Game of Thrones Season 5 Finale-plus-1 Preview

I am going to make a statement: I am a devoted watcher of Game of Thrones. If I made this statement two or three years ago, the response would probably be, "Naturally! It's one of the most critically acclaimed shows on television - one of HBO's most impressive offerings, and they've produced some of the all-time greats." This same statement made in the last two or three weeks would likely elicit a response more along the lines of, "Really? That trashy hotbed of rape and shocksploitation and sloppy storytelling? It doesn't even stay faithful to its source material!" Recent change in public opinion aside, I'm sticking with the show, not only because I'm somewhat "pot committed" after nearly five mostly-enjoyable seasons (mostly...), but also because of the pure good clean spectacle offered by episodes such as last Sunday's "Hardhome."

Before talking about that episode and looking forward to the rest of the season, I'd like to make another statement: I am a devoted watcher of the weekly recap/commentary videos posted by Ozzy Man Reviews. The response to this statement, regardless of when I make it, is likely to be something like, "Who?" I've mentioned him a couple of times on this blog before, but  suffice it to say, Ozzy Man's combination of humor, insight, and a mint Strine accent has kept me coming back week after week. He's also come up with several terms and tropes that add a great deal to the ongoing conversation about the show.

The first term is "fun boobs," which are distinct from "sexposition" in that there are generally no important plot points to pay attention to, and distinct from the scenes depicting sexual assault in that they are, for lack of a better word, fun. Examples include Melisandre having a bath, Melisandre sitting on Jon Snow's lap, Melisandre tearing Stannis's pants off on the strategy table... basically any scene with Melisandre where she's not giving birth to a shadow monster. Then there are Ozzy Man's various nicknames: "Stannis the Mannis" goes without saying, "Jorah the Explorer" for when he and Tyrion are sailing through the ruins of Old Valyria, Samwell Tarly becomes "Sambo," Barristan Selmy becomes "Bazzer," and other little flourishes that make his commentary unique.

But the most relevant term to our discussion is "Book Wanker," used to refer to someone who has read all the novels in the Song of Ice and Fire series, and who can't help themselves from constantly comparing the books to the show. I became a member of the Book Wanker camp when I read all the books during the hiatus between Seasons 4 and 5, because I didn't want to wait for the show to come back to find out what happened in the story. Now I find myself regretting my decision, not only because the show has quickly left the books in the dust, but also because now I find myself doing the compare and contrast game rather than just enjoying the show for what it is. But rather than try and quell my instincts, I'm just going to embrace them and do a little examination of where each character stands heading into the final two episodes of the season, the first of which is historically when the most impactful shit goes down.

A word of warning: while I won't directly give away anything that happens to our nearest and dearest characters in the books, those of you looking to remain completely spoiler-free should probably steer clear of the rest of this post...

SPOILER ALERT!

Let's start with Arya, since her story most closely mirrors what's happening to her in the books, except for a brief moment of will-she-or-won't-she get accepted into the House of Black and White at the beginning of her arc. And a change of name for her assumed identity, calling back to her aunt Lyanna (Lanna) rather than her mother Catelyn (Cat of the Canals). It remains to be seen whether the show will gloss over one of her hardest trials (which was also mostly glossed over in the books) or if they will stretch the ~1 chapter of book material into multiple episodes like they did with Theon's torture (although in a far less unpleasant manner).

Next, going in order of book fidelity, is Cersei Lannister, trapped helplessly by the faith militant. Her two Tyrell companions in prison do not share the same fate in the books, but for Loras, the end result is about the same. Another character whose storyline is basically going according to plan is Stannis, dutifully marching his army south towards Winterfell. The only notable deviation is the inclusion of his daughter in the party, who Melisandre will hopefully not convince him to sacrifice to the Red God, otherwise what was the point of all their family bonding scenes earlier in the season?

After the events of last night's episode, it looks like Jon Snow's arc is going through a mere detour rather than a complete 180, since the "next on" tease showed what looks to be a tense confrontation between him (and his army of wildlings) and Ser Alliser at Castle Black. Needless to say, the book version of the Lord Commander never boarded those ships for Hardhome, but based on the second half of the most recent episode, I'd say it was a good change. I am a little confused to see Sam and Gilly still hanging out at Castle Black, but there's still time for them to fulfill their bookish destinies.

Daenerys also has a chance for her story to align with what happens in the books, albeit with the presence of a new ally, Tyrion Lannister. This is the one point in which the show has leapfrogged over the books most significantly, accelerating the meeting of two of the three top-billed cast members and skipping the machinations that Tyrion and an uninfected Ser Jorah would have to carry out in order to gain their way into Mereen. I do have to say that the power potential of these two characters coming together does make me fear for Tyrion's safety during the upcoming events at the Great Pyramid (also teased in the "next on"), since the show does not tend to let sensible alliances last too long.

Now for the most blatant deviations from the novels. I have no problem with Jaime and Bronn embarking on a road movie style buddy comedy together, not only because it served as an excuse for two of the most fun boobs in the show's history, but also because it's a heck of a lot more interesting than what those characters are doing in the books. I do not have the same feelings for Sansa's predicament, about which enough has already been said. Even after the implication of multiple repeat rapes at the hands of the show's most inexcusably campy villain, I am actually more nervous for her future based on a) the information she gets about her younger brothers being alive, since this show tends to kill off characters in their rare moments of happiness, and b) the sharp object she picked up in the previous week's episode. I'm also a devoted watcher of The Walking Dead, which has shown us the dangers inherent when a female lead pulls a concealed blade on her captor.


Regardless of how closely the show will follow anything that happens in the books from here on out, we can expect to see some dynamic plot points unfold in next week's episode. But as long as there are no more graphic rapes or attempted rapes, I'll count it as an overall positive experience.