Monday, May 06, 2019

But Is She Electable?

THIS POST IS DARK AND FULL OF RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION, AND SPOILERS

Well, fuck. After last week’s episode saw The Living saved by women and only women (like, all of The North would be in “The Walking Dead” right now if it wasn’t for Dany’s dragons, Melisandre’s fire and Arya’s dagger), I worried that would be the last hurrah for the Double Xs of Westeros (and non-binary, trans folks - if there were any on the show which has precious few queer characters as is). And this week’s “The Last of the Starks” is sadly proving that prediction right. Move aside, ladies, it’s time for The Man to take over.

I swear to the old gods and the new, if these whole eight seasons lead up to just glorifying the straight white male savior I will go Full Cersei on the universe. Though, you gotta hand it to the show writers, everyone rallying behind a white dude instead of a qualified woman who worked and sacrificed her whole life to get to this point is very on brand for 2019.

What more does Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains and Drinker of Starbucks have to do to get some respect? She ate a stallion’s heart. She walked into a funeral pyre and came out with three dragons. She burned the Dothraki Patriarchy to ash. She flies into battles riding a freaking dragon. She stopped what she was doing to help save The North. What more does a lady have to do to be “likable” enough to rule, yo?

But now all of a sudden she is irrational and a dangerous and “unelectable” what with her weak poll numbers with the white working glass in The North. Good thing there’s a better, whiter, maler choice! Seriously, stop being so 2019, show!

And I haven’t even gotten in to the other problematic stuff – like, I dunno, Sansa saying being raped and abused was actually character building, Brienne suddenly being boy crazy and lovey-dovey, The Starks suddenly becoming So Lannister about their precious bloodline, and the show killing off basically its only black female character. And Jon not petting Ghost before sending him to live on some farm in The North? Burn it all down!

After eight seasons, it seems we are now just plodding toward the inevitable coronation of Jon Snow, a man so white it’s typified by his last name. Some Game, eh?

5 comments:

  1. I think Prince Harry, the son of Princes Diana, summed it up when he was commenting on the royal birth today -
    "How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carmen SanDiego7:43 AM

    Absolutely perfect from top to bottom.
    If I invested 8 years into this show just to see Jon Snow in the Iron Throne in the end I will be beyond pissed
    That episode was so infuriating that I didn’t even watch the “behind the episode “ after the show cause I couldn’t stand to look at the producers faces.
    Dany being “the mad queen” cause she burned the Tarly? That’s what they chose! She’s being blamed for their choices! Ser Brienne crying and saying “don’t leave me” was so out of character. (And Jaime taking her virginity then dumping her is incredibly douchy)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carmen SanDiego7:44 AM

    Also, if it comes down to Jon x Cersei I am team Lioness Wine Drinker

    ReplyDelete
  4. Karen4:10 PM

    way too much fantasy genre commentary of late. Not everyone enjoys or seeks out this kind of programming !! Love the blog but can we mix it up a little please?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous6:12 PM

    No worries DS you write about whatever you want on your own personal blog that you aren’t paid for but do anyway for the love of women/writing/pop culture/LGBT community:)

    I happen to love GOT and fantasy and this specific post because people enjoy all kinds of different things, but we can come together here because we enjoy you and your writing. Just gunna hop off this soap box now...

    ReplyDelete