Good news, guys: Game of Thrones figured out how to end a season. It’s no secret that tenth episodes have been GoT‘s Achilles heel for some time now, but that’s partly a fault of the show’s structure. Any episode would look tame and unsatisfying after the batshit crazy ninth episodes that have become GoT‘s trademark (you’re gonna follow “The Rains of Castamere” with “Mother”? Come on now). In many ways, “Mother’s Mercy” might be the best finale that Game of Thrones has done yet.
Things aren’t going well for Stannis. It’s a testament to Stephen Dillane’s steely performance that he can make us feel sympathy for someone who burned his daughter alive last week. In short order, Stannis is deserted by half his men, his wife hangs herself, and even Melisandre leaves camp. He marches on Winterfell anyway, which is the perfect Stannis response. This show knows him backwards and forwards. The battle is skipped, which is a shame, but I imagine a lot of battle money went towards “Hardhome.” Stannis gets his ass kicked, but manages to take out two Bolton soldiers by himself, in a short, excellent fight scene. He doesn’t fare so well against Brienne, who finally gets to fulfill one of her missions.
Lots of missions were accomplished in “Mother’s Mercy,” actually. Ellaria poisoned Myrcella, which was honestly surprising (the shot of Indira Varma, whose name sounds like a Game of Thrones character, coolly drinking the antidote was pretty chilling). And Arya finally got to cross a name off of her list. Her murder of Meryn Trant was as cathartic for her as it was for us; as she points out, his was the first name on her list. And seeing her change faces was cheer-inducing. But then you have to take a step back and realize Arya is fucked up. Maisie Williams has perfected Arya’s dead stare, but there are moments when the show wisely reminds you that Arya is still a young girl. Watch her cry over what she thinks its Jaqen’s dead body.
(Side note: the House of Black and White has been handled exceptionally well, and has been one of the stronger aspects of an uneven season. Arya losing her sight was one of the best parts of A Feast for Crows, and leaving it as a cliffhanger setup for season six was a smart idea on GoT‘s part.)
I’m going to bullet-point a lot of this, because “Mother’s Mercy” was an overlong episode, and I don’t want to get into plot recitation. Tyrion running Meereen with Grey Worm, Missandei, and Varys (hi Varys!) is a promising development. Dany running Meereen was boring as hell most of the time, but Tyrion is a more interesting character and Peter Dinklage a more dynamic performer (I will say that Dany’s scene with Drogon was pretty great). Sam going to Old Town to become a maester is something to look forward to as well; new locations are always a nice addition.
Cersei’s walk of shame is probably the most tragic thing to happen to an eminently unlikable character. It’s jarring to see her so broken, confessing to the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce remains great in the role) about her affair with Lancel. She thinks confessing will clear her, and when she finds out she’s wrong, it’s one of GoT‘s more intense, disturbing punishments. The longer the walk goes on, the harder it becomes to watch; we begin to feel like participants and not just observers. Watch as she breaks down and allows herself to be lifted up by the newly revived Mountain – there’s very little acting there. Lena Headey used a body double for some of the walk, but having people scream at her for days on end clearly took its toll. She’s humiliated and exhausted, and since this is where her story ends in A Feast for Crows, we now have the excitement of not knowing how she’ll retaliate. (“The Rains of Castamere” plays as she finishes the walk, so that should give you some indication.)
Jon’s story is heartbreaking in a different way. Kit Harington’s performance is probably the one that has improved the most over the course of the show, and it’s been a genuine pleasure watching him evolve so naturally into a leader. So it’s doubly hard to watch his brothers plunge knives into him again and again, Julius Caesar style (“For the Watch”). Olly landing the final blow made it that much worse. In the books (sorry to keep using that as an intro), George R.R. Martin leaves Jon’s fate up for debate, but the show is far less ambiguous. Even Kit Harington has said that Jon is absolutely dead. Game of Thrones doesn’t care who your favorite character is; “Mother’s Mercy” is just another great example of that.
GoT‘s fifth season was pretty uneven from the get-go, but at least it ended on a high note. “Mother’s Mercy” does what all great finales do: make it impossible to wait for next season.
A Few Thoughts
- Tyrion speaking High Valyrian was amazing
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“I’m the glad the end of the world’s working out for someone”
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Bronn and Tyene were amazing all season
“Mother’s Mercy” score: 4.5/5
Game of Thrones season 5 score: 4/5
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