No "Mercy" in the GAME OF THRONES

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.

GAME OF THRONES Finds a "Hardhome"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s installment of HBO’s GAME OF THRONES is called “Hardhome.” That is the name of a Wildling seaport where many of those who live north of the wall have gathered, and it is the place where Jon Snow (Kit Harington), along with Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju), leads a band of men to save these savage people. It is also the set point of the biggest battle scene in years on the series, which results in the bad guys increasing their army significantly.

The war at “Hardhome” is quite impressive. Waves of dead soldiers attacking the Wildlings should motivate the latter to join with Jon Snow in a way all of his words will not. Jon can argue until he’s blue in the face, and even with the support of some of their number, including Tormund and Karsi (Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, Borgen), he’s not going to sway a majority of minds. These people are too ingrained with hatred for the Night’s Watch, and until the imminent danger is upon them, they cannot change their minds.

Jon is wise to realize that most of them will never be his friend, but he is banking on the fact that they might want to survive, as he does. He’s not asking them to swear fealty to any throne, which would always been a requirement to move south before, instead defying kings himself to save the kingdom and recruit more fighters. He’s a very intelligent and canny leader. If only he were a tad more persuasive, his plan might just work.

Still, the war sequence is a cool piece of filmmaking, with neat effects and a relevance to the characters. It’s not just for show, the scene meaning something very important to the story, and it lends an urgency and intensity that GAME OF THRONES has been lacking. I love this program most for the character development, but it needs some war bits every now and again to keep it interesting.

The rest of “Hardhome” is much quieter, with a few pivotal scenes for important people. Samwell (John Bradley) gives Olly (Brenock O’Connor) some advice that the lad is sure to misinterpret and will cause problems with. Cersei (Lena Headey) is as low as we’ve ever seen her, the actress doing a fantastic job of showing the queen mother’s despair and hopelessness. Sansa (Sophie Tuner) learns a vital secret from Reek / Theon (Alfie Allen) in a wonderfully charged moment. Arya (Maisie Williams) is given her first kill assignment. These are all excellent bits, and while they don’t need paragraphs to discuss them, taken together, they make for a heck of a great episode.

The other major story in “Hardhome” I do want to talk about, though, is the meeting of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). Obviously, Daenerys’ first instinct when faced with a member of her rival house is to kill him (after bringing him home, apparently), and you can see that in the rage that emanates from her body. Thankfully, she holds back, as fans know that Tyrion is a smart and fair individual, not one to let clan disagreements drive his behavior. He really has come to help her, having no place else to go himself.

It isn’t easy for Tyrion to convince Daenerys to keep him on as an advisor, and a man less skilled at the art of conversation would fail. Tyrion decides to just be honest with the queen, telling her about Varys sending him, and giving a balanced opinion on Jorah (Iain Glen), whom Daenerys ends up sparing but banishing again. Tyrion knows he can’t talk Daenerys into anything, but if he’s open with her and she’s the type of queen he’d respect enough to serve, she’ll listen. Thank goodness this pays off.

Yet, Tyrion can’t help but recommend Daenerys gives up her dream of the Iron Throne. He has valid points on that, but being newly hired and precarious in his position, now might not be the best time to bring them up. It speaks to his honor that he does so, but that’s a Ned Stark-type mistake, being honorable to the point of foolishness. Let’s hope that Tyrion doesn’t share Ned’s fate.

GAME OF THRONES’s fifth season has been an exciting one, and if history is any indication, the penultimate hour of the season next week should be a doozy. But then again, the writers do like to do the unexpected (such as abandon the source material from the book series five years in), so you never know.

GAME OF THRONES airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.