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Game of Thrones “Mother’s Mercy” Review (5×10)

15 Jun

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“Mother’s Mercy” is filled with mid-scene cuts, jumping around from mini cliffhanger to mini cliffhanger as it attempts to close out its fifth season in a satisfying manner. It’s a way to bridge the gap between one season and the next, but it’s also a stylistic choice that serves to highlight the uncertainty of the characters’ positions–and the franchise as a whole, to be honest–at the moment. In this land full of power struggles and violence and torture, there’s no telling when an empire can come crashing down in an instant, when a character can be reduced to nothing more than a sack of flash, when your own families can turn on you. It’s an intriguing world to watch, but at the same time, it’s certainly a bit overwhelming.

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Game of Thrones “The Dance of Dragons” Review (5×09)

8 Jun

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“Sometimes, a person has to choose.”

In the final conversation Stannis has with Shireen before her death, his daughter tells him that “all the choosing sides is what made everything so horrible”. Sure, that is true to an extent, but one simple truth in this Game of Thrones world is the fact that choices must be made. No matter what happens, that remains constant, and the choices that are made by people in power undoubtedly have reverberating effects on the rest of the series. In addition, those choices likely come at the expense of those who may not have as much power, who may be viewed as “sacrifices” for the “greater good”. It’s not exactly a pretty world to live in, but it’s something characters in the show have to wrap their heads around.

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Game of Thrones “Hardhome” Review (5×08)

31 May

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“I’m not going to stop the wheel. I’m going to break the wheel.”

History is essential in the Game of Thrones world. It’s a world in which your lineage determines your standing, in which people are bound by the wheel of history at every turn. Although many have tried, breaking the wheel is an extremely difficult task to accomplish because you’re essentially fighting against powerful forces, forces that have congregated over the years to be what they are now. As we move into the final two episodes of season five (and beyond), the clash between past and future is moving to the forefront.

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Game of Thrones “The Wars to Come” Review (5×01)

12 Apr

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“Westeros needs to be saved from itself.”

In the fight for the Iron Throne, power is paramount. With the death of Tywin Lannister, a vacuum of that very power now exists in the Seven Kingdoms, and character after character is struggling to maneuver him or herself into a better position to obtain that power. When one ruler leaves, another must take its place, and one of the show’s central questions right now is about what exactly being in power means, about what exactly you must do to rise a rung on the ladder.

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Game of Thrones “The Children” Review (4×10)

16 Jun

GOT-FINALE_612x380The Children of the Forest serve as a bit of a metaphor for all the other children in the show thus far: the beings that Bran comes across in this episode are ancient, beings that have been in the same place for who knows how long. The aforementioned “other children” have been trapped by their parents’ doings, destined to live out the rest of their lives in their parents’ shadows. That’s the very essence of the Iron Throne, isn’t it? It’s desired by many and is the most powerful position in the land, but it passes down through generations.

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Game of Thrones “The Watchers on the Wall” Review (4×09)

8 Jun

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“A hundred generations have defended this castle. You’ve never fallen before. You will not fall tonight!”

The Night’s Watch is about brotherhood, about fighting for one another, about courage when you’re faced with imminent death in the form of a giant. Even when you’re trapped in a tunnel, you’ll fight until your last breath, forever to be alongside your family.

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Opinion: On the “Game of Thrones” Rape Scene and Ensuing Controversy

22 Apr

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Over the past two days, I’ve witnessed thousands of angry comments and even angrier responses across the Internet, with people taking sides and expressing outrage over a scene that occurred in Sunday’s Game of Thrones episode, in which Jaime Lannister forces himself on Cersei. It’s been an ugly several days online, and after some thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that my problem with this whole fiasco is not so much the scene itself as much as it is the ensuing controversy. Continue reading →

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