Summary: Chandler starts going out with Joanna again and they have sex. Rachel isn't pleased and wants Chandler to break up with her. Monica is asked to make food for a gathering by her mother and Phoebe helps her. Joey is visited by a man who is selling encyclopedias.
The Good: Chandler's story is fantastic here. There are tons of laughs and the character is played to perfection here by Matthew Perry, with very few hints of the over-acting which plagued him last season. I also love that Chandler and Rachel got a storyline together as they haven't had the chance to interact one on one very much. It was fresh and led to some unique and funny moments. I really liked the opening scene too as Rachel, Chandler and Joey were terrific and in-character to make organic laughs. It's a sign of improved writing this season. Monica's story was good too and had a genuine emotional edge to it as Monica proved herself to her mother while Phoebe showed her caring side through some well-times jokes. Joey's story was fine for a few odd laughs too. The Bad: Joey buying the encyclopedia was a bit too cartoony which detracted from some of the scenes. Best Moment: Chandler calling Rachel into the office and their subsequent conversation was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: This was a fresh and fantastic episode, which is the best episode in a very long while. Top-tier comedy again from "Friends". Score: 79
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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 Summary: Joey and Chandler try to sell the entertainment centre. Phoebe finds a cat and thinks it is the spirit of her mother but Ross doesn't think so. Monica dates Chip, a guy from her high school to live the high school dream.
The Good: This was a strong episode. Ross and Rachel were great here as they throw small jabs at each other to humiliate each other, leading to several funny scenes, like Rachel calling Chip and Ross apologizing to a cat. Joey and Chandler were really funny in the selling of the entertainment unit. I loved Joey's attachment to it and Chandler's annoyance at Joey's childish behaviour. It fit both of the characters and led to a lot of funny lines. I also loved that the people with the canoe were purposely made to be similar to Joey and Chandler, making for a neat little joke and a hilarious ending scene where they get the canoe to replace their stolen furniture. I also loved the joke of Joey getting trapped int he unit again and being robbed. It was a great callback and delivered a terrific joke. Monica's story was really good too as it highlighted her change in character since high school. While it wasn't the funniest, it was still a good story. Phoebe's story was the weakest but it had a few good moments of comedy. The Bad: I didn't like that we were supposed to sympathize so much with Phoebe for being obsessed with a cat. It was funny but it was never meant to be something we can seriously sympathize with. I found myself sympathizing with Ross more than Phoebe in those moments. Best Moment: Joey getting trapped in the entertainment centre was a great moment that had me laughing. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This was a great episode with a lot of great jokes. Whiel there were some problems with Phoebe's story, the episode was the funniest we have gotten in a while. Score: 73 Summary: Jimmy takes a new job at a cell phone retailer to avoid Kim's request for him to see a shrink. He finds himself bored at his new job. Kim observes a case at court. Mike lashes out at Henry during group therapy, as he learns that Henry has been lying about his grief. Nacho joins the cousins in attacking the Espinosas who Gus has framed for attacking Nacho. The three of them kill everyone. Gus tells Nacho to rest so he goes back to his father's place. Gus calls Mike since he has a job for him.
The Good: Mike's storyline was the strongest here as he seemingly cuts his ties with everyone at the group therapy. I liked seeing him finally crack and accept that he doesn't belong in group therapy just because of who he is. Mike has always been to himself, so it was only a matter of time until he felt alienated by the depressing and open nature of the group therapy. It's just who he is. Stacey starting to get past Matty and Henry's phony stories don't help Mike either and just fuel his anger until he snaps in a scene which was somewhat reminiscent of Jesse's rant in "Problem Dog" though it doesn't quite have the same impact. Mike has shown desires to live a normal life in season 3, but now that he has it with the Madrigal job and group therapy, he doesn't seem happy. Not only does he snap at group therapy, but his relationship with Stacey worsens and he even mouths off to Gus when they meet at the end of the episode. It seems that he is calling for a life that suits him better, one that helps him deal with the grief of losing his son in the only way that suits him: ignoring the pain inside of him by doing a difficult and dangerous job. Nacho's story was the other stand-out of this episode. Nacho has been the highlight of this season as his struggle has been the clearest out of any of the other characters (see: The Bad). Nacho is trying to be free of cartel life, but he is unable to escape as he has no friends and only enemies who are forcing him to do their bidding. The shootout in this episode was terrific as it demonstrates how dangerous Nacho's current life is as he fights through his injuries to try to fight with the cousins and accomplish what Gus has asked of him. And his reward for his hard work? He gets to rest for a little bit before he gets his next job. Nacho is the easiest character to sympathize with this season and that makes his storyline the strongest and most enjoyable to watch. I hope that he and his father get to make it out of the show alive, though it's hard to see how that could happen at this point. Jimmy's story was pretty good again. With his desire to hustle returning again, the only thing preventing him from going full-on Saul Goodman is his relationship with Kim. Jimmy didn't need to find a new job as he hustles to get his money, but he knows that to keep his credibility with Kim he needs to get a job. Unfortunately for him, the job is a total bore. In the end I presume Jimmy may find himself at a crossroads weighing his pros and cons. Should he pursue his desires as Saul Goodman or pursue a life with Kim? One of these will have to be sacrificed, and sadly we know which one Jimmy will choose. This episode provided some good set-up for this storyline in the season. I liked Kim's story for what it was. In "Lantern" we have learned that Kim always wanted to be a heroic lawyer like Atticus Finch, so logically she is going to try to pursue her desires. Faced with what could be a lifetime of work at Mesa Verde, she now has to discover if that is what she really wants to do. The Bad: This season's drama hasn't been as clear as previous seasons. Characters react and make decisions based off of reasons we don't totally understand and usually have to speculate about. This is because there are always multiple reasons. While this can be a good storytelling device, and I praised it a few episodes ago, this season is relying too much on it. Jimmy, Mike and Kim's storylines all featured this device in this episode and that is too much. We need more normal storytelling like in Nacho's story for the season to fully engage our emotions. This season is also being hurt by having too many storylines. This show is already slow paced, but when we have four different storylines in a single episode which all hardly move forward, things get a bit frustrating. I don't have a problem with each of the individual stories, but when they are all cluttered in a single episode like this, it makes for less satisfying viewing. It was fine when there were only two or three storylines in season 2, but four is too many and it is taking away screen time from Jimmy, who we need to see more of this season. The Unknown: Why was Henry at the group meetings? Was he just really lonely? I presume that Mike won't be going back to the meetings now. What will happen with his relationships with Anita and Stacey? What is Gus' next job for Nacho? And what is his job for Mike? Could he be asking Mike to kill Nacho? I'm curious to see what Gus' next moves are and how both Mike and Nacho factor into this. Was Ira's mentioning of getting a new phone for a new job a backstory of Saul's infamous drawer of phones in "Breaking Bad"? That's a nice little detail. Best Moment: Mike's outburst was the best moment emotionally, but I really enjoyed the sequence of Nacho attacking the compound with the cousins. I appreciate that the show never tried to be bigger than it is as the focus was never on the Salamancas killing everyone, but instead on Nacho trying to help out and survive. The scene was shot beautifully and I loved the Nacho POV coverage of the scene, as it played out almost like reading a book in terms of how we got attached to a single character for an entire sequence. It was classic "Better Call Saul" in terms of directing. Character of the Episode: Mike. Conclusion: This episode had great storytelling as expected, but it was the least satisfying episode in a while. Score: 65 Summary: Beth goes into shock after what happened. Hershel goes to a bar to drink. He wants Shane off the farm. Rick goes with Glenn to bring Hershel back. Lori gets impatient and goes herself but gets in a car accident. Rick talks with Hershel who is still upset. Two men, Dave and Tony walk in and want to find a place to stay. Rick doesn't trust them and he ultimately kills both of them.
