Summary: Dany gets control over Meereen after a slave uprising. She cruelly punishes all the masters despite Barristan's advice. Littlefinger reveals his role in Joffrey's death to Sansa. Olenna tells Margaery she killed Joffrey. Margaery visits Tommen. Jaime visits Tyrion and believes he is innocent. Cersei isn't pleased by this. Brienne goes to hunt for Sansa and Jaime gives her his sword, armor and Podrick as gifts. In the North, Jon befriends Locke. Jon's wishes are granted and he takes a group of men to kill the mutineers. Bran continues north but is captured by the mutineers.
The Good: There was a lot of set-up here and I enjoyed it. The best stuff happened in the north as things have moved to an exciting stage where there is potential for a lot to happen. Jon is on a collision course with the mutineers, but there are the outliers in the form of Bran, the wildlings, the white walkers and Locke who all pose a threat. All of these threats were established in this episode and it helped raise the drama as well as my interest in the Night's Watch storyline. I enjoyed most of the individual scenes of set-up. I really liked the escalation of Jon and Alliser's conflict as there is now added drama of Jon possibly being picked as the new Lord Commander since the role is chosen via vote. I also liked the scenes at Craster's Keep as they made the mutineers into full-on nasty villains who we want to see die. Their capture of Bran was dramatic too and I'm excited to see where this development leads. I liked getting the reveal of Joffrey's killer too. Littlefinger comes off as very smart to do this, but it does feel awkward that he just spills all of this to Sansa. I was ready to dump this in The Bad, but then I realized that Littlefinger wants to be with Sansa due to her resemblance to Catelyn, so he needs her to trust him. And he succeeded in doing that by telling her everything. I love that he worked with Olenna, who is quickly becoming another huge powerful figure in the series. The reveal that she killed Joffrey was great, and it only makes me enjoy her character more. I'm sad that she is going back to Highgarden for now, but hopefully she comes back later on. Jaime's story continues to be very good. He had great scenes with Cersei and Tyrion, making it easy to understand his conflict. He loves his siblings, but they both despise each other, putting him in a position where he needs to pick a side to fight for. It's an engaging story and it also allows for more of the great dialogue that this series is known for. Jaime's best moments were at the end though as he bids Brienne a very sweet farewell. The work done on their relationship pays off here since I care greatly about these characters. Seeing Jaime give Brienne his Valyrian steel sword was touching, and Brienne naming it "Oathkeeper" was even better. I also loved Brienne getting Pod as a squire, which was both funny and nice. Of course I have to discuss that terrific final sequence. The appearances of the White Walkers have been few and far in between, so I wasn't expecting a look at them again. I was totally caught off guard by this scene, but I was really pleased by it. The visuals were great as we got a glimpse at the White Walkers' home-world. I also love the reveal that the entire time Craster was living in his keep, he was essentially just growing the numbers of the White Walkers. There were a few other really good parts to this episode too. Dany punishing the masters was an interesting development and you can't help but feel that her cruelty to her enemies will come back to hurt her at some point. I also enjoyed Margaery visiting Tommen. She puts on her charm once more and does a great job of gaining control of Tommen in the same way she did with Joffrey. Finally, I loved Olenna's story about Luthor. Her character is just so charismatic. The Bad: Meereen was too easy to capture. The slave uprising went way too smoothly and I'm still annoyed by Dany getting by so easily. It's disappointing because this is the third time Dany has just waltzed through a major conflict. I was bothered by the fact that Tyrion didn't ask Jaime to talk to Tywin about his situation. He is aware that Tywin is incriminating him, so shouldn't he at least try to ask Jaime to change Tywin's mind? I would have liked this to be addressed in some way. I didn't like that there was no follow-up on the rape in the last episode. I guess it wasn't intended to be a rape which somehow makes the scene even worse. The lack of self-awareness in that scene got worse due to the fact that both Cersei and Jaime didn't even address what had just happened. The Unknown: Ramsay sent Locke to find Bran and Rickon. What about Jon though? He befriends Jon, so does he plan to kill him? Or is he just using him as a connection? What is going to happen to Bran, Hodor, Meera and Jojen? Will they be discovered by Jon? Is there a sort of hierarchy or belief system for the White Walkers? The final scene made it clear that they have some sort of system and a leader that they follow. I'm very intrigued and I want more information. Best Moment: The final sequence was great. Character of the Episode: Jaime. Conclusion: This was a good set-up episode which continues the story organically. I enjoyed this and I'm ready for more. Score: 66
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Summary: Ross and Chandler get excited when an old friend Gandalf is coming to New York so they can party. Rachel tries to get Joanna to get her a promotion. Monica and Phoebe start their catering business but Monica gets a job offer as a head chef.
The Good: Monica's story was solid in this episode. Her conflict with wanting the head chef job despite making promises to Phoebe was well fleshed out and led to its organic conclusion. I liked the story. The guys had a nice story too as they were forced to deal with the fact that they have gotten older, and it led to a couple odd laughs. Rachel's story was the funniest, though it had flaws (see: The Bad). The Bad: Unfortunately the episode wasn't very funny. It was one of the most ordinary episodes of the show so far. Furthermore, a lot of the stories felt like rather generic sitcom stories. While I liked Monica's story, it was resolved in the easiest and most predictable way possible. It wasn't anything special, nor was it particularly funny. Also, Joanna was a bit too excessive in Rachel's interview for my liking. I would have been willing to overlook it if it was the only flaw, but it wasn't. The Joanna story totally lost the plot with one of my least favourite sitcom clichés: the convenient death of a side character. It isn't very funny and I wasn't happy to see "Friends" indulge in a cliché like this. Best Moment: Nothing really stands out. I guess I'll go with Joanna telling Sophie she's completely useless as it was the funniest moment for me. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This episode was pretty ordinary. The stories were fine but the comedy was sorely lacking. Score: 56 Summary: The consensus is to kill Randall but Dale begs for a day for him to convince others to see reason. He goes to everyone, but they don't listen. The consensus is still to kill Randall. Carl goes rogue and tries to kill a walker. He fails and the walker escapes. Rick goes to kill Randall but is unable to do it when Carl arrives and tells him to do it. Dale walks away on his own but is attacked and killed by the walker that Carl was unable to kill.
The Good: This episode was another one focused on the Randall story, and because of that it felt stronger and more enjoyable. The focus on Randall paid off from the first moment when Daryl was interrogating Randall with violence. It was dramatic and effective, and I enjoyed it. The Randall focus provided a good conflict to examine an important theme: the remains of civilization in an apocalypse. This episode becomes emotionally affecting and memorable because of this exploration and the conclusion it reaches: that civilization is dead. This is such a dark and depressing direction to take the show, and it works for the most part. The exploration stems from Dale who tries to fight for Randall's life. While I had my problems with that, (see: The Bad), I thought it was a solid storyline. I particularly liked that Dale's conversations allowed us to see how a lot of the other characters are dealing with the Randall situation, also giving us insight on where their current morals and relationships lie. I thought this was particularly effective with Daryl and Hershel who both got good lines to make them more likeable and show more of their personality without being annoying. This was much better character development than what was happening in the first half of the season. This does build to a great climax too. I enjoyed the group discussion as everyone felt in character as they discussed, but it never really stood out as a particularly great scene of drama. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't special and at first I was underwhelmed with how simple it was, as it didn't feel like a proper emotional pay-off. But thankfully, the story was much stronger than that. First there was a great scene where Rick finds he can't pull the trigger after he saw what the new world is doing to Carl, which was a strong scene carried by Andrew Lincoln's great performance. It was a good piece of storytelling and it seems to have made Rick pull back on his Shane-like instincts which I imagine will reopen the conflict between him and Shane as Shane has most certainly noticed Rick's current weakness. But then it all led to Dale's death scene at the end. While that scene was flawed as well (see: The Bad), it felt like a huge deal and a significant moment, one which I wasn't expecting. It will likely be a cataclysmic event with a greater significance than Sophia's death since Dale stands for the humanity in the group, yet now he is dead. Carl will already be facing the consequences of his actions now that he has noticed the walker that killed Dale was the one he encountered, so that's already one significant development. I imagine we will be seeing more in the next episode, which will likely build up something big for the season finale. Lastly, I really liked the Glenn and Hershel scene. It was a nice little scene which I appreciated. The Bad: Unfortunately Dale bugging everyone got annoying and repetitive fast. I mentioned how all the other characters got good development, but Dale did not. He was a broken record for the whole episode and I really wish that they had saved his arguments for the big argument scene to make that moment feel more important. Sadly, by making Dale annoying, it also hurt the emotion I felt when he died. Carl's story wasn't very good either. While it is hard to demonstrate what a young kid would feel during an apocalypse, I feel like what we got wasn't very good. For one, it's hard to relate to Carl and sympathize with him, making his story feel very awkward. If I can't get emotionally engaged, the story is already not working. Furthermore, Chandler Riggs isn't doing a good job of playing Carl, and poor acting takes away a lot of the story being told. Also, where the hell are Lori and Rick? Do they never watch their kid ever? Every single episode Carl goes off alone and these two never seem to learn. It's awfully convenient that they are such awful parents and it is already becoming a plot device. What makes this worse is that Rick is presented as a good father, considering the lectures he gives Carl, and yet he doesn't seem to take care of him. It's worse for Lori though who literally does nothing for an entire episode and yet she still can't watch her son for more than 15 seconds. Dale's death wasn't staged very well. He was walking in an open field where he should be able to see and hear everything. There's no way a walker can just sneak up on him like that. Furthermore, I find it tough to believe that the hands of a walker could just rip him open the way that they did. Sure, it was dramatic, gruesome and affecting, but it does stretch believability. This episode was dark, brutal and depressing. While it certainly did do its job of making me feel something, it has left me feeling hopeless and depressed. The problem with this is that I don't care about many of the characters or stories in the show, mostly just a select few. This show has been relying on brutal misery to keep us invested and I don't think that makes for a great TV show. That's how this episode affected me more than anything else, and I don't think that's a good thing because I'm not properly invested in the story. If this keeps up, emotions like these are more than capable of driving me away from a story if I'm not completely invested in what's happening. The Unknown: How will Carl react to Dale's death? What will his guilt be like? He is certainly a very unpredictable character at the moment. What was the significance of Andrea siding with Dale about Randall's fate? What happens to Randall now? I don't imagine that Shane takes too kindly with Rick's decision. Could they be heading towards a huge confrontation in the season finale? Best Moment: Rick choosing not to kill Randall and being forced to face who he has become was a great moment. It was surprisingly subtle and I really enjoyed it. Character of the Episode: Rick. Conclusion: This was a big and eventful episode for the show and it has provided the most difficult mixture of good and bad to base a score off of. The episode was memorable and powerful, but was also poorly executed at times and unrelentingly miserable. Its strengths managed to also be its weaknesses and I'm left rather confused by how I feel about the episode and the show as a whole. I do feel more positive emotions than negative ones though, so I will give this episode a solid score, and I hope that the series finds a way to build off of this in a good way. Score: 65 Summary: Sansa escapes King's Landing with Littlefinger. Tywin preps Tommen for his new role as king. Jaime rapes Cersei next to Joffrey's dead body. Tyrion is imprisoned for Joffrey's murder. He tells Pod to leave King's Landing for his safety. Tywin assigns himself, Mace Tyrell and Oberyn as the judges for Tyrion's trial. The Hound robs an innocent man who decided to let him and Arya stay the night. Arya is angered. Sam takes Gilly to Molestown. The wildlings attack and slaughter a village. Davos comes up with a way to pay for troops. Dany arrives outside Meereen.
