James Hibberd's eulogy for Ser Aliser in this week's EW recap is fantastic and on-point:
http://www.ew.com/recap/game-of-thrones-oathbreaker
http://www.ew.com/recap/game-of-thrones-oathbreaker
quote:
Personally, I loved Thorne and want to eulogize him a bit here. He wasn't a total villain like Ramsay or even an evil schemer like Tywin. And his position was never indefensible. Thorne's duty was to keep the Wildlings and supernatural beasties from coming south. The Wildlings as we saw with Olly's family rampage through towns killing innocent people. Thorne is a like a solider who's been given an order that, in his mind, contradicts his purpose and is therefore unlawful. A great number of southern houses want Thorne on that wall; they need him on that wall. He's their Col. Jessup. So when Thorne decided to give Jon Snow a Code Red, it was for reasons that we might not agree with, but the move was aligned with the same leadership and heroism Thorne showed while defending the courtyard during the Battle of Castle Black.
Plus, Thorne's total intractability was fun. From the moment Jon Snow arrived at Castle Black in the first season, Thorne was Severus Snape to Jon Snow's Harry Potter the older, bitter, black-clad authoritarian teacher who totally resented this young, talented, rule-breaker from an admired family. And as with Potter and Snape, everything Snow did just managed to piss off Thorne even more, no matter how well-intentioned or heroic. We've all had people in our life or workplace who, no matter how hard we try, we simply cannot impress. No matter what Snow did, Thorne's hatred only grew. Snow's a natural fighter? *******! Keeps his oath with the Night's Watch despite his father and brother being killed? *******! Infiltrates the Wildlings and warns Castle Black of their pending attack? *******! Reject Stannis' offer to reclaim his home? *******!
Then, finally, Thorne gets so fed up with him, he stabs Jon Snow to death. Snow is dead really dead. Thorne finally got rid of his nemesis. Then Jon Snow comes back to life resurrected and seemingly totally fine. And Thorne, this guy, he's still not impressed! Even Jon Snow returning from the dead doesn't faze him. Ser Alliser is just like: Oh yeah? So? You think you're special or something? You just gonna keep being resurrected like a coward whenever life gets too hard and somebody kills you? *******!
So Thorne actually tries to make Snow feel lousy about not having the decency to stay murdered. "You'll be fighting battles forever," Thorne tells him. He's basically saying that since Jon Snow's a bleeding heart in this cruel Darwinian world, he's just gonna end up having to fight to keep people from trying to kill him the rest of his life. You didn't win, Snow, ya cheated literally cheated death. Is that that kind of man you are? A cheater? I half expected Thorne, as he was dancing at the end of the rope, to gasp out one final, "Bassssstaaarrrrd"