The Good: This was another slower episode, but this one had more of a purpose as it explored the fallout from Shane's assault on the barn in the previous episode. The pacing worked as we got to explore very different reactions from the three central characters, Rick, Hershel and Shane. Shane's reaction was the least explored, but I still liked it a lot. There is a lot of discussion surrounding Shane's actions and the camp is torn on whether what he did was right. I like this idea as it doesn't paint Shane as just another villain and instead proves that what he is doing is just a harsher way of surviving, and judging by how Rick changes in this episode, it's even possible that Shane is somewhat in the right here. Where he isn't in the right however is with how hot-headed he is as he continues to attack Hershel, evidently not caring about Hershel allowing them to stay on the farm. I liked Hershel's reaction to learning the truth about the walkers. It felt real that he accepted how foolish he was being, and it also helps endear us to him by having him seem less like a moronic and stubborn old man. I enjoyed his arguments with Rick as well as they highlighted his grieving and how angry he is with himself for all of the mistakes he has made and how much he has failed his remaining daughters by hiding the truths of the world from them. Rick's reaction to what happened was terrific as well. He has embraced the darker part of himself a little more after realizing that Sophia was gone the entire time and Shane was right. It opens his eyes and he realizes that he has been a poor leader for wasting so much of the group's time. While Shane certainly isn't the perfect leader, Rick needs to add some of Shane's philosophy to his leadership and by the end of the episode he does exactly that, transforming his character to a more interesting and aggressive leader. The final sequence of the episode was tremendous and was easily the best part of the episode. The show has struggled with character in the past, but drama has never been an issue. This episode featured some of the best tension-based drama yet as Rick converses with Dave and Tony. The presence of guns adds the tension and the obviously crude nature of Dave and Tony proves to us that they can't be allowed on the farm at all. I love the way that Dave and Tony find their way to the truth by exposing Rick and Hershel's on-the-spot lies to get what they want. It was fascinating to watch and featured some of the very best dialogue that the show has ever produced. I also loved that we got to learn more about the rest of the world. I loved hearing about things like the islands which could be safe and Nebraska which just deepens our understanding of the world. The final moments of the episode were great though. The sheer sudden nature of Rick shooting both men in cold blood, undoubtedly murdering them, was a great way to establish his change in character. It was a terrific moment for character as well as drama, making it the perfect climax for the episode. The Bad: Lori is the worst character on the show and I don't like her at all. Here she makes what is probably the stupidest decision ever to go after Rick. To put into perspective how dumb this was, Rick and Glenn didn't even have enough time to reach Hershel, and Lori is already asking people to go after them. Yes, she is so awful she doesn't even do anything herself and only asks others to do her work. Furthermore, she is going after Rick to tell him to bring Hershel back... which is the reason he went out to begin with! So Lori leaving has no purpose whatsoever. And to make matters worse, she actually leaves on her own. She leaves Carl alone and just drives, doesn't even know where she is going because she needs a map, and then she gets into a car accident like a total fool. This is hardly compelling and is frustrating to watch. Then add on the fact that Lori insults Daryl for not wanting to go through with her idiotic plan. Seriously, I don't think you could make a more detestable character if you tried. I don't blame Daryl for getting frustrated at her because I have had enough of her by this point. I don't like how inconsistent the show is with how walkers behave. Apparently Beth's mom wasn't dead as she attacked Beth in this episode, so why was she lying around and not moving? Why and how do walkers do that? Lou didn't just collapse and stop moving, yet Beth's mom did for whatever reason. The Unknown: Dave and Tony said they had a camp. Where is this camp? Will we be seeing them later? Best Moment: The ending sequence was one of the show's best scenes so far. Character of the Episode: Rick. Conclusion: While Lori's stupidity hurts this episode, this was very strong overall and did well to follow up on the major events in the mid-season finale. Score: 68 Summary: Joffrey chooses to marry Margaery, relieving Sansa of marrying him. Theon is surrounded by Stark men and his troops turn on him so they can go home. Winterfell is sacked by unknown people. Luwin is killed. Tyrion loses his position as hand and falls back down the hierarchy. Dany goes to the House of the Undying and has a vision of snow. She finds her dragons and kills Pyatt Pree and then she leaves Xaro for dead. Jon kills Qhorin. White Walkers arrive at the Fist of the First Men.
The Good: Tyrion's story was very good here. I enjoyed seeing him as Hand of the King but now he has been stripped of that title and we get to learn that he enjoyed the role too. His emotions come out in a terrific scene with Shae as he reflects on how much he enjoyed having some power for once. It's easy to understand his sadness as he has fallen to the bottom of the totem pole again, established by him no longer having any friends with power, and Pycelle's rediscovered confidence when speaking to Tyrion. I enjoyed Joffrey awarding heroics to Tywin after the battle. The whole scene felt consistent to the time period and also established some important new plot points, notably Tywin's confidence in his new role and Joffrey's new wife. Regarding the latter, it was good follow-up for Sansa as she gets rewarded for choosing to stay in King's Landing. I loved seeing her smile in joy afterwards only to fake sorrow when Littlefinger goes to talk with her. That scene with Littlefinger added a lot too as it sets up another potential partnership while also assuring us that Sansa still isn't safe and will never be safe as long as she is in King's Landing. The conclusion of Theon's story was very strong, just like the rest of his story. I loved seeing his frustrations when he realizes that he is trapped and almost certainly dead. The horn-blower was also a funny way to focus on Theon's anger and displeasure towards his current situation. I loved his conversation with Luwin where his regrets all come pouring out as he realizes all of the mistakes he has made by siding with the Greyjoys and wanting to prove himself. It would be easy to hate Theon for all he has done, but it's a testament to how good the writing has been that I actually sympathize with him and everything he stands for. The final moments in Winterfell were terrific as well. Theon's speech was awesome and he did very well to be inspiring, but he failed to give the Ironborn a reason to throw away their lives, and in return they knocked him out and appeared to have given him over to the Boltons who were outside. Dany's story came to a good conclusion in the House of the Undying. The way these scenes were put together was fantastic and the entire vision sequence was a spectacle to witness. I loved the way everything fit together thematically as it highlighted the final confrontation between ice and fire while also signalling the threat of the White Walkers which will likely descend on King's Landing. I also enjoyed seeing Dany take vengeance on Pyatt Pree and Xaro as she gives us another glimpse of her ruthlessness which hasn't been seen at all this season (see: The Bad). I enjoyed Jaime and Brienne once more. Their dynamic is very good and we get to learn more about them in scenes like the one we saw in this episode. The confrontation with the three Stark men was really well done and allowed Brienne to demonstrate to Jaime and to us how she is loyal to Catelyn and not all of the Starks. As a side note, I really liked the way that the man set up Brienne and Jaime to reveal the truth by asking them to both say Jaime's name at the same time. I liked Stannis' scene too. Stannis' anger at Melisandre was warranted as he has lost literally everything and didn't end up getting what he was promised to get by her. He has lost his friends, his fleet, his brother and his end-goal of being king, making it easy to understand how he feels. The ending scene with the White Walkers was a great cliff-hanger to make me excited for season 3. The surprise of a third horn was great and the tension was palpable as Sam was left alone within the incoming army. The Bad: Unfortunately the final scene was hurt by the fact that the White Walker just left Sam alive. It's hard to feel threatened by them if they don't kill, so that was a pretty weak moment. Luwin's death lacked impact since he has hardly done anything of note. Bran and Rickon's reactions also did nothing since they have done nothing to make me care about either of them as characters. The Qarth storyline accomplished nothing and felt like a means to stall Dany for a season. She has made no progress since the end of last season which is frustrating. The Unknown: What will become of Varys partnering with Ros? What did Stannis see in the flames? Jaqen is very interesting. How does he have all of these mysterious, almost god-like powers? I presume Arya will go to Braavos at a later point in the story. What will she find there? What happened to Winterfell? Who burned it down? It doesn't make sense for the Boltons to do it, but they must have as the Ironborn surely couldn't have. What happened to the Ironborn anyways? WHat happened to Theon? Best Moment: I'll pick Tyrion's sadness at being relegated to the bottom again after losing his position. Character of the Episode: Theon. Conclusion: This was a very good season finale with good closure and some strong moments to make it stand out more. The set-up for next season was good, though it didn't live up to the excellence of the season 1 finale. The second season as a whole was a bit of a step down from season 1 but it was still pretty good. Like season 1, it started slow and picked up a lot of momentum towards the end of the season with good storytelling, powerful moments and epic twists. My one major complaint is how familiar the show still feels after this season. Through season 1, the show took a massive change in direction and every character was at a different place than they were at the beginning. I don't think that the same could be said about this season as many characters find themselves in the same position as season 1, or in similar positions, with Stannis and Dany standing out in this regard. I hope that the next season is a little more ambitious with what it wants to do so we don't end up with another season which felt like it was stalling for lengthy periods of time. Score: 69 Summary: Both Stannis' and Joffrey's sides prepare for the impending battle. Stannis' ships arrive but Tyrion blows up a good portion of them with wildfire, including Davos' ships. Stannis lands anyways and assaults the walls. The Hound fearfully leaves the battleground after seeing fire. Joffrey flees the battlefield too leaving Tyrion in charge of the defenses. Lancel provides updates to Cersei who is hidden in the city with Sansa. Cersei gets drunk and prepares to kill her son so he doesn't have to suffer. Tyrion is attacked by Ser Mandon and critically wounded. Tywin and the Tyrells arrive to rout Stannis' forces, winning the battle. The Hound offers to take Sansa north and out of the city.
