#the juxtaposition between the maesters questioning who would fight for her now being a woman wed with her body aged and thicken by six

[halfyearsqueen]

RHAENYRA + PROGRESS IN 112.

one of the most interesting and important aspects of fire and blood to me is the fact that when daemon takes harrenhal, the smallfolk are the ones who rise up first. the ‘ knights and men at arms and humble peasants who yet remembered the realm’s delight ‘ hundreds and then thousands headed to harrenhal before their great lords declared. who then also threw in their lots with rhaenyra. this also implies some pretty interesting things about the context of her tour in 112, beyond the men that paid court to her during. that she had at least some level of contact with the smallfolk of the riverlands, enough that she developed a positive enough report with them that they were willing to fight and die for her 17 years later from the impression that she made during. in the book there is no official reason for hers in particular ( in the show it is directly to find a suitor ) for my portrayal in particular i do take it as viserys sending rhaenyra to help her be more visible to the smallfolk and his leal lords on a larger scale and something of which of the royal family she was in fact the only representative – it was also a deescalation of the tension post the tourney of 111AC inside the walls of the red keep, and a way for her to gain more ??? experience outside the walls of the red keep. a way for great lords and landed knights to question her on the fallout of it in person and the subsequent formations of the greens and the blacks, and actually actively see the king’s chosen heir.

she also is ? of the same belief as aegon the conqueror that the best way to stomp out rebellion and discord is for the people to be able to speak to their king / queen, and bring their issues to them in person. she is also ? wholly cognizant of who’s crown she is in fact inheriting and the nuances of that decision and the potential ramifications and questions that will no doubt come with that. she’s aware she’s inheriting the crown of the conciliator, the man who ‘ made the seven kingdoms one ‘ who knew when to be lenient and pardon dissenters and when to stand firm but she’s also inheriting the crown of her father who only got that crown in the first place because rhaenys was passed over for it due to her sex. her want for peace is multifaceted - she’s trying to calm things down and level the waters so her potential ascension isn’t as big of a thing as it is and as big of a fright for the men around her and there isn’t a sense of their own power being at risk, for the transition of power to be as seamless as it would be if she were a man. and during the tour in 112AC, i think she definitely did a lot of work with the great lords and all the houses she visited, to alleviate that fear of change coming that had in fact begun to build upon the official formation of the political factions in the red keep.

during this tour, many sons of those same lords paid court to her. this wasn’t the worst thing—and for the most part it was ? it was easy, it was an easy social exchange and she had always adored the notion of courtly love and that sort of gallant chivalry and for the romantic in her, it was enjoyable at times. and the implication whenever viserys told her of her betrothal to laenor is during this time she also met at least one match that she was serious about marrying which led to their argument shortly thereafter ( more then likely harwin strong, given he either returned to court after he was said to have paid ? court to her or traveled to do so ) of them, the only ones that were really off putting for her as being potential matches were the lannister twins - purely because of the fact they were blood to each other. and both were in fact competing for her attentions and she didn’t ? want to cause discord in their family as well, DIDNT want to have a hand in throwing a wrench in their familial unit by choosing either of them - in causing strife due to their ambitions to be her king consort.

there were feasts, balls and tourneys thrown in her honor, and she was gone for the better part of that year between late January of 112 to mid December. she traveled with her retinue of ladies, retainers and knights, and her septa, lynesse. formerly of house hightower. a daughter of a distant relative of queen alicent. appointed to the position the year prior post the onset of the rumors about her purity being compromised. as well as ser criston cole and ser steffon darklyn. her duties consisted of practicing the art of diplomacy and progress reports among the great houses and gathering them up and taking them back to KL and she ? ventured outward into the more populated areas and villages to hold sort of an impromptu court of which she was at its head - wholly separate from the court paid to her by the nobility which was held within the visiting halls of the castles she stayed in while she traveled. she would spend a good fraction of her time everywhere she went doing so, because she wanted to get a sense of the state of the realm overall and what it was that she was coming into upon her ascension and where she would need to direct her efforts towards first and what she might place before the king. she was a visible presence in their lives, at that time. as she was at court, which led her to gaining a support system in the first place—she smiled and charmed them and won their support at 15 well enough that it lasted 17 years, and I can’t ? honestly imagine that was merely from one instance of seeing her and speaking to her.

