That Sequence: House of the Dragon S1:1

NB I have read all of George RR Martin’s Westerosi books, including Fire & Blood, on which this show is based. I have also watched all of the original Game of Thrones tv series. I will attempt to avoid spoilers, but I will make some references to events that happen in broad strokes, particularly when the result is obvious in the Game of Thrones series.

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Queen Aemma’s Death

The original series gained something of a reputation in regard to violence, particularly sexual violence towards women. It was always present, but the showrunners’ tendency to use rape as a storytelling device or an opportunity for character growth in the later seasons of the show was widely criticized. Though, by the end there was no shortage of things to complain about in the direction of the show.

House of the Dragon, though still in its infancy, has made some efforts to right some of those issues by limiting the amount of sexual violence, by examining the agency of women in the highly violent and misogynist Westeros. However, one of the most violent and difficult-to-watch scenes in either show.

Succession hangs heavily over the Targaryen family in this episode and the question of who has a right to sit on the Iron Throne is the central issue.

King Viserys is a man who loves his wife, and his daughter. But, like many a king, real or imagined, Viserys wants a son. Also throughout the opening episode, this king also goes out of his way to avoid conflict, to the extent that he will not push back against his council of advisors, led by his Hand, Otto Hightower, or his younger brother, Daemon.

Maesters are an religious order of scholars, healers, messengers, and scientists, and in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, maesters are not to be trusted. Much like the Bene Gesserit in Frank Herbert’s Dune, this learned group have their own ideas, own agendas, own desires for power and manipulate kings, queens and other powerful people to do their bidding. Maester Mellos, the maester who works for King Viserys, has been making sly eye contact with Otto Hightower all episode. The Hightowers come from Old Town, on the southwest corner of Westeros, and is the home of the Citadel, where the maesters train. There is something happening between the two men.

Mellos, as the royal healer, is present while Queen Aemma is giving birth and the birth is not going well. Aemma knows it isn’t going well, but Mellos assures her that everything is fine while taking Viserys aside and tells him that things are not going well, but their could save the baby by performing a C-section. Viserys must sacrifice his wife for the possibility of this son. Viserys agrees with no discussion with Aemma, and gently explains that the baby will be coming now, with no mention that the procedure will kill her.

Aemma is without agency or control as they pull her body down to the end of the bed and begin to cut the child out of her as she screams, her body being sacrificed at the altar of power.

The scene cuts to the maester holding the newborn son, Baelon, and assuring Viserys that sacrifices are sometimes necessary, and then the next scene is of Aemma’s funeral pyre, her body shrouded and then a much smaller shrouded body. The baby also died.

Mellos holding the child right before it’s made clear that the child has died, there's clearly some manipulation and this king is allowing himself to be manipulated

It's one of the most violent things I've seen on television in a while and I can’t help thinking that there is some sort of comment being made about the current questions about women’s bodies, a woman’s right to choose, the decisions they are allowed to make when it comes to their own health, their own bodies., their pain, their suffering and what rights are given to the people who bring life into the world.

The king is consulted, he and Mellos discuss the situation and they completely pull the wool over Aemma’s eyes and just begin.

.It was also established in an earlier scene with her daughter, Rhaenyra, how resigned Aemma is that her job is to provide heirs, the proceedure might have even been something Aemma agreed to. She might have been willing to sacrifice herself if it meant that Viserys, her much-loved husband and king, has the long-desired heir. This would be tragic, but it would have been her choice.

It's a comment on the agency of women within this society and a wider comment on how horrific it is when that free will is stripped.

By placing this scene in the first episode, it establishing the shady goings on of the maesters, but it also raises stakes for Aemma’s daughter Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra is named heir by Viserys at the end of the episode, the first daughter to be named in the 200 years of Targaryen reign. But her role to produce another heir and the sacrifice of her mother will hang over. It’s only the first blood to be shed.

Eyes Have It

Over the Christmas break, I discovered Lindsay Ellis on Youtube. She makes videos with commentary about popular culture and looks at various different trends and ideas, with a serious, scholarly foundation combined with her biting sense of humour.

One of my favourite videos she’s made is about the 2017 live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, and not just because Ellis put “Thanks! I hate it!” in my vocabulary.

