After that season 6 finale of Game of Thrones, I have so many feelings and thoughts. For now, however, I would like to focus on the women.


This episode proved that season 7 of Game of Thrones is going to be the "season of women." In the first six seasons we have largely been experiencing the universe through male power dynamics and attempts to resolve age old male conflicts. However, season 6, episode 10 has set an unprecedented number of women (at least in Westeros) into positions of great political power. We have Daenerys and Yara Greyjoy teamed up and moving from Essos to Westeros, Darth Cersei sitting on the Iron Throne (*gulp*), Sansa Stark, although under Jon, certainly has her spoon stirring the Northern plot, wildcard Arya is seeking to finish her kill-list (only Cersei and the Mountain to go!), and Lady Olenna and Ellaria Sand plotting it up with Varys in Dorne.


Yara and Daenerys are going to be a force to be wreckoned with. Between Dany's dragons and Yara's extensive fleet of ships, the current Westerosi powerhouses had better brace themselves for a bitter battle if they have any chance at holding their positions.

Cersei has always been a bit dark, but this episode seems to be pushing a comparison between Cersei and the Mad King. He prepped the fire to "burn them all" and Cersei actually took action. Unfortunately for her, she may be sorry she used up the wildfire before the White-walkers arrive on the scene. If nothing else, it seems that Jamie has finally come around the the position he holds in the books of being 100% OVER Cersei's BS. Did you see that look he gave her as he watched her take the throne? Something tells me that Jamie may have to decide whether or not to take out a second "Mad" ruler. This would, after all, complete the Valonqar prophecy.


Although I specifically mentioned Arya as a wildcard above, I would argue that this is actually true of each of the Stark sisters. Ever since Sansa's time with Baelish, the audience has been exposed to a back and forth tendency in Sansa where we are not quite sure where her loyalties lie. In fact, I would argue that the hardships that she has faced have her becoming more and more like Cersei (which is obviously quite troubling). Arya, on the other hand is pretty clear about who she is and what she wants, but I am unsure how this is going to impact the overall power structure of Westeros. We saw at the end of this episode, however, that her ability to take faces is one that will allow her to get close to her enemies and perform her kills and taking out the last two people on her kill list will most certainly shake things up.


I am still a bit unsure how Lady Olenna and Ellaria Sand will play into things but the season finale suggests that Varys is going to put these powerful ladies to good use in some one or other of his own plots.

Clearly season seven is going to be largely about the ladies of Westeros. It will be interesting to see if there might be an argument to be made about the difference in rule and political problems in gendered terms. But for now...we will have to wait and see. Is it next year yet? I'm already singing Beyonce ("Who run the world? Girls!") and waiting impatiently...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVERTISEMENT

This week's episode of Game of Thrones really pushed the Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen parallels by splitting this episode between them. GoT has set something of a precedent for containing large-scale battles to capsule episodes but this particular dual arc episode works really well in emphasizing the Ice and Fire parallel that is present throughout the series.

That being said, I am really interested in looking, particularly, at the Winterfell piece of this episode.


Ramsay Bolton (nee Snow) is a character who thrives on predictable chaos. Although a supreme sociopath, Ramsay certainly understands people, their motivations, and how those motivations are likely to fuel their actions. His strengths in this area are arguably the reason why he is so great at being so evil to people in the ways that will affect them most viscerally. Ramsay lives in the comfort of his own ability to manipulate and predict the outcomes of the chaos he orchestrates.

This week, for example, Jon Snow is warned by Sansa that he should not do what Ramsay expects. Sansa understands that Ramsay's strength is in knowing how people will react to the chaos he sets in motion and that the only way to throw him off of his game is to resist acting with the predictability on which Ramsay will be banking.


Ramsay understands that the honorable tendencies of the Stark house have been a large factor in their own downfall. The murder-game that Ramsay plays with Rickon as he "releases" him to join Jon and his fleet is a well orchestrated plan to make Jon react according to emotion rather than follow through with smart battle tactics. Even those who know Jon best understand immediately how he is going to react upon Rickon's death. The camera moves to Tormund for a few moments following the arrow strike. We see him say under his breath - but clearly to Jon - "Don't." Tormund knows that Jon's reaction is going to be to charge Ramsay, leaving little choice for his men but to follow suit. Davos made it clear in the strategy meeting that any possibility of their success largely hung on Ramsay charging first. Instead Jon acts, predictably, on his emotions and the want to avenge his sibling(s), resulting in an ill-started and chaotic battle.


Here I think that it is pertinent to recognize the brilliance of the presentation on the part of the cinematographers and visual effects artists on the show. The eruption of chaos on the battlefield was beautifully shot and highly effective in  pulling the audience into the physical turmoil of the battle. Not to say that I am one to sit around thinking much about what it would be like to find myself in the middle of a Medieval ground battle, but I have once or twice (judge if you will) and imagine it would be utter chaos much in the way that it was presented in this episode.


Ramsay, of course, sits in the background comfortably enjoying the chaos he has put into motion. He understands exactly how this battle is to play out. However, Ramsay is only able to manipulate so many pieces of the tactical war machine he has devised. He fails to recognize that his creation of chaos is, in fact, predictable. Sansa Stark, as she professes to Jon, knows Ramsay well and is therefore able to act as something of a "butterfly effect" to the chaos Ramsay has devised. Sansa's delivery of a letter to Littlefinger completely changes the conditions under which Jon and Ramsay's army are fighting. Petyr's army from the Vale shows up just in time to disrupt the advantage that Ramsay's army had as a result of the chaos he created, allowing Jon and his men to come out on top.



This episode just goes to show that if one knows how best to manipulate or change the initial conditions of an event, one can effectively change the outcome of that event. As someone who has lived in chaos for a great number of years, Sansa understands the predictability of Ramsays brand of chaos and how best to disrupt it. Her intimate knowledge of Ramsay's mind and her anticipatory action in writing to Littlefinger makes her the ultimate hero of the day. Although I am still unsure if Sansa is a convert to the dark side, today I will climb the walls Winterfell and shout from the rooftop, "You go Sansa Stark!"
_________________________________________________________________________________
ADVERTISEMENT