Game of Thrones: Season Seven, Episode 4 – “The Spoils of War”

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Brienne of Tarth, Bronn, Catelyn Stark, Cersei Lannister, Conleth Hill, Daenerys Targaryen, Davos, Diana Rigg, Dragons, Dragonstone, Drogon, Ellie Kendrick, Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones, Gemma Whelan, GoT, Gwendoline Christie, Highgarden, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jaime Lannister, Jerome Flynn, Jon Snow, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Liam Cunningham, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Meera Reed, Michelle Fairley, Missandei, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ned Stark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Olenna Tyrell, Ramsay Bolton, Rory McCann, Sansa Stark, Sean Bean, Sophie Turner, Television, Television Review, The Hound, The Queen's Justice, The Spoils of War, Theon Greyjoy, TV, TV Review, Varys, White Walkers, Winterfell, Yara Greyjoy

via timeinc.net

“The Spoils of War” picked up where the previous episode left off; at Highgarden. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) was packing gold into the back of a cart whilst contemplating what Olenna (Diana Rigg) told him at the end of “The Queen’s Justice”, and Bronn (Jerome Flynn) was trying to claim the vacated castle as his own. As mentioned in previous reviews, I like it when there’s continuity on television because it makes a series easier to binge-watch at a later date, so it’s hard for me to complain about this opening scene.

However, in a way starting this episode with Jaime continuing his duties as head of the Lannister army lessened the impact of last week’s conclusion. Neither the opening scene nor “The Spoils of War” as a whole answered the question that was on my mind after last week’s episode; how will Olenna’s reveal effect Jaime’s relationship with Cersei (Lena Headey)? Jaime’s geographical separation from Cersei means that any payoff on this front has to be limited, but the fact that Jaime continued to stand up for Cersei’s leadership disappointed me greatly. It’s not that I expected him to immediately hate her – that would be ridiculous – but portraying the character as though nothing substantial has changed is a mistake.

via slashfilm.com

The episode then logically cut to King’s Landing where Cersei was discussing her victory with Tycho Nestoris (Mark Gatiss), the representative from the Iron Bank who also appeared in “The Queen’s Justice”. I’m not going to say too much about this scene because it felt like filler when I was watching it, but given the fact that Cersei’s conversation with Tycho last week proved to be very significant it may end up that this one was as well – for now we just don’t know. Still, I thought that the information that was conveyed to the audience in this scene could’ve been put across in a more natural way because it felt quite forced to me.

The next scene was much more interesting as we were treated to an interaction that I wasn’t expecting. Given Littlefinger’s (Aidan Gillen) past discretions I expected him to stay as far away from Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) as possible, even though he’s sure to be dubious about Bran’s supposed powers, so to see the two have a face-to-face conversation was a welcome surprise. It’s well-established now that unfortunately I don’t like Hempstead-Wright’s acting on the show, but the scene itself was actually pretty good.

via wetpaint.com

One of the best things about this season of “Thrones” so far is that characters that we never thought would come together are becoming connected through either circumstance or narrative necessity. I personally didn’t consider the possibility of these two characters ever having a conversation, so seeing it happen was genuinely exciting even if the scene itself wasn’t anything to write home about. Littlefinger tried to manipulate Bran into thinking that he was an ally by giving him the dagger that the assassin tried to kill him with in season one, before using the word ‘chaos’. This led to Bran repeating the phrase that Littlefinger once said when speaking to Varys (Conleth Hill) back in season three – ‘chaos is a ladder’.

The conversation that was being referenced is a little bit obscure given the time that has passed since it happened on the show, but personally it’s one of my favourite lines from a time when “Thrones” was offering up some of the best dialogue on television. There was a nice blend of tension and comedy in this scene because it was clear that neither person was genuinely concerned about the other, and Bran revealing that he knew what Littlefinger was up to in the way that he did was clever writing because it was simple yet impactful.

Still, I can’t stay positive for too long and I have to say that the next scene left a lot to be desired. Meera (Ellie Kendrick) isn’t a well-developed character on the show and in fact we don’t know a lot about her at all, but she was likeable and it was frustrating to see her treated poorly. It wasn’t exactly clear what she wanted from Bran after essentially dragging him to safety, and I suppose most people don’t care about her anyway, but personally I find it difficult to justify Bran treating people badly just because he’s omniscient.

via wetpaint.com

This is a writing tool that you see a lot in comics, particularly within the superhero genre when characters like Brainiac and Doctor Manhattan treat emotion as secondary to logic and reason. It seems like there’s the same kind of implicit suggestion going on here which is that because Bran knows so much he deems it necessary to shut out all of his emotions and desires. This doesn’t really add up to me because although being omniscient might lead you to favour a more external perspective on your life and your future, it doesn’t logically follow that you should be numb to things which occur naturally and are caused by your physiology, unless you’re sociopathic.

Maybe Bran has come to the realisation that human emotion is meaningless and without useful application, but he’s still human and sometimes the chemicals in our body make us react to stimuli in surprising ways. Bran (as he’s written on the show) might think that emotions are destructive, corrosive, or perhaps just pointless, but I don’t see how this knowledge would stop him feeling or expressing said emotions at certain points. I’m probably thinking too deep into this because the real issue with the scene was that the writers didn’t respect their audiences’ intelligence, using Meera’s exit to force-feed us obvious information and to emphasise the fact that Bran isn’t the same as he was before, but I think it’s important to note that the characterisation of Bran is too simplistic and reductive.

via watchersonthewall.com

The episode continued at Winterfell as Arya (Maisie Williams) made her long awaited return to her family’s ancestral home. Once again I was frustrated by the speed at which she managed to reach her destination, but at least this time the character was absent for an episode whilst presumably travelling. The notes I made on this moment will not translate well to this review because they are very aggressive, but to put it mildly I hated this scene.

I’m as pleased as anyone to see Arya return to Winterfell and it gets the narrative moving in the right direction, but the execution was idiotic, offensive, and devalued the moment completely. Arya’s presence at Winterfell should’ve been greeted with optimism and cheers from the audience, yet before we got to see her meet Sansa and Bran we had to endure an interaction between her and two condescending guards. We just didn’t need this! It didn’t tell us anything that we didn’t already know about the character and it wasn’t fun to watch; it was just pointless! It was by far the worst scene of the episode; it wasn’t poignant, wasn’t clever, and grossly mishandled a major moment in the narrative.

via ign.com

Nevertheless, when Arya did finally meet up with Sansa (Sophie Turner) it made for good television. Having the pair talk in front of a statue of Ned (Sean Bean) was a nice touch and both Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams did what they needed to do. I tried to enjoy watching the moment play out rather than overanalysing it which I think improved my perception of it, but it was a decent scene.

It’s a shame that Arya’s character arc has been botched ever since she left The Hound (Rory McCann) in season four because now it’s hard to know how to feel about her when she’s letting her guard down. The writing for the character hasn’t been strong enough to make it feel as though she’s fundamentally changed since the series began; she’s not the same as she was and she’s certainly more ruthless, but she’s wanted to be a warrior since the start of the show and all that’s changed is that now she is one. There was a time when she felt hardened and vicious, but since then the show hasn’t done enough to cement this; she basically does whatever the narrative demands and it’s very difficult to route for her as a result.

I’m conflicted about the next scene as well for the same reason because although it was fun to see Bran, Arya, and Sansa plotting together, the scene as a whole felt hollow. This wasn’t helped by the fact that Bran brought up Arya’s list, something which was brought up in the previous scene as well, because it felt as though the writers only chose this aspect of Arya’s story to reference because Sansa already knew about it. Bran could’ve talked about blindness, The Hound, or even something vague about the Faceless Men, and going with any one of these choices would’ve been more entertaining for the audience. It was intriguing that Bran gave Arya the Valyrian steel dagger because given what he knows this might be significant further down the line, but overall this was a safe, middle-of-the-road scene.

via timeinc.net

A moment I did enjoy in the North was when Arya and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) reunited, because although they’ve only been on screen together once there was a sense in which this marked the completion of Brienne’s story arc. Ever since Renly (Gethin Anthony) died it’s been Brienne’s mission to rescue the Stark girls for Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), so the fact that she’s now inadvertently achieved this could be of real consequence for her character. Whether or not this means that Brienne faces a heroic death later this season or in season eight is debateable – she could make it right to the end of the series – but just the fact that she’s done exactly what she set out to do is quite rewarding to watch on a show which oftentimes is devoid of happy endings.

The sparring between the pair was also entertaining as their styles collided, and although this scene was a bit over-the-top I liked how it was shot. It was simple but we could clearly see what was happening which is rare for fight scenes on television. Arya’s explanation that ‘no one’ taught her how to fight was also a fun nod to the last couple of seasons; it was a bit on the nose but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate it.

via wikiofthrones.com

Elsewhere, Jon (Kit Harington) and Dany’s (Emilia Clarke) relationship seems to have become more positive as the pair are now speaking to one another with honesty and less hostility. Jon took Daenerys into the mines to see the dragonglass, with dramatic music played over the top of the scene just in case we didn’t realise that this substance was going to be significant in the future.

I liked this sequence but I don’t think it was executed brilliantly. Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke are likeable on screen together and they have chemistry, and as mentioned in my previous “Thrones” review their characters mesh well together because they’ve gone through similar experiences, but there was a glaring issue with what we were shown. The issue I’m referring to is that the cave drawings that Jon used to give weight to the existence of White Walkers were unbelievably convenient, to the point that it’s almost insulting to the audience to use this as a plot device.

It’s not just that they happen to be in the ideal location to keep the plot moving forward, it’s also the fact that Daenerys didn’t question them at all. Jon could be an expert stone carver for all she knows and he could’ve snuck into the cave overnight to etch the drawings himself; after all, the timeline has been completely abused so we have no idea how long Jon has been at Dragonstone at this point! I’m not going to drag this criticism out because it’s a problem which explains itself, but surely the showrunners need to take more care with how they present their narrative if they want the audience to take it seriously?

via theverge.com

When the pair left the cave they were greeted by Tyrion and Varys who unfortunately brought some bad news about Highgarden. This scene was fine and I don’t have much to say about it in terms of positives or negatives; it was quick and it did what it needed to do in setting up the climax of the episode.

Later at Dragonstone Jon and Davos (Liam Cunningham) discussed the size of Daenerys’ heart… among other things. Again I have to be honest and say that I didn’t like the direction that this scene took because although having characters come together and build relationships can make for good television it doesn’t work when the motivation is so transparent. Jon and Davos bumped into Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) who was stood waiting for them; they talked about Missandei’s past and eventually came to the topic of Daenerys and her character, with Missandei giving her a glowing reference.

This scene was clearly designed to fast-track a stable relationship between Dany and Jon, which I understand, but I take issue with the fact that the writers pretended that the scene was about developing Missandei. I didn’t have a massive issue with it but it was cheap and didn’t actually achieve anything when it was over.

via screenrant.com

Following this scene we were treated to another interaction that I didn’t expect to see again on “Thrones”, as Theon (Alfie Allen) washed up on the shores of Dragonstone to be greeted by his former rival, Jon Snow. The pair stood quietly for a moment before Theon broke the silence with a simple greeting and began to walk towards Jon. Jon then grabbed Theon and threatened him, explaining that the only reason that he wasn’t dead already was because of what he did to Sansa.

This was an incredibly weird turn of phrase because Jon was referencing the fact that Theon saved Sansa from Ramsay (Iwan Rheon), an act which was noble enough for Jon to spare Theon’s life. This was something that Theon did for Sansa rather than to her. The implication of doing something to someone is usually that you’ve wronged them in one way or another, so using this phrase confused the scene quite noticeably. I don’t know whether or not this was a mistake by Kit Harington that the director chose to overlook or whether this phrasing was actually in the script, but either way it was wrong.

Much like in the previous episode this scene with Theon was used to transition into a more important one, as Theon explained that he needed Dany’s help to rescue Yara (Gemma Whelan) before being told; ‘the queen is gone’.

via ign.com

From here the episode sparked into life and skyrocketed in quality, culminating in a beautifully shot sequence in which Daenerys used the Dothraki and Drogon to decimate Jaime’s forces and destroy the supplies he’d taken from Highgarden. I loved this sequence from start to finish, with my only issue relating once again to the fact that travel on “Thrones” has become superfluous.

The scene started slowly before a rumbling in the background could be heard. The Lannister forces got in formation and awaited their enemy who then appeared on the horizon screaming and ready to kill. The Dothraki on their own are scary enough, but to top it off Jaime, Bronn, and the rest of the Lannister army saw a dragon flying straight for them. The score and the cinematography were sublime during this sequence and you really have to applaud “Thrones” for doing things on a scale that you normally don’t see on television.

via ign.com

It was another visceral battle sequence in the vein of the Battle of the Bastards and the Battle of Blackwater, although admittedly it didn’t have a whole episode dedicated to it like those battles did. The tracking shot of Bronn making his way to the ballista was awesome and the fact that he actually managed to hit Drogon with one of the arrows was a genuine shock.

Whether or not somebody significant like Bronn should’ve died during the battle is a point worthy of discussion, but personally I was glad that everyone important ended up surviving the sequence.

Overall, “The Spoils of War” was an episode of varying levels of quality, but the extended 10-15 minutes sequence at the end was spectacular and left me more than satisfied. I can’t wait to see where the story goes next week as Daenerys addresses the Lannister army, and with things getting a little too close for comfort for Littlefinger in Winterfell the season is wonderfully poised.

7.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Seven, Episode 3 – “The Queen’s Justice”

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Cersei Lannister, Charles Dance, Daenerys Targaryen, Diana Rigg, Ellaria Sand, Emilia Clarke, Euron Greyjoy, Game of Thrones, Gemma Whelan, GoT, Indira Varma, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Jaime Lannister, Jon Snow, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Missandei, Nathalie Emmanuel, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Olenna Tyrell, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, The Mountain, The Queen's Justice, Theon Greyjoy, TV, TV Review, Tyrion Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Yara Greyjoy

via nerdist.com

Once again this episode started at Dragonstone. Jon Snow (Kit Harington) appeared on the shore with Davos (Liam Cunningham) by his side, having travelled across Westeros with ease. This immediately bothered me as a fan of the earlier seasons because although a faster pace means that plot twists happen more often, this also means that the show’s timeline and its personality suffer.

In the early seasons of “Thrones” travel was integral to the plot and important in establishing the characters. They wouldn’t just go from point A to point B; they’d learn things about themselves and they’d develop so that by the time they reached their destination we understood them that little bit better. The work that the writers did on this front is why “Thrones” is a relevant show today, so to ignore what made it great is not only shortsighted but also serves to devalue previous seasons.