Thanks, I hate it. Sponsored in part by Audible - join at http://audible.com/lindsayellis

I hadn’t watched the animated movie in years, even though it was one of my favourites of my childhood and is probably the best of the Disney renaissance that happened in the late 80’s and early 90’s. It was the first animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

I re-watched the animated movie recently. There is a texture and a life in the hand-drawn animation that Disney has since dropped in favour of computer animation.

It features a villain that is both threatening and hilarious, and Gaston’s hyper-masculinity and entitlement seems as relevant today as it probably was in the early 90’s. I mean, look at him:

He’s awful and great.

The standout for me is Lumiere. I remember how happy I was when I discovered years ago that Jerry Orbach (aka Lenny Briscoe from Law and Order.) It’s a quick movie, the songs are memorable and funny. “No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston!”

The thing that really stood out for me is how adept the animation on the Beast is. He is truly menacing at points and also quite goofy and awkward when it’s time to be.

One thing that really stood out about the Beast is that he has wonderfully large and expressive eyes.

Eyes were really prominent in the Disney movies of that era.

Ariel and Jasmine both have enormous eyes. They take up half their faces.

The Beast’s design is a combination of wolf, lion, gorilla and buffalo. It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly he is made up of. He does, however, have enormous blue eyes. Blue isn’t an eye colour that occurs in animals that often so the blue eyes are a call back to the Beast’s humanity. It’s subtle and lovely.

When the Beast finally transforms at the end of the movie, Belle doesn’t recognize him at first. She looks into his blue eyes, and knows it’s him.

When I saw the remake, I was trying to put my finger on why I didn’t like the look of the Beast and why the design of the Beast misses the mark. And I realized finally what that is: the motion capture creature looks to be made up of most of the same animals, but the Beast has little beady eyes that aren’t at all expressive.

The 1991 Beast shows rage, sadness, happiness, shyness and uncertainty in those eyes. The 2017 Beast has none of those nuances because there is no expression in his eyes. I think the whites of the eye in the 1991 version add to the expression.

And I can’t find the reference at the moment, but I recall that there is something about being able to see the white of the eye underneath the iris and it’s relation to attractiveness.

They also didn’t give the Beast any eyebrows in 2017, and eyebrows are essential in conveying emotion. The 1991 Beast’s eyebrows move more than just about any other part of him.

The 1991 Beast is full of expression and physicality. I watched the movie again recently and paid specific attention to the animation of the Beast. It’s really beautiful and subtle.

Fixing Game of Thrones

I used to love Game of Thrones, especially for the first four seasons or so. As the show started to run out of books, it became more and more of a mess.

I hated about 50% of season 6 and about 90% of season 7. 

What did I hate about season 7? In no particular order:

The “romance” of no chemistry or point; the wight hunt for no reason; Dany being pretty blasé about losing a dragon (even though they are the ONLY reason she has any armies at all) because she finds her nephew dreamy; Tyrion, all of a sudden, being a complete idiot because the plot requires him to be dumber than Jaime; the Winterfell junk; Bran announcing that Jon is Lyanna’s son-again- even though it was already figured out to end the previous season; Show Jon being dumb, dumb, dumb when Book Jon is not (he’s ignorant, but learns. All of ADWD, that dude is making compromises and strategizing) ; Jon leaving Sansa in charge, forever, because the plot required him to; Suddenly remembering that Dragonstone has dragon glass, even though Stannis said as much to Sam in season 5; Dany not taking the Iron Throne, even though she has a much bigger army than Cersei and dragons; “Aegon Targaryen” when Rhaegar already has a son named Aegon, who at the time of Jon’s birth, is still alive; shooting the far away dragon instead of the closer, much bigger dragon on the ground; the damn dragon chains!!!! 

Generally, that the show has become completely about shock and spectacle and not at all about character.

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So, here is how I'd fix it. 

First, a few adjustments in previous seasons:

Jon Snow is a warg, as he is in the books. He is able to warg into his wolf. 

