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

20 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by Ben Whittaker in Game of Thrones, Television Reviews

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

watchersonthewallc_limitq_80w_720-http-images-origin.playboy.com-ogz4nxetbde6-1pnYE6fAu0WEiGKkqo2SsM-bf0fb2a4605a5d077db60d4e213a2643-03-game-of-thrones-s

via watchersonthewall.com

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

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

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

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via telegraph.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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via comingsoon.net

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

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

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via collider.com

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

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

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

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via bgr.com

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

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

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

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

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via screenrant.com

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

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

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

game-of-thrones-season-6-episode-8-the-houndbgr.gif

via bgr.com

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

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

7.5/10

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Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 3 – “Oathbreaker”

13 Friday May 2016

Posted by Ben Whittaker in Game of Thrones, Television Reviews

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Tags

Aidan Gillen, Alliser Thorne, Anton Lesser, Art Parkinson, Arthur Dayne, Arya Stark, Ben Crompton, Beric Dondarrion, Braavos, Bran Stark, Brenock O'Connor, Bronn, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Charles Dance, Cleganebowl, Conleth Hill, Daenerys Targaryen, Davos, Dean-Charles Chapman, Diana Rigg, Emilia Clarke, Faye Marsay, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Six, Gendry, Gilly, GoT, Grand Maester Pycelle, Grey Worm, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, Hannah Murray, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jacob Anderson, Jaime Lannister, Jerome Flynn, Joe Dempsie, John Bradley, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, Julian Glover, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Kristofer Hivju, Lena Headey, Liam Cunningham, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Max von Sydow, Meereen, Melisandre, Missandei, Natalia Tena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ned Stark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Oathbreaker, Olenna Tyrell, Olly, Osha, Owen Teale, Peter Dinklage, Qyburn, Ramsay Bolton, Richard Dormer, Rickon Stark, Rory McCann, Samwell Tarly, Sansa Stark, Shae, Sibel Kekilli, Sophie Turner, The Brotherhood Without Banners, The Citadel, The Dothraki, The High Sparrow, The Hound, The Mountain, The Night's Watch, The Sand Snakes, The Three-Eyed-Raven, The Tower of Joy, The Waif, The Wall, Tommen Baratheon, Tormund Giantsbane, Tyrion Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Varys

Davis-Melisandre-Jon-Snow-Game-of-Thrones-Season-6 screenrant.jpg

via screenrant.com

This episode of “Game of Thrones” season 6 was my least favourite of the three to be aired thus far. Whilst it would be a decent episode on any other show, in my opinion it was substandard given the level of quality that we’ve become accustomed to since this series began.

“Oathbreaker” started where the previous episode left off, with a naked Jon Snow (Kit Harington) rising from the dead. I have to say that after such a long build up to this moment I was incredibly disappointed with its lacklustre execution; the dialogue was uninspired, the performances were overstated, and the way that characters acted didn’t make sense given how they’d been established in previous episodes. It should’ve been one of the most memorable moments of the series so far, but instead it felt soulless.

There was no sincerity in Davos (Liam Cunningham) when he spoke to Jon, and Jon didn’t seem particularly grateful to be back, so the whole escapade felt flat for me. I’d have also liked shock to have been shown by Davos and Melisandre (Carice van Houten) in a more subtle and considered way, because rather than stumbling on their words or expressing their disbelief they pulled their best ‘oh my god’ faces and then moved on. I’m not sure when “Game of Thrones” became a soap opera, but that was the standard of this moment.

The next scene at The Wall was equally frustrating, although the conversation between Edd (Ben Crompton) and Jon made it slightly less so. I didn’t appreciate the fact that Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) gave Jon a hug, because that isn’t the way that a wildling would act, but it was interesting that when Edd looked into Jon’s eyes he asked if Jon was still in there. This was intended to remind the audience of previous scenes such as the one in which Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) told Melisandre what being resurrected by the Lord of Light was like – in this scene Beric told Melisandre that each time he came back he was ‘a little less’, which makes me wonder whether or not Jon will be significantly different now that he’s back. That remains to be seen, but I’m looking forward to watching this storyline play out in future episodes.

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via winteriscoming.net

After this scene we finally got to see what Sam (John Bradley) and Gilly (Hannah Murray) have been up to since the end of last season, and it turns out that they’ve done very little. We knew that Sam would be heading to the Citadel when Jon allowed him to leave The Wall, and he’s still on that journey now. The scene served as a tool to re-establish the dynamic between the two star-crossed lovers and tell the audience what their plans were, so it didn’t really do much for me. There was nothing particularly wrong with it, but it could’ve easily been cut out to give more interesting characters extra screen time.

