Last season ended with women ascendant on nearly every
front, as Dany, Cersei, Yara, Ellaria and Olenna all took the reins of
their particular factions, as well as Sansa and Arya avenging themselves on the
Boltons and Freys.
“The Queen’s Justice” sees many of these women brought extremely low, as
well as explicit reminders of the degradations that even those still occupying seats of power have endured (Dany and Sansa’s marital rapes, Cersei’s walk of
shame). But even with the ladies taking
the losses, it plays less as a reassertion of patriarchal power than an
acknowledgment that even when the players have lady parts, the Great Game is
still the Game. As Cersei told us way
back in the first season, there’s no points for second place. You win or you die.
The Lannisters are, once again, doing the winning and Dany’s
southern allies the dying. I was
actually a bit relieved when Cersei’s plan to punish Ellaria was revealed; it
was suitably fiendish, but more elegant than graphic. And acted to the nines by Indira Varma and
Lena Headey, who has a series-best acting moment when a pained, genuine question
slipped through her big revenge speech. Cersei is the series’ best villain because
Headey is so good at these moments of humanity and hurt that peak briefly
through the cold, vindictive exterior. That front is back on display when she (after
a vigorous round of brotherfucking) meets with Tycho, the Iron Banker of
Braavos. She is on top of her game,
drawing favorable comparisons to her father, and making a good case that even
if Dany is still more likely to win the war, she has no credit history to speak
of, while the Lannisters have the best FICO score in any of the Seven Kingdoms.
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| For she is the Unburnt, the Breaker Of Chains, and the Absorber of Prepayment Penalties |
She even has a plan for how to repay the Iron Bank, as Jaime’s
masterstroke at episode’s end allows the crown to plunder the riches of
Highgarden, while also cutting off the remainder of Dany’s Westerosi support, AND
thanks to Euron’s supersonic fleet, stranding the Unsullied on the wrong side
of the continent. As the show continues
to contract toward the endgame, things have necessarily become more predictable, but
this development was a genuine surprise, utilizing the accelerated pace of the
season to layer the reveal of Tyrion’s full battle plan in as a misdirect from
the bigger reveal of the Lannisters’ gambit.
And that was all the more satisfying because it was rooted in lessons
Jaime learned from his defeat at Robb Stark’s hands. That sense of the series’ history informing
current decisions has been one of the season’s stronger assets, and is all over
this episode - Jaime’s citing his sources for this tricky maneuver, Tyrion’s
trip to the Wall or reminding Davos of the results of Blackwater,
Dany recounting her trials and troubled family history with the Starks, or Cersei
posthumously recognizing Oberyn’s spear game.
And last but best of all, Olenna Tyrell going out in characteristically
thorny fashion, offering up a less flattering posthumous assessment of Joffrey (“he
really was a cunt, wasn’t he?”) before dropping the bomb that she was
responsible for his death the moment she is beyond more drawn out retribution.
Olenna’s dying confession is a hell of a burn, but it doesn’t
stop the Tyrells from joining the Baratheons, Martells, Freys and Boltons in
the dustbin of Westerosi history. This makes Dany’s position all the more precarious, and bolsters the need for a
genuine alliance between the Dragon Queen and King In The North. They finally
come face to face after seven years of stalling at the geographical fringes of
the narrative, neither realizing that this is a family reunion of sorts. There is some friction, as she is not about to call off the conquest she’s been
planning her entire life any more than he is going to surrender the kingdom for which his
family has shed copious blood. Tyrion does a good job of smoothing
things over to the point where they can start building a working relationship,
though, which is a good counterpoint to
his grand military stratagem being reduced to tatters. Which is in turn is a
necessary twist to make Dany’s situation desperate enough that the union
of the two characters with the thickest plot armor feels like a dire necessity
rather than a dominating supergroup a la the ’85 Bears or Emerson, Lake and
Palmer.
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| Look upon them and tremble, peasants |
The season has been ruthlessly efficient in cutting Dany’s
advantages away, to the point of granting Euron superpowers of teleportation to
go along with soaring assholery that no mortal douchebag could hope to match. The timing of troop and ships movements may
have gotten wonky, but the show has compensated for this with continuous action
and fast-acting twists. This accelerated pace could
be cause for concern, but so far it's been bringing with it new and exciting character
pairings, and efficient, canny beats for them.