Still, in isolation the opening scene was okay. It captured the tension of the moment because although the audience knows that Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) can be trusted (sometimes), Jon certainly does not. Stark men don’t do well historically when they venture South, something which this episode referenced on various occasions, and Jon’s apprehension in giving over his weapons and method of transport made that clear.

Luckily, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) was on the beach to calm Jon’s nerves, although the Dothraki were also present and did the exact opposite by taking his boat. The pair had a quick interaction in which they exchanged pleasantries and referenced the scars that they’ve picked up since they last spoke, both physically and emotionally. It was fun to see the two men talk to one another after such a long time, and although there wasn’t a lot to this scene it did its job in getting “The Queen’s Justice” off to a strong start and paying off the set-up from the previous episode.

via watchersonthewall.com

From here we followed Tyrion, Jon, Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel), Davos, etc., towards the castle. Jon said that he wasn’t a Stark, which I’m sure was designed to remind the audience that he’s actually a Targaryen, and this tied in nicely to the fact that he was going to see Daenerys. A dragon then flew over Jon’s head and he was visibly shocked by both its existence and its appearance. This was another fine scene capped off by Tyrion telling Jon that he’ll never get used to seeing dragons roam the sky, but it annoyed me slightly that Jon was so shaken by the fact that he’d seen a dragon when he’s seen ice monsters and giants beyond The Wall.

We then followed Jon into Dany’s throne room. The latter was sat waiting for him and was introduced with a barrage of titles by Missandei, prompting Davos to try to do the same by simply saying ‘this is Jon Snow… he’s King of the North’. Regardless of whether or not this attempt at comedy worked for you as an audience member I think that this scene was a resounding success once the formalities were out of the way because, although it would’ve been nice to see Dany and Jon embrace instantly, it made complete sense that they were standoffish.

Both Dany and Jon have endured pain and misery every since “Thrones” began and both have been stabbed in the back at one point in time. As such, having the pair come to blows over petty politics and clashing goals was both refreshing and surprising, making them seem much more real than they would’ve done if they’d acted amicably. Neither Jon nor Dany acted villainous in this scene, although Emilia Clarke did do her best to make Dany seem slightly crazy, and at the end of the episode the alliance that they formed felt much more rewarding as a result.

The only issue I had with this scene was that in my opinion it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for Dany to believe in White Walkers given that she’s already given birth to dragons, but I think that this problem was addressed somewhat by the fact that the writers framed her cynicism in a distrust of Jon Snow rather than in the specific information he was presenting.

via winteriscoming.net

After addressing the war in the North the episode turned its attention to King’s Landing, (after a transitional Theon (Alfie Allen) scene), where Euron (Pilou Asbaek) was greeted like a hero after bravely capturing Ellaria (Indira Virma), Tyene (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers), and Yara (Gemma Whelan). Euron came across as a little too sure of himself here, feeling more like a caricature than a character, particularly when asking Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) if Cersei (Lena Headey) liked a ‘finger up the bum’. I’m all for crazy characters on “Thrones” because experience tells us that they work on the show, but Euron going full Russell Brand really didn’t work for me.

The sequence itself was decent overall, with Lena Headey pulling off multiple emotions with just a glance at Ellaria, but I could’ve done with a bit of restraint regarding the characterisation of Euron.

via slashfilm.com

Next came my favourite scene of the episode, in which Cersei flaunted the power that she now has over Ellaria and attempted to crush her spirit before most likely destroying her body. This scene had moments where it was obvious that the writers were recapping important information for the audience but it also had awesome acting and clever misdirection. Lena Headey did a fantastic job of coming across as almost justified in her actions whilst simultaneously seeming completely out of her mind, and the presence of The Mountain (Hafpór Júlíus Björnsson) meant that Cersei’s plan for Tyene was surprisingly well hidden.

I should also mention that Indira Varma was really good in this scene which is both a positive and a negative. On the positive side of things it’s always nice to see actors giving strong performances, especially when they haven’t been showcased on a show up until the point where they give said performance, but looking at things from a negative perspective this only further highlights how poorly the showrunners have handled the Dorne storyline.

Personally, I think that the Dorne storyline started a little too far down the line for the audience to take it seriously, because by the time the Sand Snakes were introduced we really didn’t care about Oberyn’s (Pedro Pascal) death anymore. This might sound silly because barely any time passed from the point when Oberyn died to the point when the Sand Snakes first appeared on the show, but in my opinion we would’ve cared about them much more if they’d been introduced prior to Oberyn’s death – that way we could’ve at least seen them have a relationship with him.

In any case, the Cersei/Ellaria dynamic in this episode made for good television and I think that it will make the Dorne storyline more palatable on a re-watch of the series further down the line.

via metro.co.uk

Sadly, I didn’t enjoy the next scene with Cersei quite as much, mainly because it didn’t feel completely necessary. Cersei went from psychologically torturing Ellaria to initiating sex with Jaime, which is fine, but feels a little below “Thrones” to me. By this point the audience is fully aware that Cersei uses Jaime and probably doesn’t love him, even if she tells herself that this isn’t true. Whether or not Jaime thought that this act was real and meant something really isn’t that relevant at this point because he knows what Cersei is like and sex is just sex between them – it doesn’t feel like it matters anymore. Cersei allowing one of her servants to see Jaime in her bed the next morning was funny and showed that she’s past the point of no return, but in the grand scheme of things this was a scene which didn’t need to happen and stunted the pace of the episode.

We then watched on as Cersei explained to a representative from the Iron Bank of Braavos that ‘the Lannisters always pay their debts’, and that they would be better off funding her attempts to maintain power than Daenerys’ efforts to take it. This was another scene which was perfectly serviceable in isolation – it was one of those scenes where you find your hands drifting towards your phone to check for any notifications you might’ve missed since the episode began, but it wasn’t bad. However, after watching the episode in its entirety the scene became much more significant and on my second watch I liked it a lot more. It’s definitely a good scene and was well written; it’s just hard to care when you don’t know what’s coming next.

When Cersei was done being Cersei the episode turned its attention back to Dragonstone where Tyrion and Jon had a conversation about how to convince people, (like Daenerys), that the White Walkers are real. This was okay and some of the dialogue was good, but at times I find it hard to watch Kit Harington act. He’s not awful but he can be quite bland when his material isn’t brilliant, particularly because the character he’s portraying is quite one-dimensional. I don’t know if it’s Harington’s fault or if Jon Snow has become a stale character since he was brought back from the dead, but either way I’m not enjoying the show as much as I used to when he’s on screen.

The Daenerys/Tyrion interaction which followed was much less jarring, partly because their relationship is now well-established and partly because they’re two of the best talkers on the show, and it was nice that Dany didn’t take Olenna’s (Diana Rigg) advice from the previous episode to heart. Tyrion convinced Dany to extend a show of trust to Jon in the form of the dragonglass that he needed to fight the White Walkers, rightly pointing out that Dany doesn’t have any use for the dragonglass herself anyway so it makes more sense to use it to her advantage, (by offering it as a show of good faith), rather than to horde it away out of spite.

via winteriscoming.net

This facilitated a conversation between Dany and Jon where this decision was revealed, set in front of the beautiful backdrop that is Dragonstone. This was a gorgeous scene which brought two of the show’s heroes together, and the subtle mentioning of Rhaegar (who is Jon’s real father) by Daenerys was smart on the part of the writers. I enjoyed this scene because the parallels between the characters made their interaction seem natural, and although Jon ended up getting what he asked for it didn’t make Dany look weak in my opinion; rather, it made her seem like she was willing to compromise when required.

A sequence I didn’t enjoy nearly as much involved Sansa (Sophie Turner) and her long-lost brother, Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright). The sequence started with Sansa wandering around Winterfell whilst trying to seem like she was in charge. I didn’t have a problem with this per se because it made sense to show the everyday workings of Winterfell without the input of Jon Snow, but I have to say that it annoys me that Sansa allows Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) to follow her around when he clearly isn’t on her side.

via ign.com

Littlefinger gave Sansa a small but clever speech about fighting every battle in her mind at once so that she can never be caught off guard, which was acceptable and fits his character, but you have to question this kind of rationale from a man who right now seems to have one plan and one plan only… to sleep with Sansa. Don’t get me wrong, Littlefinger wants this for a multitude of connected reasons, but he’s still a man trying to escape the friendzone rather than a political genius – at least for the time being.

This speech led to Bran’s return to Winterfell, something which ironically Sansa had not planned for, and once again we were treated to some of the most tiresome acting on television today. I don’t personally feel the need to justify my hatred of Bran as a character or Hempstead-Wright’s increasingly clichéd approach to playing him, but given that one commenter last week decided to stick up for the “Thrones” equivalent of a “Bad Robots” Reception Bot I think it’s best that I explain in detail.

Bran in this episode is supposed to come off as passive. He isn’t written to be emotive or invested in the interpersonal relationships that he built before the series began because he’s processing all the information there ever was in his brain at once – I know this. However, Hempstead-Wright’s problem isn’t a lack of emotion or even a lack of understanding of the character that he’s playing, it’s a lack of understanding of how to play it convincingly. He plays his role as though he’s watched someone else play it earlier in the day and thought; ‘I’ll do that’. Bran doesn’t feel like a real character, he’s just there and you can’t help but wish he wasn’t. Hempstead-Wright doesn’t feel like a star in any shape or form and he brings the quality of an episode down simply by appearing in it. If you don’t like that opinion then please explain to me what he does that 100,000 aspiring actors can’t do when they leave college/university; other than get the role, turn up on set, and follow simple direction. I mean, come on, he doesn’t even sound Northern.

The sad thing is that the scene in which Sansa and Bran talked beneath the weirwood tree wasn’t a bad one on paper. Bran’s indifference could’ve been creepy and his bringing up Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) was interesting in its own way, but it came across as forced and silly because of the acting. At this point I’m so done with Bran that his affiliation to a storyline makes that storyline feel unimportant regardless of its ramifications to the overarching plot, and frankly I’m dreading his next appearance on the show.

via metro.co.uk

Moving swiftly on… Jorah (Iain Glen) and Sam (John Bradley) picked up where they left off at the Citadel, with the main difference being that Jorah is now officially cured of greyscale. This scene was good for what it was and all the actors did what they needed to do, with Jorah’s line about the cure coming from ‘rest’ genuinely making me chuckle. The only issue for me here is that Jorah has been cured too quickly, and although it’s clear that the procedure would hurt it doesn’t make sense that no one has done it before. If you can cut off the infected area and treat the wound then surely that’s worth the pain if it means that you can live out the rest of your days in peace, so why hasn’t anyone tried it in the past?

Where Jorah goes from here (narratively speaking) is anyone’s guess, but personally I’m worried that now that he’s healthy he’ll revert back to the character we saw early on in the series. It seems like he’s gone back to square one at this point which is a shame because he’s actually grown on me quite a bit over time, but right now I suppose that the right thing to do would be to hope for the best whilst preparing for the worst.

From here we slowly worked towards the episode’s climax, as Tyrion explained how The Unsullied would enter Casterly Rock without taking unnecessary damage whilst the audience watched the scenario(s) unfold. I enjoyed these sequences although they were quite short, and the reveal that Jamie had taken a page from Robb Stark’s (Richard Madden) playbook by accepting defeat in order to win a greater prize was very satisfying. Satisfying might seem like a strange choice of word, but at this point the battle for the Iron Throne feels secondary to the fight for survival in the North, so seeing the bad guys win is still rewarding when done well.

via winteriscoming.net

The twist in the tale was that Jaime had given up Casterly Rock in order to take Highgarden from the Tyrells, which in turn solved the issue presented by the Iron Bank earlier in the episode as the Tyrells have vast amounts of gold. By defeating the Tyrells, Jaime was able to take their gold and use it to repay the Iron Bank whilst also destroying a powerful enemy, effectively killing two birds with one stone.

This would’ve been exciting enough on its own, but to top the episode off we were then treated to a dying monologue by Olenna after she drank poison that Jaime gave her as a mercy. This was a noble gesture from Jaime, so it was a shock that Olenna repaid his kindness by telling him that she killed his son.

Of course, in reality there was a lot more to the scene than that, as Olenna revealed this information to Jaime in order to hurt Cersei rather than to seem ungrateful. Olenna went out in disgrace but she had the final word, which was fitting for her character, and she achieved what she wanted to achieve by pushing Jaime closer to the conclusion that Cersei really is a monster.

Jamie now knows that Tyrion didn’t kill Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and that in fact Cersei caused Tywin’s (Charles Dance) death, something which he’s likely blamed himself for ever since given that he set Tyrion free. Because of Cersei’s vindictive nature Jaime lost not only his father but also his brother, and if Daenerys takes the Iron Throne he will know that it was Cersei who destroyed House Lannister. Whether or not this realistation alone is enough to turn Jaime against his sister is debatable, but with Euron causing trouble as well it’s easy to see Jaime finally getting the redemption he deserves and ridding himself of Cersei once and for all.

So, overall I enjoyed this episode but it wasn’t amazing. I appreciated that it gave significant moments the time to breathe, and I’m glad we spent more time with Dany and Cersei because they’re the most interesting characters on the show right now, but certain scenes fell flat. Thankfully the episode ended strongly once again and the season is now well poised to get better as it goes on, so my outlook remains positive and I’m looking forward to next week’s episode.

7.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Seven, Episode 2 – “Stormborn”

Tags

Aegon the Conqueror, Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Anton Lesser, Arya Stark, Balerion the Black Dread, Ben Hawkey, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Conleth Hill, Daenerys Targaryen, Diana Rigg, Dragonstone, Ellaria Sand, Emilia Clarke, Essie Davis, Euron Greyjoy, Game of Thrones, Gemma Whelan, Grey Worm, HBO, Hot Pie, Iain Glen, Indira Varma, Iwan Rheon, Jack Gleeson, Jacob Anderson, Jaime Lannister, James Cosmo, Jim Broadbent, Joer Mormont, Joffrey Baratheon, John Bradley, Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lady Crane, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Melisandre, Missandei, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ned Stark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Nymeria, Oberyn Martell, Olenna Tyrell, Pedro Pascal, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Qyburn, Raleigh Ritchie, Ramsay Bolton, Samwell Tarly, Sansa Stark, Sean Bean, Sky Atlantic, Sophie Turner, Stormborn, Television, The Sand Snakes, Theon Greyjoy, TV, TV Review, Tyrion Lannister, Varys, Winterfell, Yara Greyjoy

via alluremedia.com.au

“Stormborn” picked up where the season premiere left off; at Dragonstone. The weather had taken a turn for the worse as a storm raged all around, which was fitting given the title of the episode. Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) immediately brought up the fact that Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) was born at Dragonstone on a night like this, and from here we segued into a discussion about whether or not Varys (Conleth Hill) could be trusted given his past discretions.