The Good: This was a solid episode with several good developments. Nothing stood out too much, but as a whole, I thought it was an effective follow-up to the chaos in the last episode. The return of Littlefinger was a terrific moment which managed to be both surprising and unsurprising. Of course Littlefinger would have something to do with Joffrey's death, and I'm interested to find out exactly how involved he is. I also liked the way that Littlefinger manipulated Sansa in this episode. He is an untrustworthy man, but he makes Sansa trust him by painting everyone else as worse than him. It's brilliant to see, and I always thought that Littlefinger was written better in small scenes like this. Tywin was great in this episode. He got over Joffrey's death extremely quickly, suspiciously quickly, which makes me believe that he may have had a role in Joffrey's death. I really liked the way he prepped Tommen for a kingly role while coldly saying how bad of a king Joffrey was, as it showed how straightforward this character is, and how he takes advantage of every situation to better his position. Tywin is fascinating, and this entire situation has been shockingly favourable for him. He even goes to Oberyn in an attempt to befriend Dorne, knowing that he needs them as allies. And now Tyrion is in prison too, and you would have to believe that Tywin would be happy to have the public believe that Tyrion is guilty. Everything is working out for Tywin and it is engaging to watch him do his job. Tyrion's final conversation with Pod was great. The scene did a great job of illustrating exactly how much trouble Tyrion is due to certain circumstances. Sansa's disappearance only worsens his situation and brings up even more questions about who was responsible for this (see: The Unknown). Of course it's easy to sympathize with Tyrion and I'm excited to see how he will try to get out of this situation. Furthermore, the goodbye to Pod was a genuinely touching moment. Even though we don't know Pod very well, we understand his relationship with Tyrion, making the scene meaningful and emotional. Tyrion's isn't the only situation that feels dire. Everything involving the Night's Watch feels like a big deal since the battle against the wildlings will be 100 vs 10,000. Their desperation is believable and I enjoyed seeing them strategize to prepare for battle. I also love that the mutineers have come back into the story in an organic way. The reasoning to go kill them makes perfect sense and it should make for some more exciting storytelling before what I can only assume will be a huge battle between the wildlings and the Night's Watch. A few other scenes were quite good. I want to get more attention on Oberyn and Tywin's scene. There were great tensions throughout the scene due to Oberyn's hatred towards Tywin, but I love how Tywin did everything he could to befriend Oberyn. It's an interesting development but I definitely don't see it sticking. Also, I enjoyed the brief scene of Daario killing the Meereen representative. It was appropriately quick and Daario did get to show more of his personality which is good for his character. I also enjoyed Cersei and Jaime's scene for the most part. Cersei was appropriately resentful towards Tyrion and I love the callback to when Tyrion told Cersei he will take her happiness away when she least suspects it. It felt very real and I liked it. The Bad: But the Jaime/Cersei scene was totally ruined by the end. Cersei was hateful and relenting while Jaime was fair and relatable. Evidently, Jaime was more of a hero and Cersei was more of a villain. But then these character arcs were destroyed when Jaime raped Cersei. Jaime gets a major setback after all of the terrific character work and Cersei for whatever reason is meant to garner sympathy, despite her having been called a "hateful woman" a second ago. This reversal of roles is awkward and doesn't benefit either character, damaging all of the storylines involved. It's frustrating to see something so poor in what was otherwise a very good episode. Dany's storyline is lacking once more. I can't help but fear that Dany is about to reach another easy victory and that is rather annoying. I want something more interesting for her. Additionally, the storyline about Jorah, Barristan, Daario and Grey worm all fighting for Dany's affections feels extremely dull and pointless. I have no reason to care and it's already getting repetitive and annoying. The Unknown: What does Littlefinger have planned for Sansa? I can't imagine it's anything good. Furthermore, what was his exact involvement with Joffrey's murder? Could he have orchestrated the whole thing to create chaos? Could Littlefinger have been in cohorts with Tywin about this to help set up a more ideal king for a reign? This all seems to have worked remarkably well for both Tywin and Littlefinger, so I have my suspicions. It also worked well for Olenna, who never liked the idea of Joffrey marrying Margaery. Could she have been involved too? How does Davos plan to get the iron bank to fund Stannis? That should be an engaging storyline. How does Tyrion plan to get out of his situation? Best Moment: I'll pick Tyrion and Pod's last conversation. A genuinely touching scene. Character of the Episode: Tywin. Conclusion: This was a strong episode, following up on one of the biggest moments of the show. I enjoyed this a lot, but the poor Jaime/Cersei rape scene drags the score down because of how detrimental it was. Score: 66 Summary: Roose arrives in Winterfell, which Ramsay has occupied. Theon completely obeys Ramsay now. Roose is upset that Theon is so mutilated since Roose had hoped to use Theon as a hostage. Varys informs Tyrion that Shae has been discovered. Tyrion forces her to leave by pretending he doesn't want her anymore. Shae leaves. At Joffrey's wedding, tensions rise between many of the guests. Joffrey continues to be an asshole. Tyrion subtly insults Joffrey, so Joffrey takes it upon himself to terrorize Tyrion to everyone's displeasure. Margaery tries to direct attention elsewhere but it doesn't work. Joffrey drinks wine but suddenly starts choking and eventually dies. Cersei has her guard arrest Tyrion as the prime suspect.
The Good: This was a fantastic episode with so much executed well. This episode delivered way past my expectations, and was one of the best episodes of the show with ease. The wedding was a masterclass in tension. After the red wedding, this wedding had me on the edge of my seat, as I was expecting something crazy to happen at any second. I thought perhaps something would happen to Tyrion, Oberyn may cause some major trouble, or something else which is just as crazy. I was scared all the way through, and by the end, that crazy event happened, and it still managed to shock and impress me on a huge level (see: Best Moment). Joffrey was awful in this episode, and I say that in the best possible way. He was such a sociopathic prick in this episode and was horrendous to just about everyone. From his rude dismissal of the talented singers to him slicing up Tyrion's book with his new sword, he managed to offend just about everyone. The midgets demonstrating the War of Five Kings is pretty good because it's so tasteless and yet Joffrey finds it to be the funniest thing ever. Seeing him laughing so hard as everyone else sits uncomfortably was terrific storytelling, and even Margaery seemed to be miserable in this episode as she couldn't even rein Joffrey in and prevent him from harassing Tyrion. But by making Joffrey worse than ever made the final scene a thing of beauty to anyone watching this show. I don't think I've ever been so elated after watching a character die, but I couldn't stop smiling during that final scene as Joffrey finally got what was coming to him as he died a painful death at his own wedding. Furthermore, the scene works on an even bigger level as Joffrey's death has thrown the show into chaos and it seems that the dynamic of the show will be changing drastically, and all of this has happened just three episodes after the red wedding, an event just as massive as this one. It's great to see the plot taking such daring and satisfying moves, and it makes for some terrific pay-off for all of us who have gone through the patient pace that this show operates at. Joffrey's death has propelled the story in an extremely interesting direction. Now there is a tempting mystery of who killed him, and the best part is that I don't know the answer. It seems like everyone in the Seven Kingdoms wants Joffrey's head on a spike, so pretty much every character barring Cersei and Jaime seem likely to be responsible for his death. Could it have actually been Tyrion? Sansa? Margaery? Tywin? Oberyn? Melisandre? Dontos? Varys? Littlefinger? Olenna? All of these characters do have legitimate reasons to kill Joffrey, and it should be excited to see who is actually responsible. But for now Tyrion is taking the fall for Joffrey's death, and I think that is a great idea for a story as Tyrion is the character we sympathize most with, so it should be compelling to see him try to get out of this pickle. The other scenes at the wedding were very good as well and I thought there were some terrific character moments. Cersei is on her final day with power so she is appropriately glum, but she also decides to prey on the weak to try to assert dominance somehow by threatening Pycelle and Brienne and also screwing over Tyrion by telling Tywin about Shae. Loras and Jaime sparring about Cersei was great too and I loved some of the dialogue they shared. I also loved seeing Loras and Oberyn making eyes at each other, a lovely little bit of character. The other major storyline in this episode was Tyrion being forced to get rid of Shae so she isn't killed. Their scene together was really sad and powerful as Tyrion has to lie through his teeth to make Shae hate him just so she can escape King's Landing alive. The scene is so tragic and it's genuinely heartbreaking seeing Shae cry and Tyrion being forced to keep his cold demeanor. I liked Roose and Ramsay's scenes too. It was good to get an idea of what their relationship is as both of them are key villains in the story now. I like that Ramsay's sadism doesn't exactly impress Roose, as Roose is just angry that Theon has been defiled and is no longer useful as a hostage. I also appreciate that Ramsay was smart enough to try to use Theon to make a deal with the Greyjoys but simply didn't value an agreement as much as Roose did. It's a good contrast between the two characters. As an aside, it was good to see Theon react to Robb's death as it was both heartbreaking and painful to see him lose all hope and continue to serve Ramsay. There were a few other scenes which I liked. Jaime training his left hand with Bronn was fun, and I really like the idea behind that pairing. I hope we get to see them together again. I was also very happy to learn more about Selyse and her relationship with Shireen compared to how Stannis deals with her. The Bad: Nothing was bad. This was a consistent episode. The Unknown: Who was the woman that Ramsay was torturing early in the episode? Was she anyone significant, or just somebody random to entertain Ramsay? What was Bran's vision about? It seemed much more significant than his previous visions. What awaits him when he goes north? Does Brienne actually love Jaime? I don't think so, but it is possible. Who killed Joffrey then? Clearly Dontos played a role in this, but I don't think he was the killer. Who did it then? This question will likely drive the next few episodes. Also, I can't stop thinking about Melisandre's blood magic now. Robb and Joffrey have already been killed. Is Balon next? Did Melisandre actually cause this? Or is it just dumb coincidence? What would have happened if Gendry was actually burned? Best Moment: Joffrey's death was nothing short of incredible. Not only was it an emotionally satisfying moment, but it genuinely shocked me and opens up the story to a ton of new possibilities which really excite me. This is a great way to shake up the show, and has me really excited to see what season 4 has in store for us. Character of the Episode: Joffrey. He's a jerk, but this was his send-off episode. I would also like to take a moment and mention how good Jack Gleeson played the character. A terrific performance. Conclusion: This was an outstanding episode. This is how to shock your audience and make unexpectedly huge changes to a story without losing the emotional focus and character development. This episode was executed perfectly and is one of "Game of Thrones" best episodes so far. Score: 80 Summary: Joey is still angry with Chandler, who is desperate to find a way to make it up to him. Joey tells Chandler to sit in a box for 6 hours as punishment. Monica hurts her eye and goes to see an eye doctor who she thinks is really cute, but it's Richard's son. Ross discovers that Rachel exchanges every gift she receives and is upset about it.
The Good: This was a terrific episode. There were three stories intertwined by Thanksgiving, giving this episode a good flow with plenty of interactions between all of the characters. It helps that every story was enjoyable and had funny moments. The Joey/Chandler story is great and plays off of their relationship very well. I love the callback to when Joey lost all of their furniture, and I think that it led to a funny, reasonable and effective way to get Joey and Chandler back on good terms quickly. Although I do wish we got to see the dynamic of Joey being annoyed a little more, as it led to several great jokes and lines, especially with Chandler in the box. I liked the ending too, as it played off of Joey's good heart by having the sad scene with Kathy make him immediately forgive Chandler. The "happy ending" vibe was good as well and I thought it was a fitting end to the story. Monica's story was very good too. She couldn't help but fall for Richard's son despite everything that's happened, but in the end she knows that she can't go through with it. The story is good, but better yet, it leads to a number of great moments, including one where Monica gets to tell off all of her friends for their flawed lives. The Ross and Rachel story is the most flawed (see: The Bad), but I still really enjoyed it as a C-story which provided the odd few laughs. It was a funny storyline, and the petty dialogue is well-written and leads to a few really good lines. The Bad: Ross and Rachel being at each other's throats made sense when they had just broken up, but not here. It feels like the writers simply liked the way they insulted each other and decided to continue that despite it not being consistent with what we had learned about these two characters in the last three seasons. Best Moment: There are a few to choose from. My favourite has to be Chandler, while in the box, asking what happened in the TV only for Joey to respond with "you kissed my girlfriend". Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This was a really strong episode with tons of funny moments and three really great storylines. The Thanksgiving episodes always seem to deliver in this show. Score: 78 Summary: Jimmy goes on a bus ride and writes postcards the entire time. He returns to Kim and they prepare to enact the plan. Kim is executing a con, as Jimmy will pose as the people of Huell's hometown Coushatta, who all love him and don't want him imprisoned. Kim pressures the attorney and the judge with fake letters and Huell is ultimately allowed to get no jail time. The con rekindles Jimmy and Kim's relationship. Kim gains a desire to do more conning and tells Jimmy that they will do another one. Mike lets his guys go to a strip club. Kai causes trouble again and a drunk Werner reveals too much information to another man. Mike isn't pleased and reports it to Gus but says it won't be a problem. Nacho is running the Salamancas' business himself now but is secretly planning to skip town with his father. However Lalo Salamanca arrives to monitor Nacho's business.
