We hardly knew you, or cared
As Game of Thrones’ “Stormborn” Episode came to an end, so did the street for two of the three Dornish women known as the Sand Snakes. Nymeria and Obara Sand, facing off against Hot Euron Greyjoy within an annoyingly blurry combat sequence, were murdered with their own weapons. It was a brutal end for two characters that are brutally boring.
Game of Thrones introduced the Sand Snakes along With a hated plot revolving around Dorne. From the books, Oberyn Martell has eight daughters that are bastard. The show pared them down into three characters that stayed hopelessly one-dimensional throughout their run. Obara, Nym, and Tyene are a bloodthirsty trio who don’t have any backstory or personal traits beyond”stimulated by sin .” Tyene’s mum is also attracted but Ellaria is in mourning. Over the duration of the series, her character has transformed by a girl in love to a bitter, vengeful widow with nothing to lose. Viewers understand she wants to pull down the world around her. Perhaps they sympathize.
The Sand Snakes is introduced later Oberyn’s death. Their love for their dad is clear, but their want for murder defines them. We don’t even understand how deep their connections with Oberyn went. Their commitment to their cause boils to a laughably banter. “You must choose,” Ellaria says. “Doran’s manner and calmness. Or my waywar.” (Ellaria’s way, naturally, means killing Myrcella, the innocent daughter of Cersei and Jamie Lannister. The sitting prince, Doran, is considerably less into the idea of kids.
There’s arrangement is more for her mother, While I’m decides she’s in with a nod as weak as the Dorne plotline. Obara shares an anecdote from her childhood, punctuated with a bull’s-eye spear-toss into a man skull. “I made my decision long ago,” she finishes, communication she… loves violence? I guess? It doesn’t help that the actress who plays Obara, Keisha Castle-Hughes, delivers the line with a level impact that makes her unconvincing in this role that is simple, significant.
Even the Sand Snakes tatalks game, however whenever they Actually leap into action, they’re incapacitated with embarrassing ease. After Jamie and Bronn slip to rescue Myrcella, the Sand Snakes show up to throw . After a brief scuffle, NyI’mries to haul Myrcella off, and the remainder give chase, only for Dornish guards to surround and halted the whole group. Tyene even saves Bronn’s life later by providing him the antidote to the poison coursing through his veins undoing the only possible minute of consequence in the fight.
In season 6, their murder of Dornish prince Trystane is equally unimpressive. Obara stabs him from behind Even though Trystane prepares to face off against Nym. It’s a inexpensive move, made only momentarily worthwhile by Nym’s quip:”You’re a greedy bitch, you know that?”
And the trio moment? It’s actually a scene-stealing moment by Olenna Tyrell. In under a minute, Olenna dresses all 3 girls, dubbing Obara”Barbara,” then remarking that she seems just like”an angry little boy.” Nym is shut down almost immediately with a strong”Do shut up.” Tyene never gets a word outside. They used as punchlines. Put a character we’ve seen lying scheming, and dropping against a presence such as Olenna, up, ” the Sand Snakes’ absence of any real rhyme or reason is evident.
And when the Sand Snakes face off against Euron, it’s Clear that this really is the ending. Nym and obara set up a nice fight before Euron slaughters them unceremoniously and mounts them on the ship’s mast. What awaits them? Undoubtedly, cersei. Given Ellaria’s murder of Myrcella, the set are likely in for a long, torturous end.
Tyene’s departure is unavoidable, but she will finally Achieve something that her sisters did: an onscreen role worthy of Audiences’ time if it’s just to Cersei’s far more Fascinating story.