Val, the Wildling Princess in the books, is a character in the show. Jon meets her at Hardhome and she travels with the rest of the Wildlings through the Wall. She is present for his resurrection. She has a more defined role in the show- she's a figure close to a völva , she understands and is well-versed in all the magic of the North and the old gods (warging, green seeing- she may be a warg herself.) She is also trained in negotiating and mediation in wildling culture and helps integrate the Free Folk south of the Wall. She and Jon become lovers before the fight for Winterfell. She is also close with Sansa. (She's my favourite minor book character- I'm putting her in the show- if only for this line: "Lord Crow is welcome to steal into my bed any night he dares. Once he's been gelded, keeping those vows will come much easier for him.")

Jon let Rickon die in the Battle for Winterfell. It causes him a lot of grief. He also has a lot of pain (from being stabbed) and angst about his resurrection. He's not as he was in earlier seasons. 

Sansa told Jon about the Knights of the Vale. He spent much of that battle stalling for their arrival. 

Jon had to show his stab wound scars to the assembled lords after the battle is won to demonstrate that he has not broken his Night's Watch vows. It's a trial scene and some explanation about how/why he deserted. 

Jon is not crowned King in the North. Instead, he supports Sansa as Lady of Winterfell and is her war leader. He advises her and they are partners, but she is recognized as next in line as Ned's heir, her brother Robb, died without an heir. 

Ghost is a thing again. 

The Sand Snakes are not in the show, but rather Arianne Martell is a character. Dorne is so awesome in the books, but other than Oberyn, was a complete waste of time in the show. A strong, interesting Arianne fixes this. 

Littlefinger is shoved off a cliff by Sansa. 

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Now, toss out nearly everything in season 7.

Instead, this general outline over two seasons:

Sansa, though Lady of Winterfell, finds it very difficult to live at Winterfell due to the trauma she endured there. She and Jon decide that, in an effort to prepare for the Night King fight, she and a small party (including Brienne) will go to an abandoned Dragonstone to mine dragonglass and have it shipped north. Davos suggests that Pod seek out Gendry in King's Landing to recruit him to make weapons out of the dragonglass. Having a specific and vital task away from Winterfell helps Sansa heal. The party is very small so as not to attract attention. 

Jon will stay north to oversee other preparations and the training. He also negotiates with the Northern lords on behalf of Sansa (more or less what Book Jon told Stannis to do in ADWD.) Val helps him and advises him in his negotiations.

Sansa is at Dragonstone when Dany, plus armies and dragons, arrives. Sansa is taken hostage as a bargaining chip to get the North in line. Sansa and Tyrion reunite, and he notices how different she is. 

Dany fights the same "Field of Fire" battle against the Lannister forces, but she takes all three dragons. Viserion is killed, but Dany takes King's Landing and the Iron Throne. 

Cersei survives, but escapes King's Landing with Jaime. For the first time since the first few episodes of the series, Cersei has left the city and is on the run.

Sansa is, once again, a hostage in King's Landing, though with different captors. Nothing particularly terrible happens to her, she just can't leave.

Dany summons Jon Snow south to bend the knee in exchange for Sansa. 

Before Jon can leave Winterfell, Bran shows up and tells him all about his heritage, who his parents are and that he is a Targaryen. Bran also tells Jon that he is no longer Bran Stark and cannot be Lord of Winterfell. 

Few other things: Rhaegar didn’t get an annulment, he just took Lyanna as a second wife, as Targaryens, including Aegon the Conqueror, have done. Sam could just explain that, find proof of second marriage rather than an annulment. It’s not a secret that Targs do that. Jon's real name is not Aegon, because Rhaegar already had a son named that and also that’s dumb.

Jon, plus Val and Davos, rides south with that knowledge. Val tells him that he's got the blood of the First Men (which allows him to warg) through his mother, Lyanna as well as the blood of the dragon through his father, Rhaegar. 

The idea of another Stark daughter (as well as Lady of Winterfell) being kidnapped by a Targaryen fires up the Northern lords and they rally around Jon Snow. 

Jon arrives in King's Landing to negotiate with Dany for the release of his sister. He agrees to bend the knee but also requests Dany's aid in his fight against the Night King. Having just won her throne, Dany is reluctant to leave King's Landing for, in her eyes, a vague threat. 

Val discovers that Dany has only ever ridden her largest dragon Drogon, but doesn't have as close a bond with her other remaining dragon. Val also discovers that the dragon is named Rhaegal, named for Rhaegar (Jon's newly discovered father.)

