Summary: Lord Commander Mormont survives the White Walker assault and he leads his men back to The Wall. Jon meets with Mance Rayder and declares he wants to become a wildling. Tyrion meets with Tywin and tries to assume his rights to Casterly Rock but Tywin denies it. Margaery outsmarts Cersei and gains Joffrey's support. Davos is alive and he is reunited with Stannis. He defies Melisandre and is put in a cell. Dany arrives in Astapor and finds a man selling 8000 Unsullied warriors. She is attacked by a warlock but is saved by Barristan.
The Good: This was a strong premiere episode which had very good set-up with a few standout scenes of character interaction. It was a certain step up from the season 2 premiere as this season already has a sense of forward momentum. Jon meeting with Mance Rayder was a good development. It was good to finally see Mance after he had been built up for so long and his scene with Jon was well done. The tension was created well since we knew that Jon had to earn Mance's trust in order to survive. He successfully lied in a great way as he played off of his one experience of doubting the Night's Watch and it led to him characteristically spouting a believable lie. I also liked seeing a giant, as the show appears to be doubling down on its fantastical elements. Tyrion had a couple of tremendous scenes in this episode. I loved the follow-up on Cersei's attempt to kill Tyrion last season. Tyrion and Cersei's scene was tense as Tyrion felt in some sort of danger considering Cersei's hate for him. I enjoyed their conversations as they threw jabs at each other while trying to figure out what the other wanted. Their interactions have been great and were a highlight of the last season, so naturally it creates strong television to see more of them. But stronger than his scene with Cersei was Tyrion's scene with Tywin. Tywin is a fantastic character as he opposes Tyrion, our hero, yet he manages to be logical and understandable in his motives, and he is simply fascinating to watch. The scene with Tyrionw as executed really well. Tyrion came in with a logical power play to attempt to get some of his power back after being stripped of his position. Tywin responds fairly, willing to reward Tyrion, but the mention of Tyrion taking control of Casterly Rock is too much for him. Tywin then goes on a fantastic rant, downplaying all of Tyrion's accomplishments and showing just how little Tyrion matters to him. It was brutal yet enjoyable to watch. Margaery was another stand-out character in this episode. She is smart and power-hungry, making her an exciting character to watch. I enjoyed seeing her be an actual Queen, befriending the poor population, but moreso I enjoyed seeing her outdo Cersei in manipulating Joffrey and gaining his respect. Dany started her storyline with much more momentum than last time. I enjoyed her scenes on Astapor, and I especially liked the man who was selling her the Unsullied. He was vile in a perfect way while he worked on his business. The Unsullied were very cool as well and it's evident that Dany has her eyes set on them. Furthermore, I liked the re-emergence of Barristan, and going to Dany was a logical next step for his character to take after he was retired by Joffrey. I was happy to see Davos survive. I liked his short scene of conflict when he was put on the spot to declare for a king, knowing that saying the wrong name would cause him to be killed. It was a nice little scene. The Bad: It was disappointing to not see the White Walker assault on the Fist of the First Men. It was a central cliff-hanger last season, so I expected something to follow up on that in this episode. It also did hurt the story a little bit since we never got to see the actual threat and brutality of the White Walkers. It detracted from Mormont's urgency to go back to The Wall and failed to truly establish the importance of defending The Wall. I thought it was awkward that Ygritte assumed Jon would join the wildlings without him saying so. The Unknown: Why did the White Walkers leave the dead bodies so strangely? What is the meaning of that? What are Littlefinger's motives as he talks with Sansa? I don't buy that he genuinely wants to save her. How does Dany plan to afford the Unsullied? Will she take all of them? Who was the warlock that attacked Dany? Who did she work for? Best Moment: Tyrion and Tywin take it for this episode. Character of the Episode: Tywin. Conclusion: Aside from the disappointment of not seeing the White Walker assault, this was a really strong premiere that opens season 3 on a strong note. Score: 66
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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