I’ve found myself a little frustrated by the tone of the discourse around “The Bells.” Not criticisms of the execution, but criticisms of the idea. Which is something that I find myself tired of in modern discussion of pop culture. Not fear of execution, but fear of ideas.pic.twitter.com/C8SxQAQjJm
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A lot of criticism in pop culture is rooted in the implication that there are some things creators shouldn’t do; not things that they should do carefully, or well. But just some ideas that are out of bounds. And we’re not talking about politics; we’re talking about characters.pic.twitter.com/qPFAmkcU5k
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You see it in a lot of criticism, most notably in criticism of things like “The Last Jedi.” Where fans are like, “That’s not my Luke Skywalker!” Or, “Luke Skywalker would never do that!” Because the version of Luke on screen conflicts with the version in their imagination.pic.twitter.com/DxoLlYoVYm
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Emily Nussbaum coined the term “bad fans” to describe the fans who watched “Breaking Bad” and rooted for Walter White. As he cooked meth, as he murdered, as he sexually assaulted his wife. A lot of fans responded to the character. Because he was well-written and well-realised.pic.twitter.com/uruWzsmVXN
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To be fair, there are other cases where the execution is shakier, but where criticism seems more rooted in fandom’s idea of the character than in the potential or role of the character. But the complaints are rarely “it’s a good idea, done badly”, but rather “it’s a bad idea!”pic.twitter.com/8yX0cyugAk
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For the problems with “Man of Steel”, the loudest complaints came down to, “That’s NOT Superman!” Or how many criticisms of “Batman vs. Superman” came down to the suggestion that the idea of an entitled and violent Batman was inherently “wrong”?pic.twitter.com/Kf9wWB7A99
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Or Marvel’s decision to have Steve Rogers become a fascist and have a black man become Captain America in 2016. All ideas that - ignoring issues with execution - had merit to them in the context of the modern world. All of which were immediately rejected on a conceptual level.pic.twitter.com/ae3iQ70ZjO
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It should be noted these waves of complaints kicked into high gear with things like the MCU selling itself on fidelity and Disney setting up a working group to define and codify “Star Wars” canon. When fans started getting exactly what they expected.https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/04/enough-with-the-true-canon/477837/ …
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It’s worth noting, for example, that modern fandom would never tolerate something like “The Wrath of Khan” or the Burton “Batman” movies. We know because there were fan objections to them similar to what you get today, but they were just ignored.pic.twitter.com/sNIihAy2rm
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And again, I’m not talking about criticism of “well the execution was awful.” I’m talking about “even doing this thing in the first place was completely out of bounds.” Which where a lot of this comes from. “You CAN’T kill Spock!” “You CAN’T make the Penguin a circus freak!”pic.twitter.com/Fno5rzb6r7
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Which is a concept of which I’m wary, because it’s growing stronger and stronger. Are there issues with Daenerys’ descent into destruction and devastation? Undoubtedly. It’s rushed, it’s hypercondensed. It might flow better if the show had three more episodes, but it doesn’t.pic.twitter.com/1M4F95oJ22
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Are those criticisms of it unfair? Absolutely not. I’d agree with some criticisms of the pacing and connective tissue in “The Bells.” Incidentally, I’d agree with similar criticisms of “The Last Jedi.” What’s interesting is that this or not the tone of a lot of the criticism.pic.twitter.com/n8vSFuGAlT
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There’s a weirdly strong sense that “The Bells” represents a fundamental betrayal of Daenerys’ character. Like on a primal, fundamental level. It’s not that it’s rushed or that connective tissue is missing. It’s that this development is fundamentally, morally “wrong.”pic.twitter.com/5gXqp0sphJ
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And, like the reaction to examples like Luke and like Superman and like Batman, and even like killing Spock, I think that’s a primarily emotional response. Which isn’t a bad thing, to be clear! Stories move us! They make us feel! We emotionally invest! And this is great!pic.twitter.com/9raJAKfNku
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I’m not being flippant. Emotional investment in characters is great and has meaning. It’s genuinely touching that so many people care about Luke or Superman or Daenerys. And it’s not wrong to dislike a development because of that emotional attachment. You like what you like.pic.twitter.com/Feh5PlOpY2