Val suggests that Jon may be able to warg into the dragon, as he has warging abilities from his northern roots as well as dragon blood. He is successful and the two bond. Dany is unaware of this and dismisses them. They all (Sansa included) take their leave but as they head north, Jon calls Rhaegal to follow them. Jon does this both because he wants the dragon against the Night King but also to encourage Dany to come North to retrieve it. 

Arya has ridden south from killing the Freys at Riverrun in hopes of catching up with Cersei.

Meanwhile. Cersei is on the point of getting the Iron Bank (which has serious concerns about Dany and her dragons) to pay for sell swords and dragon killing siege equipment. 

Jaime and Cersei argue, and Jaime kills Cersei. When Cersei is dead, it is revealed that Jaime is actually Arya wearing Jaime's face. Arya has killed Jaime to get close enough to Cersei to kill her.

Dany is incensed when she discovers that Jon has taken Rhaegal, especially since she lost Viserion getting the Iron Throne. She, plus Drogon and armies, head north to confront Jon and Sansa.

Arya, with her kill list complete, rides/sails north with Dany's army wearing the face of a Dothraki. She has the idea to assassinate Dany when she hears that Dany is heading to confront Jon and Sansa, but she isn't able to get close enough. 

While this is happening, Bran didn't realize that passing back through the Wall has diminished it's magic repellant. The Night King and his army is now able to climb the Wall. The Night King's army has marched south to meet the Northern army, leaving disaster it's in wake. 

Dany arrives at White Harbour and finds it annihilated. Jorah tells her this was once a thriving city, so she understands that something destructive and malevolent is at play. 

Dany meets up with Jon Snow and recognizes that Rhaegal and Jon are bonded. Rhaegal will not allow harm to come to Jon, and she does not want to kill Rhaegal. Drogon will also not fight Rhaegal. She recognizes that Jon is her brother Rhaegar’s son, which Bran confirms.

They agree to a cease fire and to fight together to stop the Night King.

Arya reveals herself to Sansa and Jon. They are reunited.

Showdown with Night King- mass casualties, including both dragons and Ghost, Jorah and possibly Arya, but the Night King is defeated.

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Aftermath:

Dany recognizes that Jon is heir to the Iron Throne, but Jon allows her to take it by right of conquest. Partly because they respect each other and partly because both their armies are depleted and neither has a dragon, they compromise and split the Seven Kingdoms in half.

Jon gets crowned King in the North and gets the North (including what was Beyond the Wall), the Riverlands, the Vale.

Dany is crowned Queen in the South, gets the Crownlands, the Stormlands, the Reach, the Westerlands.  

And technically, Dorne but Dorne is a pain in her ass for a couple of decades. The Sand Snakes silliness from the show aren’t a thing, but rather Arianne Martell is central to all of this Dornish uprising.

The Iron Islands becomes its own kingdom, as was agreed.

Jon makes Sansa in charge of the Vale and the Riverlands. Dany grants Tyrion Casterly Rock.

The Dothraki return to the East, but the Unsullied remain as Dany’s city guard.

Dany can’t have a child and becomes obsessed Asshai and Valyria. She searches for more dragon eggs. She never finds them. She’s a good queen but not a happy one. She sometimes dreams of returning east, which is ironic as when she was east, she dreamed of the Iron Throne. 

Jon marries Val in front of the heart tree at Winterfell. Dany eventually names their second born, a daughter, her heir.

Jon is faded/ distant and his stab wounds ache, he is in near constant pain- maesters suspect it’s due to his resurrection, the loss of so much of his family, and  the loss of his wolf. There is a sadness in Jon.

The magic that rose up to counter the Night King recedes, and Westeros becomes more rational. Out of the Middle Ages, into the Renaissance. Like England after the War of the Roses.

Sansa is very, very happy in charge of things. The Riverlands love her because she looks so much like Catelyn and they are reminded of House Tully.  Sansa marries someone very nice. And they all eat lemon cakes.

The End.

10/04/2017: Books I Like: The Only Rule Is It Has To Work

The Only Rule Is It Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team

Sam Miller and Ben Lindbergh ran a baseball team. Then they wrote a book about it. 

