#Game of Thrones did this to Sansa - turning her into a mini Arya/Dany and it was awful | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ladyandtheghost · 5 years

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How “The Dany-Show” ruined GoT at the core: 3-point system

1. Sansa vs. Cersei:

How is it possible that we had a million reunions - many of them involving secondary characters for fluff and fan service with zero impact on the plot - but these two women who had so much drama, so much unresolved business, never saw each other again? This is where you would have found the good story to tell and a major plot strand to resolve: the conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters. This is what started it all, this is where it should have ended. This is the story they should have focused on.

So why didn’t they?

Because Game of Thrones was already dead and gone and the series had become The Dany-Show and nothing but The Dany-Show.

Every character, every story arc, everything had to be directed towards Dragon Barbie and her drama. So of course there was no time or space for anything that was not related to the The Dany-Show. Basically a black hole that sucked all the great storylines and characters into its dark void.

Massive loose plot strands like the Stark-Lannister showdown were left to rot, because it was far more important to show off that CGI budget for gratuitous dragon shots and inane conversations between secondary character including sex jokes on the main.

There was literally more screen time allotted to the dragons than to Cersei...

After four seasons of Sansa and Cersei constantly referring to each other and the day they would meet again (willingly or not), it’s scandalous that they shoved so many characters back together for pointless reunions that were more or less blatant fan service (Bronn and the Lannister boys, really?!) but the big conflict, the personal drama that was playing out between Sansa and Cersei - that had actually taken on political dimensions now - did not even get a single scene?

Wrong choice.

I mean can you even imagine how Lena and Sophie would have acted the shit out of their reunion, because I can and it makes me furious that we were robbed of it. When two characters have so much unfinished business, so much foreshadowing and so much history that still isn’t resolved, the least you can expect is to give them at least a half-assed resolution - but we did not even get that, because it had nothing to do with The Dany-Show. Because all the characters have to only think about Dany and relate to Dany and if there is to be a conflict between female characters, it has to involve Dany and no one else.

Poor Lena deserved better than to be reduced to playing a two-dimensional shadow of Cersei Lannister who was little more than a prompt giver to The Euron Greyjoy Side-Show (because sex jokes!)

Also Bonus fuck-up: the prophecy of the YMBQ? Cersei died in the arms of Jaime, if anything Dany’s attack had given her back the one person/thing she cares about. So how exactly did Dany rob her of “all you hold dear” when Dany’s attack caused Jaime to literally drop Brienne like a hot potato, declare his undying love for Cersei and run back into her arms for his final moment?

Before that, Sansa had already “taken” Jaime into her services together with Brienne. He’d actually switched sides to serve “another queen” (just not Dany) and at least this prophecy made sense for two seconds but of course the YMBQ had to be Dany because it’s The Dany Show, whether it makes sense or not...

They just didn’t care anymore, did they?

2. Little...who?:

So we have half a dozen characters rolling up to Winterfell who knew Littlefinger and his dirty business, and Arya, Sansa and Bran are about to go:

Only for some reason: NO ONE asks.

There is not a single reference to the fact that the Stark kids found out that Littlefinger is the mastermind behind 90% of everything that has happened since S1 and that he was executed for this. It’s like it never happened and he never existed and neither did all the important plot points before S8.

Did Jon ever find out that Littlefinger betrayed Ned and conspired with the Lannisters to bring down the Starks?

Did Tyrion ever find out that Littlefinger framed him at the Purple Wedding?

Did Varys ever find out that his nemesis was outsmarted and defeated by three teenagers?

Nope. Nope. And nope.

Ain’t we all?

A character who’s been hailed as MVP by a huge part of the fandom because he knew how to network and play the game™ that is advertised in the title like no other, isn’t even mentioned again. One of the most popular theories re: S8 was (ridiculous as I found it myself) “Littlefinger isn’t dead” because many people felt he was still important to the story and there was also a lot of unfinished business with other characters he was connected to...Jon, Varys, Tyrion, Cersei, Sansa...

Instead, Littlefinger himself, his death and every plot point he was ever involved in was simply erased - because Littlefinger and his relation to these characters had nothing to do with, i.e. did not contribute to...you guessed it...The Dany-Show and therefore POUF, he never existed...

3. R+L = who gives a f***

But you know, these are minor grievances compared to the fact that Jon’s character was not only dumbled down and turned into a complicit in genocide...

Jon’s parentage story arc - you know, THE big revelation and PLOT TWIST - was turned into a side note, a five-minute mini drama that was more about how this will affect poor little Dany and her feelings.

They gave us scenes of Dany waxing on about how Jon’s being the one true king stresses her out because she wants the throne and what she expects him to do about it - but they ROBBED us of the moment Jon tells the Stark siblings that he is not truly their brother, but their cousin.

Because who cares about how Jon feels about this and his “siblings” coming to terms with the fact that:

their father Ned Stark had kept Jon a secret from everyone

that he had not fathered a bastard and betrayed their mother

but saved the one true heir, at cost of his honour,

they lived with the Targaryen crown prince and raised him under everyone’s nose...

No, no, the important thing is how Dany feels about it all and how it affects her.

After the huge build-up, the theories, the overt foreshadowing, even more infuriating - after throwing poor Elia and her children under the bus and making Jon legitimate...

After literally EVERYTHING in this series leading up to the moment when everyone would know who Jon Snow truly is...it had no effect on the story whatsoever, besides contributing to Dany finally revealing the full extent of her insanity (which was only a matter of time anyways)

Heir to the Iron Throne? Targaryen Prince? Rhaegar’s son? PTWP?

The point is: Drama for poor little Dany because her nephew doesn’t want to fuck her anymore is the actual heir.

You can’t even say that it led to her advisors finding out and betraying her because that is something they should have done ages ago, at the latest when she burned the Tarlys. It gave them a legitimate alternative option, yes, but it was not the first time they thought she needs to go...

At least R+L=J served one good purpose: it rubbed Dany’s nose in it that she is not special at all. She is NOT the last Targ, nor the “princess that was promised” - and it was never her destiny to rule, she was only ever the “aunt” of the prince.

Sadly, this is again ALL about Dany and her feelings and how everyone else reacts to her in light of the news that Jon is Aegon.

So R+L=J is not even about Jon in the end, it’s just another element of The Dany-Show. And once Dany is gone, it’s like R+L=J also got erased (just like Littlefinger and the Stark-Lannister-conflict)

...because let’s just send the Head of House Targaryen and last of his line beyond the wall again just because the murderous army of the mad tyrant, whom he heroically freed us from, demands it...and of course we have to wrap up the last five minutes of this shitty episode.

Conclusion:

D&D just REALLY didn’t care anymore once The Dany-Show was over and it’s painfully obvious to see. The good news is that all of these plot points that got erased/dumbled down/ignored^^ are things that are important to GRRM, which gives me hope for the last books at least...

#game of thrones #sansa stark #jon snow #anti-daenerys #anti-dany stans #anti-d&d #cersei lannister

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immortalpramheda · 7 years

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Game of Thrones ‘The Dragon and the Wolf’

This is going to be a very long post, but there is just so much to process.

