S8 Ep 2 Braime Rant
So, I kind of have mixed feelings about the content we got last episode, and I really, really want to take it out of my chest. Rant ahead:
D&D are well-known cowards when it comes to romantic plot. Their views of what could ultimately boil down to romantic love are stictly confined to attractive, conventional females falling in love with *usually* attractive guys in a matter of episodes. Their idea of character development that alludes to and culminates in such a romance is pretty much the equivalent of a fifteen year old making kissing noises.
Which brings me to Braime. And, by extension, Gendrya. I always thought we would get either the one or the other, and -foolishly, it seems- believed in Braime being the endgame romance, not because I have anything against Gendrya ( a girl deserves romance ) but because, writing-wise, Jaime and Brienne share the only, and I insist, THE ONLY, romance in the show that is poignant, human, palpable, and excellently written.
The development of their interactions is laden with so many nuances that their scenes literally sing. They love each other. They understand each other. Jaime is pivotal to her arc because he represents the promise that an unconventional woman can and should be cherished and desired, whereas Brienne is equally pivotal to Jaime’s arc, as a promise that love can elevate, and embellish, and make better people out of us (as opposed to what he’s known prior to their meeting). If you ask me, Braime is as canon as canon can be -the stares, the pining, the angsty farewells, NCW’s excellent heart eyes- and yet, the thought lingers- will they?
D&D seem at ease with alluding to their unspoken feelings, because such nuances can be appreciated by the same portion of GoT’s viewership that’s here for the interpersonal drama- as opposed to, as the average cynic puts it, the “titties and dragons”. But since GoT is now little more than the idea of a big, fat, paycheck, I am inclined to believe D&D would be consternated by the idea of making “canon” (canon: a portmanteau term used to describe, these days, people who f*ck and little of substance) a fictional couple 50% of which is conventionally unattractive (don’t look at me, I am a cis straight female and I would still bang all 6′3″ of THAT) and therefore baffling to the average casual viewer who’s in it for the titillation. (And of course, in the world of sexist and lazy writing, the romance is not worth it unless a miserable incel, somewhere, can masturbate to it).
In other words, I believe, after the knighting scene, that this is all we are ever gonna get. Which is a marvellous testament of true love and heartbreaking pining of course, but we don’t get to wave our “canon” ship in the face of the kind of sexist mindsets who deem “manly” women unworthy of sexual attention. Now, I wish this Sunday proves me wrong, and my girl Brienne gets to survive- in which case I will take all of this back in an even bigger rant- but things are looking grim. If anything, S8 ep 2 feels like a consolation prize:
-the undesirable warrior woman will die fighting, but she gets to be a knight for a solid, what, three hours? (Don’t you dare insinuate she could live on because you know, she is the first female knight and a ray of genuine hope in a universe famous for its grimness, why the fuck should she live?)
-The undesirable warrior woman doesn’t get the man she wants, whose relationship with him we have watched evolve for six seasons, but at least LOOK AT ALL THAT RESPECT SHE GETS. (respect: a noun used to describe the positive evaluation of a woman you don’t deem fuckable.)
-The undesirable warrior woman doesn’t get validation from the hot guy apart from just the right amount of interaction to trigger the hopefuls and the shippers (but she gets validation from the comic relief character, we ugly fucks are so funny, funny funny funny you get it? Extra bonus for those who insinuate that Brienne should, you know, settle for Tormund, an impromptu mini-romance borne out of brilliant acting and nothing more, because, ugh, beggars can’t be choosers, and with a face like yours, dear…)
Don’t get me wrong, not every relationship of love between opposing genders has to be about shagging. But, GRRM has obviously written JxB as this big-ass star crossed lovers slash Beauty/Beast romance, and the elegance with which he has done so has given us, perhaps, one of the most moving literary couples in history. We need them to be canon, not because of mindless shipping, but for the sake of good writing, and most of all, for the sake of every ugly man and woman growing up feeling unworthy of such a beautiful, tear-jerking romance. In the J&B dynamic, ugly people have found solace in the promise of a beau that will look past the superficial; beautiful people have found solace in the fact that at least one literary romance understands their feelings for a less attractive person. GoT is huge, and something as small as that could be huge, for both feminism and modern romance writing in general.
Why is it so important to me? Because, as a moderately attractive girl who has been bullied for several things, I grew up believing that my moderate fuckability renders me moderately loveable (until I realized I could choose). And because, as someone who has loved, once, a very ugly man, I can reassure you, nothing is more surprising than looking at said man and finding him prettier by the day, because, to my eyes, he was perfect. And you don’t get to see that on TV, in books, you rarely ever see it anywhere. What you do see is beautiful people lusting after one another for reasons that usually boil down to the bare (ho ho ho) essentials, like Jon and Daenerys (who, again, I am otherwise pretty okay with).
So, is Brienne dying next week? Most probably, yes. I would love to be proven wrong, and I would love to have at least an aknowledgement of their romance on screen before one of them unavoidably bites the dust. Will I get it? In a just world, I should, because it is the one romance in GoT-and modern television, really- that is so human and relatable it outshines everything in a thousand mile radius. I likely won’t, because misogynist writing dictates the warrior lady who’s also kinda big and homely is very very respectable, respect respect respect (respect: a noun meaning something you don’t owe a woman you actually fuck).
And you know what the funniest part is? That even if D&D surprise me and actually go down the #Oathsex road (sci fi territory here, but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt), your average viewer, whose internalised misogyny is a thing of wonder, will cry out: fan service! (after we saw literally a dozen other fan service couples get together with half the chemistry and jon ride a dragon for literally no reason). God forbid an actually meaningful relationship ends up in a shag- it ruins the purity! Because sex dirty! Sex bad! (Sex: something you do with pretty women, the ones you disrespect because duh, they are pretty).
Sorry for the rant. But I am in an extra spiteful mood after realising that the one ship I ‘ve ever decided to go down with will probably sink in a matter of days. Also, fuck your beauty standards, and your antiquated ideas of non platonic romance.
Off into fanfiction’s arms.
(Also, if someone has spoilers to convince me otherwise, step forth, good people. You might save my TV before I inevitably kick it to oblivion, come Sunday).
