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netgirl_y2kOkay, that, that was a very good episode
-Dany, Dany, Daenerys Stormborn, Dany. You have no idea how gleefully I start to grin whenever she appears on screen. Not that it's news, but I have such a thing for tiny femme women who could kill me. And her stuff this week was exactly as brilliant and epic as I wanted it to be.
Sod everything else, I would watch an entire show about Dany, and her ad hoc council of Jorah, Barristan, and Missandei, and her dragons, and her epic lord of the rings-esque army.
My favourite bit - well, my favourite bit was Dany on a horse, but that perhaps says more about the contents of my psyche than you maybe want to know - was the reveal that Dany spoke High Valyrian, and the different points the others caught on; Missandei realised as soon as Dany knew the word for Unsullied, but she'd been monologuing in it for about five minutes before slaver guy went, hang on... you speak Valyrian?
And her marching her army out of Astapor at the end... it's a thing I have with Dany where I keep having to stop and go: How come you haven't won yet?
-Oh, Theon, you're making me feel feelings again. Stop that at once. My real father died in King's Landing was maybe a little on the nose, but also pretty much on point, because Theon's problem has always been that he's not entirely a Stark and not entirely a Greyjoy. Well, that and the fact that he's never met a bad decision he didn't want to make. Oh, Theon.
I was sort of expecting them to draw out the is Iwan Rheon Ramsey Bolton or is he just a nice young man who wants to help Theon? thing a little longer, because I understand the logic of wanting to keep Alfie Allen in it, but there's a limit to how much of the physical or sexual torture they can show, and a limit to how much I at least would be willing to watch, but fake escapes and mind fuckery, there's probably a lot of millage you could get just out of that.
-The Sansa & Margaery scene was a thing of beauty, and not just because of the gorgeous scenery or because Natalie Dormer has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, but because Margaery is playing her, in a way just as skillfully as she is playing Joffrey. And it's glorious and Sansa really should be taking notes because she's going to need to know this stuff later, but it's also why I can't really ship Sansa/Margaery in the same way a lot of the fandom does, and a lot of the existing fic skews slightly too fluffy for me. It only works for me if Sansa is manipulating right back, or if she's managed to get herself into a position where Margaery's manipulations roll off her back.
-And now, your weekly whinge: Okay, show, I am generally very positive on your portrayal of female characters, the fact that you've managed not to fuck up Sansa gets up endless points in my book, and if you lose some of the nuances in the translation from page to screen, well, happens to the male characters too.
But. To prevent some of your more irksome missteps such as "You sound like a bloody woman" I have prepared a quick cheat sheet for you.
Brienne of Tarth has nothing but respect for other women and Asha Greyjoy does not use the word cunt.
Thank you and goodnight.
-Dany, Dany, Daenerys Stormborn, Dany. You have no idea how gleefully I start to grin whenever she appears on screen. Not that it's news, but I have such a thing for tiny femme women who could kill me. And her stuff this week was exactly as brilliant and epic as I wanted it to be.
Sod everything else, I would watch an entire show about Dany, and her ad hoc council of Jorah, Barristan, and Missandei, and her dragons, and her epic lord of the rings-esque army.
My favourite bit - well, my favourite bit was Dany on a horse, but that perhaps says more about the contents of my psyche than you maybe want to know - was the reveal that Dany spoke High Valyrian, and the different points the others caught on; Missandei realised as soon as Dany knew the word for Unsullied, but she'd been monologuing in it for about five minutes before slaver guy went, hang on... you speak Valyrian?
And her marching her army out of Astapor at the end... it's a thing I have with Dany where I keep having to stop and go: How come you haven't won yet?
-Oh, Theon, you're making me feel feelings again. Stop that at once. My real father died in King's Landing was maybe a little on the nose, but also pretty much on point, because Theon's problem has always been that he's not entirely a Stark and not entirely a Greyjoy. Well, that and the fact that he's never met a bad decision he didn't want to make. Oh, Theon.
I was sort of expecting them to draw out the is Iwan Rheon Ramsey Bolton or is he just a nice young man who wants to help Theon? thing a little longer, because I understand the logic of wanting to keep Alfie Allen in it, but there's a limit to how much of the physical or sexual torture they can show, and a limit to how much I at least would be willing to watch, but fake escapes and mind fuckery, there's probably a lot of millage you could get just out of that.
-The Sansa & Margaery scene was a thing of beauty, and not just because of the gorgeous scenery or because Natalie Dormer has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, but because Margaery is playing her, in a way just as skillfully as she is playing Joffrey. And it's glorious and Sansa really should be taking notes because she's going to need to know this stuff later, but it's also why I can't really ship Sansa/Margaery in the same way a lot of the fandom does, and a lot of the existing fic skews slightly too fluffy for me. It only works for me if Sansa is manipulating right back, or if she's managed to get herself into a position where Margaery's manipulations roll off her back.