The Good: The build-up to the battle was fantastic. The whole season has been slowly building up to this massive confrontation, and the early goings of the episode made it clear that this episode would deliver the battle in full. I respect that we didn't have a single scene outside of King's Landing in this episode as it allowed for there to be full focus on this battle, which had been hyped up to be pivotal for the fate of Westeros. The first 15 to 20 minutes were great as both sides prepared for the upcoming war, putting over how deadly the consequences would be for the loser. This gave the episode a huge sense of importance and tension. I enjoyed a lot of small things in the build-up too. Sansa continuing to mouth off Joffrey, Tyrion having funny interactions with Bronn and Joffrey and Varys continuing to be a fascinating character (see: The Unknown) were all great scenes. With all of the hype, there was massive pressure on the battle to deliver. While I did have some big issues (see: The Bad), I thought that a lot of this was terrific. The opening few minutes in particular were some of the most tense, impressive and exhilarating minutes of television that this show has produced. The wildfire explosion was an incredible moment and opened up the battle on an exciting note, killing many of Stannis' men and presenting that Tyrion may have a chance of overcoming here. It was up to the rest of the battle to live up to the opening of this battle and I feel that for the most part they did a good job. The best parts about this battle were the smaller moments. I loved Tyrion's story here as Varys presented him as the only man who could actually threaten Stannis. He lived up to it as he delivered a spectacular speech late in the battle, playing up to the men's personal desires instead of the honourable desires. It works like a charm and his final line of "there are brave men out there... let's go kill them!" was delivered perfectly and was a satisfying moment. Even more satisfying was watching the Lannisters destroy the portion of Stannis' forces at the gate, earning Tyrion a small victory. The Hound's story was also really good. I enjoyed seeing him leave the battle due to the fire. It fit his character and adds more levels to him as he may not be quite as tough as he lets on and has some serious weaknesses. I also liked him going to Sansa as it plays off of the relationship they had been building throughout this season. It was interesting to see The Hound be so aggressive to convince Sansa to get out of King's Landing, which makes me interested to learn more about how The Hound feels about her. The scenes with Cersei and Sansa were well-written as well. I enjoyed their conversations as Cersei slowly got more drunk, feeling the pressure of the battle and being separated from Jaime for so long. I enjoyed getting this new layer to Cersei, her character has been one of the most interesting parts of the show in the last few episodes. The Bad: Unfortunately I felt disappointed overall by the end of the episode. The battle never lived up to the opening few minutes and it ended rather abruptly without any of the consequences which were hyped up. The Lannisters all win and Stannis still gets to live to fight another day. This is particularly disappointing because this entire season was structured around this massive battle, and yet somehow this large scale battle had less of an effect on the world than the execution of Ned last season. That's very bad and makes what we just watch feel like less of an epic battle and more of just a minor skirmish which can't be right. The actual logistics of the battle unfortunately disappointed me as well. There were several strange moments in the battle that confused me as to how the battle was working. We had Stannis climb the ramparts, which should be a significant development and yet it doesn't lead anywhere. The ramparts allow easy access into the city and should have been a much more central part to this battle, yet they were totally ignored. Additionally, after Tyrion wiped out a portion of Stannis' men, we had a random horde of them come out from somewhere. I have no clue where they were and why they hadn't engaged in the battle earlier. Lastly, while I thought the Cersei scenes were good, they detracted from the battle as a whole and ruined the flow. Also, it was tough for me to properly invest in Cersei's scenes because they felt so insignificant when there is a life-or-death war going on outside the walls. I can't be bothered to care about Shae being discovered when Tyrion's life is in danger as he prepares to lead an attack outside the walls. The Unknown: Varys remains a fascinating character and it seems that there is more to him being a eunuch than expected. What he will have to say about how he was cut? Is Davos dead? It wouldn't be too much of a stretch for him to survive the battle. If he is dead, it would be tough to care about whatever Stannis does next, so I honestly hope he is alive. Why did Mandon attack Tyrion and who ordered him to do it? What are the extent of Tyrion's injuries? Will he be okay by the next episode? How did Tywin get back to King's Landing and why? He said he was going to fight Robb in the last episode, so why didn't he end up going there? What happened to Salladhor Saan? I was hoping to see him again in this battle but he never appeared. Will Sansa go with The Hound then? I don't imagine she will want to stay in King's Landing. Best Moment: The wildfire explosion was a fantastic moment which the episode never topped. Character of the Episode: I'll pick The Hound because he was more interesting here than ever before. Conclusion: This episode was an epic spectacle with a lot of really good moments, but it under-delivered in my opinion. While I still really enjoyed it, there should have been more of an impact on the overall story from a seismic event like this and yet it didn't happen. This is a tough episode to score because of that, as it was terrific, yet at the same time disappointing. Score: 72 Summary: Yara tells Theon to leave Winterfell as it has little strategic advantage for them but Theon doesn't want to. Tyrion plots King's Landings defense against Stannis and realizes they have a massive disadvantage. Catelyn sends Brienne to take Jaime to King's Landing to trade for Sansa and Arya, angering Robb and others in the camp. Robb falls in love with Talisa and sleeps with her. Jon reunites with Qhorin who has also been captured. Dany prepares to go to the House of the Undying.
The Good: Theon's story continued to be very strong in this episode. We got more exploration of his relationship with Yara, which was much needed for him. Yara was really good as her experience puts her on a higher level than Theon in terms of battle strategy and she completely destroys Theon's reputation which is deserved. Yara explains with sound logic why Theon's maneuver was stupid and did nothing in the long run for the Greyjoys yet Theon's immature need to prove himself makes him not listen and still refuse to cooperate. Then the scene takes a better turn as Yara stops humiliating him and speaks with him alone, showing some genuine affection which adds even more to their relationship. I really enjoyed these interactions. Arya's storyline was pretty good as well. I liked her trying to kill Tywin when she learns of her plans. Some will complain about her not doing this earlier, but she knows that she only has three names and she is still a child who likely isn't thinking far enough into the future to realize how significant it will be to kill Tywin. It also made sense that Jaqen wouldn't be able to kill him since he is still human after all. It's good to get some insight that Jaqen isn't a godly being or a plot device. Additionally, I liked Arya manipulating Jaqen to get out of Harrenhal quickly with her friends. I loved the scenes which hyped up Stannis' upcoming siege of King's Landing. The build-up was tense and dramatic and makes this upcoming battle feel like a huge deal. Most of this season has been set up, and this episode did a great job of demonstrating that the pay-off is upon us and we will be getting a really satisfying climax soon. To make this better, we were treated to a number of good scenes as this went on. Tyrion's interactions with Bronn are hilarious and fantastic, I love seeing them talk with each other and I'm invested int heir unique friendship. Tyrion and Varys were terrific as usual as they discuss the happenings in the world with great wit and humour. There was also a fantastic scene between Tyrion and Cersei, albeit one with a different tone from the previous episode. This time Cersei is back to being hostile, as she begins to cave under the pressure of Joffrey's awful reign combined with Stannis' looming threat. So she chooses to cement power over Tyrion once more, threatening to kill his whore, though luckily for Tyrions he has the wrong whore. Robb was very good in this episode too and continues to be a terrific king. His anger at his mother for freeing Jaime (see: The Bad) is certainly warranted as she has embarrassed him in front of all of his men and taken away his advantage. I liked seeing Robb open up more to Talisa as well in these times of pressure. He is still young and thrust in a major role, so it makes sense for him to need to find a way to relieve some pressure. Unfortunately this leads to him breaking his vows to Walder Frey which can't possibly end well. It's a stupid decision, but we understand easily why he chose it, and he further tries to support it by telling himself that since he doesn't need to go south anymore, he didn't really need passage at The Twins anyways. It's dumb but understandable, unlike a similar decision made by Catelyn in this episode (see: The Bad). Stannis and Davos had some great development in this episode. It has been hard to care for them too much this season, but this one scene has done an absolute ton for their story. Now we understand their relationship, their backstory and their dynamic together, adding to my investment in them as a whole. This makes the upcoming battle much more interesting, as it's difficult to choose a side to root for. I definitely want Joffrey to be unseated as king more than anything, but Tyrion is my favourite character so I'm pretty torn. I liked some smaller things in this episode as well. Jaime remains terrific and his scenes with Brienne were witty and well-written. I also liked seeing a brief glimpse of Jon dealing with the consequences of not being able to kill when he needed to. It's a good lesson for him and I doubt that he will make the same mistake again. The Bad: Catelyn's choice to free Jaime is beyond stupid and nonsensical. I understand that she would do anything to get her daughters back, but I have no idea why she thinks that the Lannisters would just send Sansa and Arya back. She knows they are evil and yet she agrees to a deal which they can either choose to honour or ignore entirely. It's stupid and motherly instincts do not excuse her motivation in the same way that being young and stressed excuses Robb's. The Unknown: What will Tyrion do to protect King's Landing? He still has that wildfire which he can use. What was the significance of the dragonglass that Sam and the others found? Best Moment: Tyrion goes to Shae after fearing that Cersei had captured her. His raw emotion and love for her is on full display and it makes for a genuinely touching scene. Character of the Episode: Tyrion. Conclusion: This was another really good episode. While this one was another calm set-up episode, I really enjoyed it overall since it has promised a ton of action in the season's concluding episodes which are coming up next. The only flaw was Catelyn's decision and while that hurts the score slightly, I still have a very positive outlook on this episode as a whole. Score: 67 Summary: Theon chases down Bran and Rickon. Later he shows the burned bodies of two boys to everyone. Ygritte continues to flirt with Jon and eventually leads him into a trap. Tywin and Arya have another chat. Jaime escapes his cell by killing his cousin but he is reprimanded instantly. Lord Karstark wants him dead but Catelyn protects Jaime. Xaro and Pyatt Pree kill the other thirteen in Qarth. Pyatt reveals that he has Dany's dragons.
