Y’ALL READY FOR THIS? (Because I’m not.)
Friends, can I be honest with you? I was reluctant to recap Game of Thrones this season. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with tallying the nudity on one of the most beloved and hyped shows currently on television and frankly, I’ve been worried about whether or not I’m up to the task. The freedom to make my own mistakes is all I ever wanted—I think I heard that somewhere—and this is not a safe place to make mistakes. In the game of Game of Thrones recapping, you win or you have a million nerds telling you what you did wrong. Am I strong enough to do that again? Am I good enough to do that again? The answer, of course, is yes. But like the characters on Game of Thrones, I’ve been fighting my destiny.
But no more. Here we are, Sisters of the Spitewatch. It’s time to talk GoT and count some naked bodies.
“The Wars to Come”— the season five premiere—was overwhelmingly about characters reforming their identities. Some are making the transition easily (Cersei’s cousin/former lover Lansel has joined the Hare Krishna and seems very happy), others are forcing the change (Brienne of Tarth, who’s never wanted anything except to serve a noble lord, is angrily giving up—or trying to give up—her dream), some are facing it with reluctance (neither Tyrion nor Dany—whose storylines may soon converge—are prepared or fully willing to take on positions as leaders) and then there are those who refuse their new roles entirely.
Too bad that in this world, refusing to change is a shortcut to a painful and humiliating death, as Mance Rayder—the King Beyond the Wall—was quick to find out after refusing to swear allegiance and fight for Stannis Baratheon. Honor and strong principles are great and all, but the longer Game of Thrones goes on, the more outdated and impractical they seem as concepts. “The freedom to make my own mistakes is all I ever wanted,” Mance says (oh, right—he said that) as he sentences himself to death by fire—or so he thinks. Jon Snow, in an act of mercy, takes him out with an arrow before he can fully burn.