To understand a show full of natural born killers, sometimes it pays to consult the original article specifically, Oliver Stones hyperviolent, hyperstylized 1994 mass-murderer movie. Theres a very funny exchange between Robert Downey Jr.s tabloid-TV sleazeball Wayne Gale and one of his shows editors, played by a young, pre-Sex and the City Evan Handler. The exasperated staffer complains that theyve shown the same over-the-top reenactment of one of superstar serial-killer couple murders over and over again; Downeys character barks back Repetition works, David at which point Stone cuts backward in time, so the line Repetition works, David repeats all over again.
Much of what happened on tonights oddly off-kilter Game of Thrones episode The Book of the Stranger depends on whether you believe the point of the joke. Yes, repeating ideas and imagery can heighten their impact, reveal subtle variations, or emphasize the cyclical nature of events. But theres also such a thing as diminishing returns; if you go to the same well too many times, eventually itll run dry. For every Mad Men viewer who believed Don Drapers semi-regular California vision quests were crucial to understanding who he was, there was another who thought Okay, go west, young man, we get it!
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In GoTs case, theres an argument to be made that Ramsay Boltons murder of Osha, a character who seems to have been reintroduced simply to get killed, drives home his sociopathic disregard for human life (and crushing audience hopes). But theres an equally compelling case that having already seen him get the better of Theon, Sansa, Stannis, his father Roose, and his poor young stepmother Walda usually in spectacularly cruel fashion this latest killing told us nothing we didnt already know.
You could say the same about Daenerys and her fiery slaughter of the khalasars. By burning down the temple of the Dosh Khaleen, the Breaker of Chains proves shes still the single-minded conqueror who emerged from the flames of her husbands funeral pyre years ago just as confident, driven by destiny, and as supernaturally fireproof. Insofar as her conquest of Meereen was something of a disaster, leading her to flee on an out-of-control dragon and landing her in the clutches of her old enemies, this actually constitutes something of a revelation regarding her current state of mind. (Vompare that to Ramsay is a bloodthirsty bastard is in no way new news.) However, the khaleesi has now ignited her way out of trouble nearly once per season, often with that same serene smirk on her face. in fact, this isnt even the first time her divine act of arson ended with her naked in the ashes, surrounded by kneeling Dothraki while a lovestruck Jorah Mormont looks on. An audience groomed on the idea of character arcs may well sour on the Targaryen queens repeated peaks.
Even Tyrion cant escape that old familiar feeling that were seeing something old and familiar. Watching him hold court with the Masters of the other slave cities, attempting to persuade both them and his skeptical ex-slave associates Grey Worm and Missandei that its in everyones interest to peacefully phase out slavery, you cant help but recall how the Imp played one faction against the other to advance his goals back in Kings Landing. Then, his skillful playing of the game saved the city, though it earned him many enemies and set him up for the fall from grace that led him half a world. Its genuinely revealing that the little Lannister has the self-confidence to try it again but since this time his rivals are simply a bunch of interchangeably awful slavers, it cant hit with the same impact, win or lose.
Whether these scenes worked is an ultimately open question, determined by the resolution of the storylines one reason among many why its best to engage each episode as it comes, rather than attempt to predict the future or put your faith in fan theories. However, some sequences with very similar set-ups truly did feel cumulative. Both Petyr Baelish and Cersei Lannister used cunning, cockiness, and a knack for finding peoples weak spots to turn potential enemies into allies, a throwback to their first-season talents in this department. More movingly, we saw three brother-sister reunions Margaery and Loras Tyrell, Theon and Yara Greyjoy, and especially Jon Snow and Sansa Stark in which siblings kept apart by cruelty were forced to strike a balance between seeking comfort and continuing the struggle. In each case, the women were in the power position, encouraging men with no fight left in them to find a long-lost steely resolve.
And come on: The mere sight of those gates opening up and the Lady of Winterfell riding through to see the Lord Commander was such an unexpected delight you could all but hear the cheer go up from HBO viewers everywhere. (Same as you could hear the laughs when Tormund Giantsbane started making bedroom eyes at Brienne of Tarth.) Something on Game of Thrones turned out right for the first time in ages.
Previously: The Snake, the Cross and the Crown
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