Sullied on Unsullied: Is Cersei afraid of Margaery?

Each week, the panelists at WiC Live chew over the latest episode of Game of Thrones and put their opinions on video so book-readers can watch them and shake their heads in dismay. Actually, since the Game of Thrones television show is getting further and further away from the novels on which it’s based, there are fewer chances for book-readers to act superior to show-watchers, but we’ll take what we can get.

This week, the WiC Live crew discussed “High Sparrow,” and at one point got into whether Cersei Lannister, who had an epic verbal showdown with the newly married Margaery Tyrell, is afraid of the younger queen.

If you ask me, Cersei is almost certainly afraid of Margaery. Fear drives pretty much everything Cersei does. She’s afraid that the people she loves will leave her, afraid that she won’t be taken seriously because of her gender, and yes, afraid that this young, pretty girl will take away all she’s worked for, from her children to her crown. Cersei fears a lot of things—Margaery just happens to be her focus right now.

From the perspective of a book-reader, the most interesting thing about the WiC Live panel’s reaction to this question is that not all of them picked up on the fact that the witch’s prophesy from “The Wars to Come” is motivating this fear. This is a function of the show not having access to the character’s thoughts the way the books do. In A Feast for Crows, Cersei’s thoughts often turn to Maggy the Frog’s prophesy, almost to the point of obsession. The prophesy was always in the back of Cersei’s mind, but she put it aside as the years slipped by without it coming to pass. After Joffrey is murdered, however, the prophesy is fresh in her mind, and she’s letting it control her behavior to the point where she’s not thinking straight.

On the one hand, it’s a shame that the show has lost this direct insight into Cersei’s mind. As wonderful an actress as Lena Headey is, she can’t clue us in on every thought Cersei has, especially since Cersei is a guarded individual who wears a mask in public, a mask she surely won’t take off for Margaery Tyrell. Still, executive producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss are to be commended for not taking shortcuts—can you imagine how corny it would be if Cersei gave her thoughts in voiceover, or had frequent flashbacks to her encounter with the witch? Instead, Benioff and Weiss and have played fair—we have to interpret the characters’ thoughts based on their actions, just like the other characters do. Ultimately, this helps this fantasy show maintain a steady foothold in reality.

Also, as Adam proved in the WiC Live clip, all the clues to Cersei’s motivations are there. That different people can watch the same scene and come away with different impressions speaks well of how layered this show is.

• Published on 05/03/2015 at 6:25 PM CDT
• Last updated on 05/03/2015 at 6:25 PM CDT