Then we saw Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) continuing his training with the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow), as he delved into the past in a scene which book readers have been talking about for many years. I didn’t dislike this scene, but in my opinion it was weaker than it should’ve been because of the actors that were involved. I personally didn’t feel very attached to Ned Stark because of the actor that was playing him – he didn’t look powerful or manly enough for my liking – and (as usual) Isaac Hempstead-Wright’s performance was devoid of emotion; it felt more like the work of an amateur drama student than that of a top actor. I also thought that the Three-Eyed Raven’s line about learning ‘everything’ was very cliché, and it reminded me of a comedy sketch from BriTANick (which you should definitely watch on YouTube – just type in ‘BriTANick everything’ and it will pop up).

Ned-Stark-Tower-of-Joy-Game-of-Thrones screenrant.jpg

via screenrant.com

Moving south, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is still biding her time with the Dothraki. I’ve said before that this is a storyline that I’m not interested in, and this is only furthered by the fact that Daenerys doesn’t seem to be learning anything by going backwards and revisiting her past. She’s so arrogant and sure of herself right now that it’s almost sickening, and I’m really starting to dislike her as a character. She doesn’t respect anyone else’s traditions or views and she belittles them at every turn – just look at what she’s done to Meereen.

My biggest problem with her storyline is that it’s unclear whether or not this is the angle that the writers are going for – the plot is formed in such a way that Daenerys should be the protagonist, and I feel as though that’s what the writers are going for, yet from my perspective she isn’t. She isn’t likeable, she isn’t humble, and she’s a conqueror not a liberator. If she takes King’s Landing in the state that she’s in right now then she’ll destroy it!

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via vox.com

In Daenerys’ absence Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) has been ruling over Meereen, and so far he’s had a relatively easy job (compared to the job that Daenerys had). There’s not been a lot of resistance, and with Varys (Conleth Hill) taking control of the situation he finds himself making small talk with Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) as though he didn’t have a care in the world. It’s common on “Game of Thrones” for Tyrion to spend the majority of his time enjoying the sound of his own voice, but usually his friends have something to say back; however, right now only Varys is on his level, so having a meaningful conversation is becoming difficult. This is something which this episode tackled in an attempt to create comedy, as Tyrion tried to play the game that he played with Bronn (Jerome Flynn) and Shae (Sibel Kekilli) in season one with Missandei and Grey Worm, only to be met with confusion and silence. Sadly, this scene wasn’t particularly funny, and only served to show that Missandei and Grey Worm are underdeveloped characters.

Elsewhere, in King’s Landing Qyburn (Anton Lesser) persuaded Varys’ little birds into doing his bidding by offering them candied plums. This was another scene which was designed to reintroduce a character and his role in the story, as having not seen him yet this year it would be easy to forget that he is the Master of Whispers. It wasn’t a bad scene, but the fact that the writers are still wasting screen time to reintroduce characters in episode three is worrying, particularly because people like Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) are yet to appear.

One positive aspect of this scene was that Cersei (Lena Headey) revealed her intention to request a trial by combat, something which will have excited book readers aplenty. It’s been speculated for a long time that Cersei would request such a trial, and that her champion would be The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), and it looks like that will be the case. The question then is who will The Faith choose as their champion – the prevalent theory is that The Hound (Rory McCann) will come back to fight his brother, in an epic clash that has been foreshadowed since the very start of the series, and I have to say that it’s a theory I believe.

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via thewrap.com

However, there are other possibilities; in case you’d forgotten, there are two Sand Snakes running around in King’s Landing who have a hatred for both Lannisters and The Mountain – after all, the latter killed their father and their aunt. To see one of them fight on behalf of The Faith would be pretty amazing, not only because it would bring Dorne into the wider story, but also because there would be a massive size difference between the two fighters.

After Cersei revealed her plans we saw her, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and The Mountain interrupt a meeting of the Small Council. This was probably the best scene in the episode in terms of dialogue, as the sharp-tongued Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) was brought back into the fold to throw insults at the Lannisters and bring the only genuine laugh of the season so far. It’s just a shame that the scene was tarnished by a ridiculous moment in which Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover) farted in fear at the sight of The Mountain. “Game of Thrones” is beloved because of its dark tone, so I can’t comprehend why the writers thought that it would be a good idea to lower the tone with such a pointless attempt at producing a cheap laugh. Whoever made that call should be paraded in the streets naked and face a trial by combat – shame.

