Small Council: What did we think of “Book of the Stranger?”

“Book of the Stranger,” the fourth episode of Game of Thrones’ sixth season, is in the can. What did we think? What did you think? Let it all out here. The Small Council is in session.

COREY: Well I hope I’m not the Lannisters of the Small Council and everyone took off because I came in, but either way I will be the first to say that “Book of the Stranger,” while a rather obscure name for the episode, was easily the best episode so far this season, and will likely rate rather high overall for the series. This episode reminded me of some the very excellent episodes in Season 4. This episode reminded us how great the show can be after the general letdown of Season 5. It also provided a nice chance for everyone to catch their breathe after the sprint that was the first few episodes of this season, while still managing to move the plot forward.

And on a series that has been short on the good feelings lately, how satisfying was it to see that Jon and Sansa reunion? As they themselves pointed out, they didn’t really get along growing up, but family is family and the look of joy on both actors’ faces should have brought you chills. Unless you’re a White Walker. The Wall was just sensational this week from start to finish, from Tormund’s love-at-first-sight moment with Brienne to the Stark family reunion to Brienne’s confrontation with Ser Davos and Melisandre. Brienne looked to be practically begging Melisandre to try something so that Oathkeeper could dish out some more justice. When Jon receives the letter from Ramsay, setting up the clash between the Starks and the Boltons, I started swinging my replica of Needle. Starks on the comeback trail!

I was also a fan of Theon and Yara’s lone scene this week, as the undertone to Yara’s badgering of Theon seemed to be an attempt by Yara to bring back Theon’s pride and strength. It played as somewhat harsh, but I got the impression that there was still love there.

On the flip side, I was not a huge fan of Daenery’s scene involving her burning down all the assembled Dothraki khals. It seemed as if Dany arrived at the decision to simply kill them all rather quickly, and after they had not really done all that much wrong to her. I understand they intended to pass her around, but that only seemed to become an option after they gathered in the hut. Khal Moro had been rather honorable to Dany up until that point, and living out her days among the Dosh Khaleen was something that Dany could hardly use as motivation to kill everyone; it was a part of the bargain she struck when she married Khal Drogo back in Season 1. I did like the fact that Drogon didn’t come sweeping out of the sky to pull Daenerys out of the proverbial fire, but still, the scene felt a bit rushed. We knew Dany would most likely return to Meereen with all the Dothraki behind her, but it nonetheless felt like they skipped a couple steps.

 

DAN: Whoa, whoa, whoa…”part of the bargain she struck when she married Khal Drogo?” Daenerys was bartered to Drogo like a rug or a horse. The fact that she came to love him is immaterial—she did not sign up to become a member of the Dosh Khaleen, and while we can debate the morality of her making a preemptive strike against the khals, I in no way blame her for trying to escape a life of hanging out with widows and forcing young women to choke down horse hearts.

I liked the scene overall, although I wish they had thrown in a line about how someone had soaked the place in oils or something beforehand, because that hut lit up really quickly.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system…”Book of the Stranger” was probably the strongest episode of Season 6 so far, and definitely had the best title. I like my titles specific and slightly enigmatic (think “What is Dead May Never Die” or “Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things”) and “Book of the Stranger” definitely qualified. It sounds like a lost Edgar Allan Poe poem.

There were a lot of good scenes this week, but my favorites were the ones in Meereen, which I was not expecting. I loved the fact that the show raised two equally valid viewpoints and let them bounce off each other. I saw Tyrion’s point about placating the slavers in an attempt to stave off war, but I also sympathized with Missandei and Grey Worm, who as former slaves are unwilling to tolerate the practice in any form. Game of Thrones is at its best when it allows for complexity on both sides of a conflict, and that’s what happened here.

The lack of complexity may be what’s flustering me a bit about the ongoing Ramsay storyline. The scene between him and Osha was well-written and well-performed, but how many times do we have to see Ramsay do terrible things before we understand that he’s a bad guy? This wouldn’t be so bad if the characters around him hit a few different notes, but if the Smalljon can believed, his closest ally—Harald Karstark—is a traitorous pedophile. I’m as excited as anyone to see Jon and Sansa join forces against Ramsay, but I wish his downfall didn’t seem so preordained.

