If you suspect there is a metaphor lurking in it, episode 14 should dispel that idea. Technically, in both episodes, Landwilt’s entry into the story does a good job of showing us that it’s not just Sarifi as a human who faces discrimination in Leonhardt’s kingdom. Sarri may have made significant strides in being accepted by non-Anubis, but Rand faces an equally difficult predicament and has struggled with it his entire life.
We’ve seen other beasts vilified for their race before. Poor Amit is seen as “less than” because she’s a reptilian rather than one of the traditionally beautiful furry people, and the fish people have a lot of sarcastic things to say about them. But Rand faced the most overt racism since Sally’s transformation from victim to acting queen. Like her, it’s all due to his blood: he’s a hyena, because at some point in history hyenas rebelled against the throne, and since then they’ve been all but cast out of society and seen as persona non grata. You better believe that Rand is very very feeling this very keenly.
It’s hard to blame him – this week’s flashbacks about him trying to save his sick mother’s life only to be stopped by jerks who think it’s okay to torture a child because of race is both infuriating and heartbreaking. Prejudice against the Haines led to the death of Rant’s mother, which Rant had to live with for years. When he was accused of attacking Macia’s new governor, Braun, he was dismayed, but resigned. If you’ve ever suffered from this kind of prejudice, his reaction will be very familiar, because while it never stops hurting, it does become something you expect.
That’s why Sarifi is such a nice guy. She may have had the same reaction when Anubis “revealed” the candidate for the post of Captain of the Queen’s Guard, but found a large empty courtyard, but she was delighted when Rand jumped down as the only candidate. (And I’m glad he did it through Anubis’s mind.) She’s been in his position ever since she dabbled with Leonhardt, and before that she’d known all her life that she wasn’t popular with her parents and was doomed to sacrifice. If anyone has an easy time understanding where Rand is coming from, it’s Sarri, and she proves it in these two episodes.
The success of this work lies in Rand’s response. We expect Sarri to go above and beyond by now, but he’s constantly amazed at her kindness – she doesn’t berate him harshly for the whole desert “shortcut” thing, and she asks him to stop endangering others. She would jump to his defense when he was falsely accused, even when others slandered him as a hyena. When she starts running around town to prove his innocence, Rant begins to convince himself of her; and when she succeeds, he knows that his plans are now in unexpected trouble to find someone he can trust. It’s almost too bad Sarri and Leon are the perfect pair, otherwise, I’d be tempted to back Sarri and Rand.
Many fantasy stories have underlying themes that we can see expressing points about the real world. (Right, Terry Pratchett?) Good ones make it clear without coming across as didactic or overt. Steadily proving himself to be one of them, I hope that if that giraffe does lose his job, he can find a new job as part of the Sarifi guard.
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