The Plot Thickens on 'Game of Thrones,' 'Revenge' Continues Killing My Interest


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Another slow yet far more eventful episode than the season premiere of “Game of Thrones” saw Cersei scheming. Tyrion drinking. Jon is elected as the new Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Arya arrives in Braavos, Sansa turns down Brienne’s protection, and Daenerys makes some difficult decisions as a leader.

Jon’s reasoning for not accepting Stannis’ offer to be legitimized and made the Lord of Winterfell was befuddling. Why he should remain beholden for life to a vow he took as a kid is one frustrating part. Sam didn’t really argue with this logic.

The second part is that the Wall mainly comprises criminals, and he has witnessed its corruption repeatedly. Jon thinking they deserve fealty is foolish. He cannot have it both ways, either. He wants to remain loyal to this horrible place, yet he breaks the rules he wants to as he sees fit (breaking his celibacy, mercy killing Mance, etc.).

He does not want to be fully committed to the life of the Night’s Watch. So why does he not back out of this clearly ill-advised move, made in the ignorance of youth, and stop going through the motions? How is continuing on with the Night’s Watch the “right” thing?

While Jon is busy at the Wall, his sister Arya continues her mission of vengeance. She’s now down to only four people on her list. Her list has shrunk, not because of anything she’s done but of the result of outside forces.

By the time she’s finally equipped to avenge her family, all of the culprits will have died or been taken by the hand of another. Her quest is starting to ring hollow, and if there’s a moral nestled in there, it’s probably cold comfort to the feisty Stark.

Daenerys had the most challenging task of the hour, meeting what she believed to be justice. Her dilemmas are often the most complex of the series, and this week’s episode proved to be no exception. Facing an unruly crowd, she kept her composure and remained brave in the ensuing turmoil.

She dares to sit on the Iron Throne. The question is whether she really has the time to devote to it. She currently has her hands beyond full with her current royal duties. There’s an argument to be made that she’s where she’s needed most now.  

Side Notes/Burning Questions: Please let Tyrion dry out already. His and Varys’s conversations are much meatier when they’re equally sober. Does anyone else get the feeling Jamie might be on his last mission? How did Stannis have a little daughter as sweet and compassionate as Shireen? Why is Gilly still allowed to stay at the Wall?

Revenge | Having stopped watching the show following its January hiatus, recaps have been a way of keeping tabs on a long-ago must-see. After learning that they killed off Victoria, one of television’s all-time best villainesses, I won’t ever be back.SiSince,n the vibe that Queen V was doomed was overpowering.

To know that it came to fruition and Emily and her lousy father got their revenge is a bitter pill and one I’m thrilled to have avoided seeing. Neither deserved any vengeance. David is a selfish ego-maniac who brought everything that happened to him and his daughter on them himself. He is a wretched protagonist.

Try as they might, the series could not avoid season 2’s reason for Victoria and Conrad going along with the frame job on David. Their son’s life was threatened by an evil organization called “the Initiative.”

In actuality, David and Emily are busy whining about the Grayson’s choosing to save their son’s life over the sleazy David. This plot point exonerates them of what happened to the philandering older Clarke.

David’s selfish affair with a married woman is the sole catalyst for what happened to both him and Emily. Accordingly, both can back off from playing the world’s smallest violin. Rooting for these two characters has been impossible for some time, and after realizing where it was headed: a happy ending for two psychopaths, it was better to cut the losses of a 4-year investment in the show. In the end, it was a good decision.

[Featured Image by HBO]

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