Episode 1x08: Foreshadowing and Symbolism
Aug 12, 2016 13:58:25 GMT -5
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Post by moiaf on Aug 12, 2016 13:58:25 GMT -5
This will be an overview of what I noticed throughout the episode, I’ll leave the more in depth discussion to the comments below.
Here are my notes, as best as I can read them:
Arya
During her last training with Syrio he tells her, after he tricks her by telling her he is going one way and then going in the opposite way, “The true seeing is the heart of swordplay.” And he points to her heart. We will later see this manifested in Season 6 when Arya spends have the season blind and later kills the Waif in the dark.
Sansa
I don’t think this is foreshadowing of anything in particular but I still found it interesting. Pycelle, who we all hate, tells Sansa that a traitor’s daughter cannot be trusted because in the future she might hatch treason herself, to which Sansa answer that she wouldn’t, that she’ll be a queen just like Cersei. I don’t think that Sansa would betray Jon but she might be tempted to hatch treason with Littlefinger against Jon. That she said she’d be a queen like Cersei cracked me up.
Robb
Theon asks Robb if he’s afraid (after he tells Maester Luwin to call his banners) to which Robb says “I must be” while he looks at his shacking hand. Theon says “good” and Robb asks “why’s that” to which Theon answers “it means you’re not stupid.” This conversation is eerily similar to the one Dany has with Tyrion at the end of season 6, where Tyrion asks her if she’s afraid of entering the “Great Game” and Dany nods yes, to which Tyrion answers “Good, only mad men like your father are not afraid.”
Bringing this full circle Jon’s selection as King in the North in the same episode is almost identical to Robb’s selection as KITN.
So, in the season finally of season 6 the show tied in both Dany and Jon to Robb, another young leader and monarch. Let’s hope that they at least end their lives in a better way than poor Robb’s.
Jon and Dany (I couldn't think of a theme between these two scenes, if there is one).
Ser Alliser taunts Jon about being a traitor’s bastard, Jon responds by lunging on his with a knife and Ser Alliser tells him, you will hang for this. No, really but you will for being a traitor. Oh the irony. Later on Ghost senses the Wight and Jon burns his hand with a lamp while burning the Wight.
We then transition to Dany who is in the Lhazareen village as the Dothraki are pillaging it. As Dany looks as the mayhem around her she asks Jorah to make the Dothraki stop raping and abusing the women. Jorah looks at her and tells her that she has a kind heart but this is how things have always been. Dany denies this but demands that Jorah make the men stop. I think this touches on an important theme in Dany’s story, which is that she doesn’t believe in maintaining the status quo. If something doesn’t seem right to her, she will do her best to improve it, no matter if it’s been done that way for hundreds or thousands of years.
After Jorah stops the men he tells Dany “You can’t save them all” to which Dany answers “I can and I will.” This will later be manifested in her campaign against Slaver’s Bay.
Miscellaneous
- Mercy kills Varrys says, she totally did kill, that Marcy. But also thematically, it’s true.
- Varys tells Ned that he serves the realm. This tells us that he really has no true loyalties to any one person, whatever he believes will serve the realm best is what he’ll do. This makes me think about the books. Currently, Varys is backing Aegon the Fake, however, if he later comes to believe that Dany will serve the realm better than Aegon he might decide to change his allegiance and this would be true to his character. On the show he might later change allegiance as well if he thinks someone other than Dany can serve the realm better (betrayal for love of the realm?).
- When Osha says to Bran about Robb going South “How can the Gods watch when they have no eyes” it made me thing of the Three-eyed Raven and Lord Brydon A Thousand Eyes and One.
- Sam’s knowledge of the Wight Walkers is already greater than anyone at the Wall when he announces that “only fire will stop them now.” When they ask him how he knows that, he tells them her read it in a book. Hinting to us that Sam will be the one with the knowledge they’ll need to stop them. He also speaks the ominous line “I hope the Wall is tall enough” which we know it won’t be once it’s taken down.
