Bran is lying in a coma after witnessing Cersei and Jaime make incest-y love. Things aren't looking good for him, but there's still a chance he could wake up, and maybe start telling people the story of how the Best Climber Ever managed to fall off that tower. Though the embroidery of Cersei's wrap and gown is sumptuous and speaks to her wealth (she is a Lannister queen after all), Cersei's laying low after the incident in an attempt to prevent suspicion from coming her way. Her dress is blue, but it is overshadowed by her wrap, which is the deep forest green associated with the Baratheons. She melds into the decor of the hall and forest-like color scheme of winter browns, dark stones and massive amounts of animal skins. This is the only time she dresses anything like a Northerner, and is a shrewd attempt at camouflage on Cersei's part. Her Crazy Braids are also in hiding, disguising themselves as a normal hairstyle.
Hey look, it's one of Cersei's non-terrible children! Hi Myrcella!
Sweet, unknowing Myrcella is dressed warmly for the climate, but still in a southern red. She has no idea she's wearing a color and hairstyle that calls back to the ultra-literal scarlet woman looks Cersei favors for scenes with or involving Jaime. Myrcella's clothes reinforce this scene's undertone of scheming about the twins ongoing affair. They also highlight the fact that Myrcella is not a Baratheon, but really, completely a Lannister. Nice girl though. Too bad a lot of her family is terrible.
And now it's time for another edition of...
The Many Faces of Cersei Lannister
Clockwise from top left: Active Listening; Concern; Deep Thought; RESOLVE.
Hey Cat, how you been? Oh, right. Sorry. Please don't take us to see your sister.
Cat's holding vigil over Bran, weaving a talisman to help keep him safe. She's exactly where she's supposed to be, and she looks it. No hint of southern anything in this garb - she's 100% Stark, melding into the shadows of the tower room.
Cersei tells the story of losing her first child, a boy with black hair, the only child she ever bore Robert Baratheon. It's fitting that she's dressed in forest colors here, referring to her husband as well as drawing a connection between herself and Cat.
Do you think lying on all those wolf pelts makes Summer a tad uncomfortable?
In this scene, Cersei's vulnerability is on full display. It seems odd, given that she's standing in front of a comatose child who she and her brother chucked out the window, but nonetheless, Cersei has a moment of genuine emotional honesty with Cat in this scene. And when she says she's sorry for Cat's pain, as a mother, we genuinely believe her. (Cersei is very good at compartmentalizing.) The forest green Cersei wears in this scene is a Baratheon color. We don't see her in this color often, so it is usually significant when she does wear it. In this scene, it is about her vulnerablity, and the hopes she once had for her relationship with Robert (children, a happy marriage, etc.). This is one of the few scenes in which we see Cersei speak tenderly and emotionally and honestly about her relationship with Robert. In fact, in this scene we see glimpses of the person Cersei might have been if she and Robert had a more functional marriage, and perhaps a family of their own.
But when it's time to head back to the capital, Cersei goes right back to her red and gold Lannister Lion power dress. Gone is the Cersei we saw at Winterfell, here is our regular Cersei, proud, cruel, and unwilling to hear a word against her son.
"A dog must die."
I interpreted the scene with Cat and Cersei differently. Maybe it's because I know how Cersei's first child was handled in the book.
ReplyDeleteCersei was rather cruel telling Cat about her child's death when Cat was worrying about her own. It's a way for Cersei to say that Cat should give up hope. I don't think she had any good intention in this scene. But she is revealing more of herself, Cat sees it but remains wary.
There's certainly more than one valid interpretation of that scene (and every scene); we are not trying to suggest otherwise. We are, however, of the opinion that Cersei is somewhat more humanized/sympathetic thus far in the show than she was in the books.
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