Varys’ speech about how he serves the realm above all else harkened back to the kind of conversations he would have with Ned (Sean Bean) in season one. I liked the fact that the writers let Varys come across as honest and noble here despite the fact that he’s done horrible things, because at the end of the day that’s exactly what “Game of Thrones” is about. The characters are supposed to be morally grey and the more entertaining ones are able to talk themselves out of difficult spots, so this scene really worked for me. These kinds of interactions are what make the show great and the fact that they’re coming thick and fast excites me.

via vanityfair.com

However, the next scene didn’t work quite as well. In this scene Melisandre (Carice van Houten) arrived at Dragonstone with an offer of loyalty to Daenerys. She said that Dany was the prince who was promised and this led to a conversation about her past which included some incredibly transparent exposition. Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) explained that the translation of ‘the prince who was promised’ was flawed because this person could be either male or female, thus adding weight to what Melisandre was saying and boosting Dany’s ego.

This scene was similar to the first one except not as good, and in my view it was the low point of the episode. Nevertheless, I’m happy that Melisandre is back because I think Carice van Houten is awesome and for me the character is one of the most intriguing people left on the show; it’s just a shame that in this episode she was used as a plot device. She was there simply to facilitate a storyline in which Jon Snow (Kit Harington) would come to Dragonstone and ask for dragonglass – which is fine – but forced dialogue and unnatural behaviour made it feel ridiculously cheap.

via watchersonthewall.com

I found it very disappointing that on a show as smart as “Thrones” we had characters vouching for people that they hadn’t seen for years, because although it’s true that Tyrion and Jon Snow grew to like one another in season one I doubt that one would champion the other without a hint of caution.

This kind of disregard for pragmatism happened twice in “Stormborn” as Sansa (Sophie Turner) surprisingly spoke highly of Tyrion when in conversation with Jon. Again she’s right in what she’s saying, and having been with both Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) she probably would think fondly of Tyrion, but this kind of support coming from such a hardened character didn’t feel real. It felt like another scene designed to move the plot forward rather than enhance the characters involved in it, thus coming across as contrived and manipulative.

via slashgear.com

Thankfully the next scene was much more entertaining as Cersei (Lena Headey) tried to use Dany’s arrival in Westeros to her own advantage. The fun thing about this scene was that although Cersei was exaggerating the truth she wasn’t entirely wrong; the things that she was saying made sense because although Dany has a right to the Iron Throne she aims to conquer rather than liberate. She would’ve wanted to be queen regardless of whether or not Cersei was a monster, so it’s fair to question whether or not her mission is righteous at all.

A later scene involving Cersei in this episode was also pretty good as Qyburn (Anton Lesser) took her to see the skull of Balerion the Black Dread, the dragon ridden by Aegon the Conqueror during the War of Conquest. Ever since the series began people have wondered how anyone could fight back against a fully-grown dragon, so the fact that the show is addressing this head on gives me hope that what transpires won’t feel like a foregone conclusion. Moreover, the fact that the writers have bothered to introduce an equaliser, (in the form of a ballista), leads me to think that at least one of the dragons could be killed during Daenerys’ siege on King’s Landing.

via vanityfair.com

I’m also happy to say that Sam’s (John Bradley) scenes in this episode were far better than his scenes in the premiere. He still felt like a plot device but at least this week he achieved something tangible!

After formally meeting Jorah (Iain Glen) and discovering that he was a Mormont Sam felt a sense of duty towards him, (given that Joer Mormont (James Cosmo) was Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch during Sam’s time at The Wall), deciding to try to cure him of his greyscale against the advice of Archmaester Ebrose (Jim Broadbent). This was a brilliant scene because it showed that when you want to live on a show like “Game of Thrones” you really have to suffer. Jorah wasn’t getting a free pass here – he didn’t get to drink a potion or have his disease healed by magic – he had his affliction scraped off piece by piece with puss pouring from his wounds. It was a gritty moment which did a lot for both characters, making them seem stronger than they did before the episode started.

via watchersonthewall.com

Back in Dragonstone Daenerys and Tyrion explained their strategy for taking King’s Landing in detail, with an emphasis on causing as little collateral damage as possible. Personally, I was pleased that the narrative took this route because although it was obvious that it wouldn’t work out, (given the fact that this was only the second episode of the penultimate season), it made sense when considering how Daenerys’ character has been built in the past. She’s someone who will get her hands dirty when the time is right, but for the most part she wants to help the helpless and promotes freedom. Killing civilians isn’t her style and the fact that this was taken into account made her feel like a hero rather than just another character.

This was another scene which offered a lot of fan service as characters like Daenerys and Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) interacted for the first time and we even got to see Tyrion and Ellaria (Indira Varma) discuss Oberyn’s (Pedro Pascal) death. Seeing these characters come together as allies is genuinely satisfying after such a long time, and even though this scene wasn’t perfect it was hard not to feel excited for the future of the series when watching it.

Still, I didn’t appreciate Olenna’s attempt to turn Dany against Tyrion. This storyline could’ve been interesting at one point in time, perhaps when Dany and Tyrion first met, but right now it doesn’t feel believable. A degree of trust has been built between the two at this point and frankly I have no interest whatsoever in seeing them disagree. We don’t have enough time for this kind of side plot so late in the game and it doesn’t feel necessary when Jon and Sansa have already teased the fact that their relationship may become fractured by the end of the season. Perhaps the point of Olenna’s advice was to make Jon’s visit to Dragonstone less simple given that it will be Tyrion who tries to support him while he’s there, but for me this scene felt superfluous and wasted valuable time.

via photoyvolution.com

Next there was a scene which I’m still unsure about; the Missandei/Grey Worm (Raleigh Ritchie) sex scene. To me this relationship has always felt like filler on a show which is hurtling towards a bloody conclusion, so although it was executed well I can’t say that I enjoyed it. The problem for me is that this moment only serves a purpose if the relationship ends in tragedy, so the fact that it was included makes me think that either Missandei or Grey Worm will die at some point during this season.

Prior to this scene it was clear that the pair had feelings for one another so we didn’t need to see them have sex on screen, and if anything the fact that they weren’t having sex made their relationship more special. In my opinion, seeing them have sex didn’t enhance their relationship or their characters individually, and the inclusion of this scene felt like yet more fan service in an episode which was already full of it.

via watchersonthewall.com

After the Jorah scene which I already mentioned the episode turned its attention to Arya (Maisie Williams) in the North. Again this was a scene which I didn’t really care for but for different reasons. In this episode Arya had two reunions; one with Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey) and one with Nymeria. During the first of these reunions Arya sat and ate with Hot Pie whilst he apologised for thinking that she was a boy when he first met her. This was okay because it reminded the audience that Arya has changed monumentally since the series began; something which was worth mentioning given that she’s currently on her way home.

My issue with this scene was that, similarly to the Melisandre scene, it was included for expository purposes. Hot Pie told Arya that the Boltons no longer had Winterfell and that it was under the control of Jon Snow, thus leading Arya to change course and make her way back to her family’s ancestral home. This was a necessary piece of information for Arya to discover and I understand why the writers chose to hide it in this scene, but surely they could’ve found a more discreet way of putting the information across? It was a scene which should’ve been sweet and heart-warming but instead it felt forced. I know that Arya isn’t the girl that she was when the pair were friends so it makes sense that she should be a little cold, but having her treat Hot Pie like a stranger whilst he spat out exposition really wasn’t the way to make this scene work.

via collider.com

It feels like the writers are trying to re-humanise Arya after crippling her character over the last couple of seasons, but the problem is that she wasn’t actually de-humanised! Arya’s arc has made the audience believe that she’s a killer but it hasn’t made us believe that she’d treat good people badly. Her interactions with characters like Lady Crane (Essie Davis) last season and even the soldiers in the previous episode made her seem like a friendly, warm, gentle person, so it doesn’t feel earned when she treats people like Hot Pie with such a palpable level of indifference.

Her scene with Nymeria was much better, although the fact that the direwolf was shown on the teaser for the episode somewhat ruined the reveal. This scene was more emotional than I anticipated and again it served to show how much Arya has changed since the series began. Nymeria acted as a physical representation of Arya’s childhood leaving her behind, and although the audience has watched this happen over a prolonged period of time it was still powerful to see the character realise it for herself. Maisie Williams’ acting was perfect as she portrayed what Arya was feeling through her facial expressions without needing to cry or over-emote, and it was refreshing to see a scene play out which didn’t feel like it had to happen for the plot to progress.

via vox-cdn.com

Elsewhere in the North, Jon decided that he would indeed travel to Dragonstone for an audience with Daenerys. Again it was interesting to see how the people of Westeros felt about Daenerys and her inevitable attack on King’s Landing, with many of them sharing Cersei’s view on the situation. This was a scene which had to happen and it was obvious that Jon would leave Sansa in charge during his absence, but I was surprised that Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) was so forthright in voicing his intentions to Jon. The fact that he was arrogant enough to enter the crypts of Winterfell and tell Jon that he was in love with Sansa was baffling but also very entertaining, and it’s about time that Littlefinger showed his true colours again. Part of me wanted Jon to strangle him to death right then and there, but it’s probably better that he be allowed to linger in Winterfell with Sansa for the foreseeable future.

The fact that Jon is going to be gone for a couple of episodes leaves Sansa vulnerable, and I’m looking forward to seeing Littlefinger try to isolate her from her allies as much as possible. However, all signs point towards a Stark reunion at Winterfell in which the lone wolf will die whilst the pack survives.

via watchersonthewall.com

Finally, “Stormborn” ended with a brilliant sequence which undoubtedly elevated the rest of the episode. After last week it was clear that Euron (Pilou Asbæk) was going to disrupt Daenerys’ plans somehow, especially given that those plans relied heavily on travel by sea, but I didn’t expect him to be quite as aggressive as he ended up being. I think we all knew that he was going to make a nuisance of himself and perhaps kidnap one of Daenerys’ allies, but I personally didn’t expect him to deliver as much damage as he did.

Euron brutally murdered two of the Sand Snakes, captured Ellaria and Yara (Gemma Whelan), mentally scarred Theon (Alfie Allen), and set Daenerys’ fleet ablaze. The show is positioning him as a real threat this season and I appreciate that because we need someone to hate now that Ramsay is dead. Cersei could be that person but she’s a schemer and she doesn’t get her hands dirty as often as characters like Ramsay did, so it makes sense that someone crazy like Euron should take centre stage.

via timedotcom.files.wordpress.com

This sequence was intense, brutal, and beautifully shot; it made an impression and left me wanting more, so although there were parts of the episode that I didn’t enjoy my overall feeling towards it was positive when the credits rolled. The fact that Theon basically reverted back into Reek made the scene all the more impactful and generated intrigue as to what will happen next with the character, and I’m also fascinated as to how Daenerys will react when she finds out what happened.

On the whole I did have a good time watching this episode and this final sequence enhanced my opinion of it greatly. There were parts of it that I didn’t like and for me there was too much exposition, but the best scenes of the episode were also the longest and the most memorable. There’s too much going on at the moment on the show and this makes it feel disjointed, but I’m excited to see where the story goes from here and I expect the standard to steadily improve each week.

7.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Seven Premiere – “Dragonstone”

Tags

A Song of Ice and Fire, Aidan Gillen, Arya Stark, Beric Dondarrion, Bran Stark, Cersei Lannister, Charles Dance, D. B. Weiss, Daenerys Targaryen, David Benioff, David Bradley, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dragonbinder, Dragonstone, Eastwatch, Ed Sheeran, Ellaria Sand, Ellie Kendrick, Emilia Clarke, Euron Greyjoy, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Seven, Gendry, GoT, House Frey, House Karstark, House Umber, Iain Glen, Ian Whyte, Indira Varma, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jaime Lannister, Jim Broadbent, Joe Dempsie, John Bradley, Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Meera Reed, Myrcella Baratheon, Nell Tiger Free, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Old Town, Paul Kaye, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Ramsay Bolton, Richard Dormer, Rory McCann, Samwell Tarly, Sandor Clegane, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Television, Television Review, The Battle of the Bastards, The Citadel, The Faceless Men, The Gravedigger Theory, The Hound, The Red Wedding, The Wall, The War for the Dawn, The White Walkers, The Wildlings, Thoros of Myr, Tommen Baratheon, TV, TV Review, Tyrion Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Walder Frey, Westeros, Winterfell, Wun Wun

via vox.com

“Game of Thrones” has entered its penultimate season and time is running out for showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss to resolve the remaining story arcs. As such, “Dragonstone” was an episode which focused primarily on putting the pieces in place for the rest of the season and eliminating distractions.

This was most clear in the opening scene, in which Arya (Maisie Williams) poisoned the male members of House Frey as revenge for the Red Wedding. Benioff and Weiss wasted no time in eliminating these characters, starting the season with a cold open and telling the audience that only the main players in the story matter from this point onwards. This is an understandable approach and from a plot perspective it was fitting that Arya was the one to kill the Freys, given that she narrowly missed out on reuniting with her family because of them in season three.

However, whilst the scene made sense in the context of the narrative I didn’t appreciate its execution. I accept that Arya is able to swap faces with people that she has killed, (even though we were never explicitly told how this is possible), but it doesn’t make sense that by swapping faces with another person Arya also takes their voice, their physical dimensions (weight, height, etc.), and their other body parts.

When Arya removed Walder Frey’s (David Bradley) face and revealed her own she did so using his hand – this was clearly shown to the audience and for the life of me I can’t understand why. If you’re going to do something like this then at least make the rules consistent so that I understand what’s happening; don’t expect me to buy in simply because I know I’m watching a television show. The voice and height issues are annoying but I can ignore them because there probably isn’t a better way to film these kinds of scenes, but as a director you don’t have to show me another actor’s hands when they’re supposed to belong to Maisie Williams! Just don’t show the hands!

via wetpaint.com

I know this seems like a small issue but it took me straight out of the experience and immediately destroyed the excitement I was feeling about the show’s return. I get that most viewers will enjoy the story payoff and that’s completely fine, but personally I can’t separate the content of a television show from the fact that somebody made a decision to include that content when filming and editing, and these considerations are always on my mind while I’m watching.

