{"id":1205,"date":"2016-07-01T06:41:10","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T06:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=1205"},"modified":"2016-07-01T06:41:10","modified_gmt":"2016-07-01T06:41:10","slug":"the-aam-aadmi-of-westeros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=1205","title":{"rendered":"The Aam Aadmi of Westeros"},"content":{"rendered":"\n*Spoiler alert*\n\n<div class=\"container page-content\"><p><span class=\"dropcap\">H<\/span><\/p><\/div><p>alfway through the latest episode of\u00a0<i>Game of Thrones<\/i>, Arya Stark happens to stumble upon an old friend, Hot Pie, at the Inn at the Crossroads, where he works as a baker. The last time they had met was years ago (Season 3, to be precise). Hot Pie had given her a loaf of bread shaped like a Direwolf before she set off on her journey. During the conversation, Hot Pie had maintained that a life of travel and excitement wasn\u2019t for him. He was happy kneading bread and baking pies for weary travellers.\n\nA lot has happened in the <i>Game of Thrones<\/i>\u00a0world since. Little does Hot Pie know that his friend is not the same kid she once was. Arya has crossed the Narrow Sea, travelled to the free city of Braavos, and met poets, thespians and assassins. She has seen death and despair. She has learnt and lived, tasted both blood and wine. Hot Pie, meanwhile, has remained the same: A baker of delicious pies and purveyor of important information (and indeed, when they reunite, Arya gets both). When the two say their goodbyes once again, there&#8217;s an interesting exchange of words. \u201cTry not to get killed,\u201d Arya tells him. The affable baker replies: \u201cOh, I won\u2019t. I\u2019m like you, Arry. I\u2019m a survivor.\u201d\n\nHot Pie\u2019s words hold a larger meaning. In the treacherous\u00a0<i>Game of Thrones<\/i>\u00a0world, surviving is just about the best one can do. The show has more than a fair share of heroes and villains; kings and kingslayers; conquerors and oppressors. Some ride dragons and some look into the past and shape the future. Some carry the burden of prophecies, others want to rule at any cost. All of these characters play the game of thrones.\n\n<span lang=\"EN-IN\">But what about the guys who don&#8217;<\/span>t care about the game \u2013 the side characters? All they do is follow the heroes and give them valuable information. They are the common folk who\u2019re just doing their jobs. Sandor \u201cThe Hound\u201d Clegane, Ser Davos Seaworth, Samwell Tarly, Eddison Tollett, Lord Varys, Jorah Mormont, Brienne of Tarth, Podrick Payne, Bronn, Hot Pie: They\u2019re all more fascinating than queens and kings. As Hot Pie said, they&#8217;re all survivors. Take a moment to ponder over how huge an achievement that is in a show like Game of Thrones.\n\nThe Starks, Lannisters, Tyrells, Targaryens and Baratheons set the rules of the game, and decide between life and death in Westeros. But it\u2019s the aam aadmi that makes the show believable. If dragons, ice-monsters, giants, three-eyed ravens, faceless assassins, and promised princes represent the myth of the medieval land in\u00a0<i>Game of Thrones<\/i>, the common folk represent us.\n\nTheir motivations are simpler. They do not want to rule the Seven Kingdoms, they just want to do good by themselves and others. Take for example a moment from yesterday\u2019s episode where two such people, Jorah and Sam, interact. Jorah, once a spy in Daenerys\u2019 fold, has fallen in love with the Dragon Queen. He wants to go fight by her side. Sam is basically the nicest guy on the show. His actions are guided by a simple rule: Be good to people. So he helps Jorah out.\n\n<blockquote class=\"quote--center\"><p>It is hardly a coincidence that all these characters are played by some of the finest actors on the show.<\/p><\/blockquote> \n\n\n<span lang=\"EN-IN\">\u201cI knew your father. I was with him when he died,\u201d Sam tells Jorah as he prepares a cure for greyscale. \u201cYou\u2019re not dying today, Ser Jorah.\u201d<\/span> <span lang=\"EN-IN\">It was that simple for Sam. He was ready to help Jorah, even though curing him would serve no self interest. For Sam, doing the right thing matters the most. Look closely and you&#8217;ll find that other side characters are driven by similar motivations.<\/span>\n\nBrienne\u2019s actions are guided by an oath she will keep till her dying breath. Bronn does what he must for survival, but has a strong moral compass. The Hound is death-dealing cynic with a tough exterior and a world-class bullshit detector. If he hurts someone, they&#8217;ve had it coming. It is hardly a coincidence that all these characters are played by some of the finest actors on the show. If they are expected to insert ground-level reality into high-fantasy, they need to be believable. Emilia Clarke, Kit Harrington, Lena Headley and Peter Dinklage might get top billing, but D B Weiss and David Benioff understand that sidekicks are the salt of the show. They have thus assembled an excellent support cast \u2013 Liam Cunningham (Ser Davos), Ian McShane (Septon Ray), or Jonathan Pryce (High Sparrow) \u2013 to play small but pivotal roles.\n\nThe side characters\u2019 importance is further apparent when you look at the story arc. Most \u201cstars\u201d would not be where they are today had it not been for their sidekicks. Jon Snow 2.0 would still be dead had Ser Davos not convinced the Red Witch to bring him back. The time Arya spent with the Hound taught her a lot about combat, and indeed, life. Brienne brought out the best in Jaime Lannister. Jorah gave all he could to serve his queen (he&#8217;s still trying to do it again). In a way, these characters have shaped the \u201cgame\u201d into what it is today.\n\nMost\u00a0<i>Game of Thrones<\/i>\u00a0fans eagerly await the next big action sequence. \u201cWho\u2019s going to die this time?\u201d is usually always the first question on most minds. But lately I find myself becoming less concerned about the fate of these heroes and villains, and more about the commoners. They have survived so far, but for how much longer? We have already lost the finest of them all: Hodor. How long before Hot Pie is sent to the ovens himself? How long before Bronn utters his last witticism? The sidekicks might not breathe fire, but they sure as hell breathe life into this show.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hodors, Hot Pies, and Hounds: The sidekicks of Game of Thrones are its true heroes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":1206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[2034,2035,309,724,2036,2037,2038,2039,2040,2041],"class_list":["post-1205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop-culture","tag-brienne","tag-bronn","tag-game-of-thrones","tag-george-rr-martin","tag-hodor","tag-hot-pie","tag-jorah","tag-sam","tag-season-7","tag-stormborn"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Aam Aadmi of Westeros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hodors, Hot Pies, and 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