The Good: Much like "Fall" last season, this episode was coated in dread. I was on-edge the entire time watching it and the tension never really diffused as all of the central characters were placed in a position where their plans are setting up for failure and disaster. Jimmy and Kim's story was the central focus of the episode, fitting after all of the set-up last week, and I think their story was the strongest, unsurprisingly. The con that Kim came up with to get Huell out of his situation was very fun to watch. The scenes were slowly paced but they were extremely well-crafted (again, unsurprisingly), and also just delightful to watch with a lot of fun moments. Jimmy's Cajun accent, Huell being treated as Santa Claus and the return of the film crew were extremely fun and added a lot to the experience. Of course that teaser sequence was classic "Better Call Saul" by showing us a character doing something we don't fully understand with some fun moments and very good scene construction. But the storyline never feels too happy and pleasant as there is always tension present. With the season nearing its conclusion and Kim and Jimmy's relationship on rocky ground, it felt like something was bound to go wrong. The amount of focus on Ms. Ericsen only increased these feelings as I was constantly nervous that she would figure out something and get both Kim and Jimmy in huge trouble. The story was paced slowly, but with fun moments and tense moments both, it became really engaging. The best part of the Kim and Jimmy storyline was of course what happened to their relationship. I, along with most of the internet, suspected that Kim and Jimmy's relationship would end soon after Kim saves Jimmy, but surprisingly, "Better Call Saul" swerved in a new direction with Kim and I really love it, but more on that later (see: Best Moment). I do like that the show went with the unexpected and reignited the Jimmy/Kim relationship with a con. This made sense too as their relationship was always the most passionate when these two were conning others as Viktor and Giselle. It's a great call-back and is a logical way to bring them back together. However, this can't possibly be good for Kim, who I am genuinely scared for now. Her career has hit the roof and now she is taking a massive risk by working with Jimmy, so there is genuine fear that she will lose everything because of their relationship, which I think is a much better story than having them just slowly drift apart. Leave it to this show to still surprise and impress me. There were some specific scenes which I really enjoyed. Mrs. Nguyen and Jimmy briefly talking about Jimmy's problems with Kim was a nice scene and I appreciate seeing Mrs. Nguyen help Jimmy out, after all they have known each other for a good while now. Kim has a lot of great scenes in this episode. I liked that she keeps the Zafiro bottle cap in her office, showing how much the exciting cons with Jimmy meant to her. I also liked the scene with Kevin and Paige as it effectively illustrated that Kim is starting to lose interest again, while also letting us understand why as what they are doing is pretty boring. Mike's story was much better in this episode, as the possibilities have opened up for where his storyline is heading. I initially thought it would just be Kai who is an issue and that Mike may end up killing him as a first kill, but that would have been pretty flat, predictable and inconsistent with what we have seen of Mike so far, as he has always been avoiding the kill option. But now by having not only Kai, but also Werner make a fatal error, it feels like the lives of all of the Germans are in danger here. Mike doesn't want to kill them, but he may be forced to, which is much more interesting for his character, and will likely help him make the big change from BCS Mike to BB Mike. Furthermore, I care about Werner after he got some great scenes to bond with Mike, so I'm more engaged with the story overall. Lastly, I get to Nacho's story which was excellent. The first sequence with Nacho was an effective way to show us what has changed in his lifestyle since we last saw him. He runs the Salamanca operation now and has everything, a big house, girls and tons of money. But Nacho doesn't enjoy it, as he is still stuck being somebody he doesn't want to be, ripping out earrings and acting touch. When he gets home he feels deflated and can only look at some fake IDs to get some hope, promising an escape and a new life on the horizon. But that all goes out the window at the end of the episode with the introduction of Lalo, another Salamanca for Nacho to contend with, making him feel more trapped than ever, still unable to escape. Lalo was terrific in his brief scene and immediately has a presence. He is so cheerful and charming in his personality, and yet he is chilling and has a terrifying atmosphere around him, making him an ideal villain for the show. I especially loved the introduction to Lalo as we hear some friendly music inside El Michoacano, but we know something bad has happened. Domingo and the cook are sitting at a table, silent and unmoving, which is chilling in itself as none of them dare to speak a word. It's a great introduction to Lalo and lets us know everything we need to know about who he is. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. The Unknown: Why was Lalo sent to Nacho's operation now? What happened that required his presence? What are his real motives? What is going to happen to Kim now that she is going to be conning more regularly again? Will her relationship with Jimmy persist? More interestingly, having Kim turn to her darker desires does actually make her fate a little more unclear. I could legitimately see her working alongside "Saul Goodman" now, so perhaps a break-up isn't on the horizon after all. Or this is all just a big red herring. Either way, I know I will be satisfied by what happens. Best Moment: Kim approaches Jimmy at the end of the episode with a desire to con once more. Jimmy does his usual shtick where he says he won't do anything questionable again. But with Kim joining him, there is nobody around to keep him in line, which could spell disastrous results for everybody. It's a scary and foreboding scene because of that and a lot more effective. Additionally, I loved seeing how turned on Kim was by all of the conning, and her desire to do more felt significant, and it felt genuine. Great storytelling. Character of the Episode: Kim. Conclusion: This was a really strong episode, coated with tension, and it also puts all of the central cast in precarious positions for their stories, as it feels that one wrong move will send everything crashing down. This episode was really enjoyable to watch, and did a great job of establishing the show's future. Score: 71 Summary: Joey starts dating another girl while also dating Kathy. One night he can't make it back for Kathy, and she ends up kissing Chandler. The gang encourages Ross to bust out his keyboard music, but everyone sans Phoebe find it appalling.
The Good: The Chandler and Joey storyline continues to be engaging. Chandler is mostly funny as he keeps spitting out one-liners and his desperation to get out of his situation with Joey was terrific. The blow up at the end with Joey was great, as it's easy to sympathize with the positions that both characters find themselves in and it's understandable that Joey would be angry and Chandler genuinely apologetic. As an aside, I also love scenes when the entire group gathers together. Every character is allowed to infuse their type of comedy into the scene at organic times to make for some quality humour. The Bad: The Ross story is pretty awful though and it drags down the episode. The idea of Ross being oblivious to his awful music is terrible, and worse yet is Phoebe's love for it. The show then totally losing the plot by having all of the friends be awful people. They allow Ross to humiliate himself in public by playing the keyboards (somehow he doesn't notice that other people hate it!!), and then Monica and Phoebe trash Phoebe by saying she sucks too. It's poor writing and some extremely basic laughs aren't enough to save the story. Best Moment: The group talking about Chandler kissing Kathy was very funny and I particularly like the reveal that everyone thought Chandler should tell Joey but nobody had the guts to say anything. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: This was one half of a good episode and one half of the worst "Friends" episode yet. After a hot early run this season, an episode like this feels like a major disappointment. Score: 55 Summary: Tywin creates two Valyrion steel swords by reforging Ice. Tywin gives one to Jaime with hopes that Jaime will become the heir to Casterly Rock but Jaime refuses to resign from the Kingsguard. Cersei is angry that Jaime took so long to arrive. Tyrion welcomes Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne to King's Landing. Oberyn expresses a heavy distaste for Lannisters because The Mountain murdered his sister and her children on orders from Tywin. Brienne intends to protect Sansa who is still grieving her family. Arya and The Hound arrive at a tavern. Arya sees Polliver and goes inside with The Hound. They kill everyone inside and Arya gets Needle back, getting a revenge kill on Polliver. Jon is tried for breaking his oaths but he is spared. He relays information about Mance's impending attack. Dany heads to Meereen but discovers that they have crucified slaves on every mile to the city.
The Good: I appreciated that we finally got a cold open for "Game of Thrones". I liked the intro with Tywin reforging Ned's sword Ice, establishing before the credits roll that Tywin is in control of pretty much all of Westeros. Aside from that new development, the rest of this episode felt like a recap of where every character currently is, but the content we got was really solid. Arya and The Hound stole the show during the climactic scene of the episode. Their interactions are really good and we can easily understand why they are still sticking together forming a sort of alliance. The dialogue between them is really good and there are lots of funny lines throughout. I really enjoyed the final action sequence as it was pretty exciting and well-choreographed. It also featured the extremely satisfying moment when Arya stepped into the fight, ruthlessly knocking out and killing the Lannister soldiers before she exacted some vengeance on Polliver by killing him the same way he killed Lommy. Jaime had a very good story in this episode as he's forced to deal with the changes in his life now that he has returned to King's Landing. Not only has he lost a hand but his life appears to be falling apart. His father despises him for not being a true heir, Cersei is unreasonably angry because he took so long to get back, and now he's being shamed by Joffrey and Meryn Trant for not being good enough in the Kingsguard. His struggles are compelling because of how much I sympathize with Jaime now, and I look forward to seeing what more will be done with his character this season. I adored the introduction of Oberyn. His introduction tells us everything we need to know about him in a few minutes. He is introduced with great charisma and a strong presence, making him immediately memorable which is necessary for him to stand out amongst the many, many other characters in this show. I really appreciated that we got his backstory and motives as well as he spoke with Tyrion, revealing his resentment of the Lannisters, which will likely lead to some bigger pay-off later on. The other scenes in King's Landing were good too. Tyrion's scene with Sansa was pretty good. Tyrion was genuine as he tried to help her but Sansa has been through a lot and it's understandable that she wants to be alone. Olenna was terrific as ever as she respects and adores Brienne for being a true woman. I liked the conversation between Brienne and Margaery, as well as Brienne's talk with a frustrated Jaime. Bronn continues to be hilarious and every other line of dialogue he says has me laughing. I enjoyed Jon's scene as he answered to Alliser and Maester Aemon about breaking his vows by infiltrating a wildling camp. I appreciated his honesty and I like that he was rewarded for it my Aemon. I was pleased to see Janos return as well as he logically will have made it to Castle Black by now after Tyrion sent him away. Dany's story is fine. There isn't much of note happening in her storyline this episode, but it's easy to watch and the characters are getting more defined. I do appreciate that Grey Worm and Daario are getting more screen time. The new actor playing Daario has a much better presence than the last, so I certainly like it. The Bad: It would have been nice if the show could have found a similar actor to the previous one playing Daario, or at least explain his change in appearance somehow. The Unknown: Has Shae just been found by Cersei? That's certainly not good. What are the Thenns? Are they cannibals? Also, what has happened to Mance? He doesn't seem to be making any movements to assault at the moment. Did something happen in his camp? Meereen seems like a more threatening place. Can the people in Meereen provide some actual conflict for Dany? I don't trust Dontos. His appearance seems genuine, but I can't imagine he is working alone. Best Moment: Arya killing Polliver was satisfying. That's two episodes in a row that Arya killing somebody has been the best moment. Character of the Episode: Arya. Conclusion: This was a really good premiere. Not a whole lot happened, but the content was very enjoyable and storylines were introduced in an entertaining way. Score: 67 Summary: News reaches King's Landing of the red wedding. Tyrion speaks with Tywin and learns of his role in the red wedding. Jaime returns to Cersei. Varys asks Shae to leave. Bran continues heading north and runs into Sam. Ygritte shoots Jon with arrows out of frustration but doesn't kill him. Jon returns to Castle Black. Arya kills her first man after she overhears him talking about the red wedding. Roose Bolton is named Warden of the North. His bastard Ramsay continues torturing Theon. Yara prepares to save him. Davos saves Gendry when he learns that Stannis plans to burn him. Stannis orders Davos to die, but Davos reveals the threat north of The Wall. Melisandre tells Stannis that Davos still has a part to play. Dany is worshipped by the Yunkai slaves she freed.
The Good: This was a quiet finale, but still a strong one, and honestly after the previous episode's events, a quieter episode was certainly necessary. The direct fallout of the red wedding was pretty good. It was suitably horrific seeing Robb paraded around with Grey Wind's head stitched to his body, and Arya's reaction was heartbreaking as expected. Arya has gone through a lot and she is slowly turning into a cold-blooded killer, and her first steps towards this occurred when she gets her first kill in the episode's best scene (see: Best Moment). The other scenes following up on the red wedding were very good too. I really enjoyed the council meeting at King's Landing. Joffrey was suitably elated but he quickly turned to anger after he was pressed by both Tyrion and Tywin to start behaving like a proper king. The scene was very tense and I loved seeing Tywin put Joffrey in his place in an extremely subtle manner. Better yet was the scene between Tywin and Tyrion afterwards as its revealed that Tywin was also heavily responsible for the red wedding, as he orchestrated the entire event. Tyrion's disgust at this is easy to understand, but Tywin's cold dismissal of his criticisms is terrific, and I think the show has done a fantastic job of making us understand both of these characters so that we know why they behave the way they do. And to add on to the scene's quality, both characters can actually be viewed in a sympathetic light depending on your perspective, allowing the show to explore some fascinating grey territory, a necessary development after such a seismic and horrific event took place in the last episode. The other scenes in King's Landing were solid too. I liked seeing Tyrion and Sansa bond a little more and grow closer only for it to be ruined by news of Robb's death. Sansa's reaction was appropriately sad and necessary as we needed at least a little bit of time for the characters to mourn the losses. Jaime's reunion with Cersei was a good moment too. Had it been a season prior, I wouldn't have cared much, but the excellent handling of Jaime's character this season made that a standout scene. Lastly, I also liked Varys telling Shae to leave. I'm not sure if Tyrion had ordered him to tell her this, and it would be interesting if Varys genuinely does care enough for Tyrion to try to get Shae to safety by his own will. The scenes with Davos on Dragonstone were very good too. Davos is a fantastic character, and I really loved seeing him continuing to follow his heart to do what's right. He is easily one of the most likable characters on the show, and he brings a sense of reality to Stannis' storyline to make me invested. Without him, I really wouldn't care at all. His decision to help Gendry was great as I easily understood why he would do it despite knowing he would have to face the consequences. Of course, Shireen was as sweet as ever and her friendship with Davos remains really good. Surprisingly, Bran received a central role in this episode and I believe he got more screen-time than anybody else. I really enjoyed his story about how the gods treated those who killed guests under their roof, as it assured us that vengeance will be coming for the Freys and hopefully the Boltons as well. I'm not sure how long we will have to wait, but I absolutely need to see them die violently before the show ends. Back to Bran though, I liked him running into Sam as it provided us with some fresh interactions, which were much-needed for both the Sam and the Bran storylines. Furthermore, I'm much more intrigued by Bran's mission to the north, and I suspect that he may put on a more important role in future seasons (see: The Unknown). There were a few other scenes I really enjoyed. Roose and Walder's conversation was great as both remain some of the most hated characters in the show. I was pleased that we got confirmation on Ramsay's identity, and also an explanation on what exactly happened to Winterfell in "Valar Morghulis". I also did enjoy Ramsay taunting Theon after he was castrated as it does give him more personality and charisma. Ygritte shooting Jon repeatedly was a nice scene as well as it highlighted Ygritte's sadness after Jon betrayed her and it was fairly powerful. The Bad: We haven't seen Yara and Balon at all this season, so for them to suddenly appear and get a lengthy scene doesn't deliver as well as it should. We don't know enough about the Greyjoys to care about them, and I really think that they needed a more thorough introduction last season, or a more interesting storyline this season. The final moment where Yara declared that she was saving Theon fell flat for me. Unfortunately I have to put Dany's scenes in The Bad as well. While her story is a necessary dose of happiness into a bleak world, it all feels too easy. Everybody is struggling in Westeros but Dany has things so ridiculously easy that it feels inconsistent with the show. The show is trying to give me hope that Dany could prevail, similar to what they did in "Fire and Blood", but the difference between the scene at the end of this episode and the dragon scene in "Fire and Blood" is massive. In season 1, Dany fell to the bottom and had to work her way to getting something resembling hope, whereas this season she has been given everything for free. It's not nearly as satisfying when characters don't earn their fortunes, especially in a show like this where characters often deserve something but don't receive it. Because of this, the show has also backed itself in a corner as a victory for Dany at the end of everything now risks feeling anticlimactic and disappointing. The Unknown: So Edmure is now in the dungeons at The Twins and Blackfish escaped. With the Tullys in tatters, could this mean that the Freys will target Riverrun to get more power? Why does Bran think he is going to be able to save Westeros from the White Walkers? How is he going to do that? What can he do to help? Is Stannis' next plan to go north then? How does he expect this to aid him in reclaiming the throne? Best Moment: Arya's first kill is the moment which really stuck out to me. A great character moment for Arya who hasn't had very much to do this season. Character of the Episode: Davos. Conclusion: This was a good season finale. It didn't produce anything too memorable, but a quieter episode was absolutely necessary after the previous episode in order to set the stage for season 4. The season as a whole was very good and I enjoyed it a lot. I appreciated that the show went at a better pace early on and it made the season much more engaging all the way through. I also really loved the characterization and development in the first half of the season as all of the storylines were coming together really well and the dialogue in particular was extraordinarily good. The seasons did somewhat lose the plot in its second half however as the momentum stalled and there wasn't really anything particularly memorable from episodes 6 to 8. Every season of "Game of Thrones" has stalled before, but to have it occur this late in the season was something of a disappointment. However the season bounced back in an incredible way with the red wedding, and when it comes down to it, that one scene will be what this season is remembered for. Score: 68 Summary: Many months have passed. Kim and Jimmy have grown apart as Kim settles in at Schweikart and Cokely as Jimmy continues to sell burner phones. Hector has woken up with his mind intact, so Gus halts his treatment to prevent him from getting better. Mike's worker crew continues building the superlab but an accident sets them back. Huell knocks out an undercover cop who was arguing with Jimmy, not knowing he was a cop. Huell is told he will get 2.5 years of prison so Jimmy goes to Kim for help. Kim reluctantly agrees to help Jimmy with Huell and gets to work, but she refuses to do it his way.
