Book Reviews: The Turner House

The Turner House
by Angela Flournoy

Every now and then you run across a first time novelist that writes something so true to life that you are surprised that this is their first novel. Angela Flournoy is such a writer. The Turner House flows very easily and doesn't take a long time to read. It has a huge cast but some people are more closely or lovingly detailed than others. But even the people who just pop in and out without saying or doing much are still well crafted. There are people like that in life of course. An aunt's nephew whom you only see at weddings and funerals turns out to be a rising film producer. A peripatetic cousin who married someone overseas comes back with three kids and no place to stay. Say you're not doing anything with your finished basement are you? Or maybe a younger sibling moves halfway across the country. Although they're always polite they make it crystal clear that they would just as not be caught up in any family business and refuse to discuss their own. Don't call them and they certainly won't call you. The other interesting thing about family is that as much as our gender and sexuality and whatever specific combination of genes we got from Mom and Dad influence us, so does our birth order, early responsibilities and old jealousies and resentments. People can reach adulthood and remain, by choice or not, trapped in these roles. The older siblings may feel greater levels of responsibility for everyone, whether or not they're truly capable of bearing those burdens. The younger siblings may have come along at a time when the parents had mellowed out in terms of discipline and so have had an easier time of it. Or the younger siblings may be seething with resentment at having been constantly compared to their older brothers or sisters. The younger ones may reject being told what to do. They could become embittered at people automatically assuming that they need help or oversight. People enter these roles and often embrace them as part of their identity, even if they are harmful. The family rebel, often younger, may spend decades needlessly struggling against restrictions or expectations simply because that's what she does. The older brother might worry himself into life threatening problems with hypertension or cardiac disease because he's always trying to ensure that everyone else has their stuff together. Or maybe the older siblings are not actually more reliable people but rather instead are serious control freaks who really get off on exercising authority. It all depends on your perspective. Of course families also provide a sense of love and protection. A healthy family is the first place that we learn to love and get along with people, even when they may work our last nerve from time to time. That sense of affection and contentment is critical. Who else but an older sister might safely call her precociously developed younger sister "Jug-a-lug" and affectionately tease her about not being able to run high school track for fear of putting her eyes out? Years later when the nickname is shortened to "J", curious nieces and nephews might innocently ask why everyone calls their aunt "Aunt J" when her given name doesn't even have a "J" in it.



And there are times when an uncle or aunt, not limited by the parental role, can provide some good advice to a niece or nephew, advice a parent might never give. An aunt or uncle can be a good sounding board when you have some things you'd rather not share with your parents. On the other hand there are some aunts and uncles you're better off not knowing.

The Turner House brings all of this and more into the story. Ultimately it's a slice of life story about a large extended family which is based in Detroit. It jumps back and forth in time between the 1930s/1940s when Francis Turner moves to Detroit from Arkansas before bringing his wife Viola with him and 2008 when Francis has long since died. By this point Viola is sickly. She's had strokes. Her mental and physical capacity is declining noticeably. Being finally unable to care for herself she has moved in with her oldest son Charles (everyone calls him Cha-Cha) and Charles' wife Tina. Viola is not really happy about this situation. Born in 1944, Charles has entered senior citizen status. He's always been the most responsible one in the family, who helped look after his twelve younger brothers and sisters, sometimes whether they wanted his guidance or not. Now Cha-Cha and the rest of his siblings, many of whom are spread out across the country, must decide what to do with the family home. It's still in their mother's name though Cha-Cha has power of attorney. Thanks to bad advice from another daughter Viola refinanced the east side home and now owes $40,000 on a house that's worth $4,000 at most. Meanwhile the youngest child, the daughter Lelah, born in 1967, is struggling with a gambling addiction and has lost her job and home. Unwilling to ask her daughter, her ex, or her siblings, nieces or nephews for help and with no place else to go, Lelah moves into the abandoned family home. Lelah really doesn't want to impose on her daughter and thus lose her relationship with her grandson. Reading the description of the decline of some neighborhoods interspersed with the occasional optimism of those people still living there was very true to life.  

The book focuses primarily on Lelah and Cha-Cha and their different perspectives and problems. There's a hint of the supernatural as Cha-Cha is convinced he's seeing ghosts or "haints" as he would put it. He saw a haint or claimed to have done so as a young boy in the family home. But anyone he mentions it to now thinks Cha-Cha just needs to man up and/or get some rest. "Encouraged" by his employer to go see a psychiatrist he finds that that choice might open up a different can of problems. Another prominent sibling is Troy, an ambitious police officer and youngest son. Troy has big plans for the family home and is frustrated that no one, especially Cha-Cha, seems to take him seriously. From what I've seen in some families this is a common complaint of the youngest siblings but as oldest I have little sympathy for that sort of pointless whining.

This story book is matter of fact about whether we like it or not, everything must change. One day you will find yourself needing help or looking back over the years and wondering where all the time went. This book is also a love letter to the city of Detroit and to family. It examines how for good and bad the past continues to influence how we perceive ourselves and how we relate to others. You will probably recognize some of your own family or friends in this story, no matter where you were raised or how you grew up. That said it is very rooted in the Black Detroit experience. It shows that experience as universal. I am very happy to have read this book.

HBO Game of Thrones Recap: The Gift

"All rulers are either butchers or meat."

We'll we're back after last week's controversy. There were some people on these here interwebs who pontificated that strictly speaking what happened between Ramsay Bolton and Sansa Stark Bolton was not technically rape as it is expected for a wife to have sex with her husband on the wedding night. That may well be but it is hardly expected for a husband to lock his wife in her room and visit her only to slake his lusts and terrorize her. Sansa was raped last week and has been raped daily since then as we see her bloody and bruised, cowering in a low cut nightgown when Theon Reek goes to bring her food and drink. Sansa refuses to call Theon "Reek" but reminds him of his Greyjoy heritage. She asks Theon for help, saying to Theon that things can't get any worse. Theon responds, as only someone who's been castrated can know, things can always get worse. However Sansa is able to break through to Theon and get him to go light the candle in the highest room of the broken tower. Isn't that the spot where Jaime threw Bran out the window? In an impressive bit of camera work we see Theon grimly climb the steps with the candle, looking out for Bolton soldiers all the time. He finally makes it to the highest point. But when he opens the door who should be there to greet him but Ramsay, who is snidely curious as to what Reek is doing there. It turns out that Reek wasn't climbing up the steps of the broken tower at all, but rather Ramsay's tower. The fear is strong in that one. Although the misdirect was very nicely done we probably shouldn't have been too surprised. Theon is a broken man who has been degraded beyond all belief. He bit his own sister rather than be rescued. It will take something more than Sansa's first pleas to get him to reject Ramsay's conditioning.

Sansa is summoned to see Ramsay, who is chillingly calm and polite. He tells Sansa that the coming battle will not go well for Stannis as his men are not northerners and are unused to the harsh long winters. When Ramsay says that one day he will be Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, Sansa reminds him of Walda Frey's pregnancy and of his younger brother's trueborn status as opposed to Ramsay's bastard one. What if Roose disinherits Ramsay for his legitimate son?  Ramsay counters that he was legitimized by King Tommen but Sansa calls him a bastard as well. Ramsay lets Sansa know that her bastard brother Jon Snow is Lord Commander of the Night's Watch so apparently illegitimate status isn't the handicap it used to be. It's a new day in the North. But enough of all this family values talk. This isn't a political convention. Ramsay invited Sansa to the Winterfell courtyard to see the tortured, crucified and flayed body of the woman who gave her the candle. His serenity thus restored, Ramsay has Sansa taken back to her room. In many ways a calm Ramsay is an even more frightening Ramsay. I guess Reek was right. Things really can get worse.