We have come to the end of another season. Wow that went by fast. I loved the episode! I thought it was a fantastic way to end the season! There were so many great moments between characters. So many satisfying scenes. And the ending was epic and terrifying!

We finally see Grey Worm again. Last we saw of him and the Unsullied they had just taken Casterly Rock, when Euron’s ships came and attacked them. Well, they made it to King’s Landing and are standing out front, when the Dothraki come riding through. Jaime and Bronn look on, but they’re safe behind the castle walls, for now.

The rest of them arrive at King’s Landing. Jon has never been before, and he’s surprised that more people live in the city than live in all of the North. This is all so new to him. All he’s ever known is the North. The Hound checks on their dead prisoner. Yep, he’s still very much alive (dead alive?).

Cersei gets the Dragonpit ready for their guests, and tells The Mountain to kill all of them if anything goes wrong.

The crew all walk to the gates and are met by Bronn and some others to escort them. Brienne and Podrick are there too. There were all these mini reunions, which was great! Tyrion and Podrick! Bronn mentions something about Pod’s magic cock, which reminded me that we still don’t know what happened to those girls in the brothel way back in S3. Good to see they haven’t forgotten about that!

The Hound and Brienne. They haven't seen each other since their brutal fight, and Brienne thought he was dead. She tells him that Arya is alive. He’s happy to hear that she’s safe, and that she can take care of herself. All both of them were trying to do was protect her. He seems genuinely happy to hear that about her, and doesn’t plan on getting in her way. I need them to reunite!!

We get a proper reunion between Tyrion and Bronn! He tries to get Bronn to switch alliances, but he refuses. He’s convinced that Cersei is going to pay him for bringing her traitors. Honestly, I’d love for him to ally with Daenerys, but Cersei probably does have more gold than Dany. I guess he’ll just ally with whoever will pay him more.

The Dragonpit is incredible! It’s basically a ruin now, and unused. But it’s where the Targaryen’s used to house their dragons. Incredible! Such a cool set, and a part of King’s Landing we’ve never seen before.

Bronn takes Pod off to get a drink, leaving the others alone in the Dragonpit. They’re confused as to what is going on. And Dany wasn’t there either, because we all know she’ll wait for the perfect time to arrive.

Cersei and co finally arrive. Lots of looks and stares. Tyrion and Cersei, Euron and Theon, Jaime and Brienne, The Hound and The Mountain. All these characters together who have history, and that was just perfect! The Hound goes over to his brother and tells him how ugly he is, and that he’s eventually going to kill him. (Cleganebowl hype!!) Unfortunately, that didn’t happen this episode, but I’m still holding out hope that it will happen.

They’re not happy that Daenerys isn’t there yet. She’s late. But then she flies in on Drogon, in complete epic style! She had Rhaegal with her too, which was stupid because now they’ll know she’s lost one dragon. Drogon intimidates them. She’s showing how powerful she is, and telling them not to cross her. That was epic!

Jon tells them why they’re meeting, which is the threat of the army of the dead. Cersei just rolls her eyes and doesn’t believe them. She thinks it’s all a joke. But then comes the proof. In comes The Hound single handedly carrying the crate. He opens it up and they're all watching. For a second I was worried that it was dead. I mean, dead dead. If that’s even possible? But it wasn’t. It was still undead and it runs out at Cersei.

I wasn’t sure how Cersei was going to take it. I didn’t think she’d be convinced. But when the wight ran at her, she genuinely looked scared. For the first time ever, she looked terrified. I’ve never seen her look like that before.

The Hound chops it in half and it still keeps moving, proving to them that they’re not easily killed. Qyburn picks up it’s hand and is fascinated by it. He’s intrigued with how it’s possible. This is his type of thing.

Jon shows them the ways to kill them. By burning them, and with dragonglass. It was like he was giving a presentation. How to kill wights 101 or something like that. But he did a really great job! Jaime seems to believe it, and thinks that they need to help. Euron, on the other hand, decides to run off back to the Iron Islands. The army of the dead can’t swim, so he'll be safe there. He is such a coward. Or is he?

Cersei accepts the truce, and agrees to help fight. Which was surprisingly easy, and I didn’t buy it. It wasn’t that easy, she wants Jon to stay in the North and not take sides. She believes in the word of Ned Stark’s son. Just like his father, he is honourable and keeps his word. Ned was stupid and made stupid decisions, and Cersei decides to take advantage of that.

Jon should have just agreed, but he’s Jon Snow so of course he doesn’t. He tells her that he has pledged his allegiance to Dany. You idiot Jon! They came all the way here to call a truce, and Jon ruins it by telling the truth. Cersei retracts her offer. The North will be attacked first after all, which is not her concern.

Brienne tries to get Jaime to see reason. To get Cersei to fight for them, but he says he can’t because of loyalty. Well, Brienne tell shim to fuck loyalty. This is about life and death.

“We’re fucked.”

It's obvious that Dany was grateful for Jon pledging his allegiance to him, but he was so fucking stupid for saying it to Cersei. They’re frustrated that he can't just learn how to lie. But Jon, being the honourable person he is, says he can’t swear an oath he can’t keep. He can’t pledge his allegiance to two queens. He can't lie. It's not who he is. Yeah, and telling the truth is what got Ned killed. Please don’t make the same mistakes that he did. I know that your heart is pure and you’re one of the most honest people in the world, but you could you not be sometimes? Please.

Tyrion decides to go talk to his sister. Jaime says his goodbyes, because he knows that she will probably kill him. But the meeting actually goes reasonably well actually. Well, Cersei does tell him that he killed her children. It’s true that because he killed their father, they ended up getting killed. If Tywin were still alive, none of it would have happened. But he loved Myrcella and Tommen. Cersei knows he did. Tyrion tells her that he doesn’t hate their family, and that he advised Dany against attacking King’s Landing. But still Cersei hates him, and she almost gives the Mountain the order to kill him, but she can’t do it.

She softens. Possibly the first time we’ve ever seen her so vulnerable. She says that when the wight was charging at her, all she cared about was protecting her family. Tryion figures out she’s pregnant. Maybe Tryion got though to her, or maybe it's the pregnancy hormones (if she even is really pregnant because I'm not completely convinced).

“You’re not like everyone else.”

Jon and Dany have a conversation about how the dragons used to be locked in the Dragonpit and wouldn’t grow because of being confined in a small space. There is this tiny dragon skull on the ground. They didn't grow very much at all, which saddens Dany. She can’t imagine locking her children up like that. Because of being confined, the dragons eventually all wasted away and the Targaryen’s became like everyone else. But Jon tells her she’s different.

Then once again, Dany brings up that she can’t have children. Jon asks her who told her that. And she says, “The witch who murdered my husband.” And then Jon asks her if she's sure they were telling the truth. Very smooth pick up line Jon. He was basically asking her to try to get pregnant. With him.

Tyrion returns and it appears that him talking to Cersei changed her mind. She comes and says that she will fight alongside them. She will send her armies north to help fight. That seemed…. surprisingly easy. Did she really agree to to it that easily? Has being pregnant made her change that much? Well, not quite.

