Game of Thrones: Unbowed Unbent Unbroken – Analysis
Tonight’s episode, “Unbowed Unbent Unbroken,” sounded from the outset like a story focused on the unwillingness of certain people to compromise, but it ended up being more about fantasies and reality—the fantasies that our characters choose to believe versus the cold hard reality that sets in when those beliefs aren’t borne out.
Littlefinger: “We both peddle fantasies, Brother Lancel. Mine just happen to be entertaining.”
Though the show named itself after House Martell’s words, we did not spend all that much time in Dorne this week. In fact, we managed to wrap up nearly the entire Dornish plot from A Feast for Crows in less than seven minutes, made sure that Bronn got cut with a poisoned dagger, and managed to do it all without scarring Myrcella’s face. Still, these scenes hewed close to the episode’s theme, as Jaime’s fantasy how Myrcella would react when he “rescued her” butted up against the reality of what she actually wanted, and more importantly, what Doran will decree.
Instead, the first 20 minutes were devoted solely to Arya and Tyrion. Arya’s story was all about learning the power of fantasy over the power of truth. When she tells the truth she is whipped for lying. Why? Gaslighting, partially. If someone continually tells you the truth is a lie, it becomes a little easier to muddle the line between true and false. But it’s not until Arya learns the power of spinning fantasies, which she does to make it just a little easier her the sick little girl to bear her pain, that the keys to the House of Black and White are handed to her. No, she’s not ready to become no one—she’s much too hesitant not to answer “Arya” when asked who she is. But she is ready to spin a fantasy for the unsuspecting and become “someone else.”
Tyrion: “You’re an awful traveling companion, do you know that? Possibly the least charming man I’ve ever met.”
As for Tyrion and Jorah, although both men are cut from the same cloth—and when push came to shove, both were capable of spinning fantasies their captors* wanted to hear—one had seen the reality and the other has only heard about it. All Tyrion knows of Dany sounds like fantasy. A mother of Dragons, a woman who walked through fire—these sound like tales spun by religious fanatics looking for new recruits. Jorah, however, has seen these things with his own eyes. And once you hear a dragon sing, it’s hard to go back to being a cynic.
*My apologies to Mr. Eko, but that scene with the slavers was one of the weakest of the evening, partly because the show had to stretch credulity to have the slavers take Tyrion and Jorah where they wanted to go, but also because the show seems to have a bit of failure of imagination when it comes to both slaves and slavery, and the cruelty of that peculiar institution. Still, it did give us a chance to see Tyrion use his quick thinking to keep himself and Jorah alive, something we haven’t seen him have to do since the very first season.
Speaking of religious fanatics, over in King’s Landing, Cersei insists on spinning the fantasy that she has nothing to do with Loras’ arrest. After all, they were engaged! And here she is the “powerless queen mother!” Unlike the Sparrows, who believe wholeheartedly in the fantasy that they are carrying out justice, no one in the Red Keep believes this for a moment. It was slightly depressing to see Olenna discover the person she’s playing against is neither quick-witted nor a worthy opponent. It’s hard to play the game when you’re playing a brick wall.
That moment also reveals how alike Cersei and the High Sparrow are—hard-headed, single-minded, and uncaring to the point of being blind to the consequences of their actions. But then again, what does the High Sparrow care that he’s locked Margaery away? (Nice move by the show, finding a way to get her imprisoned without the sexual charges from the books). Poor Margaery—her fantasy has always been that being “The Queen” means something. Turns out when the High Sparrow says that “All are equal,” he means it. Margaery fought so hard to attain her rank in the hope that it would make her (and her family) bulletproof. It’s a face full of cold water when she learns that under the wrong circumstances, her title is worthless.
Lady Olenna: “If they arrested all the pillow-biters in King’s Landing, there’d be no room left in the dungeons for anyone else.”
Though Olenna discovers that Cersei is not playing on her level, the Queen Mother still can be played. It just requires knowing exactly which buttons to push, as we saw with Littlefinger. I suppose, now that it’s out in the open that Littlefinger plays all sides, it makes sense for the show to demonstrate him doing just that. But as he spun his tales of Bolton betrayals, his game became clearer. Forget his attraction to Sansa—remember she is a means to an end. In the end, all Littlefinger’s tales are for the service of moving Littlefinger up the ladder. As for Sansa’s head on a spike, I assume Littlefinger doesn’t think Cersei will be in power long enough for that to have to happen, but if push came to shove, he might just do what needs to be done to become Warden of the North.
He’ll have to go through Ramsay first, though. After this evening, there may be a line to put the Bastard of Bolton’s head on a spike. Though we know Myranda was telling Sansa the truth about all those women Ramsay grew bored with and tortured, Sansa clung hard to the fantasy Littlefinger gave her—that she was safe in her home. She was a Stark, in Winterfell, and therefore untouchable. No one here could scare her. She’s been the plaything of a monster before, remember? She knows how to play the game, and no one would ever take control away from her again. This time she’d marry of her own choice, wearing her own winter whites, and her own wolf furs.
Sansa: “I’m Sansa Stark of Winterfell. This is my home and you can’t frighten me.”
How painful reality can be when the fantasies are torn away. Like Jaime and Ellaria in Dorne, and Margaery in King’s Landing, Sansa ran right into a hard reality of just what sort of monster she has given herself to. Perhaps Sansa would have been better off telling lies as truth, as Arya learned to do this week. Would it have been better to tell Bolton she was not a virgin, instead of bleating honestly how kind Tyrion was? She’ll be wishing for the dwarf’s kindness by the time this night is over. Her screams as Theon cried for her pain were a reminder that it doesn’t matter what your last name is when you’re a woman, or where you think is your home. When you marry the monster, you become his possession. No fantasy will ever be able to hide that truth.
Spoiler Alert!
Please take care to tag spoilers in your comments by wrapping them with <spoiler></spoiler>. Spoilers in comments are hidden by a gray overlay. To reveal, simply hover or tap on the text!