The Good: This was another really well-executed episode. It has been a quiet season for "Better Call Saul", but the way the show has been put together continues to amaze me. This episode was entirely set-up, but the storytelling was incredible and the episode had me engaged with an almost melancholy tension which was ever-present throughout the episode. The opening montage at the beginning was outstanding, quite possibly the show's best montage. I usually tend to be indifferent towards timeskips because they very rarely satisfy me, but this is a rare case of a timeskip being executed perfectly. Instead of skipping all of the development which characters undergo throughout a timeskip, this episode began with a montage which showed us the complete story of Kim and Jimmy's relationship across those several months in a very impactful way. Their relationship has gone cold ever since they branched out in the last episode, and the montage was a heartbreaking show of how rarely they interact with each other as they go through with their normal life. I love the added touch of a black bar in between both Kim and Jimmy throughout the entire montage which highlighted how split they have become. The ending moment was particularly poignant for me as both Kim and Jimmy sleep facing away from each other, not even speaking to each other. Then in what I think was a beautiful piece of foreshadowing, Kim fades into the darkness as Jimmy opens his eyes in total silence. This was just tremendously well done. The episode didn't stop there though and immediately followed up with another beautiful sequence as Jimmy welcomes somebody into a building which he is thinking about renting, showing the person around with his normal high energy. At first I thought it was Kim, but it became clear after there were no responses that it wasn't her. For a moment I even thought it was Jimmy alone trying to possibly recite what he would say to Kim to try to win her back for Wexler-McGill. But instead it was revealed to be Huell, who delivered some funny lines about being a lawyer. It was a good reveal, but more importantly it made me understand how much Jimmy and Kim's relationship fell apart. Ordinarily Jimmy would be showing this location to Kim, and yet he likely didn't even tell her about it as he chose to show Huell around instead. Furthermore, it seems that Jimmy doesn't even really consider getting Kim back, having resigned himself to the fact that Kim is practicing elsewhere. Surprisingly though, Jimmy compares his new office to Kim's in a small moment, almost as if he is trying to find a place better than hers. Perhaps a small part of him is still hopeful that Kim will work with him, and that's really sad to see. The central conflict introduced in this episode was really good too. The tense confrontation between Jimmy and the cop was pretty tense, but it was resolved in hilarious fashion as Huell just stumbles by and knocks him out. But a terrible set of conveniences leaves Huell incriminated with a potential 2 and a half years of jail time. This is a really logical story to tell and it's a good way to put a highlight on the deterioration of Kim and Jimmy's relationship as they are now forced to interact and in no way do they come off as lovers anymore. A far cry from how they were together in the early parts of the season. As an aside, I love that this slow deterioration was hinted at last season where Kim and Jimmy did appear to be drifting apart before the harsh reality of Kim's accident put them back on the right path. Their conversation in Kim's office was great and I really appreciated Rhea Seehorn's acting as she learns about what Jimmy has really been doing and asks him about him, only for him to ignore her and for her to simply brush it off. She doesn't even seem to care anymore as the two have them have essentially been living apart for the last few months anyways. I enjoyed Kim and Jimmy pursuing the case together. Kim had a terrific scene as she argued with a prosecutor about the Huell case and she unexpectedly and to take a look at who Jimmy has really become. She's evidently bothered by it and I'm interested to what she will do about it. Kim hasn't changed on her morals and I cab I especially loved her refusing to tear down another upstanding man. Regarding Jimmy's plot though, it seems eerily similar to his ploy which he used to take down Chuck, which highlights another great dimension to his character: he hates upstanding law enforcers because they remind him too much of his brother, which is an excellent motive to make his transformation into Saul more believable. Speaking of Saul, this episode was the first where I noticed that Jimmy's behaviour was more like Saul than it was like Jimmy, showing how far along the road to Saul he has gone. I really enjoyed the short Gus scene in this episode. The episode gave us a crucial piece of information about his feud with Hector as we learn that Hector could have potentially made a full recovery but Gus is keeping him in the chair. Giancarlo Esposito was terrific again as he subtly showed his joy that Hector was fully conscious in his current form, and he was chilling as he left Hector in such a disabled form, quite possibly the cruelest thing we have seen him do thus far. This works really well as it also makes me look back more fondly at his speech int he previous episode which sets up this decision which Gus makes. There were a few other scenes I really liked in this episode. I loved the sequence where we were shown how the workers get transported to the superlab. I was wondering how they would be transported and it was good to get some confirmation. Additionally, I loved the scenes with Jimmy at Schweikart and Cokely as he started off as the charming Jimmy that Kim grew to love, but he soon lets his hatred of the place that took Kim away from him come to fruition as he badgers Schweikart about more expensive vacation trips than the ones being planned. The Bad: The Mike story just doesn't interest me very much. The storytelling is fine, but there is nothing that really makes me care and we aren't learning anything new about Mike's character. Perhaps this is leading to a big moment where Mike finally decides against ever using half measures, but as of now, it doesn't do very much for me. I'm disappointed that Nacho was absent again. He was such an important part of the first four episodes, so it feels weird that he has just been absent for three successive episodes. It's especially disappointing for him to not be seen in such an important episode which sped through time. I would be interested in seeing what he has been up to, but sadly it appears to have been skipped unless we get another montage, or something of the sort next week. The Unknown: What are Kim's plans to get Huell away from jail? Why did she pick up all of those art supplies at the end of the episode? Best Moment: So many moments were well done, but I'll pick the opening montage because of the sheer skill that was used to put it together. Character of the Episode: Kim. Conclusion: This was a great set-up episode, and it seems like a normal thing to get at least one exceptional set-up episode per season with this show. The exploration of the sad state of Kim and Jimmy's relationship in this episode was terrific and carried this to becoming one of the season's best episodes. Score: 71 Summary: Rick and Shane go 18 miles out to dump Randall. Rick talks with Shane about what Lori said to him and they make peace. Randall is left but he reveals he knows who Maggie is. Shane tries to kill him but Rick wants to think about it and they end up fighting. Walkers stumble upon them and Shane is cornered. Rick leaves with Randall but comes back to save Shane. Rick and Shane make peace once more but Shane doesn't agree to anything. Beth is suicidal and tries to kill herself but realizes she doesn't want to die.
The Good: This episode was focused and I really appreciate that. Characters were the focal point here and the show has desperately needed that. The conflict with Rick and Shane was the strongest for sure. I really enjoyed their conversations as Rick did what he could to ensure that Shane is no longer a problem. I thought Rick was a great friend here as he raised logical points to both understand Shane and get him reigned in so he isn't such a threat anymore. I also loved that Rick connected Shane shooting Otis to his murders back in "Nebraska", which is a logical way to show that Rick understands Shane's method of living. Better yet was their conversation later as Rick tells Shane that he needs to believe in him, playing off of their argument earlier. The best part of this however was Shane. Shane never agrees to Rick's claims, insinuating that while he may be quiet, he likely isn't just going to lay down and let Rick lead. This was great storytelling and I thought that the metaphor of the walker and the song which played at the end did a great job of highlighting this conflict. I also thought Randall was great in this episode as he did whatever he could to try to survive, but ultimately ended up revealing too much which almost cost him his life, forcing him to change up to begging for them to leave him so he wouldn't die. Randall's fear felt real and added to the episode. The zombie assault was really tense as usual as the show continues to hold its sense that anything can happen. I was excited by the flash-forward early in the episode as it made all of the interactions at the school way tenser because it felt like any little moment could trigger the arrival of the walkers. The fragmented storytelling worked here and it added a different source of tension that we are used to, making this episode stand out even more. The fight between Rick and Shane beforehand was good overall. I love how Randall served as a catalyst to get them fighting and it added to the drama and tension which was already established. There were a lot of nice details as they came to blows and I thought that it was logical that the both of them would end up trading blows after what was said to each other. Furthermore, I love that their conflict extended into the walker assault as Rick nearly left Shane for dead. This show is unpredictable enough that I bought into the idea of Shane dying here which is really good. I also liked the small touch of Rick being smart with killing walkers and Shane following up on this by using the trick himself. It was a good piece of storytelling. The farm story with Beth was fine too. I like the exploration of suicide in this world, as it was better than the brief look with Andrea earlier in the series. I thought the conversations which all of the characters had did well to extend their characterization a little more and making me understand them better, though some of the stuff was flawed (see: The Bad). The Bad: There were several issues with the walker action scene sadly. For one, it's hard to believe that the walkers were just hanging out in the school and couldn't escape until window was broken. Surely they would hear the gunshots and come out. They have the ability to break glass with enough force, this has been seen before. Furthermore, the actual action was pretty weak. The episode had just re-established that scratches are deadly, and yet there are many times where Rick could potentially have been scratched and none of these moments are played for drama, nor are they addressed. That took me out of the action. The rest are all nitpicks. One walker who went after Randall apparently forgot how to use legs which was stupid and awkward as it crawled after him. Lastly, there was one awful sound effect as Rick punched Shane, making it sound like his head was smashed open which was really bad. One or two of these moments are okay, but when they are repeated, it becomes a problem. Lori and Andrea's argument was really dumb, even though it gave us a better understanding of their characters. Lori is impossible for me to like or even sympathize with at this point as she has proven to be a selfish, insulting, and petty woman who does a crap job of parenting her own son. I hate her and I know that's not how I'm supposed to feel about her. Here she comes off totally insensitive and stupid as she attacks Andrea, but I feel like the opposite was intended. The show has done a bad job with its female characters, and having them do laundry while the men do the survival stuff doesn't help with anything. The Unknown: While I thought the opening was effective in this case, I'm not sure that the episode was better with it. While the tension was really good and exciting, I feel that there may have been more tension if we weren't expecting the walker attack. I'm not positive about this though, hence its position in The Unknown. Where has Hershel gone? I almost put this in The Bad as Hershel seems to have vanished completely for the convenience of the plot, but I'll hold out as maybe there will be an answer in the next episode. Best Moment: The walker assault was pretty exciting, but I enjoyed Rick and Shane's second conversation after the assault even more. Character of the Episode: Rick. Conclusion: This was another good episode which examined the conflict between Rick and Shane which has been this season's strongest element. While this was certainly flawed and didn't live up to its full potential, I still thought it was very good and the second best episode this season. Score: 69 Summary: Dany sends Jorah, Grey Worm and Daario to sack Yunkai and they successfully take it for her. The wildlings discover Jon's betrayal and try to kill him but he escapes. Bran tries to hide from them and accidentally uses his warg power. Bran decides he is going north to follow his destiny and he tells Osha to take Rickon to the Umbers to be safe. The Hound takes Arya to the Twins. Edmure is married to Roslin Frey who is surprisingly beautiful. The wedding goes on, but Roose Bolton has betrayed Robb and it is a trap. After Edmure is taken out, everyone in the wedding is slaughtered, including Robb, Catelyn and Talisa. Arya is taken away by The Hound.
