Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 2 – “Home”

Tags

Alfie Allen, Alliser Thorne, Arya Stark, Braavos, Bran Stark, Brenock O'Connor, Carice van Houten, Castle Black, Cersei Lannister, Conleth Hill, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Drogon, Elizabeth Webster, Euron Greyjoy, Fat Walda Frey, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Five, Game of Thrones Season Six, GoT, Grey Worm, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, Home, Ian Whyte, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jacob Anderson, Jaime Lannister, Jon Snow, Jon Snow's Resurrection, Jonathan Pryce, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Kristofer Hivju, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Meereen, Melisandre, Michael McElhatton, Missandei, Nathalie Emmanuel, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Oberyn Martell, Owen Teale, Pedro Pascal, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Ramsay Bolton, Richard Madden, Robb Stark, Roose Bolton, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Television, The High Sparrow, The Mountain, The Night's Watch, The Wall, The Wildlings, Theon Greyjoy, Tommen Baratheon, Tormund Giantsbane, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Varys, Wun Wun

the verge.com

“Home”, the second episode of the sixth season of “Game of Thrones”, was definitely a crowd-pleaser. It was an incredibly busy episode filled with three or four great moments, and I have to say that I enjoyed it a lot. Interesting characters were introduced and reintroduced, two massive players in the game were killed by their kin, and the moment that everyone has been talking about over the past year finally happened.

However, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of frustration at the fact that this episode was significantly less structured than the season premiere. Scenes in which Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) talked about his intended pursuit of Sansa (Sophie Turner) were followed by the latter character appearing on screen, and scenes in which Theon (Alfie Allen) spoke about going home were juxtaposed by the appearance of the Iron Islands, but it still had a disjointed feel about it as a whole. Personally, I prefer episodes which centre on a specific storyline and have other characters appear to complement it, which was the norm in earlier seasons, so episodes like this one test my patience. Nevertheless, the plethora of exciting scenes in “Home” went some way to making up for the lack of focus, and it was a very entertaining hour of television.

via screenrant.com

As predicted, the episode began with everyone’s least favourite character, Bran, as Isaac Hempstead-Wright did his best Undertaker impression by rolling his eyes into the back of his head and pretending to have a vision – this scene was incredibly awkward and I couldn’t take the young actor seriously. Moreover, the fact that we are going to learn more about Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) parentage through Bran is something that I find extremely worrying, because his presence in this important moment could very well ruin it for everyone.

After this excruciatingly average opening scene the episode got back on track as Wun Wun (Ian Whyte) charged through the gates of Castle Black, allowing his fellow wildlings to capture Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) and seize control of The Night’s Watch. This was a cool but very convenient scene, and I think that most people will have been internally cheering as they saw the mutinous men of The Night’s Watch become prisoners. Nevertheless, I felt that the execution of the scene was slightly clumsy, especially when Olly (Brenock O’Connor) charged at Tormund (Kristofer Hivju).

The episode then took a trip away from the snow to King’s Landing, where Robert Strong (The Mountain, played by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) killed a man by bashing his head against a wall, much like Wun Wun had done in the previous scene. I enjoyed watching this moment play out, but I’m not really sure what its purpose in the episode was other than to reintroduce the character. We already know that a man of that size can kill another man with his bare hands – we saw him do it back in season four (R.I.P. Oberyn (Pedro Pascal)) – so it didn’t really need to happen.

This was followed by a scene in which Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) expressed his guilt at allowing his mother to be paraded in the streets like a common whore, which was interesting. I think we’d all like to see Tommen become more assertive in upcoming episodes, particularly because he’s probably going to die at some point (he might as well go out with a bang), so I’m glad that he’s voicing his frustration at being powerless in his position – hopefully he does something about it and doesn’t just get Cersei to do it for him.

via dnaindia.com

We then saw Jaime’s (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) altercation with The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce), a moment which I’d been looking forward to ever since the season six trailer was released. I thought this was a great scene; the dialogue was sharp, the performances were strong, and we were afforded an insight into The High Sparrow’s end game. Whilst he pretends to be a godly man with righteous intentions, he wants to play the game – perhaps more so than most characters in the “Game of Thrones” universe – which is apparent when he says ‘together we can overthrow an empire’.

Next, after a brief scene in which Tommen asked his mother for help, the episode turned its attention to Meereen. Here another moment from the trailer appeared, as Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) explained that drinking and knowing things are his two best attributes, and because of his prowess in the latter he thought that freeing Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) caged dragons was a good idea.

The logic here wasn’t completely convincing, because although it was great to see the show’s best character interacting with dragons, he never should’ve gone down there without Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) or Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson). It was established in the scene that the dragons saw Missandei as a friend, and Tyrion used this as an argument for setting the dragons free, but then surely the best course of action would’ve been to bring Missandei along as a show of good faith. Instead, Tyrion brought Varys (Conleth Heath), a man who an intelligent creature would never trust.

The scene might’ve still worked had the writers painted it in such a way that Tyrion was still down on life and had a death wish, because then it would seem as though he was willing to die if it meant interacting with dragons at least once in his life, but this wasn’t established and the moment therefore felt unearned.

I’m aware that we don’t know everything about dragons, and it does seem as though they are pretty intelligent, but that didn’t stop Drogon from burning an innocent girl alive in season four did it? The reason that the dragons were chained up in the first place was that they were dangerous and had the potential to kill innocent people, so it seems a bit ridiculous to then say that they are smart enough to only kill their enemies.

Still, the CGI in this scene was brilliant, as was Peter Dinklage’s performance. I loved his story about wanting a dragon for his Name Day when he was a child, and I thought it was very cool that the dragons seemed to be listening to him. I liked the scene, (which might seem strange given the two paragraphs of criticism that you’ve just read), I just didn’t like the set-up and thought it could’ve easily been improved. Even if Tyrion is a Targaryen, a theory which this scene gave more weight to, it doesn’t change the fact that the thought process behind his going to set the dragons free (without Missandei or Grey Worm) was idiotic, and would never have been condoned by Varys.

via moviepilot.com

When Tyrion set the dragons free and made another bad joke, the stage was set for a brief Arya (Maisie Williams) cameo. Just like last week, I thought that Maisie Williams did an admirable job of playing a blind character, and I thought that she made Arya seem both vulnerable and dangerous. Of course, right now she isn’t very scary because she hasn’t mastered the art of fighting without the ability to see, but Williams portrayed the rage that is bubbling beneath the surface in Arya and it’s only a matter of time before she releases it. It was a short scene, but it was still one of my favourite moments of the episode – plus, it wasn’t flawed in any way which made it stand out for me.

Next we found Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) and Roose (Michael McElhatton) discussing tactics, in a scene which saw Ramsay turn from antagonist to protagonist for all of five seconds. After being called a mad dog by his father, Ramsay stood motionless with hatred in his eyes and calculated his next move. Still, as crazy as he is I don’t think that he was going to kill his father right then and there, that is, until it was revealed that his brother had been born.

via screenrant.com

From that moment it was pretty obvious what Ramsay was going to do. It was nice that Roose died by getting stabbed in the belly, because it was very reminiscent of the way that he killed Robb Stark (Richard Madden) back in season three, but I would’ve liked to have been able to savour the moment for a little while longer. To see such an evil character die in such an abrupt way was a little disappointing from my perspective, as was the way in which ‘Fat Walda’ Frey (Elizabeth Webster) died with her new born child in her arms. I know a lot of people found that scene shocking and horrible, and maybe it would’ve been if we actually saw it happen, but all that we saw was Iwan Rheon’s blank expression as clearly artificial sound effects got progressively louder. As far as I’m concerned, this was a pretty underwhelming moment and a merciful death as opposed to being flayed alive.

Once this nastiness passed, we as an audience were afforded a brief moment of joy. Sansa (Sophie Turner) forgave Theon (Alfie Allen) for the crimes he committed in season two, and for a moment the world was a brighter place. It was a lovely scene on a show which is filled with pain, and both actors sold me on what was happening on screen. Theon leaving the group is a shame because he doesn’t have anywhere safe to go, but I think he did what he did because he thought it was what was best for Sansa, which made the moment all the more heart-warming. I just hope that he doesn’t end up with Ramsay again, although after Euron’s (Pilou Asbæk) awesome introduction I don’t think that the Iron Islands are that much safer than Winterfell.

Finally, the episode ended at The Wall, just as it did in episode one. Here, the worst kept secret in television history finally happened, much to the excitement of fans around the world. Jon Snow came back in a scene that was reminiscent of the moment when Bran woke up from his coma in season one. I loved how the scene was drawn out to make audience members wonder whether or not he was really going to wake up, because after a year of speculation it would’ve been fitting for a show like “Game of Thrones” to parade the possibility in its fans’ faces just to say ‘nope’. In my opinion, that would’ve been one of the greatest moments in the history of television, especially if the episode then ended with Jon’s body burning, but alas it wasn’t to be.

via inverse.com

Like most people, I’m glad that Jon is back – he’s clearly integral to the story and he’ll have a huge part to play in the war to come. Additionally, the Tower of Joy flashback is going to appear in episode three and Sansa is on her way to The Wall, so his presence is going to be vital for other storylines. However, I wasn’t very enamoured by the way that the showrunners handled his resurrection and I feel that he’s been brought back far too soon. I’m aware that there are only so many episodes left for the showrunners to tell the story that they are planning to tell, and perhaps Jon had to be brought back so that they had enough time to get through their material, but this is a bigger problem rather than an accentuating circumstance. They’ve been rushing their story along ever since the end of season four, and it’s getting really annoying.

When I watch the whole series back from start to finish, as I do every year before the start of a new season, Jon Snow will only be dead for one episode. One episode. As a collective audience we’ve had to wait for a year for Jon’s resurrection so of course it seems natural that he should be back now, but in reality it’s pretty ridiculous. The least that the showrunners could’ve done was left Jon’s storyline out of episode two completely, perhaps replacing his scenes with Daenerys’ from episode three, so that we all had to bite our nails for another week.

Overall, I thought that this was an enjoyable episode of “Game of Thrones”. For most people it will have been amazing simply because a lot of significant things happened, and of course, because Jon Snow was resurrected. However, it fell short in a few areas for me because whilst I agree that Tyrion speaking with the dragons, Roose dying, and Jon coming back, were massive moments, they were also imperfect. My favourite scenes in the episode were actually those of Arya, Euron, and Jaime because they were well-executed and the performances were solid. I’m glad that the majority of fans loved “Home”, and I liked it, but I felt that it could have easily been better.

7.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Six Premiere – “The Red Woman”

Tags

Alexander Siddig, Alliser Thorne, Arya Stark, Balon Greyjoy, Beric Dondarrion, Braavos, Brienne of Tarth, Carice van Houten, Castle Black, Catelyn Stark, Cersei Lannister, Conleth Hill, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Davos Seaworth, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dorne, Dothraki, Ed Skrein, Ellaria Sand, Emilia Clarke, Euron Greyjoy, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Six, George RR Martin, GoT, Gwendoline Christie, Iain Glen, Indira Varma, Iwan Rheon, Jaime Lannister, Jessica Henwick, Joe Naufahu, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, Jorah Mormont, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Khal Drogo, Khal Moro, King's Landing, Lena Headey, Liam Cunningham, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Meereen, Melisandre, Michael McElhatton, Michelle Fairley, Michiel Huisman, Myrcella Baratheon, Natalie Dormer, Nell Tiger Free, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Nymeria Sand, Obara Sand, Owen Teale, Patrick Malahide, Paul Kaye, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Prince Doran, Ramsay Bolton, Reek, Richard Dormer, Roose Bolton, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Stannis Baratheon, Stephen Dillane, Television, The Iron Throne, The Lord of Light, The Night's Watch, The Red Woman, The Sand Snakes, The Sons of the Harpy, The Wall, Theon Greyjoy, Thoros of Myr, Toby Sebastian, Tommen Baratheon, Trystane Martell, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Varys, Winterfell, Xena

This review contains spoilers for everything that has happened on the show so far, including the events of this episode.

“The Red Woman” was one of the most anticipated episodes of television in recent history. People have been talking for months about the future of Jon Snow (Kit Harington), and speculating what’s next for their favourite characters given that “Game of Thrones” has finally caught up to George RR Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series.

The episode itself had to balance a number of characters, meaning that although it lasted for an hour, it felt as though it had been on for all of ten minutes when the credits rolled. It was a strong season opener, but it could’ve done with a bit more focus and more thoughtful writing.

The episode began where season five finished, with Jon Snow’s corpse lying in the snow. Ghost’s cries of anguish at his master’s death were mirrored by fans as they saw that the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch really was dead, and that if he’s coming back it won’t be any time soon. The scene itself was fine, but it left me with one nagging question in my mind – why was the body left there? Was it a ‘we’re in charge’ gesture or a plot hole? We all know that men of the Night’s Watch are wary of the dead being resurrected as wights, so leaving a dead body lying around inside Castle Black seems like an unnecessary risk. Such an oversight felt like a convenience for the writers to allow Jon Snow to come back, rather than an understandable decision by the characters in the “Game of Thrones” universe.

Melisandre (Carice van Houten) made her entrance almost immediately, entering the makeshift tomb of Jon Snow to speak to Davos (Liam Cunningham). She expressed confusion at the sight of the dead man and explained to the group surrounding the body that she had seen him in the flames fighting at Winterfell, with a look of anguish on her face which explained just how much her faith had been tested by the events of the previous season.

