Article originally written for Seat42F.
Fans of GAME OF THRONES are used to bloodbaths, but rarely
has a season finale on the show been as bloody as what HBO aired last night. In
“Mother’s Mercy,” at least two characters who are still alive in the books meet
their fate, and one of the most central figures lies bleeding to death. With a
number of other cliffhangers and disturbing moments, season five ends with far
less sense of closure than most past years have.
The biggest thing in “Mother’s Mercy” is Jon Snow (Kit Harington) being
stabbed a la Caesar, with Olly (Brenock O’Connor) providing the “E tu Brute”
moment. It makes sense for this band of unruly thugs to betray Jon, who is
making wise but unpopular decisions, not realizing how vulnerable this will
leave them. I’m surprised to see Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) participate, as he
seems more honorable than most, but what happens to Jon is not unexpected, the
most noble in GAME OF THRONEs always paying a steep price from people who
aren’t smart enough to understand.
I don’t think Jon Snow is dead. Too much has
been made over the mystery of his parentage for him to go now, without any
resolution. Were Jon dead, then it wouldn’t matter who his mother or father
are, and so the series has wasted time bringing them up repeatedly and allowing
viewers to speculate over it. It’s possible the writers were misleading in the
past by doing so, but I don’t believe that to be the case.
If I’m wrong and Jon does perish, there are two
possibilities that might keep him around. One, Melisandre (Carice van Houten)
could bring him back. We’ve already seen one who worships the Lord of Light do
so, so it would not be unprecedented, though it would surely remove the
importance of Jon’s parentage because he wouldn’t fully be Jon any more. Two,
Jon could awake as a White Walker, giving us a peek into that world more fully.
That would be interesting, but again, negate the affect his parentage would
have, and so I find both possibilities intriguing but unlikely.
Stannis (Stephen Dillane) is probably dead. As much as it sucks
to see Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) kill a defenseless, wounded man, she sees
it as her duty to execute him for his unforgiveable crimes, so her actions make
sense. It’s a lackluster end to the stubborn, would-be king, but one that feels
deserved after the events of last week. I won’t be sad to see Stannis go.
This leaves the Boltons as the unchallenged leaders of the
North. Even with Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Theon (Alfie Allen) unrealistically
jumping off a wall into a not-nearly-high enough snowbank and escaping, there
isn’t an army to challenge the Boltons’ claim on Winterfell. Sansa has already
been married to Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) and the marriage consummated, so she
personally doesn’t need to be there for Ramsay to claim ruling rights. A White
Walker invasion may be the best one can hope for to wipe out those nasty
Boltons.
Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) is likely dead, too, her
heartbreaking death in her father’s arms finally proving the danger that
Ellaria (Indira Varma) and the Sand Snakes pose. They have basically declared
war on King’s Landing, defying their own leader to do so.
Not only is Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) in no position to
turn around and exact revenge, much as he might want to, but King’s Landing
isn’t ready to respond either, their own leadership sorely lacking. Cersei
(Lena Headey) loses any little respect the people have for her during her naked
walk of shame (another Emmy-worthy performance from Headey, who just had her
best season yet), and King Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) is helpless to even
control the faithful in his own city, let alone make outside war. It is likely
Myrcella’s death will go unchallenged, possibly emboldening Dorne to make a
larger play, assuming Ellaria dispatches her king as readily as she does
Myrcella, a distinct possibility.
“Mother’s Mercy” leaves the Seven Kingdoms riper for
invaders than ever. Except, who will invade them? Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is
no position to do so, away from her people, surrounded by Dothraki. She’d have
to get Mereen under control first, anyway.
Thankfully, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Varys (Conleth Hill)
are reunited in Mereen. If anyone can fix the issues that place is going
through, it’s them, both cunning and resourceful. By the time Daenerys gets
home, her army might be ready to go. Which would make sense, since there are a
mere two seasons of GAME OF THRONES left, and given the geographical distances
and multitude of players, it takes awhile for anything significant to happen on
the show.
We’re much closer to the end than the beginning, and it
feels like it. Practically everyone with power has been removed from it, and
those squabbling over the scraps are not holding onto their positions very
solidly. The stage has been set for someone to come through and finally reunite
the land, as well as save it from the White Walkers. I can’t wait to see how
that will play out. In the meantime, the journey to get to that big ending is
an entertaining one, and with episodes like “Mother’s Mercy,” which surprise
and impress, I’m certainly not complaining about taking time to get there.
Except for how angry I am that the show has departed from
the book series so dramatically after four years of sticking pretty close to
it. That’s annoying, as is that this episode likely spoils a couple of deaths
from the upcoming sixth book. But taken on its own, the show remains terrific.
GAME OF THORONES is already working on season six, so it
will return next year to HBO.
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