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But there’s also an acceptance that your version of the character is not the only version that exists, and not the *right* version against which all must be measured. I love “Doctor Who”, but there are large swathes of it that are “not for me”, and that’s fine.pic.twitter.com/4ISVI1IMFf
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But, back to “The Bell.” This is very much where the story has been going, pretty much from the outset. The wheel is integral to “Game of Thrones”, and this is the mirror of the Lannister/Baratheon sack of King’s Landing at the end of Robert’s Rebellion.pic.twitter.com/8C4hD7fqDJ
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It’s also recalls the Targaryen conquest of Westeros. No matter how romantic the fantasy of conquest of Westeros by TWO foreign armies and a dragon, it was always going to end like this. That has always been how “Game of Thrones” works, teasing fantasy and delivering horror.pic.twitter.com/DpzivjRyB3
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Worth noting that “Game of Thrones” is riffing on “Lord of the Rings.” Here, the series is playing with the Scouring of the Shire following the climactic battle against Sauron. Martin is a big fan of the Scouring. Except in this case the Scouring is the point. Not Sauron.pic.twitter.com/fWhMMLDoWt
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There’s something effective in how “The Bells” gives the audience something they thought they wanted - a big bad, Cersei gets what she probably deserves, Daenerys taking the throne - and makes it genuinely nightmarish. Because that’s the point of it. It’s meant to upset.pic.twitter.com/8qlHLZzU2n
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You see it with Cleganebowl, which a lot of online fans *really, really* wanted. But it just becomes sad and pathetic. Sandor even seems to realise this, telling Arya as much, but also seeming frustrated at how unsatisfying it is to him during the fight. There’s no winner.pic.twitter.com/l4zyNfo26v
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“Game of Thrones” is far from the first fantasy book to point out the uncomfortable subtext of sci-fi/fantasy novels; the details that are often obscured, the subtext often unarticulated. “The Iron Dream” always comes to mind, sci-fi/fantasy tropes through the lens of fascism.pic.twitter.com/fD0RHn69uA
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A recurring motif of “Game of Thrones” is that it would suck to live in a fantasy world, but especially if you weren’t royalty or a chosen one. Again, the execution is less than ideal here. It drifted out of focus in the past three seasons, but is always present.pic.twitter.com/8wZKLo8XM1
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And, again, the execution is flawed. Indeed, one of the reasons I am as fond of the show’s “difficult middle seasons” is that the diffused focus allows the series to touch on the lives impacted and shaped by the affairs of kings and lords.pic.twitter.com/k4TPQYQeSL
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It shouldn’t need to be said that monarchy is a terrible way of governing that lends itself to political chaos and brutality, no matter how alluring fantasy makes it seem. Then again we live in a time experiencing the pull of authoritarianism. So maybe saying it is a good thing.pic.twitter.com/ilR6ebNwln
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Incidentally, this is why I have soft spot for “Man of Steel” and “Batman vs. Superman”, despite their myriad flaws. They make the power fantasy of the superhero deliberately and consciously uncomfortable in a way that few other blockbusters do.pic.twitter.com/ab1wiiJJtV
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Which brings us to Daenerys, who is interesting as a character. Martin’s prose is highly subjective, allowing the reader to align themselves with the character in focus. Television naturally has a harder time doing that, but...pic.twitter.com/DpKk4v6slJ
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It is notable that “Game of Thrones” is structured to isolate its two most classical heroes until the final act. Both Jon and Daenerys are kept away from Westerosi politicking and essentially placed in their own plots for a lot of the story. Jon at the Wall. Dany in Essos.pic.twitter.com/UyeFOwmzqU
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This has the luxury of leaving them “unsullied” (so to speak) by scheming of other major characters. It means their stories are largely their own, not shared with other view point characters. Their narratives are also more traditional. Jon the chosen one. Dany the exiled queen.pic.twitter.com/CezPvBkGnK
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Bringing both characters into the main series narrative forces their stories to collide with others. Jon is the chosen one up North, but he’s a political/military liability as soon as he comes back South. Dany is the hero of her own story in Essos, but an invader in Westeros.pic.twitter.com/EsB2y1u16M
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