Melisandre’s words gave weight to the theory that Jon Snow will come back this season, because many people thought that they could see Jon fighting at Winterfell in the trailer, and we know from that trailer that the Boltons will face a battle at some point this season. Furthermore, it is likely that at some point the White Walkers will get past The Wall, so Jon could fight them at Winterfell to bring Melisandre’s vision to life. Either way, it seems like a strange specification on the part of the writers to have Melisandre say exactly what she saw in the flames if that isn’t then going to come true.

This scene was followed by another at Castle Black, as we saw Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) placating a crowd of outraged Night’s Watch men following Jon’s death. He told them that he had performed the act along with the other officers, and that he did so for the sake of the Watch, not for his own selfish reasons. This wasn’t a particularly hard sell, which was slightly annoying, but the men at The Wall are murderers, rapists, and thieves, so to convince them probably wouldn’t be that difficult (particularly when they know that if they disagree with him he might stab them to death).

It’s hard to argue against his leadership skills or his rationale here, but he clearly misses the bigger picture. Jon Snow was one of the few people who had seen what the Night’s King was capable of, and he was also able to bring the wildlings on side, which is obviously going to be important if The Wall is to stand. I can understand why Thorne doesn’t see this, because he’s been fighting against the wildlings for the majority of his life, but when he says that Jon would’ve been the end of the Night’s Watch he must also realise that trying to take on an army of the dead with only 50-ish men would lead to the same sad outcome.

After the initial scenes at the Wall we travelled to Winterfell, where we saw Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) share a sincere moment with the body of Myranda (Charlotte Hope). He explained his love for her and told her that he would avenge her death, and this scene served to show that whilst Ramsay is the most evil character on the show (move over Night’s King), he does have feelings. Those feelings ended up being used for comedic effect when Ramsay said that the body should be fed to the hounds, but it added another dimension to his character nonetheless.

This scene was then followed by another at Winterfell in which Roose (Michael McElhatton) and Ramsay had a heart-warming father-son conversation… or not. They spoke about Sansa (Sophie Turner) and how they desperately needed to get her back in order to cement their hold on The North, and Roose made a veiled threat to Ramsay that if he didn’t solve the problem then his unborn child would take Ramsay’s place as heir to The North. The scene was mostly a reminder for the audience of what happened last year, but it also explained what the Bolton’s motivations would be for the rest of the season, and suggested that at some point this season Ramsay and Roose may actually come to blows.

After hearing about how important Sansa is to the Bolton cause, we watched on as she ran as far away from Ramsay as she could, accompanied by Theon (Alfie Allen). The scene itself was quite good, with Sophie Turner looking mesmerising in the snow, but some aspects of it didn’t make a lot of sense. Personally, I thought that the Bolton soldiers were quite tame when they found the pair, because although they were given orders to find them and bring them back to Winterfell they could’ve roughed them up a bit. Roose isn’t a nice man and neither is Ramsay, so presumably their soldiers would follow suit and take pleasure in the pain of others.

Nevertheless, I liked how Theon did something heroic for once because I’ve grown very tired of the Reek angle. I actually thought that his moment of bravery would’ve been a great way for him to die on the series, because it would’ve been redemptive given that he would’ve died for the Starks whom he had previously let down. I still think that his transformation has felt forced and happened far too quickly, but it makes sense that the writers would fast-track his storyline as fans of the series are pretty sick of seeing him act like a coward.

Another character who finally did something positive for the Starks was Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), who saved Sansa’s life and went some way to fulfilling the oath she made to Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) back in season two. Many of the reviews that I’ve read have cited this as an emotional moment and their favourite part of the episode, but I have to say that personally I wasn’t affected by it. I liked the music that was playing in the build up to the scene, and I thought that Gwendoline Christie’s performance was great – her intensity in action sequences is always fantastic – but it didn’t really get me. It felt like a scene which will be significant going forward, but it also felt a little bit too convenient for my liking.

In King’s Landing, Cersei (Lena Headey) had to deal with the loss of her daughter, as Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) returned from Dorne with Myrcella’s (Nell Tiger Free) corpse and a soon-to-be-dead Trystane (Toby Sebastian). Lena Headey’s performance in this scene was perfect, as we saw the joy turn to ash in her mouth (Tyrion’s (Peter Dinklage) promise was finally fulfilled as he inadvertently caused his niece’s death by sending her to Dorne in the first place) when she realised that she was going to see her daughter again, but not as a lively young woman, rather, as a lifeless body. She was as excited as I think we’ve ever seen her when she heard that a ship was returning from Dorne, even though she tried to hide it, but she ended up looking more broken than she was at the end of her walk of shame.

The conversation which followed between Cersei and Jaime wasn’t very powerful, at least not in my opinion, but I thought the performances were pretty good. It’s not that I didn’t like the scene, but these days I find it hard to take Jaime seriously when he’s talking about destroying his enemies, given that he’s no longer a great fighter and he’s grown a conscience.

I did think that it was interesting to gain insight into Cersei’s thoughts about the Maggie the Frog prophecy, because last season it played a huge role in her behaviour towards Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and also informed her decision to have Jaime go to get Myrcella back. Having her verbally address this in the episode explained to the audience that the flashback we saw last season was important and played a significant role in Cersei’s poor decision making, in a sense making the prophecy self-fulfilling, and the fact that Cersei was so willing to accept the validity of that prophecy represented a shift in her personality; from a position of control to one of self-pity, vulnerability, and perhaps most importantly – shame.

Skipping over the throwaway scene in which The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) and one of his annoying henchman played good-cop-bad-cop with Margaery, the next important scene of the episode took place in Dorne. Last season Dorne didn’t go down very well with fans – it felt disconnected from the rest of the show so nobody could get behind Jaime’s rescue mission, especially because we never really got a feel for Myrcella as a character.

However, this episode has given Dorne a chance, because what we saw was probably the best moment in the setting so far. To see Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) kill Prince Doran (Alexander Siddig) was a real shock to me and I suspect everyone else, because this is something that hasn’t happened yet in the book series and also because Doran was the brother of Ellaria’s former lover Oberyn (Pedro Pascal). I was personally expecting Ellaria to be the one who got killed off in Dorne, as Doran had warned her last year that any further treason would be punished severely, but instead we saw a brutal and memorable death scene involving a not-yet-explored character.

I have to say that on the story side of things the scene was a little bit strange, because Ellaria basically killed Oberyn’s brother in an effort to avenge him, but at least this scene will bring Dorne into the fold and possibly start a war with the Lannisters. I’d be interested to know whether or not these murders were a reaction to Dorne’s reception last year, or if they are a storyline which will happen in the books that the show has shot forward to, but this remains to be seen. It feels like the former to me, because I don’t think that you cast someone like Alexander Siddig if you know that the character he is going to playing will be given barely any screen time… but I could be wrong.

With Prince Doran dead, the episode then showed us all just what the Sand Snakes are capable of, as they brutally disposed of Trystane as though he was a fly that needed swatting. I still don’t know exactly how they made it onto the boat that Trystane was on, because it seems like it would’ve been difficult to hide on such a long journey, so maybe they went on a separate boat… maybe. It’s not particularly clear right now so I hope that they address the issue in order to ensure that this admittedly cool scene makes sense going forward.

I’m also not sure what the timeline is meant to be, because the episode was filmed in such a way that it seemed as though Trystane died after Prince Doran, but surely the Sand Snakes couldn’t have known exactly when to kill him because they were miles away and there was no form of communication to get a message across. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but how could they be sure that Prince Doran would condemn Ellaria’s actions? If the plot was in place from the moment that Ellaria kissed Myrcella with poison on her lips then a situation could’ve occurred where killing Trystane would’ve jeopardised their overall plan. I suppose the point I’m making is that either: 1) the plan wasn’t fool-proof, or 2) the plan hasn’t been properly explained yet on the show.

In any case, this scene has breathed life into an otherwise dying storyline, and I’m excited to see what the Sand Snakes get up to over the course of the season. Hopefully Nymeria (Jessica Henwick) and Obara (Keisha Castle-Hughes) will remain in and around King’s Landing, causing all sorts of mayhem and killing their enemies. Maybe they could kill Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) so that we can have a more exciting king on the throne?

Over in Meereen, Tyrion and Varys (Conleth Hill) are ruling over a city which is in tatters after the attack on the fighting pits by the Sons of the Harpy. The people live in fear and the whole place is on the verge of a revolution, which is made all the more problematic by the fact that we see a red priest preaching to peasants on the streets. We all know from experience that red priests/priestesses can be extremely dangerous, so the Lord of Light could prove to be another unwanted complication for Tyrion as he attempts to keep the peace between the masters and their former slaves.

Watching Peter Dinklage and Conleth Hill play-off each other has been great ever since they started to become friendly back in season two, but in this instance I could’ve done without the comedy that the writers forced into the scene. We’ve heard ‘Varys is a eunuch’ jokes before so having Tyrion make fun of him for not having any genitals wasn’t exactly inspired, particularly because it was a completely pointless bit of dialogue. There was also a weird joke made about Tyrion not being well-spoken in Valyrian which felt all too similar to a joke which was intended to make the same point at the end of season five. Neither of these jokes felt necessary and neither made me laugh – I want to take events in Meereen seriously this year and joking around just doesn’t help.

Nevertheless, the fact that there was a mention of Varys’ little birds and their mission to find out who the leader of the Sons of the Harpy is got me back on board, because when this person is finally revealed it should be a high point of the season. Hopefully it’s someone who we already know.

It will also be interesting to see what’s done about the boats in Meereen after they were all destroyed in this episode, because Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) can’t simply fly to King’s Landing on her own atop Drogo and expect to take the city. She needs her army and they need ships. This could be where Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) comes into the wider story, because he must have some sort of role in the big picture for him to be cast so late in the game, and we all know that The Greyjoys like two things, power and ships – they have one of these, and if they help Daenerys take the Iron Throne then they could very well get the other. Balon (Patrick Malahide) has previously said that he doesn’t want to help someone else take the Iron Thorne because the Greyjoys take what is theirs by force, but he might not be around for very much longer. This is all speculation, but it does make a lot of sense.

Speaking of things that make sense, wouldn’t it be great if all the storylines on the show were well-conceived and thought out? Well, they aren’t. Jorah (Iain Glen) and Daario’s (Michiel Huisman) scene was by far the worst of the episode, as they magically followed Daenerys’ tracks, found a ring in the middle of nowhere, and generally annoyed me to a point where I felt like turning off my TV. The scene, at least in my opinion, didn’t feel like it belonged on “Game of Thrones” – it felt more like something out of “Xena: Warrior Princess” from back in the day.

I have to admit that I haven’t been a fan of Daario ever since Ed Skrein was replaced by Michiel Huisman at the start of season four, but it wasn’t just Huisman’s performance that made the scene painful to watch. For one, I really didn’t like that Jorah took a look at his greyscale again; 1) because Daario didn’t question the fact that he randomly stopped, and 2) because its sole purpose was to remind the audience about the disease. It played no other role in the narrative and will be quite jarring when binge-watching the DVD’s because he does it more than once in the space of a couple of episodes for no apparent reason. The whole scene was awful.

I also wasn’t particularly fond of Daenerys’ battle of wits with the Dothraki leader, Khal Moro (Joe Naufahu), although at least it gave us an insight into what she’ll be up to for the first few episodes of the season. It’s not that any of the performances were particularly terrible in this scene, but for me Daenerys was far too assertive given that her petulance could’ve got her killed and basically ruined the entire show. She might feel more powerful than in previous seasons, but in fact she’s in the same position that she was in when the story began, with no allies, no dragons to be seen, and seemingly no common sense. The audience knew that Daenerys was in no real danger, but the character should’ve acted as though she thought that she was. Plus, we’ve seen Daenerys listen in on a foreign tongue before only to reveal that she in fact speaks it fluently, so there was nothing particularly surprising for us when she started speaking in Dothraki to the new Khal.

A scene which I did enjoy was Arya’s (Maisie Williams). It was a short scene, but as she sat on the streets of Braavos begging for change, trying to come to terms with life as a blind and faceless woman, I was captivated. Maisie Williams was incredibly expressive despite the fact that her eyes were clouded over, and she sold me on the idea that Arya was blind. I just hope that Williams gets enough screen time in future episodes to really push this storyline, because Arya has the potential to once again be one of the best characters on “Game of Thrones”, provided that she’s given the chance.

Finally, the episode took us all back to the Wall to end where the episode had begun, and for some reason Alliser Thorne thought that he could defeat Stannis Baratheon’s (Stephen Dillane) right-hand-man with idle words and false promises. He politely offered a pardon to any man who would put down his sword and leave the room… an offer which nobody in their right mind would accept because Thorne had just stabbed his commanding officer to death in cold blood. Still, Davos replied politely, staying put in the room and mentioning that Melisandre could be of help if he and the men of the Night’s Watch were going to protect Jon’s body whilst staying alive. This season Davos looks like he’s finally going to be a leader on the show, something which he’s shown he has the mind for ever since he was first introduced, so I’m excited to see what he will achieve in the next nine episodes.

