I’m finally getting around to writing about “Dragonstone,” the premiere episode of Game of Thrones Season 7. As much as I enjoyed the show, I’m beginning to wonder if the lack of source material is starting to affect the show. Here’s why. *SPOILERS* to follow.
Most of “Dragonstone” was set-up to remind the audience where the various characters were after the events of “The Winds of Winter.” There were some important, yet predictable, moments such as Daenerys finally reaching Westeros and Bran returning to the Wall. And a few unexpected developments, like Euron’s marriage proposal to Cersei, and perhaps the beginning of a rift between Sansa and Jon Snow. Oh yeah, and House Frey was wiped off the map thanks to Arya Stark, who disguised herself as Walder Frey and staged her own version of the Red Wedding!
While the opening scene at House Frey was fascinating – and included some of the episode’s best dialogue too – the show has never explained how Arya can transform into whoever she wishes. That is the only thing about “Dragonstone” that bothered me, and I think the reason may be because the show has gotten so far ahead of George R.R. Martin’s novels.
Over the past few seasons, Game of Thrones has provided plenty of instances where the Faceless Men of the House of Black and White can change their appearance. In fact, Jaqen H’ghar did it all the time. The House of Black and White was full of masks (err faces), but the show never explained how this magic worked, nor did it reveal how Arya learned to master this power. We didn’t see her steal a few masks before she left Bravos, and if she can make masks on her own, the show certainly never told us how she does it. This is the one thing on the show that remains a complete, unexplained mystery, and I find it a bit annoying.
Martin used magic in the novels sparingly, but when he did, he usually explained how it worked. As for the magic of the Faceless Men, here is what he told us near the end of A Dance With Dragons:
Mummers change their faces with artifice and sorcerers use glamors, weaving light and shadow and desire to make illusions that trick the eye. These arts you shall learn, but what we do here goes deeper. Wise men can see through artifice, and glamors dissolve before sharp eyes, but the face you are about to don will be as true and solid as that face you were born with.
But Arya’s storyline in A Dance With Dragons ended with that chapter. Martin never got to the point where Arya learned – let alone mastered – these arts. And neither did the show. To me, it feels like a link is missing in the chain. I assume Martin will reveal how Arya masters this power in the series’ sixth novel, The Winds of Winter. If that material had existed, the show’s writers might have been able to offer a more cogent explanation for how Arya turned into the spitting image of Walder Frey. Or at least readers watching the show would not be questioning how she does it. Yet I’m beginning to fear the entire TV series will be over before The Winds of Winter is ever published.
This makes me wonder if we aren’t losing something on the show because, at this point, the writers are working off an outline instead of a novel. In a sense, this has made the show more fun because we, as both readers and viewers, have no idea what’s going to happen next. But I fear some subtle and significant details have been lost in the process.
That said, I still have high hopes for Season 7. Without a novel to spoil the plot, I’m sure the season will be full of surprises.
* Images courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes
Jason Cannava
July 22, 2017 - 11:11 am ·I enjoyed your thoughts as always Joe! In a story that includes dragons, giants, wargs and resurrections, the mechanics of how Arya gets her disguises are not that important for me. This is especially true when there is so much detail in more than 5k pages that must be condensed. I am still loving the show while dreading the end is near.
Joseph Finley
July 22, 2017 - 11:02 pm ·Jason, thanks for the comment, and you make a good point. I suppose the writer part of me wants everything like that to make sense to some degree. But it's a minor point in the grand scheme of things. That said, I too am dreading the end is near!
Bill
July 24, 2017 - 3:43 pm ·I think I agree with you about the scene, Joe. I found it jarring, because as you noted, there was nothing setting it up. Not only how did she effect the disguise, but how were the mechanics of the plot done? It's like they're in a hurry to finish up the whole thing, knowing it can't go on forever. I understand they're already planning some series where the present day N. America includes a Confederacy that remains a slave holding state. Hit to get on to that!
The effortless way Euron rebuilt the vast fleet after it was stolen defies belief. Large wooden sailing ships may "grow on trees", but not swiftly.
I still have hopes.
Joseph Finley
July 26, 2017 - 8:37 am ·Bill, thanks for the comment. I think we have to assume that months may be passing between certain scenes, but even then I can't imagine the new Iron Fleet could be built in that time. I too still have hope.