At the Wall, Jon Snow leaves for Hardhome with Tormund but evidently without Ghost. Sam gives Jon a gift of dragonglass (obsidian). Alliser Thorne again lets Jon know that he thinks Jon is making a mistake. And judging by the sullen closed faces of many of the Night's Watch members, Thorne isn't just speaking for himself. Maester Aemon is close to death and delirious. He's seeing his brother Aegon (Egg), who became king. Maester Aemon urges Gilly to get her child south before it's too late. When the maester dies, Sam leads the funeral incantation but as head-crow-in-charge it's Alliser who burns the body. Alliser takes the opportunity to remind Sam that he's losing all of his friends.  It's not clear if this was a threat or a simple observation but I guess either way Sam had better watch his back. This scene had really beautiful swelling string music. Quite compelling. When Stannis left Castle Black he prudently took Melisandre, Shireen and Selsye with him, reasoning they'd be safer in or around battle than being the only females around a bunch of sex starved males with low moral standards.  We see that was a wise choice on Stannis' part as Gilly is first sexually harassed and later threatened with rape while she's about her chores. Sam comes to her aid but gets the beatdown of the century.  But Sam is not so easily deterred. Despite his utter lack of fighting abilities, he pops up again and refuses to back down in the face of death. He really really really likes Gilly. Suddenly the menacing Ghost appears and scares off the would be rapists. Dogs (and direwolves) always are pretty clear on who they like and who they don't. Ghost doesn't like rapists. Afterwards while Gilly is tending to Sam she decides to show him the proper way to make a lady smile. And Sam, like Jon before him, breaks an oath. Oh dear.

Stannis and his men are suffering through the storm. It wasn't exactly the opportune time to march on Winterfell. Davos reports that their supply lines are down, horses are dying and they're starting to have deserters. And winter is just getting started. He strongly advises returning to Castle Black to wait out the winter. Stannis, being Stannis, rejects that idea both because of his pride and because given how long winters can last, he doubts if he would ever get a chance to march on Winterfell again. They must either win everything or lose everything on this gamble right now. Stannis is going all in. You can follow him or step off but he's not stopping. Not any more. Davos has more to say but clearly Stannis has made up his mind. Davos leaves. One person who is apparently not bothered by the cold or snow is Melisandre, hanging out in Stannis' tent wearing her normal fetching low cut gown. Stannis wants to know if she is sure of his victory. Melisandre reminds him that she's seen a victory in the snow and the Bolton banners lowered. Stannis decides he wants some of Melisandre's good thing but she declines. She suggests (without saying the name) that Stannis sacrifice Shireen to ensure victory. Shireen does after all have king's blood. His blood running cold, Stannis angrily rejects that idea and orders Melisandre out of his tent. He didn't bring his daughter along from danger at Castle Black just to kill her on the road.

In bed Daenerys and Daario take a break from playing hide the dragon to discuss Daenerys' upcoming marriage. Obviously Daario doesn't like it and wonders if the Sons of the Harpy are being quiet because one of their own is about to marry Daenerys. Daenerys insists that the marriage will just be political (does this mean she does not intend to consummate it) but Daario still doesn't like it and advises her to kill all the former masters. Jorah and Tyrion are sold together (Tyrion running his mouth and atypically beating up his guard to convince his new master of his martial abilities) to a slaver who intends to use them in the fighting pits of Meereen. There is a practice match at which it just so happens that Daenerys and Hizdahr are the honored guests. Although he is not in the first batch of fighters, when he spies his one true love on the stage Lord Friendzone grabs his weapons and gear and runs out to wreak havoc. There's nothing like love to motivate a man. Killing or incapacitating every other gladiator, Jorah takes off his helm to reveal himself only to have his hopes and dreams crushed when Daenerys orders him to be removed from her sight. Cold as ice. Tyrion appears in the pit to confirm that Jorah really did bring him as a gift. Isn't that cute?

In Dorne, Jaime, as befits his highborn status is in a comfortable apartment where his niece/daughter Myrcella visits him and throws a tantrum. She says she's not leaving Dorne and that's that. So she doesn't even know why he came. Bronn and the Sand Snakes are ensconced in adjoining cells which are a tiny bit less elaborate than Jaime's. Their cells actually have bars you know. Bronn is singing "The Dornishman's Wife". The Sand Snakes ask him how he's feeling. Tyene Sand in particular wants to know if Bronn is doing okay and if she's the most beautiful woman Bronn has ever seen. Bronn says he's doing fine and has seen plenty of beautiful women. Tyene Sand starts to do a striptease as Bronn's condition worsens. As she reveals herself she also lets Bronn know that during their fight she cut him with a poisoned blade. He doesn't have long to live. By the way she has the antidote so who's the most beautiful woman Bronn has ever seen again? Starting to bleed and choke Bronn agrees that Tyene is the most beautiful woman he's ever seen and gets the antidote. Okay.

In King's Landing, The Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna Tyrell, confronts the High Sparrow over his imprisonment of her grandchildren. She accuses him of doing Cersei's dirty work. The High Sparrow, who is busy cleaning up (symbolic of how he sees himself and his role) says her grandchildren broke laws. It's nothing personal as far as the High Sparrow is concerned. Whether someone is rich or poor the High Sparrow thinks everyone is equal before the Seven. He intends to bring everyone to task on their moral failings. He can't be bought off or intimidated by Lady Olenna's threats. He says that Lady Olenna, the Tyrells or any other high lords and ladies don't do the work that makes society run. The poor do that. And the poor significantly outnumber the rich. So what happens when the poor no longer fear the rich. He's an enigmatic man that High Sparrow. Lady Olenna mutters that there are many people who have broken laws. She receives a message from Littlefinger. She and Littlefinger meet in one of his shuttered and wrecked brothels. Littlefinger is not happy looking at his losses. Lady Olenna reminds Littlefinger of their past work together and warns him that if if she and her family go down so does he. And if she has any "accidents", she's taken steps to ensure Littlefinger will definitely get his shortly afterwards. Thus properly motivated, Littlefinger assures Lady Olenna that he will give her the same sort of gift he gave Cersei, an introduction to a young man. King Tommen is apparently regretting his decision to stand down from confrontation with the Church. He's talking about killing everyone to get Margaery back. Not wanting Margaery released, obviously, Cersei convinces Tommen to let her go talk to the High Sparrow for him. Cersei first stops by to see gloat over Margaery. She pretends horror and sympathy. She's brought Margaery some food, which she takes pains to remind Margaery is leftovers. Margaery is not happy or fooled by Cersei's alleged sympathy. She calls Cersei out of her name, throws the food at her and orders her out. 

Staying calm, with a smirk firmly planted on her face, Cersei goes to see the High Sparrow. She asks what will happen to the Tyrell grandchildren. The High Sparrow says that seven septons will judge them but that confessions will likely bring mercy. The High Sparrow then launches into a history lesson about the sept he's restoring, pointing out that the builders did not leave their names because their vanity wasn't the point of their creation. He says that faith and vanity don't really go together. He muses about what would they find if they stripped away Cersei's vanity. Not liking the sudden turn of this conversation Cersei readies herself to leave but is stopped by a sister of the faith. Lancel enters. The High Sparrow explains that Lancel has unburdened himself of quite a lot regarding Cersei. Cersei is dragged away and thrown into a cell similar to Margaery's.

