So we are now at the end of season three and the much anticipated Red Wedding has assaulted the eyes and hearts of those that are participating in this blogging project. I think that Maisie Williams gave the best breakdown of the situation to date:



I wanted to touch upon the use of sound and images in this particular scene.

As the scene opens, the audience is invited to participate in what seems to be a normal wedding festival. The music is joyful. And why should it not be? We learned during the actual wedding that Walder Frey had been hiding away the attractive, Roslin and Edmure Tully gets to enjoy the fruit of his obedience to Robb.


As Edmure and Roslin are carried away for their bedding ceremony, the camera settles on Robb and Talisa who have a conversation concerning their unborn child. Talisa suggests, if it is a boy, they will name it Eddard. Robb is clearly pleased with this choice and the two embrace.The camera moves out wide, blurring Robb and Talisa, and focusing on Catelyn looking on in the background. While Talisa and Robb embrace, Catelyn is undeniably alone; A stark reminder to the audience of the fact that this child's namesake was murdered by the Lannisters.


This moment is interrupted by a guard making his way to the doors. The audience's attention moves with Catelyn's perspective and focuses on the door being closed and the large ominous thud of the act. Immediateely following the door's bellowing latch, the music begins again. However, instead of the joyous tunes that were being played before, the tone changes to something distinctively ominous. Caitlin picks up on this song choice, almost immediately by the look on her face. The song that is being played is one that is well known in Westeros, it is called "The Rain of Castermere."  Here is a version with the lyrics. It is strangely/hauntingly beautiful. I will admit I have been listening to it on repeat as I have been writing this post.


This song is understood in Westeros to be associated with the Lannisters (Tywin in particular). Although those viewers who had not read the book first would have largely had this fact lost upon them. The song has not been very present in the series. However, the above version was present in at least one other episode in the series. Bronn and some of the Lannister men sing it just before the Blackwater battle and the song is also played over the credits of that same episode (season 2, episode 9). Appropriately, the credits (and thus this song) role immediately after Tywin Lannister is revealed at the end of the Blackwater battle to have "saved the day."


Additionally, Cersei uses an explanation of this song to intimidate Margaery Tyrell in the episode before.


The significance of the song playing at the Frey/Tully wedding was, likely, lost upon the viewer unless they were paying particularly close attention or had previously read the books. That being said, I feel the show did adapt the red wedding scene with justice, particularly in reference to this song changing the tone of the scene.

I also wanted to provide a few comments on the choice to end the episode with silence over the ending credits. I think this was a particularly bold choice but one that was extremely effective. In another somewhat Hitchcockian move, there is a loss of two major characters, characters that, through three full seasons, the audience has been able to become fond. The silence, in some ways reminded me of Ned's death, where the ruckus and noise was drowned out to represent the emotional trauma of Arya. But in this instance, we, the audience are the traumatized in need of a moment of silence to process the loss we have suffered.


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Several weeks ago I blogged about masculinities and Hegemonic order in Westeros. I would like to take up a bit of space in my corner of the interweb and continue to talk about gender and how gendered paradigms operate in George R. R. Martin's universe. This week our class watched Season 3, Episodes 4-6 and I could not help but take notes on the incessant fainting of Jaime Lannister. These "faintings" are revealed to the viewer starting in the opening minutes of 4.4 with other instances of the same to appear through the following episodes. Through looking at these particular scenes and examining how they play into the overarching plot between Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth, I am hoping to demonstrate the degree of fluidity/flexibility between their dynamic gendered roles. There is a certain ebb and flow in their relationship that suggests that strength, emotion, heroism, or vulnerability (just to name a few) are not traits that inherently or  solely exist within any specific sex but, rather, all of these traits are possible within either sex in Martin's universe.