The Good: This was unexpected. The dread had been creeping for the whole episode as Walder Frey's terms seemed surprisingly lenient and everybody was far too happy. Nothing was happening and everybody was just celebrating. The hammer had to fall at some point and that added a lot of tension to the early scenes. Things were too happy, something bad needed to happen. And yet when those final 10 minutes struck, nothing could have prepared me for what was coming. In an instance, an entire storyline of the show was wiped away in the most unexpected, brutal and upsetting fashion possible. I thought that maybe one of Catelyn and Talisa would be brutally killed for Robb to face the consequences for his decisions. But that didn't happen as Robb shockingly paid the ultimate price for betraying the Freys as his entire cause was wiped out. It was the most stunning move that "Game of Thrones" has made in its entire run, yet it was one which made sense considering the characters involved. Robb needed to face consequences, and Walder Frey, a vile old man with nothing to lose, would never waste a chance at revenge. The actual sequence was executed spectacularly. Every little moment of brutality has stuck with me and it echoes horrifyingly in my head. From watching a pregnant Talisa get viciously stabbed in the stomach to hearing Catelyn getting her throat slit after a lifeless, heartbroken scream, there was nothing but a sudden outbreak of violence and misery, and it was downright unsettling. Unsettling, yet extremely effective, as it got the most significant emotional reaction from me out of any episode of television I have seen. Because of this, I can safely say that this was one of the all-time great TV moments. Joffrey has some serious competition now on the most-hated list. This episode has made me desire to see Arya shove a sword through the skulls of both Walder Frey and Roose Bolton. Thankfully, there are still small glimmers of hope for some justice in the future, and currently the thought of Arya crossing every name off of her kill list is keeping me going. This "red wedding" proves one thing: Westeros is now changing, and my complaints have been answered. With Robb and his army dead, the Lannisters have effectively won. Roose Bolton is a traitor, giving the Lannisters significant control in the north, Stannis is severely weakened and the Ironborn really aren't much of a threat anymore. And the only remaining Starks are children who are scattered across the continent. Tywin won the war, and that is a massive development for Westeros as a whole. I'm unsure where the story goes from here and how the Lannisters can conceivably be stopped. This is the change I was wishing for last season, and I'm very glad that I got it. As for the rest of the episode, I think it was solid. The build to the red wedding was fantastic, because of both the aforementioned tension which was present throughout and the fun which was present during the wedding. Walder Frey's character led to a lot of funny moments and the genuine love from Robb and Talisa was good as always. I'm glad that Edmure was able to get a good bride who wasn't an ugly Frey, but it is unknown if he is allowed to keep her (see: The Bad). The other storylines were fine too but flawed (see: The Bad). I liked Jon's betrayal finally being revealed. The scene was exciting and climactic, and it was satisfying seeing Jon kill Orell. I also love that Orell warged into a bird in his final moments in an attempt to kill Jon, which is a wonderful little detail. The scene was also aided by Bran being present in the tower, allowing us to root for Jon to somehow meet up with him. But like Arya failing to reunite with her family, Bran isn't able to get Jon's attention before he rides away. It seems like we still have a long while to wait before any of the Starks reunite with each other. I liked the brief moment with Sam and Gilly. Sam being called a wizard is a nice little reward for everything he has done so far and is a rare moment of joy without any repercussions in this episode. The Bad: Dany taking over Yunkai so easily was a major disappointment. I was hoping the conflict would show us more about Dany as a whole, but instead it was used as a way to show us how cool Daario is, which I really don't care for at all. Their romance doesn't interest me at all. I'm also confused with how 3 men managed to sack all of Yunkai. That doesn't seem logical at all and it made sacking a city look as easy as a walk in the park. I find Bran's story really hard to get invested in. His character just doesn't interest me at all, and while it is cool to see him warging, there is no emotion to be had in his story. His farewell to Rickon was similarly flat and disappointing because I know nothing about their relationship. Of course, an episode like this is hard to watch. The relentless depression is nearly overwhelming for me, and I can imagine that a lot of people will stop watching after something as miserable as this. While this episode features one of the greatest scenes ever, I don't think it can be in contention for one of the all-time greatest TV episodes because the rest of the episode doesn't hit on the same level. Granted, this episode will still get a really high score for what it accomplished, but it isn't a fantastic episode top to bottom. This will only be remembered for its final 10 minutes, nothing else. The Unknown: What will Bran find in the north? Is Orell still alive in the bird possibly? Could it be that he can survive in another body? What happens to Arya now? The Hound still has her but he has no use for her with Robb and Catelyn dead. What will he do with her? Did Edmure and Blackfish get out of The Twins alive? They were both outside when the slaughter was happening. Did they find a way to survive? I also don't think that Edmure would have been killed since he is the heir to Riverrun which would be useful for the Freys. With Roose Bolton being confirmed as a traitor, does that mean that the man holding Theon is his bastard son? It's likely Roose just lied to Robb about Winterfell being in flames when they arrived. Best Moment: Everything after the doors closed and The Rains of Castamere started playing made me sick with dread and horror. The red wedding will be remembered as one of the most monumental scenes put on television. Character of the Episode: Arya. She remains my last hope for revenge. Conclusion: What an episode. No other TV episode has been so relentlessly brutal and unsettling. This was a painful experience, but a memorable one, and one which is far above anything else this show has done so far. The red wedding will be remembered as an all-time great sequence. Score: 85 Summary: Rachel tries to complete a crossword. Phoebe helps Monica with catering at a funeral but the widow doesn't pay them. Ross has a new girlfriend but she has an extremely dirty apartment which he struggles to get past. Chandler buys a great gift for Kathy's birthday but struggles to find a gift for Joey that is better than his.
The Good: This was another good episode. All the storylines here were good fun and I enjoyed watching them. Ross was great as he reacted to the nastiness of his girlfriend's apartment. Monica and Phoebe were a fun pairing for catering and I wouldn't complain if we got more of them together because they work pretty well. Chandler's story is good too and it's refreshing to see Chandler with a girl in a long-running storyline. Joey had some great moments of humour as well. I love the touch that Joey is terrible at getting presents, as it remains consistent with what we have seen from him in the past when buying things for other people. The ending joke of Monica going to the apartment to clean it was great and unexpected. The Bad: The dirty apartment seems way too unrealistic to be plausible but it is funny which somewhat makes up for it. The episode as a whole doesn't have enough memorable gags to feel particularly special. Best Moment: Any scene of Ross in the dirty girl's apartment because he was terrific. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was another good and fun episode as this season remains consistent. I hope that there are more excellent episodes to come. Score: 69 Summary: Sansa and Tyrion get married. At the wedding Tywin orders Tyrion to consummate the marriage. Tyrion threatens Joffrey but plays it off as him being super drunk. He doesn't consummate with Sansa. Melisandre uses leeches to get blood from Gendry and uses them for blood magic. Davos is released from his cell by Stannis. The Hound tells Arya he is taking her to her family to get paid for bringing her back. Outside Yunkai, Dany meets with the Second Sons who threaten to kill her. One of the members, Daario, betrays the group and kills the leaders, offering his loyalty to Dany.
The Good: This episode was a lot better. The progression was more interesting and there were some really great scenes in here. Dany's story has become extremely exciting to watch this season now that we actually see her making major strides towards preparing her upcoming invasion of Westeros. Her negotiations with the Second Sons were enjoyable because it is the first time we have seen Dany dealing with a threatening opposition. One small detail I really appreciate is that the dragons were left out of this scene, meaning that we got to fully focus on Dany's character as a whole as she faced off against the Second Sons. It was a great conflict and an exciting way to set up Dany's first real competition as a leader. Unfortunately the rest of her story didn't really follow up on this potential (see: The Bad). The wedding led to a lot of great moments. The central story to take us through the wedding is Tyrion's and I think it was very strong, unsurprising for a Tyrion story. I liked seeing him attempt to let Sansa know that she has nothing to fear from him, and having him be awkward was both funny and true to his character. The actual wedding scenes with Tyrion were terrific too. Joffrey was a total prick when dealing with him and he remains as evil as ever, going as far as to threaten to rape Sansa. I still hate his character so much and that aided Tyrion's subsequent threat to him, making it feel all the more satisfying. The scene also had loads of tension with Joffrey not taking the insult well, but the tension was deflated int he best way possible with Tyrion going to extreme lengths to convince the room of his drunken state being out of control, a very funny moment. The wedding was a great set-piece for other interactions too. I really enjoyed hearing Cersei subtly threaten Margaery, only to give her a full-on threat when she didn't get the reaction she was hoping for. It was fitting of her character to be petty like that, as was her scene with Loras where she dismisses him without a second thought in hilarious fashion. Olenna got a great scene too as she tried to make sense of all of the new relatives which would be made. Finally, Tywin got a terrific scene with Tyrion as he got to show his distaste for his son while giving him more orders. Stannis got a surprising amount of time in this episode and it led to some really enjoyable scenes. The best of which was a conversation between Stannis and Davos which I heavily enjoyed. The scene opens on a happy note as Davos has started to get a grasp on reading, which was a genuinely sweet scene. This of course leads into Stannis' arrival and a great conversation which highlights the bond that these two characters have. I liked that Stannis was human enough to go to his trusted friend for his counsel on what to do with Gendry, and Davos provided excellent points which helped us understand Stannis' moral code a lot more. Additionally, this led into a nice conversation about the Lord of Light, highlighting why Stannis believes in its existence so much. I'm really enjoying these scenes characterizing Stannis as he is becoming more and more interesting to me as time goes on and Davos of course is extremely likeable. Lastly, Sam in the final scene was really good. The sequence was very tense as a White Walker appeared, and we surprisingly got to learn how to kill one which is a big development. I also like that cowardly Sam was the first man to kill a White Walker in thousands of years. This was a good climax for the episode. The Bad: Why doesn't Arya just run away from The Hound when he sleeps? Trying to kill him is a bit much, but what can he do if she runs away? It's not like she is tied up or anything. The conclusion to Dany's story was horribly flat as Daario felt like a convenient plot device to get Dany out of a situation. I was hoping that this conflict could be focused on in the next three episodes, also allowing us to learn more about Dany, but that didn't happen and we instead got to learn about this new character who really doesn't interest me at all. It feels like wasted potential and hurts the set-up that this episode did, knowing that we already got the pay-off through Daario killing everyone. Did Melisandre really have to put a leech on Gendry's penis? Excessive. I was annoyed that Sam just left the dragonglass in the snow. It just saved your life man, pick it up! The Unknown: What will happen to Robb, Joffrey and Balon now that Melisandre has done her blood magic? Speaking of Balon, what is he up to? He hasn't appeared in over a season now and the Greyjoys have been completely forgotten. I thought it was interesting that Joffrey referred to himself as a Lannister. Does that mean he is aware of his true lineage and has accepted it? Why can the dragonglass kill the White Walkers? What is so special about it? Best Moment: Tyrion threatening Joffrey was great. Character of the Episode: Tyrion. Conclusion: This was a solid episode with good set-up and fun moments, but the flat conclusion to the Second Sons storyline hurts this. Score: 65 Summary: Ross and Rachel start dating other people to make each other jealous. Joey gets a new girlfriend, Kathy, but Chandler ends up falling in love with her after they talk. Phoebe catches a cold which makes her voice sexy.
The Good: Chandler is pretty funny here as usual. His interactions with Kathy are really good and they get a lot of funny lines in the episode. I enjoyed the ridiculousness of the sequence when Chandler chased Kathy to say hi. Ross and Rachel obsessively trying to make each other jealous was really funny too and I enjoyed how petty they were being by only being passionate about their relationships when the other is around. Monica humiliating both of them at the end was really great too. Phoebe's story is fine and leads to the odd laugh. The Bad: Phoebe's story isn't as funny as it needs to be. Chandler's story goes a bit over-the-top with the chase sequence, but it's still funny which makes up for it. Best Moment: I loved Chandler revealing the truth for Joey, only for him to not believe it at all. Pretty funny. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: This was a good and fun episode of comedy. Nothing particularly excellent about it, but still a very good time. Score: 69 Summary: A flashback shows Jimmy deciding to pursue law to impress Kim. In the present, Kim decides to join up as partner with Schweikart and Cokely, bringing Mesa Verde there so she can have help. Jimmy learns the news and is hurt that his dream of Wexler-McGill restarting has been ruined, but he tells Kim that it's fine anyways. Jimmy reignites his burner phone business and starts by getting revenge on the three teenagers who mugged him previously. Werner provides Mike with a team to start putting together the superlab and Mike organizes a place for them to stay. Gus visits Hector, whose condition has worsened.
