Summary: Theon takes over Winterfell and kills Ser Rodrik. Osha has sex with him and then sneaks out and frees Bran, Rickon and Hodor. Robb is angry at what Theon did and wants him dead. Tywin is visited by Littlefinger who is sent to make an alliance with the Tyrells. Joffrey goes through the city to see off Myrcella who is going to Dorne but a riot breaks out when Joffrey threatens to kill everyone. Sansa is nearly raped but The Hound saves her. Dany doesn't get any help from Qarth and her dragons are taken. Jon ventures with Qhorin and they ambush a wildling camp. Jon stays behind to kill a wildling, Ygritte, but he can't go through with it and is separated from the group with Ygritte.
The Good: This was a lot better and had genuine emotion and conflict in almost all of the storylines. Theon's was the best here as his character is forced to officially commit to siding with the Greyjoys over the Starks, needing to even go as far as kill Ser Rodrick to prove his commitment to being a Greyjoy. Impressively, the show does a terrific job of showing Theon's inner conflict through these scenes and the stakes are always clear about the significance of his actions. Theon has turned on his family, and soon he will likely have to face the consequences of this decision. The other storylines are similarly great. The riot sequence was frightening and intense, increasing the tension and conflict at King's Landing while also furthering how much of a threat Stannis is since Joffrey is widely hated by everyone. The riot was intense and frightening, especially for Sansa who had no protection until The Hound arrived to viciously kill her attackers. Scenes like these work very well in "Game of Thrones" because they have a very real sense of consequence. After all, a major character did just die last episode so it feels like somebody can die at any time. Additionally, Tyrion had a great scene as he completely lost control of his emotions when talking to Joffrey. It felt like an earned moment because Joffrey has caused total chaos once more, and Tyrion has been doing everything possible to repair the damage Joffrey has already done. This time it was too much and Tyrion had enough, making for a strong moment which is satisfying for me (and probably everyone else as well) because I despise Joffrey. Jon's story was pretty good too. It nicely establishes his honour and how he is still a young man with little experience, which was touched on by Qhorin already. It was good to see Jon's inexperience hurt him as he discovers he can't kill Ygritte and he is then totally lost. On the other hand, Ygritte was terrific as she was flirtatious and funny at great times as she tries to make the most out of her position as Jon' captive. I enjoyed their interactions and I want to see more about where their story goes. The Tywin and Arya scenes were terrific once more as their interactions remain strong. This episode had 2 terrific sequences of tension too. For the first, Littlefinger arrives and eyes Arya as he takes care of business with Tywin. It's extremely tense because we don't know if Littlefinger will discover her and the scene is shot superbly well to aid the feelings of tension. Furthermore, we get more exciting dialogue as Littlefigner and Tywin plan out the Lannisters next moves which are very important for us to know to keep following the politics of the show. The next sequence was when Amory Lorch discovered Arya stealing the letter which was even more tense since Arya was on a ticking clock to have him dead. The final moment of Lorch opening TYwin's door and falling dead was simultaneously funny and relieving which is very impressive. If a scene can make me feel two different emotions at once, that is a sign of strong storytelling and emotional engagement. I am really enjoying the Spice King in Qarth. The way he dismissively ignores Dany is great to watch and his retorts to her passion are great and hard to argue. The dialogue is extremely well written which I love. The Bad: Qarth isn't working for me despite all of the dialogue. the story feels like it is stagnant and stalling to stretch Qarth out an entire season which is pretty annoying. I want to see Dany start moving towards conquering Westeros, I have no interest in her accomplishing nothing in Qarth. The Unknown: Does Littlefinger know about Arya? He was eying her so perhaps he did figure it out and didn't say anything to pursue his own goals. Will that come into play later this season? Who took Dany's dragons? Best Moment: Theon executing Rodrik was very powerful and a fitting moment to put Theon on the spot to prove that he is a traitor to the Starks, nothing more. The rest of the scene was terrific too, particularly Theon's interactins with Bran who was still treating Theon as a friend at first only to realize harshly that he has changed. Character of the Episode: Theon. Conclusion: This was a great episode with terrific moments in every storyline. There was powerful stuff, tense stuff and fun stuff all mixed together into what I think is the series' best episode so far. Score: 75
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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