I will say that the wider issue of how the Faceless Men take people’s faces is one that the series created for itself long before this episode, so at this point they’re stuck, but I think this scene could’ve been done better and it shouldn’t have opened season seven because all it did was remind me about how badly Arya’s arc was handled in season six.

Following this scene we saw the White Walkers for the first time this year, bringing winter quite literally with them. This was a visually brilliant scene and it helped to bring home the fact that they are the real threat as we come towards the series’ end. The only issue I had here was that it wasn’t clear if the giant that the camera focused on was supposed to be Wun Wun (Ian Whyte).

The giant had an eye missing which would make sense because Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) took Wun Wun’s eye out with an arrow in season six, and the fact that the scene was one of Bran’s (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) visions means that it could have taken place in a future where the Walkers have gone past The Wall and taken Winterfell (presuming that for some reason Wun Wun’s body hasn’t been burned). However, if the giant was supposed to be Wun Wun then a stupid error was made, because the eye that the giant was missing was the opposite one to the one that Ramsay shot out with his arrow. It’s a small issue because as I said there’s no confirmation that the giant is Wun Wun, but it did look an awful lot like him and it seems coincidental that the giant that was shown was missing one of its eyes.

Bran then woke from his vision to find that Meera (Ellie Kendrick) had dragged him all the way to The Wall. There’s not a lot to say about this scene other than the fact that Hempstead-Wright’s acting is still woefully bad and the character remains as annoying as ever.

via amazonaws.com

We then cut from The Wall to Winterfell where Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Sansa (Sophie Turner) disagreed on what should be done with the ancestral homes of the houses that sided with Ramsay in the Battle of the Bastards. Jon didn’t want to punish the children for the crimes of their fathers so he had the new lords of houses Umber and Karstark make oaths of loyalty to him rather than giving the castles to houses that were already loyal to him. I enjoyed this scene because both sides of the argument made sense and they reflected the experiences of the characters making them. Sansa has been influenced by pragmatic thinkers like Cersei (Lena Headey) and Tywin (Charles Dance) so it makes sense that she should have a ruthless edge about her when it comes to politics, whereas Jon has been trained in battle and knows that he must try to keep as many allies as possible in order to win the war to come.

It was a decent scene and I like that Jon and Sansa are challenging one another because they both have a lot to learn, I just think that the tension the showrunners want us to feel isn’t really there as of yet. If we’re supposed to believe that Sansa would side with Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) over Jon simply because Jon doesn’t respect her opinion then I’m sorry but that’s not going to happen. Sansa’s arc could definitely lead her to villainy by the time the series ends but I think it’s much more likely that she would side with someone she loves rather than the man who killed her aunt and abandoned her with a rapist. I know this is “Game of Thrones” but Sansa siding with Littlefinger doesn’t seem like a twist that would feel earned and therefore it shouldn’t happen.

I also think there’s a bigger issue that this scene presents which is that Littlefinger as a character is completely lost right now. In the past he’s been one of the best schemers on the show and he effectively started the conflict that set the series into motion, so it’s a shame to see him pining over Sansa. There’s still plenty of time for him to come into his own again, but with the War for the Dawn on its way he feels like a character that has run his course on the show at this point.

via vox.com

In the South, Cersei explained that without the Freys the Lannisters are devoid of allies and in fact have enemies in every direction. There was a lot of exposition in this scene and it was mainly an exercise in reminding the audience about supporting characters and their intentions, but I did appreciate it for what it was. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei talked for the first time since Tommen’s (Dean-Charles Chapman) suicide and it was good to see them address the fact that all of their children are now dead.

Then came one of my favourite scenes of the episode in which Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) made his claim for Cersei’s hand in marriage. This scene worked for many reasons, the main one being that the character seems to have been given a reset. I wasn’t one of the people who disliked the character in season six, but I was aware that many book readers thought that he was handled poorly and should’ve felt more important on the show. This scene went some way to acknowledging this as Euron came across as a much more charismatic and playful antagonist, delivering the best lines of dialogue in the episode.

This scene also served a purpose from a narrative perspective as Euron promised to deliver a gift to Cersei in order to prove his usefulness. This gift could be any number of things, but the main theories flying around on the internet right now are that Euron will bring either Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma), Gendry (Joe Dempsie), or Dragonbinder to Cersei.

When I watched this scene I thought it was supposed to be obvious that Euron was talking about Tyrion because the episode entitled “The Gift” in season six referred specifically to everyone’s favourite Lannister. This would make sense because in the teaser for episode two there are fight scenes which seem to be taking place at sea, presumably between the Greyjoy fleet and Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) fleet. Still, with that said Ellaria also appears in the teaser with Daenerys and was responsible for the death of Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) so she would be an equally pleasant gift for Cersei. I think either of these options would be interesting, but personally I hope that the gift isn’t Dragonbinder as I don’t think the show needs to introduce any more objects or characters into the story at this point.

via bigthink.com

Speaking of introducing unnecessary characters, we then cut to Sam (John Bradley-West) in Old Town. These scenes felt very alien on a show like “Game of Thrones” but I will admit that they were fun in their own way, even if they did go on for far too long (a bit like this review). It’s good to see some world-building on the show even though we don’t really have time for it, and Jim Broadbent is a great addition to an already stellar British cast.

Nevertheless, at this point Sam is more of a plot device than he is a character and having him act as comic relief doesn’t hide that fact. He’s on the show to read books and find out information rather than having other characters discover things naturally, cheapening reveals which should feel important. The fact that he’s sending Jon a raven telling him about Dragonstone is cool because it means that we’re going to see Jon and Dany interact, but it still feels incredibly forced.

When these scenes were finally over the focus was once again on Arya. I’m very conflicted about this scene because I think it might have been my favourite of the episode but I also think that Ed Sheeran’s appearance considerably devalued it. The thing I liked about this scene was that it felt like it was there to develop Arya as a character and to build on the opening scene, allowing us as audience members to question whether or not Arya was right to do what she did to the Freys. Arya was allowed to let her guard down and enjoy herself because the Lannister soldiers welcomed her and were genuinely friendly, which is rare on “Thrones”, but this also played into the fact that many of the people that she killed earlier might have acted in the same way in a similar situation. It reminded us that soldiers fight wars that they didn’t start and that many of them just want to live normal lives, even the ones who kill good people. In this sense I thought it was a clever scene and it was fun to watch because it wasn’t clear what was going to happen.

via timedotcom.files.wordpress.com

On the other hand, Ed Sheeran’s appearance in the scene made me question whether or not it was written for Arya at all. The fact that the scene started with him singing and proceeded to do a close up on his face made me feel very uneasy, and I think it was a very badly executed cameo. He was an unnecessary distraction in an otherwise awesome scene and I don’t understand why he had to be there. The fan base and the audience are already established so the showrunners didn’t need to go out of their way to tarnish their credibility. If Sheeran wanted to appear that’s fine – he’s a big name and a cameo doesn’t hurt – but he shouldn’t have been centre stage in the way that he was. Again, I want to make it clear that I liked the scene, but Sheeran definitely made it worse.

After the break we saw the team-up of The Hound (Rory McCann), Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer), and Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye) make their way north. This was one of the better sequences of the episode and it was smart of the writers to show how far The Hound has come by having him revisit an event from his past. A lot of character development happened in this scene as Sandor overcame his fear of fire, looking into the flames and having a vision of a battle involving the White Walkers which was seemingly taking place at Eastwatch (where the Wildlings are headed). He also showed remorse for leaving the man and his daughter to die in season four and by burying them paid homage to the Gravedigger character in the books. This was a well written scene and although the character went from A to B pretty quickly I think this is something we’ll have to accept from the show going forward.

via bustle.com

Finally, the episode culminated by turning its attention to Daenerys, first by having Jorah (Iain Glen) ask about her at the Citadel and then by showing her arrival on the shores of Dragonstone. This final sequence was excellent, with the decision to omit any dialogue until the final seconds enhancing it as a whole and giving the moment a distinctly epic fantasy feel. It’s a big moment in “Game of Thrones” because we’ve been waiting for Daenerys to arrive in Westeros since the very first episode, and it was one which was worth the wait in my opinion. I think this is one of Emilia Clarke’s best performances in a “Thrones” episode because she takes her time to let the character breathe; to take in the scenery and convey the significance of the scene to the audience. I can take or leave the dialogue at the end – ‘shall we begin’ is a bit on the nose for me – but I loved the sequence and it concluded the episode on a high note which is always important for a weekly television show.

So, overall I enjoyed “Dragonstone” for what it was. Season premieres are always difficult to get right, so whilst I had issues with its execution I appreciate that a lot of work was done to advance the plot and entice the audience back into the world of Westeros. It was a disjointed episode because we had a lot to get through and key characters are still geographically separated for now, but I expect that as the season progresses people will either die or come together to make for an easier viewing experience.

7/10

Game of Thrones: Season Six Finale – “The Winds of Winter”

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Arya Stark, Braavos, Bran Stark, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dorne, Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones, Gemma Whelan, George RR Martin, GoT, Gwendoline Christie, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jaime Lannister, Jaqen H'ghar, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Loras Tyrell, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Meereen, Melisandre, Michiel Huisman, Natalie Dormer, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Olenna Tyrell, Peter Dinklage, Ramsay Bolton, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Television, The High Sparrow, The Night's Watch, The Wall, The Winds of Winter, Theon Greyjoy, Tommen Baratheon, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Westeros, White Walkers, Winterfell, Yara Greyjoy

via blackfilm.com

“The Winds of Winter” was a satisfying way to end a decent season of “Game of Thrones”. The opening sequence was excellent, as a foreboding orchestral score played behind one of the most spectacular scenes of the show so far, and storylines were left in exciting places. Cersei (Lena Headey) is now Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Arya (Maisie Williams) is back to killing the people on her list, Jon (Kit Harington) is King of the North, and Bran’s (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) visions are confirming decade-old fan theories. All in all the show is in a pretty good place, but that doesn’t mean that the season finale or indeed the season as a whole was perfect.

Over the course of season six a couple of notable story threads were disregarded, probably for the sake of streamlining the plot given that next season and the season after are going to be shorter than this one. One such plot point was the identity of The Harpy, which was brought up in episode one but subsequently ignored in future episodes. I doubt that this being kept a secret would’ve bothered many fans of the series, but it was a frustrating aspect of the Meereen storyline from my perspective because the Sons of the Harpy had been such a menacing presence in season five. During a conversation between Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Varys (Conleth Hill) it was suggested that the identity of The Harpy would be revealed, and from my perspective this was exciting because it could’ve been somebody that we already knew acting as a kind of double agent. It’s a shame then that the Sons of the Harpy were largely cut out of season six, and that the identity of their leader was disregarded as Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and her forces set sail for Westeros in “The Winds of Winter”.

Another aspect of the Meereen storyline which was pushed aside this year was the involvement of Kinvara (Ania Bukstein) and the Red Priests, who largely acted as a propaganda machine. When it was announced that there was going to be a new Red Woman on the show, and that this Red Woman would be entangled in Daenerys’ storyline, I was intrigued – I thought that this new player could influence Daenerys and take her to the peak of villainy, bringing a level of depth to the character that has (in my opinion) never truly been achieved. Moreover, when Kinvara was introduced into the story in episode five I felt that the actress brought something to the table and that the dynamic she established with Varys had potential. Sadly this was ignored, and instead what we saw in Meereen was predominantly comedic filler involving Tyrion, Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson), and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel).

via nerdist.com

Now, the fact that these two plot threads were swept under the carpet this year isn’t a damning indictment of the season as a whole, after all, we could still see these ideas explored in season seven (although given the limited time we have left on the show it’s extremely unlikely). The issue is that it feels as though there was an intention at one point to explore these characters further, and it seems as though the reason that this didn’t happen was that events were streamlined. I know this is something that I’ve brought up many times, but I think it’s an important issue given that the pacing of season six has been its most noticeable problem.

One of the biggest criticisms I’ve seen levelled at this season was the way that The Siege of Riverrun was handled, and it seems to me that this was a direct result of the showrunners trying to cram far too much into a short space of time. They wanted to have characters go from A to B, do C, and then return to A in the space of a couple of episodes, when they should’ve spent a whole season just travelling from A to B! I understand that from a logistical standpoint this might’ve been necessary because Daniel Weiss and David Benioff want to wrap up the show after season eight, but it seems slightly strange to me that the show went from spending two seasons on The War of the Five Kings to spending one episode on The Kingsmoot, two on The Siege of Riverrun, two on The Siege of Meereen, three on Jon’s death and subsequent resurrection, and one on the Battle of the Bastards.

Still, these issues don’t ruin season six for me; I enjoyed it for the most part. Certain episodes fell flat, but I thought that the season finale was good and the episode which preceded it was excellent. I was much happier with the way that this year’s finale paid off storylines than I was with how last year’s handled similar problems, and I was glad that the showrunners didn’t try to end season six with another cliffhanger.

Nevertheless, I wouldn’t say that “The Winds of Winter” as an episode was perfect, in fact, it was far from it. It’s refreshing for me to watch the show with my dad because he hasn’t been particularly enamoured by the season as a whole, so when I get carried away with the good parts of an episode he’ll say something about a part that didn’t really work and I then have to actually assess what I’ve seen objectively. It’s easy to get carried away in the moment when you’re watching a show like “Game of Thrones” because it’s been on for so long and we’re all invested in the characters and their stories, but when you take a step back to think about how certain storylines have progressed you realise that parts didn’t really make sense.

via moviepilot.com

One such moment in the season finale was when Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover) was led into Qyburn’s (Anton Lesser) lair by one of Varys’ little birds. This moment was satisfying because Pycelle has been a traitorous piece of work since the series began and he definitely deserved his comeuppance. However, it didn’t make complete sense that he was led into a trap to be stabbed to death when he was probably heading for the Sept of Balor anyway. Pycelle liked to feel important and this season he has turned against Cersei, so it seems obvious to me that he would have attended her trial and if necessary given testimony against her. He wouldn’t have missed it, so chances are that he would’ve got caught up in the explosion that killed Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). So, with that in mind why did Cersei have him lured into one trap in place of another?

The easy answer to this question is that Cersei wanted him to suffer; she knew that he disliked Qyburn because of his experimentation so she wanted him to be the last person that Pycelle spoke to before his death. This is a reasonable explanation given what we know about Cersei and what she did to Septa Unella (Hannah Waddingham) in this episode, but we all know that Qyburn likes to experiment on the living, so it would make more sense to have Pycelle tortured as a guinea pig if the point was to make him suffer.

