What if it was Daniel Targaryen?
Picture, if you will,
a man atop that dragon. Picture his hatred of an enemy who has stolen his
throne, reneged on a promise of an army to help fight the dead, killed one of
your dragons whom you hold as dear as a child – a son, perhaps – and captured
one of your closest advisors, who is also your closest friend, and beheaded
them in front of you. Do you still have a problem with Daniel wreaking havoc
and laying waste to a city that symbolizes all that he has fought against his
entire life, even if it has surrendered to him? Effectively wiping the slate
clean to start anew. I think we’ve seen this type of male revenge over and over
throughout history, real or fictionalized and don’t have the same qualms we do
when suddenly it’s not a Daniel, but a Daenerys.
It was a woman atop that dragon and so naturally her
decision to do these things means she is batshit crazy. Joffrey was batshit crazy.
What were Varys and Tyrion doing about him? There were plenty of other people
with truer claims to the throne.
And what of that distasteful scene in episode four, when the
Hound remarks to Sansa that he heard she was, “broke in hard.” And she remarks
that she would have remained a ‘little bird’ if not for that and all the rest. In
essence, she could never have reached her potential without having been
brutally treated and shaped by men. These are lines written by men for men.
Of course that is literally true. There is so much misogyny
in the books and in the shows that it is oftentimes hard to continue
reading/watching. There is a riveting story there and that’s what keeps me
hooked. But now that Daenerys has been characterized as going batshit crazy, I
have once again been disappointed.
Remember Peter Jackson’s take on Arwen? At first she’s a
kickass elf woman, riding with Frodo through a gauntlet of black riders to the
safety of Rivendell, remarking to Aragorn, “I do not fear them.” By the end of
the movies she has become a shrinking thing, unable to hold her head up until
Aragorn lifts her chin. And Eowyn, shieldmaiden of Rohan is reduced at one
point to a giggling, silly woman, seeking approval of her (terrible) cooking.
What the hell is wrong with men that they feel they must
always portray women, particularly any woman who has an iota of confidence, at
some point as foolish, incompetent or batshit crazy?
If it were a Daniel atop that dragon, I doubt there would be
so many complaints at the character’s arc in this final season. We are upset because
it is Daenerys up there. We have seen that she is smart. We have seen her
confidence and competence. We have seen that she knows more than her advisors
and can make competent decisions despite what they tell her would be the best
course – and we have seen that those decisions have held up. But once again, a
strong woman must be put in her place. In telling tales it seems men cannot
afford to give women too much power. The consequences would be much too high. So
the strongest must always, in the end, be characterized as nothing more than silly,
shrinking, or batshit crazy. Or in formidable Lady Mormont’s case, dead.
To all the men telling stories out there: If you don’t want
a woman to be strong, don’t give her a dragon in the first place. Don’t give
her intelligence. Don’t give her competence. Don’t give her a life. Because if
you do and then suddenly take it all away, your fan base will see through it.
Your fan base will know you for what you are. Fans don’t like being tricked. They’re
likely to go batshit crazy on you.
To all the women telling stories out there: Ladies, let’s
show them how it’s done.
No comments:
Post a Comment