Interview with an Unsullied: Season 5 Trailer Edition

I find Unsullied fans of Game of Thrones to be some of the most fascinating people. I am the last person you would consider a spoiler-phobe, your classic “skip to the end” type to find out how it all turns out. Even if I had never read the ASOIAF series before the show came out, instead of having read them multiple times, I would have immediately run and and plowed through the books rather than wait for something like the Red Wedding to sneak up on me. But that does make it a little hard when things like the trailers for a new season come out–since I’m already immersed in the world, I see everything from tainted eyes, and am always comparing the show back to the books. For me there is no one in the world who watch the trailer from a totally innocent place like the Unsullied can, and I always want to see how they see it, and know what they’re registering.

To that end, this week I talked to Becky Chambers, geek girl extraordinaire. A former writer at The MarySue, she currently writes science fiction and essays, and all sorts of stuff about pop culture. Her debut novel, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, is available now in ebook. Most importantly, she’s a huge fan of Game of Thrones, but has never touched the books, or as she put it: “I haven’t read the books, but I devour the show.”

Ani: So Becky, we here at WiC have been doing these pieces as a “five for five thing”, since it’s Season 5, and that’s fun and cheesy! What I’m looking for is, as an Unsullied, what are the things about the trailer that struck you or stood out. It might be harder to think of five, since this is the second trailer, and much of this footage we already saw in the first one. But I would love the instant reax when you watched– what stood out to you most?

Becky: *cracks knuckles*

Number One on the list!

Becky: Free flying dragons! I think we only saw Drogon, but I hope the other two are getting unshackled. That scene was so emotionally trying (and yes, I know I’m saying that about a series where everything is emotionally trying.)

Ani: When it comes to the other two dragons, are you mad enough at Dany that you would like to see her punished for her choice to lock them up? Do you think Drogon should fear Dany at this point, because she might be trying to capture him too? Would your answer change if I reminded you that none of these dragons are fully grown yet–they’re still just teenage dragons, and that locking them away like this is likely not good for their development?

Becky: I’m not mad at Dany, but she’s got to atone for it. I don’t want to see her punished; I want reconciliation. Not just because I care about the bond between her and her dragon babies, but because things in this series rarely go well when bad stuff happens to someone’s animal companion (please reference: every Stark kid).

As for Drogon, I think he’s more pissed than afraid. He and Dany seriously need to work things out.

Number 2!

Becky: I don’t mind if this gets spoiled for me: does Arya Stark ever get a bath? I’ve given up hope of her ever seeing Sansa or Bran again. I just want her to get clean at this point.

Ani: I will spoil this for you. Arya doesn’t just get a bath, but a dress. Considering her tomboy ways these last few seasons, do you think this will make a huge difference in how she behaves, or would you think her twice as dangerous?

Becky: As someone with both tomboy ways and a varied collection of skirts, that doesn’t worry me at all. And if we’ve learned anything from Sansa at the end of last season, it’s that a Stark lady in a new dress is nothing to mess around with.

Number 3…

Becky: Stannis Baratheon is a thing! I always forget that he’s a thing. I’m intrigued by how he’s apparently coming back into a position of power. He’s seemed so irreparably out of the game for several seasons now. I was genuinely surprised by him rolling into the North last season, so I’m interested to see how that will play out.

Ani: Do you expect Stannis to stay north? As a reminder, back in the day, Davos originally wanted him to go to the Wall because the real threat to Westeros was the White Walkers. Do we think, without the White Walker Army threat right there, that they will forget that and start conquering the North that’s south of the wall (like Roose’s VO suggests)? Or could Stannis march even further north?

Becky: I’d like to be optimistic and think that someone’s finally going to deal with the White Walkers, and Stannis would be an awesome choice for that. But optimism and this show rarely work out. I can easily see Stannis getting too big for his britches and going after the Boltons. Could go either way.

Fourth things fourth!

Becky: I know from the internets that the lady with the whip is one of Oberyn’s daughters. I’m very excited to learn more about them. Crossing my fingers for a non-stop revenge train barreling up from Sunspear.

Ani: I’m curious as an Unsullied what you have and haven’t picked up about the Dornish invasion of new characters, and I would love you to expand on that. There are a lot of them–not just the lady with the whip, but also Keisha Castle Hughes, Alexander Siddig and DeObia Oparei, to name a few, as well as the recasting of Myrcella. (yes, she’s a Lannister, err, Baratheon, but she is in Dorne.) I’d be curious to know what kind of impression they’ve made–even if it’s just “sandy landscape, and they all wear yellow.”

I know about the existence of the Sand Snakes, even though I don’t know what their deal is yet. Them being in possession of badass weapons is a good sign. And I know that Alexander Siddig is playing Oberyn’s big brother. The fact that there are so many Martells on the horizon has me really excited. I loved Oberyn and Ellaria, and Dorne seems like the least sucky place in Westeros. They feel more progressive, less mired in bullshit. I really, really want to see them stick it to the Lannisters. I’m fully on Team Red Viper here.

And I forgot that Myrcella is coming back! We only saw a little of her before she got shipped off, but I felt bad for her. She seemed like a sweet kid. But that line last season, where Oberyn tells Cersei that the last time he saw Myrcella was while she was playing with his daughters, that made me think she got the best deal out of all the Lannisters. Whatever she’s been up to, it’s got to be way less toxic than growing up in King’s Landing would’ve been.

And last but not least….

Becky: There were soldiers from the Vale of Arryn, and they were actually going somewhere. About damn time.

Ani:  There are a lot of shots of Sansa in the trailer. All of them are fast, and with the exception of the windswept plain at the beginning, all of them are very dark. We know that Sansa transformed into “Dark Sansa” at the end of last season–do you think her game skills have upped enough to be able to move the action? Do you think these soldiers are moving at her orders, or at Littlefingers? Bonus side question: now that Littlefinger has revealed himself to be the puppet master who started this entire sequence of events in the first damn place, do you think Sansa should be angling for revenge against him? Or as the sharpest player in the game, would she better better off letting bygones be, and partnering with him?

Becky: Sansa is the most underestimated character in the entire series. I love her to bits. She’s got the chops to start moving pieces around the board, but she’s a novice, and she’s going to have to be careful. But she’s spent years playing it safe. I think she’ll be smart about this. The soldiers are probably marching at Littlefinger’s orders, but I’d be surprised if she’s not tweaking his strings.

I also think that Sansa’s playing a long game here. She hung out with Cersei long enough to know how this works. Littlefinger is a valuable partner, and she’d be foolish to start angling for revenge right now. She’s got to have her own power base before she can pull that off, and she’s still leaning heavily on Littlefinger (especially since her identity is super secret at the moment). What I’d like to see is her using Littlefinger to build herself up, making him think that they’re all buddy-buddy, then outplaying him when he least expects it. That’d be sweet.

Becky Chambers writes science fiction, essays, and stuff about pop culture. Her debut novel, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, is available now in ebook, and will be coming to shelves this August. She goes by @beckysaysrawr on Twitter.

Next: Five Questions from the New Season 5 Trailer-For Readers