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Kicking off the
Re-Watch:
I would venture a guess that not many can walk into a graduate
school course and expect, over the course of the semester, to examine a pop
culture phenomenon like the HBO series Game
of Thrones. But here I am, ready to binge watch, think critically, and
share my thoughts.
Background for this
project:
Besides the task of watching GoT in its entirety over the
course of sixteen weeks, the students in this course are being tasked with
keeping up a weekly blog to share our thoughts regarding each week’s assigned
episodes. I am rather excited about taking on this particular task. So much of
my writing over the past couple of years has been of the Stark academic variety (pun intended). Stepping slightly outside of
that writing style will make for an interesting challenge.
A few things that you, the reader, should know (or might be
interested in knowing...or perhaps have no interest in at all) before delving
into my blog:
1.
I have seen the Game
of Thrones series in its (current) entirety. In other words, this course
and the resulting blog will be something of a ‘re-watch’ project.
a.
I am a fan, Arya and Tyrion are my favorite characters,
and R+L=J is one of my favorite fan theories.
2.
I have read (and/or listened to) the books.
3.
My academic background has largely been in the realms
of film and literature, media studies, gender and sexuality studies, and
children’s and young adult literature (and media). As a result, you will likely
see issues from these areas creeping into my writings on the series.
4.
The series contains a House Lorch.
This is obviously superfluous information but makes me feel strangely tied to the
series. My last name is not very common and this is the first time I have ever
seen it represented in fiction.
5.
I have ridiculous nicknames for several of the GoT
characters which were created as a result of 1.) initially watching this show
with one of my best friends (If you have a best friend, I am sure you
understand how these things happen) and 2.) Some of the real names of
characters are more complicated to remember and did not seem worth the effort
upon my first reading/viewing. For your entertainment, I may selectively
(because some of them are vastly inappropriate) share these nicknames with you
in an effort to keep you entertained.
Reactions to the
Re-Watch Season 1, Episodes 1-3:
In re-watching the first three episodes I think what struck me the
most is how the show really helps to accentuate the complicated nature of the
narrative universe and each of the characters that exist within it. I think
this is especially true for certain female characters and those male characters
that exist outside of hegemonic norms. From a theoretical perspective, Game of Thrones is designed like a
postmodernist’s paradise hidden behind the mask of a medieval fantasy. This
narrative, and the world and characters it contains, reject simplicity. From
this point, I would like to spend a bit of virtual spaces looking closely at a
couple of charters in an attempt to demonstrate the complexity of this universe
and how these characters add their own taste to the narrative madness in these
first episodes.
Arya Stark
A Nickname Reveal: “Mulan of Westeros”
The audience first finds Arya failing miserably at and dying of
boredom in her sewing lessons, which she is made to endure by the side of her
older, strictly feminine, sister, Sansa. We soon discover, however, that Arya’s
talents lie in more masculine lines of leisure. Much to the chagrin of her
brother Bran (whose manly talents have not yet come to bear) and the amusement
of her brother Jon and father Ned, we learn that Arya has a knack for mastering
weaponry and reveling in chaos that she assists in creating. But have no fear,
not all femininity is lost in the Mulan of Westeros, she can also pull off a
mean curtsey after showing up her younger brother.
Although there are clear gender expectations for girls
(especially those from the gentry), Arya is clearly allowed, and in some
respects even encouraged, to transgress these boundaries. Her brother Jon, for
example, gifts her a small sword, a phallic/masculinizing accessory, which she wittily dubs “needle” as a show of
defiance against the sewing tool she was previously made to handle. Having seen
Arya’s personality develop over the course of several seasons, I cannot help
but imagine that she yearns to tease Sansa “My needle is bigger than your
needle!” Further, Ned discovers that Arya possesses this sword and allows her
to keep it, even encourages her to learn to use it.
Some may argue, and I would agree, that these opening looks at
Arya are a foreshadowing of a later and more intentional gender fluidity from
this charter. I am sure when these gender issues come more to the fore, I will
be inclined to compose a longer blog that calls upon the works of seasoned
gender theorists like Judith Butler and/or Raewyn Connell.
Jon Snow
A Nickname Reveal: “Know-Nothin’-Jon”
I think that Jon Snow is also a compelling and complex case.
Depending on one’s thoughts regarding his true origins, Jon may also be the one
who can bring ultimate chaos or finally restore order. As it currently stands,
Jon exists in several worlds all at once. By virtue of his family connections
he is both of the gentry but understood to be a bastard. By virtue of his
location (after arriving at the wall) he is literally situated between the
unknown dangers of the land beyond The Wall and the familiar, but war torn
lands that are south of The Wall. Finally, if you think there is anything to
the R+L=J theory I mentioned above, then perhaps he is even the strange mix of
genes that provides an explanation for the book series’ actual title, A Song of Ice and Fire.
Tyrion Lannister
A Nickname Reveal: “The Likable Lannister”
Much like Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister exists in a strange
in-between. He is, by name and lineage, a member of one of the most feared and
financially flush families to reside in the lands of Westeros. At the same time,
however, his physicality differentiates him to such a degree that Tyrion likens
himself to a “bastard,” telling Jon Snow, “All dwarves are bastards in their
father’s eyes.” (“Winter is Coming”). Even though Tyrion’s superior intellect
becomes apparent in the early episodes, he understands that his stature (often
deemed a deformity by his family) places him in a position wherein his family
expects little from him. As a result he lives as he pleases without regard to
his family position (i.e. he frequents brothels, drinks excessively, and spits
in the face of the establishment). I mean....although I would not normally
condone striking a child, there is something particularly satisfying about
watching him slap Joeffrey. If you are new to the series, I can assure you will
understand this reaction very soon.
It is important for one to understand that it is precisely
Tyrion’s unstable social position that allows him to simultaneously maneuver
through a variety of circles in an effort
to exert influence over the political affairs of Westeros and still
maintain a lifestyle that allows for licentious behaviour and a biting wit.
The Wrap-up
The narrative of Game of
Thrones, even as early as the first few episodes, disallows any notion of
simplicity. Many factors contribute to the instability that drives the plot forward
but it is also this complicated structure that makes the show so interesting. I
am looking forward to continuing this re-watch project and sharing my thoughts
with you, which I am sure will prove to mimic the show in lack of simplicity
and force us all to think critically about this pop culture phenomenon.
References
“Winter is Coming.” Game
of Thrones: Season 1. Writ: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Dir. Tim Van
Patten. HBO, 2011. Xfinity OnDemand. 26 Jan. 2016.
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