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
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Summary: Jaime and Brienne continue towards King's Landing. Jaime escapes and duels Brienne briefly but they are confronted by Locke, who fights for Robb and he captures the two. Margaery gets more information about Joffrey out of Sansa and she is able to befriend him. Robb heads to Riverrun for Catelyn's father's funeral. Catelyn reflects on her treatment of Jon. Arya is captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners who also capture The Hound. The Hound reveals her identity. Jon meets a warg, who can communicate with various animals. Bran is discovered by Jojen Reed who tells him that he is a warg. Theon is tortured by an unknown person.
The Good: This was more strong story development as every storyline moved forwards. We were introduced to new characters in entertaining fashion and there were even some truly terrific moments in this episode. The show appears to have found its foothold and is now pumping out set-up in a much more meaningful and enjoyable way than last season. My favourite storyline was the Tyrells in King's Landing, as they have made huge power moves and are fascinating to watch. In this episode, we got to meet Olenna Tyrell, who is Margaery's grandmother, and she was immediately enjoyable. She clearly understands how the game is played and has made her mark as a major player as she gets the information she wants out of Sansa so that Margaery can be prepared for Joffrey. The scene was great on a number of levels. For one, we got to see Sansa let some of her emotions out and her feeligns about Joffrey. It was an effective scene as we don't often get to see Sansa able to let out her true feelings. But the scene also has a huge sense of tension as we can't be certain that the Tyrells are to be trusted. We can't be certain that what Sansa says won't be used against her in the future, so there is also the worry that she is going to be faced with consequences for what she has said. Additionally, there is also Olenna being hilarious as she savagely and bluntly orders around the servants, which adds even more to the scene. That wasn't even the best scene of the episode however. That would go to the scene between Margaery and Joffrey. The scene was just incredible as we got to see the extent of Margaery's charm as she befriends Joffrey y telling him exactly what she wants to hear. It was so impressively written and I had an absolute blast watching Margaery seduce Joffrey by playing up to his sadistic desires. It's electric scenes like this of characters trying to get a position of power in medieval world which make this show stand out over others. A lot of the other storylines were effective too. I particularly loved seeing Catelyn tell Talisa about her history with Jon. The scene was really emotional and did a good job of exploring Catelyn's guilt as a mother, also explaining to some degree why she did so many irrational things across the last two seasons. I was pleased by the scene and I was glad that it got time to breathe as it allowed for the maximum emotion to be felt. I was pleased to finally see the Brotherhood Without Banners. Thoros makes an immediate impression as a sort of brigand who has a sense of honour as he plans to let Arya go after encountering her. However it seems that the plan may have changed now that The Hound has identified who she is. The scenes had a relatively fun nature to them, and the story concluded on a tense and exciting note (see: The Unknown). Jaime and Brienne's story was good as well. Jaime continues to be entertaining in his banter, and I particularly enjoyed his comments about Renly which made me openly laugh. This pairing remains an effective way to explore the ideals of both characters too, especially with scenes like the confrontation with the farmer which highlighted what would bring each character to take extreme measures. The ending duel was also very good and had a sensible result as Jaime's hands being strapped together affected his ability to wield a sword. It should be interesting to see what happens now that the two of them have been confronted by Locke and his men. I enjoyed the shorter scenes as well. Tyrion and Shae have good chemistry and are always fun to watch. I liked seeing Mormont take control of the conflict between Rast and Sam, ensuring that his men won't be fighting amongst themselves. Robb and Karstark's scene was pretty good and continues to build up tensions between the two. I also appreciated Joffrey proving to be too much for Cersei to handle. Now it seems that the Tyrells are slowly taking control of King's Landing from the background. The Bad: Nothing that I would call bad. The Unknown: What is the significance of Bran being a warg and having greensight? I presume this will pay off later in a big way. Also, Jojen is an interesting character. How did he tame Summer so easily? And what does he mean by saying that Bran is the raven? What is happening to Theon? Who has taken him? Why are they torturing him? Roose Bolton stated that when his bastard arrived at Winterfell, it was already on fire. Was he lying? Is Bolton's bastard going rogue? Or did another faction besiege Winterfell and take Theon? What happens now that Arya has been discovered? Will the Brotherhood keep her? What would they do with her? They don't seem to be on the Lannisters side so I don't expect them to take her back to King's Landing. Will they return her to Robb? Best Moment: The Margaery and Joffrey scene was terrific. Character of the Episode: Margaery. Conclusion: This was a great episode with a number of really enjoyable scenes. This season has been extremely enjoyable so far and it hasn't come anywhere near its climax yet. Score: 69 Summary: Lord Commander Mormont survives the White Walker assault and he leads his men back to The Wall. Jon meets with Mance Rayder and declares he wants to become a wildling. Tyrion meets with Tywin and tries to assume his rights to Casterly Rock but Tywin denies it. Margaery outsmarts Cersei and gains Joffrey's support. Davos is alive and he is reunited with Stannis. He defies Melisandre and is put in a cell. Dany arrives in Astapor and finds a man selling 8000 Unsullied warriors. She is attacked by a warlock but is saved by Barristan.