Another way to get around this issue would be to say that Qyburn had taken a disliking to Pycelle because of how the latter had ridiculed him for his gruesome practices, and in an act of revenge he had Pycelle brought to him so that he could watch him die. This could be believable because Cersei wouldn’t have to know how Pycelle died – she’d just think that he died in the explosion with the rest of her victims. However, if this was the case then you’d think that Qyburn would’ve liked to experiment on Pycelle, given what I’ve already said, and as a theory it doesn’t really fit with the fact that Qyburn said that he felt ‘no ill will’ towards Pycelle prior to his death. If he’d truly wanted revenge then you’d think that he would’ve taken the time to gloat.

This is all theoretical of course, but my point is that 1) the way that aspects of this episode were handled left something to be desired, and 2) that the material should’ve been handled with more care. Maybe the missing pieces will be filled in by George R. R. Martin when he releases “The Winds of Winter” in the future, presuming that the story will progress in the same way that it has on the show, but for now I’m left feeling slightly underwhelmed by aspects of this episode which weren’t fully believable.

via indiewire.com

Other issues I had with the episode include: 1) Margaery’s death; 2) Varys’ ability to teleport (which is again the result of streamlining as I’ve previously mentioned); and 3) having to watch Sam’s (John Bradley) escapades at The Citadel. None of these issues are particularly important in the grand scheme of things, because we all knew that Margaery would die eventually given that she was desperate to be Queen, and Sam obviously has a part to play in the wider story so he needed some screen time. However, I thought it was quite disappointing that Margaery died in such a nasty and frankly uninteresting way. She’s been such a great character and I’ve always felt that she had something to offer, but now when I watch the series back she’ll just feel like a pawn in someone else’s game.

As I’ve said, Sam had to appear in this episode given that he’ll probably make a crucial discovery in the future relating to either Jon Snow’s birth or the White Walkers, but that doesn’t make the scenes he was in any more enjoyable to watch. I have to say that personally I don’t think John Bradley is a very good actor, and tonally his scenes are so separate from what’s going on elsewhere. His scenes here felt like something out of “Monty Python”, and they didn’t feel like they belonged in the season finale, especially as they followed scenes which were on the whole quite bleak.

Still, having complained quite a lot in this review I should say that the issues I’ve brought up were on the whole understandable, and there were a number of great moments to offset the problems. Tommen’s (Dean-Charles Chapman) death scene was brilliant, both in the way it was shot and in the way it was performed, and it gave a forgettable character a truly memorable end. The reveal of Jon Snow’s parentage at The Tower of Joy was handled reasonably well, and I liked how the baby’s face gave way to Kit Harington’s so that the characters didn’t have to verbally explain what was going on. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Daenerys finally feels relevant again as she has set sail to King’s Landing. Her interaction with Tyrion in this episode was heart-warming, and it was great to see her ditch Daario (Michiel Huisman) who frankly should never have been introduced into the story in the first place. With Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) and Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) on her side following the finale, as well as Yara (Gemma Whelan) and Theon (Alfie Allen), Dany is in a very powerful and exciting position.

Overall, I felt that “The Winds of Winter” was a good episode, verging on great, but it lacked in certain areas. I know that some of my criticisms could be classed as knit-picking, but to me the little issues are the most frustrating because they’re easily avoidable. Moreover, I like to focus on the negative aspects of whatever I’m reviewing, not because I want to criticise, but because anyone can say ‘that was good’. It’s easy to express your enthusiasm for something because you can just throw adjectives at it and use positive language, but to actually assess something and try to articulate issues takes real thought. The mere fact that I watch “Game of Thrones” on a weekly basis and write roughly 2,000-3,000 words on each episode should be enough for anyone reading this to realise that I like it, so I don’t feel the need to waste time saying that in a review. With that in mind, I felt that season six as a whole was much better than season five, and despite my bugbears I did enjoy it; however, for me it pales in comparison to seasons one, two, three, and four.

“The Winds of Winter” – 8/10

Season Six – 7.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 9 – “Battle of the Bastards”

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Art Parkinson, Arya Stark, Battle of the Bastards, Breaking Bad, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Charles Dance, Daenerys Targaryen, Davos Seaworth, Emilia Clarke, Euron Greyjoy, Game of Thrones, Gemma Whelan, George RR Martin, GoT, Grey Worm, Gwendoline Christie, Ian Whyte, Iwan Rheon, Jack Gleeson, Jacob Anderson, Jaime Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon, Jon Snow, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Kristofer Hivju, Lena Headey, Liam Cunningham, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Meereen, Melisandre, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Ramsay Bolton, Rickon Stark, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Television, The Knights of the Vale, The Night's Watch, The Rains of Castamere, The Wall, Theon Greyjoy, Tormund Giantsbane, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Vince Gilligan, Winterfell, Wun Wun, Yara Greyjoy

via fanpop.com

“Battle of the Bastards” was an exceedingly accomplished episode of television. The battle itself was beautifully shot, the music was excellent, and the episode ended in triumph as Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) met his grizzly end.

The episode began in Meereen, as Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) dealt with the Masters and their siege of the city. This sequence was good and demonstrated the influence that Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) has on Dany, as he was able to quickly turn her thoughts away from fire and blood and into diplomacy. However, this diplomacy didn’t come cheap, as Daenerys had two of the Masters killed for breaking the deal that they made with Tyrion.

These scenes showed that Daenerys is a fair and just ruler, but that she will still take what is hers if her enemies decide to fight her. As a sequence it fit with the character as established in earlier seasons, but also took into account the fact that many men have tried to oppress her in the past. She’s a conqueror, a ruler, and the mother of dragons, and at this point the show has set things up in a way that makes her taking over Westeros a very realistic possibility.

The only issue I had with the first extended sequence in this episode occurred when Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) sliced the Masters’ throats, because whilst this was a cool shot it didn’t really make a lot of sense. When somebody gets their throat cut it isn’t a knock-out blow or an instant kill – you die slowly because of suffocation and blood loss. As such, having the Masters fall to the floor immediately felt cheap and silly, especially on a show which is supposed to thrive on its honest depiction of death and violence. It isn’t a massive issue, but it’s one that annoyed me at the time.

Another less eventful scene took place in Meereen in “Battle of the Bastards”, one which showcased that the writers on “Game of Thrones” have become tired of trying to depict travel in an intelligent way. I have to say that the fact that Theon (Alfie Allen) and Yara (Gemma Whelan) made it to Meereen so quickly felt ridiculous to me, especially because so much of the early character development on “Game of Thrones” took place during extended periods of travel. Think of Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) as they journeyed back to King’s Landing, and Tyrion as he made his way to The Wall – these trips spanned whole seasons and were incredibly significant in the context of the show.

Still, the scene that took place because of this laziness was engaging and well-written, as Dany, Yara, Theon, and Tyrion spoke about their rough childhoods and bad fathers (which was quite fitting given that the episode aired on Father’s Day). The acting in this scene was great as Emilia Clarke reminded us all that Daenerys can be sweet and loveable when she wants to be, and we were forced to remember the way that these characters were when the series began. Tyrion was cocky with a chip on his shoulder, Theon was a sex pest with an attitude problem, and Yara was the favourite child of a vicious ruler. They’ve all been humbled along the way, particularly Theon and Tyrion, which was very clear because of how this scene was written even though it wasn’t explicit.

via wpaperhd.com

What came out of the scene was even more interesting, as we now know that Daenerys is going to side with Yara against Euron (Pilou Asbæk). This was expected because Daenerys has had enough of arrogant men who think they can control her, but it was still nice to watch her make the right choice and do so humbly. What this means for future episodes is unclear because Euron is nowhere to be seen, but it’s pretty obvious that Daenerys will use the Iron Fleet and the remaining Masters’ ships to sail to Westeros in next week’s episode. I’m hoping that in that episode Euron will appear and get killed off – mostly because I can’t take him very seriously if he’s up against someone as powerful as Daenerys – but it seems more likely that there will be some sort of battle at sea in season seven between Euron’s forces and Dany’s forces. This would make sense because that’s where Euron is the biggest threat and can seem most powerful, and also because the writers will want to build the story in King’s Landing before Daenerys arrives. Stalling her travel with an extended battle against Euron would achieve that goal, and would also establish him as a real villain.

In the north the pieces moved quickly to facilitate the battle, as Jon (Kit Harington) and Sansa (Sophie Turner) met Ramsay to discuss the possibility of a truce. Ramsay asked Jon to hand Sansa over in return for peace, and Jon offered Ramsay the chance to settle the issue in one-on-one combat – both offers were declined. This scene acted as fuel for the fire, as the audience were reminded just how nasty Ramsay can be (given that he hasn’t been around recently) and Jon was able to get a measure of his enemy before the battle. It was a well-acted scene which was written quite well, and it ramped up the tension.

Following this scene, Jon, Davos (Liam Cunningham), Tormund (Kristofer Hivju), and Sansa sat around the war table to discuss tactics. It was decided that the best course of action would be to force Ramsay’s forces to charge first, and the men in the room seemed pretty pleased with their decision. However, Sansa wasn’t so taken and she explained to Jon that Ramsay is the one who sets the traps, and that he doesn’t fall for tricks. This was a clear sign of things to come, and I felt that from that moment it was pretty obvious what was going to happen at the start of the battle. Something had to occur to scupper Jon’s plans and force him to make the first move, and with Sansa clearly sceptical that they would ever see Rickon (Art Parkinson) alive again, his fate was all but sealed.

As such, I wasn’t particularly surprised to see the youngest of the Stark children die at the start of the battle, although I felt that the way it happened was a bit idiotic. It acted as a catalyst to get Jon invested, as if killing the man that raped his sister wasn’t motivation enough, but apart from that it didn’t really serve much of a purpose from my perspective. Of course, the point was to force Jon to charge first and thus scupper his battle plans, but surely there were better ways to do this? If Ramsay had tied Rickon up and left him in the middle of the battlefield then it would’ve probably ended in the same outcome, so why did Ramsay leave so much up to chance? Ramsay opened up the possibility of Rickon surviving the battle even though he was a trueborn male heir to Winterfell, which to me didn’t really make sense. I don’t care if he’s a world class archer – Rickon could’ve got away, especially if he’d decided to zigzag or just run backwards. If he’d done the latter from that distance then he’d have known which way to move to get out of the way because Ramsay was a long way away and arrows don’t actually move that fast through the air.

via geeknation.com

Nevertheless, I loved the battle itself. The fact that Jon survived so many close calls demonstrated that to live through such an event you have to rely more on luck than judgement, and I think that was probably the point. The grim reality of battle was there for all to see, especially when Jon almost suffocated under a sea of fleeing feet.

The scene in which the camera turned to reveal that Jon was being charged upon by thousands of men, shot in slow motion with what I think was a gentler version of the Rains of Castamere playing, was unbelievably good for television. At that moment I truly believed that Jon was going to die again – even though that outcome seemed impossible to me before the episode started – and I think that I might’ve actually got goosebumps. I really respect when writers and directors are inventive with scenes, especially in television, and this one exceeded my expectations. It was cinematic, startling, and utterly compelling.

The only problem with the battle was that the end result was never truly in doubt, and neither was the arrival of the Knights of the Vale. This isn’t a huge issue because sometimes television has to sacrifice surprise for a coherent story, but I would like “Game of Thrones” to subvert my expectations every now and again. When the series began it was shocking people left, right, and centre, so it’s slightly disappointing that nowadays the story is becoming predictable.

via winteriscoming.net

After the battle finished, Jon, Tormund, and Wun Wun (Ian Whyte) chased a clearly rattled Ramsay to the gates of Winterfell. I loved the way that Wun Wun knocked the door down and fell to his knees, but his actual death left me feeling slightly frustrated because Ramsay firing an arrow into his eye didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I know that this moment was there to tell the audience one more time that Ramsay is a nasty piece of work, but when push comes to shove you have to accept that he killed the wrong person. Jon was there to kill – the leader of the enemy’s forces – yet Ramsay killed an already dying giant. I’m not saying that killing Jon would’ve made any difference to the outcome of the battle, but someone as sadistic and twisted as Ramsay would’ve definitely killed Jon over Wun Wun even if only to hurt Sansa.

Having said that, I’m glad that Ramsay didn’t kill Jon, because we all love the character and it wouldn’t have achieved anything. Plus, Ramsay’s killing Wun Wun set up one of the most satisfying beat downs in television history, as Jon showed Ramsay that real men don’t need arrows or hounds to hurt their enemies. I thought this was a great moment, and one which showed just how much Sansa means to Jon, but I’m glad that he didn’t kill Ramsay himself because the final moment when Sansa performed her first kill was exactly what was necessary for the story.

Sansa has been making the transition from lost child to hardened leader for a long time now, and it’s about time that she did something to highlight that the change has finally happened. This was that moment, and it was significant that although she had Ramsay eaten alive by his own hounds, she didn’t stay to watch. She walked away and smiled, the sound of her dying husband’s screams in her ears, and she was a winner for the first time in her life.

via heyuguys.com

I have to say that personally I’m going to miss Ramsay – Iwan Rheon did a great job of making the character truly detestable, and he’s been a huge player in “Game of Thrones”. I know that a lot of people think that the character has become too all powerful; after all, up until now he has killed everyone in his way. However, from my perspective every good television show needs a great villain, and sometimes to make that happen you have to make the villain seem unstoppable. Ramsay wasn’t layered or complex, he was just vicious, and that’s something that always gives an audience a reason to tune in. When Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) died it left a hole, and the same happened when Tywin (Charles Dance) died, so I hope someone steps up to take the mantle.

Overall, I thought that this episode was fantastic. It wasn’t perfect, but it was about as good as an episode of television can get without the involvement of Vince Gilligan (“Breaking Bad”). I would’ve liked the logical gaps in the episode to have been polished out, but as a whole the battle was spectacular, the music was great, the choreography was wonderful, and the performances were brilliant.