After Davos mentioned The Red Woman, we were treated to a scene which will surely quash fantasies the world over. Melisandre looked into the fire with pain etched on her face, before standing in front of a mirror and looking at her reflection with sadness in her eyes. She then proceeded to disrobe and take off her necklace, which made me roll my eyes because I didn’t understand why she needed to be naked… until she was naked. Melisandre, one of the most beautiful characters on the show, became an old crone with wrinkles upon wrinkles, white hair like string modestly covering her head, and posture that makes the Hunchback of Notre Dame look like an Olympic athlete.

She became the opposite of what she has been since the first episode of season two, as the scene showcased her true form, and marked a symbolic transformation for the character. We saw that The Red Woman had been broken by Stannis’ death and that she was losing who she was; we saw that for all her trickery and power she is still as vulnerable as any other character on the show. The Red Woman is The Red Woman – the beautiful and powerful priestess we’ve seen throughout the series – but Melisandre is something more. Her beauty and her strength have been representative of her power from day one, but now we see that both of these aspects of her persona are false.

What this will mean for her in the future is unclear, but it seems like a focus for the season will be the humbling and subsequent rising up of characters (Sansa, Arya etc.), so maybe Melisandre will get a similar arc and perhaps regain her confidence by resurrecting Jon Snow. If you remember back in season three Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye) (the red priest who had resurrected Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) several times) spoke to Melisandre about his crisis of faith, and how when things seemed darkest the Lord of Light showed himself through the resurrection of Beric. Perhaps this scene will take on greater significance now that Melisandre is losing her faith.

This episode was called “The Red Woman” for a reason, as the final scene placed Melisandre at the forefront of the series, changing every scene that she has been involved in so far. Initially she was a wildcard for Stannis – she could do amazing things, but he didn’t even take her to the battle of Blackwater, and by all accounts he valued Davos’ opinion more than hers. With Stannis gone, Melisandre can actually be seen as the main character in their storyline, with every scene involving Stannis playing a part in her development up to this point rather than his.

Overall, “The Red Woman” was a flawed but enjoyable hour of television, which was epitomised by the fact that the final scene was excellent yet marred by a continuity error (which I have intentionally ignored because I feel that it has unfairly become the main talking point of the episode). It had to juggle a lot of characters, which it did admirably, but I think that the short amount of time spent with certain characters like Tyrion and Margaery meant that their scenes lost a lot of their intended impact. I loved the ending, and I thought that the scene in Dorne was great, but there were plenty of moments which could’ve been improved. It was a good start, but I hope that future episodes focus more on one or two characters so that narratives can be properly explored and enjoyed.

7/10

Game of Thrones: Season Six Preview – Part Two

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Alliser Thorne, Arya Stark, Balon Greyjoy, Braavos, Bran Stark, Breaking Bad, Brienne of Tarth, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Cleganebowl, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dorne, Dothraki, Dragons, Drogon, Ellaria Sand, Emilia Clarke, Euron Greyjoy, Finn Jones, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Five, Game of Thrones Season Six, George RR Martin, Gregor Clegane, Gwendoline Christie, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, Hizdahr, Ian McShane, Indira Varma, Jaime Lannister, Jaqen H'ghar, Joel Fry, John Bradley, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, Jorah Mormont, Khal Drogo, King's Landing, Kingsmoot, Kit Harington, Laura Pradelska, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Loras Tyrell, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Mark Addy, Meereen, Melisandre, Natalie Dormer, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Patrick Malahide, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Qarth, Quaithe, Ramsay Bolton, Richard Madden, Robb Stark, Robert Baratheon, Robert Strong, Roose Bolton, Rory McCann, Sandor Clegane, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Spain, Stannis Baratheon, Stephen Dillane, Television, Television Review, The Faith Militant, The Gravedigger Theory, The Greyjoys, The High Sparrow, The Hound, The Mountain, The Red Woman, The Sand Snakes, The Sons of the Harpy, The Unsullied, Theon Greyjoy, TV, TV Review, Tyrion Lannister

This preview will contain spoilers for everything that has happened on the series so far, as well as some book plot points that haven’t appeared on the show and two well-documented fan theories.

The Greyjoys

The Greyjoys haven’t really been done justice on the show so far, with Theon’s (Alfie Allen) resentment of his father and jealously of his sister being our main connection to their storyline. This year it seems like this might change, as Euron (played by Pilou Asbæk), the younger brother of Theon’s father Balon (Patrick Malahide), has been introduced. (SPOILER ALERT) In the books Balon dies in a fall, but there’s speculation that in fact his death was an assassination at the hands of Euron, which is all but confirmed by the season six trailer. This, as well as the kingsmoot which will follow, could make the Greyjoys a much more important family on the show than they have been in previous seasons.

King’s Landing

The first thing that comes into everyone’s minds when they think of King’s Landing is the ongoing battle between Cersei (Lena Headey) and The Faith Militant’s conniving leader The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). Last year’s shaming ceremony was clearly a big deal for both characters, and it will likely start a war between them in upcoming episodes – still, that war will probably be fought mainly by Robert Strong, aka Zombie Mountain (Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson), and the Sparrow’s many followers.

What many people forget when they think about what will be happening in King’s Landing this year is that at the end of last season Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) witnessed his daughter/niece die due to a kiss of death from Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma), which will probably be a more immediate issue when this season opens. I don’t think that Cersei is going to be very happy when her lover/brother returns home from Dorne with her daughter’s corpse accompanying him, so revenge will definitely be on the cards.

There’s also the small issue of the Tyrells, with Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and Loras (Finn Jones) both sitting in a cell. From the trailers it looks like Jaime is going to try to help the Tyrell army in forcing their release, but there’s still going to be a lot of resentment between Margaery and Cersei when the pair are both free. (It seems pretty obvious that Margaery is going to be freed at some point this year because Natalie Dormer has talked about filming in Spain, and filming in Spain wouldn’t be very practical if she’s just going to be sitting in a dark room for the majority of the season).

Cersei just isn’t going to have a great time of it this year unless she has a hell of a lot of luck, because whilst she has a man-mountain (pun intended) as a protector, she also has enemies everywhere and an upcoming trial. The main fan theory relating to this trial is usually called the Cleganebowl, and relates to a possible trial by combat between The Mountain, and his possibly dead brother, The Hound (Rory McCann). The idea here is that Cersei would want to avoid a real trial because she knows that she can’t sway The High Sparrow with riches or cripple him with fear, and would therefore request a trial by combat believing that The Mountain was unstoppable. The faith would then need a champion, with The Hound being a perfect choice if he is still alive because 1) he’s a great fighter, and 2) he’ll want to kill his malevolent older brother.

Of course, in the season four finale it was suggested that Sandor Clegane would succumb to his injuries at the hands of Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), but if fans of the series are to be believed then our favourite Clegane brother is very much alive. The theory that I am referring to here is known as the gravedigger theory, and has been given extra weight by the fact that actor Ian McShane (recently cast on the show) has reportedly said that he will resurrect a well-known character this year. The obvious choice would be Jon Snow (Kit Harington), but it’s pretty obvious that he isn’t the character that McShane is talking about, otherwise we’d be talking about a highly publicised law suit.

Tyrion in Meereen

In Meereen things have been getting pretty hectic, so I’m hoping that this year they settle down with Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) in charge. I know that the Sons of the Harpy will still be in full swing, trying to oust control back for themselves, but that doesn’t mean that things can’t be a little more political than they were last season.

We don’t know a whole lot about what Tyrion is going to be doing this year, other than trying to rule in Daenerys’ stead (Emilia Clarke), but we do know that he’s going to come face to face with two very angry caged dragons. The trailer also appears to show that there will be a new Red Woman introduced to the story in Meereen, which could be really cool. For me, this is probably the most interesting aspect of the story this season, because it’s something new and I have literally no idea what kind of character she’s going to be. Will she be working with or against Tyrion? Is she going to be tied to other events on the show from the past? I just don’t know, and I can’t wait to find out.

Daenerys vs. The Dothraki

Finally, we have Daenerys, stumbling her way towards the Iron Throne by flying thousands of miles away in the wrong direction. The scene in the fighting pits last year was one of the most exciting and important yet on “Game of Thrones”, as it proved that Daenerys has a hold of her most powerful dragon and that that dragon isn’t yet large enough to conquer a kingdom.

However, it also left the main contender to the Iron Throne stranded, and at the mercy of a Dothraki horde. Still, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because in the books Quaithe (played briefly on the show by Laura Pradelska when Daenerys was in Qarth) cryptically tells Daenerys that ‘to go north… [she] must go south, to reach the west… [she] must go east. To go forward… [she] must go back and to touch the light… [she] must pass beneath the shadow’. This could mean that Daenerys’ backpedalling will be her salvation, and bring her one step closer to the Iron Throne, because she really is right back where she started.

It’s unclear right now exactly how being with the Dothraki again will help Daenerys, but she could make a similar sort of deal to the one that her brother made back in season one, offering herself in marriage to the new Khal in order to gain an army with which to cross the Narrow Sea. This would still be as dangerous to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms as it was when Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) was in charge; especially given that Daenerys now also has three dragons and an army of Unsullied by her side.

It would make a lot of sense if Daenerys did propose marriage to the new Khal, because last year she proved that this is something that she is willing to do to improve her chances at taking the Iron Throne, as she married Hizdahr (Joel Fry) despite the fact that she detested him. This would also explain why Hizdahr was killed off so unceremoniously in episode nine of season five.

Nevertheless, it does appear that at the start of the season the Dothraki will mistreat Daenerys – although their actions on the trailer seem tame given their nature – which will probably enrage Drogon, who we know will be flying around the area. What this will mean is again unclear, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a Dothraki BBQ at some point in season six. If this does happen then it wouldn’t necessarily mean that the Dothraki would turn against Daenerys and refuse to back her claim for the Iron Throne, because we know from experience that the Dothraki respect power above all else, and having your dragon-baby burn your enemies alive is a pretty clear display of strength.

My Thoughts on Season Six and The Possibility of Seasons Seven and Eight Being Shortened to Eight Episodes Each

via buzzfeed.com

With talk of characters and their journeys this season out of the way, I’d like to address a couple of things that perhaps the mainstream “Game of Thrones” audience won’t be aware of right now. The first is that there has been a suggestion that the final two seasons of the show – seasons seven and eight – will be cut down to eight episodes each, sort of in the vein of “Breaking Bad” and its final season. This is a big decision, because it would mean that we as an audience got less “Game of Thrones” than we were expecting, and that storylines would have to be streamlined to allow the main narrative to progress naturally (which I would probably find disappointing from a personal perspective).

However, if this is a creative decision which best serves the story then I’m all for it! The only thing that really matters to me personally is that every character gets the right amount of screen time, and that the series has a significant pay-off at the end, which could still happen in 16 episodes + the 10 that we’ll get this season. Nonetheless, there are a lot of story arcs to wrap up on the show, and I have to admit that I’m a little worried that 26 episodes isn’t enough time to give everyone’s story a respectable conclusion – the last thing that I want is for the rest of the characters to face the same lacklustre end as Stannis (Stephen Dillane) did in season five.

I have to say that I still think that putting the finale on the big screen would be the best way to end the series, and would make everyone involved a tonne of money, but the rational side of me doesn’t believe that this will happen because HBO gets a lot of its money from a subscription model in the US.

As far as my thoughts on this upcoming season are concerned, I think that from a story perspective it has every chance of being the best yet. There are very few plot points that fans can really feel they have a grasp on, due to the fact that the show has caught up with the books, so things should feel even more tense than they already did on a show where (almost) anyone can die.

Nevertheless, there’s still a chance that this season could start a decline if the writers don’t strike the right balance with all the characters and their respective storylines – this was something which I felt was happening last season, so it could become a trend. Emilia Clarke has spoken recently about how she didn’t think that it was possible to fit so much into one season of television as has been slotted into this one, which worries me greatly. I really want things to start meshing together this year rather than become more convoluted, so I hope that when she says that there’s a lot going on she means that there’s lots of excitement within focused narratives, rather than just a lot of content.

In my opinion, “Game of Thrones” is still the best dramatic series on television – it has amazing writers and a committed cast, so I remain confident that my concerns will be quashed by the end of this season.

P.S. I still think that Stannis’ death was really weird last season. I believe that he died, but part of me wonders whether or not we’ll see him again. Melisandre (Carice van Houten) believed that she saw him fighting a great battle when she looked into the fire – what if she saw him fighting for the wrong side? Just a theory, but it’s one that I wanted to have down in writing just in case!