What I liked

• Jonathan Pryce's work as the High Sparrow. His economy of movement,  reasonable nature and smooth unexcited speech really undersell his danger. The only hint of his power and fanaticism is seen in his unblinking stare. He was very well cast. Nicely done.
• Theon's inability to break through Ramsay's conditioning.
• The reappearance of at least one direwolf. It's about time.
• Tyene Sand (heh-heh)
• Religion is often used as "an opiate for the masses". But what happens when religion, rather than supporting the status quo, actively seeks to destroy it. The High Sparrow has arrested the Queen, the Queen's brother, and the Queen Mother. He seems to be playing to resentments of the upper classes. But how long can the upper classes and the military tolerate this? If Tommen was already regretting not intervening to save his wife will he sit still when people lay their hands on his mama?
• Sansa picked up something on the Winterfell battlements. What was it? We don't know but we do know that Sansa is still trying to fight back with whatever weapon she can find.
• Although Cersei hates the Tyrells for relatively petty reasons it is important to remember that they did in fact kill her son. They are just as dangerous and as amoral as the Lannisters. They just have better public relations.
• Gilly initiating sex with Sam. Given Sam's shyness and fears that was the only way it was ever going to happen.

What I didn't like

• The implication that Littlefinger or Lady Olenna set off Lancel to talk about Cersei's crimes whatever they might be (incest with Jaime? incest with Lancel? adultery with both of them? murder of Robert Baratheon?). The whole point of the Faith Militant is that they're supposed to be unreasonable unyielding fanatics who can't be dealt with by the normal lures of the material world. Whenever Lancel decided to come clean about Cersei I doubt that he would have done so on Littlefinger's  word. He would have done so for his own internal reasons.
• The Tyene Sand scene with Bronn was silly though the actress is quite attractive.
• Tommen's fit of anger came across as a three year old having a tantrum in a store although maybe that was the point. He's still young and unsure of himself.

*This post is written for discussion of this episode and previous episodes.  If you have book based knowledge of future events or have seen future leaked episodes please be kind enough not to discuss that here.  NO SPOILERS. NO BOOK DERIVED HINTS ABOUT FUTURE EVENTS. Most of my blog partners have not read the books and would take spoilers most unkindly. Heads, spikes, well you get the idea....

The Rape of Sansa Stark and Feminist Outrage

If you believe that HBO Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and Daniel Weiss or A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R.Martin are despicable misogynists who enjoy creating rape scenes then I don't know how to change your mind. I don't find enough evidence to justify the misogynist claim in their televised or written creations. I don't think that Weiss, Benioff or Martin hate women. That's a pretty strong accusation to make. Last week's Game of Thrones scene depicting the rape of Sansa Stark, eldest daughter of Ned Stark and Catelyn Tully and in-universe last publicly known Stark heir to Winterfell, was hard to watch. But rapes should be hard to watch should they not? I don't think that there's a universe of people out there who are eagerly tuning in to HBO each Sunday at 9 PM EST to enjoy watching a woman get raped. And if there are people like that I don't know them. I think some of the outrage over the Sansa rape is understandable (I hated the scene) but is definitely misplaced. I will explain this below but it will inevitably involve some mild spoilers/discussion from the books. So if you can't tolerate one scintilla of book knowledge then you know what to do. And if you have read the books, please don't take this as permission to blab all over the place about what's yet to occur in the story (not least because it may not occur on screen) or discuss or link to other book theories or future events. Although the amount of published source material yet to be adapted for the show is shrinking ever more rapidly there are still other moderators or commenters on this blog who would strongly prefer to see events play out on screen as they have not read the books and are unlikely to do so before the series completes.

I wrote before that the "controversy" over rape in Game of Thrones seemed ginned up. Rape is horrible but it's not as bad as murder. Death is the worst event because death removes all future possibilities. I don't want to rewrite the previous post but it's very important to remember that numerous people of both genders have been murdered, harmed or mutilated in all sorts of horrific ways. For example, Show!Theon Greyjoy has been threatened with homosexual rape, raped by women, beaten, tortured, mutilated, flayed, starved, forced to live as an animal, enslaved, made to reject his own identity and ultimately castrated. This was all shown in great detail. I don't seem to recall too much twitter outrage over this. Certainly there weren't many (any?) feminists stating that "That's it. I'm boycotting the show!" after Theon was unmanned and later taunted with sausages by Ramsay. Theon's ordeals weren't quite as explicit in the books. There are some textual hints that Ramsay raped Theon. In either medium, book or show, Ramsay is over the top. He's pushed Theon into insanity. Ramsay doesn't care which gender he hurts. Ramsay killed his own soldiers for fun. Ramsay flayed a noble and his wife in front of their son and hung the skinned corpses on the Winterfell walls. So Ramsay is an evil disturbed sick SOB. Sansa, on the other hand, is a "little dove". She's not a leader like her older brothers Jon and Robb, an action girl who dislikes proscribed gender roles like her younger sister Arya, or a budding magician like her younger brother Bran. Her primary achievement to date has been to survive. That's not something that readily translates as heroic or active but in fact it can be heroic and is indeed a necessary part of human success. Sansa's continued survival could hold the key to the Stark Restoration, if indeed one is to occur.

In the books, Littlefinger is still in The Vale grooming Sansa Stark. Sansa is unaware that Littlefinger betrayed her father Ned Stark and likely suggested to Joffrey that Ned be executed. Sansa doesn't realize that her Aunt Lysa's last words implicated Littlefinger in the murder of Sansa's uncle Jon Arryn. She doesn't know that Littlefinger set up the war which brought about her family's near destruction. She has not revealed herself as "Sansa Stark" to anyone in The Vale, though some may have suspicions. Sansa's current roles include listening dutifully as Littlefinger reveals (or does he?) small portions of his plans, watching over Sweet Robin and not getting creeped out when Littlefinger touches her or speaks inappropriately about her mother Catelyn.

This would not make dramatic television. In both books and show, the Boltons seek legitimacy as Wardens of the North. The traditional way of doing this is to be a Stark. As all the Starks are missing or murdered the Book!Boltons decide to marry a fake Stark. The Boltons force Sansa Stark's friend, Jeyne Poole, to pose as Arya Stark. They make Theon vouch for her identity though he obviously knows she isn't Arya. After the marriage ceremony, Ramsay rapes Jeyne. He also forces Theon to watch and degrade himself by participating. The book scene was FAR worse than the television scene. It made me put the book down for a while. What's worse is the reminder that it was Littlefinger who initially enslaved Jeyne as a child prostitute and later sold or gifted her to the Boltons. So the book and show share common elements. Littlefinger provides a "Stark" to the Boltons. Ramsay marries a "Stark". Ramsay rapes and degrades his wife. Ramsay humiliates and degrades Theon in the process. The showrunners swapped out Jeyne Poole for Sansa Stark. We always care about main characters more than we care about secondary ones even though Jeyne has so far suffered more than Sansa. Her treatment at Ramsay's hands was not the first time Jeyne was raped. This change from book to show greatly raised the dramatic stakes for Sansa. Some people outraged over Sansa's rape are mistaking their emotional investment in Sansa Stark's wellbeing for moral rectitude. It's not. It's just that they like and care about the character, which means the show writers and actress have done their jobs. 

