This week showcased another stellar episode of Game of Thrones in which previously dormant issues are most certainly beginning to
erupt in a wonderfully foreboding nature and the true price of loyalty begins
to surface. Oh and Jon Snow finally has sex. Mazel tov!
First off we return to Arya, Gendry and the Brotherhood
without Banners who are serving the ‘Lord of Light’ and putting Hound’s
innocence to the test in a deciding sword fight against their leader. Much to
Arya and the Brotherhood’s dismay, Hound actually wins the fight (against a
flaming sword and all) and is released. The Brotherhood announce they will
reunite Arya with her brother the following morning but Gendry decides to
stay and serve as a blacksmith, sick of being loyal to the wrong people. Poor Arya seems to be losing everyone around her and for the first time, bathed in the light of fire, we see a burning sense of despair that she is inevitably feeling.
Jon Snow continues to questionably serve the Wildlings, but it is fair to say that his loyalty to the Nights Watch is most definitely over after
breaking a sworn oath. That’s right, thanks to Ygritte’s nudey and luring
ways, both succumb to the sexual tension that has plagued their relationship.
It’s a well executed development and about bloody time
too.
Stannis Baratheon continues to be almost on par with Joffrey
as contender for television's biggest douchebag. He visits his wife with the intention of
confessing adultery and impregnating Melisandre. However she is fully aware of
the situation, in fact she seems to be on board with it all believing that
someone must fulfill such wifely duties of providing a son. Something which she
has undoubtedly failed to do, going by the preserved collection of foetuses that
prominently decorate her room. She does however have a daughter but
keeps her hidden away due to her facial disfigurement. Not a brilliant mother then, and no surprises that Stannis
hasn’t particularly been the best father either. In fact he has locked away the only man who
has, Ser Davos, who remains imprisoned feeling the weighty punishment for straying loyalties.
Jaime and Brienne are finally handed over to Lord Bolton who treats them in a slightly more hospitable manner than their captors. They're even allowed to bathe, providing what is at first a comical sequence
but transgresses into another cleverly written stepping-stone in their
friendship. In a moment of relentless vulnerability, Jaime is laid bare literally and
figuratively when revealing the truth over his 'kingslayer' name. A breakdown wonderfully performed by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau that will no doubt have consequences regarding Brienne's loyalty to Lady Stark.
Robb Stark is still dealing with terrible bad luck and
un-loyal soldiers as Richard Karstark, in an act of vengeance, murders the two
young Lannister hostages. Robb is outraged at this act of betrayal and as a punishment, decides to behead Karstark contrary to the advice from his wife
and mother. As feared this move resulted in the rest of the Karstark family
leaving Robbs army, placing him in a weaker position than ever. He decides his only chance of re-strengthening his army is to take Casterly Rock
which will be made possible by befriending Walder Frey – the man whose daughter was
promised to marry Robb. Oops.
Back in Astapor there are no moves of bad-ass proportion
from Daenerys this week. Instead Ser Jorah Mormont and Ser Barristan Selmy converse
in a battle of worthiness and loyalty to Daenerys. It feels only a matter of time
before this mode of civil conversation gets a little more heated.
In King's Landing Tyrion meets with Olenna Tyrell, in a highly anticipated union of characters, to discuss the finances of the big royal
wedding. It is a brief moment of comical discourse, played brilliantly by Diana Rigg, who out-smarts and out-wits Tyrion, a tough feat by any means. Most shattering,
however, is Cersei’s reveal (thanks to the help of Littlefinger) that Marjaery
Tyrell is planning to marry off Sansa to her gay brother, Loras. In order to
prevent this happening and keep Sansa (the heir of Winterfell) in line with the
Lannisters, Tywin instructs Tyrion to marry Sansa instead. To the credit of
Peter Dinklage, the heart-wrenching devastation exudes from his eyes over the
nature of his father’s order. Not only will this crush Tyrion and Shae’s
relationship but there is also a genuine concern for
Sansa. Tywin’s ‘I-hate-my-children’ reign does not finish there. He also orders
Cersei to marry Loras. She naturally declines of course, but Tywin will not be defied and
is adamant that orders will be carried out. Although the proverbial apples do not fall so far from the tree and something tells me it won’t
be as easy as all that...
In addition to the one or two note-worthy performances, the stand-out element for this week was the episode’s
overwhelming foreboding nature. From horrific rain storms to over-powering
shadows that devour half of the shot – it all alludes to the encroaching and
explosive drama that will unfold resultant from the aforementioned character
developments. Once again each trope was well balanced, moving at a pace that
befitted the narrative. Yet whether its two minutes in Astapor or ten in King’s
Landing, each moment is continuously captivating.
Overall Game of Thrones continues to simmer this week, as
tension reaches a new level – so does the impending sense of doom and
devastation. Whilst it does require you to rack your brains for previous plot
points, the episode is nevertheless well written by Bryan Cogman, as each
character trope is well balanced and distributed. Characters' various loyalties are questioned but with their development of a calibre this high, our loyalty to the show most definitely isn't.
What were your thoughts on this week's episode? Post a comment!
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