But I may be too quick to pass judgment—there’s time yet for grace notes in that story. Meanwhile, I’m happy to ride the momentum the show has built, sometimes in the unlikeliest of places. Case in point: I’m actually excited for the Kingsmoot next week, something I never thought I’d say when reading A Feast for Crows. By the grace of sharp writing and Gemma Whelan, the show has gotten me interested in the Ironborn plot, and for that I am thankful.

KATIE: I’ve been grieving Osha since Sunday night and can’t bear to discuss it, so let’s turn to happier goings-on up North: Sansa and Jon’s reunion was everything I wanted it to be, and I’ve no shame admitting that I burst into tears as soon as they locked eyes in the yard at Castle Black. The Starks thrive on family, and here we see the acknowledgment that they need each other. It jives perfectly with what we know about the Starks and the suffering these particular two have endured. Moreover, no show can be all misery, all the time—it’s bad storytelling, and not at all reflective of actual human life and relationships.

The Starks are really killing it this year, and the Northern plotline is moving along at a more thrilling pace than perhaps any other. They’re gearing up for the game-changing battles; once the Boltons are taken out, the White Walkers are next, and both will determine a very different future for the Seven Kingdoms. But it’s Daenerys’ role this week that gave me the most to think about—a change of pace, since I haven’t been all that invested in her storyline since her Season 1 arc.

In my “Book of the Stranger” recap, I said I wanted to root for Daenerys, and it’s true that I’ve been struggling to do so since about Season 2; but after a conversation with my friend Sarah on the matter, I’ve since changed my mind, and fully understand that I’m in the minority here. I absolutely agree with Dan that Daenerys’ life with the Dothraki was never her choice, and by no means am I justifying Khal Moro’s threats, but it’s clear that they had no effect on Daenerys, as her plan to massacre the khals had been in motion for some time. I could go on forever in this vein alone, so let’s get to my overall point:

The big finale didn’t sit all that well with me from the beginning—cool special effects aside, it wasn’t anything we hadn’t seen Daenerys do before. True, this time she relied on herself rather than her dragons or army to do the dirty work, but we need to examine that dirty work a little more closely: First of all, Daenerys torched a Dothraki temple (that is what we call “an act of terrorism,” my friends) and by doing so, desecrated their sacred land. Steamrolling others’ cultures is a common thread throughout Dany’s story; we can debate the pros and cons of these cultures all day, but the fact remains that they’re not her’s to dictate. We’re dangerously close to labeling Daenerys a colonizer rather than a hero, and in fact colonizers throughout history fancied themselves liberators, as Dany does herself.

On a more narrative note, Daenerys’ goal here was to burn her enemies alive. Who else pulled the exact same tactic? Ding-ding-ding, the Mad King. Daenerys’ madness may be more subtle than her father’s “Burn them all!” approach, but it’s absolutely still there in her expression and enjoyment in the slow, painful deaths of her enemies. Again, we can debate whether or not these khals deserved to live, but what’s Dany going to do with their people now? Whatever her endgame is, she’s going to strip the Dothraki from their home, culture, and lifestyle, and add them to her throng of followers. To me, Daenerys has become just as power-hungry as her brother before her, as well as Robert, Joffrey, Littlefinger… the list goes on. We see throughout the series that those who seek power so absolutely are the ones who shouldn’t have it. So why is Daenerys different? I hope, in the end, she’s not, and her quest for power crashes down upon her. Again, I’m in the minority here, but I think Daenerys’ possible arc as a repeat of the Mad King is more compelling than a story about her being a hero.

CAMERON: Other than my reservations about the final scene, and my general distaste for Ramsay “Why Do We Have To Go Back To This A****** Every Damn Week” Bolton, I quite enjoyed this episode. All the sibling reunions were powerful in their own ways (poor Loras), and seeing Tyrion’s realpolitik approach to the slavery issue when I’m personally spending a lot of time enveloped by the arguments of 1790s America over how and when to abolish the practice was a nice bit of convergence for me. Whether or not everything here pays off well will take time, but I was fairly impressed by this one.