it was very enjoyable and very ? insightful for her for a lot of reasons but mostly it allowed her to stretch her political legs in the sense of being able to be seen and to engage with her people without the greens looming over her, and actually being able to be judged fairly for her actions and demeanor without feelings like she was up against such an unyielding force of opposition. it was also very eye opening in the sense that it showed her that outside of the walls of the red keep, things aren’t so hopeless for her and her position. people want her to be queen regardless of what they may or may not have heard come from court. and for a girl who was so isolated for the majority of her adolescence and coming into her adulthood it was the push, the encouragement that she needed to remind herself she was on a path that could be achieved and was supported by people who’s ascent on the matter mattered, and who would not gain any advancement by doing so. the opposition she was facing back at court became less of an impassible road block, an impossible mountain to climb and more of an extraordinarily difficult one. which she was willing to do.

[enchantmentb]

Review GoT S07E07

Warning, this is a looong ass rant. Only writing this to somehow get my growing frustration with the show off my chest.

What I actually liked:

The music. Ramin Djawadi is a genius. Honestly, it’s like he’s writing the score for a different show by this point. Truth is beautiful, it elevated the D@ny/Jon/Rhaegar/Lyanna scene to so much more than it actually was.

The scenography. The way the camera glided over King’s Landing (great CGI lol) in the beginning was stunning and the falling of the wall at the end impressive. The image of snow starting to fall over KL at the end was beautifully done. You can say a lot about D&D but they do know how to do their visuals. (So where was Ghost? Nevermind.)

Jon Snow being allowed to actually be Jon Snow for a moment with the line: “Why would anyone want to live that way?” about living in King’s Landing - as the true Northman’s he’s supposed to be. (Newsflash: you’ll have to live there eventually if you get together with D@ny).

Brienne and the Hound meeting again. They both so evidently care for Arya, aw. 

Lena Heady. My god this woman can act. Give her an Emmy already. Both Lena and Cersei outplayed everyone at that Dragonpit meeting. 

Cersei’s scene with Tyrion. Best scene of the season. It actually reminded me of the GoT-that-used-to-be in the early seasons. Finally some depth, some character exploration, some inner conflict, some kind of nuance. Despite everything - despite everything that’s happened between them with Tywin, Myrcella etc. - Cersei couldn’t bring herself to kill Tyrion and I love it. They are family. There is still some kind of bond no matter how ruptured. This is honestly why the Lannisters are one of my favourite houses. Yep, they are dysfunctional af but my god do they make up some of the most interesting characters on GoT - not to mention the best actors. The relationships between them are all fascinating. (You could argue that Cersei probably played Tyrion in this scene, but still... I just love their dynamic.)

Cersei actually making some sense. I was surprised I found myself agreeing with her a lot in this episode. Like, why do D@ny & co even need her to be in on their plan to begin with? D@ny could have easily dracarysed Cersei right there and then in the Dragonpit, not to mention Cersei hardly has any armies or support left - so what is the big deal? Cersei is right, the smartest thing for her to do is to let D@ny & co take on the NK in the North while Cersei does her best to secure her power through the Golden Company in the south. Jaime certainly had a point about them having to fight whoever wins “The Great War” - but if it’s the NK they are all f*cked anyway and if it’s D@ny & co the chances they are weakened by all the fighting are pretty high. The big fight might even cost D@ny her dragons. Tbh this is Cersei’s only chance to stay in power or even survive (D@ny will never let Cersei live) and she knows it. It’s a high gamble for sure, but if might pay off. I mean, we all know it won’t - Cersei will be killed - but I can see where she’s coming from. (Btw, I think the Dragonpit meeting also shows that Tyrion as D@ny’s Hand is - in a way - a liability for her since some part of his heart will always belong to the Lannisters.)

Alfie Allen. Sometimes I feel he, Lena Heady and Peter Dinklage are carrying the show. (I actually love Kit as well and think he’s excellent - but the Jon/D@ny dynamic needs to be explained before I give him any more accolades.) Theon finding his strength again - no matter the silly no-dick-is-sometimes-a-good-thing “twist” - almost moved me to tears.

