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Elizabeth Sandifer

Elizabeth Sandifer created Eruditorum Press. She’s not really sure why she did that, and she apologizes for the inconvenience. She currently writes Last War in Albion, a history of the magical war between Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. She used to write TARDIS Eruditorum, a history of Britain told through the lens of a ropey sci-fi series. She also wrote Neoreaction a Basilisk, writes comics these days, and has ADHD so will probably just randomly write some other shit sooner or later. Support Elizabeth on Patreon.

8 Comments

  1. Aylwin
    July 4, 2016 @ 10:28 am

    Thank you for the sanity-reassurance that I’m not the only one capable of quibbling at the Eyrie’s absence from the board throughout, or Braavos’s persistence through half a season on the basis of one scene.

    the same purpose as Liam Cunningham’s charisma, namely desperately trying to spice up a dull scene

    No love for the quiet pleasures of some vintage Stannisface? Harsh.

    she very nearly manages to steal the scene with her reaction shot

    I think you’ve mentioned this one before, but I’ve never quite seen what’s special about it, so I must be missing something. Personally I’m more taken with her and Loras’s “For fuck’s sake, Dad” looks when Mace praises Cersei’s bravery.

    Reply

  2. Aylwin
    July 4, 2016 @ 11:11 am

    Also, I have a real problem with the whole Trial of Tyrion plot, which is that Tywin gives every indication of believing that Tyrion is guilty. It’s the same problem as the last time Tyrion was wrongly accused of (attempted) murder – the way it was done implicates him so flagrantly that he’d have to be staggeringly stupid to go through with it, and Tywin knows perfectly well that he’s not. Whatever his feelings about Tyrion, he of all people is too sharp not to recognise that his son’s supposed behaviour is implausible, yet he shows no sign of doing so.

    Tyrion actually thinks that Tywin doesn’t believe it, and Tywin himself claims he would never have let Tyrion be executed (though under circumstances where he would kind of have to, whether it was true or not, and with no indication of how he would have averted it at that point). But even if the script (and the book?) leaves enough space for speculation that he might be playing a double game, Charles Dance’s performance tends firmly against it.

    It’s also hard to come up with an explanation of his actions in that case. It’s conceivable that he has a strong and accurate suspicion about who was really behind the assassination and prefers to let sleeping dogs lie for the time being, given the importance of keeping the Tyrells onside, though no doubt with eventual vengeance firmly in mind. But there’s never any hint of that being so, an old man cannot afford to play too long a game (especially one known only to himself), and sacrificing his lineage seems far to high a price to pay.

    Probably just me, but it’s a niggle that takes me out of that whole storyline.

    Reply

    • Ciaran M
      July 6, 2016 @ 8:10 am

      I always took it as Tywin using Tyrion to manipulate Jamie. Worst case scenario, he loses the son who he thinks killed his wife, best case scenario, he gains an heir he considers legitimate.

      Reply

      • Aylwin
        July 6, 2016 @ 10:41 am

        I thought about that, and I think it sort of works until this episode, although it depends on him being confident that Jaime will do his bit. But after that scheme falls through, he’s back to being reliant on Tyrion for heirs. Everything we know about Tywin indicates that that’s a more powerful consideration for him than any personal animus against Tyrion (caring more about his legacy than about his actual children cuts both ways). Yet he shows considerable satisfaction in pronouncing the death sentence, and gives no reliable indication of trying to block Tyrion’s progress towards the block.

        Reply

    • taiey
      July 6, 2016 @ 10:35 am

      I think he hates Tyrion enough that it over-rides his reason.

      Reply

      • Aylwin
        July 6, 2016 @ 4:23 pm

        Doesn’t the decision to make him acting Hand show that Tywin can see past his personal feelings about Tyrion when it matters? It’s not as though entrusting the central administration of the realm in the middle of a civil war to an inexperienced playboy was the obvious thing to do, even for someone who wasn’t permanently pissed off with him.

        Reply

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