9.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 8 – “No One”

Tags

Anton Lesser, Arya Stark, Beric Dondarrion, Braavos, Brother Ray, Catelyn Stark, Cersei Lannister, Cleganebowl, Clive Russell, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dorne, Dragons, Drogon, Edmure Tully, Emilia Clarke, Essie Davis, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Grey Worm, Gwendoline Christie, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, Ian McShane, Iwan Rheon, Jacob Anderson, Jaime Lannister, Jaqen H'ghar, Jerome Flynn, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lady Crane, Lady Stoneheart, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Mark Addy, Meereen, Michelle Fairley, Missandei, Nathalie Emmanuel, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, No One, Peter Dinklage, Qyburn, Ramsay Bolton, Richard Dormer, Riverrun, Robert Baratheon, Rory McCann, Sansa Stark, Sean Bean, Sophie Turner, Television, The Blackfish, The Brotherhood Without Banners, The Faceless Men, The Faith Militant, The Mountain, Tobias Menzies, Tom Wlaschiha, Tommen Baratheon, TV, Tyrion Lannister, White Walkers

via watchersonthewall.com

“No One” was a divisive episode of “Game of Thrones”. Major media outlets that regularly praise the show in spite of its faults stated that they didn’t enjoy the episode, and in particular they criticised the handling of Arya’s (Maisie Williams) storyline.

I can understand why this storyline frustrated some viewers because a part of me is disappointed that Arya’s time in Braavos didn’t really develop her as a character, but from my perspective the mistakes that were made here weren’t the result of what this episode did. Arya’s scenes in this episode were exciting and well-shot, and Maisie Williams did a great job, so it seems unfair to criticise “No One” in isolation for faults in a story which has taken two seasons to tell.

Having said that, the failings that the showrunners are guilty of as far as Arya’s storyline is concerned are very apparent. When Arya told Jaqen (Tom Wlaschiha) that she was going home it should’ve been a marquee moment for the character, but instead it felt cheap because her actions leading up to it didn’t really highlight what she had learnt from her time with the Faceless Men. Yes, she used her former blindness to her advantage, so being able to fight in the dark is another string to her bow, but it’s not like this parlour trick is going to be her signature move going forward. In the previous episode Arya had a lapse in concentration which nearly cost her her life, so it’s clear that her time in Braavos hasn’t exactly made her the perfect assassin.

via telegraph.co.uk

Much of Arya’s storyline in season five could’ve been omitted and replaced with her arc this year and not a lot would’ve changed in the grand scheme of things, and the events of this episode would’ve been just as impactful if Arya hadn’t been stabbed in episode seven. Arya could’ve gone to see Lady Crane (Essie Davis) in this episode to say goodbye because she felt a daughterly affection for her, which would’ve made just as much sense as Arya surviving after having her stomach sliced open, so the latter now feels like a cheap trick which happened simply because episode seven was uneventful on the whole.

To see a character shake off multiple stab wounds in the way that Arya did is really annoying, particularly on a show which is known for its realism and grim depiction of violence, so I have to question what the writers were going for here. Re-watch season one and you’ll see that Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) died of a similar injury to spark the series into life, so to have a child survive – and be able to outrun a merciless killer in spite of her wounds – is disappointing.

Still, these criticisms aren’t levelled entirely at this episode, so I still feel that the reception for “No One” has been unfair. If you’re going to review “Game of Thrones” episode-by-episode, (which I clearly feel is the way to go because it’s what I do), then obviously you have to balance what you’re saying by taking the series as a whole into consideration. You have to consider where the events of each episode fit into the wider narrative, because you can’t separate scenes which are influenced by five seasons of television from said seasons. However, you still have to look at what an episode does and judge it on that basis, because it’s unfair to judge the father by the sins of the son, or vice versa.

With that in mind, I don’t think that Arya’s scenes in this episode were particularly bad. Her interactions with Lady Crane were engaging and reminded us all about her past and what she has lost – i.e. a mother figure – and Maisie Williams’ acting was fantastic, as it has been throughout the series. Furthermore, whilst the mic-drop moment at the end of the episode was a little cliché, we finally got what we all wanted, the promise that Arya is going to return home. So, from a personal perspective I was more than happy with how this episode handled Arya’s story, I just think that there were a couple of speed bumps along the way because of the mistakes that previous episodes have made.

via comingsoon.net

Much the same can be said for an equally criticised set of scenes in which Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and the Lannister forces took back Riverrun, because whilst these scenes didn’t necessarily land in the way that the writers would’ve hoped for, they weren’t terrible at all. Jaime’s interaction with Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) was wonderful, and it reminded us that he has some good left in him (even if he did proceed to threaten to use a baby as ammunition for a catapult), and so was his conversation with Edmure (Tobias Menzies).

Like Rory McCann, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is an actor who really excels when he can play-off someone else, whether it be Gwendoline Christie, Sean Bean, Jerome Flynn, or Peter Dinklage, so it was no surprise that this episode marked a return to form for him and his character. We saw both sides of the man here – the Oathbreaker and the Oathkeeper – and Coster-Waldau’s acting was brilliant. George R. R. Martin has stated that the only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself, and I think that it’s clear in this episode that this perfectly describes Jaime’s character arc.

via collider.com

Since the series began Jaime has been fighting against the person that everyone else thinks he is, and in the process he’s had to decide what he thinks of himself. Is he the Kingslayer or is he an honourable man who broke his oath to save lives? Is he trying to get back to Cersei (Lena Headey) when he threatens Edmure, as he claims, or is he trying to prevent a full-scale attack and thus keep his promise to Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) not to take up arms against the Tullys? You never really know, but I think that this episode posed these questions in an interesting and intelligent way and the writers deserve credit for that.

The issues that there are with the Riverrun storyline aren’t wholly the result of how the scenes in this episode and its predecessor were executed, but rather the result of the fact that not enough time was spent to build up the conflict in the first place because of the Dorne storyline in season five. In my opinion, if the siege that took place in this episode had been prolonged, perhaps occurring over the course of a whole season, then it would’ve been a lot better and more exciting than what we saw in Dorne last year.

The only genuine issue that I had with Riverrun in this episode was the way in which the writers dealt with The Blackfish’s (Clive Russell) death, because having it happen off-screen was a strange decision. He was portrayed as an honourable man who wanted a death to suit his status, so for that notion to be the main driving force of his character and then not have the moment itself appear simply didn’t work. Plus, when a character isn’t shown to have died on “Game of Thrones” the audience is forced to believe that they’re still alive – given the fact that even characters who die on this show aren’t always dead for good – which takes all impact away from the storyline.

via bgr.com

Back in King’s Landing, Cersei took the fight to the Faith by choosing violence rather than surrender. This was a fine scene, but personally I didn’t really care what was happening because it was abundantly clear how the charade was going to end. Nobody in the world could possibly have believed that The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) would be overcome by a fool in a cloak, so it was hard to become invested in the events playing out on screen. Nevertheless, the murder that The Mountain committed was still creative and entertaining, and it served to show once again that he is a dangerous man/zombie. Still, part of me wonders why the Faith aren’t preparing a trial for him as well, given that they have that authority and aren’t too fond of murder.

After seeing the physical capabilities of The Mountain, the Faith clearly had to rethink their strategy for dealing with Cersei, because they must’ve been fully aware at that point that the safest bet for the former Queen would be to request a trial by combat with The Mountain acting as her champion. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together could’ve figured that one out, so in the next scene involving Cersei it was revealed by Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) that the practice would be banned. This was a surprising turn of events and puts ideas of Cleganebowl on the backburner for now.

However, The Mountain isn’t the only henchman that Cersei can call upon when she needs to get out of a sticky situation; she also has the deceptively nasty Qyburn (Anton Lesser), along with his little birds. Having exhausted all other options, Qyburn reveals to Cersei that he has followed up on a rumour that she told him about, and that the results are positive. This could mean any number of things, and it would be unwise to jump to too many conclusions, but it would appear that he is referring to wildfire.

We learned from Jaime in season three that The Mad King hid wildfire underneath King’s Landing as a sort of contingency plan should Robert Baratheon succeed in taking the city. His plan was to burn the entire place down and rise again as a dragon, but Cersei probably has a slightly less drastic plan in place. If I had to guess then I’d say that she’ll most likely want to burn down the Sept of Balor in order to get out of her trial, but I’m convinced that in doing so she will cause a lot of collateral damage and possibly kill Tommen. This isn’t just a theory that I’ve made up off the top of my head, it’s actually got a lot of traction online and I think that at this point it’s quite likely. Hopefully if it happens it will push Cersei and Jaime apart so that the latter can finally be the man that he deserves to be.

via screenrant.com

Finally, we have the scenes in Meereen and the scenes involving The Hound (Rory McCann), neither of which were particularly memorable from my perspective. Meereen is never very exciting, but this week it was particularly boring as Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) awkwardly tried to make jokes with Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) before the Masters returned to reclaim their property. With the situation looking dire, there was a loud banging noise, and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) returned to save the day.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like all three of these characters, but it was frustrating that Daenerys returned to Meereen at such a convenient moment. Also, despite the fact that the conversations between Tyrion and his new friends give Missandei and Grey Worm more depth, I just didn’t think that the jokes in this episode were interesting, well-delivered, or funny. I know that this isn’t a comedy and that the point of the jokes was to act as the calm before the storm, but the jokes could’ve at least been interesting in some way couldn’t they? Tyrion has a wealth of knowledge and is constantly reading, so you’d think that he’d have just the right relatable joke for the situation, and it would’ve been hilarious for Grey Worm to tell a really dark joke and think it was normal.

My point is simply that these characters are diverse and well-travelled people with stories to tell, so a moment like this should give them a distinct voice – that simply didn’t happen here, and in fact it was Missandei who came out of the scene on top because she was at least somewhat endearing.

via bgr.com

The Hound’s scenes were somewhat more exciting than those in Meereen, and actually they were a lot funnier despite the fact that they contained beheadings and hangings. We saw The Hound deal with those responsible for murdering Brother Ray (Ian McShane) and his followers, and we were treated to some time with Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) and the Brotherhood Without Banners. It’s interesting that at this point in The Hound’s story he’s met up with the Brotherhood again, because whilst he isn’t necessarily religious it’s clear that he wants to better himself and fight for a noble cause. He’s lucky to be alive, but he doesn’t really have any reason to go on, so to meet up with men who have a clear purpose could do him a lot of good. Plus, if he’s headed north to fight the white walkers then he could potentially reunite with Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Arya, which would be something special.

So, overall I liked this episode of “Game of Thrones”. It wasn’t perfect and I have to admit that the climax of Arya’s storyline in Braavos was slightly underwhelming, but in my opinion the problems that this episode encountered were directly caused by the way the story has been handled previously, not because this episode itself was bad. In my opinion, “No One” actually did an admirable job of salvaging certain ideas and making them interesting again, such as Jaime’s inner conflict and Arya’s need for a mother in her life, and there were parts of the episode that I loved, such as Jaime’s conversation with Brienne.

7.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 7 – “The Broken Man”

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Arya Stark, Braavos, Bran Stark, Brienne of Tarth, Brother Ray, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Cleganebowl, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dragons, Emilia Clarke, Essie Davis, Faye Marsay, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Gwendoline Christie, Ian McShane, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jaime Lannister, Jaqen H'ghar, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lady Crane, Lady Stoneheart, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Meereen, Melisandre, Natalie Dormer, Ned Stark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, No One, Peter Dinklage, Ramsay Bolton, Richard Madden, Riverrun, Robb Stark, Robett Glover, Rory McCann, Sansa Stark, Sean Bean, Sophie Turner, Television, The Blackfish, The Broken Man, The Faceless Men, The High Sparrow, The Hound, The House of Black and White, The Ironborn, The Many-Faced God, The Night's Watch, The Waif, The Wall, Theon Greyjoy, Tom McInnerny, Tom Wlaschiha, Tommen Baratheon, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Westeros, White Walkers, Winterfell

via comingsoon.net

“The Broken Man” was a slow episode; it began with a cold opening and ended with a sombre finale, and in between there wasn’t a lot going on. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Seasons of television require moments of restraint, and whilst I didn’t find this episode particularly exciting, it set up future conflict in a reasonably intelligent way. Fan theories were touched upon to thrill book readers, which is enough to keep them entertained despite a noticeable lack of death (until the final two scenes), and there was a lot of strategic positioning going on; whether it be Sansa (Sophie Turner) sending a letter to Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) speaking with The Blackfish (Clive Russell), or Yara (Gemma Whelan) expressing her plans to make a pact with Daenerys (Emilia Clarke).

This episode was titled “The Broken Man” for a reason; The Hound (Rory McCann), Arya’s (Maisie Williams) worst enemy turned best mate, returned in what was a pretty cool opening scene. It wasn’t particularly shocking for me, because Ian McShane (the actor playing Brother Ray – The Hound’s ‘teacher’ in this episode) gave away the fact that he was going to bring back a character previously thought to be dead on the show prior to the start of season six. This could’ve been a number of characters, with Lady Stoneheart and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) cited as possibilities at the time, but it was obvious to most of us that the only real choice for this resurrection was The Hound, given the description of the character that McShane was set to play and the Gravedigger theory.

On top of that, McShane also revealed that he would only be on the show for one episode, which tarnished my enjoyment of the final scene in “The Broken Man” because it was abundantly clear that Brother Ray was going to die and that The Hound was going to move on. This didn’t make the final scene any less interesting, particularly because it teased Lady Stoneheart in a big way by re-introducing The Brotherhood Without Banners, but I do wish that I hadn’t read any articles about the series before it started because it would’ve been nice to have gone into this episode without knowing this information.

via popmatters.com

Still, The Hound being back opens up a world of possibilities, including Cleganebowl. I think that everyone in the “Game of Thrones” fandom would like to see the two Clegane brothers face-off against one another at some point, so the fact that this is now a possibility is really exciting. Plus, the face that the reveal was done using a cold opening (i.e. a scene which occurs before the opening credits) made it all the more impactful, as it caught me off guard and made it feel as though The Hound’s return must have real significance. However, I should point out that the main reason that the episode was edited in this way was that Rory McCann’s name appeared in the opening credits!

Having said all this, The Hound wasn’t the only broken man in this episode; Jaime Lannister, Robett Glover (Tom McInnerny), and Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) also showed that they are also utterly damaged.

Jaime’s storyline is perhaps the most interesting here, as he is once again separated from Cersei (Lena Headey) and is thus able to understand the ramifications of his actions outside of King’s Landing. As a character Jaime has always shown that he can be kind as well as cruel, and any abhorrent things he may have done have always been for the sake of Cersei, including pushing Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) out of a window back in episode one. Cersei is toxic for Jaime and she stops him from fulfilling his true potential, so I welcome having him as far away from her as possible.

via idigitaltimes.com

However, I can’t say that I’m overly bothered about the Freys and The Blackfish. This isn’t to say that the characters themselves are dull or that the actors playing them are doing a bad job, it’s just that it doesn’t feel as though this storyline is ever going to go anywhere, given that the Lannister forces outnumber the Tully forces significantly and it would be silly to have Jaime orchestrating a protracted siege on a decrepit castle for the remainder of the series. He’s going to win the battle, so the real question is whether or not doing so is going to affect his character in an important way. Hopefully it will, because I think the majority of the audience would like to see Jaime return to how he was in season three, when he was finally showing some humanity on his travels with Brienne (Gwendoline Christie).