It's very funny. It's perfect to read while picking your fantasy team. It's perfect to dig into on this off day after a pretty shitty start of the season for the Blue Jays.

And it's three dollars if you click the link above. 

THREE. DOLLARS

Here is Ben talking about his book with NPR in 2015. 

A Viking Warrior of Great Skill: Donaldson on Vikings

Last year, when it was first reported that Josh Donaldson was going to be on Vikings, I did a basic rundown of what is one of my favourite shows.  

Reportedly, Donaldson's episode airs tonight. 

Per the National Post:

So you can pay attention to Donaldson try to change his drawl into something that passes as 9th century Norse, I thought I'd give you a bit of a rundown of a few things have changed in Season 4. 

King Ragnar and his band of vikings raid Paris. It goes well. 

Ragnar heads home but leaves his brother Rollo behind to protect their interests. 

Rollo instead marries a French princess, becomes the Duke of Normandy and cuts his hair. This is from a much earlier episode, when Ragnar made him get baptised to appease the English people they were negotiating with. It's always cracked me up. 

Anyway, Ragnar and company return to France and get their asses kicked by Rollo's army. Ragnar, upon returning to Scandinavia, disappears for a decade. 

In that decade, Ragnar's sons become men:

Bjorn, his oldest, is his son with Lagertha. 

Next are his sons with Aslaug:

From left to right: Hvitserk, Ivar, Ubbe and Sigurd.

It's sometimes hard to tell the Aslaug sons apart, especially the middle two, but here is a cheat sheet:

Ubbe is the most reasonable, looks the most like Ragnar. He's too soft, according to Ivar.

Sigurd has 80s hair band hair. He's too soft, according to Ivar. 

Hvitserk has brown eyes. He's too soft, according to Ivar. (I actually don't know if Ivar think Hvitserk is too soft as he's never actually said it, but he probably does.)

Ivar the Boneless is the most memorable. He can't walk (hence the boneless name), so he drags himself on the ground or gets piggy backs. He's also crazy, matched by his crazy blue eyes. 

This is a family meeting they have before Ragnar returns. 

Ivar talk like ragnar Ragnarsson Family Meeting

This is the basic rundown of what has happened in Season 4B:

Watch highlights from Season 4 Episode 11, "The Outsider".

Watch highlights from Season 4 Episode 12, "The Vision".

Watch highlights from Season 4 Episode 13, "Two Journeys".

Watch highlights from Season 4 Episode 14, "In the Uncertain Hour Before Morning".

Watch highlights from Season 4 Episode 15, "All His Angels".

Watch highlights from Season 4 Episode 16, "Crossings".

Watch highlights from Season 4 Episode 17, "The Great Army".

Bjorn decides he wants to explore and plunder the Mediterranean.  Bjorn takes a bunch of men, including Hvitserk, his younger brother, and Floki.

Ragnar and Ivar head back to England. 

Ragnar is executed (in a pit of snakes) by an English king. 

Meanwhile, Lagertha, Ragnar's first wife, invades Kattegat and takes it over, apparently in revenge for Aslaug, Ragnar's second wife, seducing Ragnar and stealing her kingdom.

Ubbe and Sigurd are pretty mad, especially since Lagertha killed Aslaug in the process. 

Ivar returns from England, is angry that that his mother has been killed and that his brothers haven't killed Lagertha yet. 

Word comes to all of Ragnar's sons, through visions of Odin, that Ragnar is dead.

Ivar is angry and wants to kill Lagertha to avenge his mother. Ubbe, Sigurd and Ivar all challenge her in the throne room before Bjorn returns.

They all decide that they will band together to seek revenge in England for the death of Ragnar and then maybe deal with the other issue later. 

7/01/17: Stuff I Like...

...that you should buy.

While you wait for  my lovely friend Stacey May Fowles' book about baseball (with a forward by R.A. Dickey), available for pre-order right now:

Baseball Life Advice: Loving the Game That Saved Me

By Stacey May Fowles

Buy on Amazon

I suggest you also take a look listen to Fowles talk about the spiritual side on baseball on CBC Radio's Tapestry. 

You can also subscribe to Baseball Life Advice on TinyLetter and get it directly in your inbox. It's great for many reasons, but it'd be worth your time if only for the pictures of ballplayers and their dogs.