The Good: Theon's story was strong once more as he continues to act more villainous s he tries to prove himself. He goes too far here as he tries to kill the Starks and may have actually succeeded, though I don't think so (see: The Unknown). Either way, it's good drama and continues to show us Theon's downfall as a human as he continues to hurt the Starks. Jon and Ygritte were terrific here. Ygritte flirting is a ton of fun and the dialogue is funny and well written. I love the arguments regarding Jon's freedom as well as they really start to explore what Jon has lost by joining the Night's Watch. They really play into the idea that Jon may forsake his vows to be with Ygritte and that makes for fun and tense viewing all the way until the surprise ending where Jon gets captured by wildlings. I really like this development as well since it will likely allow us to learn more about the wildlings now. Tywin and Arya stole the show once more with a terrific scene of dialogue. They have great chemistry and their conversations are fascinating and develop the world in interesting ways. "Game of Thrones" has been doing a terrific job of making the story engaging despite not following normal TV conventions. This show s unique because of scenes like this, and the show benefits greatly for it. I can't think of any other TV show which has lengthy scenes of characters simply talking about random things throughout an entire episode that has gripped me this much. Another example of this conversation is with Jaime and his cousin. The dialogue felt so organic and believable that I felt like I was watching a real life conversation. It was fascinating and both characters came off well, especially Jaime who showed that charming side of himself once more before revealing his true heart as he tricks his cousin into getting close enough to be killed, aiding Jaime in escaping his cell. The whole sequence was terrific to watch and satisfied me a lot. The rets of Jaime's story was great too. I loved seeing Lord Karstark trying to kill him despite the orders from Robb. I would completely buy that the Starks aren't happy to keep somebody vile like Jaime in the camp and it has caused organic dissension. I also liked seeing Catelyn step up to protect Jaime as she realizes that he is the only way she will get her daughters back. Cersei had a very good episode as well as she got to show us her experience in motherhood. I appreciated her being honest with Sansa about motherhood, also giving her some advice to help her survive. It was the first hint she gave that she wasn't happy with Joffrey, which paid off a few scenes later with Tyrion. Cersei's emotions about how terrible Joffrey is felt very real and I loved seeing her say all this to Tyrion, who she despises, because he is all that she has. It was touching and it also did well to highlight the danger of Stannis as the two siblings who hate each other are now coming closer in times of desperation. The Bad: Dany in Qarth wasn't that good. It was hard to care about the execution of the thirteen and both Xaro and Pyatt don't really interest me. The storytelling feels lame and rushed. Furthermore, I wasn't fond of Dany and Jorah's scene. I can understand Dany being angry, but Emilia Clarke's performance isn't really working for me so I struggle to buy into the story, as well as Jorah's love for her. The Unknown: The Brotherhood Without Banners has been mentioned again. Who are they? Where did Barristan end up going? He was mentioned again and we haven't seen him in 10 episodes now. Surely he will reappear somewhere. Best Moment: Arya and Tywin's conversation was really good. I am enjoying their interactions a lot. Character of the Episode: Jaime. Conclusion: This was a really good episode, though it was a rather quiet one. Despite that, I thought that storylines progressed nicely and there was some great character development and exploration. A much stronger episode to build the story than the others ones we have seen earlier in the season. Score: 69 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 Summary: Victor and Tyrus stage that Arturo and Nacho were attacked by somebody unknown. Nacho is shot multiple times to follow this story. The cousins pick him up and take him to Caldera to save his life. Gus is called by Bolsa who says that they don't want product crossing the border anymore and that Gus should get a supplier. Gus talks to Gale to get him to make product from his end. Mike refuses Jimmy's deal to steal the Hummel, so Jimmy gets Ira to do it for him. Ira almost gets caught so Jimmy has to go bail him out. Kim gives Jimmy Chuck's letter but Jimmy has no real reaction to it, which shocks and hurts Kim.
The Good: This episode was divided into two contrasting halves, the cartel stuff and the main Jimmy/Kim storyline. The contrast was surprisingly effective as somehow the stories had similarly bad things happening to its characters despite the differing stakes. It was handled well, spliced together appropriately and didn't take away from the experience at all for me. Nacho's story was very well executed but it was extremely risky and ambitious. The entire storyline banked on how much we cared about Nacho and if we didn't care, this would have been dull and unsatisfying. Thankfully, the show has done a terrific job of making us like Nacho, so this worked very well. It was emotionally powerful to see Nacho in such a helpless place with nobody to truly help him. The idea that the cousins are the only ones who are on his side at the moment is very good at establishing how lost Nacho is right now, and it also shows how difficult it is for him to escape the cartel life now. It's sad and effective storytelling. The opening scene in particular was extremely well done. Everything was so mysterious and confusing and I had no idea what was going on for a long time, but then the pieces finally came together and Nacho was shot, making the moment feel more significant. "Better Call Saul" is the only show on TV right now where I can always count on watching an impressive cinematic feat in every episode, and that helps it feel special. I also loved seeing Gus manipulate even more. It's great to see all of the set-up that went into the creation of his meth empire in "Breaking Bad", and it also allowed for a tremendously fun cameo from Gale, who was hilariously and impressively singing the elements song. The Jimmy storyline was also tremendously strong. Jimmy is closer than ever to being Saul Goodman and he continued to show that here. He is so determined to get the money for the Hummel that it is off-putting. There are a lot of people who got in his way to try to get him to stop, but he just callously goes through them to get to his goal anyways, no longer giving a damn about what he had to do. He doesn't even care for Mike's reasoning that somebody needs to deserve what their getting, as Jimmy simply wants to get money without any thought about the person he is robbing. It's a disturbing morality and it's sad to see Jimmy like this, but of course it had to be like this since the beginning of the show. This season so far is feeling more tragic than any of the others before, and it seems like a reality check for us watching, to remind us that this does not have a happy ending. The struggles of Nacho mentioned earlier, as well as Kim's in this episode continue to highlight that feeling. Additionally on Kim, she is very clearly being set up for a fall and it is heartbreaking to watch. She is trying so hard to work for Mesa Verde and be successful while also trying to take care of Jimmy, who she loves. But both of them are completely destroying her in this episode. Mesa Verde essentially just piled an absolute ton of work on her lap while she is still fresh off of the car accident. She isn't even being thorough anymore, letting her assistant Viola do work which she isn't even bothering to check herself anymore. And then we add on Jimmy being extremely cold and detached and it's really easy to see the pressure mounting on Kim. The final scene is a breaking point for her as all of her emotions come pouring out all of a sudden (see: Best Moment). I enjoyed the break-in sequence as well as it was very tense. I also loved the cameo of Ira, who was the owner of Vamonos Pest in "Breaking Bad". I was ready to call the cartel story as somewhat bad because Gus didn't seem to plan it out too well as Nacho could have easily died. But then I realized that Gus didn't care for Nacho's life. If Nacho died, then it wouldn't matter to him since it would be another threat taken out, but if he survived, he could be of further help. Gus clearly didn't value Nacho's life at all considering what Nacho did to Hector. The Bad: Nothing really. The episode is very depressing which could be grating on the viewers. The Unknown: What are Kim's feelings on the Mesa Verde expansion? Does she not want to work with them anymore? It appears to be overwhelming for her. Was Chuck's letter authentic? Could it have been made by Kim to lessen the impact on Jimmy? That could be one of the reasons that she cried. Speaking of which, why did she end up crying? The most fascinating part of this show is how a single character action makes sense but it could have 4 or 5 different reasons for why it happened. Best Moment: Kim gives Jimmy Chuck's letter and Jimmy just reads it out casually and isn't effected by it at all. All the while Kim notices how broken Jimmy is and she tears up seeing him like this. It's powerful and heartbreaking television with so many layers. An extremely impressive scene. Character of the Episode: Kim. Conclusion: This was another great episode with layers and powerful emotions. The show has gotten darker and more depressing, and it is hitting the emotions harder than before. Score: 69 Summary: Monica, Chandler and Joey have a traumatic experience on the beach and can't tell anyone. Phoebe rejects her mother for abandoning her. Ross chooses to be with Rachel and breaks up with Bonnie.
The Good: This was a pretty good episode with clever moments of comedy. All three storylines are filled with good lines and jokes and I was enjoying myself all the way through. Ross and Rachel have another great argument, and Ross' insistence on them being on a break is very funny. Most impressive is the jellyfish storyline, which breaks from the way most "Friends" episodes are, featuring overacting and parody. This has happened in the past and I have never been impressed by it, but this time it was very funny and the overly dramatic reactions add a lot to the story. The jokes feel organic and the characters somehow still feel normal despite all of the overacting. Phoebe's story is fine as well if nothing too special. The Bad: The Ross and Rachel story is hurt by a serious lack of logic. Why would Ross not just tell Rachel he fell asleep? She would clearly understand since it was 5:30 in the morning. This is the catalyst for the relationship falling apart again and it feels completely unsatisfying. Best Moment: I loved Joey, Chandler and Monica revealing what happened on the beach. The whole scene was way better than it had any right to be. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: Aside from the one logical misstep, this was a welcome return to form. Hopefully the rest of the season keeps up a high quality. Score: 71 Summary: Glenn tells everyone about the walkers in the barn and everyone is upset, especially Shane. Rick tries to make peace with Hershel so that his people can stay on the farm. Dale tries to hide the guns from Shane but Shane tracks him down and finds them. Rick helps Hershel bring more walkers to the barn. Shane sees this and freaks out. He arms up everybody and they slaughter all of the walkers in the barn to Hershel and Rick's dismay. Sophia is revealed to have been a walker in the barn the entire time and Rick kills her.
