Joe's Notes: May 2019

Click here to join my mailing list and stay up to date!

Episode 5 was a big shocker for me. I really hoped that the good Danearys would win out and the surprise would be that she did not go mad, but instead she showed her sadistic side. It would have been cool if she flew over to the red keep and just ate Cersei but that did not happen. Instead, she decided to needlessly kill thousands of people that she had originally set out to free and rule. It seems that she reached her breaking point when John betrayed her, leaving her with no one to trust in Westoros, so she used the only tool she knew could not be ignored, violence.

After the episode, I was left with a sense of disgust and reached a kind of violence limit. I didn't like watching the slaughter and destruction of King's Landing but I think I understand why it happened. I think that the moral of the GOT story is that humans are the problem. All along we thought that Danaerys represented fairness, justice, and freedom but in the last episode, we find out that she is really controlled by anger and vengeance. She does not want to play the game any longer but instead decides to flip the game board over and burn it.

So, who will kill Danaerys? Will it be Jon, who might be in a position to get close to her? Will it be Arya, who saw the innocent burning in the streets? Or Tyrian, who was as shocked as I was at her madness. Even if someone does kill Danaerys, that does not mean much for taking control of the Unsullied and Drogon. They are not likely to change their allegiance just because she is dead. Grey Worm loves Danaerys and so does Drogon so killing her still leaves you with war. Also, I doubt anyone will be able to get close enough to her anyway.

In the preview for the series finale, we see Danaerys looking out at the ruined city and assessing her new kingdom. She will justify her actions and act as if this is a one-off situation. She will say something like, "Kneel to me and I will show you mercy, Fight and I will burn you!" The news that she burned King's Landing will spread to other parts of the world and most will bend the knee, hoping she will let them live.

I assume that Jon will take a force back to Winterfell and Join up with Sansa and Yara to attempt some kind of attack on Danaerys or ready themselves to defend against her in the hopes of keeping the North from her. Or Jon will pretend to stand by her side in the hopes of assassinating her and taking her place. If he tries this I think he will die as Danaerys will not trust anyone other than Grey Worm. Now that King's Landing is toast I think that Danaerys will make Dragonstone her home and create a new throne. She will not allow other kings and queen and will plan on taking over more than Westoros.

I think that Bran will be instrumental in the creation of a new horror, similar to the white walkers, that will be used to fight man once again. I think that the cycle, started by the Children of the Forest, will begin again by the end of the series finale. The Children of the Forest created the white walkers out of desperation when humanities destructive nature became overwhelming and Danaerys has just shown that the human lust for violence and power must be put in check. Because she is so powerful someone will need to create an equally powerful force to stand up to her. This is where the cycle begins again and we find that the Game of Thrones is a never-ending struggle against the cruelty of man. Bran will end up in a tree by the end as well.

After episode 5 I have come to the conclusion that the authors of the overall story are taking a fundamentally pessimistic stance in regards to humanity. The moral of the story is that humans can't be trusted with power and that ultimately we cause our own destruction. This is true, of course, but it isn't necessarily the only truth in regards to humanities struggles. Throughout time we have struggled against the natural world and all its destructive capabilities. We have worked together to defend ourselves from dangerous beasts of all kinds and worked to solve problems such as the simple acquisition of food, water, and shelter. While the history of humanity is punctuated and littered with destruction, the modern world is the safest and most nurturing it has ever been. I appreciate a satisfying ending where the good guys to win and the bad guys to lose. I appreciate optimism and hope in my entertainment and I hope that episode 5 represents the rock bottom so as to create an even more stupendously glorious victory for the good guys but I fear that that isn't in the cards. I am optimistic that I will once again be surprised by the next and final episode.