The Good: This was a strong premiere episode which had very good set-up with a few standout scenes of character interaction. It was a certain step up from the season 2 premiere as this season already has a sense of forward momentum. Jon meeting with Mance Rayder was a good development. It was good to finally see Mance after he had been built up for so long and his scene with Jon was well done. The tension was created well since we knew that Jon had to earn Mance's trust in order to survive. He successfully lied in a great way as he played off of his one experience of doubting the Night's Watch and it led to him characteristically spouting a believable lie. I also liked seeing a giant, as the show appears to be doubling down on its fantastical elements. Tyrion had a couple of tremendous scenes in this episode. I loved the follow-up on Cersei's attempt to kill Tyrion last season. Tyrion and Cersei's scene was tense as Tyrion felt in some sort of danger considering Cersei's hate for him. I enjoyed their conversations as they threw jabs at each other while trying to figure out what the other wanted. Their interactions have been great and were a highlight of the last season, so naturally it creates strong television to see more of them. But stronger than his scene with Cersei was Tyrion's scene with Tywin. Tywin is a fantastic character as he opposes Tyrion, our hero, yet he manages to be logical and understandable in his motives, and he is simply fascinating to watch. The scene with Tyrionw as executed really well. Tyrion came in with a logical power play to attempt to get some of his power back after being stripped of his position. Tywin responds fairly, willing to reward Tyrion, but the mention of Tyrion taking control of Casterly Rock is too much for him. Tywin then goes on a fantastic rant, downplaying all of Tyrion's accomplishments and showing just how little Tyrion matters to him. It was brutal yet enjoyable to watch. Margaery was another stand-out character in this episode. She is smart and power-hungry, making her an exciting character to watch. I enjoyed seeing her be an actual Queen, befriending the poor population, but moreso I enjoyed seeing her outdo Cersei in manipulating Joffrey and gaining his respect. Dany started her storyline with much more momentum than last time. I enjoyed her scenes on Astapor, and I especially liked the man who was selling her the Unsullied. He was vile in a perfect way while he worked on his business. The Unsullied were very cool as well and it's evident that Dany has her eyes set on them. Furthermore, I liked the re-emergence of Barristan, and going to Dany was a logical next step for his character to take after he was retired by Joffrey. I was happy to see Davos survive. I liked his short scene of conflict when he was put on the spot to declare for a king, knowing that saying the wrong name would cause him to be killed. It was a nice little scene. The Bad: It was disappointing to not see the White Walker assault on the Fist of the First Men. It was a central cliff-hanger last season, so I expected something to follow up on that in this episode. It also did hurt the story a little bit since we never got to see the actual threat and brutality of the White Walkers. It detracted from Mormont's urgency to go back to The Wall and failed to truly establish the importance of defending The Wall. I thought it was awkward that Ygritte assumed Jon would join the wildlings without him saying so. The Unknown: Why did the White Walkers leave the dead bodies so strangely? What is the meaning of that? What are Littlefinger's motives as he talks with Sansa? I don't buy that he genuinely wants to save her. How does Dany plan to afford the Unsullied? Will she take all of them? Who was the warlock that attacked Dany? Who did she work for? Best Moment: Tyrion and Tywin take it for this episode. Character of the Episode: Tywin. Conclusion: Aside from the disappointment of not seeing the White Walker assault, this was a really strong premiere that opens season 3 on a strong note. Score: 66 Summary: Joffrey chooses to marry Margaery, relieving Sansa of marrying him. Theon is surrounded by Stark men and his troops turn on him so they can go home. Winterfell is sacked by unknown people. Luwin is killed. Tyrion loses his position as hand and falls back down the hierarchy. Dany goes to the House of the Undying and has a vision of snow. She finds her dragons and kills Pyatt Pree and then she leaves Xaro for dead. Jon kills Qhorin. White Walkers arrive at the Fist of the First Men.