The Good: This was another really strong episode, highlighted by the duelling Kim and Jimmy storylines coming together in a meaningful way. Kim's story was solid here. She tried to just force herself to keep working on Mesa Verde, but her desires are pointing elsewhere. Now she has fully acknowledged it, and realizes that she can't keep going on like this, and so she actively makes a move to repair her problem, and that move is joining Schweikart and Cokely. This conflict within Kim was a good story and the resolution in this episode is solid. But the most fascinating part about Kim's story this season is how it has managed to make a huge impact in Jimmy's story. Kim following her dreams for her career has sadly crushed Jimmy's hopes of reinstating Wexler-McGill once he gets his law license back. It's easy to understand why Kim would make this decision and it's also easy to understand why Jimmy is hurt by this. It's a sign of good character drama for us to understand the impact of a development such as this without needing to have anything explained. Jimmy's reaction to this news is one of the best moments of the episode. He excuses himself and we are treated to a fantastic and brief moment as Jimmy feels sick to lose his dream, which he became determined to accomplish just one episode ago. These emotions are undercut with the repeating sound of knives hitting the cutting board, allowing us to easily visualize the impact that this reveal has on Jimmy. But Jimmy swallows his emotions once again and acts as excited as always, telling Kim to go for the opportunity so she can be happy. It's nice to see Jimmy being so selfless for Kim, but since their relationship is pretty much fated to end in a split, the scene becomes tragic as yet another log has been added to the fire which we know will burn down their relationship. Jimmy's hopes for a future in law with Kim were the only things keeping him from breaking out into Slippin' Jimmy again. But the moment they are turned to dust, Jimmy immediately pushes forward, giving himself no time to grieve as he settles on expanding his cell phone business in a big way, committing to his questionable life after seemingly taking a bit of a reprieve in the last episode. Jimmy could have been doing better things, but Howard's sad state as well as Kim's new job have prevented Jimmy from breaking away from his normal habits. The final scene was a thing of beauty and is one of the most unsettling scenes of "Better Call Saul" yet. Jimmy's revenge on the boys who beat him was cathartic of course, but Jimmy ended up going so much farther than expected to regain his reputation as a con man who is not to be disrespected. The tension in that final scene was terrific, created from some exert cinematography and sound design, as well as the fact that we aren't entirely sure what Jimmy's plan is for the three teenagers. What I did know for certain however was that this is the darkest and coldest we have seen Jimmy so far in the series, and Saul Goodman seems to just be a few steps away from where we are currently. The flashback sequence in this episode was really good, just like last episode's flashforward. The scene didn't tell us anything we knew already, but it reminded us that Jimmy did everything in his law career for Kim, ensuring that we understood the full significance of Kim wanting to break away from Jimmy. Furthermore, the opening sequence also bookended significant developments just like the previous episode. But whereas that one bookended the beginning of Saul Goodman with the ending, this episode bookends the first steps of Jimmy's relationship with Kim with what may be the first step towards the end of their relationship. There were a few other really good scenes spliced through Jimmy's storyline. I liked that Jimmy and Kim had a proper conversation regarding him seeing a shrink, as it properly rounded out that loose thread while also letting Jimmy explain how he isn't the type of guy to wallow in his misery like Howard. Speaking of Howard, he shared another terrific scene with Jimmy as he explains how his firm is going downhill rapidly. It's easy to understand how this effects Jimmy, who has a long history with HHM, but I really like that Jimmy tells Howard to move forward and to stop being so afraid and depressed in a very matter-of-fact way, sacrificing Howard's opinion of him to actually help him out a bit. Lastly, I loved seeing Jimmy learn of Mrs. Strauss' death, as it allowed us to see how Jimmy normally should be grieving, in the way he didn't grieve when Chuck died. But what's more fascinating is why Jimmy is so effected by Mrs. Strauss' death. Mrs. Strauss represents Jimmy's love for elder law as she was his first elderly client, and losing her allows Jimmy to reflect on how his life was when he was a lawyer and momentarily makes him consider doing more law work despite it being against the law. He may have resisted this time, but it's only a matter of time before he gives in, forges a new identity and becomes the most famous "criminal" lawyer around. Mike's storyline was solid. I enjoyed seeing him preparing the housing quarters for the new team coming in, doing the picky work which he does best. I also liked him reconciling with Stacey and also letting us know that he is done with the group therapy sessions. After all, Mike is like Jimmy and does best to push forward with his life instead of letting his emotions out. Gus had a tremendous scene in this episode as he lays out a long speech to the comatose Hector. While I do have my problems with Gus (see: The Bad), I thought this scene was extremely well done with stellar acting from Giancarlo Esposito and a chilling atmosphere provided by a combination of strong dialogue, the aforementioned acting and a dark use of colour and atmosphere. As I've said before, I can always count on at least one scene in a "Better Call Saul" episode to be cinematically mesmerizing. The Bad: It's hard to care about the superlab story sadly. While it is cool to see how everything came to be in "Breaking Bad", the problem is that I have no emotional investment to it. There isn't any real character work happening in the storyline which detracts from its overall importance to the story. I've enjoyed Mike's stories in season 1-3 because his character was the primary focus. Until that happens with this storyline, I can't be bothered to care about what is happening, especially with things involving the German work team. Gus has been a little bit disappointing this season because he doesn't really have a proper arc. Last season it was enjoyable to see him turn the tables on Hector, but that is done now. Here we get more about Gus' patience and desire for the petty torture he will ultimately inflict upon Hector. This is good stuff, but the problem is that we already know this from "Breaking Bad". If "Better Call Saul" came first, this wouldn't be a problem, but since it didn't, the scene ended up feeling like just a big easter egg. I don't have a problem with easter eggs as I have enjoyed them a lot in this show, but I don't want significant moments to be built for the purpose of easter eggs. I want to see something more from Gus than just his hatred for Hector. The Unknown: It seems likely that Kai will do something wrong. What will happen? Who will face the consequences? Jimmy is holding everything in. He has gone through a lot and yet he hasn't spilled anything. What will cause him to break? Where is Nacho? Is he still healing? It's been two episodes without him. I think it's fair to say that the Gus and Mike story is lesser without him being involved in some way, since his excellent character work and murky future make the story more interesting. Best Moment: There are many to choose from for different reasons. As memorable as the Gus scene and the ending scene were, I think I'll go with the smaller moment of Jimmy losing everything he has been pushing to obtain. The brief moment of Jimmy suffering while the knives cut loudly int he background was very powerful. Character of the Episode: Jimmy. Conclusion: Despite some weaknesses in the Gus/Mike side of the story stemmed by a lack of the relatable Nacho, this episode was another excellent instalment. Jimmy's descent and his relationship with Kim have been getting the screen time they deserve and its made for a pleasurable viewing. Score: 69 Summary: Orell suspects that Jon will betray them but Ygritte believes that their love will overcome. Margaery cheers up Sansa while Bronn cheers up Tyrion about the upcoming wedding. Tywin responds to a summons from Joffrey. Osha reveals her past to Bran, Meera and Jojen. Jaime leaves Harrenhal and Brienne is left behind for Locke. Jaime goes back to save Brienne and takes her to King's Landing with him. Arya runs away from the Brotherhood but is caught by The Hound. Theon is seemingly castrated. Dany arrives outside Yunkai and threatens the messenger to remove the slavery.
The Good: I continue to enjoy the interactions between characters in this show. This episode was another rather unspectacular one but it was carried on the charisma of the characters. A number of scenes featured some great dialogue and fun conversation. The Jon and Ygritte interactions remain fun and easy to enjoy. Their flirting and looking towards the future is both fun and a good way to deepen their bond to each other. It's sad to see that Ygritte has put so much faith in Jon since it seems likely that he will end up betraying her anyways as Orell suspects. Robb and Talisa had a good scene too and I completely bought into their love for each other. It's also a good way to show that Robb is more distracted from the war he's fighting which could serve to be an important plot line as the show progresses. As an aside, I did enjoy that the characters shared my suspicions over Walder Frey's terms and certainly don't trust him. This should lead to some good drama in the final episodes of the season. I enjoyed Margaery and Sansa's scene too. Margaery is very genuine in her friendship with Sansa so I enjoyed her trying to tell Sansa that her predicament isn't a bad one. I also love that the scene was laid out in contrast to Bronn speaking with Tyrion about his predicament. It was a wonderful comparison between two friendships which was very funny and fitting for the characters. Perhaps this wedding between Sansa and Tyrion could in fact lead them both to bigger things. Joffrey and Tywin had a terrific scene. Tywin is a fantastic character, and I love the way he behaves. The very second Joffrey starts acting disrespectfully to Tywin, Tywin immediately closes the distance between the two of them, ensuring that Tywin towers over top of Joffrey as he sits on the throne, letting him know who is really in control here. It was great storytelling and it completely flipped the tone of the scene as Joffrey's behaviour was a lot more subdued following this. Dany's story was really good. I absolutely loved seeing her with her own proper court, with her being treated as a true queen and a genuine ruler as she spoke with the messenger from Yunkai. Her threats were really enjoyable and I loved that she has made up her mind and is determined to do what she believes is right, an essential quality of a leader. The Bad: Theon's story continues to frustrate me with all of this suffering. Just give us a break already. The story is drawing on my emotions, but it's not doing it in a good way. It just makes me want to stop watching. After a season and a half Arya has made it to the Riverlands from King's Landing. Yet in one episode Melisandre teleports from Arya's position back to King's Landing. A bit inconsistent there. Jon isn't convincing anybody that he is a wildling now and I can hardly buy that Ygritte isn't worried of a betrayal. I understand the story they are trying to tell, but Ygritte looks like a fool for not seeing the possibility of Jon betraying them. He certainly can't make it any more obvious. Jaime and Brienne's story was fine but a little underwhelming. We don't learn anything new about both characters and their relationship, and what happens is exactly what we expect to see with nothing particularly exciting about it. Like the Jon and Ygritte story last episode, the problem here wasn't that the story wasn't enjoyable, but rather that it was extremely forgettable. The one bad thing though was the bear. Seeing the bear have the ability to catch an attack from Brienne and throw a left jab like a human was laughably stupid and took me out of the moment. It's so hard to care about anything happening in Bran's storyline. Nobody involved has any memorable qualities or charisma, making their story the hardest to watch and enjoy. Osha got an extended scene in this episode to reinforce her beliefs but I found it difficult to care which isn't good. The Unknown: What will The Hound do with Arya? Will he return her to King's Landign to get in good graces again? Or does he have something else in mind? Did Theon just get castrated? He seems to be facing truly extreme consequences for what he has done and I think it's going too far. Best Moment: Tywin putting Joffrey in his place was wonderful. Character of the Episode: Dany. Conclusion: This was a solid episode, but like the last it didn't have much going for it as an individual episode. There were good scenes but nothing too memorable and a few things which annoyed me. This ended up being a weaker episode in the end, which is worrying to see as the season is heading to its climax. Hopefully things can pick up int he next episode. Score: 60 Summary: Sam and Gilly travel through the woods. Melisandre meets with the Brotherhood Without Banners and trades gold for Gendry. Robb makes a deal with the Freys to make an apology, give Walder Harrenhal, and have Edmure marry Roslin Frey in exchange for their loyalty. Tywin gets Olenna to consent to his wedding plans for Loras. Tyrion tells Sansa the news. Littlefinger has Ros killed by Joffrey before he leaves for the Eyrie. Theon continues to be tortured. Jon and Ygritte's group climb The Wall and make it to the top.
The Good: This episode wasn't as consistently great as the last two. There were many good scenes, which I go over below, but no complete storyline actually engaged me in this episode. The Sam and Gilly scene was a good way to open the episode. It was easy to watch and while it doesn't feel too important, it does build up their bond nicely. I wish that we could get more of these scenes with Ygritte and Jon to build their relationship. I enjoyed Melisandre's scenes a lot as well. Her conversation with Thoros was fascinating as it suggests that they have both been given actual missions from some unknown being (see: The Unknown). It's wonderful to get the hint that there may be an actual greater organization worshiping the Lord of Light and I have a desire to learn more about this. Robb's deal with Walder Frey came off surprisingly easily (see: The Unknown), so much so that I almost don't buy it. The story as it is has done a good job of giving Edmure some genuine conflict, but Robb hasn't had much to do with the Walder Frey conflict yet. Because of this, I suspect that there will be much more to this story than expected. Olenna and Tywin had a really fun scene. Two of the most charismatic characters on the show going at it verbally will always be a pleasure to watch, so it was no different here. Tywin won the battle due to his position, but Olenna made it clear that she isn't going to just lie down and let things be. A really fun scene. Littlefinger and Varys finally came face to face after blocking each other's plans subtly in the past few episodes. Their conversation was very good and led to a good speech from Littlefinger as he reveals his lvoe for chaos as a way to ascend the ladder. I love the dynamic between these two, as both of these scheming characters respect each other enough to not attempt to hide their true desires from each other. I enjoyed the effects that were on display on top of The Wall. A good sight. The Bad: Two storylines didn't really work for me unfortunately. Theon's was the first as it felt too repetitive. I'm tired of seeing Theon tortured and being denied the black-haired man's identity once more is extremely frustrating. The show is spinning in circles with this storyline and it isn't doing much to excite me, though Iwan Rheon is doing a good job with the role. One good performance isn't enough to excuse a frustrating story though. The Jon and Ygritte story lacks any real impact, which is bad for the central story of the episode. There is no real emotion to be felt and the episode lacks tension because it's obvious that Jon isn't going to die here trying to climb The Wall. I'm annoyed that we didn't see Sansa learn about her new wedding, as it would have been a really good moment, especially with Shae and Tyrion there. I feel robbed to lose that emotion, especially since there was a set-up scene of Tyrion going to tell her. The Unknown: What was with the seizure that Jojen was having? Will Bran go through something similar later on? What is the history with Melisandre and Thoros? Who gave them their orders? Who else is under these orders? Is there a large organization which worships the Lord of Light? What will Melisandre do with Gendry? What does she mean by saying he will make kings rise and fall? Will Walder Frey make up some more terms for Robb to follow after? His current terms haven't bothered Robb as much as they should have. Who is Theon's torturer? We need an answer soon. Why didn't Roose bring Jaime to Robb? It's odd that he is sending him to Tywin. I would put this in The Bad, but I feel like there is a genuine reason for this that has to make more sense than Roose being afraid of Tywin. Best Moment: Olenna and Tywin were really good. Character of the Episode: Littlefinger. Conclusion: This episode was fine and had some solid developments, but it also had flaws and failed to stand on its own with a good emotional story. Because of this, the episode ended up being one of the show's weakest thus far. Score: 58 Summary: Mr. Treeger makes Rachel cry so Joey goes to do something about it, and accidentally makes Treeger angry enough to evict Monica and Rachel. Chandler wants to quit the gym but doesn't have the strength, so Ross goes with him to help out. Phoebe develops a crush on her massage client.
