“The Laws of God and Men” and “Mockingbird,” episodes six and seven respectively, have given us several shocking revelations and left us wondering how these last three episodes will play out. We are nearing the end of season four and the plot only thickens as the players begin to show their hands.
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In episode six, Daenerys begins to see the real consequences of not heeding Ser Barristan Selmy’s advice to show mercy. Long lines of supplicants come to her with grievances about her dragons and her merciless treatment of the Masters. Not everyone is having such a great time with Dany reigning as queen. In episode seven it comes to a head as we learn Yunkai’s Masters have begun to rise up against her. But rather than remaining stubbornly cruel, we see a glint of mercy — even if Jorah did have to work hard to get it out of her. Perhaps it isn’t too late for her to learn better tact as a queen.
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However, it’s definitely too late for Theon. One can only guess what kind of torture he was subjected to by Ramsay in order to render him so subservient. And yet, it’s still very shocking to see the way he so desperately clings to stay with Ramsay, even in the face of his sister’s attempt to save him. It was surreal seeing Theon screaming to remain in his kennel, yet that type of reaction is indicative of a person that has developed a trauma-bond with his or her abuser, otherwise known as Stockholm syndrome.
Through a cycle of violence and intermittent acts of kindness Ramsay has reconditioned Theon completely. It’s much more than him being a pet. Theon has an overpowering need to remain with Ramsay because despite the cruelty, he craves those moments of repose when Ramsay is kind — such as the oddly gentle bath he gives Theon. This is the only way Theon’s brain can cope with being held hostage and having been terribly mutilated. What will be interesting to see is how he will pretend to be himself again even though he has been reprogrammed to believe that he isn’t Theon? Will the separation allow him to regain some sense of his former self? Or will Ramsay have his way and pull off this Trojan horse scheme?
At present it seems as though other schemes have gone totally unnoticed in King’s Landing at Tyrion’s trial and with Petyr (once again). I have never liked Shay. She didn’t have an ounce of sense. Yet, it was still surprising to see her slink into the throne room to tell outrageous lies. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but this is crazy and out-of-character for Shay.
In response, Tyrion officially lost it. Seething with venom, he gave a scathingly honest (and long overdue) speech to the whole court that stole the spotlight in episode six. A trial by combat is what he requested and after what seemed like a futile search for a champion, Tyrion found one in Oberyn in episode seven. Revenge seems to be Shay and Oberyn’s mantra — but at least Oberyn’s makes sense. Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane raped and killed Oberyn’s sister, Ellya, in Robert’s Rebellion. Tyrion? Well, he did as he was told by his father and treated his frightened, pitiful wife kindly.
While it was very touching to see Pot Pie again with a better wolf-shaped meat pie for Brienne to take to Arya, and we got a rare glimpse at “The Hound” being vulnerable, episode seven was ultimately stolen at the very end. “Game of Thrones” knows exactly how to save the best for last. Petyr Baelish is possibly the most dangerous character (and a total paedophile). He started this four season long ordeal by convincing Lysa to poison her husband and has consistently been behind the deaths of some of the most powerful people in Westeros. And Sansa even kissed him! Of course, that was before she watched him toss her aunt out the Moon Gate. Things are quickly ramping up for the season finale and I just don’t know what’s going to happen. Can Brienne and Pod just hurry up and drag these Stark girls away to some safe place (I’m laughing as I write this)?
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