Only 11 days and counting until the Game of Thrones season 6 premiere! We have a guest contributor stepping in today to pay tribute to “The Children,” the staggering finale of season four- please welcome back Greatjon of Slumber! – Sue the Fury
What every parent realizes eventually – and Game of Thrones drives this point home with full force in season four’s closer, “The Children,” is that they have only so much control over the actions their children take, and the actions others may take against them. And that measure of control, or influence, wanes with each passing year as children age, until, perhaps, having established a strong relationship during their youth, a parent may be able to influence their actions through wise counsel and advice, compared with their younger years, when they can rely on punishment and reward.
So much of “The Children,” then, is tied to this theme – what kind of influence parents are able to exert over their children, and while the title of the episode ostensibly refers to the Children of the Forest, the non-human inhabitants of Westeros from centuries past who make their first appearance far north of the Wall, they refer as much to Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister, Cersei Lannister, Jojen Reed, Bran Stark, Arya Stark, and their parents and in some cases, their children, or parents.
