TV: Game of Thrones Season 5

So that’s it, another season of Game of Thrones is over and fans are left to wallow in despair until next year. This season had a lot of great moments (the battle at Hardhome, the fighting pits), but also a fair few missteps (the entire Dorne storyline), and I’m sure will divide fans.

A lot of what kept me going during season 4 was the Arya storyline, which took a rather short journey between her and The Hound and made it into a great arc for Arya’s character. Arya’s slow transformation into killer continues this season, as she joins up with The House of Black and White, hoping to learn the skills she needs to slaughter her enemies. This storyline bored me in the book and the show struggles to improve on it. Arya’s entire journey has been building to Braavos and opaque speeches about becoming no one is not what anyone wants to see. 

The highlight of the Stark girl’s journey to becoming no one occurs in the sixth episode, as she lies to a girl suffering from a painful, incurable illness. It is the only point this season at which Maisie Williams gets to showcase how she has grown as an actress, a waste of one of the best young talents on television. In the final episode of the season, we get to witness Arya’s first real assassination, a bloody, violent affair that seems completely against the methods of the House of Black and White. Arya’s punishment for breaking the rules will lead to a very different storyline for the character, but it seems unlikely that we’ll hear “you are no one” any less.

Sansa’s storyline this season is a travesty to the character, dismissing all the character growth she has taken over the last few years. She escaped a horrific marriage to Joffrey, to now be married to an even more grotesque individual, Ramsay Bolton, the lovely man that spent far too much time torturing Theon back in season 3. Of course in the book this is a role which is filled by Jeyne Poole pretending to be Arya Stark, while Sansa has yet to leave the Vale. My initial hopes that Stannis might show up before the fateful wedding were of course dashed in episode 6, leading to Sansa getting raped on her wedding night as Theon watches.

Unlike many viewers I am not one to be disgusted at the show’s use of rape in this instance. The rape of Cersei last season was absolutely unnecessary and turned what is a consensual sex act in the books into Jaime forcing himself on his sister. Here it should have almost been expected. In the land of Westeros the wedding night culminates in sex, whether the woman wants it or not. This is the Middle Ages; women’s rights are not something up for discussion. While Tyrion saved Sansa from this horror, Ramsay Bolton is a monster. In fact the issue that Tyrion and Sansa never consummated their marriage is given as the reason she can marry Ramsay in the first place.

The issue I have is that from this point Sansa is completely defeated, unable to rely on allies that present themselves. While much of what Ramsay does to her is not shown, it is suggested that abuse is now her daily life. Rather than give her a chance to save herself and regain her independence the show instead puts any hope for her in the hands of the incredibly broken Theon, now calling himself Reek. Alfie Allen does bring a great atmosphere to Reek, portraying him as a broken, obedient slave. He is constantly in fear of Ramsay’s abuse, believing that he can’t do anything that would oppose him. However, the moment he chooses to act the hero feels very off. He could have slipped away with Sansa during the battle, but instead waits for it all to be over with; the pair’s chances of escape seem very slim.

Jaime’s story is definitely the most boring and directionless this season, he shows up in Dorne with Bronn, has a lame fight with the completely unthreatening Sand Snakes and is then given exactly what he came for by the Prince of Dorne, Doran Martell. There is a hint of pathos in his final scene of the season but it doesn’t make up for the blandness of this introduction to the characters in Dorne, who should be big players going forward. The Sand Snakes felt watered down, with not a single one being memorable. Doran Martell has the same ferocity but as of yet has none of the menace, there is no hint he even wants revenge on the Lannisters.

The journey of everyone’s favourite Lannister actually benefits from a bit of streamlining with Tyrion’s story skipping out a rather bland chunk of his travels. By having him encounter Ser Jorah early on, The Imp’s story is thrust towards Daenerys. The show could have carried on with the book’s path and prevent the pair from meeting but instead chooses to bring their story together. Peter Dinklage doesn’t get any real showcase scenes this season. His discussion with Daenerys about the nature of ruling is the closest we get, but it really does more to display Emilia Clarke. The finale seemingly places him in charge of Meereen, a storyline which hopefully won’t be too similar to his running of King’s Landing – which is referenced at least three times.

Daenerys doesn’t fare particularly well in Meereen, with the threat of the Sons of the Harpy looming overhead all season. First they kill many of her Unsullied, and then they take her trusted knight Ser Barristan. All this leads her to agree to marry the sleazy Hizdahr zo Loraq (an impossible name to spell even for this show), and reopen the fighting pits. This leads to one of the better scenes of the season, when in episode 9 The Sons of the Harpy attack Daenerys and her followers at the opening of the pits. Dany is only saved by the arrival of one of her dragons, which will hopefully serve as a lesson in not locking up your best assets. However, the last we see of her this season sees her coming across a Dothraki raiding party, which seems like a step backwards for her character.

Stannis’ arc had the most surprises this season, turning him from a character I was just slightly bored of to one of my most hated characters. He loses more and more as the season goes along, which eventually leads him to take an incredibly dark turn in episode 9. As he arrived at the battle of Winterfell with a very small force, I found myself cheering on the Boltons, something I never thought would happen.

Jon Snow spends much of the season doing what he does best, scowling at The Wall, finally getting something to do in episode 8.  The battle at Hardhome is inarguably the best scene of the year, and it’s hard to believe they were able to create it so effectively. Wights rain down on Jon and the Night’s Watch as they attempt to defend a Wildling town, allowing for an amazing special effects showcase. Jon’s fight against a White Walker is a definite highlight, with Jon just defeating the imposing foe. The end of his story is a daring move, one which I doubt the show will completely follow through on. However, no matter what happens it seems that Jon’s time at The Wall is far from over.

Game of Thrones is steadily becoming a show I want to love, but I’ve lost most of my interest in. I go back week after week and want to feel the love I once did, but some of the spark has gone.

Part of this problem comes from the fact that I have read the books, and while the show is deviating from the book’s path slightly I know the general beats of the story. Of course some storylines have now gotten ahead of the books, while others have effectively caught up. If season 6 beats book 6 to the screen this issue may dissolve entirely. But as season 5 stands, I found myself waiting around for the fighting pits scene, just as last year I found myself anticipating Oberyn vs The Mountain.

The battle of Hardhome was a nice surprise, something completely created for the show which was a thrill to watch. I am almost hoping the show stays ahead of the books so I can regain my interest in it. I will of course be back for season 6, but I just hope that this season was a momentary lull.