Disclaimer: I haven't seen the final season of GoT yet, and I don't know when I'll get around to it. I'm busy trying to write posts here!
The storm has passed. Sufficient time has elapsed between the release of the final season and people's dismay and displeasure with the GoT ending. So I thought I could not put my two cents into the mix, which by the way have NOTHING to do with the actual ending of GoT or my feeling towards it. It's a show and I'm over it. My feelings are more about the overall portrayal of the genders in the series as it progressed.
While brushing my teeth this morning (this morning being 2 weeks ago when I started writing this), I was, as one does looking at YouTube and lo and behold I fell into a downward spiral of GoT ending and where the Stark siblings ended up, when I thought god why do D. B. Weiss and David Benioff insist on portraying the women of GoT as such absolute bastards? While the one bastard on the show is one of the most decent people on the show? Go figure!
At the start of season one, I sympathised with Dany, Sansa and Cersi. They were all victims of the men around them and seemed to be doing their best to survive in a world ruled by men, who were more powerful than them, who didn't love them (or in some cases did - Tywin anyone?) or who just wanted to control them. I mean I even found a way to sympathise with the incestuous child cripple-r! So my genuine devotion to the female characters was pretty high. Having said that, as the series progressed, I could no longer turn a blind eye to how much the three of them were being dicks.
The realization that although the women were being dicks, it was for decidedly un-womanly reasons (forget the men, I want me a crown and an iron throne), left me with a newfound appreciation for the show creators and Goerge R. R. Martin. You see traditionally women have either been the cause for the fall of kingdoms (Drupadi for the Indians, Helen of Troy for others) or they are side characters in a world of power and dickery run amok by men. Basically, their pursuits are simple-minded and their grievances no big deals - I mean the honour of a single woman is nothing in the face of the fate of an entire kingdom now is it? In contrast, the women of GoT have all been to hell and back and instead of breaking they learned and adapted to a world order where power and money make you untouchable.
So although their motivations are no more pure than the men of season 1 and 2, it is refreshing to see that absolute power does indeed corrupt absolutely, be it, men or women. You see the true genius of the show is that it puts the women in the role we traditionally view men in and force us to question what "feminism" means to us? Do you say more power to the women for going out there and taking what they want because they think they know best (typical man behaviour)? Or are you able to acknowledge that an asshole is an asshole regardless of whether they have boy parts, girl parts or no parts (can't forget Varys can you)?
The beauty in this case for me at least is how the show forces me to question my own view of morality vs feminism vs good and evil. In this sense the assholry of the women of GoT is my absolute favourite, while also my least favourite part of the show!
The realization that although the women were being dicks, it was for decidedly un-womanly reasons (forget the men, I want me a crown and an iron throne), left me with a newfound appreciation for the show creators and Goerge R. R. Martin. You see traditionally women have either been the cause for the fall of kingdoms (Drupadi for the Indians, Helen of Troy for others) or they are side characters in a world of power and dickery run amok by men. Basically, their pursuits are simple-minded and their grievances no big deals - I mean the honour of a single woman is nothing in the face of the fate of an entire kingdom now is it? In contrast, the women of GoT have all been to hell and back and instead of breaking they learned and adapted to a world order where power and money make you untouchable.
So although their motivations are no more pure than the men of season 1 and 2, it is refreshing to see that absolute power does indeed corrupt absolutely, be it, men or women. You see the true genius of the show is that it puts the women in the role we traditionally view men in and force us to question what "feminism" means to us? Do you say more power to the women for going out there and taking what they want because they think they know best (typical man behaviour)? Or are you able to acknowledge that an asshole is an asshole regardless of whether they have boy parts, girl parts or no parts (can't forget Varys can you)?
The beauty in this case for me at least is how the show forces me to question my own view of morality vs feminism vs good and evil. In this sense the assholry of the women of GoT is my absolute favourite, while also my least favourite part of the show!
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