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“Second Sons”
I know I’ve had the odd bit of criticism for Game of Thrones over the last three seasons – as a fan of the books it would be almost a miracle not to – but more than anything, I think you have to marvel at how this series consistently brings it. In many ways I think it could be argued that this series is even harder to adapt than the supposedly impossible-to-adapt Lord of the Rings – it certainly has more characters and storylines to balance, and much less of a conventional good and evil narrative to cling to. But GoT manages to tell a cogent and compelling story, week after week.
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I think it’s also worth singling out the adaptation for the way it reworks the novels into a form that works with episodic television. I love the artful thematic structure it gives to many episodes – we saw it last week with “The Wall”, and “Second Sons” is an even better example. Of course it’s the name of the sellsword company Danerys is dealing with in Yunkai, but trace the episode from start to finish and you see it repeated over and over:
- The Hound, Sandor Clegane
- Tyrion Lannister
- Stannis Baratheon
- Samwell Tarly
In the world of Game of Thrones (and indeed, most any medieval setting) being a second son is a considerable burden, both for rich and poor. Second sons generally don’t inherit their fathers’ lands, titles or business – and very often, don’t see much of their affection, either. This episode (which thematically could and perhaps should have included Jon Snow, for that matter) was a tale of these outsiders, cast aside and disrespected if not outright disdained by fate.
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“Second Sons” was also the most tightly focused Game of Thrones episode since “Blackwater”, with the entire episode spent on three storylines apart from short bookends at either end of the episode. But those bookends were important, starting with Arya’s meeting with Sandor Clegane. Of all the characters in GoT, The Hound is among the most misunderstood – though be brings much of it on himself, no doubt. In truth it’s a stretch to call him a good man, but as he tells Arya, “There’s far worse than me.” She’s stunned when he says he plans to take her to The Twins, and her family rather than King’s Landing (“Fuck Joffrey. Fuck the Queen.”). And even more when he reveals that he saved Sansa from rape and violence on many occasions. I’m saddened that the excellent Rory McCann hasn’t been given a chance to shine, as the Hound isn’t as prominent as he was in the books, but he’s likely going to get his opportunity now.
The first of the three major settings this week is King’s Landing, where Tyrion is preparing to wed Sansa. This entire scenario is every bit as dreadful and uncomfortable as it should be, but the sad thing is Tyrion is a far better man than the one Sansa was almost forced to marry, if only she could see past her shallow prejudices. He wants this no more than she does, and Shae’s constant presence only makes things that much worse (and more uncomfortable for the viewer). There’s one moment in the episode where Tyrion makes Sansa laugh – when he asks her if she drinks when and she replies “When I have to.” his respons is “Today you have to.”
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Tyrion was probably the standout of the first two seasons, but he’s been somewhat flat this season, outshined by other characters – but this was his breakout moment. There was never any doubt of Peter Dinklage’s ability to be as good as the material he’s given to work with, and the wedding day is pretty brilliant stuff. There’s the white-hot venom from Cersei to Margaery, with whom she shares the cautionary tale of “The Rains of Castermere” – the story of the Reynes family, and what happens when you cross Tywin Lannister. There was the wedding itself, with Joffrey in his finest cruel and vile humor, taking Tyrion’s step-stool away and threatening to rape Sansa on her wedding night. Tyrion grows increasingly drunk as the hideous occasion drones on, finally threatening to cut off Joffrey’s cock – though he’s sober enough to step back from the edge and laugh it all off at his own expense.
Best of all, though, is the scene in Tyrion and Sansa’s bedchamber – tragic, tense, brutal to watch. Tyrion’s skin may be thick but he’s not above being hurt, and seeing Sansa’s obvious disgust cuts him deeply. As she slowly undresses and he stares at her the tension mounts, until finally he stops her – promising they won’t share a bed until she wishes it. “What if I never wish it?” she asks. Tyrion doesn’t respond, only smiles and offers “And so my watch begins.” Sansa doesn’t realize how lucky she is, truth be told.