The reason I didn't like the scene was not just because I sympathize with Sansa. I disliked the scene, emotionally powerful though it was, because it was senseless for Sansa to marry willingly into the family whose Lord had murdered her brother and usurped her family home. What's next, Bran Stark reappears and asks Roose for a job as maester? In King's Landing Sansa had no choice. When the opportunity arose to leave King's Landing (with someone she thought was safe) she took it. But Sansa wouldn't want to live with her family's murderers. She's been there and done that already. In order to increase the dramatic stakes and emotional investment that we have in a main character the show runners make Sansa act as if she's learned nothing over the past four seasons. THAT'S the real mistake here. There are people in the North and in the Vale who would be willing to fight and die for Sansa Stark against the Boltons or the Crown. I thought it would have made much more sense for Sansa to ally herself with one of those factions rather than submit to the Boltons, especially as the powers in the Vale know who she is. That would have shown increased political acumen and ability to play the game. The North Remembers. And having Sansa do that also dovetails nicely with another book subplot. There were some people who thought that the scene's shift away from Sansa to the broken Theon crying was somehow sexist because it made Sansa's rape all about the impact on a man. I think that's a silly criticism. There are numerous film graphic scenes in which the director tells us what's happening primarily by the reactions of witnesses because to actually show us is considered to be too horrific. The ending of Braveheart is the first thing that comes to mind, closely followed by the rape scene in The Messenger, but I'm sure you can think of many other such scenes. If the showrunners had chosen instead to focus on Sansa's face or heaven forbid, body, many of the same people blasting them for cutting to Theon's tears would be harping on the showrunners for reducing Sansa to an voyeuristic object of rape. Guaranteed. Also remember that the showrunners know the ending and the fates of major characters. We don't. For all we know Martin might write a scene where Littlefinger rapes Sansa.

If you are a person who is sensitive to any and all depictions of violence then yes I understand how rape scenes or torture scenes or murder scenes would bother you. You might indeed decide that this show isn't for you. You might even skip over certain segments. I understand and respect those decisions. We've all seen movies or read books where we realized that certain things weren't our cup of tea. But if you were silent when Joffrey had Marillion's tongue ripped out, had nothing to say when Theon hanged the burned bodies of the miller's boys, or yawned when Ramsay cut off Theon's family jewels, feel free to get upset but please don't pretend moral outrage when Sansa Stark is raped. Your outrage is not moral. It's just that your particular emotional redline has been crossed. 

Book Reviews: Die And Stay Dead

Die And Stay Dead
by Nicholas Kaufmann

This is installment two in what I believe to be a planned trilogy. The problem with a lot of middle books, whether they are in a trilogy or an even longer series is that they neither reflect the promise of the first book that introduced you to the author nor do they tie anything up, being too busy moving characters and events into place for the finale. Die and Stay Dead doesn't have that problem. Not in the least bit. It's about as hyperactive as the first book, Dying is my Business, reviewed here. But Die and Stay Dead also gives you some very important clues about both the past and future. It perhaps even reveals the secret of the hero's identity. Just to briefly recap, a man named Trent who doesn't know who he is or where he's from does odd jobs for a mob boss named Underwood. Trent seemingly can't die. If he ever does, then not soon after his corpse will steal the life force of whoever is unlucky enough to be closest to him and voila, Trent is resurrected. By the end of the first book, Trent discovered that there's someone behind Underwood who's been playing them both. Underwood is just (literally) a puppet. In book 2, Trent has broken free of Underwood's control as well as the person who was behind Underwood. He's a member of the Five Pointed Star, an X-Man like ragtag group of misfits and magicians who are struggling to limit the influence of magic and evil in the world. They're the good guys. Sadly, lately they're fighting a losing battle. There are more and more people infected with magic who are going off the deep end and causing harm to themselves and other people. Along with Trent, this group includes Bethany, a sorceress who might be only half-human and who also might have a thing for Trent, though they both deny it, the group leader Isaac, a powerful mage who is able to wield magic without becoming infected, something most people can't do, Phillip, a nigh indestructible vampire outcast who owes a debt of honor to Isaac, and Gabrielle, the lover and fiancee of the now deceased group member Thornton, a werewolf.

The  Five Pointed Star is doing its normal thing, chasing down and eliminating creatures infected with magic, when they stumble across what looks like a connection between one of their cases and a doomsday cult. As such cults are wont to do, this group tried and failed to bring about the end of the world by the classic method of summoning something they couldn't control. Snicker. You might ask yourself if megalomaniacal magicians shouldn't think twice before opening dimensional gates they might not be able to close. I mean how often does that really work out. But then again I suppose being megalomaniacal tends to warp your judgment a bit. You don't hear the words "No that's a bad idea." very often. And even if you did you'd ignore them because after all you're megalomaniacal. It's what you do.

Unfortunately, the cult leader, one Mr. Erickson Arkwright, survived the destruction of the group and is back for round two. All he has to do is find the missing pages of a magic tome so he can recast the spell. Obviously the Five Pointed Star can't be having that. They oppose Arkwright. Or they would if they could find him. Trent will also discover to his dismay that he's not the only member of the team with secrets. Trent is also a little more accepting of his powers in this story. Like the first book in the series, Die and Stay Dead is something that proceeds at a breakneck pace. It does this so much that instead of just reading the book during my criminally shortened lunch time I decided to skip watching a few movies to read this story, which given how much I like film, says something about the excitement and quality in this story. Speaking of film this story is just crying out to be translated into the visual medium. I'm imagining something that draws on Big Trouble in Little China, Angel Heart and National Treasure. There's a fair amount of humor which balances out the occasionally gruesome action. What's really the juicy sweet spot of this story isn't the various superpowered entities who seem to know who Trent is or even Trent's increasingly strong and desperate need to know his identity but rather the author's envisioning of New York City as a special, magical and very old place. As the team races for clues across and below NYC, Kaufmann weaves a pretty compelling mystery story. You may become intrigued and fascinated by old monuments and statues in your own home town. What secrets do they hold. What events have they witnessed. If you live in or are a native of NYC this book will have a lot of treats for you. I did like how some characters, for both benign and fell purposes, realized that Trent's weak spot is his desire to know who he is. In some areas of the city Trent has an almost overpowering sense of deja vu. He can almost remember something..but then he can't.

I was (despite what seems like a definitive reveal of Trent's true nature late in the book) briefly still wondering if it was a head fake. There are more than a few pieces to some character arcs that haven't fallen completely into place yet. Or maybe I just missed them. I liked reading this book because it was like solving a puzzle. I quickly identified some characters who weren't playing on the level, so to speak but a few others didn't make my spidey-sense tingle until it was too late. The book's only drawback is that the action really doesn't ever stop. It's similar to some of Simon Green's early work. The book might run a tad long. It ends on a cliffhanger. I am very interested to see what happens next. Although I think you will enjoy Die and Stay Dead more if you read the first book, Dying is My Business, strictly speaking it's not necessary to have done so. This is a very good example of urban fantasy so if you are into that genre or just happen to like mysteries, this is a book you ought to be reading. 

HBO Game of Thrones Recap: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken

"House Lannister has no rivals."

With this installment HBO's Game of Thrones has officially moved from an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire to something that is inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire. This was a tough episode to watch for a number of different reasons. More on that in a minute. At the House of Black and White Arya continues to clean and wash corpses, but isn't allowed in the secret rooms. When Arya wants to know who the creepy girl is and why Arya isn't allowed to do anything more than the basic tasks the girl gives Arya a very convincing story of her exile from Westeros before asking if Arya really believed that story. Evidently lying is part of the training or "game". Arya may not yet have the ability to tell truth from lies but her sensei Jaqen H'ghar does. He asks Arya questions and whips her every time she tells a lie. Curiously one of Arya's lies is apparently that she hates The Hound. Imagine that. We also hear that Arya left the Hound to die. While Arya is cleaning floors a man comes into the House of Black and White with a sickly dying daughter. He can't afford to pay for any more treatment or take care of her any longer. He wants a mercy killing. Acting like she saw Jaqen do, Arya comforts the child and tells her all sorts of lies before giving her a poison drink. Jaqen watches from the shadows. Afterwards, when she is cleaning the child's body a door is left open, and Jaqen leads Arya into the sub basement. There are many pillars there all with human faces hanging from them. Jaquen says that although Arya is not yet ready to be no one she might be ready to be someone else. So Arya is making progress on something. For what purpose we're not sure yet. I don't think that mercy killing and murder are what Ned and Catelyn would have wanted for their little girl but they're not around any more are they. That's life in Westeros and truth be told our world as well. Things don't always work out. Get used to it.

