GoT S5E8: Going Beyond the Books
Oct. 16th, 2022 08:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerGame of Thrones S5E8, "Hardhome", goes beyond what's been published in the books so far. It does that in two ways. First, it takes an event that happened off-camera in the books, the battle at Hardhome, and puts a major character there to make it a significant on-camera event (thus the title of the episode) that shapes the narrative of the series.
Second, the episode goes completely beyond what's been published by advancing a major plot arc involving Daenerys and Tyrion. At the end of the fifth novel, A Dance with Dragons, the two characters have not met, so everything about this part of the TV series is new ground broken by the showrunners.
In the TV series Jon and a handful of men from the Night's Watch sail to Hardhome with clan leader Tormund to convince leaders of the other clans to come back with them south the The Wall, settle there, and ally with the southerners to fight the surging army of the undead. The clan leaders predictably split on allying with their traditional foe even in the face of certain death. Just as they make their choices the undead armies attack the encampment.
Hardhome becomes a major set-piece battle. ...Though as the showrunners note in a behind-the-scenes featurette, massacre is a better term than battle. Most of the Wildlings are slain, and Jon and some of his allies only barely make it out alive.
Bringing the battle of Hardhome from what's effectively backstory up into the front of the narrative is a good move. First, battle scenes always make for great pacing in a story that's otherwise long on intrigue. Second, and more importantly, showing this massacre of a battle really emphasizes just how frightening— and deadly— the threat of the White Walkers is. Their armies of wights may be mindless but they're difficult to stop... and their numbers grow with every person they kill. And behind them, organizing them and driving them forward, are the implacable White Walkers.
This scene is hardly the first time the TV series has taken liberties with what's in the books, foregrounding something that was originally written in the background or changing up which characters do what. It's notable, though, in how powerful it is. The vivid battle at Hardhome makes it plain that almost all the politicking in the rest of the world is people rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
They are writing their own story at this point. That said, they're staying true to the characters... and writing some darn good TV. The dialog between Tyrion and Daenerys is very snappy, as you'd expect from two of the series' most intelligent characters, and they start developing a relationship that embodies the inherent contradictions (trust and distrust) involved in diplomacy.
Second, the episode goes completely beyond what's been published by advancing a major plot arc involving Daenerys and Tyrion. At the end of the fifth novel, A Dance with Dragons, the two characters have not met, so everything about this part of the TV series is new ground broken by the showrunners.
The Battle at Hardhome
In the books Jon Snow sends a delegate to treat with the Wildling tribes gathered at Hardhome. With no POV character there the events are only described later, as a retelling, when someone reports them back to Jon. In the TV series Jon leads the mission himself. I think that actually makes more sense in the story given how controversial the mission is.In the TV series Jon and a handful of men from the Night's Watch sail to Hardhome with clan leader Tormund to convince leaders of the other clans to come back with them south the The Wall, settle there, and ally with the southerners to fight the surging army of the undead. The clan leaders predictably split on allying with their traditional foe even in the face of certain death. Just as they make their choices the undead armies attack the encampment.
Hardhome becomes a major set-piece battle. ...Though as the showrunners note in a behind-the-scenes featurette, massacre is a better term than battle. Most of the Wildlings are slain, and Jon and some of his allies only barely make it out alive.
Bringing the battle of Hardhome from what's effectively backstory up into the front of the narrative is a good move. First, battle scenes always make for great pacing in a story that's otherwise long on intrigue. Second, and more importantly, showing this massacre of a battle really emphasizes just how frightening— and deadly— the threat of the White Walkers is. Their armies of wights may be mindless but they're difficult to stop... and their numbers grow with every person they kill. And behind them, organizing them and driving them forward, are the implacable White Walkers.
This scene is hardly the first time the TV series has taken liberties with what's in the books, foregrounding something that was originally written in the background or changing up which characters do what. It's notable, though, in how powerful it is. The vivid battle at Hardhome makes it plain that almost all the politicking in the rest of the world is people rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
Tyrion in Meereen
At the end of book 5 Tyrion has glimpsed Daenerys in Meereen but not met her yet. In the TV series that moment happens at the end of S5E7. In S5E8 the two major characters share significant dialog. Author George R.R. Martin confirms this will happen in forthcoming book 6... but the showrunners are not working from an advanced copy of the book. Even 7 years after the 2015 production of this episode book 6 is still not out and and no publication date has set. (Don't ask GRRM when it'll be out— he quips that every time someone pesters him about that he kills another Stark! 😱)They are writing their own story at this point. That said, they're staying true to the characters... and writing some darn good TV. The dialog between Tyrion and Daenerys is very snappy, as you'd expect from two of the series' most intelligent characters, and they start developing a relationship that embodies the inherent contradictions (trust and distrust) involved in diplomacy.