The Good: This was an excellent mid-season finale. The story felt really important here and the scenes had a real sense of urgency to them, unlike all of the previous episodes this season which have felt lackadaisical and almost meaningless at times. This episode picked everything up and the whole episode had a much better flow overall. I've been critical of this show's dependence on one on one conversations this season as I felt they have been too jarring and pretty poor for character development. Thankfully, this episode actually started with everyone together and ended with everyone together, giving the scenes a greater sense of importance due to the change of format from earlier. Furthermore, every conversation had a sense of purpose and felt significant to the story. Rick and Hershel hit a breaking point in the relationship between the two groups so they are forced to settles their differences. Shane and Dale have a tense confrontation to play off of their distaste for each other. Shane and Lori get to discuss the possibility of the baby being Shane's. All of these scenes had a purpose to them and they were also longer scenes, making them fit into the episode much more organically than previous conversation scenes. This change has helped the show a lot and I really hope that these one on one conversations are used more sparingly later in the show. This episode was outstanding for Shane's character. He has a fascinating role in the series as his morals directly oppose the protagonists, yet he isn't treated as a villain, more like a rival. It's been fascinating to see Shane slowly get darker as the series goes on, becoming more willing to make the hard decisions to help the group. What I like most about this development is how Shane is actually proven right by the end of the episode. The walkers are dead and dangerous, even Hershel must agree to that now. Sophia was gone and it was a waste to spend so much time looking for her. By proving Shane right, it seems that the next half of the season may explore Rick being forced to accept Shane's way of doing things a little more as it does seem necessary for survival. The most important part in keeping Shane relatable to us is that we understand why he does everything. And we do get to see that which is very fascinating. We see him getting frustrated by a number of things, so that final ten minute sequence becomes the moment where Shane finally snaps under the pressure. He has had to put up with being hated by Lori and Dale who actively try to stop him, he has to endure Rick making the wrong decisions and now he has to endure Hershel endangering all of the camp. It's frustrating for Shane, so when he sees Rick and Hershel bringing in more walkers to put in the barn, he snaps, leading into a tense and terrific final sequence where he finally gets to make his point (see: Best Moment). As far as specific scenes go, I really enjoyed Dale and Shane's confrontation. It was subtly tense and scary as Shane looked more unhinged and dangerous as ever, and with no witnesses around, you could never be sure about what happens to Dale. But the scene takes off with its great thematic exploration as it looks at the idea of how valuable your humanity really is in a post-apocalyptic world which is a concept I would love to see explored in greater detail. The Bad: A few scenes stood out as not that great, but nothing here was awful. I wasn't a fan of Daryl and Carol's scenes as their relationship seems to have evolved a bit too abruptly for my liking. I also didn't like Glenn and Maggie's scenes as their relationship has evolved in such a ridiculous and unrealistic way. I was also confused by Glenn's explanation about forgetting how dangerous the walkers are which didn't make sense for his character at all. The Unknown: Did Hershel know Sophia was in the barn the entire time? Surely he would have known. Why did he keep it secret from the group? Will Hershel kick the group off the farm in the mid-season premiere? I doubt that he will want to keep them around after what just happened. Best Moment: Those final ten minutes were truly fantastic. As slow as this season has been, it has been trying to tell a story the whole time. The final sequence brought every storyline together and paid it off in such a brilliant way. We got Shane's descent into losing his humanity hit a major point, we had closure on Hershel's argument that walkers are human and we also got to find out what happened to Sophia in a great twist that I wasn't expecting. The scene was a great catharsis and a terrific way to end the season, by closing out every major storyline from the farm which has been stretched out so long. Character of the Episode: Shane. This was his episode all the way through. Conclusion: This was an awesome mid-season finale which was the best episode of the show since its pilot. There was a lot of pay-off here and it nearly makes up for the weaker episodes which preceded this one. As for this half-season, I thought it was disappointing for the most part, especially after such a strong first season. The middle section was stretched out and weak, and the entire run could have likely been condensed into 4 or 5 episodes. However the start and ending were very good and it reminded me that this show has the potential to be something special. Hopefully the next six episodes of the season live up to the potential. Score: 74 Summary: The friends go for a vacation at the beach together and Bonnie can't make it. Chandler tries to convince Monica that he is boyfriend material. Ross and Rachel really connect again but it's ruined when Bonnie returns. Phoebe goes to talk to one of her mom's friends to see if she can help her find her father.
The Good: This episode was good and had some good storyline advancement. The Ross and Rachel stuff was pretty good and was pretty funny at times too. They have good chemistry and that carried this episode. The side storylines were fine and had funny moments, including the great strip happy days scene. I also liked Phoebe finding her real mother even if it wasn't particularly funny. The Bad: This episode feels way to ordinary without any big laughs. It got chuckles but not much more. The show has been lacking in heavy comedy recently and it hurts this episode too. Best Moment: Joey getting the tables turned against him when they finally played strip poker (or strip happy days game) was the funniest part. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This episode was good but nothing more than that. A disappointment considering the heights this show used to reach so consistently. As a whole season 3 started off really well with a lot of great episodes as usual, but it really slowed down after the Ross/Rachel breakup. I don't know what happened but the writing and comedy went down notably after that point. While the show is still enjoyable, it feels like the writers are running out of ideas and that's a shame. Hopefully season 4 can turn things around again. Score: 68 Summary: Renly is killed by Stannis' shadow and Brienne and Catelyn are forced to flee. Renly's bannermen go to Stannis but the Tyrells go back to Highgarden. Tyrion discovers that Cersei plans to use wildfire against Stannis and he wants some for himself. Theon goes to raid the Stoney Shore but he makes plans to go after Winterfell instead. Arya meets with Jaqen who is willing to kill three people for her. Jaqen kills The Tickler first. Beyond The Wall, the Night's Watch reunites with Qhorin after arriving at the Fist of the First Men. Across the Narrow Sea, Dany is proposed to by Daxos who tells her of Jorah's affections for her.
The Good: The opening scene was effective at raising the stakes for the show. Renly's death is a huge moment and to see it so early in the season, and in the episode, was shocking and a pretty memorable moment. I also like how Catelyn and Brienne ended up being painted as guilty due to the circumstances, ensuring that they will be alone and that Renly's men would not end up supporting Robb. Tyrion remains strong in this episode. Like last episode, his scenes with Lancel are funny and energetic and they also do well to service the plot. I enjoyed seeing Tyrion learn about the wildfire along with us, making it feel like an important new development, one which will likely be used often in the series when battles occur. I also love the little detail that the people in the city don't like Tyrion because of rumours. It feels very realistic for people to do that. While I doubt we see the Tyrells again for a little while sicne they have retreated, I was very impressed by them. Margaery in particular stuck out as she seems pretty emotionless surrounding Renly's death and she makes it clear that her only objective is to get power, much like many of the other important characters like Tywin and Littlefinger. I'm excited to see more of her in the future. Theon's storyline had a good development as he looks to attack Winterfell. While he does have problems as a character (see: The Bad), it's easy to understand his thought process for attacking Winterfell as he wants nothing more than to prove himself to his men. Furthermore, this development is good since it will involve Bran into the main story. After five episodes in this season Bran has done nothing, so I look forward to seeing him do more. Arya and Tywin have a nice dynamic. Tywin is fascinated by her intelligence and keeps her as cupbearer whereas Arya is frightened and is doing her absolute best to not get discovered. Their conversation was tense and allowed us to learn a little more about both of their characters and their mannerisms. The Night's Watch scenes were solid but nothing special. As were the Dany scenes. Both storylines progressed and we learned new details, but nothing much stood out to me as particularly good. The Bad: The show continues to expand its world and while it's enjoyable to see, it often doesn't lead to great episodes. This is an example of that, as there was nothing wrong with this episode but it wasn't very enjoyable because the story keeps jumping around without really getting us emotionally invested. I'm not invested in Jon and Dany like I was last season because their storylines only really serve to expand the world not tell their own story. We need emotional stakes to enjoy the show, not a larger world. Jon and Dany are yet to go through some real conflict, and after five episodes of slow storytelling, that's very disappointing. Theon's story has suffered too. While his story is well written and expands the world in very good ways which I actually like, it's just hard to care about anything he does. We are getting to know who Theon is, but we aren't given any reasons to care about him. This stands out badly when so much of the rest of the show is centred around dozens of other characters who we actually care about or are interested in. Bran is very dull to me. He has been having dreams for what feels like forever and yet we still know nothing about him as a character. He has become very boring. The Unknown: How does Tyrion plan to use the wildfire? It has been established that catapults aren't a good idea. Who is Jaqen and why is he helping Arya like this? Why does he talk so funny? Who is the red god? Is that the lord of light? How did he kill The Tickler? I want to know more about him. Why is Pyatt Pree interested in Dany? Will she go see him? Will she accept Daxos' proposal? What will she do now that she is aware of Jorah's feelings for her? Also who was that girl talking to Jorah? Best Moment: I'll pick Arya and Tywin's brief conversation. It was engaging and interesting. Character of the Episode: Margaery since nobody else really stood out. Conclusion: This episode had more decent continuation of the story, but so much of the story lacks proper emotion or momentum, making it tough to really care about this season's story. I'm invested in some of the characters, but it isn't enough as there needs to be more of a reason for me to care for the story. Score: 60 Summary: Jimmy goes for a sales interview and is immediately hired after he puts on a great performance, but Jimmy is upset by this an refuses the offer. Kim goes to a meeting arranged by Howard regarding Chuck's will and she lashes out at him for offloading his guilt onto Jimmy. Nacho tells his dad that it's over and seeks to get out of the business. The cousins visit Hector in the hospital and Gus sends a proper specialist for him. Lydia talks with Mike about him doing his job. Arturo tries to take six packets of drugs again but is murdered by Gus. Gus tells Nacho that he knows what he did and takes ownership of him.