Next we saw The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) and Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) having a civil chat about Cersei and why she deserves the punishment she’s receiving. This scene really pushes the fact that The High Sparrow is so much more than a holy man attempting to rid the world of evil – he’s a master manipulator and he preys on the insecurities of those around him to get what he wants. He lets Tommen have his say because he knows that Tommen feels powerless, but then he talks him down by presenting himself as a wise father figure, something that Tommen has never had. He talks about Cersei and Tywin (Charles Dance) as though he cares about them and he tricks Tommen into calming down.

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via theverge.com

After this, the episode turned its attention to Arya (Maisie Williams) and her journey to become ‘No One’. This scene wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely my favourite of the episode. Montages are usually a cheap device to tell a story in a swift but still compelling way, and that’s clearly the case here, but it works for this storyline because nobody really wanted Arya’s blindness to be drawn out. I think what everyone would like is for Arya to leave Braavos immediately, so at least by streamlining her narrative in this way we’re getting closer to what we want. It’s another story which will feel hollow when it’s watched back on DVD, because Arya was only blind for a combined period of about three episodes, but right now it leaves her in a good place.

Moreover, a couple of smart decisions were made in these scenes which I appreciated. Through Arya’s conversation with The Waif (Faye Marsay) we were reminded of Rickon at the perfect moment (Art Parkinson) – a character who many will have forgotten all about – and also of The Hound, who may well come back this year. I also liked that she said she was confused when she made the decision to travel to The House of Black and White, as this set up the conflict that will occur in Braavos in future episodes nicely.

However, the fact that Melisandre wasn’t on Arya’s list annoyed me, because after Gendry (Joe Dempsie) was taken from The Brotherhood Without Banners in season three Arya added The Red Woman to her list, and there’s absolutely no reason why she would’ve removed her name from it.

After Rickon was verbally re-established, he was given to Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) as a gift from The Umbers. It’s unclear exactly what Ramsay is going to do to Rickon and Osha (Natalia Tena) at this stage, but it probably won’t be much fun for the youngest of the Stark children. By now the audience is pretty desensitised to Ramsay’s actions, and we’ve already seen him do deplorable things to characters we’re more interested in than Rickon, but that doesn’t mean that this won’t be an interesting development in the story. Personally I’d prefer if we didn’t see Ramsay torture Rickon at all, because his doing so wouldn’t achieve anything, but that might be wishful thinking.

From my perspective, the easiest way to move the plot along using Rickon is to introduce the pink letter, which book readers will know all about. In the books this is a letter that’s sent to Jon Snow and it relates to ‘Arya’, or rather a person who Ramsay claims is Arya. This character’s place was taken last year by Sansa (Sophie Turner) but the pink letter didn’t appear, so it would be very easy for the writers to introduce it now and use Rickon as the bait to force Jon and the wildlings into battle.

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via youtube.com

Speaking of Jon, the episode ended with our favourite dead man walking getting revenge on his killers. Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) and Olly (Brenock O’Connor) were hung, to the delight of fans all over the world. It was a very satisfying scene, as two of the most hated characters on the show were killed in a pretty nasty way. Alliser took it in his stride and died honourably, if that’s possible for a man who organised the murder of his commanding officer, and Olly stuck to his guns despite the fact that if he’d asked for mercy he probably would’ve got it. Both men had their reasons for doing what they did, so it was nice that neither of them were willing to apologise.

When the deed was done Jon passed on command of The Night’s Watch to Edd, (which explains why the show has been placing the character at the forefront of the storyline in recent times), and announced that his watch had ended. This is contentious, but technically he did die and the vows he made were null and void upon his death (I still think that because the vows say ‘for this night and all nights to come’ he should be bound to them, but what do I know?). This was a great mic drop moment, and served as a cool way to end the episode, but it’s unclear exactly what Jon is going to do with his new found freedom. Hopefully he’ll still meet up with Sansa in the near future.

So, that was the episode. Over the course of about fifty minutes a total of eight locations were visited, which in my opinion is a bit excessive. Every episode feels like a battle for screen time between the characters, which for me takes all impact from the show. I like where Arya’s story is headed, but because we spend so little time with her each week it’s hard to become invested. Nevertheless, I am a harsh critic, and it would be wrong of me to say that there weren’t moments in this episode that I enjoyed. I thought that the final three scenes (Arya’s, Ramsay’s, and the execution) were quite good, and the episode definitely improved as it went on. However, if the season continues in this disjointed manner then it will definitely be my least favourite of the show so far.

5.5/10

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