The Good: Tyrion's story was very good here. I enjoyed seeing him as Hand of the King but now he has been stripped of that title and we get to learn that he enjoyed the role too. His emotions come out in a terrific scene with Shae as he reflects on how much he enjoyed having some power for once. It's easy to understand his sadness as he has fallen to the bottom of the totem pole again, established by him no longer having any friends with power, and Pycelle's rediscovered confidence when speaking to Tyrion. I enjoyed Joffrey awarding heroics to Tywin after the battle. The whole scene felt consistent to the time period and also established some important new plot points, notably Tywin's confidence in his new role and Joffrey's new wife. Regarding the latter, it was good follow-up for Sansa as she gets rewarded for choosing to stay in King's Landing. I loved seeing her smile in joy afterwards only to fake sorrow when Littlefinger goes to talk with her. That scene with Littlefinger added a lot too as it sets up another potential partnership while also assuring us that Sansa still isn't safe and will never be safe as long as she is in King's Landing. The conclusion of Theon's story was very strong, just like the rest of his story. I loved seeing his frustrations when he realizes that he is trapped and almost certainly dead. The horn-blower was also a funny way to focus on Theon's anger and displeasure towards his current situation. I loved his conversation with Luwin where his regrets all come pouring out as he realizes all of the mistakes he has made by siding with the Greyjoys and wanting to prove himself. It would be easy to hate Theon for all he has done, but it's a testament to how good the writing has been that I actually sympathize with him and everything he stands for. The final moments in Winterfell were terrific as well. Theon's speech was awesome and he did very well to be inspiring, but he failed to give the Ironborn a reason to throw away their lives, and in return they knocked him out and appeared to have given him over to the Boltons who were outside. Dany's story came to a good conclusion in the House of the Undying. The way these scenes were put together was fantastic and the entire vision sequence was a spectacle to witness. I loved the way everything fit together thematically as it highlighted the final confrontation between ice and fire while also signalling the threat of the White Walkers which will likely descend on King's Landing. I also enjoyed seeing Dany take vengeance on Pyatt Pree and Xaro as she gives us another glimpse of her ruthlessness which hasn't been seen at all this season (see: The Bad). I enjoyed Jaime and Brienne once more. Their dynamic is very good and we get to learn more about them in scenes like the one we saw in this episode. The confrontation with the three Stark men was really well done and allowed Brienne to demonstrate to Jaime and to us how she is loyal to Catelyn and not all of the Starks. As a side note, I really liked the way that the man set up Brienne and Jaime to reveal the truth by asking them to both say Jaime's name at the same time. I liked Stannis' scene too. Stannis' anger at Melisandre was warranted as he has lost literally everything and didn't end up getting what he was promised to get by her. He has lost his friends, his fleet, his brother and his end-goal of being king, making it easy to understand how he feels. The ending scene with the White Walkers was a great cliff-hanger to make me excited for season 3. The surprise of a third horn was great and the tension was palpable as Sam was left alone within the incoming army. The Bad: Unfortunately the final scene was hurt by the fact that the White Walker just left Sam alive. It's hard to feel threatened by them if they don't kill, so that was a pretty weak moment. Luwin's death lacked impact since he has hardly done anything of note. Bran and Rickon's reactions also did nothing since they have done nothing to make me care about either of them as characters. The Qarth storyline accomplished nothing and felt like a means to stall Dany for a season. She has made no progress since the end of last season which is frustrating. The Unknown: What will become of Varys partnering with Ros? What did Stannis see in the flames? Jaqen is very interesting. How does he have all of these mysterious, almost god-like powers? I presume Arya will go to Braavos at a later point in the story. What will she find there? What happened to Winterfell? Who burned it down? It doesn't make sense for the Boltons to do it, but they must have as the Ironborn surely couldn't have. What happened to the Ironborn anyways? WHat happened to Theon? Best Moment: I'll pick Tyrion's sadness at being relegated to the bottom again after losing his position. Character of the Episode: Theon. Conclusion: This was a very good season finale with good closure and some strong moments to make it stand out more. The set-up for next season was good, though it didn't live up to the excellence of the season 1 finale. The second season as a whole was a bit of a step down from season 1 but it was still pretty good. Like season 1, it started slow and picked up a lot of momentum towards the end of the season with good storytelling, powerful moments and epic twists. My one major complaint is how familiar the show still feels after this season. Through season 1, the show took a massive change in direction and every character was at a different place than they were at the beginning. I don't think that the same could be said about this season as many characters find themselves in the same position as season 1, or in similar positions, with Stannis and Dany standing out in this regard. I hope that the next season is a little more ambitious with what it wants to do so we don't end up with another season which felt like it was stalling for lengthy periods of time. Score: 69 Summary: Both Stannis' and Joffrey's sides prepare for the impending battle. Stannis' ships arrive but Tyrion blows up a good portion of them with wildfire, including Davos' ships. Stannis lands anyways and assaults the walls. The Hound fearfully leaves the battleground after seeing fire. Joffrey flees the battlefield too leaving Tyrion in charge of the defenses. Lancel provides updates to Cersei who is hidden in the city with Sansa. Cersei gets drunk and prepares to kill her son so he doesn't have to suffer. Tyrion is attacked by Ser Mandon and critically wounded. Tywin and the Tyrells arrive to rout Stannis' forces, winning the battle. The Hound offers to take Sansa north and out of the city.
