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Why “The Dragon and The Wolf” balances out a rather rocky Season of Game Of Thrones

Game of thrones has always been a show about great cinematic moments, it pushes and pulls its characters to move across seas, climb mountains, trudge the snow in order for them to get where they're going. This season is still full of cinematic moments, the main problem is sometimes they don’t really make sense. Whether it’s because these cinematic moments makes logic tug at you, or because there is in no way the whole storyline makes sense, or because you know it’s for pure shock value, the point of these moments are lost. Good thing for us, despite its faults, “The Dragon and The Wolf” gives us a reason to believe that the faulty set up can lead to satisfying and even terrific (though sometimes confusing) conclusions. 

To say that Season 7 of Game Of Thrones is the best would be a disservice to the previous seasons (and to me a bastardization of the 2 direct ones that preceded it). It is fast paced yes, but not without its flaws. Back then I felt like we wasted too much time watching characters no one was invested in, or seeing little pieces drag on for 1/5 or 1/6 of the show when it could have truly been given just a minute. Fast forward to season 7, and you realize just how important those moments were (of course there were still some I find pointless, I'm looking at you Sand Snakes). Which really begs the question, how does Game of Thrones strike a balance between the need for urgency, and the small seemingly irrelevant moments that end up meaning much more? 

As the season progressed (with a very slow premiere by the way), I couldn't help but feel that everything that's happening is how it was always going to play out. It was always just a matter of when it would happen. Fast, but not necessarily exhilarating nor logical; Game of Thrones took a long time to bring us to where we started in season 7, and it took quicker to unravel the spools of what was plausible. It's funny how people say that suspension of disbelief is necessary in television shows, and how in a show with dragons, white walkers, century old priestesses, rebirth, and whatnot, it's traveling time that we question. 

As a person who has watched the show since 2011, let me be the one to tell you that Game Of Thrones, despite having unrealistic aspects has always had the benefit of having the characters in different places explain time and make the stories seem plausible. As the show comes to an end, and the convergence happens, it makes it less believable to know that some stories are moving at high speed, while some stories are inching its way to fruition. Just watching this season and the transition from scene to scene gives us that awkward mix of this is a set up episode and something really relevant is happening. It’s like we’re standing on a cliff seeing Dragons fly in circles, and by contrast we see boats rushing at full speed. 

Season 7 though finds it balance as it tries to tie together the loose ends this damn faulty spool of storytelling has done for the past few episodes. It gives us the illusion that everything happening before this episode was meant to happen to get us to this point. Unfortunately for some of the storylines, the narrative destination does not fully make up for the poorly thought of stories that have riddled the season. What this episode does though is it leaves an impact by making us realize as well just how tied all of these people are by their familial ties, and their previous storylines. The episode benefits not from the set up made in the season, but from the set up carried by the whole of the series. 

Spoilers Ahead

The meeting of the three rulers of Westeros is something we all have expected since the day this show started. Whether it’s in a battle, or in Highgarden with everyone having tea, was always the question. We receive our answer in the form of the Unsullied standing strong, the dothraki surging towards King’s Landing. The King In The North and everybody else in a ship. Bronn talks about cocks (which is funny because this show barely shows cocks anymore). The Hound and Brienne share a moment to talk about Arya and their mutual respect (? or fear) of each other. Podrick and Theon, Theon and Bronn. Heroes of the Blackwater Bay. Cersei arrives with Qyburn, Jamie, The Mountain, and *sigh* Euron (tell me why did Dan and David said he would be a great villain again?) The Hound and The Mountain do a little dance that to me feels like purely fan service, there is absolutely no sense in what happens between them or why The Mountain who barely does anything but to do Cersei’s bidding would approach his brother. Daenerys arrives last as she flies in with Drogon and Rhaegal to further showcase her power. It is a lifetime ago since most of these characters have shared a scene together, and it is fitting that we get the full convergence of some of the most relevant characters in Dragonpit where, as Daenerys explains, the Targaryens put the symbol of their power (what made them extraordinary to be exact) and they locked them. The Queens and King meet where the most powerful creatures were bound to act as if they weren’t. Euron interrupts this meeting by taunting Theon for Yara and Tyrion. It is clear in this meeting that 1) Cersei hates them all (Theon above anyone else), and 2) Jon despite everything still knows nothing. Everything about this scene is about power, and yet to me only one person here stands with true power. Cersei. Cersei is the only one of the three monarchs and their people who say no. And unlike Euron, she does it not out of fear. She does it after Jon refuses to serve two queens. She does it and it truly feels like she can (at this point we don’t know why yet, and it is impressive). Regardless of the Wight that charged at her. She manages to keep her power. If there is anything anyone needs to know about me, it’s that I admire Cersei Lannister despite how despicable a human being she is. She is the only one who knows exactly what to do with power in order to keep it. 