Game of Thrones: Season Six Preview – Part One

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Arthur Dayne, Arya Stark, Azor Ahai, Beric Dondarrion, Braavos, Bran Stark, Brienne of Tarth, Bronn, Carice van Houten, Catelyn Stark, Cersei Lannister, Cleganebowl, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Daniel Portman, David Bradley, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dorne, Dragons, Drogon, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Premiere, Game of Thrones Season Five, Game of Thrones Season Six, Game of Thrones Season Six Preview, Ghost, Gwendoline Christie, Hardhome, Ian Beattie, Is Jon Snow Dead?, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jaime Lannister, Jaqen H'ghar, Jerome Flynn, John Bradley, Jon Snow, Jon Snow Dead?, Jon Snow Death, Jon Snow Resurrection, Jonathan Pryce, King's Landing, Kingsguard, Kit Harington, Kristofer Hivju, Lady Stoneheart, Lena Headey, Liam Cunningham, Littlefinger, Lyanna Stark, Maester Aemon, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Max von Sydow, Meereen, Melisandre, Meryn Trant, Michael McElhatton, Michelle Fairley, Michiel Huisman, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, No One, Oathbreaker, Paul Kaye, Peter Dinklage, Peter Vaughan, Podrick Payne, R + L = J, Ramsay Bolton, Rhaegar Targaryen, Richard Dormer, Richard Madden, Rickon Stark, Robb Stark, Roose Bolton, Samwell Tarly, Sansa Stark, Ser Davos, Sophie Turner, Stannis Baratheon, Stephen Dillane, Television, Television Review, The Boltons, The Dothraki, The Gravedigger Theory, The Greyjoys, The High Sparrow, The Hound, The Iron Throne, The Mad King, The Night's King, The Night's Watch, The Red Wedding, The Red Woman, The Three-Eyed-Raven, The Tower of Joy, The Wall, The Wildlings, Theon Greyjoy, Thoros of Myr, Tom Wlaschiha, Tormund Giantsbane, TV, TV Review, Walder Frey, White Walkers, Winter Is Coming, Winterfell

This preview will contain spoilers for everything that’s happened on the show so far, as well as a couple of fan theories and some book plot points which are yet to appear on the show.

On the 25^th of April “Game of Thrones” returns to our screens. After months of speculation we’ll finally discover the fate of Jon Snow (Kit Harington), the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch who was mercilessly left in a puddle of his own blood in the season five finale, as well as a few other things that fans have basically ignored over the last few months.

Jon Snow

via mtv.com

I should start with the elephant in the room… will Jon Snow be brought back from the dead? His death has been the focus of multiple fan theories since the season five finale, with many book readers stating that he will be resurrected; this has led to denials from several cast members and indeed Kit Harington himself. Personally, I would love it if Jon Snow didn’t come back this year simply because of the collective outrage that there would be, but it seems very unlikely. In my opinion, it would be quite ridiculous to put so much work into developing the character, placing him at the forefront of the story, just to kill him off.

This has happened before on “Game of Thrones”, but there’s an important difference when it comes to our favourite bastard. The problem with Jon Snow not coming back is that it would significantly weaken the show’s narrative and the work that has been done so far, because not only has the character himself been given a lot of screen time, but other characters have spoken on several occasions about his parentage and the mythical Azor Ahai. There have been references to the fact that Jon Snow could in fact be a Targaryen ever since the show began, and there have also been many mentions of a possible death and resurrection involving the character – remember when Maester Aemon (Peter Vaughan) said ‘kill the boy Jon Snow, let the man be born’ last season? These aren’t just throw-away lines of dialogue written for dramatic effect; they have a purpose and they foreshadow what is to come.

We know that Jon Snow’s return is possible in this universe because of Beric Dondarrion’s (Richard Dormer) resurrection at the hands of Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye) back in season three, and there’s no coincidence in the fact that Melisandre (Carice van Houten) – who spoke to Thoros directly during season three about such things – finds herself at The Wall at the start of season six. She’s lost her reason for existence now that Stannis (Stephen Dillane) is dead, and she will be looking for a new person to lead the realms of men against the White Walkers, with the obvious choice being Jon.

It’s been too easy in the build up to this season for the actors to say things like ‘Jon Snow isn’t coming back’, ‘Jon Snow is dead’, and ‘Kit Harington has been seen on set because he’ll be playing a corpse’, because all of these things are true. Nobody has to lie to say any of those things because Jon really was killed at the end of season five, he will be a corpse at the start of this one, and he may not come back as the exact same character.

In any case, I don’t think that Jon Snow will come back straight away. Pacing will be of the upmost importance when it comes to this storyline because the writers will want to keep people guessing for as long as possible, so we may have to sit back and theorise a little while longer.

As a side-note, I’d like to mention the fact that the Night’s Watch mutineers didn’t burn the body immediately after killing Jon Snow, which is something that you would’ve expected them to do when they had the chance. For me, this is a significant plot hole which speaks to the possibility that he will be resurrected, because it really doesn’t make sense that men of the Night’s Watch would leave a dead body out in the open when they know that it could be reanimated as a wight, unless this would somehow serve the story. Of course, I can’t be 100% sure that they don’t intend to burn the body before something stops them (maybe Ghost, the wildlings, or Davos (Liam Cunningham)), but the marketing team has edited the trailer in such a way that it does seem as though the body has simply been left to decay.

The Boltons vs. Sansa, Theon, Davos, Tormund, and the Northern Lords

via screenrant.com

Sticking to the North; Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) ended last season on a high, defeating Stannis’ army and partaking in his favourite pastime (murder). However, he isn’t going to be quite so happy when he returns from the battlefield at the start of this season to find that his prized asset has escaped from Winterfell. Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Theon (Alfie Allen) took the long dive down into the snow from the castle walls in the season finale last year to get away from Ramsay, so it’s likely that his first priority will be to get them back when we see him again.

There’s also the small matter of the fact that his lover died at the hands of those same escapees, so I dread to think what torture he will have in store for them if he actually finds them.

Despite the fact that Ramsay has lost his toys, this season wouldn’t be the same if he wasn’t playing the role of the show’s most hateable villain. With that in mind, I think the most obvious course of action for him would be to kill his future half-brother and mother-in-law so that Roose (Michael McElhatton) doesn’t have a legitimate heir – this would be suitably evil because Roose’s wife seems pretty harmless, and killing an unborn baby is frowned upon even in the “Game of Thrones” universe. I’d also like this moment to be followed up with Roose confronting Ramsay, only for Ramsay to say something along the lines of – ‘I learnt it from you’ – given the fact that Roose killed Robb Stark‘s (Richard Madden) unborn child at the Red Wedding. In a dream scenario this would then be followed by Ramsay killing his father, or vice versa – but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

A plot point like this would be shocking and maintain the character’s persona, whilst also giving him something to do whilst Sansa is away. It would also make sense given the nature of Roose as a character, because he’s definitely going to reprimand Ramsay for giving Sansa a reason to run away and this will frustrate the young Lord to a point where he may feel that he’s left with no option but to take drastic action.

The most interesting aspect of this storyline from my perspective is the reason why Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) and the wildlings seem to be fighting against the Boltons in the footage from the trailers. We know from experience that the wildlings don’t like to get involved in power disputes in what they see as the South, so there has to be some outside reason why they are willing to fight, other than the fact that Ramsay is an absolute bastard despite his legitimisation.

One possibility here is that they have been forced away from The Wall after Jon Snow’s death, which would be interesting because Winterfell is the obvious place to go for protection. It’s been said on the show that 50 men could defend Winterfell against 500, so there’s every chance that they could see the castle as their next best option after The Wall.

It looks like the wildlings could rally around Ser Davos, who will most likely try to persuade the Northern Lords to help him in fighting the White Walkers, so there’s a chance that he could seek Roose’s help along the way. Maybe Roose refuses to help, and thus Davos agrees to join the other lords to defeat him in return for their aid against the Walkers? It’s just a thought, but it could be interesting. A simpler explanation would be that Jon Snow is resurrected, finds out what Ramsay did to Sansa, and decides to get some lovely revenge. This would fit with the theme of the season, as many cast members have spoken about how vengeance will be a key aspect of “Game of Thrones” this year.

Bran vs. The White Walkers

I think we can all agree that Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) is one of the least memorable and least likeable characters on “Game of Thrones”, which is why no one noticed his absence in season five. However, hopefully we can also agree that one of the best moments from the season six trailer is when Bran turns around to see The Night’s King standing behind him.

This scene probably has a lot of people wetting their pants at the exciting possibility of Bran exiting the show for good, but let’s be clear – Bran can’t walk. In that scene he’s clearly standing up, so it’s obvious that this moment is either a vision or a dream. We know that off-screen Bran has been going through a tedious training montage with the Three-Eyed-Raven (Max von Sydow), learning all about greensight and how to make the most out of his powers, so it’s probably a vision. Still, there’s a good chance that Bran will come face to face with the White Walkers for real at some point over the course of this season, because they are clearly seen causing damage on the trailer. They’ve already taken Hardhome, so there’s a high probability that their next stop will be either the lair of the Three-Eyed-Raven, or The Wall.

Isaac Hempstead-Wright has spoken publicly in the build-up to season six about how his character will have visions of the past, present, and future this year, with the past probably being the most documented as it appears extremely likely that Bran will provide our insight into Jon Snow’s true parentage, with the Tower of Joy all but confirmed. For those of you who can’t remember, this is where Rhaegar Targaryen took Lyanna Stark after he (allegedly) kidnapped her. The flashback will show Ned Stark and his men taking on Arthur Dayne and two other members of the Mad King’s Kingsguard, in what is sure to be one of the best moments yet on “Game of Thrones”, answering a question which fans of the books have been asking for twenty years.

Arya

The last Stark on my to-do-list for this preview is that charming blind assassin known as Arya (Maisie Williams). At the end of last season Arya brutally killed Meryn Trant (Ian Beattie), as revenge for the murder of her ‘dance teacher’ Syrio Forel (Miltos Yerolemou) in season one. This act cost her her eyesight, as Jaqen H’ghar (Tom Wlaschiha) punished her for taking a life which was not hers to take. She will be blind at the start of the season and for the foreseeable future, so I expect to see her adapting to this new difficultly whist also trying to serve the Many-Faced God.

Nevertheless, I don’t think that she’ll be blind for the entirety of the season. I’m hoping that she finally moves on from Braavos and becomes the person that she’s meant to be before season six finishes, because I think that the majority of the audience is getting tired of how her story has stagnated recently. She was my favourite character in season four but she’s become something of an afterthought after last season, so I hope that she’ll decide that being No One is someone else’s calling. How this will come about is anyone’s guess, but there’s only so many times that a girl can get slapped and be called No One before she slaps back.

Littlefinger

via whatculture.com

There’s not a lot to be said about Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) right now, other than that he seems to be losing control. He’s had a plan from the beginning, and it seems like he’s always been one step ahead, but last season he was juggling a lot of powerful people and he made a couple of stupid mistakes. He’s always got a trick up his sleeve, but it’s unlikely that Sansa will be happy about the situation that he left her in last year, and I don’t think that Cersei (Lena Headey) will be very pleased if she finds out that he had a hand in delivering her to The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce).

I had a sneaky suspicion that Littlefinger’s time might be up on “Game of Thrones” until very recently, because it doesn’t seem like he has a place in this world if the White Walkers get past The Wall. However, in a recent interview, when asked about what she’d like to see happen on “Game of Thrones”, Sophie Turner said that she wanted to see Littlefinger on the Iron Throne. This would be incredibly difficult if he happened to be dead before the end of season six.

Still, this isn’t proof that he survives the season – far from it – because Turner has also stated that this year she hasn’t read parts of the script which don’t relate to her character so that she can watch the show as a fan. This does suggest that Littlefinger could die in an upcoming episode without her knowing, but I still believe that it would be quite difficult for Sophie Turner to remain ignorant of Littlefinger’s fate when he seems to appear in the North on the trailer. It was my contention that if Littlefinger was to die then Sansa would have to have a hand in it, or that it would at least come to her attention, so maybe we can put thoughts of Littlefinger’s demise on ice for now. On the other hand, if Lady Stoneheart appears and Littlefinger is in the North then it is definitely squeaky-bum-time.

Brienne, Jaime, and Lady Stoneheart

via variety.com

(SPOILER ALERT) Speaking of Lady Stoneheart… whether or not the resurrected and very angry Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) will make an appearance in season six is another aspect of the story which remains unclear, but it has been reported that Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr will return, which leaves me feeling very suspicious. If Lady Stoneheart does turn up then Brienne’s (Gwendoline Christie) head will be on the chopping block for failing to protect the Stark children, as will Jaime’s (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) for crippling Bran back in episode one.

It seems like Jaime, Pod (Daniel Portman), Bronn (Jerome Flynn), and Brienne will meet up again at some point this season, because it looks like Pod is grabbed in the trailer by Bronn, so they will all be in one place if our least favourite dead Stark comes back from the dead.

There are a lot of theories going around suggesting that Jaime will help Brienne to get revenge on the Freys on behalf of the Stark children, which would be interesting and could save his skin, but I think it’s a tough one to call. If Jaime is going to stand at the head of the Lannister army, which the trailers suggest that he will, then I don’t think it would be a very sensible decision to go after Walder Frey (David Bradley), even if Jaime feels he has an oath to keep.

That’s it for Part One – Part Two will focus on King’s Landing, Meereen, The Greyjoys, and Daenerys’ troubles with the Dothraki. I’ll also go into detail about a fan theory relating to The Hound and the possibility that seasons seven and eight will be shortened to eight episodes each. Thanks for reading!