While Jorah is learning to better appreciate Tyrion's cutting wit he learns that his father, Night Watch Lord Commander Jeor Mormont was murdered by his own men. Tyrion admits his patricide and the reasons for it. Tyrion also unsuccessfully tries to get Jorah to see beyond his worship of Daenerys to articulate why someone with no experience of ruling and a family history of incestuous insanity would be a good ruler. Because Tyrion isn't necessarily feeling that. Jorah's not having it. He doesn't think Tyrion is seeing the big picture. He left cynicism behind when he saw Daenerys emerge unburnt and unhurt from fire. Before they can continue their conversation on leadership, political science and fatherhood the two men are captured by slavers. The slavers want to kill Tyrion and sell his genitalia. Tyrion is, typically, able to argue for their lives by appealing to the chief slaver's greed. If you need someone to think fast and speak faster, Tyrion's your man. His retort about the size of his (not so) "little Tyrion" was pretty funny. In the Dornish water gardens, Prince Trystan and Princess Myrcella talk about marriage. Myrcella is already jealous and curious about Trystan's past dalliances. By the way these two have zero charisma together. I mean like none. Zip. Nada. Prince Doran and Areo Hotah watch over the two crazy young lovebirds. Doran appears happy to see that his son is falling in love with the beautiful Baratheon Lannister princess. Doran reminds Areo that push may come to shove. Not everyone in Dorne is happy about the proposed nuptials. Areo and Doran need to protect Myrcella and Trystan. 

Cue cutaway to the venomously angry Ellaria Sand reminding the Sand Snakes of the Martell House words ( Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken) and exhorting them them to avenge their father. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby have disguised themselves as North Africans I mean Jaime and Bronn have disguised themselves as Dornish and joined a caravan that's headed for the water gardens. Bronn is singing a typically bawdy song about Dornish women. The actor used to be a singer. Go figure. Anyway apparently no one notices that the not so dynamic duo don't really have a typical Dornish look. And no one is there is to check that the people entering gardens where the Prince of Dorne, his heir and Princess Myrcella are residing actually have official business being there. Right. This is akin to just waltzing into the White House and telling people you're with the landscaping crew. Anyway Jaime and Bronn find Trystan and Myrcella and try to take Myrcella. Myrcella doesn't understand why her uncle Jaime is there. She doesn't want to go with him. And Trystan notices the blood on both men's clothes. But it's at that moment that the Sand Snakes go into wondertwin powers activate! status. A battle royale breaks out but no one is really hurt. One of the Sand Snakes does manage to (temporarily?) spirit Myrcella away but Areo breaks up the fight and arrests everyone. His men also detain Ellaria. You kind of wonder why this wasn't done before but whatever. 

In King's Landing Littlefinger has a brief run in with the Faith Militant/Sparrows before seeing Cersei. Cersei is, as usual, already tipsy. But she's not so drunk that she's not suspicious about Lysa's sudden death. She wants to know if Littlefinger supports the throne. Littlefinger reveals that "he's found Sansa Stark" and rats out the Bolton-Stark impending marriage. Littlefinger advises Cersei to let Stannis and Roose Bolton battle it out over Winterfell and then swoop in to pick up the pieces. If Cersei doesn't have the muscle to send to Winterfell (Jaime out of town, Kevan not talking to her) then Littlefinger will send Vale soldiers to Winterfell...in exchange for being named Warden of the North of course. Cersei says that might could happen but the main thing she wants is to see Sansa's head on a pike. Margaery's grandmother Olenna, the Queen of Thorns, has come to King's Landing to sort things out. She tells Margaery that obviously Cersei is behind the Loras arrest and just as obviously the Tyrells can't let this pass. The QoT visits Cersei and angrily reminds her of the Tyrell contributions of food, gold and troops. She tells Cersei that although she never liked or even trusted Tywin Lannister she did respect him. She thinks Cersei is being short sighted in her attempt to stick it to a rival. Cersei sneers that the Lannisters have no rivals. She says she has no pull with the Sparrows. It's only an inquest into Loras' activities not a trial so the QoT should stop making threats and insults. Have a coke and a smile and shut the **** up is Cersei's advice. Cersei remains serene in the face of Olenna's bluster and threats. I think she's trying to do what her daddy would have done.

The High Sparrow himself conducts the inquest in front of King Tommen, Margaery, Cersei and the QoT. He probes Loras (no pun intended) about Loras' relationship with Renly and other men. Loras denies everything as lies and rumors. He specifically claims that he's engaged in no homosexual acts. Curiously the High Sparrow calls Margaery as a witness. Margaery also swears that her brother is innocent. She says she's seen no evidence of homosexual activity. Hmm. Well The High Sparrow has evidently been watching Law and Order reruns and paying attention to perjury traps. After Margaery leaves the witness stand the High Sparrow brings in one of Loras' lovers, a squire. The squire gives all sorts of salacious details about what he and Loras did. He can provide proof because he knows some of Loras' intimate physical characteristics. As he was also the same fellow that Margaery walked in on earlier he also states truthfully that Margaery knew about her brother's lifestyle and wasn't surprised or disgusted. This testimony shows Margaery to be a liar. Now my understanding is that a prosecutor is not supposed to deliberately call someone as a witness to get them to perjure themselves but I'm no lawyer and more importantly there's no judge to reign in the High Sparrow. He is the judge and prosecutor. He orders that Loras and Margaery both be detained for trial. Cersei pretends outrage but can barely hold back the smirk. She silently cautions Tommen against interfering. Margaery calls for Tommen to do something but he won't act. He appears frightened. Truthfully he's been weighed, measured and found wanting by the High Sparrow. It is a serious breach of secular power for the Church to arrest the Queen. It shouldn't be tolerated but that's what happens when you have a weak King. For the second time the Kingsguard is ready to start slicing and dicing and for the second time the King won't give the word.

At Winterfell, Myranda comes to Sansa's door to draw her bath water for the upcoming wedding. As I said before Myranda is not anyone you'd want to be around in a dark alley. She's very vampiric looking. She tries to scare Sansa with tales of Ramsay's past atrocities and her own role in them. Sansa sees that Myranda loves Ramsay. Sansa restates that she is a Stark of Winterfell and will not be frightened by any kennel master's daughter. On Ramsay's orders, Theon comes to escort Sansa to the godswood. Sansa is repulsed by Theon's presence and won't touch him. In a very sad scene, Sansa, attired all in white with her natural red hair, goes to the godswood where her father used to pray and seek solitude. There in a solemn and yet somehow farcical nighttime ceremony she is married to Ramsay Bolton. It's all very sad because Sansa is alone in the world. For all she knows she's the last Stark. She's literally spoils of war. But the worse is yet to come. In his bedchamber, (symbolically?) filled with wolf skins, Ramsay decides to drop the mask and let the crazy come out. He does not let Theon leave. Ramsay skeptically and rudely inquires if Sansa is still a virgin. He then makes Sansa take off her clothes in front of Theon. When she's not doing so fast enough, Ramsay rips open her wedding dress, bends Sansa over and rapes her. Ramsay tells Theon because he's known Sansa since she was a girl he can now watch Sansa move from girlhood to womanhood. Although there is no nudity in this scene it's as horrific as anything ever filmed in Game of Thrones. Something that should be an act of love between two people is instead used by one psychopath to hurt and humiliate other people. We see Sansa's shocked face and then cut away to stay on Theon's weeping one. We hear Sansa's screams and cries of pain and Ramsay's laughter and grunts. The viewer may feel, much like Theon, an emasculated and unwilling voyeur. It's a very disturbing way to end the episode. The Starks have been betrayed, murdered, exiled and now raped. When will this end?