Tyrion decides to speak to Cersei, and it is a reunion I have waited for since Season 4. It is clear that Cersei blames Tyrion for everything. Their mother, their father, her children. Cersei, despite her intelligence needs a person to blame; it is and it has always been one of her most self destructive flaws. In not recognizing the things she is directly responsible for, she alienates the ones she loves the most (or causes them to kill themselves). Tyrion on the other hand stands as self aware as ever. Despite Tyrion talking a great game about wanting to kill her sister, is still the same man we’ve known since season 1. Optimistic to a fault. The mere fact that he is in the same room with Cersei and The Mountain is ridiculous. In fact, it is unclear to me why Cersei chooses not to kill him. Is it because she needs someone to blame, and Daenerys or Jon just don’t fit the requirements for her vitriol? It is more plausible to me that the writers of the show need to constantly remind us that Cersei is still human. Cersei then decides to set aside differences for her unborn child, for family. 

To me one of the most satisfying parts of this episode is between the Stark sisters. It is full of flaws, and yet I love it. Sansa and Littlefinger talk about Arya, and he makes her assume the worst of his sister. She then sends for her and in a twist, she is actually sentencing Littlefinger, finally holding him fully accountable for all of his sins to the Starks. Considering everything that has happened prior to this episode, THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. What was the need for the Stark Sibling Dance in Winterfell? I’ve read varying opinions on this, and nothing makes sense still. Was the whole thing planned? From Arya’s discovery of the letter? Or was Littlefinger and Sansa’s conversation the turning point for Sansa? And if so, how did she convince Arya otherwise? Here the show reveals that it spooled storylines that despite being able to tie together, doesn’t fully form a cohesive comprehensible thought. In the need to keep characters moving, we have characters doing things that barely fit their story arc. See, we needed to see Arya and Sansa do something, else we’d realize just how fast everything else is moving. It barely even works and if not for my desire to see Littlefinger outplayed die at the hands of the Starks, the effect would have been lost on me (as I assume it is lost on other people). Props to Petyr, Sansa, and Arya for doing the heavy weight lifting in what was almost a lost shot. 

Fans of Theon (like me) will also appreciate the decision for him to finally grow some balls. Slightly dramatic with his conversation with Jon, slightly comedic in his one on one combat with one of his sister’s followers. But you see, again, this only has an impact because I love Theon and Yara. His bit about Yara being the only one who tried to save him feels real, not just because Alfie Allen has grown considerably as an actor, but also because we know it to be true. What about his idleness  in this season? What has he been doing all this time? While everyone else has travelled to and from the wall, from King’s Landing to Dragonstone, what has he been doing? And a quick conversation with Jon or taunts from Euron, is not convincing enough to make this fully understandable. But as was said, the show needed to move everyone to certain places, and not as carefully nor as impeccably as they have done in the past. 

The best scene for me comes in the form of Cersei’s reveal. Cersei reveals that she has no intentions of actually helping the War, and Euron is on the way to Essos to fetch the Golden Company the Iron Bank has helped her purchase. The confidence in Cersei’s voice as it seems that she edges towards madness. Jaime rationalizing to the woman he loves most. They have spent the most time in this show together, and we’ve seen them grow as lovers, enemies, characters. As a turning point, Jaime decides that he will join the war and ride north. I honestly felt the fear as Cersei gives the Mountain the command to kill Jaime. But as this episode and countless moments between Cersei and her family, Jaime’s survival speaks to me as real. It is unlike Bronn’s survival, or The Hound’s, or Berric’s, or Tormund’s. I understand why Cersei didn’t kill Jaime. She loves him. She is not Drogon or a Wight or a White Walker whose inability to kill major characters confuse me. And as Jaime rides off, snow falls into King Landing in a very brilliantly scored scene, to remind us that Winter is here. 

Sam arrives in Winterfell, and a conversation with Bran gives us all that this season (and hinted at the whole series) has been leaving clues to. Jon is Rhaegar and Lyanna’s son. Juxtaposing Rhaegar and Lyanna being married with Jon entering Daenery’s Chambers, and Lyanna asking Ned to protect her son, Aegon Targaryen with Daenerys and Jon having sex (with Tyrion outside) was an effective way to tell us that Jon is the heir to the Iron Throne, and a reminder of what this means for the story. This will be one of the most interesting things moving forward, and probably one of the most powerful Game Of Thrones moments (one that compares to last season’s Tower Of Joy scenes). 

What does their incestual love making mean for the two of them the moment they find out? What will it mean for their relationship and alliance once Daenerys finds out that Jon is the heir to the throne? Are we to look at them the way we’re supposed to look at The Dragon and The Wolf before them, Lyanna and Rhaegar? This whole series of scenes leaves us with these questions, and it will stay with us until they’re answered. 