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In Yunkai, Dany has her first meeting with the Second Sons (this sequence is much rearranged from the books), a sellsword company hired by the slavers to protect them from Dany’s Unsullied army. There are two Captains and a third man, a Lieutenant named Daario Naharis (Ed Skrein, channeling a young Fabio). We continue to see Danerys’ evolution as a leader, but there’s no question that she’s often helped by the power of her beauty – and so it is with Daario Naharis, who also sees in her the potential for many future successful battles and riches to be won. Dany is at this point a curious blend of naiveté and cunning, of idealism and raw practicality. She’s very much a work in progress, and cutting a swathe through the slave states beyond the Narrow Sea is a graduate-level training program for the task she has before her.
Getting some much needed screen time is Stannis and his thread, as Melissandre welcomes Gendry to Dragonstone. I’m not a huge fan of the way this storyline has been changed for the adaptation, and of the fact that it finds a way to mine yet another needless kinky sex scene out of it. But it does offer us a terrific scene between Stannis and Davos, still in his dungeon trying to learn how to read. Davos is a really compelling character, a profoundly decent and courageous man who never loses sight of his duty to speak his mind to his Lord. Stannis knows full well what Melissandre has in mind for Gendry, and Davos catches on quickly enough. He also catches on to the fact that the reason Stannis chose this of all days to visit him and offer him a chance at freedom is because there’s a part of Stannis that’s as horrified by what his sorceress has planned as he should be.
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This is the sort of scene that’s desperately needed to give some balance to Stannis’ character, which has been somewhat one-dimensionally pathetic in the TV version. He, like Dany and indeed all who seek to rule Westeros, is faced continually by hard choices, of trying to justify means by the end in sight. Davos’ undying faith in Stannis and his willingness to speak his mind even when it might cost him his head (“Bordering on none” is how he describes his regard for his own life) are like the last lifeline connecting Stannis to the ideals he started this struggle with. In a sense I think Davos sees Stannis as the person Stannis would like to be, and usually isn’t. And it’s apparently Davos’ intervention that spared Gendry temporarily from being sacrificed (“I’m not a learned man. Is there a difference between killing and sacrifice?”), though his actual fate is hardly a pleasant one. Stannis instead asks Melissandre for proof of the power in a King’s blood – and as a test, he utters three names as he tosses the leeched filled with said blood onto the fire.
Finally, we have a short but truly superb visit North of The Wall, where Sam and Gilly are making their way with agonizing slowness towards Castle Black. Sam is another one of those characters who stands out like an odd sock in this cast, and his conversations with Gilly about baby names and such are both funny, sad and rather moving. He can’t even get a fire started or properly explain the concept of given and family names to Gilly, but when he pleads with her not to name her baby “Randall” – his father’s name – it’s clear she understands Sam on some level. The climax is a gathering of crows on the snowy night, as Sam and Gilly huddle inside a ruined hut (she ends up starting the fire). In a marvelous slow build of suspense the crows outside become louder and louder, prompting Sam to investigate, then stop in an instant – as a figure appears in the trees, slowly making its way towards Gilly and the baby.
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This is a moment readers of the books have been waiting for – and for a while worrying we might not see – and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s scary as hell when the White Walker appears, and shatters Sam’s sword before sending him flying. As he closes on Gilly and baby, Sam turns to the one weapon he has left – his small Dragonglass dagger – and to his astonishment one blow from it causes the White Walker to shatter like glass and scatter like snow in the wind. Yes, Sam the Slayer has arrived at last – and he showed great courage when he had to, considering he had to assume his attack would be a futile one. As Mark Twain said, courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway, and we’ve seen courage in the oddest places at times this season.
(Note: Game of Thrones is on hiatus next week for Memorial Day)
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itsthedee
May 20, 2013 at 1:47 pmCorrection: Game of Thrones is on hiatus next week for Arrested Development season 4. 😉
justinnm
May 20, 2013 at 2:30 pmDid he drop the knife and run away? Please tell me I'm wrong – you DON'T DROP THAT STUFF!!