The representation of these traits within both sexes is very Butleresque* and these subversive acts seem to align with Butler's theories on gender performativity**. Butler states in Gender Trouble that "gender is the repeated stylization of the body, a set of repeated acts within a highly rigid regulatory frame that congeal over time to produce the appearance of substance, of a natural sort of being" (Butler 43). The "masculine" acts of both Brienne and Jaime seem to align with this structure. We only understand Jaime and Brienne's acts to be masculine (or feminine) because of the way in which society has ensured our understanding of these acts to be masculine (belonging to men) or feminine (belonging to women), but Brienne and Jaime subvert these ideas.


In the opening scene of episode four (which takes place in the day(s) following Jaime's loss of his hand), we are introduced to a weaker Jaime. He is noticeably unsteady on his horse and eventually falls to the ground as Brienne of Tarth begs the Bolton bannermen to assist him.

After watching the first episodes of the third season, I am feeling so torn as I try to pick a topic to blog about this week. How is it that this part of the process gets so much more difficult the further we get. First I was thinking about how we are being introduced to so many more magic/supernatural elements this season, which really got me thinking about some theories regarding how some of those bits will end up playing out in the long run...but writing about such things right now would mean exposing WAY too many juicy spoilers. Considering a large number of my classmates are newbies to the series, I would like to stay away from such revealing topics.



So in the interest of keeping Game of Thrones plot secrets, instead I thought I would chat a bit about the scene in which Catelyn Stark reveals the story of the time that she prayed for Jon Snow's life (when he had the pox). I must say that the second time watching this season, I was struck by this scene in much the same way that I was the first time through the series. This entire scene feels both incredibly genuine yet contradictory at the same time...which is strangely normal feeling for this particular series.



This conversation takes place with Talisa, who offers to assist Catelyn in making some sort of dream-catcher that, along with prayer, is supposed to help with healing. Catelyn refuses Talisa's help, claiming that it is a job that only a mother can do. Strangely, she reveals that she has done this twice before, once for Bran (after his fall from the tower) and another time for Jon Snow (...who is not actually her son...). I find it intriguing that Catelyn both prays for Jon's death but then feels guilty enough to pray and make promises to the god's to save the life that she was just asking for them to take away.  I suppose, however, that for a mother, this feeling between love and hate for a child that is both innocent but reminds you of a betrayal is one that is hard to navigate.



I think that the most interesting reveal in this scene is when Catelyn tells Talisa that she refused to keep the promises that she made to the Gods for keeping Jon alive. Catelyn feel that this broken promise has resulted in the misfortune her family has suffered.



Interestingly, Talisa herself is a symbol of a broken promise. Robb was supposed to marry one of Walter Frey's daughters but after a short (and narratively strange) romance with Talisa, Robb feels he can no longer make good on that promise and weds whom he wants (Talisa) rather than the person to whom he has promised himself. Although I do not wish to spoil too much of the coming episodes...let's just say that this particular choice does not end well for dear old Robb. Like his mother, a broken promise results in consequences for the Stark family.



Because Catelyn seems to have an understanding of the power of a broken promise, I find it incredibly unnerving that she would allow Robb to break such an important diplomatic promise without thinking through the possible ramifications of such an act. Of course last season Catelyn does naively mention that she does not feel that Frey would ever hurt her (she's known him since she was young...) but one would think that the twists and turmoil of Westeros would make one weary of such general assumptions.



Perhaps this whole thing demonstrates that the Stark clan is best served by not breaking promises. We will have to see how all of this plays out now that Jon is North of the wall breaking his oath to "join" Mance Rayder's tribe of Wildlings.

But really, this scene illustrates that the Stark bunch are not as honorable as we tend to think....
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I cannot believe that season 2 is already over! How have we already gotten this far in the series? But most importantly, how do I find a topic for this week with so much going on?

I feel like I need to keep it a little lite this week. Full disclosure: I strained my back this week and, as a result, have been on heavy pain medication for the past several days. Not only did I watch the episodes while medicated, I am also attempting to articulate something interesting and useful for this blog under the same medicated state. In other words, this blog has the potential to be either highly interesting or barely intelligible. Perhaps it will be both...