What I liked

• Littlefinger being Littlefinger. Although I don't think it's in character for him to let the last surviving incarnation of Catelyn Stark (Sansa) out of his sight, it is in character for him to immediately betray the Boltons and work an angle for his own advancement. Still perhaps Cersei might want to investigate HOW Littlefinger knew Sansa Stark was at Winterfell and WHO helped her get there before she gives Littlefinger anything. But Cersei has always been a woman to react emotionally and not wisely. 
• The High Sparrow getting Margaery to perjure herself. He may look (and smell) like a homeless beggar but he's a lot more dangerous and smarter than he looks.
• This episode did bring home the pathos of being alone in the world for both Arya and especially for Sansa.

What I didn't like

• The Sansa Stark rape scene. I never thought it made any sense for Sansa Stark to willingly marry into the family which had helped to betray and murder her own. This isn't book material, and that's all I'll say about that now. Perhaps it's unrealistic for Sansa to have escaped being raped by Joffrey, Littlefinger, The Hound or any of the other rough men she's run across but it also seems a bit much to have Ned and Catelyn's oldest daughter held prisoner in her own home and raped by someone who makes Joffrey seem stable. It was also a mind-rape of Theon FWIW. I feel like we already know that Ramsay is pure evil. I don't need rape to develop Sansa's character. If Sansa really wanted revenge it would make more sense for her to stay in the Vale and attempt to use family connections there. Powerful scene but I thought it gratuitous.
• The Sand Snakes continue to not impress. I thought the fight scene with Bronn and Jaime was silly. Just an episode ago we saw Bronn take out multiple swordsmen in seconds yet he's having trouble with women who are much smaller than he is? That aside as mentioned the security around Prince Dorne was horribly lacking. Perhaps instead of introducing the Sand Snakes throwing a spear through some guy's head, there should have been some better backstory about their exploits or Areo/Doran speaking with worry about their reaction? I don't necessarily blame the actresses but it's just not working for me.
• Dorne in general bores me but that could be an issue with the source material. 
• There are other families in the North besides the Boltons. I would have liked to see some sort of nod to families who lost people at the Red Wedding and now must decide their next move.
• Slavers, slavers everywhere but Jorah and Tyrion just happen to run across an all black group? Hmm.
• For some reason watching Trystan and Myrcella I kept thinking of One Direction or any other insipid boy band of the day.

*This post is written for discussion of this episode and previous episodes.  If you have book based knowledge of future events or have seen future leaked episodes please be kind enough not to discuss that here.  NO SPOILERS. NO BOOK DERIVED HINTS ABOUT FUTURE EVENTS. Most of my blog partners have not read the books and would take spoilers most unkindly. Heads, spikes, well you get the idea....

Book Reviews: Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL warrior

Damn Few: Making the Modern Seal Warrior
by Rorke Denver w/ Ellis Henican

When is the last time you really challenged yourself? It doesn't necessarily have to be a physical feat like weight loss or exercise. How often do you learn a new language, close an important deal at work, continue professional education, volunteer for a difficult assignment, write a novel, start a blog, change careers, or otherwise leave your comfort zone to improve yourself?  You can improve your knowledge and become a better human being by stretching yourself beyond your boundaries. By definition, most of us fall within the normal distributions of human accomplishment. Some people have the drive and discipline to improve and test themselves continually. They are working their plan, not someone else's. And a small percentage of people decide for whatever reason to join the Navy and become SEALs. It's the story of those men that Rorke Denver, a Navy SEAL, combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan,  Bronze Star recipient, SEAL training director and Commander in the SEAL reserves tells in Damn Few. The very first thing that you notice in this book is that unlike some other central figures in military stories, Denver comes across as humble. He's not looking to prove anything to the reader or to anyone else. I think that's in part because of his makeup and also because he's already proven himself to his wife, family, fellow military teammates and most importantly, to himself. So even when he's discussing things that are very difficult or seemingly superhuman he maintains a matter of fact and occasionally self-deprecating tone. So this was a very easy book to read. I doubt that Denver is telling us everything that he knows about being a SEAL or everything he's done in the military but he does provide a very interesting look inside the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school or BUD/S, and the many other schools and classes which prospective SEALs must pass before receiving their trident and becoming a SEAL. There are (or were when Denver wrote the book) roughly around 2500-3000 active duty SEALs at any given time. It's an elite organization. Denver talks about how pre 9-11 there wasn't as much for SEALs to do. Few people outside military circles knew of SEALs. After 9-11 everything changed. SEALs were on the front lines, but were also taking on some very critical secret missions. Denver finds good and bad in this raised profile. Civilian leadership and military brass were impressed with SEAL capabilities. They wanted more SEALs. The lower ranking SEALs and training instructors enjoyed the acclaim but didn't want to lower standards to make more SEALs. Denver mentions that he wouldn't be too eager to lead a platoon of men who needed more than a few chances to pass various physical or mental tests. Mistakes and lack of attention to detail get people killed.


Denver writes of serious conflicts between superior officers from "Big Navy" as he calls them, who tell SEALs that the request to increase headcount wasn't really a suggestion but an order, and those stubborn lower level instructors who, when pressured to alter standards or do outreach, make the training even more difficult. The SEALs are not necessarily scalable.

Denver explains that although the training is and will remain extremely challenging, it's not actually designed to physically break men but to reveal what's inside them, strengthen them and make them rely on each other. He shares his experiences as a SEAL candidate, (he was initially rejected) combat veteran and training leader to illustrate the SEAL values. I learned a lot from this book. I did not know, for example, that the infamous Hell Week, in which the men only get 4 hours of sleep the entire week and are doing physical exercise or labor of some sort for about 20 hours each day, is not the final point of BUD/S but merely the end of an early phase. Most men who pass Hell Week become SEALs but completing Hell Week does not make you a SEAL. Hell Week has a high drop out rate. It's not always the biggest or physically toughest guys who succeed. Intelligence, teamwork, stubbornness, and a competitive nature are just as important. Denver does not shy away from the training's ultimate purpose. Killing. He doesn't glorify killing or revel in gruesome details. But he's not ashamed of it either. Denver shares a story about a putative SEAL, who when faced with very realistic looking targets, decided to drop out.  The man was distressed to face the reality that he would be killing someone's brother, son, or father. Denver respected that decision. Everyone must find their own path. Denver's path saw him leading hundreds of missions as a SEAL officer. He saw action from Colombia to Afghanistan, Liberia to Iraq and elsewhere. If you are curious about what motivates someone like Denver and how a self-described member of the warrior caste deals with the morality of his actions, or if you just want to read about people operating at the very limits of physical human capacity, Damn Few is a good book to read.  You will have a better idea of what it's like to swim in near freezing water, do 4 mile sprints in combat boots, jump from a plane at 25,000 feet or higher, eat 7000 calories a day and still lose weight, swim underwater with your legs and arms tied or perform three hours of punishment exercises because you failed a room inspection. Even if you are resolutely opposed to war or dislike hagiographical biographies of military personnel (which this book isn't btw) Damn Few is an excellent reminder that whatever unfair external forces impact you, what you get out of life is very much related to what you put into it. As Denver writes that's the case regardless of what your chosen profession may be.