Sidenote: why is the actor playing Rhaergar eerily similar to Viserys, a character, I assume we all hated. 

Also I could listen to Isaac Hempstead-Wright narrate a grocery list, and it would keep me satisfied. 

Arya and Sansa standing in Winterfell, finally recognizing each other the way we have always wanted to. Arya sees her sister as the Lady of Winterfell, acknowledging what Sansa has gone through. Sansa seeing her sister as the strong woman she has become. Both Starks reciting Ned’s words, “When the snows fall and the white winds blow the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.” This is true not just for the Starks, but for every single person heading to the North. This whole episode has painted how important these familial bonds have been, and how they will always be, especially as we reach the conclusion of this song. 

And yet after this final note, the episode still doesn’t end. The episode ends with Berric and Tormund at the wall, as the Night King rides with Viserion, the Wight, destroy the wall. In a fairly terrifying scene of the Viserion, the Wight breathing ice (that seems to work like fire? Let’s just assume it’s blue fire) destroying the wall, we are treated to a brilliant display of CGI that seems to culminate the very first scene of Episode 1 of the series. We know nothing of Berric and Tormund’s fates, but we do know this: The White Walkers and Wights are here for GoT’s own version of the Apocalypse, Winter. 

Here’s hoping everything starts moving at the same pace for the next season. 

#GameOfThrones TheDragonAndTheWolf #GOTSeason7 #got7 #thronesyall #gotrecap #GOTreview

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Inside Out

Let’s be clear about one thing, Inside out is my second most favorite animated film of 2015, tied with the beauty that is When Marnie Was there. A bright, well-lit, color-dependent, heavily alluring film about archetypes (let’s be real, there’s something a little bit familiar about the emotions) masterfully paints the effects of repression, and brilliantly (though not without its inaccuracies) represents what I imagine sometimes goes on in my mind. 

Inside Out juxtaposes the story of a Riley, a 12 year old girl departing from Michigan, her home with all of her friends and all that she is used to, to San Francisco, and what goes on inside her head as she deals with this major change in her life.

 As we are greeted with witty quips from the emotions, portrayed by renowned comedians, and a wonderful depiction of the inside of what goes on in a young girl’s head, themes of isolation, loneliness, and repression add further dramatic flair to what may seem like a simple children’s movie. At first glance the movie seems to be quite predictable, Riley struggles to deal with her new life, as two of the main characters, Joy, the ‘leader’ of headquarters, and Sadness, the emotion nobody gets in headquarters and seen as the primary ‘antagonist’ by the other emotions, gets sucked out of ‘headquarters,’ leaving Anger, Fear, and Disgust to control Riley. 

Of course it is hinted at and blatantly said at the start, that things would spiral out of control but the way the movie unfolds more than makes up for what detractors may say as a very predictable story. At the very beginning of the movie Joy frames Sadness as the antagonist of the film; happy equals good, sadness equals bad. Each of the emotions have their own purpose, but at the end of the day Joy was bent on making sure that Riley stayed a ‘happy girl.’ This works out for all of them as Riley lives a pretty good life in Minnesota as an honest, goofy, friendly, family-oriented, hockey-playing girl, but as a major change comes that the main characters, Riley and all of her emotions, are caught off guard and struggle to deal with the change. 

One of the aspects that movie goers might miss out on is the fact that Riley and the emotions are not separate from each other, they may be living inside her head but they are manifestations of Riley and all that she feels, and thus what they think and feel, Riley thinks and feels. This multileveled representation of a human person adds that deeper insight to how the movie deals with that major change. When they get to San Francisco, all of the other emotions get to take a step forward and Joy realizes that she is losing control of headquarters and she must keep Riley happy. One pivotal scene is when all of the emotions, except Sadness who is still viewed as the more negative of the emotions, start to take over headquarters, complaining, ranting, and dreading in Riley’s head, when Riley’s mother thanks Riley from staying their happy girl. It is this specific moment when Joy, again gets fired up to push even harder to keep Riley happy. 

All through out the movie Joy and the other emotions struggle to keep Riley happy, even with Joy outside of headquarters, failing to notice that 1) Riley was not okay, and 2) the more they ignored the fact that Riley felt isolated and lonely, the more they lose control of the girl whose emotions they represent. A breath of fresh air comes into the movie in the form of Bingbong, an imaginary friend that is shown at the very start of the movie as a drawing, and becomes the companion of Sadness and Joy as they make their way back to headquarters. Bingbong was the innocent sidekick that eventually turned out to be the unexpected breakthrough star of the movie; providing comic relief and one of the most dramatic moments in Pixar history as the forgotten imaginary friend sacrifices his existence to make sure Riley becomes happy, giving us heartbreaking feelings similar to Jessie’s ‘When She Loved Me’ moment in Toy story 2. 