Meanwhile in Winterfell, Littlefinger is still trying to manipulate Sansa. She’s annoyed that Jon pledged his allegiance to Daenerys without telling her. And Littlefinger suspects that he wants to marry her. Well, he’s not wrong. They would be incredibly powerful together. He suggests that Jon could be unnamed King, and Sansa seems to consider it. But she says that Arya would probably try to kill her if she did that. Jon was always her favourite sibling. And she’s a Faceless Man now.

He then goes on to tell her that he plays a little game when trying to figure out someone. He assumes the worst of everyone. He tells her to apply that to Arya. The worst that she could do is murder Sansa and become Lady of Winterfell. There is no fucking way that Sansa was buying that. Arya has said countless times that she is not, nor does she ever want to be, a lady. But Sansa looks freaked out, and Littlefinger thinks he’s won. Oh boy, he has no idea whats coming. From that conversation it was obvious that Sansa was up to something.

Sansa asks for her sister to be bought to the Great Hall. Sansa and Bran sit at the table, while the other Lords watch as Arya is brought in. Littlefinger has a smirk on his face, This is exactly what he wanted. And just when I thought the Stark sisters were possibly going to destroy each other, Sansa said the greatest thing possible.

“You stand accused of murder. You stand accused of treason. How do you answer these charges... Lord Baelish.”

And she glances over at him. YES!!!! It was all their plan! The fighting, the pretending to be against each other. It was all a ploy. They wanted Littlefinger to think that his plan had worked. That he had turned them against each other! But the Stark's know what they’re doing. He is so fucking shocked! His face! Sansa accuses him of murdering their Aunt Lysa, and get getting their father murdered. He tries to deny it, saying they have no porrof. But nope, Bran sees everything. He saw what Littlefinger did. That's all the proof they need. So, I guess Bran told Sansa and Arya everything off screen and they came up with this plan?

Littlefinger then gets on his knees and begs Sansa. That is a sight I never thought I’d see. Petyr Baelish on his knees begging. Begging for his life. He speaks directly to Sansa, and says he loved her mother, and he loves her. But Sansa retorts and says he turned their mother and Lysa against each other, and tried to do the same thing to Sansa and Arya.

Then Arya comes and slashes his throat, with the Valyrian steel dagger. FUCK YES!!! Littlefinger is finally dead!! That scene was so satisfying!!! Yes!! I am so happy that Sansa came to her senses. It seemed like she was continually being manipulated by him and didn’t realise. But fuck yes! That Valyrian steel dagger is what started a whole lot of events back in S1. It was the dagger that almost killed Bran. It’s the reason that Catelyn captured Tyrion. And it was Littlefinger’s all along. What a poetic and satisfying end for his character. Littlefinger always used words to manipulate people, and even when his throat had been slit, he was still trying to talk his way out of fit.

The Arya/Sansa dynamic has been annoying me a bit the last few episodes, but this pay off was definitely worth it! I am so happy with the way they worked together to end Littlefinger.

Jon, Dany and co arrived back at Draonstone. I’m not that mad about the travel times, because Dragonstone is actually quite close to King’s Landing. It wouldn’t take too long to get back there. They discuss a strategy, and Dany agrees that it would be best for her to travel with Jon to Winterfell. Yeah, or she just wants to be close to Jon on a boat…

“You’re a Greyjoy, and you’re a Stark.”

We got a great scene between Jon and Theon. They grew up together. They both grew up as Stark’s, even though neither of them were. Ned was a father to both of them. And Theon betrayed them. It’s no secret that Jon doesn’t like him. But Theon basically bares his soul and apologises for all the things he’s done. He regrets so much. It pains me to see him like this. Yes, he’s done horrible things, but everybody makes mistakes. And he’s been through so much torture and so much pain. Jon forgives him for what he can, and tells him he will always be a Stark and a Greyjoy. His words give Theon the push he needs to go save his sister.

Those words could also be applied to Jon. Although he doesn’t know yet, he is both a Stark and a Targaryen.

Theon approaches the Greyjoy men, the ones who survived Euron’s attack, which isn’t many. He gives a speech, asking them to come help him save Yara. But they call him a coward for leaving her behind. They blame him for her getting captured. The main guy proceeds to beat him up. Theon isn’t very strong. After all the shit he’s been through, he’s become so weak. But he tries to fight back. Oh he tries. And then the guy kicks him between his legs, and he feels nothing. That was hilarious!! That's usually a mans weakness, but not for a eunuch. That gives him the upper hand and he beats the guy to death and rallies the rest of his men to go save his sister. Now it seems that Reek is completely dead, and Theon has been reborn. Finally!

Back in King’s Landing, Jaime has started calling their soldiers and sending them North. Cersei comes and accuses him of treason. Jaime is confused. She says he is stupid for believing she’d send their armies to fight for their enemies. I knew that her agreeing was too easy. But fuck this?? She’s not not even telling her brother these things now. Jaime knows that that’s the stupidest idea ever because they are betraying so many people. He is so fucking done with her. I can tell.

Oh, and she sent Euron to the Iron Bank. She's purchased the Golden Company, a huge army of sellswords. So Euron didn’t just run, he was in on Cersei’s plan.

Jaime does not agree with her at all. Cersei accuses him of treason again. Then she gives The Mountain the order to kill him. For a second I was so scared that Jaime was going to die. I legit thought he would. The finale hadn’t had much death yet and I legit thought Jaime was going to die.

“No one walks away from me.”

But Jaime doesn’t believe her. He calls her bluff and walks away. Cersei now has no one. Except for unborn child, who I’m guessing won’t ever be born. She’s just lost the last piece of family she had left.

Jaime rides away. He’s leaving King’s Landing. He’s leaving Cersei. He’s finally going to be free of her! I am so happy for him! He’s been wanting to get away from her for a while now, and I'm so happy he now finally is!

Then it starts snowing in King’s Landing. It never snows this far south, so this is huge. Winter has come. Daenerys’ vision in S2 is starting to come true.

Back in Winterfell, Sam shows up! He says he came to help Jon fight the White Walkers and army of the dead. But of course, Jon is still not back. And I’m guessing he still probably doesn’t know what happened to his father and brother. It’s going to be a bit awkward when he meets Daenerys, considering she burnt them alive.

He went to see Bran. He members when Sam let him through the Wall. Bran seemed a little more like himself in that scene. Maybe as he gets better control of his powers, he becomes more like his old self. He gives the speech about how he’s the Three Eyed Raven and Sam just nods and acts like he understands. Bran tells him that Jon is coming home soon, with Daenerys. And Sam asks, “Did you see that in a vision?” And Bran holds up a scroll. Lol.

Then Bran reveals to Sam that Jon’s parents are Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, and he was born in Dorne, meaning his name should be Jon Sand. And then Sam suddenly does remember what Gilly told him a few episodes ago. That prince ‘Ragger’ had his marriage annulled and married someone else in Dorne. Bran, who supposedly knows everything, had no idea. I guess that maybe he has all the information in his head, but he just can’t access it all at the same time. So he needs some sort of key words or something and can then conjure up a flashback maybe?