The Good: Jimmy's story continues to fascinate me as it progresses. What makes it so enthralling is that we don't fully know how he has dealt with Chuck's death and how it has affected him (see: The Unknown), and that makes his actions unpredictable and fun to analyze. Take the sales scene for example. It's hard to understand why exactly Jimmy decided to do what he did and chose to potentially rob the people who hired him, but that is what makes it so fascinating. There are many different possibilities (Jimmy I reminded of his dad, he's still upset about Chuck, he's torn about what kind of person to be, etc.), but it remains unclear where Jimmy's mind is currently at and what his next moves will be. This pays off spectacularly with Kim's story as Kim's actions are based off of how she interprets Jimmy's actions following Chuck's death. Evidently, Kim believes that Jimmy has been broken by what happened, hence his carefree demeanor continuing on despite such a life-changing event. I initially interpreted her look at Jimmy in the previous episode as one of confusion towards why Jimmy would do something so cold to Howard, but now I see that it was in fact shock for how detached Jimmy has become after everything that happened to him. She believes that Jimmy has been destroyed to the point that he no longer cares and she will stand by him because of this. It should be engaging to see if Kim I accurate in her judgement and if she will face consequences for siding with Jimmy once more. I also really loved how Kim's loyalty for Jimmy led to her viciously attacking Howard at HHM, showing her passion in her beliefs and in Jimmy (see: Best Moment). The other half of the episode with Nacho was very good too. The ending of course was terrific, but I think the build up to it was very good too. I enjoyed the scene between Nacho and his father. It showed that both characters were unwilling to forget their past, as Nacho wouldn't let the relationship with his father go away and his father truly wanted Nacho to get out of the business. Both characters felt sincere and subtle in their wishes and it was well-executed to the point that it made me want to see Nacho escape from his life, which made the final scene with Gus all the more tragic. Additionally, the scenes with Hector in the hospital were very good. The cousins made a welcome appearance and instigated a surprisingly funny scene where Arturo and Nacho spoke to Hector, parodying the idea of people speaking to their loved one while they are in a coma. Only this time Arturo and Nacho were talking about how they were ruling the streets in the Salamanca name. I also liked that Gus was keeping tabs on Hector, sending his men into the hospital stealthily to watch over his health. Of course this takes us to the shocking ending scene. I'll start off by saying how I love the way that "Better Call Saul" and "Breaking Bad" both play off of previous scenes in the series, making them feel richer and more important to the plot. The scene from last season with Arturo and Nacho taking six packages felt like a complete scene and served its purpose back then, but it is deepened a lot here as it ends up paying off with one of the most dramatic scenes that this show has ever done. Arturo tries to take six packages again but he pays the price with his life and Nacho is essentially picked up as Gus' new man. Gus came off as terrifying and threatening in this scene in the same way he was back in "Breaking Bad" and we seem to have witnessed the event that made Gus so cold-blooded as a person, seeing that he was rather tame in the last season and didn't use his power threateningly. The scene was also shot to perfection, particularly the reveal of the shadow before Gus swiftly attacked Arturo. Lastly, I enjoyed Mike's storyline in this episode. Mike and Lydia both detest each other in "Breaking Bad" and it looks like we are getting some story to flesh out their history. There are already tensions between them presented in this episode and I enjoyed seeing them essentially write each other off. I especially liked seeing Mike scoff at the thought of going to some fancy hotel to meet with Lydia, clearly thinking she is pretentious and overly cautious in bad ways. The Bad: The final scene had a problem with tension. While it's interesting and exciting to watch, it doesn't have us as engaged as it should because it doesn't hit us with as much tension as it thinks it does. The problem is that we know that Victor and Tyrus survive until "Breaking Bad" and we also know that Nacho won't be dying in this episode because it won't be satisfying. This means only Arturo is in actual danger and that removes majority of the tension from the episode. The Unknown: What does Chuck say in his letter? Will Kim choose to give it to Jimmy? Or will Jimmy find it himself? How will Jimmy react to Kim withholding information from him? Why does Jimmy want Mike to steal the figurine? Is it just a way to punish the store owners? More importantly, what was with Jimmy's interview? Why did he turn so suddenly on the owners? Was it because they reminded him of his father? Or was it because he is still torn on what kind of person to be? Perhaps both? Perhaps something else entirely? Best Moment: Kim attacking Howard was one of the best scenes in the entire show so far. It was so damn powerful. I love the subtle detail with Kim not even bothering to properly dress up o meet with Howard, subtly foreshadowing that she may not keep her emotions in check. Anyways, Howard trying to cut Jimmy out and offload his guilt has rubbed Kim the wrong way and her rage slowly comes out at Howard as she exposes everything he has done to Jimmy and how selfish it is. Rhea Seehorn kills it in this scene and delivers her best performance yet. But most impressive is Howard, who does a terrific job of adding even more power to this scene. Howard is evidently a good person and he clearly didn't intend for things to be taken this way. When he asks how he can fix things he feels sincere. He has been through a lot and is now trying to do whatever he can to bring things back to normal for himself but he is in over his head. It's easy to sympathize with him throughout the scene despite Kim throwing all of her rage at him. The scene has so many layers of depth, emotion, character, conflict and more to it, making it all the more impressive. Character of the Episode: Kim. Conclusion: This was a really solid episode raised up by an outstanding scene between Kim and Howard. It's an easy watch and continues the story in very fulfilling ways. Score: 70 Summary: Joffrey tries to punish Sansa but Tyrion saves him. Tyrion sends him some whores to calm him down but Joffrey makes them beat each other. Lancel goes to Tyrion with requests from Cersei to free Pycelle. Tyrion agrees but also gets Lancel on his side. Littlefinger delivers Ned's ashes to Catelyn. Stannis and Renly threaten each other with war. Arya is taken to Harrenhal and is selected to be Tywin's cupbearer. Robb wins battles in the west. Dany secures entry into Qarth. Melisandre births a shadow.
The Good: This episode was a blessing for this season. The tone took a sudden shift into darker territory as scenes of this episode often unsettled me with tough to watch moments. As rough as this was, it elicited a reaction from me and made me care about what was happening on screen, making it the most tense and exciting episode in this season. Joffrey was one of the worst parts of the episode in a good way. He is despicable and awful and I dread to see him on screen due to whatever new way he develops to torture Sansa and those around him. But this makes him one of the most vile villains I have seen in television and I don't think I've ever wanted to see a character die more than I want to see Joffrey get what's coming to him. Thankfully we do get tastes of Joffrey getting some comeuppance from Tyrion who stands up to Joffrey all the time and puts him in his place. The scene with Sansa was getting uncomfortable but Tyrion's arrival made it more lighthearted and enjoyable due to how he handles Joffrey's menace. Furthermore, there was Joffrey's scene with the two whores which I don't even want to begin to talk about. It was cruel and sadistic, and showcased Joffrey's pettiness as he gets back at Tyrion in a really awful way. Tyrion as a whole was terrific once more in this episode. I loved seeing him counter Cersei's attempt to get Pycelle back by getting his own spy in Lancel. Tyrion's mannerisms in that conversation were superb as he turned the tables around on Lancel with a calm demeanor and made Lancel go from being dismissive to actively begging for his life. It was fascinating to watch and was a definite standout scene in the episode. The Harrenhal scenes were very good too. There was a darker tone present as people were being starved, tortured and brutally killed, which is a far cry from the lightheartedness of Arya's storyline a few episodes ago. More notably, Tywin arrived at Harrenhal and picked Arya as a cupbearer which is really significant development as it seems to hint that Arya's identity will be discovered very soon. I enjoyed seeing Renly and Stannis face off. It builds up nicely to an eventual battle an also does a great job of showing the contrast between the two brothers and how they are polar opposites of each other in terms of personality. Catelyn's scene with Littlefinger was very good as well. I loved to see Catelyn get a chance to let out some pent up emotion from Ned's death and Littlefinger is a good character to receive her anger seeing how he betrayed Ned. But more impressively, Littlefigner wins over Catelyn again by the end using his mouth, proving that he is one of the most effective manipulators on the show I really liked the opening scene as well. It had a great use of misdirection with that opening bit with the soldiers and also did a good job of showing us a brief glimpse of what it's like being a soldier in battle. I'm intrigued by the development of Robb meeting Talisa (see: The Unknown). The ending of the episode was huge. It's the show confirming the existence of proper magic which is very unexpected, but I really like it as it makes Stannis' storyline feel very important and makes him feel like a more powerful character, similar to Dany with her dragons. Speaking of Dany, her story was solid in this episode as she forced her way into Qarth with the help of one of the 13, but I did have some problems (see: The Bad). The Bad: Dany's story lacks momentum still and it has been nothing important for the first four episodes. It's a jarring transition after the huge ending to the last season with the introduction of dragons. There just doesn't seem to be much to Dany's storyline this season. Also, the scenes of Dany's entry made little sense to me. I don't understand why Dany didn't just show the dragons as they would easily grant her access. Additionally, Daxos using Sumai felt like a cliché as it feels like a plot convenience for him to get Dany into Qarth. Littlefinger is a master manipulator, but scenes like the one with Margaery contradict that entirely. Littlefigner doesn't come off as cunning when he openly reveals his knowledge to others in ways that don't give him the advantage and it hurts his credibility. The Unknown: Will Robb break his vows to Walder Frey with Talisa? That could be very dangerous. Who are the Brotherhood and why do the Lannisters want to know about them? What is Sumai? I doubt we get any more information on it as it feels like a convenience through and through. What the heck was that shadow baby? What will it do? Best Moment: I'll avoid the temptation to pick Tyrion once more and I'll go with the ending scene for what it means for the show as a whole with the introduction of proper magic. Character of the Episode: I'll go with Joffrey actually for being such a despicable villain. Conclusion: This episode had a much darker tone and was all the better for it. There was a good sense of urgency here and that made this the best episode of the season so far. Score: 68 Summary: In flashbacks, Gene recovers from fainting and takes a taxi ride but is alarmed when the driver keeps looking at him. He gets out of the taxi ahead of time and walks away. In the present, Jimmy learns about Chuck's death and goes into silent grieving. Howard blames himself for Chuck's death and Jimmy goes along with it, coldly dismissing him. Nacho disposes of the pills, but Gus has put a tracker on Nacho's car and Victor sees him do it. Mike infiltrates Madrigal and turns his fake job of security consultant into a real one as he points out the facility's security issues.