As one of the more latent but major themes of the story, isolation and loneliness fill the movie with grit that is otherwise unexpected in a children’s movie. Riley feels alone in her new home, with none of that which she is used to (her house, her clothes, her bed, her friends, et al.), but it’s not until the very end that it is highlighted as the major themes of the film. Bingbong is also an expression of isolation and loneliness, collecting old memories, treasuring them and making sure they don’t end up as ‘forgotten’ memories. It is only until the very end that the spotlight is shone on this theme when the control panel of Riley’s emotions turns untouchable as she decides to run away from home, which was the effect of constant repression of sadness. 

Joy eventually realizes that Sadness is essential because Sadness makes other people realize that Riley needs help. She realizes that Sadness was vital and it is only when sadness returns to headquarters that Riley accepts that 1) she is not okay, 2) she needs to be honest with how she feels, and 3) she transcends seeing the world as black and white, or as the movie puts it as happy, sad, angry, disgusted, and afraid singularly, and accepting that what goes on in a person’s life is a multi-faceted mix of emotions that contribute to what and who a person becomes.

 These profound stories, symbolisms, and themes add an overall depth to what people already appreciate as a funny, cute, children’s movie. Put all of these things together, Inside out is truly a brilliant, heart-warming, and emotional (pun intended) movie that has made every viewer look at their emotions and their lives in a different light.

#InsideOut Pixar

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Spider-man: Homecoming, a coming of age film

Spider-man: Homecoming may have its issues and a few inconsistencies, but a lot of praise is given for what this new movie does differently. For the third reboot over the course of less than 2 decades, this film shines as a truly sincere one. We've had three Spidermans over the course of our lives, and what Tom Holland does differently (and brings to the table) is a kind of sincerity that men who are playing boys can't do. The awkwardness and adorability were something that Tobey and Andrew brought, but it is with the freshness of Tom that we see something that Spiderman fans have been clamoring for a long time. At its very core, Spider-man: Homecoming is a teen movie. Peter goes through all of the things a teenager does, overarrogance because of his "internship" with Stark Industries (which as we all know was combatting the avengers), his consistent disregard for everyone else around him pursuing things despite being warned not to, rushing into things without notifying Tony or Happy. The movie is a story about most teenagers, and it's good the drama isn't suffocating. No more of the uncle ben dramatic ploy, which we really don't need to see 3 times. Spiderman is fun,  and it's pure teen fun. This film is strikingly different as well from most recent Marvel Cinematic University movies  (Like Ant-man, and Doctor Strange) because there is a focus on what makes being a hero, a hero. What's striking (albeit cheesy) is that moment when Peter realizes that he does not need his suit to be the kind of person he wants to be. At its core, Peter is really like a kid learning about accountability and responsibility, and realizing that hiding behind a mask or joining a group doing good does not make greatness, but his actual beliefs that make him who he is. The stark contrast of purpose from the beginning (we keep seeing Peter running around to do good without fully grasping what his purpose was) to understanding the fundamental value of what he can do for his city. Much praise is also given to Michael Keaton who gives the MCU villain universe a much needed pick me up. Far too often, MCU villains don't have much purpose. Extra-terrestrial Gods or Wizards who seek our heroes' powers, etc. The main problem with most of these villains is they feel out of touch from the plot, a disposable plot device even. And then you have Adrian Toome. Adrian Toome who seems to be developing with Peter. From a scorned middle class man focused on defying the structural indifference from the elites, into a full fledged villain. Reminiscient of Spiderman 1's Green Goblin or Spiderman 2's Doc Oc. Even the after-credits, signal that Vulture is poised to come back bigger and badder than ever. The biggest disappointment comes in the form Zendaya, a brilliant young actress who seems to have been used as a token marketing tool. Anybody who was hoping for Zendaya to shine as one of the main characters, the way the press tour has been going will be disappointed to see how very little Zendaya there is in this film. Even Spidey's suit has more exposure than Zendaya, Karen is funny, supportive, and adds one more layer for the otherwise very lonely Peter. What gives me hope is the way they treat Michelle (Or as we now know, surprise surprise, is MJ) though: Smart, sharp, and independent. I just feel cheated by how Zendaya's presence in the movie seems inversely proportional to her presence in the press tour, but the character development seems to show a lot of promise. Here's hoping they follow through on the next movie by turning her into a strong love interest, and not just some damsel in distress, pining for our hero. All in all, Spider-man: Homecoming is a fun movie that stays true to the essence of Spiderman. Giving life to a character that we didn't really realize could use more, youth.