He sees a flashback of Rhaegar and Lyanna getting married. The first time we’ve seen Rhaegar (who legit looks exactly like Viserys) on the show. I actually had chills during this scene. It was so short, but so beautiful and so satisfying to actually get confirmation of all this. Bran pieces it all together. He remembers that Lyanna told Ned that Jon’s real name is Aegon Targaryen!! Aegon (eighth of his name I believe) is Jon’s real name!

“Robert’s Rebellion was built on a lie.”

Rhaegar didn’t kidnap or rape Lyanna, he loved her and she loved him. Lyanna’s supposed kidnapping is what started all the events that led up to Robert’s Rebellion. Jon was never a bastard. He is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. I was bawling my eyes out that this point. the Tower of Joy last season was so satisfying and this just added onto that. The truth its out there now. Jon just needs to know.

While Bran was piecing this all together, it flashed to the boat. Jon goes to Dany’s cabin, closes the door, and they have sex. Which was hot, don’t get me wrong. But Tyrion was listening, which was a little creepy. (And was Jorah on the boat too?? That’s a bit rude if he was. #friendzoned) And it was happening as Bran was narrating the truth about Jon. While he was telling us that they are definitely related, they were having sex, which was a bit of a turn off. But, Kit Harington’s butt right? And with all the talk about Dany not being able to get pregnant, I’m guessing that next season she will be pregnant with Jon’s baby.

“The lone wolf dies but the pack survives.”

Back at Winterfell Arya and Sansa have a nice chat, bonding over taking Littlefinger down. And they talk about their father. They were really getting along. Plus there was some sisterly teasing. That scene made me smile. I was worried that they really were turning against each other. But they’re on good terms now. That was a great way for them to end the season. Now we just need Jon to come back and reunite with Arya (which will be the most emotional reunion) and all the Stark’s will be back together!

Then the final scene of the season. Bran is warging into some ravens, as he does. We see Eastwatch. Tormund and Beric are there, and they see some White Walkers and army of the dead show up. And then along comes the Night King riding on an undead Viserion, and he breathes out blue fire (or ice-fire? not sure exactly how that works?). AND HE DESTROYS THE WALL!! Well, part of it. Eastwatch is basically destroyed. But, we didn’t see Tormund die, so I believe he’s still alive. He still needs to make babies with Brienne. He can’t die before he’s achieved that.

That ending was epic! I guessed it, because I knew that would be an incredible way to end penultimate season. The visuals, and just the scope of the ending scene were incredible. The last shot of the army of the dead heading south led by the Night King on a dragon was breathtaking and terrifying.

Amazing end to the season! Personally, I loved the whole season. Sure, it was very fast paced and the travelling times didn’t really make sense. But I’d prefer this than episodes of characters just travelling. And this is a fantasy show, of course it’s not going to be entirely realistic. So much happened on each episode, and it was overall an incredible season. I can’t believe there are only 6 episodes left, and we might have to wait 2 years to see it. I’m on such a high from this seson. So damn much happened, and honestly I probably need a year (or two) to process it all anyway. And I can always rewatch the show, and hope the next book comes out before then. This season has been a wild ride.

So, I have a few questions. Where was Gendry? He wasn't in King’s Landing, and we didn’t see him at Eastwatch. He only just came back so he better not be dead.

I wonder how Edd is going at Castle Black? Only the Wall at Eastwatch seemed to be destroyed, so hopefully Edd has everything under control at his end.

Where is Ghost? We haven’t seen him all season. I know it’s mainly because of budget reasons, but it still would have been nice to see him at least once. Or even get a mention of him. It seems that Jon just completely forgot about him.

Jon’s real name is Aegon, but Rhaegar had a son with Elia named Aegon. It seems a bit odd to have two sons with the same name. But, I guess Jon was born after Rhaegar, Elia and their kids were killed. So maybe Lyanna wanted to pass on the name?? I’m not sure. Or, I guess because Young Griff (fake Aegon Targaryen) in the books is not in the TV show they wanted to include the name somehow.

I’m still a bit conflicted about Jon and Dany’s relationship. They have undeniable chemistry, and that boat sex was hot. But I wish would see more of them getting closer. So far they’ve just been staring longingly at each other, and only talk about alliances and war. I want to see them actually talk and get to know each other. I think that’s why it’s lacking a bit for me. They have so much that they could talk about.

They are both actually quite similar. They both started with nothing, and look where they are now. Jon grew up as a bastard and is now the King in the North. Daenerys was sold off to the Dothraki by her brother, and now she has three dragons and a huge army. They both lost their first loves in tragic ways. Jon lost Ygritte, and hasn’t been with anyone else since. Dany lost Drogo, and hasn’t loved anyone else since. There was Daario, but we all know she never loved him. He was just a comfort for her. Someone who took a liking to her. I wish they would talk to each other about their first loves.

Jon didn’t want to open his heart to anyone after Ygritte died, but now he has allowed himself to fall in love again. That is huge for him. I know Jon is not one to talk about his feelings, but I wish he would feel comfortable enough to. And, Ygritte was kissed by fire because of her red hair, and Dany literally has fire within her.

Same with Dany. After Drogo, her sun and stars, died, she’s been reluctant to open her heart to anyone else. But now she has to Jon.

My point being, they’ve both only ever been in love once, and now the second time they truly fall in love is with each other.

Dany is definitely going to get pregnant. There have been so many hints that she will. The witch told her only death can pay for life. Now that one of her dragons has died, maybe she can have a baby. How are they going to act when they find out they’re related? It’ll be a bit awkward. I don’t think Dany will have much of a problem with it, considering she is a product of incest herself. But Jon might be a bit grossed out.

Some predictions for next season:

Now that the White Walkers and army of the dead can get through the Wall, they are first going to attack the north. With the way time has been going, they’re going to arrive at Winterfell fairly soon, I hope they’re ready to fight. They were training everyone right? Lyanna Mormont is going to be a hero I bet.

Theon is going to save Yara, and hopefully kill Euron.

Jon will ride Rhaegal.

Cleganebowl will happen. It’s got to happen right? They were just teasing us this episode.

Jaime will kill Cersei. Or, one of my favourite theories, Arya will kill Cersei wearing Jaime’s face. Either way, Cersei will die.

The Iron Throne will be destroyed, and there will no one on the throne. I think the show will end with a whole new democracy. Kings, Queens, succession, highborn, lowborn etc. None of that will matter. It will be a whole new and better world. That’s how I think the show will end.

This whole mess could have been prevented if Rhaegar and Lyanna just told people that they were in love. Robert’s Rebellion never would have happened if they'd just told everyone the truth. The war started because of Rhaegar and Lyanna. Jon, their son, and Daenerys, Rhaegar’s sister, are going to end it. Which will be poetic end.

What an episode and what a season! Now for the dreaded long hiatus.

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i-just-like-commenting · 7 years

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Game of Thrones 7.04 mini-review

Again, we’re doing this like my old watch-while-reading ones, but I’m adding a new category of “unsure,” which is basically me thinking this could go someplace good or it might go someplace bad. In general, my summary would be: I had a lot of problems with this episode, which admittedly are mostly the result of bad decisions in previous seasons rather than this episode itself, until the ending because that battle was really well done.