Amidst all the action we still get stuff like Cersei’s “why did you do
that?”, Olenna’s final scene, and perfectly calibrated exchanges like
Melisandre parrying Varys’s threat on her life by telling him they will both die in Westeros or Dany calling
Tyrion on pawning off his own ideas as ancient wisdom (though “you should never
believe a thing just because you want it to be true” is solid advice
nonetheless).
Or after Jon and Dany fail to reconcile their competing claims
to the sovereignty of the North, or their assessments of who the true enemy is, when she gets a brief, illuminating glimpse of his character as he mutters briefly that unlike most people, he does not enjoy the thing he's best at. I do not see romance in these characters’
futures, as many have predicted, although I get that given the medieval context
and their family history, their pairing would technically represent a step forward
on the incest spectrum. But I just don’t
buy that for all the series’s commitment to a “realistic” depiction of feudal
culture, it is going to, as its final statement, ask us to accept a marriage between
an aunt and nephew as its Happy Ending.
Same goes for the weirdos who think that he might end up with Sansa,
after the reveal that they are cousins rather than siblings apparently made
them more ‘shippable.
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| Focus your 'shipping where it belongs, dweebs |
No, my money is still on Sansa and Tyrion’s marriage being
revived to broker the final peace between Fire And Ice. Which is another piece of the series’ history
that popped up briefly, as Tyrion quickly and awkwardly assured Jon that
it was never consummated. Unlike her other
marriage, which Bran reminds us of in his particularly chilly reunion with his
sister. He also casually renounces his
claim to Winterfell, which is frankly for the best since Sansa has shit locked
down already at home and Jon is already abroad working on his foreign policy
credentials. Of course, Littlefinger won’t
like having someone around who can take his advice about seeing everything everywhere
in your head literally. And he’s due for
some kind of nefarious move…
Is it next week yet?
SUBPLOT REPORT CARD
Dragonstone – A.
Great stuff between Tyrion and Jon, Tyrion and Dany, Varys and
Melisandre, and finally Davos gets to speak more than a sentence.
The North - B. Bran has never been my favorite character,
but I’m not sure I’m going to like him in his omnipotent, emotionless
incarnation at all.
King’s Landin’ – A. Great
episode for Cersei, but if that handmaid she asked for new bedsheets isn’t Arya
yet, she will be by season’s end.
Maester Baetin’ – B-. If Jorah decides to take the overland
route to King’s Landing, rather than sailing to Dragonstone, he will be going
directly through territory held by Jaime and Randyll Tarly. No
mention of Sam giving him a certain Valyrian sword, however, which I thought
was all but certain.
Casterly Rock/Highgarden – A+. That long over-the-shoulder shot of Jaime
stalking the courtyards and battlements was a thing of beauty, as was the siege
montage. Both gave two new locations,
only glimpsed briefly, an epic scope that has served these later, bigger
budgeted seasons very well.
MAP WATCH: No additions for Casterly Rock or Highgarden. I suppose the latter would have constituted a
bit of a spoiler for how the end of the episode played out, but featuring Pyke instead is flat out chicanery. And I approve.
Season Morghulis: House Frey, Obara Sand, Nymeria Sand, Tyene Sand, Olenna Tyrell (I’m listing
Tyene as dead because Bronn is off in the Reach even if he were inclined to
mount a rescue attempt, and Ellaria as not dead because the promises to keep her alive
whether she likes it or not raise the possibility of another scene with
her).
Death Watch: There’s
no shortage of possibilities here. When
we get back to the Brotherhood, I expect their ranks to thin out a bit, and
Tormund is going to be in real danger as soon as we return to him and Eastwatch
By The Sea. Yara’s prospects look grim. Littlefinger is due to make some nefarious
move any time now, which will probably be trouble for Robin Arryn and/or Yohn
Royce. Missandei and Grey Worm’s
farewell love scene all but guarantees they won’t reunite, but with him
surviving the battle and stranded at Casterly Rock without enemies to fight, I’d
say she is in the more immediate danger.
Recasting a nothing role like Dickon Tarly suggests that character will
have something significant in store, which could mean Papa Tarly is not long
for the world.
I’m thinking it might be another week before we see the Brotherhood
again. So I’m going to say Royce and
Randyll both drop next week.
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