The Good: The Ross and Chandler story is very well done and is very funny. Their attempts to quit the gym and their attempt to "quit the bank" were all hilarious. Some of it was a bit over the top, but it was funny so I don't mind. Joey was great in this episode and his interactions with Treeger were very funny. Before the dancing, his story with Treeger was consistently funny and I got good laughs out of Joey accidentally making the situation worse for everyone. The Bad: Sadly the actual ballroom dancing wasn't very funny and ended the episode a bit flatly. Phoebe's story is fine but didn't really make me laugh ever. Best Moment: Ross and Chandler explaining what happened at the bank was fantastic. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: This was a good episode with some genuinely great aspects, but too much of the episode didn't deliver many laughs which hurts its score. Score: 66 Summary: The Hound kills Beric but Beric comes back from the dead. Gendry decides to stay with the Brotherhood. Lord Karstark kills the two Lannister boys and in return Robb kills him. The Karstark men leave Robb's army, leaving Robb weakened. Stannis returns to his wife and daughter. Dany gets to know her army. Jon breaks his vows by having sex with Ygritte. Littlefinger learns of Varys' plan to wed Sansa. Jaime reveals the truth about why he killed the Mad King. Tywin decides to throw a wrench in these plans by having Tyrion wed Sansa, and Cersei wed Loras despite both of their pleas.
The Good: This was a great follow-up to a terrific episode. Amazingly, the stories continued to feel important and the pace hardly slowed, making this episode continue the same sense of excitement that made the last episode so great. The episode opens up on an extremely exciting note with the duel between The Hound and Beric, following up on last episode's most enticing cliffhanger immediately. The duel itself was tense and exciting as either character could logically have died in the situation and it was hard to figure out who would win. I also love the touch of Beric igniting his sword. It served as a cool moment and also a significant one as it played off of The Hound's fear of fire to raise the tension in the scene and also giving us the idea that The Hound may die here against his greatest fear. The result was brilliant too as Beric came back to life in a genuinely shocking moment. The show had already established how magic works, so seeing such a huge change in the rules and an affirmation of the Lord of Light's powers is both unexpected and significant for the show overall. I also like that the show has started to explore how these revivals affect Beric's character, making him slowly lose his mind. These new characters are very interesting to me and I hope to see more of them in the future. Robb had a great storyline in this episode as he's forced to face off with his own honour. Karstark did something wrong and actively challenged Robb's rule, leaving him no choice but to kill him, but strategically it's smarter for Robb to keep him alive. But sadly Ned's blood prevails and Robb chooses to execute Lord Karstark, diminishing his troops significantly and putting him in a losing position now in the war. It's sad to see Robb go down so viciously due to Karstark's recklessness but it's understandable why he did it. And now he is face to face with all of his bad decisions as the only solution to his lack of soldiers problem is to seek help from the man whose word he betrayed, Walder Frey. Stannis had a really strong sequence in this episode as we finally get to explore his life and how tragic it is. I really wish we knew about all of this before "Blackwater" for maximum emotion in that episode because what we learned was really good. Stannis' wife is sad to see as she is a fanatic who sees herself unworthy for Stannis due to the fact that she was never able to produce a male heir for him. It's sad to see and it's easy to understand why Stannis evidently lost interest in her and feels guilty for it. Even sadder is the existence of his daughter, who seems to have been through something traumatic in the past for her face to look like that (see: The Unknown). I loved Shireen's scene with Davos. Clearly she has had a tough childhood and hasn't made many friends, and she also doesn't appear to get an appropriate amount of love from either of her parents. So she goes to Davos, who seems to be the only man she was able to befriend. The scene where she started to teach Davos how to read was both sweet and sad, as it showed us the poor life of this innocent girl. Jaime had an outstanding moment in this episode as he vented to Brienne in the hot springs about what happened the day he killed the Mad King. It was such a powerful moment which featured some of the show's best acting and writing, and in one fell swoop Jaime has become a character we like and sympathize with despite being placed as a villain for so long. It was brilliant storytelling, and it also doubled at making Jaime and Brienne's relationship a significant one, as I care about their new bond a lot. Dany had a good moment in this episode as she got to know her new army and realized their immense loyalty to her. The loyalty is a significant development too since it was explained just two episodes ago how vital loyalty is in an army. It immediately sets Dany up as a massive threat to Westeros. I also really enjoyed hearing Jorah and Barristan chat it up as old friends, a small little detail which continues to make this show so fascinating. Tywin's plan at the end of the episode was a good development too. It's a great way to counter the Tyrells attempt to take control and also serves as a good way to highlight the conflict he has with his children. The scene is made better by the fact that Tywin is extremely entertaining to watch and has a commanding presence in every scene he is in. I'm excited to see where these new marriages will lead, and I'm curious to see if they will actually occur or if something else will take place. Littlefinger's story developed nicely as he used his own spies to learn about how his plans for Sansa have been thwarted. His conversation with Sansa afterwards proves that he really isn't pleased about this and I'm intrigued by what he can potentially do next. There were a number of really good small scenes in this episode too which add to the content. I loved Roose tormenting Jaime by making him think his family died before revealing they are safe. It was a nice little touch of character for Roose. I also loved learning about the full history about the Mad King from Jaime, as it fills us in on one of Westeros' most important historical events. It also gives us nice insight on Tywin's past in war and on Pycelle's loyalties, showing that he has been bought by the Lannisters for quite some time now. The Bad: I have to put Jon and Ygritte in The Bad unfortunately. While I do like the development of Jon having to break his vows to prove his trust to Ygritte, I feel like their relationship has developed too quickly and I don't quite buy their love for each other yet. That makes the scene fall flat emotionally which is a disappointment. The Unknown: How does Beric keep coming back? Why him? Is he coming back for a purpose? Can Thoros revive others with his abilities? Who is Qyburn exactly? He says he was a former maestre but he was exiled for his experiments. What did he do in these experiments? What's wrong with Shireen's face? What happened to her that made her like that? I was going to put this in The Bad, but I figure I would wait until we get actual answers. How did Tywin learn about Robb executing Lord Karstark? He shouldn't have intel on what exactly goes on at Riverrun. But what if he has a spy? Could somebody in Robb's camp be reporting to the Lannisters? Best Moment: Jaime's speech was so powerful and is one of the show's finest moments so far. Character of the Episode: Jaime. Conclusion: This was another really strong episode with a lot of solid story progression. The pacing this season has been very impressive so far and continues to make this the strongest season thus far. Score: 71 Summary: Jaime loses his spirit as he is beaten around by Locke and his men. Tyrion visits Varys who tells Tyrion the story of how he was cut. Cersei tries to get more respect from Tywin, but Tywin shuts her down. Varys learns from Ros that Littlefinger wants to take Sansa. In response Varys makes a deal with Olenna to marry Sansa to Loras. Margaery befriends Sansa and tells her the news. The Hound is taken to Beric Dondarrion who decides to judge him through trial by combat. Beyond The Wall, Rast insults Craster, causing chaos to erupt. Craster dies, and the Night's Watch implodes. Lord Commander Mormont is killed. In Astapor, Dany follows through with the deal to Kraznys. She has Kraznys burned by her dragon and kills all the slave masters in Astapor with her Unsullied army. The Unsullied are loyal to Dany and they march out of Astapor.
The Good: This was an excellent episode which I was not expecting. "Game of Thrones" has only peaked in its later episodes thus far, so to see such a big episode early in the season was a pleasant surprise. Every storyline in this episode progressed in a significant and enjoyable way, with there being an absolute ton to enjoy. I appreciate that the episode started with Jaime and is recently detached hand. It was a big ending to the last episode, and I'm glad that the show didn't waste any time in showing the effect that it had on Jaime's character. Jaime is a broken wreck of a man now, and it's hard not to sympathize with him at least a little bit as he is ruthlessly abused by Locke and his men. While Jaime has done bad things, it isn't as cathartic as expected to see him suffering so much. I also like how Jaime's ordeal in this episode furthers his relationship with Brienne, who is smart enough to figure out what Jaime did for her. I'm excited to see where the development of this relationship leads both characters. Varys had a terrific episode overall, enjoying a ton of spectacular scenes. The first of which was the reveal of his backstory in a conversation with Tyrion. I was hooked for the whole scene and was both disgusted and fascinated by the gruesome tale of how Varys was cut. It was a really good backstory and helps establish another trait for Varys, revealing that he entirely despises magic, a trait which I presume will pay off down the road. Furthermore, the ultimate reveal that Varys had captured the sorcerer was a big shock and it was horrific to think of everything that Varys must be doing to enact his revenge on this sorcerer. This wasn't all that Varys was up to however, as Ros informs him of Littlefinger's plan to take Sansa with him to the Eyrie. I really enjoyed this story as Varys actively moved against Littlefinger to prevent him from getting the upper hand. Varys and Littlefinger have often been in a cold war type of conflict with each other, and the most fascinating thing about Varys in this episode for me was learning why he treats Littlefinger as such a big threat: because he is the most dangerous man in Westeros. Of course this story led to Varys speaking with Olenna in an incredible scene with outstanding dialogue and interactions. The conversation ended up being quite significant too as it leads to the big development of Sansa being prepared to marry Loras. As a side note, Olenna is a terrific character. She has a great presence and is both hilarious and intriguing to watch. Prior to her scene with Varys, I got a tremendous amount of enjoyment seeing her discussing the lousiness of her house's symbol and words. It was a straightforward conversation and continues to reveal to us how straightforward, strong-willed and opinionated Olenna is. There were a lot of other short scenes between characters in King's Landing which I really enjoyed. I loved seeing Margaery befriend Sansa as she hopes to wed her to Loras. Margaery is so amazing and is a joy to watch as she manipulates and befriends people like it's nothing. On the other side, the scene also serves to finally give Sansa something nice to be happy about, though it may not be as great as she may expect, considering Loras' sexuality. The scenes in the tombs with Joffrey showing Mrgaery around were great as Joffrey took such glee to be in her company. The moment with Joffrey waving to a crowd which clearly only loved Margaery was hilarious and a perfect metaphor of how well Margaery has manipulated him. FInally, I loved the scene between Tywin and Cersei. I find it both hysterical and appropriate that Tywin always has to be doing more important business during his conversations with others to establish his dominance over them. The conversation between the two was very good as Cersei hopes to get something more, but Tywin puts her in her place, angering her. Theon's storyline has a very good development this episode. I enjoyed seeing Theon spill his guts to his rescuer, showing his full regret at everything he has done. It was another really good scene with a fair amount of emotion to it. The follow-up is tragic though as the black-haired man is revealed to be working with whoever detained Theon and returns him to the cross where he was hung before. It's cruel psychotic torture. I liked that we got to learn more about the Brotherhood Without Banners and what they do. They don't come off as bad people, but they remain an interesting organization. I like the return of trial by combat as its inclusion made sense in this scene, considering the way that justice works in medieval times. It's also a good hook for the next episode as a duel between Beric and The Hound seems impending. With both characters being relatively important, I'm interested to see what happens. The implosion of the Night's Watch was powerful and very sad to watch. Craster was one of my least favourite parts of the last season as I felt it didn't really lead somewhere, but the payoff here was nothing short of brilliant. The seeds had been subtly planted for the Night's Watch to turn on Mormont and Craster declaring himself as a godly man was the catalyst for the explosion. The brutal murders of both Craster and Mormont were terrific as the Night's Watch has effectively been all but wiped out by themselves. Dany's huge power play at the end of the episode was a great catharsis. Dany has been without anything for so long, longer than she should have been, so that made me desire seeing her finally accomplish something. So when she finally makes a big move and gets herself a loyal army of 8000 elite soldiers, while also murdering the filthy Kraznys who disrespected her, the moment feels satisfying and meaningful. The final sequence of Dany's armies leaving a liberated Astapor is outstanding and feels like a genuinely exciting moment. The Bad: There's nothing I would actually call bad. The Unknown: What was that voice that Varys heard from the flames? What did it say? Could it have just been in his head or is this a central detail to the story? What was Bran's odd dream with Catelyn about? Is that somehow foreshadowing the future like his other dreams? What are the motives of the black-haired guy? Why does he torture Theon so viciously? Who is he anyways? At this point I suspect that he is Roose Bolton's bastard who went rogue to satisfy a desire to torture Theon. I want to learn more about the Brotherhood Without Banners. How were they founded? What have they done in the world so far? Why do the Lannisters want them discovered? Best Moment: Dany's ending sequence was fantastic. Character of the Episode: Tough to pick between Olenna and Varys. I will go with Varys. Conclusion: This was a terrific episode, which is amongst the most satisfying in the whole show so far. Every story delivered and there were some excellent climactic moments as well. Score: 75 Summary: Hershel, Glenn and Rick find themselves in a tense shootout with Dave and Tony's friends. They try to escape but are almost killed. Walkers arrive and the others leave allowing the three to leave. The other group leaves a man, Randall behind as he impaled his leg on a spike. Rick rips his leg out and saves him, bringing him back with plans to let him go alive in a week. Shane finds Lori and brings her back. When they get back, Lori learns that Shane killed Otis and Shane's disillusioned love for her grows. Rick's group returns and Shane immediately takes issue with Randall. Lori tells Rick that Shane is dangerous.