The Good

As I said, the battle is great, not just because it’s well choreographed but because NCW is still pretty much perfect. He is trying so hard to add depths to the fairly simplistic show!Jaime, depicting Jaime as miserable and barely willing to defend the idea that Cersei might make a good queen. And perhaps most significantly, I think they finally did something with his character, as those shots of him watching men burn alive - somebody remembered Jaime’s PTSD at long last, and boy howdy that trigger him. No wonder he charged so recklessly to try to kill Aerys’ daughter.

If I were writing the show, I would use this as the perfect opportunity for Jaime to break, to run away and let Cersei think he was dead and try to figure out what he wants with his life. Or maybe have Daenerys take him prisoner to use in negotiations with Cersei, and Cersei could turn on him, making him realize how much she’s just been using him. But if spoilers are true, that won’t happen and boo because this is the perfect chance.

Can I also just address a few complaints people have raised about the battle? For once this isn’t teleportation, as Tarly explicitly says they are near the Blackwater Rush, which is right by King’s Landing. With Daenerys controlling the bay (at least when Euron isn’t cheating by plot-magic) she could easily land her Dothraki a little further down the coast, kill any scouts or outriders, and launch a sneak attack the way she did. Would that the rest of the movement this season had made this much sense.

The Odd

The battle scene had its flaws, though. Does Tyrion understand Dothraki now? Did he pick it up on their voyage over? Or does he not understand what was said but can kind of guess my context? It was a strange choice to not have that be in English.

At Winterfell, Arya and Sansa talk about how everyone who knew Ned’s face is dead but...most of their lords were alive then and knew him. What happened was that WInterfell was controlled by people (the Boltons) who didn’t give a damn about Ned, and the line could easily have suggested that, maybe give Sansa an excuse to confide in Arya about what she went through.

Oh, and do the show writers think Littlefinger actually loved Catelyn, with that speech he gave to Bran? Or are we supposed to assume (correctly) that he’s full of it? LIttlefinger loved Cat when she was a teenager, which is why he so quickly moved on to creeping on her look-alike, underage daughter. Ultimately he only cares about himself and his selfish goals.

The Dumb

This is more of a personal thing, but when LIttlefinger says “"You've seen things most men wouldn't believe,” I went “Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.” That’s a really famous speech, don’t mimic it. (Also, if you’ve never seen Bladerunner, don’t click that link, it’s spoilerific)

So just a few episodes ago Jon declared that they need every single person, including young children of any gender, to train to fight against the white walkers. And then a girl shows up at Winterfell, and rather than immediately recruiting her, the guards turn her away??? Arya should have had trouble convincing people of her identity, but not getting them to let her in. This is the kind of sloppy contradictions the show has gotten really bad at lately.

But in terms of just...this is so stupid, you can’t beat Jon discovering the oh-so-convenient white walker pictures that were never hinted at before. I’m pretty sure that the Wall will be falling right as Daenerys arrives given the timeline of the book, so they’re trying to come up with something to be convincing to her, but this was rather lame.

Unsure

What are they doing with Sansa? She rightfully says that LIttlefinger can’t be trusted but...why is she keeping him around? What was the look she was giving Arya? Was she supposed to be upset that Arya is keeping things from her? Envious of Arya’s talent? Worried that her sister is turning as creepy as her brother?

Speaking of which, what is going on with Bran’s characterization? I really hope this is not something that will happen in the books, because roboBran is so awful. I mean, it’s nice that the show is acknowledging how horrible he is, but Bran in the books is such a sympathetic child who just wanted to be a knight, damn you Jaime, and is having to learn there are other ways to be a hero, if that way reduces him to a shell I will be so sad. Or maybe this is a phase he has to work through, until he has full control of his new powers? I hope so.

The Bad

In skipping seasons 4 and 5 I got to miss how much they butchered Brienne’s relationship with Podrick. And after a whole day spent reviewing policies on positive reinforcement as a research-based method of training, ugh she is teaching him so badly, no wonder he still sucks. And the fact that she objects to “my lady,” when in the books she objects to “ser” is symptomatic of them turning her into a full-on tomboy who hates being referred to in a feminine way - as opposed to valuing knighthood enough to not want to lay claim to it falsely.

And then there’s the fact that no, she’s not being too hard on herself, she really did do next to nothing to fulfill her vow. That would be okay if it was something she had to grapple with, as she does in the books, but here Podrick just pats her on the back and we forget about it?

But none of that is as a big a problem within the show itself, as opposed to the show as adaptation, as Dany and Jon’s complete lack of chemistry. Davos claims to have seen Jon staring at Dany lustfully but, uh, was that scene cut? If they were just trying to build a Jonerys marriage as an alliance between two strong personalities, I would buy that, but outside the show actors and writers are claiming it’s meant to be romantic. They have a few episodes left, I suppose, but so far I don’t buy it, at all. I’m far from a Jonsa shipper, but they’re not wrong that thus far in the season he seems way more concerned about his sister than the woman who’s supposedly going to be his love interest. And you really need to build a relationship between them to get more people over the squick of Jon being her nephew.

#game of thrones #spoilers #some negativity

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theowlsarenotwhattheyremembers · 7 years

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Episode 6: Beyond the Wall

Well that was depressing. Game of Thrones has been building its lush crenellated plots-and-characters-and-places edifice towards a zenith for so many seasons and books and decades, but, now it’s wandering off the battlements and in the freefall of internet-pleasing fanfic: #stillrunning #dontcallmedany #thinkofthechildren #jonaerys

Anyway I am too moist for analysis so see the LARB’s recaps for all the insight you’ll need, I’m just going to gush right Scene One: looks cold there m’boys, nice glacier, cute wildlings you’ve got there, or are they dothraki in wildling coats?

Doesn’t really matter, they’re just there to leap into frame just in time to catch the enemy’s death blow that for a second there we thought might get a named character. Now this is completely fine because look there’s an explanation all these guys have been saved from death, in five cases by or in circs relating to the Lord of Light, so what you have to understand here is that it’s only unnamed, winter-hat-wearing nobodies who get killed because they don’t have magic backup to save them from death, that’s why all that okay. So that’s fine but why are they up there sshh

Oh the Big Woman + Tormund haha, look we appreciate that unwomanly women can be attractive too, ahaha, #wokeGoT #butch4butch cuuute

ZOMBIE ICE BEAR haha wow holy fuck why did you say you were up here again sshh

Oh yeah before that Scene Two: Arya is a misogynist now. See this is how it works: individual women can break away from the patriarchy by e.g. attending assassin college and becoming face-stealing badass stonecold killers, but, then when they meet up with their sister fresh out of a rape-n-domestic-abuse shaped character arc, busy building relationships and getting grain stores together and socially reproducing the north / the first line of defence against the armies of death, they don’t necessarily have anything invested in the sisterhood any more, because they pursued their dreams by embracing masculinity, which is totally cool if that’s your jam you do you, but, just because you’re not like all the other girls doesn’t mean you get to be a misogynist towards them. “I’m just like a boy and even got dad’s approval for being a boy and got to be a boy by being better at being a boy than all the boys, which was really hard and involved surviving lots of abuse and trauma, but I survived and overcame because I’m a boy, whereas you just sit around looking pretty, you fucking little slut,” explains Arya, and instead of saying, “shut the fuck up you sexist idiot and recognise that I’ve had my own fucking character arc too and it took me from being fanunfave unwoke stupid femme to being #queeninthenorth #sansasnark, and as Sarah in LARB explains, wielding feminine power of the kind both you and the showrunners fail to really understand / deal with, because you think you’re feminists but you can’t any of you imagine what feminine power looks like without recoiling and calling us, me Cersei and Cousin D, mad power-crazed bitches who need Jon, Jaime or Tyrion to wind us back” - instead of saying that, Sansa kind of shrugs and looks scared, while Littlefinger, of whom these zany girlies are his jerking marionettes, looks on.

