Game of Thrones “Book of the Stranger”—Thematic Analysis

Tonight’s episode “The Book of the Stranger,” takes it title from the final section of the religious text, The Seven-Pointed Star, Westeros’ equivalent of the King James Bible. During one of the more striking scenes of the evening–in an episode that most are going to agree is the strongest of the season so far–Margaery even quotes it, chapter and verse, at the High Sparrow. “And one day your walked through a graveyard and realized it was all for nothing, and set out on the path to righteousness. Book of the Stranger, Verse 25.” It is a striking scene, both in Jonathan Pryce’s reveal of The High Sparrow’s backstory in a mesmerizing monologue, the type of which one usually only finds in Shakespearean productions, but also in Margaery’s response. For all her time in the dungeons, and the relentless brainwashing type torture of Septa Unella, Margaery has not broken. Instead she’s been listening, absorbing, and she’s taken the tools they’ve given her to use against her captors when the time is right.

Greyworm: You will not use them. They will use you.

Does the High Sparrow recognize that Margaery is attempting to manipulate him? It’s the first time we’ve seen someone come up against him who even has an idea of where the levers are to begin with. Cersei was utterly blind to him, and Olenna utterly flustered. But Margaery recognizes, and calls out, his own mythologizing of his life–he may not have walked through a graveyard, but he certainly realized it was all for nothing and set out on his own path to righteousness. It is the beginning of an alliance–one she can win by following Loras’ instructions of letting the High Sparrow think he’s won. But across the board, those who think they are in control of the situation are in a far more tenuous situation than they think.

That theme, of “Who uses the user?” played out across all of the plotlines of this week’s spectacular episode. Even our shorter scenes, like Ramsay’s murder of Osha (RIP Tonks!) was a character thinking they had the upperhand, and the control of the situation. Osha thought she was going to use this high born lord’s appetites against him, as she had so many others before. She, like everyone around Ramsay, continued to underestimate his capacity for cruelty. Theon Greyjoy may have made it home, but he swiftly recognizes that the only way into Yara’s good graces is to promise to make her ruler of the Pyke–while Yara sees what she thinks is her main competition handing her a can’t-lose lottery ticket and clear path to success through the Kingsmoot. Cersei and Jaime may have finally forced their way into the heart of the Small Council formed by Kevan and Olenna, but the end result of their blatant manipulations of both (Cersei threatening Olenna with Margaery being marched naked through the streets, while appealing to Kevan that he can somehow get his son back from the High Sparrow) just allowed an entire invading army the keys to the city. An army, it should be noted that will answer not to Cersei, Jaime, or Kevan, but Olenna and Margaery. Meanwhile, Tommen is being manipulated from all sides (tonight it was in quick succession by the High Sparrow, Pycelle and Cersei.) The last of these still thinks she has control as “Mother,” but Tommen’s wary revelation that he’s caught on to how much Margaery and Cersei hate each other suggests her time using Tommen for her own ends grows shorter than she knows.

Missandei: “As a clever man once told me, we make peace with our enemies, not our friends.”

The heart of tonight’s theme came from Meereen, in one of the very few times visiting that city has not felt either pointless or frustrating since maybe about halfway through Season 4. Tyrion may not understand the culture of those around him. He may not understand how to relax with Grey Worm or Missandei. He may not be able to speak Valyrian much better than he did when he arrived at the end of last season. But men are men everywhere. And unlike Dany and her absolutism, he understands (forgive me) the art of the deal. Appealing to the self interest of the Masters while giving them time to put a new economic system of capitalism in place instead of slavery is the fastest way to end the wars of the moment. Does he think they will industriously start putting in a new system when they go home tomorrow? No. But he’s managed to press pause on their enemies, at least for now. And the Seven willing, by the time seven years is up, he, Dany, Missandei, Grey Worm and Varys will all be far away from this soul sucking corner of Essos and will have finished conquering Westeros. Missandei and Grey Worm may complain that Tyrion is being used by the Masters, who see this delay as a way to wait out Dany’s rule. What they do not realize is that Tyrion is using it with the exact same idea in mind.

And he may not have to wait much longer either. Dany’s march to the Narrow Sea took a major leap forward this evening in the scene everyone will be talking about for the next week. Much like the High Sparrow, Cersei, Yara and Osha, the Khals all thought they had the upperhand in this relationship tonight. Khal Moro thought his magnanimous gesture to put Dany with the Dosh Kasheen would cause her to greet him as a liberator. The rest all saw her as a chip they could bargain over–turn her over to the Yunkai masters for horses, turn her over to their beds for the pleasure. And Dany could see why those in the Dosh Kasheen thought this not a bad life. They have a modicum of power, and the freedom of not having to suffer the abuse of men. But those Khals who abuse them are little men, with small time ambitions. And this life, of manipulating little men and their small time goals are exactly that: small potatoes. They had no idea what they were dealing with. The only tragedy is that Khal Moro did not live to see Daenerys Targaryen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons, Toucher of Hot Things, Starter of Fires, claim all those titles back and then some, as everyone–Jorah and Daario–included fell to their knees before her.

Sansa: “Where will we go?”

But though for most, that final scene of Dany burning the Temple of the Dosh Kasheen to the ground and stepping out unharmed will be the one to remember, to me the most striking scenes this week were the ones between Jon and Sansa. Not just because we finally got that Stark Family Reunion we’ve all be waiting for–it was huggy! awwwwwwwwwwwww! But because while Jon technically has the upperhand in the situation (the Wall is his turf, Sansa is on the run), it was quickly obvious that Sansa was the one calling the shots. Jon could rail all he wanted to that he’s been fighting since he left Winterfell, he’s been killing everyone from his own brothers in the Night’s Watch to his own brothers in the Wildling camps, they never should have gone out into the world and grown up, but Sansa made it clear. She might be glad to see him, but she’s here for his fighting skills and his men and his ability to take down Ramsay Bolton. And he’s going to come with her, one way or another. (If nothing else, she can at least get Tormund to come with her, since he looks like he might just be willing to follow Brienne to the ends of the earth. Tormenne? Brimund? I am so here for that relationship.)

If anything, what made it even more striking was seeing this play out in the opening scenes, and then directly head to the Vale, where the man who taught her how to play the Great Game was doing the same, but far more obviously and clumsily. Littlefinger may act as if he’s smooth and in control, but that sudden pivot on Lord Royce felt like it was semi-unplanned, a think-quick reaction to being called out in front of Robin over his lies about Sansa. Moreover, though Robin has gone through puberty about as violently as Bran since we saw saw him, emotionally he’s still the same little boy who loves throwing men out Moon Doors. One got the sense that Royce’s life was on a knife’s edge, beholden to the whims of a Joffrey-like punk kid, and that Littlefinger’s concern was how to manipulate the kid out of tossing the man through the aforementioned Moon Door if things came down on the wrong side. In fact, everything with Robin felt like Littlefinger was simply hoping to land on the right side of the line. Whereas Sansa’s forcing of Jon into her war felt far more subtle, even natural. Of course she’s going to insist they must go to war–Ramsay says he has Rickon in the dungeons! He just threatened to have her raped by his entire army!

But this was Sansa’s plan all along. If anything, all Ramsay did with that letter is play into her hands. Who uses the user, indeed.

Via http://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/16/game-of-thrones-book-of-the-stranger-thematic-analysis/