Profound message of ‘Thrones’ wheelchair
Ruthless pursuit of power doesn’t always triumph
Many obsessive “Game of Thrones” fans have apparently become so lost in the trees — not to mention a misplaced Starbucks cup and water bottle — that they can’t see the forest. But what a forest they’re missing: a spectacularly filmed story that ennobles wisdom over physical strength, cooperation over power lust, and peace over endless cycles of violence and revenge.
Applicable to anything happening now that you can think of?
For eight seasons, the sprawling, intricate plot revolved around a simple age-old question: Who will get and/or keep the throne? Will it be one of the conniving, win-at-all-costs Lannisters? One of the stubbornly principled but unsophisticated Starks? Daenerys Targaryen, she of messianic principle, vast armies and an awesome dragon that can reduce human beings to ash and castle walls to rubble?
The answer: No one. In fact, that spiky, evil-looking throne doesn’t exist by series’ end. It has been melted to the ground by Drogon the dragon in a plot twist that I will remember for a long time. Grieving for his murdered mother, Daenerys, the dragon directs his wrath at the throne rather than her assassin, correctly recognizing that it was this alluring iron chair, and its ability to warp its pursuers, that was truly to blame for her demise.
All stand for the king who can’t stand — “Bran the Broken,” paralyzed since the opening episode. All raise a glass to a story about violence and power that ends with the symbolism not of a mighty metal throne but a simple wooden wheelchair.
True, the showrunners cut plot corners in this final season and failed to build up to their astonishing outcomes. Maybe if we had seen more of Dany’s evil side, we’d have better accepted the nuclear rage that consumes her. Maybe if we had come to know Bran better, we’d have been more likely to swallow his selection as king of the Seven — er, Six — Kingdoms.
What price holding ‘the throne’?
But give the show credit, especially for the way it subverted tropes and audience expectations. Many of us were enthralled and entertained by the medieval-style combat and its amazing supernatural twists, all beautifully staged and filmed. Yay war! Until the penultimate episode, that is, when the warfare hits its apotheosis and you get Dresden or Hiroshima, complete with indiscriminate torching of countless innocent civilians and a beautiful city in absolute ruins.
You like the spectacle of war?
There’s your war.
And what about the commentary on power and the damage it inflicts on those who pursue it unconstrained? Daenerys has convinced herself that everything she does is justified by her noble mission. It’s a better world she’s creating, and she comes to King’s Landing as the great liberator.
It’s the Vietnam War conundrum all over again: Destroying the village while “saving” it. And destroying your goodness and integrity in the process.
These are concepts worth pondering during a real-life election revolving around a president willing to smash social norms and constitutional principles in order to hold “the throne” and make the country “great” (again). Those committed to his defeat best be careful lest we, too, end up obliterating our values in our attempt to save them.
The need to let cool heads prevail
The parallels between “Game of Thrones” and our contemporary moment are many. It’s hard to imagine a more apt pushback than “Bran the Broken” against a president who mocks the disabled and scorns men who don’t fit the alpha stereotype. And I like the idea that the menacing White Walkers are stand-ins for climate change and the need for humanity to set aside animosities to fight the real enemy.
There’s great relevance, too, in the show’s lessons about the need to let cool heads prevail over anger and lust. Jon Snow’s final-episode dilemma is a classic: Give full rein to his love for Daenerys and live up to his pledges of loyalty? Or do what’s necessary for the long-term good of the world — and stop her in the most emphatic way possible? What he chooses breaks his heart.
Ultimately, it’s your choice to remember “Game of Thrones” for its stagecraft lapses and penchant for cutting corners. It’s your right to sign that petition demanding a final season redo.
Personally, I’ll never fully forgive the show for the gratuitous sexual violence that marred earlier seasons. But I’ll also remember the terrifying and beautiful cinematography, the excruciating moral dilemmas, the fascinating stories and stunning reveals. And I’ll appreciate the value of a power game in which the prize “throne” is a wheelchair.
Tom Krattenmaker, a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors and director of communications at Yale Divinity School, is the author of “Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower.”
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