Scene Three: herooooes zomg bear, &c, also Beric faithsplains Jon’s already existing Protector of The Realms of Men and Their Brimming Knickers values to him/us. D’awww <3

Scene Four: Oh but yeah before the bear Daenerys is like heroes are stupid, let’s not be heroes, let’s be cool and Tyrion is like great perfect well let’s get drafting the new Broken Wheel westerosi democracy constitution and Daenerys is like DON’T WAKE THE DRAGON IN MY BRIMMING KNICKERS BITCH, IT’S NO PHALLUS BUT IT DOES SPIT FIRE, and Tyrion is like sigh is it that time of the month.

Scene Five: ZOMG BEAR

Scene Six: Littlefinger: “Brienne is here to protect you and Arya turn to her for advice sweet Sansa about how to manage this unfortunate turn of events re your violent compassionless shell of a sister you always hated”, Sansa: “hmm yes Brienne Arya’s only friend sworn to protect her yes interesting thanks L my mistrust in you is forgotten”

Scene Seven: lol our drunk heroes #justthedrunkest cool the Lord of Light has arranged for there to be just the right mini group of wights and White Walker for us to learn about the kill-the-one-who-turned-them thing, but he didn’t turn the one for our bag, great great great, #mission #accomplished #bagitandlegit, but wait, there’s more plot to be done! The Lord of Light directs the band of heroes to a rock in an ice lake for them to hide out from a bit of the army of the dead on (the bit sans the giants, mammoths, Thenns, other beastlies from beyond the wall etc) and scowl at the Night King and come up with a cute #forkintheroad of the otherwise ramrod straight and true hurtling plot javelin we’re all riding atop nowadays: what if Beric and Jon, because they’re both immortal but don’t want to be, ran over to the Night King for a heroic Lord of Light sponsored Last Stand and took him (kill him and you kill all of them!!!!!) down with them!!! No but we’ve got one episode and one season left to go. Don’t worry though Gendry, the raven and Daenerys will only be 3 shakes of a lamb’s tail, and heroes don’t die of exposure, cept the least important one.

Scene Eight: Bye Brienne, girls don’t get to have friends ;D. But don’t worry babe you can totally advance Jaime’s choozy the floozy character arc while you’re down there, because what else are we bitches here for lol

Scene Nine: Daenerys seriously you’ll feel better tomorrow when your pmt breaks!! Hormones can make you so emosh that you’re willing to sacrifice potentially your own life and that of all 3 dragons to rescue your crush from the death errand I told you to send him on!! Don’t worry Tyrion, u know we’re v unlikely to die in the penultimate episode of the penultimate season ;D

Also (and this is a legitimate point): Do you think I got this fit-and-flare white power (oops) fur coat made for nothing

Scene Ten:

Well I guess in a way this wasn’t TOTALLY one for the fans because we’ve all been screaming BBQ THE DEAD at our laptops since S01E10, and turns out that is only a limitedly efficacious / actually counterproductive plan bcs of zombie ice dragon possibilities. DON’T WORRY THOUGH GUYS if Jon Snow can survive being actually dead he can totally survive drowning in icy waters while being attacked by zombies and then climbing out of an ice pool in a blizzard!! How likely is it really that the Night King riding over the Wall on an ice dragon is going to freeze the world to death given the good grace of R'Hllor?

Right this bit with Benjen: what happened was Bran the Three-Eyed raven summoned him, like he also did last season. Everything that happened beyond the wall totally had a plottight explanation, apart from the issue of why any of it happened in the first place, beyond plot advancement, which is only resolvable by our indomitable wills as undying fans #therealarmyofthedead

Did you think that Jon’s jerky zomboid motion when he clambered freezing out from under the ice meant he was a wight now too?? Me either haha

Scene Eleven: Sansa gets an inkling of just how strong Arya’s death magic is, but because both girls are being juggled between the triple hands of trauma, Littlefinger, and internalised misogyny, the Queen in the North receives this only as a bloodchilling threat, which is also is from Arya’s perspective too.

Scene Twelve: Jon, naked, calls Daenerys Dany (blunder) and My Queen (winner), they unite against the Night King and not this time but v soon doubtlessly, with their genitals. All this transpires very aptly aboard a ship.

Scene Thirteen: Teams of wights drag up from beneath the ice the real reason why Jon and Jorah needed to go up beyond the wall in the first place: the Night King’s new dragon. Zoinks!

#gotcap

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ladyandtheghost · 6 years

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Reason #21: The (Miniature) Dragon and the (Miniature) Wolf: How Jon and Sansa are “playing the Game of Thrones” together – A tale of Two Conversations.

I don’t know how much has been written about this parallel already (and I’d be super interested in reading some of it) – reading the script of 7x07 it just got to me how small, seemingly insignificant details turn out to actually be part of the script, e.g. a miniature dragon bone and a miniature wolf figurine, two tiny details that are important enough to be included in pivotal scenes of 7x07 because they symbolize SO much about these two “couples.”

Jon, the Little Lion Dragon Man:

“Jon is pondering, looking at the detritus on the ground, when Dany approaches. He has a small dragon jawbone in his hands. JON: No one is less happy about this than I am.”

--- Game of Thrones, Scripts 7x07, The Dragon and the Wolf.

I’ve seen comments by Jon*erys shippers about this scene focusing on the tiny dragon skull - like it’s a symbol of J/D belonging together. One compared the jaw bone to the crown because Jon hands it to Dani which they interpret as Jon giving Dani the crown. Now, I DO have a different interpretation (see below) but I will not laugh at theirs, because in fairness, they have very little and very unfavourable material to work with so who am I to judge – and I do appreciate it when the other ship actually tries to analyse and focuses on their own content instead of obsessing about ours.

Fun fact is that Jon *actually* gave Sansa his kingdom, not symbolically but in reality (!) and very publicly.

This scene is further interpreted by their fans as Jon and Dani “bonding” over “their family” and of course they flail over Jon telling Dani that she is “not like everyone else” when she complains that the dragons grew small and so did the Targaryens, becoming ordinary like “everyone else.” Um, yes, because Jon cares so deeply about Dani that he must alleviate her insecurities that she might be “ordinary” and nothing “special.”

