In the game of thrones, you either achieve victory or face death. Thus spoke Cersei Lannister to Ned Stark in the inaugural season of HBO’s popular fantasy drama series Game Of Thrones. It’s a noteworthy phrase, and one of the rare occasions when a character mentioning the title of the show or film they’re part of feels natural rather than contrived and ridiculous.
The major melodrama in Hollywood currently involves the rival lawsuits between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, the leads of the film It Ends With Us, which Baldoni also directed. A lengthy and quite strange saga has unfolded between Lively and Baldoni, with each party making multiple accusations and grievances against the other. Baldoni has additionally filed a lawsuit against The New York Times regarding the paper’s reporting on events. Lively has additionally submitted a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department, alleging that Baldoni engaged in sexual harassment and devised a scheme to tarnish her reputation.
The newest lawsuit in the ongoing legal conflict is Baldoni’s enormous $400 million claim against Lively and her spouse, Ryan Reynolds (who recently starred in Deadpool & Wolverine). Baldoni is additionally requesting a jury trial.
Currently, CNN indicates that text exchanges between Lively and Baldoni have the Gossip Girl actress likening herself to none other than Daenerys Targaryen. I was reluctant to discuss this story, but after covering Game of Thrones and its spinoffs for so long, I felt compelled to join the conversation now that dragons are part of it. The supposed message from Lively to Baldoni does carry a touch of threat, albeit in a strangely amicable manner.
“If you eventually watch Game of Thrones, you’ll see that I’m Khaleesi, and similar to her, I also possess a few dragons,” the text states as per the lawsuit acquired by CNN. “For good or ill, but generally good.” Since my dragons also safeguard those I battle for. In reality, we all gain from those beautiful creatures of mine. “You will as well, I assure you.”
This text is captivating due to its context. Daenerys is known by various titles, with “Mother of Dragons” among them, but Khaleesi is likely her most recognized. She was awarded the title upon marrying Khal Drogo, the formidable leader of a Dothraki khalasar. The Dothraki are a wandering and martial tribe that roams the Dothraki Sea—an extensive grassland located on the continent of Essos, directly east of Westeros—plundering and fighting from their treasured horses.
Read more: Blake Lively files a sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni
The Dothraki eventually become merely one of numerous armies belonging to Daenerys. She utilizes mercenaries and, naturally, her three dragons: Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion. Lively’s writing does not clarify who her dragons are, yet many interpret it as a nod to her spouse Reynolds and her friend Taylor Swift. This has disturbed numerous “Swifties” for quite clear reasons. It’s strange, to put it mildly, to call your husband and friends “my monsters” in any situation, particularly during a disagreement over a script.
What renders all of this remarkably strange, nevertheless, is that Daenerys Targaryen eventually morphed into the most notorious, lethal, and loathed antagonist in all of Game Of Thrones when she bafflingly chose to incinerate numerous innocents in King’s Landing upon her takeover of the city. The turnaround had been anticipated for a while, yet still appeared shocking due to the hurried pace of the series in its last two seasons. In certain respects, her persona contradicted Cersei’s statements: She engaged in the game of thrones, emerged victorious, and ultimately perished—by the actions of her nephew and lover, Jon Snow. Anyone who compares themselves to Khaleesi at this moment should realize that the suggestion is quite malevolent. Summoning one’s dragons—or beasts—undoubtedly amplifies that feeling.
I have no stake in this battle, naturally. I have no idea where the truth starts and finishes, who is deceiving whom, or if any of what Baldoni or Lively states is true or misleading. The truth is, even if this case goes to trial, we might never fully uncover the complete truth. This situation strongly echoes the Amber Heard / Johnny Depp trial, which honestly tarnished the reputations of both celebrities in the end. Showing personal issues to everyone generally doesn’t turn out positively. Let’s add a Game Of Thrones spin to it: When you engage in the game of tarnishing reputations, no one emerges victorious.
Read more: The Justin Baldoni lawsuit against Blake Lively will “shock everyone”
