Cersei Lannister Is The Best Character In Television
She is the mastermind that keeps the plot and the drama moving. I could very easily see a world in which her adversaries, obsessed with the threat of the Night King in the north, fail to recognize that the true threat lies south, in Cersei and all her brilliance.
Warning: This article will spoil of "Game of Thrones" thus far. Please do not read ahead if you're not well caught up.
I have to confess an unpopular opinion. Leana Headey's Cersei Lannister, the polarizing and widely hated villain in "Game of Thrones," is one of the best characters in TV. Documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns once said that a great story is when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, where 1+1 does not equal 2, but 3. A great story is when the good guys have very serious flaws and the villains are very compelling.
As such, Cersei Lannister is one of the greatest parts in "Game of Thrones," a cog that brings out not only the complications of other characters in the show, as well.
Life is complicated, and that means characters are complicated. To see the world as a black and white battle of good and evil is, frankly, boring. I have brought it up in numerous classes about character that Cersei Lannister is a terrific character because she is a compelling villain, and because I hold the unpopular opinion that any character that can draw your hate, ire, and disgust is a great character. I also hold the unpopular opinion, also, that the Lannisters are better than the Starks as characters, even though my heart goes out to Jon Snow, Rob, Sansa, and Ned Stark, my feelings towards Jaime, Tyrion, and Cersei are much more conflicted and uncertain.
But this is only one article, so I can only focus on one character, and that character is Cersei, the absolutely ruthless, manipulate, cruel Queen now occupying the Iron Throne. She sleeps with her brother. She calls Tyrion a "monstrosity" for his dwarfism. She massacres hundreds inside a church and causes the suicide of her youngest son.
Tyrion once told Cersei that "you love your children. It's your one redeeming quality. That, and your cheekbones." But as much a manifestation of evil Cersei is, she is the closest Lannister to her father, Tywin Lannister, and his cunning and ruthlessness. The only problem, in the world of Westeros, is that she was born a woman. She enabled the cruelty of Joffrey, and did it gladly. But she goes even past her father in her ruthlessness. She is able to manipulate the very moment she is the most vulnerable, imprisoned and humiliated by the High Sparrow, to kill all her enemies in a single explosion.
What if Cersei were a man, the average "Game of Thrones" watcher may ask? I have no idea. Perhaps she would be liked more, argues the viewer who complains about misogyny on the show and the lack of compelling female characters in TV in general. She could have undoubtedly been one of the most powerful people in Westeros, much earlier than she already has.
But Cersei is always interesting. Cersei is always engaging. Every scene I watch with Cersei takes my pulls me in and takes my breath away. Her actions are sometimes so horrible and unsympathetic that we wish the writers would just kill her off, but she is still there, still standing, and now doing so on the Iron Throne.
Wow, is it fun watching her. Wow, is it fun hating her. Cersei doesn't quit, even when she gives the appearance of quitting. She fights unapologetically until the end for her family, for her children, for herself.
And Cersei's cruelty isn't there without a reason. She is surviving, and thriving, the only way she knows how, and was afflicted with so much adverse circumstance that I don't see how she could have become who she was any other way. Her mother died in childbirth. Her father gave away Myrcella, her daughter. Her little brother killed her father. Her oldest son was poisoned. Her youngest son committed suicide. Robert Baratheon, once her unfaithful husband, was in love with another woman and even uttered that woman's name when consummating their marriage. Her brother raped her in front of her own son's corpse.
Despite being the most capable and cunning of the Lannisters, the fact that she is a woman prevented her from attaining the privileges bestowed upon Jaime. A fortune teller foretold serious tragedy in her life, all of which has come true. And despite everything that happened to her, the cruelty that she treated (and reciprocated), Cersei is still standing now as the "Mad Queen" and one of the most powerful people in Westeros.
And we also have to ask ourselves the question of what Cersei brings out in other characters, as well. Could Ned Stark's fatal flaw in his naive honor have been exposed without Cersei's betrayal? Could Tyrion's story arc of revenge and vengeance against Cersei been exposed had Cersei not continually harmed and wronged him? Could Jaime have started diverging from being the mirror image of Cersei if, well, Cersei didn't exist in the first place? Could he have gone on the path to redemption if there was nothing to redeem him from?
And how much of Jaime's redemption hinges on whether he is the one who kills Cersei, and fulfills the last part of the prophecy that she will die at the hands of her younger brother.
As the story of the show has moved away from the books, I have seen some characters in the show act in ways that compromised their compelling-ness, including Littlefinger being outsmarted by something an earlier Littlefinger would have very much seen coming. For me, "Game of Thrones" has resorted more to expected and popular actions that compromise core character traits in so many of its well-developed characters.