- Ser Barristan saying “I am a Knight and I shall die a Knight” made me sad. Yes, Ser, you did die a Knight, like a Badass.
Here are my notes, as best as I can read them:
Arya
During her last training with Syrio he tells her, after he tricks her by telling her he is going one way and then going in the opposite way, “The true seeing is the heart of swordplay.” And he points to her heart. We will later see this manifested in Season 6 when Arya spends have the season blind and later kills the Waif in the dark.
Sansa
I don’t think this is foreshadowing of anything in particular but I still found it interesting. Pycelle, who we all hate, tells Sansa that a traitor’s daughter cannot be trusted because in the future she might hatch treason herself, to which Sansa answer that she wouldn’t, that she’ll be a queen just like Cersei. I don’t think that Sansa would betray Jon but she might be tempted to hatch treason with Littlefinger against Jon. That she said she’d be a queen like Cersei cracked me up.
Robb
Theon asks Robb if he’s afraid (after he tells Maester Luwin to call his banners) to which Robb says “I must be” while he looks at his shacking hand. Theon says “good” and Robb asks “why’s that” to which Theon answers “it means you’re not stupid.” This conversation is eerily similar to the one Dany has with Tyrion at the end of season 6, where Tyrion asks her if she’s afraid of entering the “Great Game” and Dany nods yes, to which Tyrion answers “Good, only mad men like your father are not afraid.”
Bringing this full circle Jon’s selection as King in the North in the same episode is almost identical to Robb’s selection as KITN.
So, in the season finally of season 6 the show tied in both Dany and Jon to Robb, another young leader and monarch. Let’s hope that they at least end their lives in a better way than poor Robb’s.
Jon and Dany (I couldn't think of a theme between these two scenes, if there is one).
Ser Alliser taunts Jon about being a traitor’s bastard, Jon responds by lunging on his with a knife and Ser Alliser tells him, you will hang for this. No, really but you will for being a traitor. Oh the irony. Later on Ghost senses the Wight and Jon burns his hand with a lamp while burning the Wight.
We then transition to Dany who is in the Lhazareen village as the Dothraki are pillaging it. As Dany looks as the mayhem around her she asks Jorah to make the Dothraki stop raping and abusing the women. Jorah looks at her and tells her that she has a kind heart but this is how things have always been. Dany denies this but demands that Jorah make the men stop. I think this touches on an important theme in Dany’s story, which is that she doesn’t believe in maintaining the status quo. If something doesn’t seem right to her, she will do her best to improve it, no matter if it’s been done that way for hundreds or thousands of years.
After Jorah stops the men he tells Dany “You can’t save them all” to which Dany answers “I can and I will.” This will later be manifested in her campaign against Slaver’s Bay.
Miscellaneous
- Mercy kills Varrys says, she totally did kill, that Marcy. But also thematically, it’s true.
- Varys tells Ned that he serves the realm. This tells us that he really has no true loyalties to any one person, whatever he believes will serve the realm best is what he’ll do. This makes me think about the books. Currently, Varys is backing Aegon the Fake, however, if he later comes to believe that Dany will serve the realm better than Aegon he might decide to change his allegiance and this would be true to his character. On the show he might later change allegiance as well if he thinks someone other than Dany can serve the realm better (betrayal for love of the realm?).
- When Osha says to Bran about Robb going South “How can the Gods watch when they have no eyes” it made me thing of the Three-eyed Raven and Lord Brydon A Thousand Eyes and One.
- Sam’s knowledge of the Wight Walkers is already greater than anyone at the Wall when he announces that “only fire will stop them now.” When they ask him how he knows that, he tells them her read it in a book. Hinting to us that Sam will be the one with the knowledge they’ll need to stop them. He also speaks the ominous line “I hope the Wall is tall enough” which we know it won’t be once it’s taken down.
- Ser Barristan saying “I am a Knight and I shall die a Knight” made me sad. Yes, Ser, you did die a Knight, like a Badass.