though Sansa might rule differently from him, their objective is the same, keep Winterfell and the North safe. And Sansa will take it a step further, she will do anything necessary to keep what remains of her family safe.

In making her the Queen, Jon also gave her something else, for the first time, she doesn’t have to depend on any man to protect her. For the first time in her life, she is independent and she has agency. I don’t see her giving it up just so LF can sit on the Iron Throne and let’s be honest, everyone knows (except LF) that he’s never going to get near the throne. She won’t interfere with Jon because having him with her also bolsters her own position whether as QitN or Lady of Winterfell.

Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 2 – Stormborn – Other Thoughts

Episode 2, Stormborm was a bit of a let down in the respect that it felt like an episode that’s leading into something else and not one that stands on its own. It starts off really well but then ends on a low. There is action but literally nothing goes well for the people we are supposed to be rooting for. But what I really hated was the way the writers are trying to wind up the Dorne plot. 2 of the 3 Sand Snakes are dead, Obara gets speared and Nymeria is strangled by her own whip. They are supposed to be lethal warriors and yet they were dispatched with such ease. Ellaria and her daughter, Tyene will be taken to King’s Landing, Euron’s gift to Cersie. And I don’t see either one of them making it out alive considering that Ellaria killed Myrcella. Cersie will probably kill Tyene in a horribly painful way and make Ellaria watch or something just as twisted.

As for Yara, after Theon jumps ship, we don’t actually know whether she’s still alive or dead. I think she too is on her way to KL for the simple reason that we didn’t see her die and there was no reason to shy away from her death when we had already seen so much carnage. I don’t see her point as a hostage though because she isn’t important enough to either side. True, she is Theon’s sister but he’s a small fry, I don’t see Dany sailing to KL to rescue her. She also doesn’t matter to Cersie since they’ve never interacted. At the same time, I am kind of sick of women suffering just so that Theon’s plot can move along. Here’s another female character in danger of being fridged.