I actually liked the boatbang scene for several reasons: 1) the music, 2) Kit Harington’s amazing hotness &  3) the juxtaposition with Bran’s information about Jon being the rightful heir put the inherent conflict in the Jon/D@ny relationship right smack there in the middle of their coupling - which made it quite an effective & angsty scene.  It’s obviously building to problems later on.

What I didn’t like:

Phew...where to begin...?

D@ny swooping in on her dragon.🙄  We have seen this 100 times already, everyone and their uncle has seen this - why is it even a moment in the episode? (Jesus, save the CGI for something better, like, I don’t know Ghost.)

Jon not lying to Cersei/bending the knee to D@ny in public. (Or whatever the eff he was doing?) Like...we get it writers, Jon Is Dumb™ . I can’t even begin to tell you how sick and tired I am of the writers dumbing down Jon to the point of being unrecognisable compared to his book counterpart, but what’s even worse: Jon going on and on about Ned’s sense of honour and “I’m not going to swear an oath which I can’t uphold.” Really? 🤔  WHAT ABOUT YOUR OATH TO THE NORTH? I’m just asking. What about that oath? Don’t give me “I’m doing as my father would have done blah blah” as long as Jon is freely giving away the North to a Targaryen queen. Just don’t. Not to mention....Ned DID lie. To everyone around him, for more than a decade, about Jon. (Granted, Jon doesn’t know that.) And to everyone in KL about treason in season 1. So, it’s not like it’s unprecedented. Nope. But the writers continue to depict Jon as dumb to ~keep up the suspense~ and now also disloyal to his own country/family...? Or what the heck? I get it, he wants to protect the North from the NK and being in an alliance with D@any is obviously a smart way to achieve that goal, but where is the inner conflict about bending the knee? This should be HUGE. And not only for Jon for that matter but for everyone around him. And why on earth didn’t he just make do with D@ny supporting him without giving away his crown & country in S07E06? I can’t with this writing, I just can’t. Either Jon is subtly playing Dany or he’s gone off the rails OOC. 

And yeah, about that: no one mentioning Sansa at that meeting? 🙄  Or any of the Starks...? And why wasn’t any of the other houses in Westeros present? Or the maesters from the Citadel? Seems like pretty important information for all the important players in Westeros.

Jon and D@ny’s scene in Dragonstone. Okay, so once again during a “bonding scene” they’re only talking about her. Only. About. Her. Ah what a romance, I guess this is how great love is built? And she mentions how ~totally unfair~ it was for the dragons to be kept locked away in this place. Really? They are weapons of mass destruction which only she can control, and then just barely. God... I hardly know what to say about the logic in GoT anymore. Are the dragons supposed to be depicted as beautiful creatures who *deserve* to be kept free now? Nevermind them casually burning and eating innocents as we saw in Essos? Or is D@ny supposed to be viewed as deluded? She locked them in herself in Mereen - so what about now? About a possible baby: okay, so Jon thinks the witch perhaps was wrong. Fair enough, she might have been? But why then has he no qualms about having sex with D@ny later? Obviously he might get her pregnant and normally (?) Jon surely wouldn’t risk that? Honestly, where is Jon Snow? This is the question I will be asking forever until he returns (if ever). I will say this though, I Iiked D@ny saying: “You were right from the beginning, if I trusted you everything would be different.” I took this as a possible clue Jon might actually be playing D@ny and is now getting her where he wants her. But who knows.