But Cersei has, in my experience, single-handedly preserved the show and its drama. She never fails to enthrall, never fails to surprise, and so much of the show revolves around other people's interactions with Cersei that it almost seems like she is the Donald Trump of "Game of Thrones," the character that all her adversaries obsess with thwarting. She is the mastermind that keeps the plot and the drama moving. I could very easily see a world in which her adversaries, obsessed with the threat of the Night King in the north, fail to recognize that the true threat lies south, in Cersei and all her brilliance.
As the final season wraps up the show, no matter how the show ends, I give my hat to George R.R. Martin and the show for the creation of Cersei Lannister, the most compelling and well-developed character not only in the show, but in Television.
My 10 Favorite YouTubers
They can all teach you something
I've fallen down into the rabbit hole that is YouTube. Lately, I've been finding the videos on YouTube much more entertaining than anything on Netflix or Hulu. There are so many videos out there about literally everything. Some of my favorite videos are murder mysteries or unsolved crime videos. But I also love watching movie commentaries or anything funny. If you like YouTube as much as I do, I highly recommend checking out these YouTubers.
1. Hailey Reese
Hailey is such a light in this world. Even though she talks about paranormal things which can oftentimes be scary, she always brings light and love to the video. Her videos are so informational and spooky. They're so fun to watch and interesting to think about. She is one of the soul siblings, and you will understand what I mean by that if you watch her channel. Also, you get to be a Reese's Peaces, what a cool name!
2. Kendall Rae
Kendall does a lot of different kinds of videos, but some of my favorite ones that she does are the True Crime videos. Many of the stories are sad or disturbing, but she does a fantastic job of being respectful of the families who lost a loved one as well as the person who is deceased. These stories really bring into perspective how messed up people in this world can be, but at the same time the beauty of our humanity and that there are good people in the world.
3. Dylan Is In Trouble
Ah, Dyan. Where to begin. He does a lot of movie commentaries. He has done commentaries on everything from kids movies, rom-coms, horror, and thriller. He apparently went to film school and so he actually analyzes the movies in a critical way. He always points out plot holes and cliches and makes it so entertaining to watch. He also shows the movie as he's watching it, so it's like you get to watch it without actually spending the hour and a half watching it. He's so entertaining to watch and makes me laugh every time, even if it's a serious movie. One of my favorite things is that he calls his followers "troublemakers" and as someone who rarely ever gets into trouble, I like it.
4. Jon Solo
If you're someone who loves Disney movies and fairytales, this channel is for you. Jon goes into the origin stories of various Disney movies, heroes, villains, and other fairytale creatures. It's amazing the amount of research he does in order to find and explain the origins of some of our favorite characters.
5. tiffanyferg
I'm a bit new to her channel, but she covers a range of topics that I think are very important. She talks about beauty standards, the college scandal, minimalism, mental health, and college struggles. As someone who is finishing college and still learning about myself, I really appreciate her analysis of these topics and the advice that she gives.
6. Brandi TV
Brandi is too funny. While I don't condone doing drugs, she does really funny "makeup" tutorials. I feel like I always cry from laughing so hard. One of my favorites is when she does a makeup tutorial for Ursula from the Little Mermaid. So funny. She is such a sweetheart and a pure soul.
7. Loey Lane
Loey is another light in this world. She talks about paranormal things, reads scary viral stories, body positivity, and her own personal experiences. Her makeup is always on point and brings so much light to sometimes dark topics. She is one of the soul siblings too!
8. The Try Guys
Do I even have to give an explanation for these guys? They try everything, and it's hilarious to watch them. My favorite series of theirs is when Keith eats everything on the menu from different fast food places. And they don't waste the food so that's a plus!
9. Alex Myers
Alex is another great YouTuber who does movie and Tv show commentaries, but he animates himself and his dog into the videos. It's very interesting to see, especially because sometimes he will talk about his own personal experiences and its very relatable. Also, his dog is super cute!
10. AndrewTMI
Last but not least, we have Andrew. I love how totally open and honest he is. He is very relatable and honestly hilarious. He is dramatic and that just makes his channel so entertaining. He is the last member of the soul siblings. When Hailey, Loey, and Andrew are together some real spooky stuff happens and it's some of the most entertaining videos to watch.
If you haven't heard of any of these YouTubers, please check them out. They are so great at entertaining and presenting facts. Even though I haven't met any of them, they all seem like really great, genuine people.