We know that Brienne and Jaime are going to meet up again in the next episode because their doing so is on the promo, and also because Brienne is headed to Riverrun, so I’m hoping that she can talk some sense into him. I’m not expecting some sort of dramatic change in the character right away, but perhaps Brienne can be the catalyst for another redemptive Jaime character arc.

via watchersonthewall.com

Elsewhere, Jon and Sansa were on a kind of recruitment drive in the North, trying to convince Stark loyalists to fight for them. Back in season one this was an easy sell for Robb Stark (Richard Madden); at the time Ned (Sean Bean) was still alive, and there was a sense of hatred towards the Lannisters permeating the North. However, following The War of the Five Kings people are less inclined to take up arms – they’ve lost their families, friends, and livelihoods, and they simply want peace. They feel a sense of betrayal at the Starks because of what happened in the North during the aforementioned war, as the ironborn attacked their castles and killed their people, so they aren’t really ready to put their faith in a bastard and a woman who has been married to two of her enemies.

Their logic is sound here, so it’s difficult to get behind the protagonists even though we know that their cause is righteous. They’re in a tough spot right now, so they need to do something to turn the tide – step in Littlefinger. It seems obvious to me that Sansa was writing her letter to Littlefinger asking for his support, and it also seems clear that she’ll get it… for now. I like to imagine that Littlefinger wants what’s best for Sansa, but it’s going to be hard for her to trust him in the future after everything he’s done, and I don’t think that he’ll be satisfied with an alliance in which he doesn’t have complete control. This leads me to think that we could well see a trademark Littlefinger betrayal before the season is over; imagine if Littlefinger was to lend his support to Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) and bolster the Bolton army instead at the last minute! He likes to fight for the team that’s got the best chance of winning after all.

via comingsoon.net

A scene which wasn’t so amazing in this episode was the one in which Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) had a conversation about the marriage bed. I have to say that from a personal perspective I’m becoming increasingly bored with this storyline and with King’s Landing in general, because as I mentioned last week, there’s nothing that the Lannisters, the Tyrells, or the Faith can do to stop Daenerys or the white walkers. Although they were a key factor in the first few seasons of this series, the Lannisters feel like a side note to a far more important story now, which means that when they appear on screen they merely take up time which could be spent on more compelling events elsewhere.

Nonetheless, I’m not naïve enough to believe that this is really the case, because the way in which the showrunners are streamlining George R. R. Martin’s narrative leads me to believe that anything they’re putting on the screen has to be important in some way or another; it’s just that this storyling doesn’t feel like it is when I’m watching it unfold, and the way it feels to watch an episode of television is very important.

I’m expecting Cersei to get her comeuppance at some point, just as I’m expecting Margaery to outthink the High Sparrow, but how either of these things will come about is much less clear. It seems like Cersei will have a trial by combat to decide her fate, but it also appears that if she does she’ll come out on top, so the trouble won’t end there. Cersei wants the High Sparrow dead and the High Sparrow wants Cersei in chains, so it’s pretty clear that both of them can’t go on living as they are right now. After Bran’s visions last week, I’m expecting Cersei to use wild fire to burn down the Great Sept of Balor (probably with the High Sparrow inside) but because we’re talking about Cersei here something will likely go array. Perhaps she’ll set the whole city on fire, making it easier for Daenerys to take it amidst the chaos, or maybe she’ll unwittingly kill Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) and thus fulfil the prophecy which she fears so much. I think the latter would be a really satisfying way to end her character arc, so that’s what I’m putting my money on.

Finally, I should probably mention what was simultaneously my favourite and least favourite scene in “The Broken Man”, Arya’s stabbing by The Waif (Faye Marsay). Arya walked the streets of Braavos with a skip in her step, booking passage back to Westeros and staring out into the distance with a dream of freedom in her mind. She looked triumphant and happy for the first time in a long time because she was finally herself again – she wasn’t ‘No One’, she was Arya Stark and she was ready to go home.

via bgr.com

Sadly, things aren’t so easy for the youngest of the Stark girls, and once again her dreams were wrecked by violence. The Waif, disguised as a very agile old woman, snuck up from behind her and stabbed her violently in the stomach, once again showing that she is a very bad Faceless Man; firstly because she didn’t finish the job, and secondly because Jaqen (Tom Wlaschiha) told her not to let Arya suffer – I don’t know if this is just my opinion, but being stabbed in the belly and allowed to bleed out in a canal isn’t a peaceful way to go.

The scene itself was great to watch because for a moment I really did believe that Arya was going to die, and it injected a feeling of urgency into the episode which was noticeably missing before that moment. However, when I took a step back and thought about the stabbing in the context of the series, I realised that Arya’s actions were wholly unbelievable. There’s a real inconsistency here with the portrayal of the character, because the Arya Stark that we know wouldn’t be so careless with her life as to walk out into the open and stand still for all to see; at least not when she knows that there is a skilled assassin out to kill her.

As such, there are two logical explanations which explain her carelessness; 1) she doesn’t think anyone is out to kill her, which seems incredibly silly given that she knows that she’s denied the Many-Faced God a life; or 2) the writers are lazy.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out which one of these options is the reality of the situation, as it’s pretty clear that the character knew what she was in for when she spared Lady Crane’s (Essie Davis) life; after all, she ran away rather than returning to the House of Black and White. Some people have gone as far as to theorise that Arya has split-personality disorder in order to bridge the logical gap between Arya’s actions and the character as established by the first five seasons, but I have to say that I think this is a massive stretch on their part. Whilst it would be interesting if this was actually the case – with The Waif symbolising the side of Arya that wants to become ‘No One’ and destroy what’s left of the girl she once was – the show just doesn’t have the time to sink its teeth into a psychological phenomenon like this before the end of the season. To do so would require a lot of exposition and a lot of explanation that the writers don’t really need to implement, especially when most people have been satisfied with how Arya’s plot has been handled thus far in season six.

It’s more likely that Arya really did have a lapse of concentration at the worst possible time, and that the writers wrote the storyline in this way to save time in a series which has become diluted with characters competing for a slither of screen time. It’s a shame, but it’s the reality of the situation.

via moviepilot.com

Where Arya goes from here is much more interesting to theorise about, because she’s definitely going to need help if she’s going to survive (although if we’re being honest with ourselves she wouldn’t survive – she has no access to proper healthcare and her gaping stomach wounds would either cause her to die of blood loss or they’d become infected, leading to septic shock). Help will most likely come in the form of Lady Crane, not just because she’s the only person that Arya knows in Braavos who doesn’t want her dead, but also because the writers have spent a lot of time this season trying to establish a rapport between the pair. I think having Lady Crane support Arya in her time of need would be incredibly cheap on the part of the writers, but frankly I wouldn’t put it past them right now given that they’re desperate to simplify proceedings at every turn.

I’ve seen screenshots which suggest that Syrio Forel (Arya’s ‘dance teacher’ in season one played by Miltos Yerolemou) could be the person who helps Arya survive her attack, but they could easily have been photo-shopped so I wouldn’t hold out much hope. I think that this would be a far better way to carry on her story and also to remind her of her past as Arya Stark, but when Maisie Williams has asked the showrunners whether or not Syrio Forel is still alive in the past they have responded with a resounding ‘no’, which probably means we won’t see him again on the series.

So, that was the episode. The Hound returned, the High Sparrow talked about the birds and the bees, Jon and Sansa recruited their army, Jaime went to Riverrun, Theon was sad in a brothel, (which I’ve intentionally ignored because it was a nothing scene), and Arya got stabbed. That might be a slightly patronising description of what was a reasonably well-written and intelligent episode of television, but that’s the meat of what happened in “The Broken Man”. It was an episode which took a long time to come to life, but the reintroduction of The Hound and the imminent conclusion to Arya’s time in Braavos were enough to provide a sense of intrigue and excitement. It wasn’t a memorable episode, and moments could’ve been executed with greater care, but on the whole “The Broken Man” was a decent hour of television.

6.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 6 – “Blood of My Blood”

Tags

Arya Stark, Benjen Stark, Blood of My Blood, Braavos, Cersei Lannister, Coldhands, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dragons, Emilia Clarke, Essie Davis, Game of Thrones, Gwendoline Christie, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Jaime Lannister, Jaqen H'ghar, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lady Crane, Lady Stoneheart, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Natalie Dormer, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Riverrun, Samwell Tarly, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Stannis Baratheon, Stephen Dillane, Television, The Black Fish, The Faceless Men, The House of Black and White, The Night's Watch, Tom Wlaschiha, Tommen Baratheon, TV, Walder Frey, Walk of Atonement

via ign.com

Personally, I felt that this episode of “Game of Thrones” did what it had to do. Bran’s (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) brief visions provided a glimpse into the past and the future, Arya (Maisie Williams) finally decided to leave the Faceless Men, and two very influential characters returned to the fold – Walder Frey (David Bradley) and Benjen Stark (Joseph Mawle) respectively. I felt that the writers handled these moments well, and although Sam’s (John Bradley) extended sequence made the episode a lot worse than it had to be, it didn’t ruin it for me.

The problem with this aforementioned scene wasn’t the quality of the acting – as has been suggested – but rather that Sam as a character doesn’t deserve this kind of attention in the first place. He’s always been one-dimensional, but previously this has been masked by his endearing friendship with Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Now Sam doesn’t have that mask, so to spend twenty consecutive minutes with him is jarring.

It was a shame that we spent so much time with Sam after one of the best Bran scenes of the series to date, because the episode started on a high and then fell flat. Bran’s visions might’ve required several watches to fully appreciate, but when you’ve paused your TV enough times to catch each one separately they become a brilliant flicker of “Game of Thrones” past, present, and future. The shadow of a dragon passing over King’s Landing, a burst of wild fire, the Mad King shouting the phrase ‘kill them all’; what more could you ask for? Then there was the return of Benjen Stark, a character who we haven’t seen since the third episode of the entire series, so “Blood of My Blood” started in a very strong way. It was a pulsating, atmospheric, speculation-building beginning to the episode, and it deserved better than to be proceeded by Sam’s journey home with his girlfriend.

Still, for my money these moments left the episode in a reasonably positive place. There was a scene involving Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), Margaery (Natalie Dormer), and The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) wedged in the middle if we’re following the script properly, but in all fairness this scene didn’t really have much of an impact on the episode. The main reason that it was forced in was to set up the plot twist later on involving the same characters, and to provide the audience with an insight into Margaery’s head space, so on its own it wasn’t very interesting.

via screenrant.com

When Sam’s scenes were finally over the episode shifted to a more exciting place – Braavos. Arya went to see the play again, and this time we got to see a later scene in which the actors were portraying Joffrey’s (Jack Gleeson) death at the Purple Wedding. Once again I really enjoyed watching the play, not only because the dialogue was poetic and well-written, but because it offered a new perspective on events that we’ve already seen. The actress playing Cersei (Lena Headey) in the play, Lady Crane (Essie Davis), spoke of her pain and anguish at the loss of her first child which we’ve never really seen from the real Cersei. We know that she feels a great deal of sadness, but she puts her energy into vengeance and malice rather than self-pity, so having Lady Crane act as she did allowed the audience to empathise with the real version of the character a little bit more, and also did the same for Arya.

Of course, this scene had to move the plot forward, and it definitely did. Arya couldn’t kill Lady Crane because she still has a very clear sense of right and wrong, and also because having had the chance to speak to the actress in this episode she realised that the two might have more in common than she thought. This realisation was enough for Arya to give up her chance at becoming ‘No One’ and face a fight for her life against The Waif (Faye Marsay).

We all knew that this was coming, but I do find it slightly frustrating that Arya gave up her chance to live a safe life for the sake of a woman that she barely knows. I understand that in reality Arya’s decision was made for herself, for the sake of the person that she would be giving up if she killed an innocent woman, but perhaps the target could’ve been a more personal one for Arya so that the storyline would’ve been more believable. If Arya had been tasked with killing a friend, say Gendry (Joe Dempsie), who hasn’t appeared on the show for a long enough amount of time that his death would’ve been partly plausible, then her decision would’ve been much more palatable. After all, it’s likely that she’ll be on the run forever now isn’t it?

Well, maybe not, but either way my point is valid because for the character it will seem like that’s what the decision entails. However, there’s still an outside chance that Arya’s mission was in fact another test designed by Jaqen H’ghar (Tom Wlaschiha). That might seem like a long shot to some people because Arya has already failed two tests and was told that this was her last chance at redemption, but the test I’m referring to wouldn’t be for Arya at all. When you become ‘No One’ you’re supposed to give up your desires and give your life in service of the Many-Faced God; it seems obvious, but to become ‘No One’ you have to lose your identity. You kill who you’re told to kill and you do so without pleasure; that’s all you do. So, with that in mind, it appears as though The Waif’s bloodlust for Arya breaks the code that the Faceless Men live by. If it doesn’t then they’re a wholly inconsistent organisation and the writers have a lot to answer for.

via vox.com

I’m not saying that Jaqen would let Arya’s failure go unpunished, because the pair made a deal, but surely being banished from The House of Black and White would be punishment enough. Still, a life has to be paid to the Many-Faced God because as we’ve been told before, only death can pay for life. Lady Crane got to keep hers because of what Arya did, so there’s a “Final Destination” style imbalance in place in the world. With that in mind, either Arya or The Waif has to die to pay the debt, but which one it is should be of no consequence to Jaqen. If Arya dies then she is punished for her misdemeanour, and if Arya kills The Waif then The Waif will be punished for wanting to kill Arya. It’s a win-win situation for the Faceless Men.

Obviously, I think that Arya will come out on top, but as I’ve said I expect that afterwards she’ll be banished from The House of Black and White, (probably following a witty line from Jaqen about a girl having a name, only for him to say the name of The Waif – at least that’s how I’d write the scene), or Jaqen would come across as an overly sympathetic character.

Elsewhere, in King’s Landing, The High Sparrow regained the upper hand by humiliating Mace Tyrell (Roger Ashton-Griffiths) and Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), which was an interesting scene, but the practicality of it was questionable.