Unpopular opinion alert: the whole plot in Winterfell. I hated it. It didn’t make much sense. Everyone was acting OOC: Arya, Littlefinger - even Sansa. Arya and Sansa and Bran could have talked to each other. And apparently they did - off screen. The only question is when? How long did this deception go on? And what was their plan? To gain information from LF to get him convicted in a trial? Smart. But they didn’t even get him to say very much, we mostly saw Sansa and Arya fighting with each other. Not to mention this whole thing makes LF look stupid. And in the end pathetic. I just can’t imagine GRRM giving him this sort of ending in the books, he’s supposed to be this mastermind lolol. (I must say though that Aidan Gillen nailed his performance in LF:s last scene.) Sansa: “I’m a slow learner.” Ugh, does that mean she and Arya didn’t see through LF:s plan until the very end? That makes Arya look terrible. And Sansa not very bright tbh. And what kind of “trial” was that, Yohn Royce & the Vale just believed in Bran’s supernatural visions lol? I must say it was great the Vale was present though, now the truth is out there which strengthens the Vale’s bond to House Stark. That was a smart move from Sansa. I just feel slightly robbed tbh of 1) a more deserving ending for LF & 2) a better Winterfell/Stark story overall. I fully expected LF - if anybody! - to be one of the key players right up until the end. (It will be very interesting to see how this is handled in the books.) Anyway. I can live with him dying. It was satisfying to see Sansa finally and openly go against him & Arya slitting his throat. What I can’t live with though is the abysmal writing for the Stark family this season. Both Arya and Sansa were ready to kill each other? 🙄  Without talking to Bran who they both know sits on all this knowledge? And Bran...doesn’t he care his sisters are at each other’s throats? No matter his “robot status”? Not to mention Jon giving up the North to a Targaryen without much - evident - thought of his family (as far as we know). 🙄  It’s just awful. I sure hope “a time for wolves” is soon here or I will finally give up on this show. House Stark deserves better.🐺

The scene with Sansa and LF “reacting” to Jon bending the knee. Yeah, because there wasn’t much of a reaction?  Shouldn’t this be HUGE for Sansa? For Arya and Bran? For the North? And what, Sansa hasn’t considered that Jon needs to marry? Of course he needs to marry and get heirs, he is the the Warden of the North (as per his letter). LF is wrong about Jon marrying D@ny though. Jon has already bent the knee, she is his queen, what purpose would a marriage serve politically? The only reason D@ny would marry Jon now is for lurve. Or if she gets pregnant I suppose? Politically, there is zero need for a marriage. The smartest thing for D@ny would be to marry Jaime tbh. That would secure an alliance with her arch enemy the Lannisters. Or Gendry for that matter, if he gets recognised as the heir to House Baratheon. Or even Sam lolol, as the last heir (??) of the Reach. House Stark is already secured politically. Unless Sansa is playing LF in this scene? And unless LF is trying to get a reaction from her by mentioning Jon/D@ny? Well, that would be basically the only sign of some sort of Jonsa in this entire episode? Who knows. The writing is so bad at this point it’s hard to get a grasp of when characters are simply out of character/behaving illogically or when they are actually doing something smart.

The Dragonpit scene. Oh god, give me strength. This was basically just a setup for boatbang.🙄  “It’s your decision your grace, but if we are going to be allies in this war it’s important for the Northerners to see us as allies.” WTF Jon, make up your mind. You are NOT allies - that would actually have been logical🙄  - she is your queen. You have bent the knee, you are her subject. No matter how much you *sail together* I doubt that will go down well with the northerners. D@ny: “I’ve not come to conquer the North, I’m coming to save the North.” Okay, fine, so no need for Jon to give up his crown then? The North will continue to be independent? Either the writers are trying to whitewash D@ny here, are totally illogical or...Jon is slowly succeeding with (a very subtle) game in getting her to do what he wants? That last option would be brilliant, but frankly I think it’s too smart for this show. I hope I’m wrong. Well, anyway, so the conflict between the North and D@ny is over then? Good to know going into season 8. 

Theon/Jon scene. Jon: “You betrayed his memory!” to Theon about Ned. Unless Jon is actually playing D@ny, I can’t with this apparent hypocrisy. Is it awful writing? Or is Jon playing the game?

