Game of Thrones 5.9: Dragon in Action; Sickening Scene with Stannis

Well, we finally got to see a dragon in action in Game of Thrones 5.9, in a great scene with Daenerys, Mormont, Tyrion, and their people which complemented with fire what we saw with Jon Snow in the north last week.

In many ways the most interesting part of the dragon to the rescue was how vulnerable the dragon itself was to spears.   This suggests a significant lack of omnipotence, and one which may give the upper hand to the frigid death-and-dead-wielders of the north.

Another question is why only one dragon came to Daenerys's rescue, when she presumably has three at her command.  Did she only summon one, assuming that would be enough?  If so, she was right, but it was a close call.  Perhaps she wanted to risk only a single dragon, but that doesn't make much sense, either, since hers was among the lives at risk if the one dragon failed.  Perhaps only the closest dragon arrived, and the other two are on their way.  (Again, I've only read the first novel in the series, so I'm going completely by what was on television tonight.)

In any case, it was great to see Daenerys and Mormont reunited, and Mormont fighting on her behalf. Also Tyrion with a sword.  And, up north, Jon Snow and his ragged group, including the giant, being let into the protection, such as it is, of the wall.

One thing which was decidedly not nice to see, and in fact I found sickening, was Stannis's sacrifice of his daughter Shireen.   This is beyond making Stannis a thoroughly despicable and unsympathetic character, which it certainly did.  It was also depraved enough almost to make me not want to watch any more of this series, and the only reason I did, barely, was because of its redeeming features. These are no doubt many, but for what it's worth, I think the the series seriously debased itself by having Stannis put his daughter to the flame.

See also Game of Thrones 5.1: Unsetting the Table ... Game of Thrones 5.8: The Power of Frigid Death

And see also Games of Thrones Season 4 Premiere: Salient Points ... Game of Thrones 4.2: Whodunnit? ... Game of Thrones 4.3: Who Will Save Tyrion ...Game of Thrones 4.4: Glimpse of the Ultimate Battle ... Game of Thrones 4.6: Tyrion on Trial ... Game of Thrones 4.8: Beetles and Battle ...Game of Thrones 4.9: The Fight for Castle Black ... Games of Thrones Season 4 Finale: Woven Threads

And see also  Game of Thrones Season 3 Premiere ... Game of Thrones 3.3: The Heart of Jaime Lannister ... Game of Thrones 3.6: Extraordinary Cinematography ...Game of Thrones 3.7: Heroic Jaime ...  Game of Thrones 3.9: A Critique 

And see also Game of Thrones Back in Play for Season 2 ... Game of Thrones 2.2: Cersei vs. Tyrion

And see also A Game of Thrones: My 1996 Review of the First Novel ... Game of Thrones Begins Greatly on HBO ... Game of Thrones 1.2: Prince, Wolf, Bastard, Dwarf ... Games of Thrones 1.3: Genuine Demons ... Game of Thrones 1.4: Broken Things  ... Game of Thrones 1.5: Ned Under Seige ... Game of Thrones 1.6: Molten Ever After ... Games of Thrones 1.7: Swiveling Pieces ... Game of Thrones 1.8: Star Wars of the Realms ... Game of Thrones 1.9: Is Ned Really Dead? ... Game of Thrones 1.10 Meets True Blood

And here's a Spanish article in Semana, the leading news magazine in Colombia, in which I'm quoted about explicit sex on television, including on Game of Thrones.

And see "'Game of Thrones': Why the Buzz is So Big" article in The Christian Science Monitor, 8 April 2014, with my quotes.

Also: CNN article, "How 'Game of Thrones' Is Like America," with quote from me

 

"I was here, in Carthage, three months from now." 

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