Opinions varied wildly regarding the previous episode; while some agreed that it was slow-paced and used up a lot of time the season doesn’t have, others enjoyed the depth given to certain plot threads.  I maintain that this season has captured the flavor of the volumes of the source material that it draws inspiration from: some found the incredible amount of exposition, setup, and detail fascinating, while others just wanted to get on with it.  This installment, thankfully, struck more of a balance, though in some cases, that was at the expense of characters that perhaps needed a bit more time devoted to their development. 

I’ve been wary of how the substitution of Jayne Poole with Sansa Stark would play out, and as the wedding to Ramsey Bolton loomed large, those concerns intensified.  I’ve noted before that the presence of a true Stark, as opposed to a “fictional” one, changes the game in major ways, but that’s not the source of my anxiety.  I was mostly worried that the producers would push the boundaries of Ramsey’s sexual deviance with a character and actress that has been, thus far, minimally sexualized.




Sansa’s wedding night struck just the right balance.  There’s no doubt that it’s ugly and brutal and scarring on various levels, but as with previous scenes in the episode, all we see is a brief glimpse of Sansa’s upper back, which if anything is a visual metaphor for her innocence.  Everything else is psychological brutality as Ramsey assets his dominance on both Sansa and Theon/Reek.  No one is going to like what happens to Sansa, nor should they; at the same time, it could have been handled in far worse fashion.  My one regret is that Sophie Turner continues to underplay Sansa’s aborning Petyr-esque qualities to such a degree that I have no real sense of whether or not she’s biding her time or still trying to work out how to manage the situation.  Surviving Ramsey isn’t nearly as satisfying a character turn as using his madness against him would be.

I freely admit that I am allowing my preferences and expectations for a character arc to influence my opinion, but in my defense, I would point to how many of the men in the series continue to think quickly on their feet as the tide turns.  Witness Tyrion’s ability to stave off his own execution, not to mention Jorah’s prospective career as galley slave.  While Tyrion more easily manipulates the situation, even Jorah manages to shift gears and play his part to sell the notion of getting a ride to Meereen.  Sansa barely registers on the scale by comparison.




Granted, Tyrion is a more skilled liar, and there’s a reason why I predict he’ll end up Hand of the King when all is said and done.  Yet part of it is also how the characters are written.  I concede that Peter Dinklage is the headliner and therefore gets better attention paid to his character’s material, yet part of it is also experience and direction.  It’s no shock to me that the two episodes where I yearned for Sansa to show a bit more self-interest and cleverness has been directed by the same person.









I’m not claiming sexism, either; I can make a similar comparison between how Sansa is handled and Arya’s development.  This is a huge episode for her, and I adored every small step she managed in the process.  Therein lies my point: Arya is in a position where she will never get what she wants if she doesn’t act, and she makes conscious decisions to advance her personal agenda.  And lest one say that Sansa still doesn’t know what she wants, I would submit that Arya isn’t all that closer to knowing what she’s really asking for, either.  The difference is that she’s displaying far more agency.  She always has, and yet, the comparison is still striking.




I also deeply appreciate that the writers didn’t shortcut her development process.  It would have been easy to have Jaqen equate her willingness to serve the Many-Faced God and develop her deceptive skills a bit as full progress, if only out of expediency.  Instead, as he sums it up, she’s merely reached an important step: not ready to become “no one”, perhaps, but ready to learn how to assume false identities.  In other words, there is an active sense of Arya’s progress, so even if the purpose of Arya’s role in the story is still a bit of a mystery to the audience, her growth within that role is not.









Now would be an easy time to harp on Sansa again, but instead, I’ll point to a even more egregious lapse: the subplot with the Sand Snakes.  I gave the writers a pass on the initial introduction, on the assumption that future development of the Sand Snakes would flesh out their individual motivations, personalities, and internal differences.  This episode took those hopes and sent them into the depths of the Bitter Sea.  At this point I’m not sure what purpose they are meant to serve, other than a rather generic expression of a militant splinter within Dorne.




But the real problem is that they don’t even live up to the titular pledge, as they fold under the pressure of overwhelming numbers.  I thought perhaps they would be the catalyst for a certain subplot involving Myrcella from the source material, but it looks like they intend to skip right past that plot element.  This entire Dorne subplot is coming across as ill-planned, which is a real shame. 









Far more interesting is what’s happening in King’s Landing, where Cersei thinks she is playing the game at Mastery Level: Tywin, when she’s barely holding her own.  Cersei is so dedicated to putting Margaery and House Tyrell in their supposed place that she doesn’t see the consequences.  How hard can it be to see that if the current queen can be put to trial for simply knowing and covering up religiously-based “moral transgressions”, Cersei herself is perilously close to getting the same treatment?  Petyr all but slaps it right on the table before the move against Loras and Margaery even happens, so if the people of King’s Landing already frown on King Tommen as the issue of an incestuous pairing, how long before the Sparrows come calling?  And Cersei all but told the High Sparrow that she’s granting them carte blanche!




I still question Littlefinger’s presence, and considering that he isn’t explaining his plans to Sansa, most of what he tells Cersei in supposed confidence is clearly a well-crafted lie shrouded in half-truth.  All he really needs is a way to keep Cersei from assuming the worst when he takes the resources of The Vale to use as he sees fit.  Could he still betray his supposed top choice for the Iron Throne?  He could, though ultimately his goal to set up the North for Sansa is accomplished regardless.  I have no doubt that Petyr would bend over backwards to attend to Sansa’s long-terms interests, because her mere presence echoes Catelyn.









What is apparent is that Cersei is orchestrating the downfall of her own House, thus further weakening the center of power in Westeros, even as contenders outside King’s Landing continue to rise.  Tommen is more and more ineffectual, and without a strong royalty, the Sparrows will begin to spread their rule of ultra-conservative religious law.  Dorne and other regions will clearly oppose this notion, and thus the right leader emerging at the right time could draw significant support.  Such is the Game of Thrones.