Review Roundup: Season 6, Episode 4 “Book of the Stranger”

You tip over four little torches and everyone loses their minds. Well, in truth, Daenerys’ big moments have always preceded an avalanche of Daenerys-focused headlines for the recaps and thinkpieces that flow out of whatever the hell she did that week. “Book of the Stranger” is no different. Laura Hudson rejoins the fray at Wired this week, and her recap is titled “Oh, It’s Lit”; that was my favorite of the many, many recap titles for this episode.

The other major talking point this week was the Jon/Sansa reunion and their subsequent scheme to tackle Ramsay “Black Hole of Evil Murder Doom” Bolton. There was also some unexpected Giantsbane staring going on, but I’ll skip that out of respect for those of you emerging from reading and/or writing Brienne/Tormund fanfic.

The general tone in responding to Dany’s big move this week was triumph mixed with anticipation. The aforementioned Laura Hudson called it “the moment…when Game of Thrones came back to life.” She goes on:

"When she overturns the braziers and traps the khals in a burning building, this too feels familiar; she has the same dangerously serene look on her face as the day she ordered the sack of Astapor, intoning the word “dracarys” as her dragon filled the face of a slave master with flame. She doesn’t have to say the word here, in Vaes Dothrak. Here, she is the word."

HitFix’s Alan Sepinwall responds positively to the aesthetic of the scene, calling it “a beautiful bit of filmmaking.” He adds, “We can deal with the inevitable problems of her ever-expanding power base another time; for now, let’s just revel in that image of hundreds kneeling before her excellence.” Nerdist’s Alicia Lutes’s review is almost top-to-bottom Beyoncé references, but in-between she makes a cogent point about Dany’s personal journey:

"She’s not just some spoiled kid with a rich daddy and a hefty amount of entitlement issues. No: she’s had to struggle and make mistakes and work for what seems to be her fate. And she’s always been one to show her strength (being unburnt, controlling the dragons, recruiting supporters) only when absolutely necessary, which makes it easy to forget. (Especially when she makes mistakes—of which there are many.)"

Salon’s Sonia Sarayia was alone in disliking the scene, calling it out on its predictability, lack of flair (she disagrees with Alan Sepinwall that it was “beautifully shot”), and once again dipping into the White Savior Complex issue that has plagued Dany’s story for ages:

"For the viewer, the end of “Book Of The Stranger” is a lurid scene that seems to highlight that everything that feels wrong about “Game Of Thrones”—unnecessary boobs, uncomfortable racial politics, and a seemingly unearned descent into violence. It’s not even technically impressive—which is weird, considering how well-shot earlier scenes were in just in this episode alone. […]The result was a final scene that, instead of feeling triumphant or soaring, landed at comically predictable camp. Kneeling in unison is how “Mulan” ended, you guys!"

Sonia also notes that “Instead of being framed as a savior, she could just as easily be seen as a despot,” a point Laura Hudson makes as well: “Daenerys is a radical leader given to radical acts; an iconoclast does not want to reform the world so much as she wants to transform it with fire.” So, to the point, Dany’s bombastic scenes distract from the actual fact of her ability to lead. She inspires awe, but not leadership.

You know who is turning into a good leader, though? Sansa. Her reunion with Jon Snow brought out the optimistic little child in a lot of people. Tim Surette, TV.com: “SANSA AND JON HUGGED AND THE UNIVERSE EXPLODED BECAUSE IT WAS SO GREAT.” Alyssa Rosenberg, The Washington Post: “Sansa and Jon’s reunion at Castle Black may have been conveniently timed…but it was the moment of joy I’ve been arguing the show needs for weeks.” James Hibberd, Entertainment Weekly: “They embrace; Twitter explodes. Then we get a scene with the two catching up. They’re actually smiling, Jon Snow and Sansa Stark. Reunions, smiles, apologies, hugs…What show is this?!”

Brandon Nowalk, The A.V. Club’s Unsullied reviewer, ran with a theme of women in charge this week, noting how Sansa, moreso than Jon, is the one who wants to take down Ramsay:

"All I could think of is Cersei’s wicked queen moment when she grabs Tommen’s cheek and sweetly says, “I am your mother. You can always trust me.” Sansa’s no Cersei, but the use of a coaxing touch is the same.[…]The old Sansa really is gone. She reads the letter because she won’t be intimidated by a man who imprisoned her, played mind-games on her, and repeatedly violently raped her. The implications are major. Refusing to be protected makes her a grown-up. Reading the letter where her brother wouldn’t, and somewhat against his urging, makes her a leader. It’s a Dany move writ small. And it’s thanks to that letter that Tormund volunteers the wildlings to the cause."

And while the other sibling reunions got less play overall (the Iron Islands in general tend to be landing somewhere in the middle of “not as bad as Dorne but still possibly useless if it doesn’t go somewhere soon), Alyssa Rosenberg was moved by the reunion scene for Theon and Yara:

"The Theon that Yara knew before was not someone who knew how to apologize, except for his own gain, and when she refuses to accept a version of her brother she sees as simultaneously broken and conniving, she’s rejecting him on those terms. But watching Yara come to understand that while Theon may have been broken, he’s returned to her a more honorable person is a quiet, sad moment. Theon’s goodness has come at a terrible price."

Yes, having to room with Ramsay “Swirling Vortex of Scum and Hatred” Bolton for three seasons is a terrible, terrible price.