The vast majority of this book is not about combat. It's about the internal struggle Denver undertakes to become a better SEAL, a better team member, a better officer, a better husband and better father. Denver is keen to point out that SEALs are not Supermen. Nothing they do could be done without the support of the larger military and society. Denver also starred in the film Act of Valor, a fictionalized account of some SEAL missions. The film was notable for having real SEALs.

Michigan State Senator Virgil Smith and Domestic Violence

The Bible tells us that only the person without sin should throw stones. It also informs us that we should judge not lest we be judged. That might be good moral advice but of course a working society requires that we do judge certain sins and crimes and punish those who engage in them. That's just the way it is. Although I think everyone has dealt with lust, jealousy and anger at some point in their life not everyone lets these sins get the better of them. You have to maintain control over your actions. The result of losing your temper could be disastrous for you and those around you. Michigan State Senator Virgil Smith (D-Detroit) is finding this out the hard way as new details and conflicting stories are emerging about a confrontation between Smith and his ex-wife that turned physical.  Two sides emerged Monday in the story of a lurid domestic shooting involving a state senator with longtime family connections to the the halls of power in Detroit and Lansing. State Sen. Virgil Smith told police that opening fire at his ex-wife’s Mercedes-Benz with a rifle early Sunday morning was “the most stupid thing” in his life. In a statement Smith gave to investigators, he said his ex-wife, whose name is being withheld by The Detroit News, “was banging on (the) bedroom window,” at about 1 a.m., a Detroit Police report said. Smith said he opened the front door, and his ex-wife, “kicked the door open and pushed (past) him. 

“(The ex-wife) went into (Smith’s) bedroom and observed a female ... in (Smith’s) bed. (Smith) stated that (the ex-wife) attempted to attack (the girlfriend),” the police report obtained by The News said. “(Smith) grabbed (his ex-wife), they fell backwards, knocking over the television. (Smith) stated that (his ex-wife) attempted to attack (his girlfriend) again.” Smith told police “he grabbed (his ex-wife) and forced her out of his house,” the police report said. Smith then told investigators he went back into the bedroom to check on his girlfriend, and then returned to the front door, “and observed (his ex-wife) throwing a chair at his house windows.  “(Smith) then stated he did the most stupid thing in his life, he shot (the ex-wife’s) vehicle,” the report said.  

A second police report, containing the ex-wife’s side of the story, was taken by police at 4:41 a.m. Sunday. She said Smith had invited her to stay the night at his house, and, when she arrived, “she was met by a naked (Smith) and an (unknown) female,” the report said. “At this time she became angry and upset, and both started verbally arguing. “At some point during the argument (Smith) grabbed her by the back of her head and shoved her face first into the carpet. Victim stood up and was struck by (Smith) 4-5 (times) in the face with closed fist causing cheeks on both sides of her face to swell.” Smith’s ex-wife told police she ran out the front door, and he chased her with “an (unknown) type long gun and followed behind. She observed muzzle flash (three times) as suspect began firing at her,” the report said. The ex-wife said she ran into a nearby alley as Smith fired the rifle. She said she went into the nearby home of a friend, “who allowed her to call 911 and clean her wounds.” 

The friend later tried to retrieve the ex-wife’s 2015 Mercedes Benz GLA250, but that it was “unable to start due to gunshot damage,” the report said. Evidence technicians later found three suspected bullet holes in the vehicle’s hood; two in the driver’s side headlight; two in the driver’s side front fender; and one each in the driver’s side door, windshield, and rear driver’s door pillar, the report said.

LINK
My thinking is that if Smith did not want his ex-wife at his home he never should have opened the door. Nothing good came from that decision. Perhaps he thought he could calm her down. Or perhaps he and the ex-wife were indeed planning to have some adult fun but the ex-wife did not know another woman would be there or didn't know that that particular woman would be there. Who can really say what's going on in someone else's private life. I have always thought that if someone is an ex there is likely a good reason for that status. Why change it? The problem for Smith is that although the differing stories around the confrontation inside the house may be unverifiable, the ten bullet holes in the car and his own alleged admission of firing the gun would seem to make this a pretty simple case of assault. The only reason to use a gun is if you're defending yourself from another person's deadly force. Even if Smith's crazy ex was throwing chairs at his home windows I don't see how that would legally or otherwise justify shooting at her or her car. But once some people lose their temper and HULK out so to speak, there is no reasoning with them. Still, as far as I'm concerned it's a fair expectation that a State Senator should be able to avoid situations that are more likely to show up on Worldstar than C-Span. I wonder why the other woman in this tale has not sought to press charges for assault? 

Should Smith's fellow Senators expel him from the State Senate?

HBO Game of Thrones Recap: Kill the Boy

"Kill the boy and let the man be born."
The Unsullied are said to be the finest warriors in the world. They ask for no quarter and give none. And yet so far they've yet to impress with their battles against the lightly armed and generally unarmored Sons of the Harpy. One reason for this is that the Unsullied are not designed or trained for police or occupation duties. As mentioned before, seven to nine foot spears can be devastating when properly massed on a battlefield. But in a street fight the weapons and tactics of The Unsullied might be more hindrance than help. The Sons of the Harpy have forced The Unsullied to fight when and where their supposed advantages are neutralized. GRRM and to a lesser extent the show creators are apparently making commentary on the types of wars the US and other Western colonial nations have fought since World War Two. Often the stronger military is unable to completely or thoroughly defeat the indigenous resistance and must come to terms of some kind. Sometimes they even get ignominiously kicked out. The White Man's Burden gets heavier and heavier over time. Obviously Daenerys Targaryen doesn't see herself as a colonialist. She thinks of herself as a liberator. Her primary opposition is more akin to the southern terrorists in post-Civil War America than it is to the Kenyan struggle against British colonialists. All the same she is down two of her military leaders thanks to the rebellious Sons of the Harpy. Ser Barristan is dead while Grey Worm is unconscious for three days. Angered, Daenerys flirts with the idea of just feeding all of the upper class leaders to her dragons, whether they are guilty or not. She makes an object lesson of one. The dragons burn him alive and squabble over the smoking remains. The others, including Hizdahr, are arrested and imprisoned.  Daario thinks that Daenerys needs to retrench in one section of the city and slowly go house to house looking for insurgents Sons of the Harpy.

When Grey Worm finally wakes up he's sad to learn of Barristan's death and the deaths of his men but he's happy to have Missandei hovering over his bed. Most men would be happy to see her I think. Supposedly the only thing Grey Worm feared was not seeing Missandei again. Impressed and apparently a little turned on, Missandei kisses Grey Worm. It's all good. But again as one of the prime requirements of being Unsullied is that Grey Worm didn't get to keep his little grey worm, one wonders what the point of all this is. Grey Worm has no love gun. He doesn't have anything in his pockets that keeps a lot of folks alive. He can't be Missandei's driver and ride her wonderful machine. No matter how much Missandei calls his name, Grey Worm can't be her sledgehammer. So this whole subplot seems pointless. Later on, perhaps feeling a little guilty at having summarily executed someone who, while likely politically opposed to her, had not been proven guilty of anything, Daenerys asks Missandei for advice. Well like anyone else who would like their head to remain attached to their shoulders and not become brunch for hungry dragons, Missandei tells Daenerys that Daenerys' impulses have often been wiser than those of her advisers. Daenerys goes to see the imprisoned Hizdahr. She admits she may have been a tad hasty with the whole feeding people to dragons thing. She remembers how Ser Barristan advised patience and mercy. So Daenerys agrees to re-open the fighting pits to free men only. She also decides to marry the representative of an old respected upper class family in order to make her rule more palatable. That lucky groom would be Hizdahr.

