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Narrative study of Game of Thrones – Season 2 Episode 8
Theon watches the freshly killed crows. Knights arrive. It is his half-sister Yara Greyjoy. They argue. Yara does not respect Theon and mocks him as a conqueror. She wants him to come back home – and recommands him not to die at Winterfell.
3rd and last episode opening on Theon.
Jon Snow is prisoner. The chief of the wildlings wants to kill him, but Ygritte protects him by revealing he has value as a bastard of the Starks – and thus could be exchanged against money. Jon discusses with another Night’s Watch prisoner, who tells that the other guards were killed in the assault. Jon feels guilty.
Parallelism: Jon saved Ygritte’s and made her prisoner, she made him prisoner and saves his life.
Robb Stark and Talisa walk in forest. Someone informs Robb that Jaime has run away during the night. Robb discusses with his mother Catelyn – who captured Jaime to exchange him against her daughters. Robb treats his mother as an enemy and has her guarded.
Internal conflict between Heroes.
Jaime prisoner is led by Brienne. They walk in forest then take a boat. He tries to challenge her but she does not fall in the trap.
Jaime’s systematical challenging attitude starts to be really annoying. Scriptwriting abuse! The character becomes too simplistic, always reacting the same, like a robot.
Council of Tywin Lannister. They evaluate the situation. He will attack within minutes. Arya will have to stay at King’s Landing. Outside, a man agresses Arya, but she gets away without problem. She searches for Jaqen because she wants to have him assassinate Tywin.
Jon Snow walks, prisoner of the wildlings. His companion prisoner hits him, Ygritte watches them out.
Tyrion tells Bronn off because he does not hold his functions as Commander of the guard a right way. Lord Varys signals a sudden fall of city crime. Why? Because Bronn decided to have all known thieves arrested to stop them from looting the city. Then they evoke their defense plan against Stannis’ fleet: few men, but… much pork shit.
It feeds the suspense about the imminent attack of Stannis.
Samwell and his companions of the guard are discussing.
A guard pushes Arya. The knight Jaqen appears. He wants a last name of someone to eliminate. Arya wants to kill Tywin, but Jaqen refuses. Then she names him: Jaqen. He does not want to die. She then asks him to help her to escape. He accepts and announces they will cross through the gate at midnight.
Smarter than her Helper, Arya behaves as a trickster – archetype of the tricky character playing games at his/her advantage.
Tyrion and Cersei debate. She reproaches him for having taken an hostage – his daughter Myrcella sister of Joffrey – and having threatened her son. So she also took an hostage, Shae. Tyrion tries to make her believe that he does not care about Shae. But the Queen knows he loves her. Tyrion looks very worried. Cersei makes “this whore” enter: but this is not Shae, this is Russ. Tyrion does as if it was Shae. He pretends threatening Cersei, who chases him.
Tyrion – a trickster like Arya – shows smarter than his opponent.
Tyrion goes to warn Shae. They declare their reciprocal love.
Robb worries because he has no news from the crows he sent to Winterfell. Robb declares his hatred towards Theon Greyjoy, he wants to kill him. Talisa visits Robb. Everything goes the wrong way for him. Talisa makes him think by telling him a memory. A slave saved her brother’s life. She took position against slavery. He says that he does not want to marry the daughter of Walder Frey and kisses Talisa passionately; they get naked.
This love story reaches its Act III – the climax is close… From now on, they will be a couple, generating no love plot.
Note: it is the 2nd time that a character takes position against slavery. The 1st occurrence was Daenerys when she decided to free the dothraki slaves. Of course, all of that sounds very politically-correct, 150 years after the abolition of slavery in the USA, centuries after the looting of Africa by Europe (and by the muslim world, too…)
Arya, the blacksmith, and the fat boy, are waiting for Jaqen. Arya notices that the guards are dead, their bodies planted on pikes. Arya and his companions can quietly pass the gloomy gate…
A scene that mixes mystery – how did Jaqen do? – and horror, thus playing on very medieval registers.
Stannis and his fleet are ready to attack. Stannis tells Davos about the war during which, starving, they had to eat all sorts of animals, before Davos the smuggler arrived and supplied food. Stannis wants Davos to be his Hand when himself will be King.
The tension in this plot steps up a notch. The Hero officializes his alliance and clearly expresses his goal.
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Next analysis: Game of thrones, season 2, episode 10
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