It is thus no surprise that it took me until this weekend to finally finish to watch season one of Games of Thrones which I had dutifully recorded on my DirectTV TiVo thinggy. Not that it was easy, Direct TV makes all sorts of mistakes so programming does not necessarily result in recording the actual episode, even after more than one attempt. Of that first season I could not manage to record chapter 6, A Golden Crown, nor do I think I missed much.
Still, Game of Thrones is worth watching: acting is good and reconstruction done well enough (except for that dragon revival scene....). And, wonder of wonders, it is politically relevant for third world countries.
In episode 7, You Win or You Die, Robert Baraethon on his bed of agony has the bad idea of writing a secret will to name Ned Stark the regent while his illegitimate child (unknown fact to Bob). That is, the appointment would be read only once King Robert is dead. "What a terrible idea! This is never going to work!" I thought on the spot. Yes, I know, I have a hard time letting go from reality even in the best of series but I was proven right since a couple of episodes later on Baelor square Ned's head was promptly sliced as the illegitimate king family was taking over power, and exerting it as a butchery shop.
Isn't this exactly what Chavez is doing? Keeping secret the name of any possible successor, or regent for his daughters if he could get away with it? Which are the chances that his succession work out with the games he is playing for the last year, pitting against each other people from his entourage? Whatever heir he appoints in the end will lack legitimacy because he never took the care to establish that legitimacy before he dies. Bad results may be surely expected.
Hugo I Baratheon, at Sabaneta's Landing..........
PS: yes, I finished last night season 1, and season 2 is being recorded. It looks like it is going to be a gory blood bath and I am not looking forward to it, but the dwarf is quite something. Besides, maybe I will gather more TV archetypal studies on third world politics which apparently have not changed in Venezuela since our XIX century middle age fantasy.