Game of Thrones: Season Five, Episode 8 – “Hardhome”

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Alliser Thorne, Art Parkinson, Arya Stark, Braavos, Bran Stark, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Ciaran Hinds, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones, Hardhome, Iain Glen, Ian McElhatton, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jaqen H'ghar, John Bradley, Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Meereen, Melisandre, Natalie Dormer, Owen Teale, Peter Dinklage, Ramsay Bolton, Rickon Stark, Roose Bolton, Samwell Tarly, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Stannis Baratheon, Stephen Dillane, Television, The House of Black and White, The Iron Throne, The Many-Faced God, The Night's King, The Night's Watch, Theon Greyjoy, Tom Wlaschiha, Tommen Baratheon, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Westeros, White Walkers, Wildlings, Winterfell

Up until now “Game of Thrones” has used its fantasy backdrop sparingly; we are treated to dragons a couple of times each season, and from time to time we see Melisandre (Carice van Houten) gaze into the fire, but otherwise we rarely see instances of magic or sorcery on the show. With fantasy on the backburner “Game of Thrones” has managed to create some of the most compelling episodes of television we’re ever likely to see, using political intrigue and a host of deceitful characters to conjure tension and excitement aplenty. “Hardhome” is up there with the best that “Game of Thrones” has had to offer, not because it withholds fantasy, but because it pushes it to the forefront, reaching a level of grandeur that’s almost unthinkable on any show but this.

A lot of attention has been focused on the final twenty minutes of “Hardhome”, and with good reason, because it’s that prolonged action sequence and the immediate moments preceding it which elevate the episode beyond great to fantastic. However, the episode still would’ve been of a very high quality without its epic battle sequence, because every one of the characters involved had a significant moment, and the character interactions were compelling.

via indiewire.com

In Meereen we got to see Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) pick each other’s brains, and the two back-and-forth’s they had actually lived up to expectations. After the events of last week it was unclear what Daenerys would make of Tyrion and how she could possibly trust him, given that he’s a Lannister and also that he’s technically a murderer (who isn’t in Westeros?). This week our questions were answered, as Daenerys showcased her kinder side, allowing Tyrion to have his say and also prove his worth.

It was a surprise to me that she came around to the idea of Tyrion advising her so quickly, because he’s part of a family that she loathes and she has no sure-fire way of knowing that he’s telling the truth. Still, I didn’t mind this so much because it was obvious that the show would get to this point, and although events were slightly streamlined, I’d much prefer this rushed approach to a drawn out sequence of events which would ultimately lead to the same conclusion. Also, having to move swiftly onwards is something that “Game of Thrones” needs to do, given that the showrunners only have another two or three seasons planned, with each of those containing the usual ten episodes.

Emilia Clarke and Peter Dinklage are excellent in their scenes together, which is partly due to how well written their lines are, but it also speaks to the fact that these are two of the best actors on the show. They are both incredibly in tune with their characters and they portray their emotions without feeling the need to be overly expressive or aggressive. They have a conversation with one another, and it feels real; it never once seems like these are just two people in a room delivering their lines.

via tyrionlannister.net

Tyrion’s evaluation of Jorah’s (Iain Glen) return made a lot of sense, although it was sad to see him removed from Daenerys’ side once again. Tyrion used his intelligence and political pedigree to demonstrate his value as an advisor, whilst also keeping Jorah alive; it was so refreshing to see someone in Meereen with a bit of sense! He also placated Daenerys by effectively supporting her decision to banish Jorah in the first place, because the way that he assessed the situation, ruling out both execution and forgiveness, made it seem as though the ruling that Daenerys had initially made was the only logical choice. It was smart on Tyrion’s part and it also felt as though he was correctly analysing the situation, so I enjoyed the scene a lot, particularly when Peter Dinklage expertly delivered the line, ‘a ruler who kills those devoted to her is not a ruler who inspires devotion’.

In Braavos, Arya’s (Maisie Williams) story finally felt as though it was moving forward, as she was assigned her first true test as a servant of the Many-Faced God. The scene in which she narrated her new persona’s activities was really nice, because it took us away from the bleak interior of The House of Black and White and out into Braavos. For the first time we were able to get a proper look at this world, which was really great; we got an idea of Braavos’ personality, which can only be a good thing if Arya is going to be staying there for the foreseeable future.

In this episode I actually enjoyed the interaction between Arya and Jaqen H’ghar (Tom Wlaschiha). Arya felt like a warrior in training, rather than a slave to the Many-Faced God, which is a much more natural role for her. Jaqen’s attitude towards Arya’s mission put the emphasis on her to do her job properly and to excel, because no one is watching her back in Braavos and nobody will come to her rescue, which makes the stakes that little bit higher.

via critics-associated.com

In this episode Cersei (Lena Headey) sunk lower than ever before. She’s made her bed and now she has to sleep in it, which is satisfying for the audience (because she deserves everything she gets), but the quality of Lena Headey’s performance also manages to make us feel at least a small degree of sympathy for her. Whether or not she manipulates her son, she does so because she thinks she knows what’s best for him and wants to protect him, so the fact that he’s now alone without a mother, a father, a sibling, a wife, or even grandparents, is something that Cersei is going to feel terrible about. This realisation could force Cersei to confess even if malnutrition doesn’t.

Also, I was glad that we heard about Tommen’s (Dean-Charles Chapman) activities rather than having to sit through them, because I don’t think many people really connect with him or care about his plight (I certainly don’t), and he would only be taking up valuable screen time.

At Winterfell, Sansa (Sophie Turner) made a short but meaningful appearance. For weeks now I’ve been internally screaming at my television when she shared the screen with Theon (Alfie Allen), desperately begging the latter to spill the beans about Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and Rickon (Art Parkinson).

via winteriscoming.net

In this episode that finally happened, to my relief, and it made everything seem that little bit more hopeful for the eldest of the remaining Starks. Hopefully it will renew her vigour so that she is strong enough to fight against the Boltons and survive Ramsay (Iwan Rheon). However, it’s interesting that Ramsay is now looking to lead some sort of offensive against Stannis (Stephen Dillane), because Sansa picked up a weapon last week that I thought she’d try to use on him, but if he’s leaving soon that might not be possible. If he isn’t there to attack then I don’t know who she is going to try to kill, but it would be really interesting if she managed to murder Roose (Ian McElhatton) because that would make Ramsay the Lord of Winterfell.

Sophie Turner was brilliant this week – I’ve been very impressed with her performances this season, and even though she hasn’t had an abundance of screen time I feel that she’s been great whenever she’s appeared. She portrays a lot of raw emotion, but she does so in a way that’s restrained enough to be believable. When she asks Theon about her brothers she’s loud, she’s sad, and she’s angry, but she doesn’t scream the house down – she gets everything she does just right, and she’s a joy to watch.

Elsewhere, Olly (Brenock O’Connor) is being positioned as a danger for Jon Snow (Kit Harington), and it’s abundantly clear that he’s considering his options. Sam (John Bradley) didn’t seem to realise that, because he probably doesn’t see the child as a threat, but I think if you read between the lines of what Olly is saying in this episode it’s obvious that he’s asking his questions for a reason. He’s mulling something over, and I think that something is probably related to Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) having a word in his ear. Some of Olly’s dialogue was more for the audience than for Sam, reminding everyone what had happened to him again, making sure no one forgets at a moment when it might come back to bite Jon, but that’s okay because a lot of people probably ignore those moments as Olly isn’t perceived as an ‘important’ player in the game.

via ew.com

The best scenes of this episode clearly took place at Hardhome. I didn’t know what to expect from Jon’s journey, because I wasn’t too sure if the wildlings would be accommodating, but I was glad to see that they are capable of a civilised conversation despite the fact that Mance (Ciaran Hinds) is no longer around. On the trailer there was a fight scene that seemed to take place at Hardhome, which I immediately remembered so that took some of the impact away from what I was seeing, but I didn’t know if the fighting would be between Jon and the White Walkers, or Jon and the Wildlings, so the stakes still felt high during the negotiations.

The scene before the wights appeared was really tense, mainly due to the atmosphere generated by the falling snow and the whirling wind which carried it. It was quiet and calm, but we all knew what was coming. Seeing the White Walkers controlling the violence as they watched from afar on the mountain was really quite awesome, and when the Walker entered the frame to fight Jon it was an amazing moment. It was one of those scenes that makes you turn to the person next to you and say ‘wow’. It changed the focus of the entire series, because now we’re going to want to see more scenes like this and anticipate the White Walker invasion, meaning that we won’t focus entirely on the battle for the Iron Throne.

The effects were fantastic, because in previous seasons the White Walkers have looked slightly off, and I do know people who have mixed feelings about them. I thought the silhouette visuals from the first episode were really interesting, but sometimes they do look a little bit fake (for want of a better word). However, in this episode it looked like the showrunners had gone all out to make sure that the Night’s King was visually menacing and imposing, and the effect of the White Walker shattering like broken glass was much more impressive than the effect we saw when Sam killed the Walker Beyond the Wall.

Jon’s fight with the White Walker was made all the more remarkable by the sound work; the music was fast and high tempo when the pair went at it initially, but that all changed when Jon fell and was fleeing. At that point the sound completely cut out other than whistling wind, adding substantially to the feeling of fear and dread that both he and the audience were feeling.

via winteriscoming.net

The scene itself culminated in the Night’s King raising the dead, thereby strengthening his army and displaying his power to Jon, and by extension the rest of the Night’s Watch. This was the White Walker’s way of saying ‘we’re here’ – Winter has arrived and soon it will engulf the entirety of Westeros.

The stakes were significantly raised by the appearance of the White Walkers in this episode, because up until now the focus of the season has been very much on the political side of things. Stannis has been planning his assault on the Boltons, Jon has been struggling with ruling over the Night’s Watch, Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and Cersei have been fighting to control Tommen, and Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) has been scheming to become Warden of the North.

Those are clearly really important moves for the characters, because they want to be in charge and become victorious in the game of thrones, but the White Walker problem Beyond the Wall buries those issues in the snow as if they were nothing. No matter who comes out on top, no matter who is on the Iron Throne, the Walkers will be waiting, and when they finally arrive no amount of political influence will save the people of Westeros.

via gameofthrones.wikia.com

This leads me to wonder who can possibly survive if the Walkers make it past The Wall – who has a chance? I look at Sansa, Theon, Littlefinger, Margaery, Tommen, Cersei, Ramsay, and many others and I don’t see them surviving for more than five minutes. The only characters that I think are capable of fighting off the White Walkers are Arya, Bran, Jon, Stannis, and Daenerys – so why should we care about the rest?

The implications of the scenes at Hardhome are clear – Jon knows what he’s facing and he’s going to tell everyone else at The Wall, but as he does this the Wildlings will be alongside him. I worry for him because I don’t think the people at The Wall will listen; they hate the Wildlings and they see them as their enemy, that’s just that. The problem then is that because Jon sees the bigger picture he will be adamant that the Wildlings should stay and fight with the Night’s Watch. If that’s going to be Jon’s position then he won’t be making many friends, and his safety has to be in question.

In conclusion, this episode was immense. Almost all of the main characters were visited, and whilst some of these visits were short, everyone had at least one great moment. Sansa, Arya, Jon and Cersei each had a brilliant scene, and with episode nine fast approaching, I can’t help but be excited to see what will come next. The debate right now is whether or not this is the best episode of the series to date – I’m not sure, but I think it’s definitely up there. It’s hard to separate the best episodes, because they’re great for different reasons, but there are three or four 10/10 episodes I can think of, and “Hardhome” is another to put in that category. Television doesn’t get better than this in terms of acting, writing, spectacle or special effects, so for me it’s perfection.

10/10

Game of Thrones: Season Five, Episode 5 – “Kill the Boy”

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Barristan Selmy, Brandon Stark, Brenock O'Connor, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Charles Dance, Charlotte Hope, Cinderella, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dragons, Dragonstone, Drogon, Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones, Grey Worm, Greyscale, Hizdahr, Iain Glen, Ian McElhinney, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jack Gleeson, Jacob Anderson, Jaime Lannister, Joel Fry, Joffrey Baratheon, John Bradley, Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, Kerry Ingram, Kill The Boy, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Maester Aemon, Margaery Tyrell, Marvel, Meereen, Melisandre, Michael McElhatton, Missandei, Mother of Dragons, Myranda, Natalie Dormer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ned Stark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Old Valyria, Peter Dinklage, Peter Vaughan, Queen, Ramsay Bolton, Rhaegal, Richard Madden, Robb Stark, Roose Bolton, Rory McCann, Samwell Tarly, Sansa Stark, Sean Bean, Shireen Baratheon, Sophie Turner, Stannis Baratheon, Stephen Dillane, Stone Men, Television Review, The Hobbit, The Hound, The Night's Watch, The Red Wedding, The Seven Kingdoms, The Wall, The Witcher 3, Theon Greyjoy, Tommen Baratheon, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Valar Morghulis, Viserion, Westeros, White Walkers, Wildlings, Winterfell

This episode of “Game of Thrones” season five was easily my favourite so far. The first two episodes had me slightly concerned that this season would be the start of a downturn in quality from the series, but since then it has gone from strength to strength. Each storyline is compelling and feels as though it has a clear direction, and every line carries with it a certain significance, whether it be a warning for episodes to come, or exposition to help the audience properly connect with what follows. “Kill the Boy” was another dialogue-heavy episode, but for me those are the best kind as long as the delivery is good and the words spoken carry some weight.