The Good: As expected, this episode heavily focuses on the aftermath of Chuck's death and it is very powerful stuff. Jimmy's initial shock reactions are sad and powerful and the scenes with Jimmy and Kim do well to demonstrate Jimmy's grieving process and how shook up h is after losing Chuck. The subdued nature of Jimmy's grieving is terrific and makes a lot more sense than actual tears considering the bad terms the two brothers were on before Chuck died. This leads to ta shocking development at the end though (see: Best Moment) as Jimmy takes some major steps towards becoming Saul Goodman as he coldly brushes past Chuck's death and tries to move on quickly, clearly still bothered by Chuck's final words with him. As expected, this episode did a fantastic job with the little details. I loved the callback to Chuck sitting on the bench and being afraid of the transformer from "Rico" back in season 1. It fit the story because it's entirely logical for someone in grieving to reminisce over recent memories, and that memory likely sticks with Jimmy since it was one of the last memories that Jimmy had of Chuck before their relationship was destroyed. I also love how Chuck's face and body is never shown in this episode, which is a terrific way of symbolizing Jimmy's lack of closure as well as his alienation from Chuck which explains his bizarre reaction at the end of the episode. Lastly, I loved that they played the Sicilienne song during Chuck's funeral, which was the same song that Chuck played on his piano back in "Cobbler". The other storylines were also very well done. Mike's storyline as really fun to follow and I'm very thankful for that as it keeps the episode from becoming overly depressing. I enjoyed seeing Mike do what he does best as he monitors Madrigal's security and tells them how to improve it. The entire sequence of him exploring the facility was really well done and enjoyable to watch. The most fascinating part is that we have no idea what he is planning to do and we come up with all of these possible explanations in our head until the show reveals to us that Mike is only doing his job. It's a funny twist and fits Mike's character as well as he seems to be lacking a purpose without a job. Nacho's story was very good too and he appears to have gotten himself in deep trouble. The scenes were incredibly tense as Nacho is essentially surrounded and watched by enemies at all times. We want him to get out and be free, but as expected Nacho isn't careful enough when disposing the pills and Victor takes notice, essentially putting a target on Nacho's head. While this episode didn't accomplish a whole ton, it does let us know that Nacho is in huge danger and his story will be very exciting to watch this season. Gene's scene this season was great at always. There was so much tension seeing Gene go about his life as so many moments teased him being found out, like the moment with the secretary and the taxi driver. The show has done such a good job of demonstrating how paranoid Gene has become because he is so afraid to face the consequences. But he is already facing the consequences and is living in a prison of his own paranoia. The Gene story is building up really well and I'm excited to spend more time with him. The Bad: The opening shot of Jimmy and Kim with the fire burning was a bit too cheesy for my liking. The Unknown: Did the taxi driver recognize Gene or was it just Gene's paranoia? What will Gus do to Nacho now that he likely knows that he was involved with Hector's stroke? What has happened to Jimmy? He went full Saul Goodman in that final scene, is it just him repressing Chuck or has he taken Chuck's words about not being remorseful anymore to heart? Best Moment: Howard comes to confess the truth to Kim and Jimmy and Patrick Fabian delivers his best scene yet. Howard's guilt is powerful and it earns our sympathy as we can understand that Howard respects Chuck and treats him like a friend, so to see him feel responsible for his death hurts. But the scene takes a dark turn as Jimmy coldly replies "that's your cross to bear", showing no empathy and earning shocked looks from Kim and Howard. Then, Jimmy goes about his business, feeding his fish and making coffee, just like the opening sequence of the episode, showing that he has moved on. They even added in a whistle, mirroring the scene in "Breaking Bad" where Walt was whistling, showing to Jesse that he really wasn't bothered by Drew Sharpe's death. This was just terrific and powerful storytelling and it gives us a crucial hint as to why Jimmy will become Saul in the future. Character of the Episode: Howard. Conclusion: This was the usual slow paced opener, but the storytelling was still terrific and there was a lot of emotion in seeing the reactions to Chuck's death. While this won't be remembered as one of the best episodes, this was a strong start to season four. Score: 67 Summary: Catelyn visits Renly's camp. Renly is married to Margaery who wants to give him a child to dispel the gay rumours surrounding him. Tyrion uses sneaky tactics to discover that Cersei's spy is Pycelle and he proceeds to imprison him. Shae is made to be Sansa's handmaiden. Yoren's group is attacked by soldiers and he is killed. Arya, Hot Pie and Gendry are taken to Harrenhal with the survivors.
The Good: I really enjoyed the scenes at Renly's camp. It was nice to see a war camp created by an overconfident and carefree king in Renly, providing more diversity from all of the kings we have seen so far. However his nature suggests that he won't be victorious in this war, as he sports a very defined weakness much like Ned. However, he is much smarter than Ned, as he has married Margaery Tyrell to gain power from Highgarden and also to help dispel the gay rumours. I like the detail that Margaery is aware of Renly's sexuality and is still willing to marry him for the power of being a queen. This show has such a unique dynamic since almost every character has their own personal goal which they try to accomplish, and this Renly storyline continues to add to that dynamic. Theon's story is good even if it does pander to the books a bit too much for my liking (see: The Bad). It's easy to understand his conflict as he is split between siding with his true family or the only family he has known throughout his life. Obviously, we want to see Theon side with Robb since he is treated like crap in Pyke and Balon is not a good person, but Theon understandably and tragically chooses to side with his family, a decision which may come back to haunt him later. Sansa's scenes were good too and her character remains sad to watch. Her scene with Shae was lightly funny but also pretty depressing as Sansa had to exert control over the only person ho she has power over. After being forced to listen to so many of the Lannisters without being able to voice her opinion, she will naturally want to boss somebody around to get out all of her pent up emotions. Tyrion remains the very best character in the show by quite some distance. His schemes in this episode were a ton of fun to watch and delivered some very exciting moments. I loved the editing while he told Varys, Pycelle and Littlefinger different ideas about what he plans to do with Myrcella. The scenes transitioned beautifully and we were able to figure out what Tyrion was planning to do. The scene this led up to was terrific too as Pycelle was forced to abandon his "old and frail" act to beg for his life. It was cathartic and entertaining to see Tyrion outsmart the spy and give him what he deserves. One of the standout scenes was Tyrion talking to Varys though. The acting was terrific throughout and the conversation was enthralling as Varys explored the realities of power in King's Landing and how important it is. I really liked Yoren's story to Arya as it demonstrated the values of revenge to her and how important it is to her. The story was engaging and I'm excited to see what Arya will take from it. The battle which followed afterwards was also very good and exciting. The Bad: The Greyjoys haven't been developed enough for me to really care and I feel like I don't have enough details to fully understand their role in the story. This episode continues to have that slow paced feeling that this season has had so far. While this episode did have better moments, it still feels like the season is missing the same meat to its bone that season one had. The Unknown: Will Gilly return later? Surely there will need to be some payoff for Sam leaving her a gift. I feel like I need to bring up bran's dreams again as they are getting more and more realistic and will likely lead somewhere. He seems to have a connection to his direwolf, so does that make him one of those mystical creatures that Luwin was talking about earlier? Why is Tyrion sending Littlefinger to the Stormlands to meet with Cat? What are his motives behind that? WHat will happen to Arya and the others after they get taken to Harrenhal? Didn't Tywin's army go to Harrenhal too? That could be very bad for Arya. Best Moment: Tyrion capturing Pycelle was a great moment. The scene was spliced with some fantastic humour and I loved seeing Pycelle start panicking when he realizes that he lacks control of the situation. Lastly, I loved the character detail of Tyrion paying the whore extra for what she had to go through. Character of the Episode: Tyrion. Conclusion: This was a good episode with some really fun moments, but the season still isn't clicking as well as the last one. Score: 64 Summary: Soldiers attempt to get Gendry from Yoren but he sends them back. Gendry and Arya bond. Tyrion takes charge in King's Landing and sends Janos to The Wall while assigning Bronn as leader of the City Watch. Sam talks to one of Craster's daughters and learns she is pregnant. he wants to help her escape but Jon tells him to stop. Theon arrives at Pyke and meets his father and sister. Davos gains the allegiance of Salladhor Saan for Stannis. Melisandre seduces Stannis. Jon sees a White Walker in the woods.