The ‘Talker’ and the ‘Listener’ – or, how to win f(r)iends and influence people:

However, it is very much a scene in which Dani T does open up to Jon. She opens up about her family history, she opens up about her inability to have children, she opens up about her dead husband, she even speaks Valyrian to him at one point (making herself *extra* special). Mostly she opens up about her two biggest worries and fears:

1. To be nothing special and ordinary, “like everyone else”

2. That Cersei takes back half of Westeros while she helps Jon

And what does Jon do? Does he open up to her? Well…no:

Jon listens. Jon is polite. Jon smiles at all the right moments. Jon flatters her. Jon tells her that maybe she should seek a second opinion about her infertility. Jon is understanding and sweet. He speaks when it seems appropriate, but mostly he listens. He lets her do most of the talking. Because Jon has done enough talking, Jon has had his share of futile “talks” with (or rather at) her: first meeting at Dragonstone and then later in the cave, Jon has tried to convince her with words. Again and again.

And I think it’s clear from here on out that Jon has changed tack dramatically: instead of appealing to her “good heart” with words, instead of trying to convince her of the plight of his people and why she needs to help asap, Jon suddenly shows understanding and support for the priority of “Mission: Win-back-the-throne.”

Instead of presenting her with words and arguments to come and help him….

---> Jon presents her with…well…“himself.”

He makes speeches to Cersei and all others about how he is all for Dani now but really for whose sake does he do this? How will it help his cause to piss off Cersei? Jon just made a spectacle - and to people like Jaime who afterwards called him “Sansa’s dolt brother” a “northern fool” - of himself by confessing that he pledged himself and the North to Dani when there was zero need for it – except, as Jon claims, to alleviate his poor soul because he *simply can’t* be dishonorable and it is simply *too much to ask* him to lie to dear Cersei Lannister, even if it *would* save the North, save his people, save Sansa, Arya and Bran (whom he had just got back)…

Jon’s conscience is clear and his vest is snow white and his soul is unburdened by the awful idea of having to tell a *gasp* LIE!

But did this help matters? No, it possibly slowed them down.

Can the North afford a slowing down? No.

Is Jon an idiot? Again – No.

At this point, there is only one logical explanation for every word and every action of Jon’s after he was saved by Benjen Stark:

Jon is EMULATING Sansa who plays the “long game” with Littlefinger. In fact, we can see how Jon is “playing the Game of Thrones” in the South at the exact same time that Sansa is “playing the Game of Thrones” in the North --- they are operating simultaneously on different battle grounds (without necessarily knowing what the other one is doing, but they still fight the same fight – to save their family and to save the North)

Jon is MIRRORING Sansa - the (Mini) Dragon and the (Mini) Wolf are visual c(l)ues:

There are actually clues given to viewers of this episode to help them “read” and understand Jon’s actions: a very small, one might say “miniature” clue.

Funny how In the very same episode that Jon “sides” with Dani and hands her the miniature dragon jaw bone, THIS (final!) conversation between Littlefinger and Sansa takes place and starts out almost identically:

“Littlefinger moves about the room, examining an ancient First Men carving of a wolf.

LITTLEFINGER: I’ve heard gossip that the Dragon Queen is quite beautiful.”

--- Game of Thrones Scripts 7x07, The Dragon and the Wolf.

(And before antis jump on this post and scream: “omg she compares Jon to Littlefinger! Jonsas hate Jon!!!111” Nope! Sit down. I am not.)

Because Jon is not emulating Littlefinger, Jon is emulating Sansa!

People who condemn “Political!Jon” because it means Jon has become a manipulator like Littlefinger don’t get the point at all:

“Political!Jon” means Jon has become like Sansa by finally listening to her and being smarter than Ned and smarter than Robb – he is not out to purposefully hurt anyone, he is simply “playing the game” to save his family and his people!

So what is the viewer supposed to glean from this visual cue of the “mini dragon” and then the “mini wolf” in two scenes of the same episode that both feature a (potential romantic) pairing, or at the very least a male and female character who are ostensibly “in cahoots” together (leaving us to wonder who is *actually* “in cahoots”)?

What “connects” these two scenes as well is that Littlefinger and Sansa actually talk *about* the “other couple”, as he brings up Jon potentially marrying Dani.

So while he does this, Littlefinger also “fingers” (ew!) a small carving of a wolf (just like Jon and Dany touched the ancient skull of the mini dragon), a gesture that reflects what he is doing intellectually at that moment: prodding Sansa and verbally touching her about the subject of Jon --- yes, in a romantic context!

As such, it is also a parallel scene to the “Crypt Scene” with Jon:

Both times, Littlefinger is talking *about* Jon/Sansa in a romantic context *to* Jon/Sansa, implying that Jon/Sansa might get married to someone else, which triggers them big time, the result of which is Littlefinger gets nearly choked to death by Jon and *actually* silently condemned to death by Sansa.

(Of course Sansa did not have Littlefinger killed solely on account of his suggesting Jon might marry Dany, but it was part of his whole “game” to get Sansa to throw over Jon – something that DID trigger Sansa into getting rid of him for good.)

If anything, the fact that the whole “Jon x Dani” argument was brought up by Littlefinger in his *last ever* private conversation with Sansa when it was really about killing Arya and overthrowing Jon is very odd – similarly we might wonder why the *one and only* private conversation Littlefinger had with Jon had to be about “Sansa x Littlefinger,” i.e. Sansa in a romantic context.

The writers must have some idea at least of what the actual point is of bringing up romance/love/sex in these two pivotal scenes between Littlefinger and either Jon/Sansa: e.g. the viewer, together with Littlefinger, finds out that neither Jon/Sansa reacts *well* to the idea that their brother/sister might get romantically involved with someone (else)…marking this as crucial information for some reason...

“Little Wolf” Sansa plays a “Little Game”:

In the scene we see Littlefinger is all up in Sansa’s ear, going on and on about how Jon is with Dani, how this will not sit well with the North, how she would have been the better queen, how Arya is going to kill her, etc. Again, he is the one doing ALL the talking, just like Dani did with Jon. And like Jon, Sansa is only prompting him from time to time, to go on and “open up” about his plans --- literally playing the “little game” Littlefinger taught her – she is “listening” closely to see how far he will go, trying to find out his “motives” and plans and aspirations.

The point is, like Dani, Littlefinger felt safe with her (notably also after Bran scared the shit out of him with “Chaos is a ladder”), he felt “heard” and he felt oh-so-confident that Sansa would be on his “side” in his attempt to overthrow Jon and ultimately win the crown/Iron Throne.

Ahem. Just like Dani felt thrilled and confident that Jon seemed to understand her and support her and okay, they might “be fucked” but hey, at least Jon Snow thinks she’s awesome and simply *felt like* subjugating his entire kingdom to her in front of everyone because he’s on her “side” and wants everyone to know!

Like Dani with Jon, Littlefinger flattered himself that he has Sansa’s full trust and support, he is convinced that he’d succeeded in grooming this teenage girl to the point where she would to anything for he deems necessary, even kill her sister and betray her brother.

