GoT S3: the court of the North

[pocochina]

A few thoughts about episode 3x9, a LOT of thoughts about Catelyn, and a very few thoughts about Robb.

Comments

[pocochina]

do you mean that in order to convey the same character in written text vs. onscreen, you have to actually change the way the character is written? Because that makes a lot of sense but is not something I've seen talked about much w/r/t adaptations.

I do very much agree with that statement. I think for me here, the big issue is that the most important qualities of Catelyn were pretty consistent to me, from page to screen? But seeing her from the outside, rather than her own POV, means that we see her from a less flattering angle and so there's less room to fill in the blanks with SFC hyper-competence and emotional forbearance and good judgment (since of course her reasoning always seems perfectly logical to her). That's not D&D DOING MEAN THINGS TO CATELYN about which we all have to be outraged BECOZ FEMINISM, it's why the adaptation can still be an exciting experience without changing the raw material.

I think people are genuinely confused about whether or not we're supposed to come away from that scene thinking that Catelyn should

[pocochina]

The number of times I've seen fandom question behavior from characters that is perfectly normal everyday human psychology, simple because it doesn't "make sense"...

lol, yeah, it's at the point where anything people complain about OOC gets more credibility with me.

I've actually seen a fair number of people who seem to start from the assumption that Catelyn should have treated Jon just like her own children. ...the criticism I saw was mainly of the form, "Well hell yes Catelyn wished Jon Snow dead AND SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO FEEL BAD ABOUT THAT!!!"So she's a failure as a character for not being entirely accepting and unbothered even a little by Ned's cheating on her, and also because she didn't unrepentantly want the child dead! So fucking reductive of a character who's a sharp, sympathetic deconstruction of the wicked stepmother trope. Cat is a stepmother to a child with a special destiny, she isn't always very nice to him - and she has a lot of good qualities and there are solid explanations and contextualizations of her flaws

[daybreak777]

Wow, I didn't not see the Robb-is-similar-to-Joff parallels. But I didn't read the books. And Robb is dead and Joff is still alive. But my hope springs eternal on that one.

I agree with much of what you say about Cat. I just feel bad because these kids are never seeing their mother again. Arya, Ricken and Bran still need her. I mean they are certainly surviving with out her, but wow.

Arya's my fave and I just needed her to hug her mom one last time. :-(

[pocochina]

The Robb-Joff parallels are so great, because Robb is not in any way a horrible little psychopath? But he still manages to make at least a few of the same errors in judgment, and to have the same loving but professionally difficult relationship with his mother.

I just feel bad because these kids are never seeing their mother again. Arya, Ricken and Bran still need her.

The most crushing thing to me was that Catelyn died thinking they were all dead, or as good as. And I just wanted so badly for her to have the comfort of knowing that her other four children were not just alive but tough-as-nails survivors in their own ways.

[daybreak777]

My only comfort is Arya Stark has a long freaking memory. None of those children will get through this unscathed. But there will be a blood payment before the winter comes. But those poor kids. Maybe it was always so. It's not like Danaerys or Cersei had the smoothest adolescences! No, I don't think so. But neither of them witnessed their father being beheaded, either, good lords.