09/09/2019

GGB Reno’s “A Brunch of Ice and Fire”

Even though it’s July, winter is here for the Reno Geek Girls!

Officer Vanessa devised an ingenious and thematic
raffle that had each brunchette draw her fate based on characters in the iconic series with only two outcomes available. Victory or death! Because when you play a game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.

The majority of the brunchettes didn’t enjoy Season Eight. Jennie felt the creators/writers left out details for plot or character development for shock value, which cheapened the experience. While she didn’t enjoy Season Eight, Officer Vanessa still appreciated the series as a whole.

Erika thought second half of the season happened way too fast while Danielle would have been happy if the first three episodes had been the last. Which was literally the case for Paola, who skipped the last three episode after seeing the negative reactions on Twitter. A wise move!

Officer Kayla felt there should have been one more season, split between the white walkers and Daenerys to give both storylines the time and attention they deserve. Many brunchettes agreed. It wasn’t as though we weren’t going to watch more!

We spent some time discussing Daenerys’ descent into the Queen of Ashes and how she had always been on a slipper slope toward madness but the speed with which it happened was its downfall. Daenerys had been burning those who opposed her since the beginning and only thing that had changed was that the viewers no longer saw her enemies as their enemies. In this sense, she didn’t simply “go crazy,” a sexist trope that many brunchettes disapproved of.

Despite the general sense of disappointment with how poorly the pacing was handled, there were still highlights for fans of specific characters and pairings.

Officer Angela (repping the Starks!) felt vindicated by Sansa’s ascension to the Queen of the North in the series and would love to see how her fate unfolds in the books…if/when George R.R. Martin ever finishes them. Officer Kayla was happy with Jon’s fate, how he ended up beyond the wall where he had been the most free.

Savannah thought the Red Woman’s end was very satisfying and conflicting in the way that only a show of this magnitude could pull off; for all we wanted to see her demise, we ended up wanting her to stay. Both Chenetta and Officer Anzia stated Arya as their favorite because she wasn’t what everyone wanted her to be and took matters into her own hands.

Paola was ecstatic that her main ship (Arya/Gendry) became canon and Chenetta thought the love scene between Brienne and Jamie was adorable and awkward. Sansa/Tyrion, a pairing that wasn’t as popular as others but had been canon for much longer, had a sweet moment in the Crypt that Chelsea appreciated.

It wouldn’t be a Game of Thrones brunch without one, two, or three plot twists…as it turned out, three Geek Girls have not seen/read the series!

Julie, Savannah, Paola, Anzia, and Sarah

Neither Snala nor Officer Julie had seen more than one episode and Sarah hadn’t ventured into the fandom at all. Which, as you can imagine, led to some confusion regarding the various fates their fellow brunchettes and they themselves drew…take a look and see if you can guess who won and lost the Game of Thrones.

Angela – You won the hearts and minds of Westeros and became the beloved and rightful queen of the seven kingdoms…JK! you committed genocide and have just been stabbed by your nephew/lover.
Vanessa – You have been shockingly and unexpectedly beheaded!
Jennie – You have eaten your sons in a pie and will now be killed by Arya stark. Surprise!
Erika – Alas you did not make monster babies with the tall blonde woman, but you survived many battles and now live a free man north of the wall.
Danielle – You were pushed out of a window…for love… and now you are the Three-Eyed Raven and King of the Six Kingdoms!
Snala – You got the golden crown you always wanted.
Julie – You were poisoned at your own wedding.
Savannah – You took off your magic necklace and turned to dust.
Paola – You are a slow learner, it’s true. But you learn. And now you are Queen of the North!
Kayla – You have been shot with an arrow while on the chamberpot.
Anzia – You have been pushed out the moon door.
Sarah – You held the door…held the door…held the door…
Chenetta – You were murdered, betrayed by your own men…then resurrected by the Lord of Light!
Chelsea – You survived because you drink, and know things. That’s what you do.