The episode began where the previous one had left off, letting the audience know the fates of Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney) and Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson), so as to not keep viewers waiting any longer than necessary after a week of anticipation. It wasn’t too big a surprise that Selmy was the one to bite the dust, because he seemed to take the worse injury and had less of a clearly defined role to play in the future. His death opens up space to have Jorah (Iain Glen) and Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) at Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) side, if that’s the direction that the show is going to take, so it made sense to have his story come to a close. Grey Worm on the other hand is the only Unsullied that any of the audience actually knows, so to kill him off wouldn’t make a lot of sense, because I’m sure that they’ll have battles in the future that we will presumably need to be invested in.

Grey Worm’s death also would’ve made his interactions with Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) in previous episodes extremely pointless – they already feel that way to me, but to have him die with no pay-off to their clear attraction to one another would’ve been a bit odd. That pay-off came in this episode, as the pair kissed for the first time, but I have to say that I don’t feel invested in either character or their relationship. It’s good to have side characters with defined motivations, but it’s not so good to take time away from a very strong episode for something which ultimately feels worthless.

via gameofthrones.wikia.com

The scenes in Meereen have been hit and miss for me since the start of this season; there have been some interesting moments, but most of the time I find Daenerys frustrating. However, in this episode she felt more like the character that we loved in season one – a girl out of her depth, who despite everything still manages to be a badass. We want to see the Mother of Dragons and potential Queen of The Seven Kingdoms as a strong woman making her own choices, so it was nice that she finally started doing that in this episode, even if she seemed more like her infamous father than we’d like!

My suspicions regarding Hizdahr (Joel Fry) were all but confirmed by this episode, as Daenerys had him and the other heads of Meereen’s great houses taken into the chambers of her two shackled dragons. It was nice to see that Daenerys still has power over them and that they aren’t just going to hate her forever, because I think that the audience needed to know that going forward. The reason that I think Hizdahr is going to be the antagonist in Meereen is that Daenerys treats him like he’s harmless, which is never a good sign on “Game of Thrones”. In this episode she had ample opportunity to make him a tasty meal for Rhaegal and Viserion, but instead she let him live, and dropped the bombshell that she’d decided to marry him for the sake of her leadership! I just can’t see that ending well for her.

I also thought it was strange that when he faced death he said ‘valar morghulis’ because he’s been made out to be a coward all along, yet now he has the balls to face death as it comes. He isn’t all he seems, so unless there’s a different twist for his character in the works I think he’s the big bad in Meereen. The marriage between the two adds weight to that theory for me, because it’s not all that likely that Hizdahr will be riding one of the dragons to Westeros if Daenerys eventually makes a play for King’s Landing.

via pixcelation.com

Despite the fact that Daenerys made what I take to be another crucial mistake by allowing Hizdahr to live, she showed that she’s the one with all the power – if she wasn’t a kind character then she would definitely have the capacity to be the villain on the series. She has dragons, she has an army, and she has a group of powerful men backing her in the hopes of a Targaryen restoration. Plus, she’s willing to let her enemies become dragon food if needs be!

I really wasn’t expecting that scene, and the way that Daenerys acted as her children mercilessly killed a human being was quite a surprise. She almost seemed to enjoy it, which made sense because it must’ve felt like revenge for Barristan Selmy’s death, but it was vicious from Daenerys considering that it wasn’t entirely necessary. The lighting in the scene made it all the more tense and exciting, because the flames from the dragons reflected off the walls in the dark room and made Daenerys glow, also showing sweat on the faces of her enemies as they feared for their lives. It was an awesome scene, and details like the lighting are all the more impressive when you remember that there aren’t really any dragons casting that light, it’s all being artificially produced in one way or another. This was the best Daenerys scene since the start of season three, and probably the best moment of the episode.

Following these scenes at Meereen we made the long journey to The Wall. The political landscape at the Night’s Watch is intriguing right now, as Jon Snow (Kit Harington) attempts to broker a Wildling-Crow alliance in order to give both parties a better chance of survival, once winter finally arrives. The dilemma for Jon is a serious and complicated one, because if he leaves the Wildlings to fend for themselves North of The Wall then it’s likely that they will be added to the army of the dead, which will make the eventual battle between the Night’s Watch and the White Walkers all the more difficult. However, if he allows the Wildlings to take shelter at The Wall, or gives them land, he’ll be helping the people that killed his friends. There’s no easy decision to be made, but one choice is about sentiment and the other is about survival, and Jon is more interested in the latter.

via collider.com

One of my favourite moments in the episode was when Jon sought advice from Maester Aemon (Peter Vaughan). He’s had a lot of great monologues since the start of the series, particularly in the first season when it was revealed to the audience that he was a Targaryen, but this was probably my favourite so far. The episode is entitled “Kill the Boy”, and when I saw that title I was expecting some crazy plot twist regarding Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) and an assassination plot, or something of that ilk, but instead it relates to Maester Aemon telling Jon to become a man and do the thing which is best for his people. Whether or not Jon will be able to kill the boy inside of him and become the leader that The Watch needs remains to be seen, but I think it could perhaps also be a foreboding nod for what’s to come – beware of Olly (Brenock O’Connor). Either way, this was a brilliant scene, well-acted and well-written – I am loving The Wall in season five.

Stannis (Stephen Dillane) began his journey to Winterfell in this episode, which while exciting, makes me slightly sad because he’s been such a great addition to The Wall so far this season. I think the blow will be eased by the fact that Jon is going to go to Hardhome with the Wildlings, because we probably won’t see much of The Wall in the next few episodes anyway, but I do wish we could’ve had as much time seeing Jon and Stannis interact as we did seeing Stannis twiddle his thumbs in previous seasons.

Before leaving Stannis managed to have one more memorable scene at The Wall, as he spoke to Samwell (John Bradley-West) about his escapades beyond The Wall, and displayed what felt like respect for his efforts. He seemed to value the fact that Sam was trying to learn more about his enemy, which I wasn’t expecting because Stannis is such a fierce character, but when I think about it he also puts a lot of thought into how he can overcome his foes in battle, so it made sense that he’d appreciate what Sam was up to. To be a great war commander you have to understand the worth of those people who research your enemy, because it’s their efforts which ultimately allow fighters to get the upper hand.

via entertainment-focus.com

So far this season Stannis’ focus has been on the Boltons, as he needs to take the North in order to stake his claim for the Iron Throne, but there are other things to worry about, so it was good to see that whilst the throne is his primary aim, he hasn’t forgotten about the enemy that lurks beyond The Wall. It was also really interesting to hear that they have dragonglass (obsidian) at Dragonstone, because that would seem to suggest that Stannis could get hold of some and make weapons for the Night’s Watch. This scene more than any other so far has led me to believe that Stannis might be along for the long haul on this series, which I was previously unsure of because of how much they’re pushing his character this season prior to meeting the Boltons in combat.

On “Game of Thrones” when you are becoming likeable and being given more screen time it’s likely that your head is edging closer to the chopping block, so recently I’ve felt concerned for Stannis as the showrunners have endeavoured to demonstrate that he’s both a good leader and an honourable man. However, this scene has renewed my hope that he will face a fate that is at least better than death – of course, the writers could still just be placing the rug beneath us, so as to pull it away when we’re getting comfortable.

Stannis faces a formidable foe in Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton), which the writers tried to portray in this episode by revealing that Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) was conceived through rape. Roose thinks back to this event with fondness as he reveals it to Ramsay; he doesn’t show any shame or remorse, instead he revels in the pain that he’s caused. He shows us all that he isn’t just an opportunist willing to stab a friend in the back; he’s a cruel and vicious man down to his core. Up till now Roose was just the man who killed Robb Stark (Richard Madden) to further his own agenda, which doesn’t make him a villain on this show. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) threw Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) out of a window in the first episode of this series, and he did so in order to preserve the incestuous relationship he had with his sister, which in turn produced one of the most brutal kings The Seven Kingdoms had ever known! Is Jaime a villain because of those actions? I’d guess that many would say no, so Roose’s actions at The Red Wedding don’t make him a villain.

via theverge.com

Nevertheless, the way that Roose talks to Ramsay in this episode does show that he’s a villain – words might seem a lot less sharp than daggers, but the mark they leave on an audience can be just as deep. Roose is a man who enjoys being bad, he feels nothing for the people he has harmed and doesn’t need a good reason to cause pain and anguish; he’s manipulating his son to do the things that he can’t do, because if he was flaying people alive left, right, and centre, he’d probably seem overzealous and unpleasant. He might be the man who killed Robb Stark, but he isn’t a tyrant yet – better to have Ramsay do his dirty work because everyone already knows how deranged he is.

The way that the writers are setting things up is intelligent, because they want us to hate Roose as we begin to like Stannis; they want there to be a clear fan favourite when it comes to the clash for Winterfell. What’s clear is that the stakes are high for that battle, because Roose isn’t going to show mercy to his enemies, and Ramsay would do terrible things to characters that the show wants us to like, such as Shireen (Kerry Ingram). A lot of people I’ve heard talking about Shireen’s character seem to think that Melisandre (Carice van Houten) has unholy plans for her, which could well be the case given the power of the royal blood which runs through her veins, but I could just as easily see her being killed by Ramsay, which would be harsh even for this show.

Probably my favourite scene at Winterfell in this episode was the one in which Ramsay struggled to keep Myranda (Charlotte Hope) in check. We didn’t know a lot about her prior to this episode, but this scene did a great job of quickly introducing her motivations and her dynamic with Ramsay, so that she could be a key antagonist in the rest of the season. The writers are clearly trying to make it seem like Myranda is just as evil as Ramsay, which is intriguing because it puts Sansa (Sophie Turner) in a lot of danger and gives us one more reason to feel concerned about her in episodes to come.

via winteriscoming.net

The writers did a good job of making Ramsay seem like the bad guy in the interaction between himself and Myranda, because he was very blasé about their relationship but also very controlling at the same time, but what was intriguing was that it also seemed like Myranda was playing him to a certain degree. She wanted him to be angry and she could give as good as she got; she enticed him by biting his lip and made him reaffirm how he felt for her by threatening that she would marry someone else – she has sway over him, at least on some level. Of course, that could backfire badly for her if she gets too cocky, but for now it’s exciting to guess what she’ll do next, given how unstable she seems to be, and I’m hoping she can get away with quite a lot of mischief before she gets her comeuppance.

Myranda’s primary role in this episode was simply to make Sansa seem in even more trouble than we already knew she was, but she also did something very significant by reintroducing Theon (Alfie Allen), a.k.a. Reek, to Sansa. After we were taken full circle, seeing the Broken/Burned Tower where this series really began, Myranda took Sansa to the kennels for a ‘surprise’. That surprise wasn’t presents and cake, instead, it was revealed to Sansa that the supposed murderer of her two brothers was sleeping with the dogs as Ramsay’s personal slave/servant. It’s been so long since the two last saw one another that there was almost a sense of relief behind Sansa’s disgust, because as Ramsay pointed out, Theon is the closest thing that Sansa has to family at Winterfell, but I could definitely see Sansa seeking revenge at some point.

Seeing the two be reunited, even in their dire circumstances, was a great moment in the episode, as it served to show just how much Jaime’s actions in season one changed the course of history and ultimately made the show what it is today. If that had never happened then Sansa might’ve been Queen, which wouldn’t have been great for her, but perhaps it would’ve been better if Ned (Sean Bean) was still alive. If Jaime hadn’t hurt Bran then perhaps Ned wouldn’t have snooped around so much, so he never would’ve realised the truth about the Lannister’s dirty secret, and he could’ve simply been adviser to Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) in King’s Landing. As for Theon, he would’ve been adviser to Robb at Winterfell, helping him decide how to best deal with winter and probably living a fairly mundane life – so Jaime really did make things worse for everyone.

via gameofthrones.wikia.com

A lot of people were disappointed by the scenes at Winterfell, because it’s been said that Sansa is still acting like a pawn, and that her dialogue isn’t as pragmatic and nuanced as we should expect given that she’s been learning how to play this game for so long. She’s seen Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), Cersei (Lena Headey), Ned, Tyrion, Tywin (Charles Dance) and even Margaery (Natalie Dormer) playing the game as they see fit, so a lot of people are disappointed that those experiences don’t show when she talks to people like Ramsay and Roose.

However, I disagree with this line of thought, because the smartest thing for Sansa to do right now is be obedient and quiet. She’s stayed alive by doing that so far, so maybe the best thing for her to do is bide her time and to know which lessons apply to which situations. If she suddenly decides to be a smart-arse with the Boltons then she has no one in the immediate vicinity to rescue her – The Hound (Rory McCann) isn’t going to swoop in and save the day this time. She’s alone, so she has to be careful, and that’s how I view these scenes. At any moment things could go array, and I think it’s in these moments that we’ll see if Sansa has truly changed, not at the dinner table surrounded by crazy men. If Sansa has the guts to end a life then she’s changed, and I can definitely see her getting that triumphant moment in the future.

via vanityfair.com

The episode ended with Tyrion and Jorah, as they continued their journey to meet Daenerys – although it’s probably not the best time to be a traitor or a Lannister on your way to Meereen! I haven’t said much about Tyrion in recent weeks, but that’s mostly because he hasn’t been up to much, and to be honest I haven’t enjoyed his scenes. He’s in a place as a character that Daenerys often has been, whereby we like him and want to keep track of his movements, but nothing compelling is really happening while he’s on screen. That changed this week, as Tyrion and Jorah finally faced some adversity to spice up their journey.

