A World of Trouble

"What will we find when we strip away your finery? A young man came to us, not long ago; broken in body and spirit. He had so much to strip away, so much weighing him down. But piece by piece he unburdened himself. Let go of vanity, pride, sin. Now his soul is so light, he will float through the seven heavens like a bird. And he has much to say about you." — High Sparrow, "Game of Thrones"

We've reached the deep, dark middle of this season of "Game of Thrones." After the trauma of last week's episode, things didn't get a lot better on Sunday night. The pieces continue to move into place for what should be a fascinating final three episodes.

This week's big turn was that Cersei (Lena Heady) became a victim of her own scheming. Sure, we could see it coming, but she couldn't. The final sequence between the once powerful queen and the High Sparrow was fascinating to watch. And it reminded me of other instances where characters have made moves to embrace something that they couldn't control, and that backfired on them.

One of my favorite quotes from "The Dark Knight," an all time favorite movie, comes from Alfred when he talks of the Joker. Bruce is upset that the Mob has turned to the Joker — an uncontrollable wild card — to solve their problems. It doesn't work, as he turns on the Mob because he has his own agenda. But it began with Bruce applying pressure on organized crime, making them desperate. Alfred says, "You crossed the line first, sir. You squeezed them, you hammered them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation, they turned to a man they didn't fully understand."

Cersei did the same thing, acting largely out of the same motivation. She felt pushed and squeezed by circumstance, and turned to the High Sparrow and his lot as a means of striking back at her enemies. But they are people with motives and an agenda all their own, and they can't be controlled.

Cersei found that out the hard way on Sunday, and that might not be the end. It's often been said that George R.R. Martin, and now show runners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have used "Game of Thrones" as a metaphor for our world. I can't help but wonder if the High Sparrow's storyline mirrors some of that, though not in the religious fervor or persecution.

Lady Olena, in trying to free her grandchildren, uses her position to make a threat to the High Sparrow. He, in turn, reminds Lady Olena that she rules, but not by sheer numbers. The people outnumber the elite, and they may soon have their day.

It was offered as somewhat of a throw away line in the midst of a crowded episode, but I can't help but wonder if that's not foreshadowing about the war that's to come, and a bit of commentary on the real world that is.