A Song of Dan and Josh: Jon VIII and Daenerys VII (A Game of Thrones)

It’s time for another episode of A Song of Dan and Josh, where myself and FanSided editor Josh Hill talk through one chapter of A Song of Ice and Fire one at a time. I’ve read the books multiple times. Josh has never read them. You can cut the tension with a knife.

This week, we’re digging in to Jon Snow VIII, which sees him battling his desire to leave Castle Black and march to war with Robb; and Daenerys VII, where she witnesses the brutality of the Dothraki firsthand.

Here’s what we hit today:

• In Jon’s chapter, Maester Aemon advises Jon Snow not to love anyone, since he has to give all of himself to the Night’s Watch. Is that good advice? Where else have we seen it given, and how does it set up Jon’s journey to come? As usual, Star Wars comes up.
• Jon gets Longclaw in this chapter, and Martin takes the opportunity to set up the importance of Valyrian steel.
• In this chapter, Maester Aemon reveals to Jon his true identity: Aemon Targaryen, who could have been king. One of the wonderful ironies of this is that Jon himself is actually a Targaryen, although man knows it at the time. Hindsight makes these books better!
• Like Jon, Daenerys also faces a difficult internal conflict: she wants to use the Dothraki to take back Westeros by force, but she also wants to avoid the brutality of war, which Martin lays out in grisly detail in this chapter. Are those two goals impossible to reconcile?
• In this chapter, Dany makes her peace with this conflict by taking several Lhazareen women as slaves, saving them from rape. Is this enough? Is Dany fooling herself that she can back the Seven Kingdoms without brutality? Where does Mirri Maz Duur fit into this conversation?
• Martin was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. How much of his experiences and viewpoints are baked into his depiction of war?

Next up is Tyrion VIII, wherein George R.R. Martin gives us our first taste of battle! Join us next Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. on our Facebook page to watch it live!

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