The Good: I enjoyed the Arya and Gendry scenes quite a bit. They had good interactions and have started to develop a nice friendship which I presume will continue to blossom throughout the season. The other scenes with Arya were very solid too as we got development for other characters like Lommy and Hot Pie. Furthermore, the storyline still has some tension as we are aware that Yoren's group is a target now that Yoren has sent the soldiers away without giving them what they want. Tyrion was the highlight of the episode as he showed us the significance of being Hand of the King by making all of the power moves that Ned was too honourable to make. I enjoyed seeing him combat Varys' threats as it appropriately demonstrated how Tyrion differs from Ned in his approach, while simultaneously allowing Tyrion to learn that King's Landing is a dangerous place and that he is going to need to take drastic measures to ensure his safety. And he does that later in the episode as he banishes Janos to the Night's Watch and assigns Bronn to the City Watch, ensuring that he has soldiers who cannot be bought from him (see: Best Moment). Davos has started to stand out as a character now. We understand his motives and dedication to Stannis and after a few conversation scenes we have a good idea of his history, personality and relationships with other characters. He is likeable and has carried the Stannis scenes so far because Stannis is currently lacking a lot (see: The Bad). I also love the small detail that Davos can't read, which keeps up with the medieval world this show takes place in. Sam's story was fine too. He has always talked about how much he likes girls, so it's fair that he would start talking to one of Craster's daughters despite being told not to. I also like that Jon has learned from the last episode and is now keeping his mouth shut, instead of helping Sam smuggle Gilly out of Craster's Keep. Theon's story was nice as his homecoming didn't go as expected. While there wasn't a lot of meat to his story, it does set up for the future as it appears that Balon has no intention to help Robb or Theon. The comedy in this episode was really well-written and it fits in the world with men making fart jokes and inappropriate jokes about women as well as Hot Pie being too stupid to understand what a battle while trying to act cool. The Bad: Too much of this episode was spent with side characters who we don't really know very well so that makes this easily the least gripping episode so far with very little for us to latch onto. Furthermore, the pace lacks urgency once more and despite the ending to the previous episode, the story still hasn't picked up and feels quite lethargic at the moment. It makes episodes like these difficult to enjoy and be engaged with despite the fact that I'm really into the story. The Stannis and Melisandre scene left a lot to be desired. It felt like a basic way to introduce us to some of Stannis' character but it was nowhere near as interesting or engaging as Davos' character introduction and the moment where they had sex completely lacked any significance. I like the ending as a whole because it's always cool to see White Walkers and it raises tons of questions (see: The Unknown), but the ending doesn't suggest that the story will pick up in the next episode which is disappointing. The Unknown: Why did the White Walkers take Craster's boys? Do they have some use for the children or do they just kill them? Are Craster's donations the reason he is allowed to live so far beyond The Wall? Why did Melisandre tell Matthos that death by fire is the purest death? Does that foreshadow something or is it something else? Best Moment: Tyrion dismissing Janos was a great scene as Tyrion carries himself in that charismatic way he always does. It makes his interactions gripping to watch and his insults to Janos are wildly entertaining, adding even more enjoyment to the scene. Furthermore, this is a great way to give us some justice for Janos' betrayal back in "You Win or You Die". Character of the Episode: Tyrion. Conclusion: There wasn't anything outright bad in this episode, but it was fairly bland and uninteresting to watch. The story continues to expand, but it remains very shallow in depth this season which is hurting the quality. Hopefully things will get better towards the end of the season, like it did in the first season. Score: 58 Summary: Joffrey enjoys his name day with Sansa whos till despises him. Cersei tries to discipline him but Joffrey is out of her control. Tyrion arrives. Robb makes plans to ally himself with Balon Greyjoy and Renly. On Dragonstone, Stannis has a red priestess named Melisandre who he follows. Melisandre worships the Lord of Light. Beyond The Wall, the Night's Watch arrive at Craster's Keep, owned by Craster who has only daughters and he marries them to make more daughters. Jon doesn't take kindly to this. Across the Narrow Sea, Dany travels across the Red Waste and is slowly starving to death.
The Good: This was a fine opening episode with some good moments. Joffrey remains compelling as the out of control villain. His interactions with Sansa remain cruel and it's sad to see that Sansa has accepted her role in an attempt to save herself, resorting to saying predetermined lines about her love for Joffrey. The opening sequence was a good way to show Sansa and Joffrey's conflicting personalities, while also showing that The Hound may be out to help Sansa as he confirms what was likely a lie on Sansa's part to prevent her from facing Joffrey's wrath. Speaking of Joffrey's wrath, I found it very compelling to see Cersei lose control over Joffrey. It was expected that Cersei would essentially get control with Joffrey as a king, but Joffrey is so horrible that he only does what he specifically wants. It's nice to see that everything doesn't go according to the plan for the Lannisters. Furthermore, there is good irony in having Cersei realize for herself that power is power, echoing what she tells Littlefinger in a different scene. Tyrion was terrific in this episode as usual. I love that he casually strolls into the council meeting bearing the news that he is Hand of the King. It's nice to see him embrace and immediately flaunt his new role to Cersei, showing that he does in fact have some power in his hands which he will likely use in a more wise fashion than Joffrey will. It was good to get information on Mance Rayder as well. He was mentioned in the season 1 finale but we didn't learn that much about him. Now that we have learned of his significance in that he is recruiting a massive wildling army, he becomes more of a clear villain who will likely be the main focus of the Night's Watch storyline this season. Robb was very good in this episode. I loved his threats to Jaime, ensuring that he understands that Robb won't treat him well or act like a kind and moronic king. As a whole, this is a good reason to get behind Robb as he is not like Ned and he understands that to get things done he will need to set honour aside and be smart at times, making him an even more endearing protagonist. It was really easy to root for him and I like seeing him make a strategy to help take King's Landing by allying with both Renly and Balon. I liked the ending of the episode a lot. The killing f the bastards was powerful (see: Best Moment), but I also really like that there is an open hunt for Gendry now who happens to be with Arya at the moment. It adds a lot of tension to their storyline as we are now aware that the two of them have an enemy chasing them. The Bad: The problem with Mance Rayder is that we are all aware that there are White Walkers beyond The Wall. Mance Rayder doesn't feel like a big threat because there is a much more pressing issue at hand which I'm already more invested in. This worries me because I feel that I won't get invested in the Night's Watch vs Wildlings storyline that is being set up. This episode as a whole had a pretty awful pacing and sense of momentum. Coming off of the last episode, I was expecting more of a bang to open up the season but all we got was a scene-setter episode which lacked any sort of forward momentum and urgency. The most exciting parts were of Stannis, but those scenes were brief and didn't accomplish much aside from setting up some interesting new plot threads (see: The Unknown). I wish that this episode accomplished more for the plot as it ended up feeling too much like a catch up episode to refresh fans as to what each character was doing prior to this season. The Unknown: What does the comet symbolize and what has it appeared for? What happens to Craster's sons? I'm sure that there is a story there. How did Melisandre survive the poison in the wine? What or who is the Lord of Light and how does it aid her? Regarding Stannis story as a whole, I'm unsure of what to think. Stannis seems like a straightforward man but that makes it much more awkward to see him following Melisandre. I also wasn't sure what to feel when the old Maester died because I don't know how he was significant to any of the other characters in the story. Best Moment: The ending with the killing of the bastards was pretty harrowing and was Game of Thrones at its miserable best. It was also the only moment in the episode with a sense of forward story momentum. Character of the Episode: Robb. Conclusion: This was a fine episode to reintroduce us to the story, but I felt that it lacked forward momentum or a real purpose. There just wasn't much meat to this episode and that makes it one of the weakest so far despite there being nothing bad happening in the story. Score: 62 Summary: Monica tries to be supportive of Pete but he is beaten badly in every fight. Chandler is annoyed when his boss keeps slapping him on the butt. Phoebe sets Ross up with a woman who used to be bald to Rachel's dismay.
The Good: There were plenty of good laughs here. The central Pete story is really fun and had a lot of great moments involving Pete getting beat up, and there were a lot of clever jokes leading up to the big break up at the end. The other storylines were good too. I enjoyed Rachel being flustered that Phoebe set Ross up with a beautiful woman. Rachel was terrific in this episode and her interactions with Phoebe were great. Chandler's side plot was a fun little story with some light chuckle moments. The Bad: Nothing really bad here. This episode does lack major laughs though and that puts it below some of the show's best. This flaw has plagued a lot of the latter half of this season. Best Moment: The scene where Rachel flipped out at Phoebe outside the coffee shop was great. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This was a good and fun episode but it's missing that amazing moment to make it great. Score: 69 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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