Because Sansa *made* him think that. She may have snarked at him, but she kept him close, very close at all times (literally: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer!)

In 6.10 when Littlefinger comes forth with his plans to sit on the IT and marry her for the first time, Sansa’s reaction is to push him away, but at the same time say “it’s a pretty picture” – not because she *actually* wants this, but because she knows he wants to “hear” this. She does not want to kiss or touch him, but she wants to keep him “close”, to have a close eye on him, to control and, yes, to make use of him if necessary (just like she did with the Knights of the Vale).

If Littlefinger were a nice and *good* character, we might think badly of Sansa for doing this, for obviously “playing” this guy, for using him and making him think she is actually interested in a future with him.

Alas, he is not: he is a power hungry, dangerous traitor, schemer and murderer. Sansa does nothing to him that he had not done to others and worse. She literally switches the table and gives him a dose of his own medicine (cue her quoting his own “play a little game” monologue at his trial). Sansa merely played the “Game of Thrones” with him and we see this in the “mini wolf” scene.

Of course Littlefinger and Dani are quite different characters and we have much more sympathy with her than we do with him. However, this would not be GoT if only “bad” characters get deceived and “played,” quite the contrary, as the Starks know to their cost…

The ironic TWIST of both these scenes is that Littlefinger and Dani (both desirous of the IT) have *seemingly* achieved what they wanted --- when in truth, Jon and Sansa are the ones succeeding:

Both Littlefinger and Dani open up about what they *want* in these two scenes, in fact they are both very vocal about it:

1. they want POWER, 2. they want the IRON THRONE, 3. AND they want JON/SANSA on/by their side when they get it. 4. Bonus: they BOTH have a more or less obvious SEXUAL DESIRE (in Dani’s case it’s less creepy and more romantic love though) for Jon/Sansa that is heavily implied in looks, words and attitudes.

The CRUX is that both Jon and Sansa are *fully* aware of all this^^ at this point.

Sansa KNOWS that Littlefinger wants the Iron Throne and she’s known that he wants her sexually since Season 4.

Jon has heard nothing but speeches from Dani about how she is entitled to the Iron Throne and vows that she will get it one way or another, and after the “cave scene” you can bet Jon’s sweet bottom that he KNOWS full well that Dani is extremely attracted to him and that he is a “favourite” of hers.

Sansa appears to “listen” to Littlefinger and accept his arguments that Arya is dangerous and Jon is about to get it on with the Dragon Queen

Jon appears to “listen” to Dani and accepts her right to rule over him as queen. What is more, Jon also appears to be sympathetic to Dani’s worries that she might not get to be queen because of *his* pesky problems with the Night King.

Now, did Sansa ACTUALLY listen to Littlefinger or accept his arguments and act according to his wishes?

PRE-cisely!

Meanwhile, Jon gives the little, ‘undeveloped’ dragon bone to Dani and it is *symbolic* AF:

If Jon*erys shippers interpret this gesture as Jon “giving the crown” to Dani they are really only *half* wrong --- Jon is literally giving “himself” over to Dani: we know Jon IS a dragon through Rhaegar, at least a small part of him is, like the small part of the dragon skeleton he is handing to his aunt – even if he doesn’t know it yet.

Jon literally just pledged himself to her in front of everyone. In doing so he is giving her exactly what he *knows* she desires the (second) most --- HIMSELF.

People who argue: there was no need for this! She already agreed to help him. This makes no sense etc. NOPE: Jon can SEE very clearly and HEAR very soundly that this woman is NOT to be trusted, that she is VOLATILE and FICKLE in her actions and that at this point Dani is still more interested in the Iron Throne than in anything else…I mean, she just keeps SAYING IT:

Jon *seemingly* just gave himself over to her (verbally in front of everyone; and in a tiny symbolical visual cue for viewers by handing her the miniature dragon piece) --- he caters to her whims and actually goes on satisfying her every “desire” (cue: boat bang) in hopes that her No.1 priority becomes “Mission: Save-the-North.”

Not in the least because Jon also KNOWS full well that Cersei was talking bullshit (*flashback to Sansa telling him not to underestimate Cersei*) and that the moment Dani does turn her back on her, she WILL indeed take back half the Kingdom. And when she does, Jon must make sure that Dani’s focus STAYS firmly on the North and the NK!

“Slow learners”, but they learn: Jon and Sansa learn to put THOUGHT before EMOTION, or, how to play the Game of Thrones:

Jon*erys like to think that Jon’s actions in the dragon pit were actually driven by his strong emotions for Dani – and Dani herself appeals to his emotions repeatedly when justifying her cause and actions.

It is interesting to note that Sansa and Jon are the characters who always got the most ridicule for being too “EMO” – there are literal memes about Emo-Jon Snow and Sansa got hate for being a “whiny” overly emotional crybaby for seven seasons straight.

So the question is: did Jon act purely on emotions when he declared himself as pledged to Dani in the dragon pit, or did he actually “think” before he spoke, i.e. is there a “method” to his madness?

Throughout S7 we have only seen Jon lose his shit twice and becoming emotional rather than rational. One time with Theon (“What you did for *her*…”) and one time with Littlefinger in the crypts:

And Littlefinger was waiting for it, he was pushing for an emotional reaction from Jon (even if he did not expect an explosion of such magnitude and was surprised and shaken by it) because this is how you get to people’s WEAKNESS. Smart people are strong people, whereas emotional people are vulnerable and can be defeated. He goes “I love Sansa…” and Jon gets so carried away with rage he choke slams the guy into a wall – no thought for consequences (that he just told LF his biggest weakness) just pure emotional Rage!Kitten Jon in all his glory!

Conceal, don’t feel:

Meanwhile, Sansa listens to Littlefinger’s overtures the entire season and calmly tells him to stfu when he gets too much on her nerves. Where Jon flew off the handle at the mere mention of Littlefinger getting with Sansa – you can only see a mild reaction in Sansa when Littlefinger suggests the Jon x Dani pairing – and that small controlled reaction tells us that there plenty of emotion left in Sansa, in particular with regard to Jon (and Dani), only she conceals it much better than Jon did in the crypts:

Sansa was three steps ahead of Littlefinger, making him belief she listened and was open to his words, pretended to act according to his wishes --- she already knew how to play the Game of Thrones, whereas Jon still had to “learn” to control his emotions and play it – as he did in the dragon pit.

One last thing: I do think, however, that

Sansa’s carefully concealed feelings will burst out at some point and Sophie already teased this when she said that Season 8 will be more of a “passionate” fight for Sansa rather than a “political” one.

Jon and Sansa have both succeeded in playing the game in S7, they got the results they wanted and are now on top of it.

This does not mean that there will be no situations in Season 8 that will make them get dramatically emotional and irrational, and this may well be in relation to one another: Jealousy, fear, protectiveness, unresolved sexual tension and hidden romantic feelings, we shall see…(and I can’t wait!)

And playing the “Game” or not, Jonsa are still the two “emo” dorks of the show, in other words, they are made for each other ;)

#jonsa #jon x sansa #reasons #meta #season 8 speculation

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