Sons of the Harpy

With this week's episode of Game of Thrones, the showrunners fed book readers' an enormous feast on the one hand... while on the other, completely pulling the rug out from under us.

Without being too explicit for non-book readers in my audience, I'll simply say that the episode incorporated a big helping of back story that, coming as it did in a single episode, seemed to confirm the single most compelling fan theory surrounding a plot thread George R.R. Martin has not yet resolved

But on the other hand... holy crap, Barristan Selmy is dead! (I myself was in doubt as the end credits rolled, but actor Ian McElhinney has given interviews confirming his character's death.) Not only is Ser Barristan still very much alive as of the end of A Dance With Dragons, but he was actually pivotal -- to George R.R. Martin, at least -- in how that book finally took shape. Martin famously struggled in writing Daenerys' storyline, to a degree where that plot is the main reason that story wasn't continued until 11 years after the publication of A Storm of Swords. And ultimately, the only way Martin finally saw through the mess was to turn Barristan Selmy into a viewpoint character. It's a bit galling to think that the showrunners may have found a better way... and on their regular, 10-episodes-every-year schedule.

And make no mistake: so far, I think the show's way is better. One of the biggest problems with the "Sons of the Harpy" subplot of the book is how abstract a threat they are. All of their attacks take place off screen, taking lives neither Dany nor the readers ever meet. By putting two known characters right in the thick of a massive fight with the terrorists -- and actually killing one of those characters -- Dany's next course seems crystal clear. She tried public execution, and that didn't work. But she absolutely must have peace, at any cost, before she loses someone else close to her... which justifies the desperation of her next move.

Another big change from the book seems to be a means of getting at a similar result in a different way. Much in A Feast for Crows hangs on whether Margaery has remained chaste while married to a too-young-to-consummate King Tommen. By aging Tommen on the show (and making Margaery more crafty), the threat had to transfer to someone else. And as Lorys wasn't serving any particularly compelling role in the book, he was perfect for the job. Making Lorys' sexuality an issue for the pious Sparrows serves that narrative purpose, while injecting the potential for interesting social commentary on "religion versus homosexuality."

Speaking of sexuality, they certainly amplified that aspect of the relationship between Jon Snow and Melisandre this week. The book definitely tells us that there's something about her that Jon finds seductive. But in the book, she never so aggressively pursues a desire to make shadow assassin babies with him. Neither does she tell Stannis point blank that she will go with him to assault Winterfell. Either something is going to frustrate that intention of hers quite soon, or arguably the second most popular fan theory as of the end of A Dance With Dragons is going to have a major hole punched in it!

The adventures of Bronn and Jamie proved as entertaining this week as I'd hoped. There were plenty of nice moments, from Bronn's doubt that Myrcella is Jamie's "niece," to Jamie's silent quip that he's no good for rowing a boat, to the outstanding fight scene they had in the desert. Actually, Dorne in general featured more prominently this episode, with the introduction of the Sand Snakes. Dorne finally even made the opening credits map.

In some smaller moments: Stannis got some much needed humanizing this week, in the form of a well written scene with his daughter. (Again with the prominent grayscale references!) The crown's debt will be a plot point in the TV show after all... though here it seems to be about sending Ser Meryn to Braavos, where Arya just happens to be. Tyrion and Jorah had a few brief but fun scenes; I realized this week that by having Tyrion travel with Varys (unlike in the books), Jorah actually kidnapped Tyrion from his former employer -- a nice way to refute his work as Varys' spy. And lastly, I was reassured that Littlefinger remains as clever as I've always thought he was. He has put Sansa in harm's way on purpose, just so Stannis can rescue her. (And should Stannis fail, he thinks Sansa can work some magic on the Boltons as a backup plan.)

The story continues to entertain, staying far more compelling and fast paced this season than the books upon which it's ever-decreasingly based. I give this episode an A-.