The Jaime/Cersei break up scene. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that Jaime rediscovered his character development and finally broke free of this very dysfunctional relationship, it’s just how it was done which left me slightly underwhelmed. After everything, after blowing up the Sept, after Tommen dying, after sleeping with Lancel, after Cersei treating Jaime like garbage for so long THIS is Jaime’s breaking point? Cersei making a deal with Euron he didn’t know about? I can buy Jaime staying with Cersei for longer than was ever healthy for anyone - after all, that is usually the case with dysfunctional relationships - but him abandoning her seemed a bit sudden, almost rushed. And surprisingly unemotional. It had made more sense a season (several seasons) ago. It would have felt more earned after Cersei blowing up the sept and Tommen dying because of it. Also, I didn’t like that Cersei didn’t seem more affected by it. Yes, she’s a manipulative narcissist/sociopath, but the show has shown her being vulnerable and having feelings before. Jaime abandoning her should affect her immensely, if only on a purely selfish level. I would have wished for a more Gone With the Wind ending lol with Cersei desperately rushing after Jaime and him delivering something akin to “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”. 😊  Then again Scarlett O’Hara wasn’t pregnant when Rhett abandoned her I suppose. Cersei’s pregnancy could explain her apparent indifference.

Bran/Sam/Jon/D@ny/Rhaegar/Lyanna: Yes, overall I liked the scene, but Sam and Bran’s meeting was so incredibly rushed. My god. And how come Bran behaved more warmly towards Sam than any of his actual family? 😂  And Rhaegar... Just no. Sorry, I’m sure the actual actor is wonderful and all, but this wasn’t how I pictured Rhaegar at all - as some poor man’s version of Viserys lol. Just. No. “Robert’s rebellion was built on a lie.” 🙄 🙄 🙄  So what about Aerys burning Ned’s father and brother alive? I swear to god, if this is yet another attempt to whitewash D@ny and the Targaryens me and GoT are so done. It’s over. “He loved her. And she loved him.” Oh so J & D love each other now? Lmao when did this happen? Tbh if that is what D&D are trying to sell I can just laugh about it at this point. Like I can buy that D@ny is totally smitten even though she actually doesn’t know Jon. (They only ever talk about her.) Who wouldn’t be? He’s insanely hot and honourable and all that. I can buy a “Targaryen pull” leading to attraction between them. (Genetic Sexual Attraction.) But Jon? Two episodes ago he couldn’t care less. 😂  Either this is yet another example of incredibly crappy writing or something is up. And “Aegon”. 😂  Yeah, we can all agree that it doesn’t make any sense. 

I actually mainly loved Sansa and Arya’s last scene together so perhaps this shouldn’t be on my minus list, because finally some Stark bonding. Loved Sansa repeating Ned’s words and how the sisters finally connected other over how much they missed him. Loved how they recognised each other’s strength and how much they’ve both been through. But no mention of Jon...? Of him bending the knee? Like, the most important thing which has happened to their house in years? Or does Arya even know? Shouldn’t she be livid in that case? Bran does, is she the only Stark who doesn’t? For me it’s just such a glaring omission from their talk it puts a damper on the whole scene.

The NK bringing down the wall. Tbh I couldn’t care less. Episode S07E06 just removed the feeling of imminent danger when it comes to the NK & the WW. (Compare that episode to Hardhome! After Hardhome I felt genuinely scared.) There seems to be nothing more to know about them. They just have to be defeated - and they obviously will be. *shrugs* There is no mystery, no suspense left when it comes to the NK & the WW as far as I’m concerned. The only thing left to know is how many characters will die in “The Great War”. That’s it. 

All in all a disappointing episode, especially for a season finale. For me it all comes down to what D&D are doing with the Stark family in general and Jon’s character specifically. If they are truly going for the Jon-falls-in-love-with-Dany-and-therefore-gives-her-the-North I am so done. I’m out. I am SO out. If that is the case I am also shocked. Not in my wildest imagination did I ever think D&D would make Jon betray his own family, betray Ned and Robb’s memory, because he falls in love? Wtf? I can take a lot of crappy writing in GoT since overall I honestly love the show, but THAT, just there, is my breaking point. I want Jon Snow back, the character he used to be. I want the Starks and the North to become strong again after everything they have been through. I want A Time for Wolves. 🐺 

If it actually turns out Jon has been playing D@ny to get her to do what he wants to secure the North & his family I’ll give D&D credit for pretty brilliant writing. If not, I’m done. When the real Jon Snow is back on the show, I will be back caring.