-And now, your weekly whinge: Okay, show, I am generally very positive on your portrayal of female characters, the fact that you've managed not to fuck up Sansa gets up endless points in my book, and if you lose some of the nuances in the translation from page to screen, well, happens to the male characters too.
But. To prevent some of your more irksome missteps such as "You sound like a bloody woman" I have prepared a quick cheat sheet for you.
Brienne of Tarth has nothing but respect for other women and Asha Greyjoy does not use the word cunt.
Thank you and goodnight.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-23 12:06 am (UTC)That line also wouldn't have worked on Jaime if he were book Jaime. He wouldn't have said, "thank god I'm not." Because he thought, "If I were a woman, I’d be Cersei."
no subject
Date: 2013-04-23 12:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-04-23 01:12 am (UTC)Sansa and Margaery give me so so many feels. Because even though Sansa considers Margaery to be a friend, she doesn't tell her what she was praying for, and then her face when Margaery suggested she become a Tyrell. Sansa is allowed to be happy or hopeful so rarely that my heart can't take it.
Also, I envision older!Sansa (aka after the series) to be very similar to Margaery, in the manipulations and hiding behind a more pleasant mask, but with more emotional distance. She'll be the Wolf-Queen, the Ice-Queen, whom the people adore, but she won't be the Summer Queen like Margaery is.
I've actually been waiting for that Dany scene since the series started and IT WAS SO GREAT. THE FIRE BLOOMING BEHIND HER AND THEN HER PROFILE IN THE SMOKE <3 WHEN SHE THREW THE WHIP AWAY, IT WAS BASICALLY A MIC-DROP.
Yeah, so I liked that scene.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-23 02:57 pm (UTC)I know. Sansa's face. Bless. I get a little scared when she's allowed to be happy or hopeful because it invariably means the rug is about to be pulled out from under her and something even worse is about to happen. I keep having to remind myself that with Sansa it really is a case of what doesn't kill her makes her stronger. At least, I hope that's going to turn out to be the case.
Yeah, that's really how I see Sansa turning out in the end too; a Stark who has learned how to play the game, let us all love her and despair.
Dany burning Astapor, Jaime & Brienne in the bear pit, the Red Wedding (maybe? I'm not sure about that one) this series seems to have all the bits I've been waiting for since the first episode.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-23 12:58 pm (UTC)YES! it was so hot to see Dany reviewing her troops. hot. hot. hot. Emilia Clarke played the whole thing brilliantly. so happy she has better material this season.
i don't think i've ever shipped Sansa/Margaery much until this past episode when they started giving me all the funny feelings. they were so gorgeous together, i couldn't help it. I guess despite all their scheming, I still think the Tyrells have some kind of moral center. And at least their plans for Sansa might have allowed an avenue for her to be happy- Willas always sounded like a decent guy. I still kind of hope she marries Willas or some guy like him. Though did you notice they are planning to marry her to Loras on the show?
I remember a few weeks ago you posted that you like Ros. I wasn't too keen on her until her scene with Varys last night. Now I am Team Ros all the way. More Ros/Varys plz!
no subject
Date: 2013-04-23 03:26 pm (UTC)Sansa/Margaery is one of those pairings where I do ship it, but a lot of the fic seems to strip out what I find most interesting about their dynamic. But, eh, happens in all fandoms, I suppose. But they are very, very pretty together.
Hmm, I'm not sure I'd agree that the Tyrells are particularly more moral that the Lannisters or anybody else, so much as smarter and subtler in their machinations. But better a pawn of the Tyrells than the Lannisters, yes. I understand stripping out Willas and Garlan and just using Loras from the point of view of steamlining, but it's an interesting change because the possibility of marriage to Willas sounded like a real possibility for a real future. With Loras, we already know that even if Olenna and Margaery were to succeed in spiriting Sansa to Highgarden she's not going to get what she wants.
I started warming to Ros in S2 when Varys first tried to recruit her, so I'm delighted to see her reporting to him now, even if I wish she were reporting on something more meaningful than Pod's sex life.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-24 04:49 pm (UTC)Also, yeah, I could ship Sansa/Margaery, but only when Sansa has grown and learned and is Queen in the North and is on an equal footing with Margaery (who can be her queen consort maybe yes). And definitely not current-fluffy-fic - that makes no sense to me.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-25 01:24 pm (UTC)I am slightly baffled by fluffy fic for any Game of Thrones pairing, because, well, wrong fandom much? But with Sansa/Margaery I think the most interesting thing about them is that there is a seed of sincerity and affection but it is, and probably always will be, buried under layers of ambition and self-preservation and pretty lies. I eat that stuff up with a spoon.