For some reason while I was watching GoT this week, I got a song stuck in my head (I blame the painkillers and my unhealthy obsession with media that is made for young people):



Naturally, as I made my way through season 2, episodes 7-10 with this Shrek-ified 80s song stuck in my head off and on throughout, I began to notice that there are several characters that could be interpreted as being on a Hero's journey (thanks for the inspiration Fairy Godmother!).

So here is a fun chart to help you understand this journey:


You can also read a simple, but more complete, description of this literary device here.

Of course, Martin's works do not always stick to literary formulas precisely, for example, he is already challenging this formula by having several characters who could be considered going through this at the same time. However, I think there is enough material to make the claim that several of his characters are, in fact, going through something of a hero's journey. As a result, I am going to look at the character, Daenerys to determine how closely she is following this formula and, if she has, determine how far into the journey she has come up to this point in the show.

I will organize the rest of the post based on the steps of the journey and explain how she either has or has not performed the step.


Ordinary World
This one is kind of a no-brainer. Clearly, the first episodes in season one help to establish the "ordinary world" of each of these characters. Daenerys is living under her brother's rule and suffering the abuses of that living situation. We, the audience, start to understand her character in relation to her brother and the world in which she has been living. She is his pawn in his pursuit of the throne. This is Daenerys' status quo.



Call to Adventure
For Daenerys the call for adventure happens in the first couple of episodes. Her brother, Viserys, forces her into marrying Khal Drogo of the Dhothrakis. This pairing brings her into highly unfamiliar territory and exposes her to very different way of life that drags her away from her "ordinary world."



Refusal of the Call
Daenerys straight out tells her brother that she does not wish to be Khal Drogo's queen in the very first episode it is apparent that she is not necessarily keen on her brother's choosing to marry her off for his own gain and to a people that she views as being more "savage" than she is used to. Her hesitation continues to be apparent even after the marriage takes place in the instances in which Khal Drogo rapes her.



Meeting the Mentor
I think that for Daenerys, this is an interesting piece. I feel that her mentor is somewhat comprised of several characters. First, there is Ser Jorah who offers her council throughout her time with the Dothraki (and even after). Secondly, Doreah teaches Daenerys to use her feminine wiles to take charge in her relationship with Khal Drogo. Finally, I would argue that Khal Drogo himself also serves as something of a mentor. He is fiercely loyal to her after they have connected intimately and he backs her up and encourages her defiance and leadership amongst women.



Crossing the Threshold
Once Daenerys learns to own her sexuality and cements Khal Drogos love and appreciation for her and she finally begins to escape her brother's abuses, she begins to accept her new role in this strange world of the Dhothraki.



Tests, Allies, and Enemies
After accepting her role as Khaleesi, Daenerys begins to understand who her true allies are and those who are her enemies. She begins to understand the extent of her brothers toxicity and the truth of her own power. She also begins to truly trust the guidance of Ser Jorah.



Approach
This particular piece of the journey is a bit more difficult to pinpoint. I would argue that this particular piece of the journey is defined by the assassination attempt on Daenerys'. Both she, Khal Drogo, and Ser Jorah begin to understand just how much of a threat Daenerys is perceived to be by Robert Baratheon. Keeping her safe even in her new position as Khaleesi is going to be a considerable challenge.



The Ordeal
This particular point is very easy to pinpoint. Khal Drogo's Death and the subsequent "birth" of the Mother of Dragons fits the criteria for this step perfectly!



The Reward
One word: Dragons.



The Road Back
This is the step that Daenerys seems to be in at the end of season 2. She is attempting to survive and continue to build her army so that she can make her way back to King's Landing to claim the Iron Throne.



I am excited to continue watching her progress and identify the next steps of her "Hero's Journey." Of course, there are several other characters that seem to be on similar journeys. I may have to return to this topic in future posts to detail this concept in relation to other characters or to talk a bit about Daenerys' progress.

Until next week...
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