Game of Thrones: "The Laws of Gods and Men"

** Spoilers Below: **

Following the death of Joffrey, Vulture published an article entitled "So Who on Game of Thrones Am I Supposed to Hate?" Yes, it was intended somewhat jokingly, but it also pointed to an interesting piece of audience identification and reception that had us so heavily despising that character. 

Game of Thrones, in part due to the unique storytelling structure of the books, likes playing around with perspective and who we identify with. The really interesting thing though is how there is essentially no major character who the series chooses to have us not sympathize or identify with. It’s a tact taking place on The Americans as well where the shifting point of view has us rooting for the Soviets one moment and the Americans the next, and ultimately no one is really the villain so much as the system. 

The interesting thing is that this leads to a constant moral fluidity that makes us have few bearings to ground us. The show crafted a moral center in Ned before decapitating it and then suggested a new one in Robb before pulling out the rug once again. Now, who the fuck do we place our chips with when the cards are down?

One of the major driving narrative questions of the show, one that has become increasingly obsolete as the show has progressed, is who will end up on the throne when all is said and done. The show keeps defaulting to this sense that there’s always someone vying for the throne, but it also is simultaneously flippant about it. It matters but it’s really just a convenient engine to churn out conflict after conflict. There will always be someone who hopes to steal the throne away. It’s precisely this reason that Tywin is constantly scrambling to settle one problem after another (But more on that later).

The first two-thirds of “The Laws of Gods and Men” concerns itself with the major figures who could throw a kink in Lannister hegemony. We start with Stannis and Davos asking the Iron Bank in Braavos for money to fuel their war efforts. Stannis is the big current threat. He has a pretty good claim to the throne and with Lannister control faltering enemies are just waiting to come out of the woodwork to throw out there support behind someone else. 

Stannis gets put through the motions by the board of directors (played here by Mark Gatiss, best known for his work on Doctor Who), and we see Stannis, no matter how powerful he may believe himself to be, forced to bow before power that exists in more than just name alone. It’s a funny moment when Stannis sits down frustrated and impatient. “Power is where you stand,” Davos insightfully notes; he makes a passionate case for a Stannis victory being more than simply a pipe dream. Who has the power: the man who would be king, the man who bankrolls him, the sell-sword, such as Salladhor Saan, who fights the battle, or perhaps a man like Davos who can coordinate all of them?

Dany is also finding herself powerless as she searches for greater control, but in her case it’s by her own choice. Dany’s slave uprising was exciting but it was also just a little too full of itself. A few episodes ago Tywin noted there was a difference between gaining power and ruling, and Dany is learning that the hard way. She is incapable of controlling her dragons and she discovers that the symbolic act of crucifying Mereen’s slave-owners was not the simple black and white act she assumed it to be. The Masters, as these officials are called in Mereen, were not a monolithic evil but were a complex group with their pluses and minuses.  

Yara also makes a bid for Iron Island power by trying to save her brother Theon. But she learns that Theon is too forgone to be saved. Theon is no more; in his place is the weak and servile Reek who obeys the commands of no one but Ramsay Snow. Theon, to me, is one of the most interesting cases of shifting audience reception and identification. Theon has always been pitiable, but his actions against the Starks, his adoptive family, turned him into a slightly despicable character. Theon’s torture seems intended as a plot device to recalibrate our empathy towards the character. It begins as a punishment for his actions but goes past the point where it feels like justice is being served and plays against our desire to see retribution (Perhaps you disagree, I’ve already heard countering arguments and I’d love to hear more). 

The Boltons also represent a threat to the crown; as their ambitions continue to grow, how can we be certain their desires will be satiated? Anyone who you make an ally could very easily turn into your biggest threat eventually. The Tyrells and Martells are precariously perched in such a position for the Lannisters, and the Starks are already preexisting proof of this. 

Interestingly enough we don’t get any scenes with Littlefinger who seems to be a another strong example of this. But we do get his doppleganger better half Varys. In a great scene, Varys makes clear his intentions to Oberyn that his ultimate desires lie with the thrown. Bryan Cogman’s script wisely leaves the implications of the gesture ambiguous but it’s just enough of a hint to remind us that Varys is a bigger power play than he is often given credit. Director Alik Sakharov creates one of the best shots of the episode, placing the throne suggestively in the background between Varys and Oberyn. The throne is what stands in between not just these two but really everyone.