Jorah and Tyrion travelled through the ruins of old Valyria, which had many a fan in awe, because there’s never really been a description of what it would look like in the books, and it’s also new terrain on the show. It looked beautiful, and it was very quaint for a few moments as Tyrion and Jorah delivered some poignant lines, but this was merely the calm before the storm. First, the scene we’d all been waiting for since the season five poster was revealed finally arrived, as Tyrion saw Drogon soaring above him, looking as powerful and graceful as you would expect him to in the open air. This was a great moment for the show, because up until now Tyrion has never seen a dragon – now that he has, he shouldn’t need quite as much motivation to want to side with Daenerys!

Second, as Drogon flew out of the shot and into the distance, a shadowy figure in the background fell into the water below. That scene was very cool, because the creature just seemed to let himself fall without a care in the world. It seemed like something straight out of a horror film, and I actually rewound immediately in order to get a better look at what had fallen before letting things play out. I was a bit disappointed in the appearance of the Stone Men once they were up close, because they did just look like middle-aged men with make-up on, but the stakes were still high and the scene itself was quite well choreographed. Thinking back, it was nice that in a couple of episodes before this one we had greyscale properly explained to us, because that saved time in this episode so that the characters didn’t have too much exposition to get through whilst they faced the prospect of death (something which bogs down a lot of film and television – particularly the “Hobbit” movies, and every Marvel film).

via entertainment-focus.com

When the dust settled and Tyrion had been saved from a watery grave by Jorah, things never felt right. Both characters said that they hadn’t been touched by the Stone Men, but it ended up that both had! It wasn’t clear if Tyrion had lied for a reason, but I don’t think he has greyscale, I think he just said no because none of the men actually touched his skin and he wanted to be left alone. The reveal at the end that Jorah had contracted greyscale was an interesting way to end the episode, because it could potentially spell the end for him, and it will likely add an extra layer of intrigue to the trip to Meereen, which now seems as though it will take even longer.

I don’t know what this means for Jorah as a character, but my best guess would be that this will be the reason that he ends up in the fighting pits. In the trailer a person that looks like Jorah seems to be fighting there, which makes a lot more sense now that Jorah has basically been handed a death sentence, because to prove himself to Daenerys he could fight for her against an enemy, or perhaps he could do something really interesting like fight on behalf of Tyrion – a third trial by combat isn’t completely out of the question! He could even be fighting for himself in that case, because as Tyrion pointed out in the previous episode, Jorah is just as likely to face execution as he is.

This episode of “Game of Thrones” was full of intrigue and promises much for the future. Not a great deal happened again, it has to be said, but I have no particular qualms with that because the pieces are there if you’re truly interested and want to put them together, and the fact that not a lot has been achieved so far just means that they’ve got a lot left to give in the season. We’re halfway through right now, and the episodes are only getting better, which bodes well for the second half of the season. There’s plenty of potential for another crazy ninth episode as well, as we could see Daenerys’ troubles in the fighting pits, a White Walker showdown with the Wildlings (and Jon Snow), or perhaps even Stannis’ battle with the Boltons (although I don’t think that’s on the horizon just yet). The only issue I had with the episode is how many characters it missed out, because we don’t want the show to have a fractured timeline and feel disjointed, but that’s something which can’t be criticised properly without first seeing how next week fares.

9/10

Game of Thrones: Season Five, Episode 4 – “Sons of the Harpy”

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Barristan Selmy, Bronn, Carice van Houten, Catelyn Stark, Cersei Lannister, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dorne, Emilia Clarke, Finn Jones, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Grey Worm, Gwendoline Christie, Hizdahr zo Loraq, Ian McElhinney, Iwan Rheon, Jaime Lannister, Jerome Flynn, Joel Fry, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, Kerry Ingram, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Loras Tyrell, Maraery Tyrell, Mark Addy, Meereen, Melisandre, Michael McElhatton, Michelle Fairley, Michiel Huisman, Natalie Dormer, Ned Stark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Oberyn, Pedro Pascal, Raleigh Ritchie, Ramsay Bolton, Roose Bolton, Sansa Stark, Sean Bean, Shireen Baratheon, Sons of the Harpy, Sophie Turner, Stannis Baratheon, Stephen Dillane, Television, The Faith Militant, The High Sparrow, The Hunger Games, The Sand Snakes, The Wall, TV, Winterfell

This review contains spoilers for the fourth episode of “Game of Thrones” season five, as well as a fan theory which could end up being a spoiler for a major character’s background. The fan theory spoiler will be clearly signposted so that you can avoid it if you want to.

This episode, entitled “Sons of the Harpy”, set the groundwork for the rest of the season, as character’s pasts and futures were explained implicitly to the audience. For those of us watching carefully enough there were numerous nods to a particular fan theory which could play a pivotal role in the story going forward, and there was also a lot of foreboding for what we might see before the end of the season, whether it be Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Bronn’s (Jerome Flynn) conversation regarding how they would like to die, or Littlefinger’s (Aidan Gillen) final lesson to Sansa (Sophie Turner) before he left for King’s Landing. It wasn’t the most exciting episode ever, but it did a lot of the hard work for this season, introducing the Faith Militant properly, the Sand Snakes, and the aforementioned fan theory, which will no doubt give future episodes much more clarity.

The next section contains possible spoilers for the future of the series, relating to a fan theory about a certain character’s parentage.

This episode more than any other has taken us past George R.R. Martin’s books and into new territory, through what seemed to be the beginning of the end regarding the mystery of Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) parentage. There’s a pretty popular theory among fans that R + L = J. This might not mean much to people who haven’t been paying close attention, but as far as I’m concerned it has to be right, and I can appreciate the series so much more because of that fact.

In this equation, R stands for Rhaegar Targaryen, son of the Mad King and brother to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Rhaegar was killed by Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) during Robert’s Rebellion, and he has been mentioned before on the series, most notably in the first episode when Robert and Ned (Sean Bean) were talking in front of Lyanna’s grave in the crypts of Winterfell.

L stands for Lyanna Stark, Ned Stark’s sister, who died long before the start of the series. The tale of Rhaegar’s affection for Lyanna was told by Littlefinger in this episode, followed by Sansa’s scathing comments about the supposed subsequent kidnapping and rape, although Littlefinger didn’t confirm or deny that theory, he simply smirked and carried on.

Finally, J stands for Jon Snow, meaning that, according to the theory, Jon Snow isn’t actually Ned Stark’s son at all; he’s the bastard child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. Without going through it too much, this makes a lot of sense and from the moment I heard about it I was sold, but the series hasn’t really made much of an effort to confirm the theory until now, other than the strange scene in the first season in which Ned refused to tell Robert who Jon’s mother was (the theory explains why he wouldn’t want to tell Robert, because Robert loved Lyanna and he wouldn’t like it if he knew that Rhaegar wasn’t actually a villainous rapist).

via theloop.ca

In this episode the writers wove this theory into the dialogue and the story beautifully, first with Stannis’ (Stephen Dillane) observation that sleeping with a woman other than his wife was very unlike Ned, second with Melisandre’s (Carice van Houten) sexual advances towards Jon (because she wanted to make another shadow baby, which requires royal blood – Targaryen and Stark would do pretty fine on that front), third with Littlefinger and Sansa’s conversation in the crypts of Winterfell, and finally with Barristan Selmy’s (Ian McElhinney) slightly out of place tale of a kind and gentle Rhaegar, who liked to sing and meet the people.

I don’t believe for a second that these comments were wasted words, rather, to me they seemed like a subtle nod from the writers to the fans, letting them know that something big is coming, and that they should all be ready. The way that the writers fit this theory into the episode really was impressive, because it wouldn’t take you out of the story if you didn’t have any idea who Rhaegar was before turning on your television, but if you do know the theory then you can appreciate the whole story right from the first episode that little bit more.

To someone casually watching the show these conversations would just seem like world-building, idle talk based around settings and the theme of leadership, yet in reality they are the beginnings of a pay-off that we’ve been waiting for since day one. The true brilliance of this episode is how the theory was worked in; how the writers winked at the audience and said ‘here we go’. That’s why I’ve taken time to spell it out, because this episode could seem completely ordinary and perhaps even lacklustre to someone who didn’t understand the bigger picture, but once you realise just how well the writers have done to not give away too much whilst also teasing their more enthusiastic fans, you see just how awesome the episode actually was.

From here on out there will only be spoilers for this episode and those that have preceded it.

via feministfiction.com

My favourite scene in this episode was Sansa and Littlefinger’s conversation in the crypts of Winterfell, not because of the theory which I’ve already mentioned, but because it gave me a better grasp of their relationship. I was slightly suspicious of Littlefinger’s motives before this episode, because no matter how nice Littlefinger is trying to be, there’s usually a good reason for his trying. For example, in episode three he told Sansa that if she didn’t want to marry Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) then she didn’t have to, he would turn their caravan around and they could go wherever she wanted to go, but he only did that to give her the confidence to make her own decision to go to Winterfell and go through with the marriage. He’s a manipulator, so it’s really hard to know what’s going on in his head.

This scene made me feel like Littlefinger actually cares for Sansa in his own disgusting and slightly perverse way. He’s a father figure to her, coaching her on the ways of the world and how to get by with the skill set she’s been given, but he also kisses her on the lips and seems to have projected his love for Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) right onto her. Despite the strange nature of his affection, it was almost sweet to see him give her a pep talk and leave her with a plan – if Stannis gets the better of the Boltons she will have the North, if he doesn’t she must make Ramsay give it to her by giving herself to him. Littlefinger always has a plan B, and I enjoyed him putting the cards on the table for Sansa before leaving her with the Boltons, even if he was perhaps doing so for the audience just as much as he was for her.

What’s interesting about this scene is that it raises a lot of questions for the future; Littlefinger is heading back to King’s Landing to deal with Cersei (Lena Headey), who could have a nasty plan for him, given how she’s been treating everyone else in her inner circle. There’s also the fact that Roose (Michael McElhatton) knows that Littlefinger is headed back to King’s Landing, and he could, should he wish, tell Cersei all about Littlefinger’s betrayal (even leaving out Sansa’s inclusion if he wanted to). If Roose did that he’d have his alliance with the Lannisters back, which is arguably a better position for him to be in than having an alliance with Littlefinger. Finally, the Faith Militant are now running around King’s Landing invading whorehouses and locking up those who go against the gods, which doesn’t spell good times for Littlefinger, especially given that the whorehouse they invaded in this episode was his.

I’m extremely worried that Littlefinger could die in the next few weeks, because everything is stacked up against him, and going back to King’s Landing could be his first strategic misstep. The fact that he told Sansa all about his plan and tried to make her feel more at ease, finally showing his softer side, only heightens this worry. It feels as though the show really wants us to become invested in the pair, which usually means something bad is going to happen to at least one of them. Littlefinger’s death would also propel Sansa forward, possibly making her even more hateful of the Boltons, and giving her the motivation she might need to overcome Ramsay. It would also give Brienne’s (Gwendoline Christie) storyline a push in the right direction (although I think the mere fact that Littlefinger won’t be at Sansa’s side will have that effect). It’s a difficult time to be a fan of Littlefinger, which I most definitely am, so let’s hope that he makes it out alive!

via momentumbooks.com.au

In King’s Landing things are heating up, and it feels like it won’t be too long until they reach boiling point. Cersei is playing her usual games and this time Loras (Finn Jones) is the one to suffer. I’m extremely interested to see what becomes of him in the future, because he’s always been a bit part player in “Game of Thrones” – he feels expendable, but at the same time he’s been around since the start of the series so if he was to go I think it would be a shame. He hasn’t really been explored as a character, and now it feels like he’s just there to act as a catalyst for Margaery (Natalie Dormer) to come to blows with Cersei, so perhaps it’s time for him to bite the dust, even if only so  that Margaery finally shows her true colours.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve actually felt sorry for Cersei, because despite how vile a human being she is, she loves her children and she’s seeing them slip through her fingers. However, this episode changed all that, because now she’s manipulating her son just like she does everyone else, just so that she can get back at Margaery. Sending Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) to speak to the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) was a really despicable and foolish thing for Cersei to do, because it could’ve quite easily resulted in his death. I think that he did the smart thing by walking away from the Faith Militant, because if he’d told his men to attack he could’ve been caught in the ensuing melee, and he might’ve also caused a riot, due to the fact that members of the crowd behind were heckling abuse such as ‘bastard’ and ‘abomination’.

via joannahayes.wordpress.com

At The Wall, Stannis showed his love for his daughter, proving that whilst he is a stern and formidable leader, he’s also a man that can feel something for other human beings. He’s a man with pride and honour, even if he can be overly harsh and too eager to punish. I’ve never been overly keen on Stephen Dillane’s acting in the series, because I’ve often felt that he hasn’t given the character a clear voice or direction. However, Stannis has been a far more interesting character since he arrived at The Wall, so I’m starting to think that it was Stannis’ story, rather than Dillane’s acting, which was previously lacking.

With more to do at The Wall Stannis has become one of my favourite characters, and his mannerisms now make sense to me. The scene in which Stannis told Shireen (Kerry Ingram) that she belonged with him was one of the more touching moments on the series to date, and it was also very well acted, as Dillane looked intentionally awkward and avoided physically displaying his affection, standing upright and remaining cool, before finally looking his daughter in the eye and basically telling her that he loved her. The scene fit with Stannis’ character, but also displayed another dimension to him, which in turn gave me a deeper understanding of the character and will make me care about his fate in upcoming episodes.