Speaking of political marriages to old respected families, Myranda and Ramsay Snow are evidently taking a short breather from doing the do when Myranda explains that she's not very happy about Ramsay's upcoming marriage to Sansa Stark. She explains this while standing nude at a window, which doesn't quite seem to make sense but for those keeping count there is male nudity here as well. Ramsay reminds Myranda that although he still intends to keep her as a mistress, she's only a kennel keeper's daughter and would be wise not to irritate or bore him. He's getting married and that's that. He doesn't want to hear her mouth on the matter. After some mild pouting, Myranda bites Ramsay. It's time for more nasty S/M sex. Sansa hears from yet another servant that she has friends around and to light a candle in the highest window of the broken tower should she ever be in dire straits. OK. This is starting to irritate me a bit. When we last saw Winterfell it had been occupied by the Greyjoys and later sacked by the Boltons. All the inhabitants were dead or had fled. So where are all these Stark loyalists in Winterfell supposed to have come from? Even if the Boltons had taken them away to the Dreadfort, would it make sense to allow them back at Winterfell? Brienne watches from afar and finds another Stark loyalist to carry a message to Sansa Stark, over Podrick's feeble objections. Anyhow Myranda catches up with Sansa at the broken tower. There's some awkwardness as Sansa can sense that this girl doesn't really like her. When Sansa says things are different Myranda enthusiastically agrees with that assessment. She directs Sansa to a crate in the kennels where there is a surprise waiting for her that will hopefully help her remember just how different things are now. That surprise is Theon, who, caked in his own filth and that of the dogs, won't answer to his name.

Later Sansa has dinner with the Boltons. To mess with Sansa and Theon, Ramsay has Theon do all the serving for dinner and apologize to Sansa for murdering her brothers. (The viewers, Ramsay, Roose and Theon know this isn't true but Sansa doesn't). Given the emphasis Ramsay continues to put on the repeated phrase "he murdered your brothers" it's pretty obvious that he's employing some twisted psychological torture against both Sansa and Theon. Sansa is after all sitting directly across from Roose Bolton, who murdered Sansa's brother Robb. But the sight of Theon or Walda's clueless remark about Sansa being in a strange home have no visible impact on Sansa, who says (paraphrase) "I'm not in a strange home. Winterfell is my home. It's the people who are strange." Not satisfied with the relative lack of response from Sansa, Ramsay announces that as Theon or Reek as he calls him is the closest thing to a relative that Sansa still has, that Theon will give away Sansa at the wedding. This finally gets a response from Roose, who coolly announces that his wife Walda is pregnant. It's probably a boy. Ramsay isn't happy about this at all. He doesn't want any other heirs. Afterwards, in a private meeting with his father, Ramsay crudely insults his mother-in-law's weight and questions how Roose managed to impregnate her. Roose finds Ramsay boorish. He thought Ramsay's baiting of Sansa unnecessary. He also doesn't care to have his wife mocked. Showing that his depths of cruelty are far deeper and more refined than Ramsay's, Roose reveals that he raped Ramsay's low born mother (a miller's wife). He killed the miller. He considered killing both the woman and the baby Ramsay when the woman showed up at his doorstep a year later. He decided against killing Ramsay because Ramsay looked like him. But that's all the past. Stannis is coming. Roose wants Ramsay's help. Bolton family values at their finest folks.

At the Wall Sam is reading information about Daenerys to Maester Aemon, who is upset that Daenerys stands by herself as the last Targaryen. Jon enters and wants to speak to Aemon alone. He wants some advice but Aemon tells Jon that he must man up and make his own decisions."Kill the boy" is how he puts it. Many people will dislike Jon as Lord Commander. There won't be any joy. But he may find strength. Aemon is not interested in being a wet nurse to a Lord Commander. Jon has reached a decision. It's not popular. Jon decides that the Wall's purpose isn't to protect the Seven Kingdoms from the wildlings but to protect all of Westeros from the White Walkers. Allowing the White Walkers to attack and convert the wildlings would be bad. So Jon has asked Tormund to lead the wildlings thru the Wall to resettle lands south of the Wall. Tormund agrees provided Jon accompany him to show good faith. But Jon's Night's Watch brethren don't like this idea. Not one stinking bit. There's too much bad blood. They've been fighting the wildlings for generations. They've lost loved ones (Night's Watch members and actual blood relations) to the wildling attacks and raids. Even Jon's supporters like the boy Olyvar are not in support of this decision. Seeing your parents murdered and butchered in front of you can have that impression on you. Olyvar's pain and disappointment in Jon is visceral. Despite Sam's non-martial appearance Stannis is impressed with the fact that Sam killed a White Walker and urges him to continue his research on how and why White Walkers are vulnerable to obsidian. Stannis decides the time has come to march on Winterfell. He's bringing Shireen, Selyse and Melisandre with him. He thinks they're safer with him than hanging around men who haven't seen women in years and/or are rapists and thieves.

Jorah and Tyrion are taking the long way around to Meereen, sailing close to the ruins of ancient Valyria, the ancestral homeland of the Targaryens, and something akin to Numenor/Atlantis in GRRM's legendarium. Jorah hopes to avoid pirates and really other people altogether. Tyrion still wants some wine. Drinking is what he does. Tyrion sees Drogo flying by. Tyrion is reciting a poem about the doom of Valyria which Jorah also knows. This halting attempt at some sort of reconciliation is interrupted when the Stone men (insane humans completely given over to greyscale) attack. They are contagious. They can spread greyscale just by touching you. Neither Jorah nor Tyrion are wearing full body armor. A desperate fight ensues during which Tyrion is knocked overboard. As he struggles for air a dying Stone man pulls him deeper. Tyrion blacks out. But we learn that he's still alive. He's on the beach. Jorah saved him. Jorah wants to know if anyone touched Tyrion. Tyrion lies and says no. Jorah also denies having been touched. Jorah says that for now they will continue their journey on foot. But Jorah wasn't truthful about his condition either. We see that he was touched and has the first markings of the greyscale infection.

What I liked

• Little hints that despite her "good" nature, Daenerys may well have some of the same capriciousness and cruelty as her father.
• A blink and you missed it shout out to a fan favorite theory.
• Most of the story was given over to the political situation in the North. I found these sections to be the most compelling.
• I like that I don't know what's coming next in the story even if some people (like GRRM's editor Jane Johnson) are not super happy with divergences from the books.
• Myranda's reintroduction of Theon to Sansa was fantastically creepy in the best horror movie sense. Myranda is not someone you turn your back on or let near your food.
• It's worth pointing out that legends claim that the Wall was built by Bran the Builder, the supposed founder of House Stark. Who better than another scion of House Stark to decide what the purpose of the Wall should be?
• Stannis the grammar Nazi remarking on the correct usage of less and fewer.
• Davos' quiet but solid loyalty. He's honest and will tell you when he thinks you're wrong. But if he's with you he's with you for life.

What I didn't like

• Given the implacable hatred towards the wildings shared by most of the Night's Watch I wished this episode or some of the previous ones could have taken some more time to portray Jon struggling with the idea of letting the wildings thru the Wall. This is a huge step. I don't think that the show explained enough why Jon wanted to do this. Jon certainly didn't make a compelling case to his brethren. Not at all.
• Rather than show Stark loyalists working and serving in/around Winterfell I would rather have seen a few of the northern lords who are Stark diehards away in their own castles and holdfasts pondering their options.

*This post is written for discussion of this episode and previous episodes.  If you have book based knowledge of future events or have seen future leaked episodes please be kind enough not to discuss that here.  NO SPOILERS. NO BOOK DERIVED HINTS ABOUT FUTURE EVENTS. Most of my blog partners have not read the books and would take spoilers most unkindly. Heads, spikes, well you get the idea....