The buildup of the episode leads to the long sequence of Tyrion’s trial. Yet again the show benefits enormously from letting this final sequence have a little extra screentime, and it uses it to draw out both how much of a kangaroo court this is and how thoroughly, tragically Tyrion is being dragged through the mud. The episode ends with this storyline because its set at King’s Landing. While the rest of the episode details how contenders for the throne are faring, this sequence reminds us once more that Lannister power is really waning. 

Consider for a moment that Tywin essentially manipulates this whole situation to his own benefit. He allows the trial to be an awful, transparent sham because it will force out Tyrion as his heir. In turn, this will necessitate Jaimie stepping down from the Kingsguard, where he’s technically supposed to be celibate, so that he can become Tywin’s heir, the one he thinks he deserves. It’s some fuck-up politicking, ruthless and cold. But it also has the faintest whiff of desperation. 

Indeed, every person who comes to testify against Tyrion has clearly been paid off or holds a grudge against him. The judges are rigged as well. Mace Tyrell is a non-entity, and Oberyn is the only one who appears to have the remotest (and it feels very remote at that) interest in some worthwhile inquiry. 

And then there’s the real kicker: Shae is brought in as a witness against Tyrion. Why? Perhaps due to resentment towards Tyrion for how he treated her, sending her away. Perhaps she was threatened with death, or, worse, paid off. The why and how of it matter far less here than the effect it produces. It’s a devastating moment. In the show, Tyrion and Shae, in their own weird way, were one of the healthiest, strongest couples, and to have her betray him like this pushes Tyrion over the edge. 

Jaimie had maneuvered (or, at least, he believes he did, when really Tywin had intended this all along) to have Tyrion sent to the Wall rather than be sent to death. But Tyrion is tired of what’s really on trial here, the fact that he’s a dwarf. He righteously lashes out, a powerful moment for how it cuts through all of the false modesty and bullshit of the courtly politics. 

Tyrion calls for trial by combat. Let the gods decide he says; their laws have to be better than the ones men have made. Inside King’s Landing those laws created this ludicrous charade and outside they allow for the people of the kingdoms to starve and suffer while war wages, for sadistic people like Ramsay to ruin them and naïve ones like Dany to add to their ache further. 

In a place where being responsible for saving the lives of thousands is still met with the enthusiastic desire for summary execution, how can we want any of these people to gain power? Game of Thrones tempts us time and again with people who could be a good rulers, putting them into a position to wield power before taking it away from them or undermining it. But, again, don’t get mad at the people; the medieval world of Westeros has created a socio-political system that is designed so that no one who probably should have power ever gets it. That’s why the shifting perspective matters. It not only muddies up the morality, but it turns everyone into a victim, even often when they’re being the victimizer.

Stray Thoughts:

-Apparently, Tywin is 67 years old, which is also as it turns out Charles Dance’s age in real life. He’s in pretty good shape despite what Davos says about his virility. 

-Yara’s soldiers marching on the Dreadfort is intercut with shots of Ramsay getting it on. The intended meaning, I think, relates to Theon’s manhood being sent as gift to Yara. You do the rest of the math as far as intent there.

-“My brother is dead.” Gemma Whelan is excellent in that moment, and it makes me wish we got to spend more time with Yara. A really interesting, underutilized character.

-Mace Tyrell as a total idiot is an easy joke but the show hasn’t leaned on it all that much so I still find it very entertaining. Watching him bumble in his efforts to please Tywin at the small council meeting was delightful. 

-Pycelle is also another reliably amusing character, and he hasn’t been called upon for a while now. He seemed like he would be a much bigger deal back in season one but little has come of it.

-I really liked the moment where the small council acknowledges and discusses the growing threat of Dany. It makes these characters seem less oblivious and dumb (as they would need to avoid being to maintain control of the crown), and it also makes the world of the show feel lived-in. 

-Another important point regarding perspective: everything recounted about Tyrion actually happened but is placed completely out of context. Perspective is crucial on this show.

Grade: A-