Furthermore, his own kingsguard is being usurped by the revival of the Faithful Militant, raised by Cersei to maintain control as Margaery and the Iron Bank alike threaten her legacy. “Sons of the Harpy” presents countless examinations of this, beginning with Tommen’s lack of maturity and power leading him to be ridiculed, and become a victim of the power struggle between the two queens in the capital. Dedication is as powerful as it is intoxicating, as dangerous as it is inspirational, and whether religious or political conviction, there’s a world of people always threatening to take it away, corrupt it – or straight up destroy it, in the case of the High Sparrow and the Sons of the Harpy both, warping the idea of “tradition” into something more slightly more sinister, if equally self-serving. Look at what adherence to tradition got the Stark family – or going back even further to Petyr’s stories, what can happen to a world when love stands above assumed traditions and loyalties.
#Game of thrones season 2 episode 4 series
Game of Thrones is ultimately a series that embraces Dany’s point of view, but no change in Westeros comes without bloodshed and resistance.
The idea of ‘tradition’ reigns supreme in “Sons of the Harpy” whether it’s those trying to break out of the chains of history like Dany, or others pledging allegiance to their vows and gods. Propelled by a number of fantastic character scenes, the devil is in the details of “Sons of the Harpy,” presenting a number of important dramatic escalations that look to really kick the next act of the show into action.
The arrest of Loras, the death of Barristan, the appointment of the High Sparrow as the head of the Faithful Militant: these are not the signs of a world in flux, but a landscape of coiled tension ready to spring to life.
As small councils grow smaller, and men begin new journeys across the terrains of Westeros, “Sons of the Harpy” marks an important change in tenor for Game of Thrones that is, the slow tides of the first few episodes are giving way to stormier seas, as the next phase of alliances and vengeance start to take form.