When The High Sparrow started speaking it seemed as though Margaery was going to do her Walk of Atonement, which deceived the audience, but in reality it was idiotic because that was never the plan. The only reason that the scene was written and filmed in this way was so that the reveal of The Crown and The Faith’s merging was more surprising, so the writers basically ignored all realism for the sake of their soap-opera make-the-audience-gasp moment.

via vanityfair.com

Moreover, the new armour that The Kingsguard were wearing, (which was a merging of The Faith’s symbol and a crown), was stupid because there was no way that the armour could’ve been made in time behind everyone’s back! Making armour in that amount of time, to that level of quality, is almost as nonsensical as building 1,000 ships on a whim… oh, wait, forget I said that and think about dragons.

The whole scene felt so convenient and cheap, which again lessened the impact of the one which preceded it. I’m not saying that it was terrible, or that it wasn’t a legitimate surprise, but it required a real suspension of disbelief and in my opinion the storyline isn’t going anywhere. Tommen will probably die at some point anyway, along with Cersei and The High Sparrow; with Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and her Dothraki horde on the way I fail to see why I should care about the political battle going on inside King’s Landing right now at all.

The only positive thing to come out of this whole escapade was Jaime’s removal from the Kingsguard and subsequent mission to Riverrun, because this shift in his story will hopefully inject the character with a bit of personality again. Ever since he got captured by Robb Stark (Richard Madden) he’s gone from strength to strength as a character, but this season he’s stagnated because he’s reverted back to being Cersei’s prettiest henchman. Taking him away from his sister can only be a good thing, and at Riverrun there are a multitude of possibilities which could make him exciting again. The most interesting of these possibilities would be for Jaime to reunite with Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), which seems likely, or with Lady Stoneheart.

If he does meet up with Brienne then it will be intriguing to see whether or not he’s willing to help her, because he did make a promise to protect the Stark girls and he actually sent Brienne away to do just that. I’m hopeful that he’ll do something to help Sansa (Sophie Turner), but I’m not entirely sure why he would, given that this would hurt Cersei at a time when she needs her family to support her. The only justification I can think of for him helping Sansa and Brienne would be that somehow he finds out about Cersei and Lancel (Eugene Simon) sleeping together in season one, perhaps from Lancel himself or from The High Sparrow.

My dream scenario is that Lady Stoneheart will return, see Brienne and Jaime talking, and kill them both believing that Brienne has betrayed her. It might sound dark, but I think that both of them have had their character arcs now – Brienne killed Stannis (Stephen Dillane) and has also succeeded in helping Sansa, and Jaime could also gain redemption if he helps Brienne, so that would leave them both at a point where they are no longer needed in the story. Don’t get me wrong, I like them both, but with Benjen returning Lady Stoneheart is an all too real possibility, and I want her to start with a bang.

via monstersandcritics.com

Finally, I should address Daenerys’ triumphant/unsettling scene, given that the episode was titled “Blood of My Blood” which clearly relates to our favourite egomaniac Targaryen. Whether or not you take her speech at the end of this episode as one of growth or as one which marks her slow decline into madness is entirely up to you, but I think that either way this was a slightly weird scene. On one hand it was cool that Daenerys gave a variation of the speech that Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) gave in season one, but on the other it felt like a completely unnecessary moment in the episode. It was very out of place in a fairly restrained hour of television, and it felt as though it had been tacked onto the end of the episode simply because there wasn’t another OMG moment to end with.

I think that the writers are toying with the audience, trying to make us all wonder whether or not Daenerys might become the villain of the piece – the fire to Jon Snow’s unrelenting ice – but I don’t think that the scene should’ve been used to end the episode. Surely Sam’s scenes earlier in the episode could’ve been shortened so that one of Bran’s visions could’ve been explored in more detail, thus providing the episode with a more satisfactory conclusion. Seeing an extended version of one of his earlier visions, such as the Mad King’s death, would’ve been far more exciting than watching Daenerys talk about what she’s going to achieve somewhere down the line.

Nevertheless, I felt that the positive aspects of this episode outweighed the negatives. This might not be immediately clear from what I’ve written, but the fact that I can speculate so excessively about the future of certain characters after watching this episode means that it achieved what it was intended to achieve. The structure of the episode as a whole was questionable – we spent too long with Sam and Daenerys’ scene felt out of place – but the fractured viewing experience was filled with intriguing moments and moved the story along nicely. “Blood of My Blood” opened up a lot of exciting possibilities for future episodes, so as an episode which was designed specifically for that purpose it was more than acceptable.

7.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 5 – “The Door”

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Carice van Houten, CGI, Cleganebowl, Comedy, Conleth Hill, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dragons, Emilia Clarke, Euron Greyjoy, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Six, George RR Martin, GoT, Grey Worm, Gwendoline Christie, Hodor, Hold the Door, Iain Glen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jaqen H'ghar, Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, King's Landing, Kingsmoot, Kit Harington, Kristian Nairn, Kristofer Hivju, Liam Cunningham, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Max von Sydow, Meereen, Melisandre, Michiel Huisman, Natalie Dormer, Ned Stark, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Ramsay Bolton, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Summer, Television, The Door, The Night King, The Night's Watch, The Three-Eyed-Raven, The Wall, The White Walkers, Theon Greyjoy, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Varys, Vladimir Furdik, Westeros, White Walkers, Winterfell, Yara Greyjoy

via popsugar.com

When I first saw that the fifth episode of season six was called “The Door” I had expected that title to be some sort of analogy regarding life and death, and in a way it was. Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) opened the door between life and death by allowing the Night King (Vladimir Furdik) to mark him, and in doing so he caused the deaths of the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow), Hodor (Kristian Nairn), and Summer. However, more literally the title related to Hodor and the origin of his name, as he had to ‘hold the door’ to keep Bran alive.

Personally, I thought that this origin story was a little strange because it seems harsh to brand a child with a name as a result of a mental breakdown; still, I suppose the “Game of Thrones” universe has always been a bit off-kilter. Still, the fact that Hodor gave his life to save Bran and was the way that he was because of his loyalty made his character all the more loveable, and gave him a lot more gravitas. Before this episode he was predominantly used for comic relief, but now when we watch the series back we will know that his simplicity, so to speak, is the result of heroism and not stupidity. In a world of duplicitous and often malicious people he was kind and courageous, which makes him one of the most memorable characters on the show.

via winteriscoming.net

Hodor’s death, as well as Summer’s, was representative of the fact that Bran’s childhood is slowly fading away, and that winter has finally arrived. In a quite literal sense winter killed summer in this episode, which probably marks a shift in the story. If Bran is going to head south – which would make sense given that heading deeper into the snow would take him into the white walker’s territory – then this could be the catalyst to take the walkers past The Wall and into the realms of men, after all, it’s likely that the magic that protected the lair of the Three-Eyed Raven is the same magic that protects The Wall. If this is the case then Bran’s passing The Wall as a marked man could allow the walkers to follow him, which would make his idiocy in this episode all the more frustrating.

I have to say that from my perspective Bran’s scenes were the least compelling of the entire episode, even though they had the biggest ramifications, because they relied on a suspension of disbelief. Through Bran we learnt about the origin of the white walkers and of Hodor, but the way the scenes were executed marred the moments for me. It seems silly to me that something as important as stopping Bran from allowing the Night King to touch him wouldn’t have at least been mentioned by the Three-Eyed Raven, because the fact that this information could’ve saved multiple lives and saved a species makes it worth knowing! It’s possible that with time travel now in place in the “Game of Thrones” universe in a minimalistic way, the Three-Eyed Raven knew what was going to happen before it happened and thus intentionally withheld information, but that still feels a little cheap to me.

Other issues I had with Bran’s scenes were: 1) the acting of the young man playing Wylis; 2) the acting of Isaac Hempstead-Wright; 3) the fact that Leaf (Kae Alexander) – the child of the forest – sacrificed herself to kill the wights when she could’ve just as easily thrown the fireball in their direction; 4) the CGI, which was quite poor and jarring to look at – I know that there’s a budget in place and that the special effects on the show are usually great, but the CGI here tarnished the impact of the wights for me; and 5) the fact that Bran’s being marked caused the death of a beloved character and could possibly have a huge part to play in the wars to come, yet it wasn’t explained before or after it occurred.

So much of the magic involved in this storyline is just there and we’re supposed to accept it, even though no effort is made to make it feel believable! The dragons are great because their birth was ritualistic and they feel other-worldly whilst remaining partly possible, but the magic in Bran’s storyline is so prevalent and unearned. As far as I can tell, magic occurs in Bran’s storyline when there’s no other way to either give exposition or fill a hole in the story, which makes it feel like a plot device and nothing more.

via theverge.com

Elsewhere, Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) and Sansa (Sophie Turner) had a reunion of sorts, although it wasn’t a very warm one. It’s still unclear exactly what Littlefinger knew about Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) before he left Sansa in his care, but I think that either way he made a mistake. Sansa said that either Littlefinger was an idiot for leaving her at Winterfell, or he was her enemy, and she’s probably right.

Both actors did a great job in this scene, and from the perspective of someone who loves dialogue-heavy episodes I really enjoyed watching the pair chat. The way that both characters acted in this scene left me unsure as to who was playing who, because it seemed like Littlefinger was genuinely surprised by Sansa’s assertiveness, but also that he had a plan. Sansa has now sent Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) to The Riverlands because of what he said, so he still has a high level of control, and it remains unclear whether or not he told the truth – this is Littlefinger we’re talking about, so this whole wild goose chase could easily be a trap.

It also seems like Littlefinger wanted to drive a wedge between Jon (Kit Harington) and Sansa, perhaps because he perceives the former to be a threat, but I doubt that this will work. Jon is the closest thing to family that Sansa has got right now, so if she starts to doubt his trustworthiness I think it would be wholly unbelievable. She did keep important information from him, but I think she did that because she wants to keep her cards close to her chest, and also perhaps because if the rest of the people in the war room knew about Littlefinger’s army then they would probably want to side with him.

via moviepilot.com

Arya (Maisie Williams) isn’t quite as empowered as her sister right now, as she tries to become a servant of the Many-Faced God. The writers are really pushing the idea that she isn’t going to succeed in her journey to become No One because she clearly doesn’t want to kill the actress from the play, so I’m expecting her to make a run for it before the end of the season. Arya as a character has always had a keen sense of what’s right and what’s wrong, and even though she’s a capable killer she chooses her victims carefully. She wants to kill people who deserve to die, so she isn’t going to like being a glorified hitman for malicious and jealous people.

Still, if Arya does try to escape then it’s hard to see what her end game could possibly be – there are faceless men all over the world, so if she goes against their wishes then surely she will be a wanted woman for the rest of her days. This isn’t a particularly brilliant life for a character who has suffered since childhood, so it wouldn’t be very satisfying from a viewer’s perspective.

I loved Arya’s scenes in this episode, especially the play, because the dialogue was well-written and as always Maisie Williams’ acting was perfect. Arya is my favourite character on the show so I am a little biased, but I still thought that her scenes here had it all. Comedy, grief, drama, foreboding, male nudity – what more could you want? I just hope that it all pays off by the end of season six.

via screenrant.com

Another character that I’m growing quite fond of, surprisingly, is Yara (Gemma Whelan). She’s always been a fairly likeable character on the show because she’s a powerful woman who is also quite kind for an ironborn, but now she’s becoming more interesting because she could have a part to play in the wider story.

I’ve really enjoyed the Greyjoy storyline so far this season, mostly because I think that Euron (Pilou Asbæk) is an interesting character, but I feel that it has been rushed a little bit. Euron’s argument and his plan were sound – although I don’t think he’ll sell Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) on his marriage proposal – but the kingsmoot should’ve been a huge political battle between him and Yara for the Salt Throne, whereas it turned out to be a five minute war of words for a crown made out of twigs. It was a fine five minutes – Euron admitted that he’d murdered his brother and Theon (Alfie Allen) sided with his sister – but it could’ve been a lot better if the showrunners just took their time.

The real issues I had with the Greyjoy scenes in this episode were more specific than an issue with the streamlining of their storyline, most notably the fact that Euron spoke about building 1,000 ships as though it was an afternoon’s work, and also that he allowed his main opposition to steal his biggest assets right in front of his nose! If he knew that becoming the leader of the ironborn would require an elaborate (and very cool) ceremony, surely he should’ve kept them locked up somewhere where they couldn’t cause any trouble? Still, it seems like there’s now going to be a race between Euron’s forces and Yara’s forces to reach Daenerys, which I feel is really exciting if they give it some screen time.

Speaking of Daenerys, she had an all too brief cameo in this episode, and in my opinion it was one of the worst moments of the season so far. Although I’m personally glad that Jorah (Iain Glen) has finally told her how he feels, I found the scene itself both silly and cheesy. First off, Dany said that she couldn’t take Jorah back but she also couldn’t send him away, yet once she found out that he had a deadly disease she commanded him to find a cure and return to her! I don’t know how everyone else feels about that U-Turn, but to me asking him to return is taking him back! Jorah should’ve caught greyscale a long time ago because the sympathy vote would’ve saved him a lot of hassle!

via watchersonthewall.com

Finally, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) continued to rule in Meereen in Daenerys’ stead, and he began a propaganda push in the city. His thought processes are rational enough – he wants to sway public opinion towards Daenerys and force a particular narrative down their throats – but the way he’s applying them is pretty naïve. I don’t think he fully appreciates the danger that having a red priestess in your service poses, and it seems like Kinvara (Ania Bukstein) may be even more dangerous than Melisandre (Carice van Houten).

This scene was well executed, as there was a lot of fire around to light the room (which was clearly intentional) and the actors played off one another wonderfully. I thought the actress playing Kinvara did a really good job of making her seem powerful, and she portrayed the same sense of self-confidence that Melisandre had back in the early seasons. I see this storyline getting better with time, and I’m excited to see where it goes, but I’m very worried for poor old Varys (Conleth Hill)!

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. It wasn’t perfect, but I thought the dialogue was well written and I appreciated the fact that we got to spend more time with characters than we have previously in season six. I didn’t really care for Bran’s scenes, even though conceptually they were probably the most interesting of the episode, but I thought that everything else was pretty good. If things weren’t being so rushed then this episode would undoubtedly have been better – for example, more time should’ve been spent on the kingsmoot – but that’s just something that we’re going to have to accept from here on out. Storylines are in a good place right now, and with half the season left to go I’m expecting a lot of fireworks! Bring on Cleganebowl, Bastardbowl, and widespread bloodshed!

9/10