The Good: The action sequence throughout the first half of this episode was excellent. The scenes were shot very nicely in the quiet darkness, adding to the tense atmosphere and the sense that our three protagonists were truly trapped. The action scenes were very exciting and were certainly better than most storylines in the first half of the season. I also really liked the moment where Rick spoke up and openly begged the guys to just go on their way. His reasoning was clear and Andrew Lincoln's acting was terrific to ensure that the dialogue felt earnest. It shows us that Rick has struck a fine balance between his colder and kinder sides. The story of Randall is a very good one as well. The actual process of Rick, Hershel and Glenn saving him was super exciting (see: Best Moment) and was a great climactic moment to end the confrontation at the bar. But better yet is the fact that Randall is the next major storyline for the show, and he is much better than Sophia from the first half of the season. The rift in the group about abandoning Sophia wasn't properly explored, but Randall is much more threatening and central to the plot, which makes me hope that we will get more here. What we got in this episode was already really good as Randall's arrival immediately shook the group, especially Shane (unsurprisingly). This also allowed Hershel to get a good moment where he let out his anger towards Shane, telling him to be quiet while also allowing him to stay on the farm. Shane had a terrific episode. He started by bringing Lori back to the farm by logically telling her that Rick was already back, which was both smart and in-character. But the character of Shane gets better as he has a one on one scene with Lori, showing how disillusioned he is and how much he has changed as a person since the apocalypse happened. The scene was genuinely unsettling and creepy, and also added more stakes to the show as it seems likely that Shane may be heading towards his death in the near future. I also really liked the detail that Lori figured out what Shane did with Otis after he lied to her about Rick. It makes Lori appear to be smarter and also continues to build conflict between her and Shane. The final scene with Rick and Lori was good too as Lori essentially laid down everything that Shane has been doing, almost telling Rick that he has to do something big about him. I liked Daryl's outburst as well. While I don't exactly care about him and Carol (see: The Bad), the scene was written well and both characters felt real and had clear motives. Daryl needed to let off some steam after he couldn't save Sophia and Carol didn't want to lose the one other person she has a connection with. The Bad: Lori and the walker early in the episode had no tension. It was obvious that she wouldn't die there so it was hard to be interested. Furthermore, I thought it was stupid that Lori would still keep looking for Rick afterwards. Shane lying to Lori is meant to be another cruel thing he did, but honestly it made so much more sense than everything Lori has done so far. I found myself agreeing with Shane, which I don't think was supposed to happen. Also why didn't more people go looking for Rick? It was night by the time they went to get Lori. Surely Rick would have been back much earlier, so shouldn't people actually have gone. I'm also tired of people going alone in an apocalyptic world. Nobody would do that ever. Some of the character moments felt a little flat in this episode. I still don't care about most of these characters and it still hurts the show overall. The Unknown: Daryl referred to his dad when he ranted to Carol. Is there a bit of history there that we are yet to learn about? Can Randall be trusted? Will there be consequences for Rick taking him or will he just be abandoned? Best Moment: After Randall fell and was left behind, Rick, Hershel and Glenn tried to save him in a tense and terrific scene. The tension was made palpable by the sense that there was limited time until the walkers overrun them. But there was also natural conflict as Rick and Hershel wrestled with their values of human life as they debated on killing him or saving him. It was fascinating, and for such a quick scene, it worked really well. Character of Episode: Shane. Conclusion: This was flawed like everything else but was really good overall and ended up being one of the better episodes this season. Score: 68 Summary: Hoster is burned at Riverrun. Robb is angry because Edmure's actions cost him the capture of The Mountain. The Night's Watch returns to Craster's Keep. Sam sees Gilly birth a boy. Jon is sent on a mission with 20 others to scale The Wall. Dany buys all of the Unsullied by offering Kraznys a dragon. Melisandre leaves Stannis to find sacrifices. Theon escapes imprisonment. Tyrion is assigned Master of Coin and he rewards Pod for saving his life. Jaime saves Brienne from being raped but he loses his hand in return.
The Good: This was mostly solid stuff overall, but it was flawed. I liked the arrival in Riverrun and I think the show did a good job of introducing two new characters in Edmure and Blackfish. The opening scene was awkward in a good way and ended up being very funny to watch. It also did a great job of establishing Edmure as a disappointing heir and Blackfish as a proper soldier and leader. The ensuing scenes in Riverrun were great too. I like that we were told what caused Tywin to go to King's Landing, as The Mountain likely reported that they couldn't pass Riverrun. I liked seeing Robb putting Edmure in his place by telling him how much his actions have hurt the Northerners' strategy. I also liked Catelyn's brief scene of grief with Blackfish as it was a touching moment which also served to give us more of a proper introduction to Blackfish. The small council scene was similarly good. The scene was awkwardly funny and did a great job of showing us little details over how these characters behave, as every move that the characters make when they are seating demonstrates how they feel about themselves compared to the others. I also liked the reveal of Tyrion becoming Master of Coin, as Tywin fulfills his promise to reward Tyrion. I also enjoyed Dany's storyline in this episode. It was nice to see her faced with the reality of war where innocents will have to be killed, no matter what she does. Kraznys continued to be very entertaining and made me laugh a number of times with his vile remarks towards Dany. The moment where Dany offered one of her dragons for the Unsullied felt appropriately big and makes me interested and excited to see what comes next. Dany's story has been much better this season than it was in the last as there are much larger stakes here with a greater sense of importance. The Jaime and Brienne story went to a thrilling ending. Brienne being attacked was suitably ruthless and we can understand why Jaime would choose to do whatever he could to save her, likely lying about the sapphires on Tarth. I really like that Locke didn't fall for Jaime's lies and smartly threatened him, leading to a tense climax where we think that Jaime may be seriously hurt. The show then comforts us into thinking that Jaime is fine only to suddenly take away his hand in a shocking scene of massive consequences (see: Best Moment). The other smaller storylines were fine but nothing special. I enjoyed seeing the return to Craster's Keep. I liked that Jon has been put on a mission now. I enjoyed Thoros again as he treats Arya kindly despite taking her, and I liked seeing Arya angrily confront The Hound briefly. Tyrion's conversation with Littlefinger was good as well and they had really fun chemistry together. The Bad: While this episode had a lot of funny awkward moments, it was also packed with awkward moments which weren't funny and just felt weird or out of place. The biggest culprit was the ending. Jaime has just lost his hand in a shocking scene which left me stunned and yet I'm left with loud and obnoxious music during the credits as opposed to something quiet to let the moment sink. This is a massive failure in production as the tone is totally ruined and the impact of Jaime losing his hand is lessened by the show refusing to treat it as a serious moment. I didn't like Pod's story either. It was weird and not funny to see him return the money and I was more confused than amused. The scene was unimportant and out of place in the episode, serving to only stall out the episode until its ending. There were a few other moments which didn't really satisfy me. I didn't care much for Hot Pie's goodbye since I hardly care about him in general. I also thought it was weird when Sam stuck his head int o watch Gilly give birth. While I'm sure that does lead to a good conflict, the moment itself felt extremely convenient and strange. This episode was funnier than usual. While most people would call it a good thing, I'm more skeptical. The humour in this episode wasn't used to enhance the story but rather it was used to disguise the fact that not much happened in this episode. Most of the episode felt like it was stalling so the appropriate run time could be reached so they could have Jaime lose his hand as a cliffhanger. They just tried to hide this by adding scenes of comedy to distract us. While the comedy was good, it can't make up for a lack of story progression. "Better Call Saul" makes up for a lack of story progression with fantastic character development. Humour jut doesn't accomplish the same thing as character. The Unknown: Why did the White Walkers arrange the horse head in a spiral like that? Where did Melisandre go? Who are the sacrifices she is looking for? Will Dany actually give up a dragon to Kraznys? I hope not as it will lessen the bond between Dany and her dragons which was built up last season. I suspect that she has something up her sleeve. What is going on with Theon? I don't know who his mysterious saviour is but I suspect that he isn't who he says he is. Best Moment: Jaime losing his hand was a big moment and I love the detail that Jaime didn't actually register what had happened until he looked at his hand detached from his body. It's a shame that the music at the end soiled the moment from being as amazing as it could have been. Character of the Episode: Jaime. Conclusion: This episode was fun but it wasn't very eventful and was certainly flawed. While I still enjoyed it, it was easily the weakest of the season so far. Score: 62 Summary: Jimmy starts his business selling burner phones to criminals. Kim starts doing public defender work and starts slacking on Mesa Verde. An error goes through and Kim isn't available, which angers Paige. Jimmy works overnight and sells a ton of burner phones, but he is mugged by three teenagers. Jimmy is upset and tells Kim what happened. Jimmy runs into Howard at the court and Howard is in rough shape. Mike calls in people to build Gus' superlab until he finds a proper choice.
The Good: This episode didn't have very many important or climactic scenes, yet it was fantastic. It reminded me of "Rebecca" from season 2, where the episode was carried by perfect character development, editing and storytelling, making it a tremendously strong episode. Jimmy was terrific here and his story was one of the best we have seen him in. I loved his scenes in the store as he set himself up for business and worked hard to ensure that he would be successful. The little traps he set for his first client to ensure that he buys the phone were well thought-out and in character. I was pleased by all of the little schemes that Jimmy invented and they made the scene so much more satisfying to watch. Furthermore, I loved the touch of Jimmy returning to his magic hands gesture which he used back in season to try to get the truck to stop at his store. It was a great little bit of character continuity. The real meat of Jimmy's story came from the splendid montage of him selling burner phones at night. The scene was so well done and the set-up for it was brilliant. I really liked seeing Jimmy committing fully to his illegal side, and having a hell of a time living the life he really enjoys. The scene was wonderful, well-shot and even included a few familiar "Breaking Bad" locations (the laundry place and the Dog House). I also loved how it escalated in tension, especially with the arrival of the biker gang for Jimmy. You felt that it couldn't possibly end well for him, but Jimmy is so good at his job that it goes off without a hitch. It's not until his guard is down that he takes the fall at the hands of two nonthreatening teenagers, which is another bit of strong storytelling. Jimmy is so used to being respected as Slippin' Jimmy, so he genuinely doesn't expect fellow criminals/hustlers to turn on him and it's that assumption which costs him dearly. I love the scenes with Kim too. Before his night out, Jimmy initially wanted to spend the night with Kim, but as she was busy he decided to step out. This proves how Jimmy is still in a major conflict with himself, as it seems he is unable to simply relax in his own mind, constantly trying to keep busy to avoid all of his problems, which ties into his overall story arc this season, which I'll get into a bit later. But back to his scenes with Kim, I think the scene after his night out was really powerful. Both characters show genuine concern for each other and it's a great wake-up call for Jimmy who realizes how unhealthy everything he is doing is. It makes him consider actually visiting a shrink and dialing back on his Saul Goodman persona. But this change in mind is short-lived as a brilliant encounter with Howard changes all of that. Howard is not doing well at all, and the show has done a terrific job of showing how his health has deteriorated as he mourns Chuck and deals with guilt. Seeing the pitiful state Howard is in allows Jimmy to commit to his scheming side, giving him no interest in exploring his feelings and feeling as awful as Howard is right now. His final monologue to the guy at the end is great to show Jimmy setting his mind towards proving himself to the world by forging ahead, the same way he set his mind to please Chuck all those years ago. It's a great story and will hopefully lead to even better things in this season's second half. Kim's storyline was really good as well. She enjoys her PD work and is clearly having a blast practicing criminal law again. But her dreams are cut short as an error in Viola's work forces her to face Mesa Verde again and try to commit herself to the bank once more. But it remains to be seen how long she can keep herself working, but I don't see her involvement with Mesa Verde to remain much longer. Mike's storyline was pretty good too. While there wasn't much of an emotional element to the story, it was put together beautifully and fun to watch. The long montage of the French man being escorted to the laundry was good and set up how difficult it would be to get a man to create a superlab. Yet he is rejected due to his cockiness and need to just net a profit. Instead it's the less professional German who is hired due to how thorough he is and how he treats the task as important. It has a good juxtaposition to see the more thorough worker being hired, while Jimmy, the shortcutter, profits in his storyline. The Bad: Nothing really. The Unknown: What was in the box that Saul grabbed in the cold open? Also where did he tell Francesa to go? Best Moment: The best scene in this episode was the cold open. As good as the rest of the episode was, it didn't really have a standout moment overall, but this cold open was just a ton of fun to see. It was an unexpected surprise to see Saul Goodman in a flash-forward and I was ecstatic to see his office again. The scene wasn't only fan-service however as it ended up being a powerful reminder that Jimmy's path will lead him to being completely emotionally detached from everything, which ties in thematically to what this episode explores about Jimmy's character. Furthermore, I loved seeing Saul reminisce a little, telling Francesca to tell whomever she is going to that Jimmy says hello. It was a sad moment with a lot of power hidden underneath it. Of course the humour scenes were fantastic too and I loved his interactions with Francesca, as they felt straight out of "Breaking Bad". Speaking of "Breaking Bad", I love that the scene was shot on film, the same way that "Breaking Bad" was. It's a great touch. Character of the Episode: Jimmy. Conclusion: This episode was a fantastic character piece for Jimmy with strong side storylines to aid it even more. The show continues to be slow, but the character work remains unmatched, making it easily one of the best television shows to be watching at the moment. Score: 74 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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