Also, could someone tell me how or why was the Hound just outside the forest before he took Arya, seeing how it may never be explained now? If you feel like you'll spoil something that's about to come, please don't answer 🙂
justinnm
May 20, 2013 at 2:33 pmAlso, if I'm not mistaken…that was supposed to be the Leader of the white walkers, right? We saw him at the season 2 finale riding on that zombie horse. So Sam just killed their leader? XD WTH would the leader of zombies go out all alone in the night to pick up just a baby?
admin
May 20, 2013 at 2:51 pmI don't see anything based on what we've seen in the adaptation that would indicate that this is a leader, or even that all the White Walkers wouldn't look indistinguishable to human eyes.
I don't know whether Sam picked up the blade or not – it's been a while since I read that section – but the reason The Hound was hanging around is because he had ideas about taking his gold back from The Brotherhood by force, but when he saw Arya he saw an even better opportunity. I don't think that's a spoiler as it's apparent at the time in the original. I think the problem is that by not having The Hound as the POV character for part of that section, we lose the explanation and the TV didn't really do anything to replace the missing exposition.
justinnm
May 20, 2013 at 3:05 pmThanks for the answers. As for the white walker, as a non-reader I would've sworn that was the leader, since his face was identical to the top boss that appeared in the finale, while all the other walkers we've seen were actors with just bright blue eyes. Here in the show it also looks like Sam just dropped the knife, which seems really stupid – then again, it's Sam we're talking about 🙁
As for the Hound, I'd like to believe he'll take Arya to Robb without any prob, but since he's travelling with a Stark and GoT loved to make Starks' lives Hell, I doubt he'll live much longer…
justinnm
May 20, 2013 at 3:06 pmloves*
admin
May 21, 2013 at 12:22 amRemember, there's White Walkers and also wights – which are basically zombies, corpses the White Walkers have reanimated. That's what you saw as actors with bright blue eyes.
974eb2ac-c16f-11e2-8d3b-000f20980440
May 20, 2013 at 5:06 pmI don't believe Sam is a second son actually. He is the eldest son, but he got basically disinherited by his father for being incompetent.
kuromitsu
May 20, 2013 at 5:26 pmYes, I was just about to say this. IIRC he's the eldest son, and the reason why he's in the Night's Watch is that it was either this, or losing his life in an an unfortunate "accident" so his younger brother could be the heir.
Anyway, it was a great episode.
justinnm
May 20, 2013 at 5:29 pmI think Sam himself told of his backstory and how he got to the Watch in S1, and it was because he was incompetent, much like 974eb(…) said.
kuromitsu
May 20, 2013 at 5:58 pmOh, sure, it was because he was incompetent, but there would be no point in removing him from the line of heritage if there was no-one else to take his place. IIRC Sam himself said that in the same scene you mention, that his father made him decide between taking the black or getting killed.
Maxulous
May 20, 2013 at 11:37 pmSo in effect, he's a "second" son in the essence that tag applies to other characters.
ishruns
May 21, 2013 at 3:37 pmCouldn't Gendry in a way be considered a second son.
admin
May 22, 2013 at 12:10 amWell, gendry could be a first son or a 50th – we really don't know. But thematically sure, he fits the bill.
Gary Cochran
May 21, 2013 at 12:23 amI'm pretty sure when he ganked the white walker and he turned to pieces Sam got to stepping and left the blade there on the ground. At the time I said to myself "OMG don't leave that behind" but they took off so Sam does not have the blade any more.
Awet M
May 21, 2013 at 12:26 amSurprised that they introduced the arrogant Titan's Bastard, only to dispatch him minutes later. Well it looks like either there's no Titan's Bastard, or this, all for the sake of concision, not fidelity.
Also surprised to see that they left Daario Naharis' three pronged beard on the cutting room floor. Probably too exotic for the Slavers' Bay?
admin
May 21, 2013 at 12:37 amDany's arc has been easily the most altered since early last season, so it's showing off the butterfly effect at the moment. I pretty much expect everything to be different beyond the Narrow Sea.
ishruns
May 21, 2013 at 3:38 pmI hope though that she's better now than in the books. She's spent most of her story line alongside Joffrey and Sansa as the least interesting and like able characters
elianthos80
May 22, 2013 at 3:09 pmSansa dear, you really don't realize (yet?) how lucky you are indeed. The man is brimming with empathy, wit, sorrow and many other things. This Lannister is worth much more than his weight in gold :,).