In warmer climates, the Sand Snakes were finally introduced, and they were… disappointing. I don’t like their accents (although one of them sounded like Oberyn (Pedro Pascal), which was sort of cool), and I don’t think I’m going to like their storyline. I have to say that all in all I’m not incredibly invested in what’s going on in Dorne. I feel like Jaime has had his arc and has become a slightly miserable and lonely man, which makes me wonder what his purpose is going forward. If he died I’d be disappointed because he’s a likeable character, but I don’t know what he offers to the series going forward after this storyline has played out. There was a bit of foreboding as he talked about how he’d like to die with Bronn, which could be a sign of things to come, but it also might’ve been a tool to make the audience think that their fight scene later in the episode was potentially a fatal one.

I hope that things in Dorne get a bit more interesting in coming weeks, but for now I’m not convinced that it can live up to the already established settings which we see on the show.

via gameofthrones.wikia.com

Lastly, in Meereen the stakes were raised once more, and Daenerys is yet again facing a set-back. After having a cheerful and warm exchange with Daenerys, Barristan Selmy went into the city to be with the people. He heard a ruckus and went to investigate, finding Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson, also known by the stage name Raleigh Ritchie) in a lot of trouble, as the Sons of the Harpy surrounded him, ready to kill. Selmy killed plenty of the masked men, displaying the fighting prowess that he was known for in his younger years, and possibly saving Grey Worm’s life in the process. However, it seems like his efforts were his last, because he was stabbed and at the end of the episode he laid in a pool of his own blood, presumably dying from his wounds. Grey Worm was also injured, but it was unclear whether or not his injuries were as serious as Selmy’s, so I’m not quite sure yet if his efforts were all for nothing (although I expect not).

It was a good way for Barristan Selmy to go, because he got to show off the skills that made him who he was, and he also hopefully saved the life of a friend. I have to say that I wasn’t overly surprised by what happened, because I predicted that Selmy would die before the start of the season, but I thought it was a smart way to end what was a very dialogue heavy episode. The scene didn’t feel completely convincing to me, because given the no nonsense history of the show I don’t think that Grey Worm would’ve made it; there were points in the fight at which he was surrounded, yet only one man would go to attack him, which didn’t make a lot of sense or fit with the nature of the show. Still, it was what it was, and I’m sure some people enjoyed it.

via snapcracklewatch.com

A final point regarding Daenerys and the story at Meereen relates to Hizdahr zo Loraq (Joel Fry), who has been a recurring character on the show, and I actually like watching him quite a bit. Until now he’s not had a lot to do, because he’s basically there to convey demands to Daenerys and attempt to sway her opinion, but this episode led me to believe that he’s got a much larger role in the grand scheme of things. The way that the characters referred to him as harmless was just a bit weird, so it seems to me like he’s being set up to be the bad guy in Meereen. Somebody has to be leading the Sons of the Harpy, so perhaps it’s him – if it is then I’m on board.

I was hoping that Daario (Michiel Huisman) would be a secret villain, because he’s such a waste of a character, and I’ve never connected to him as a hero, but Hizdahr would probably be the next best thing. He’s got a real authority in his voice and looks quite scary when he’s just being normal, so I think it would be very cool to see him suddenly turn on Daenerys later on in the season. It’s also worth noting that on the trailer there’s a scene in which the Sons of the Harpy are surrounding Daenerys in what appears to be the fighting pits, and those pits are Hizdahr’s main focus right now, so perhaps that adds weight to the theory.

All in all, this was another very solid episode. There was a lot of dialogue, but that’s not a problem in my view, because I usually find the conversations between the characters much more compelling than the occasional action sequence. “Sons of the Harpy” had a lot to get through; it did very well in setting up the future of the season whilst also keeping me engaged in both the characters and the isolated plot of the episode, and it was overall a really good hour of television.

8.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Five, Episode 3 – “The High Sparrow”

Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Aquaman, Arya Stark, Braavos, Cersei Lannister, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dominic Carter, Dragons, Emilia Clarke, Evil, Faceless Men, Fantasy, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Gethin Anthony, Gwendoline Christie, Heroes, Iwan Rheon, James Cosmo, Janos Slynt, Jason Momoa, Joer Mormont, John Wick, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, Justice League, Khal Drogo, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Meereen, Michael McElhatton, Michiel Huisman, Natalie Dormer, Ned Stark, Peter Dinklage, Ramsay Bolton, Religion, Renly Baratheon, Roose Bolton, Sansa Stark, Sean Bean, Sophie Turner, Stannis Baratheon, Star Wars, Stephen Dillane, Television, The High Sparrow, The Hunger Games, The Night's Watch, The Wall, Theon Greyjoy, Tommen Baratheon, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Unsullied, Villains, Volantis

After criticising the first two episodes of this season, I’m glad to say that “Game of Thrones” has found its feet again. This episode, entitled “The High Sparrow”, was a huge step in the right direction for season five, as more time was spent with the key characters (other than Daenerys (Emilia Clarke)) so that we were able to connect with them emotionally and get a better grasp of where they are right now (psychologically speaking). As we’ve flittered around Westeros over the last couple of episodes I’ve found myself disinterested in the events happening before my eyes, and much more interested in speculating on the future. In this episode I didn’t do that, because it was an hour of compelling television with twists and turns and important character-shaping decisions being made. It didn’t feel like it was setting anything else up (even though each episode of “Game of Thrones” invariably is) and it was thoroughly entertaining.

The first thing to address regarding episode three is that Daenerys isn’t involved at all. She’s spoken about in Volantis, giving us all a bit of an insight into how much her influence is shaping the world around her, but she’s never actually on screen. It’s sad to say it, but I think that this episode was all the better for it. A lot of people love Daenerys as a character, and it’s easy to see why; she started the series as a girl being passed off to a horse lord as a wife – a child being used as a pawn in another’s ugly game. Now she’s a powerful woman with an army of Unsullied, a former kingsguard, and three dragons as her protection. Her arc has been one of the best on the show and she’s one of very few ‘heroes’ in the “Game of Thrones” universe.

However, right now her story has stagnated, partly because she’s simply learning lessons necessary to be a good queen, and also because she has the insufferable Daario Naharis (Michiel Huisman) at her side, making her seem much less self-sufficient and weak. I feel like Daario’s presence in the series is a bit of a betrayal for fans like me who loved Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), and if I’m honest I detest the character. The actor doesn’t really fit in for me, I don’t like his delivery and I don’t buy him in the role. I hope that the character evolves and hopefully has a villainous part to play, because if all there is to him is a piece of eye-candy for Daenerys then I could see myself hoping that the dragons leave Meereen in flames, Daenerys and all.

Without Daenerys weighing the episode down with melodrama things felt a lot more solid, a lot more slick, and I enjoyed it so much more than last week’s episode as a result. Each of the other key characters had more time to be developed, and because of this they all had memorable moments in the episode.

via themarysue.com

Cersei (Lena Headey) and Margaery (Natalie Dormer) faced off over Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), with the two finally beginning to understand one another. For a while now I’ve been wondering what to make of Margaery myself – she’s a gold-digger, it has to be said, because this is her third marriage to a would-be king and she hasn’t mourned for either of the men she’s lost – but I still felt like there was something nice about her. However, in this episode Margaery’s attitude actually made me feel sorry for Cersei, which is really hard to do, and I finally feel that I have a grasp on who Margaery really is. She’s just as manipulative as any of the players at King’s Landing, even though she wields different weapons than most of the villains on the show, and she has positioned herself as the most powerful woman in the land without even a hint of an objection.

The way that she called Cersei ‘mother’, the way that she told her, implicitly, about making love to her child, the way that she basically tried to get Tommen to cast his mother aside – she’s just another monster in a world of evil. She’s not a woman to be messed with, and I can’t wait to see what she gets up to next.

Because of this interaction and the way that Cersei feels about her status as Queen Mother, she wants to stack the deck in her favour, which leads her to meet a man known as the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). He’s a religious man, and when we first meet him he’s helping the poor, giving them food and even his own shoes. The conversation between the two was amicable and made a nice change from the dialogue we’re used to on the show, as it felt like the religious language used belonged in a Catholic Church just as much as it did in Westeros. However, even as the two talked in this friendly way you couldn’t help but feel uneasy, knowing full well that this man has a larger role to play in the story moving forward, and wondering what both Cersei and the High Sparrow were truly thinking as each word slivered out of the other’s mouth.

via watchersonthewall.com

Outside of King’s Landing, Arya (Maisie Williams) was having religious troubles of her own, as she tried to understand the nature of the Faceless Men and their Many-Faced God. Arya is such a wonderful and likeable character, so seeing her struggle to give up her old life, even crying over trying to become ‘No One’, was pretty heart-breaking (even if she was only crying over a sword and some rags). She’s still a child and her past clearly has a lot of meaning to where she is now and who she will become, so giving that up would be extremely difficult. I can’t see her giving up her old life for too long, and I think that it would only take the glimpse of an enemy in Braavos to trigger Arya’s return, but I’m excited to see what she does in the meantime.

In the North, Sansa (Sophie Turner) finally got to go back to being who she really is, being called by her real name, but it came at a price. It was probably my favourite moment of the episode when it was revealed that she would marry Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) because he’s so evil and she wants revenge, so there’s so much potential for mayhem there. It’s a big change from the books, but it’s a change that actually makes other plots a bit more coherent, even if it doesn’t make complete sense on its own.

Ultimately, I’m not sure that Sansa marrying Ramsay is believable, because part of Roose (Michael McElhatton) must be wondering whether or not she will turn on him, given the fact that he murdered her brother and allied himself with the Lannisters. It also seems slightly odd that Sansa agreed, because although Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) has power over her, she shouldn’t really trust him enough to take this risk, and before now I thought that she was just going along because she had nowhere else to go, but now I’m thinking that she might actually believe in him, which isn’t entirely plausible. It’s genuinely great that she’s playing the game, and she’s really committing to it, but her character change has been so drastic and swift that it can at times seem a little bit too much.

via svt.se

Of course, this plot does mean that I was possibly wrong about Brienne’s (Gwendoline Christie) fate in the last review, but I’m not completely shocked by that. I knew that this could come about when writing the episode two review, but I didn’t want to put it on the table as a possibility because it would’ve been a bit of a spoiler and I’m trying to keep those to a minimum as far as future episodes are concerned. I’m now very worried for what could happen to Sansa, but here’s hoping that whatever Ramsay does to her she gives back to him ten-fold, and maybe we’ll see Theon (Alfie Allen) finally man up, so that together they can flay the whole Bolton army! Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Brienne could still fall prey to Ramsay and his unorthodox methods of psychological and physical torture, because she’s hot on the heels of Sansa, but I hope that that plot takes a slightly different direction. Anything could happen with her so I hope that the writers do something creative if they aren’t going to go with the books. Also, it was nice to get a bit more character development for her in the form of her story about Renly (Gethin Anthony), because we don’t know all that much about her other than the fact that she’s one of the good guys and can play with swords quite well.

It would be unfair to mention good guys in “Game of Thrones” without mentioning the most heroic character on the show, Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Jon is fast becoming my favourite character as Tyrion’s (Peter Dinklage) screen time lessens week by week, and in this episode he won my heart all over again. The way that he took charge of the situation with Janos Slynt (Dominic Carter), following his father’s teaching and carrying out the sentence himself, showed that he has what it takes to rule. He’s not a boy with a big responsibility, he’s a man with power and he’s going to use all the lessons he’s learnt from Ned (Sean Bean), Mance (Ciaran Hinds), and Joer Mormont (James Cosmo) to do the best he can for the Night’s Watch.

via wetpaint.com

Jon’s situation this week echoed last week’s execution in Meereen, but the difference was that Jon got an approving nod from Stannis (Stephen Dillane) for his efforts, whereas Daenerys got a barrage of hisses and abuse. The difference as far as I’m concerned is that Jon was doing what he had to do; there was no other genuine alternative because Janos admitted that he was afraid (which has no place at The Wall) and he also questioned Jon’s authority, putting his leadership into disrepute. Any kind of hesitation from Jon would’ve been met with disgrace and shown him to be weak, so by making the sentence and personally carrying it out he demonstrated both control and authority, hopefully winning over his foes at The Wall. Daenerys, on the other hand, did something reckless when it wasn’t pleasing anyone, misunderstanding her role at Meereen and believing that the people would accept her decision simply because it was what seemed right by an arbitrary standard.

Episode three of “Game of Thrones” season five was a massive improvement over the first two lacklustre additions to the series. It felt like it had been carefully put together and the characters didn’t feel like they were fighting for screen time. Each plot point was given time to play out and the actors were allowed to convey the emotions they felt to the audience without the screen suddenly changing and revealing the next obligatory character appearance. “Game of Thrones” is a much better show when we actually get to see how the characters react to the world around them, such as the way in which we got to see Arya mourn her old life as she stared down at Needle. It’s in these scenes that the show shines, because what would the unexpected murders and betrayals be if they weren’t coming from, and happening to, well-established characters? A lot happened in “The High Sparrow”, but it wasn’t happening too fast, which in the end makes the difference between a forgettable hour of television, and an hour to savour in the days before the next episode.

8.5/10