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| Poor, poor Robb Stark. |
SPOILER ALERT: I'M TALKING ABOUT THIS LAST WEEK'S EPISODE.
In the aftermath of the red wedding, do we really know what the game of thrones is? In season one, Cersei tells Ned Stark "When you play the game of thrones you win, or you die. There is no middle ground." I'm sure the ghost of Ned would disagree, but that's why he's a ghost. Cersei's been spouting the rules of the game since the beginning and no one has been listening to her.
If we can take anything away from these three seasons, it's that there are traits that are useful in the game of thrones, and there are traits that will downright get you killed. Robb was a great character. Noble, handsome, young, strong, and a brilliant military strategist. However, the game he was involved in was about none of those things. It was about how to acquire, retain, and use power. Robb failed at all three. Why? Because he lacked: timing, judgment, diplomacy, and discipline. What he had in spades were the traits of honor and conservative inflexibility.
Robb Stark lost the game of thrones because he didn't play by the rules. He needed to look the other way when the Lannister cousins got murdered. Sure they were kids, but in the game of thrones, you don't go and piss off an ally like the one he had in the Karstarks. But he put his foot down and declared the act monstrous. The inflexibility and honor did him credit, but that's an empty purse. He might as well have cut off his own head when he cut off Lord Karstark's.
Robb also lacked discipline. He shouldn't have married Talisa and instead taken one of the Frey girls as his bride. But he fell in love and that makes things all right in everything except the game of thrones. Robb made so many mistakes, and that's why his death is so powerful. It's the pinnacle moment in the tale where we see how the game of thrones is truly played and you're either in it to win it, or you're dead.
I think the best players at the table are the women. Margaery, Cersei, and Daenerys all seem to have the flexibility to embrace things that they despise for a chance to either finish them off later, or to find something positive about those things to further their own ambition. It's interesting that Cersei could have predicted Robb's death. She said, "Love is poison. A sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same."
I only know what is going on in Game of Thrones b/c I read your blog.
ReplyDelete......dhole
I read your blog, and I STILL don't know what's going on in Game of Thrones.
ReplyDeleteI had to go read a news story about the "red wedding" because for 24 hours, Twitter was mystifying to me. It was as if suddenly everyone was talking in code. I was walking around all paranoid, looking over my shoulder, muttering to myself. IE business as usual but this time for a reason.
Yes unfortunately for Robb he was his father's son. The Starks should have stayed in Winterfell because it was all downhill the moment they left.
ReplyDeleteYou just knew something bad was going to happen to Robb Stark when he married the other girl. But I'm getting so tired of the mean people winning all the time on that show.
ReplyDeleteI got my little brother to tune into Game of Thrones, and he is all in a flutter. He calls me up and is like, "Jen, what the hell is going on? I loved Rob Stark! Does every good character have to die?" And I'm all, "This is GOT Chris, where nobody is safe and everyone dies a horrible death. Don't get too attached to anyone, or else stop watching it!" LOL
ReplyDeleteSkipping this post since we've only watched the first two seasons.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I really liked Robb but he dug his own grave when he backed out of his marriage deal with Frey and then went after the Karstarks. The Starks just really aren't cut out for this.
ReplyDeleteI totally love the Margaery character. Loved her ever since she said "I want to be THE queen."
Thank you. Now I understand why I couldn't get into this show. It's all about evil.
ReplyDeleteEvil people don't think they're evil. Evil people are all about power. How to get it. How to keep it. And how to wield it.
Apparently, GoT is about people going after power and crushing anyone who gets in their way. These sorts of stories just make me tired. (They're enervating to me.) I get why people like them, and I have no problem with them being on and gathering huge followings. But they're not for me.
And now I can stop feeling like I need to turn in my geek card for not liking this show. (Although, I probably gave it up just by admitting this.)
My sons love this series.
ReplyDeleteNot a fan either, but it seems blood shed, and the more the better, like Stars "Spartacus" - maybe more of simply trying to out do the other network. I couldn't get into this one either, but I did like the dragons, there were dragons, right? She was in the fire with the eggs and they hatched into dragons, or was that just a dream? Thought I could follow it because of the dragons, but I couldn't get past all the be-headings. Too much violence. Although, I do like catching up here! So thanks, Michael!
ReplyDeleteI so want to see this series! I saw an interview with the author, and his explanation is that he always does the unexpected in his stories (that, and something to do with the father's death - I may understand it if I ever get to watch it, lol)
ReplyDeleteI didn't read this posting because some day I'm gonna watch all of the Game of Thrones, but thank you for the spoiler alert!
ReplyDeleteI will forever shed tears for Robbie Stark :(((
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me who gets the throne in the end (in the books) since I have no intention on watching future seasons of the show after this slaughter.
Martin has a very jaded view of the world and if you look at the nightly news he's probably right. We are used to happy endings in our stories and that's why events like the red wedding are so jarring. Its lucky for the series that season four will be happier as I'm not sure the general public would watch another shock like that two seasons in a row.
ReplyDeleteI think you left two women off your list that have potential. Both Arya and Sansa are going through a process that is indoctrinating them into the true nature of that world that their father was trying to shield. When they get to the last book I'd bet both are going to be a much strong force that no one will expect.
Everyone was talking about that Red Wedding episode. These books and the show are huge right now.
ReplyDeleteGreat spoiler! I will watch season 3 when it comes out on DVD at the library but in the meantime I don't mind knowing this little tidbit.
ReplyDeleteI'm a 'happy ending' kind of gal, so I don't think I'll be watching GoT anymore. I was traumatized when Ned's head got chopped off in season 1. I was amazed when Dany (her character name changes all the bloody time) walked out of that fire with her dragons in season 2. After watching the 'Red Wedding' episode I hold no hope for the entire show. I was rooting for the Starks to have their revenge and now that's never going to happen, in which case there's no point in me continuing to watch. If I did watch next season they will probably kill of Dany and I don't want to see that because I love her character. I'll just write my own happy ending GoT fanfic for myself.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right about the Starks being too kind to win at the game of thrones. In this fiction it's the hard asses who win, and that's fine for viewers who like that kind of thing :)
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you have I've raged against that woman Robb fell in love with. It's all her fault! Well, it's his fault too, but if she'd just gotten lost then he would never have lost the Frey alliance in the first place. Robb's fault is that he never listened to his mother. She told him not to trust Theon and he didn't listen. She told him to marry the Frey girl and he didn't listen. Oh, it makes me so frustrated!
ReplyDeleteAnd by contrast, isn't it interesting how Jon had the same choice - between his lover and his duty - and he chose his duty. He knows how the game is played.
Jai
The red wedding was so powerfully shot...and I was surprised since I haven't gotten that far in the books (I just finished reading the 1st book). Definitely, Rob was his father's son, and received a similar fate...but damn was it brutal. The Starks seem to be down, but I'm hoping they're not out because I feel the other Stark kids could each have their own alignments to power.
ReplyDelete