Sooo, Tyrion didn't end up doing circus skits but he was made to play the fool twice. Ooooh Joff-nephew by the power of poetic justice and roast exploding leech you're gonna pay for that. And for the rape threat. You're dead meat boy.
Talking of the dead, did Samwell actually left the blade of awesome in the snow? O_O Dude you don't know how many more of those creatures might be roaming the area. Aaagh! Loved the vaguely Hitchcockian overhead shot with all the crows gathered in silence and watching from the old Seven tree branches btw.
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Davos again this week hooray! With human!Stannis bonus. Wish they had shown more of this Stannis earlier. Makes for a much more interesting character.
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If it wasn't almost the end of the season I would hope for Arya and the Hound to travel a bit more together. He could talk more and she would be less angry shouty while her worldview takes on more shades of grey. Well, maybe they will travel a bit more together next season after all. IF my deathdar for Robb is tingling right.
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My fondness for Dany's actress and for her wardrobe aside (that borderline Elvish gown after she rises from the bath. Ah <3) , I'm still pretty torn about her ways compared to her lofty ideals. I'm even more bothered by how not bothered she is by the contradictions. Eh. Hopefully she'll reach that point down the road.
But the Fabio's lost cousin dude bothers me. Eeeeeenzoo what memories have you triggered. Bad naughty blogger boy. Bad. I barely dodged the Fabio high tide due to my age (ohohoho) but since the interweb has made me aware I've seen things that cannot be unseen. http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/blog/the_legend_of_partially_shaven_hairy_goat_man <—- I had to share. Sorry.
I'm afraid I might end laughing during srs bsnss scenes featuring Dario now :,).
admin
May 23, 2013 at 12:16 amI'm a a bit disappointed they decided to go the conventional hunk route with Daario, to be honest. If there's a fault of GoT, they make the characters who aren't supposed to be pretty pretty (and the ones who are absurdly so) and they shoehoen a sex scene in whether it's needed or not. For the record, this is how Martin describes Daario:
He keeps his beard cut in three prongs, all dyed blue. His eyes are blue and his curly hair is dyed blue. His mustachios are painted gold and he has a large, curving nose. He is lithe, smooth skinned, has a golden tooth and dresses in loud colors and finery.
Maxulous
May 23, 2013 at 9:21 amSome have argued that Cersei isn't nearly pretty enough.
elianthos80
May 23, 2013 at 11:39 am@Enzo: exotic bluebeard with a golden tooth, bright palette garb and a distinctive nose? The wig makeup&costume teams could have given us a spectacle with that. They kept the blue eyes and the smoothness though. I'll cling to that and chant notFabio notFabio notFabio in my head.
On the prettification I sorta know that Brienne and Tyrion are among the visually upgraded ones*** – and at least about a certain nose scar and chopping they put a wink wink nudge nudge line by Cersei to Tyrion some episodes ago – .
On the shoehorning I hear ya. I could have wept with joy at so much nekkid goodness… back in figure drawing classes :,). And for all the mileage variation the sex (+/- torture) at the very least is a waste of precious screen time given how much characterization is begging for more attention. Less Melissandre's T&A (as much as I'd like to draw her – see above -) , more Davos&Stannis interaction for instance.
***@Maxulous: for real? I think that between her figure, her disdainful spoiled expression and that phenomenal blond wig she packs quite the sight and she's the best this actress has ever looked. She's attractive and regal as Cersei but projecting some of the Queen's inner venom. This offness is quite spot-on for her onscreen persona imho. A gender-bent Dorian Gray whose painting is a glass mask (catch that ref) so to speak.
It's just that comparatively speaking Emilia Clarke's facial features are off the charts imho. She's like an Edward Burne-Jones' Pre-Raphaelite take on Michelangelo's Delphic Sibyl from the Sistine Chapel. I dont know if Dany is supposed to be *this* pretty rather than maybe 'cute&unusual complemented by her Mother of Dragons Breaker of Chains Rightful Ruler To Be etc etc mystique ' but I tend to be too busy resisting Stendhal's Syndrome during her sequences to complain.
Zeta Zero
May 23, 2013 at 12:47 pmThen there are the people who complain whenever someone draws Daenerys fanart with the wrong coloured eyes.