RICHARD: Despite some stumbles, this was a great episode. Game of Thrones Season 6 has lived up to the high expectations so far, and that is a triumph. Dany’s bonfire gave the episode a big ending moment. (On a side note, I thought TV critic/reviewer Alan Sepinwall made an interesting observation by noting that the show always has something big/important happen in episode 4 of every season.) We’ve all had nearly a week to let “Book of the Stranger” marinate, but frankly I feel pretty much the same about it as I did three minutes after the credits ran last Sunday evening.

This episode offered amazing highs and lows. First, my favorites: Sansa’s reunion with Jon was a magnificent emotional moment, a catharsis, the kind of relief one gets when surfacing for air after staying underwater and holding one’s breath for as long as possible.

I love both the Brienne and Tormund characters, and the lusty bear Tormund eyeballing the startled, doe-eyed-fawn over his crunchy horse steak (or whatever form of meat that was) was absolutely adorable, especially because the doe is really a lioness, and he has no idea what he might be getting into (or maybe he does, and it’s exactly what he wants).

I was also thrilled at the rising tide of girl power, both in the big moments, such as Dany turning the entire Dothraki leadership into bacon bits and Cersei bringing her cloak-and-dagger brilliance to the Small Council, and the smaller ones, such as Sansa transferring her steely to Jon, Missandei arguing with Tyrion, and Yara sitting in her father’s chair.

And the not so good: the Jorah/Daario keystone cop routine is wearing thin. I’ll never buy their idiotic plan to waltz into Vaes Dothrak posing as merchants (Daario kept his armor on), and in the end all of their tracking and old suitor/young suitor banter did little for Dany once she decided to free herself from captivity. I guess somebody had to lock the doors.

Ramsay. This storyline has bottomed out for me. I’m even past wanting to see him develop into something other than a black hole who tortures and kills character after character. Joffrey had way more personality and depth than this skunk (and I don’t think its the actor’s fault—Ramsay is written this way). Once he’s gone, I really, really hope any other emerging nightmare (outside the White Walkers) like Euron Greyjoy will be much more complicated and fun to watch.

Nothing’s perfect and Game of Thrones is no exception. No project this sprawling and ambitious is going to achieve the gold standard on every single try. But it gets pretty damned close, and it’s also awesome, and it’s excelling in Season 6, and I’m all in. BRING ON THE WHITE WALKERS!

RAZOR: Every episode at this point seems to be an hour-long wish-fulfillment session…and I’m okay with that. After five seasons of watching my favorite characters being brutally tortured, raped, slaughtered, and broken, it’s nice to have a season where good things happen to the good guys, even if it’s just for a little while.

The first four episodes have been like watching a very dark Disney film: everything is awesome and in wonderful technicolor on the surface, but there’s a very dark plot waiting to unfold right underneath that happy veneer. I feel like that is where we are headed with Episode 605.

“Book of the Stranger” let us know that not everything was perfect in our happy little “Starks get to hug each other every day” world, because Ramsay was there sticking a knife into Osha’s jugular, and sending letters about raping Sansa and spooning Jon’s eyes out. But hey, if you get too scared in Ramsay’s cold and scary world, you can always run to the warmth of Dany’s fire, I hear she’s really good at making them.

ANI: I will agree with David—the wish fulfillment aspect of this season has made it pretty predictable so far. Even though people joked Jon would leave the Wall just before Sansa got there, we all knew it really wasn’t going to happen. Jon came back to life, the Starks reunited, Dany gained control of the Dothraki, we got to see the fight at the Tower of Joy, Tyrion is back to doing the political things he does best, etc etc etc.

But the thing is, the show is doing them all so damn well, and damn it, the way to bring audiences back is to give them what they want. And they want to see Dany burn down a hut of sexist assholes who don’t care that she was sold to Khal Drogo like a hunk of meat, men who think the best she can hope for is to become part of the Dosh Khaleen, even though she never signed up for that. (You think that 20-something girl who had her ribs broken signed up to be Dosh Khaleen, either? She just accepted her fate after her khal died because the life of a Dosh Khaleen was a damn sight better than having her ribs broken because *his sperm* failed to produce the proper chromosome pairing.) Sure, burning down the hut was an act of terrorism…against the patriarchy. Don’t ask me why the men are cheering—I only know why I am. Burn it down.

But of course, it won’t all be wish fulfillment. There’s six more episodes to go, and we can already see that some alliances are made to come apart at the seams.

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