The Good: The build-up to the battle was fantastic. The whole season has been slowly building up to this massive confrontation, and the early goings of the episode made it clear that this episode would deliver the battle in full. I respect that we didn't have a single scene outside of King's Landing in this episode as it allowed for there to be full focus on this battle, which had been hyped up to be pivotal for the fate of Westeros. The first 15 to 20 minutes were great as both sides prepared for the upcoming war, putting over how deadly the consequences would be for the loser. This gave the episode a huge sense of importance and tension. I enjoyed a lot of small things in the build-up too. Sansa continuing to mouth off Joffrey, Tyrion having funny interactions with Bronn and Joffrey and Varys continuing to be a fascinating character (see: The Unknown) were all great scenes. With all of the hype, there was massive pressure on the battle to deliver. While I did have some big issues (see: The Bad), I thought that a lot of this was terrific. The opening few minutes in particular were some of the most tense, impressive and exhilarating minutes of television that this show has produced. The wildfire explosion was an incredible moment and opened up the battle on an exciting note, killing many of Stannis' men and presenting that Tyrion may have a chance of overcoming here. It was up to the rest of the battle to live up to the opening of this battle and I feel that for the most part they did a good job. The best parts about this battle were the smaller moments. I loved Tyrion's story here as Varys presented him as the only man who could actually threaten Stannis. He lived up to it as he delivered a spectacular speech late in the battle, playing up to the men's personal desires instead of the honourable desires. It works like a charm and his final line of "there are brave men out there... let's go kill them!" was delivered perfectly and was a satisfying moment. Even more satisfying was watching the Lannisters destroy the portion of Stannis' forces at the gate, earning Tyrion a small victory. The Hound's story was also really good. I enjoyed seeing him leave the battle due to the fire. It fit his character and adds more levels to him as he may not be quite as tough as he lets on and has some serious weaknesses. I also liked him going to Sansa as it plays off of the relationship they had been building throughout this season. It was interesting to see The Hound be so aggressive to convince Sansa to get out of King's Landing, which makes me interested to learn more about how The Hound feels about her. The scenes with Cersei and Sansa were well-written as well. I enjoyed their conversations as Cersei slowly got more drunk, feeling the pressure of the battle and being separated from Jaime for so long. I enjoyed getting this new layer to Cersei, her character has been one of the most interesting parts of the show in the last few episodes. The Bad: Unfortunately I felt disappointed overall by the end of the episode. The battle never lived up to the opening few minutes and it ended rather abruptly without any of the consequences which were hyped up. The Lannisters all win and Stannis still gets to live to fight another day. This is particularly disappointing because this entire season was structured around this massive battle, and yet somehow this large scale battle had less of an effect on the world than the execution of Ned last season. That's very bad and makes what we just watch feel like less of an epic battle and more of just a minor skirmish which can't be right. The actual logistics of the battle unfortunately disappointed me as well. There were several strange moments in the battle that confused me as to how the battle was working. We had Stannis climb the ramparts, which should be a significant development and yet it doesn't lead anywhere. The ramparts allow easy access into the city and should have been a much more central part to this battle, yet they were totally ignored. Additionally, after Tyrion wiped out a portion of Stannis' men, we had a random horde of them come out from somewhere. I have no clue where they were and why they hadn't engaged in the battle earlier. Lastly, while I thought the Cersei scenes were good, they detracted from the battle as a whole and ruined the flow. Also, it was tough for me to properly invest in Cersei's scenes because they felt so insignificant when there is a life-or-death war going on outside the walls. I can't be bothered to care about Shae being discovered when Tyrion's life is in danger as he prepares to lead an attack outside the walls. The Unknown: Varys remains a fascinating character and it seems that there is more to him being a eunuch than expected. What he will have to say about how he was cut? Is Davos dead? It wouldn't be too much of a stretch for him to survive the battle. If he is dead, it would be tough to care about whatever Stannis does next, so I honestly hope he is alive. Why did Mandon attack Tyrion and who ordered him to do it? What are the extent of Tyrion's injuries? Will he be okay by the next episode? How did Tywin get back to King's Landing and why? He said he was going to fight Robb in the last episode, so why didn't he end up going there? What happened to Salladhor Saan? I was hoping to see him again in this battle but he never appeared. Will Sansa go with The Hound then? I don't imagine she will want to stay in King's Landing. Best Moment: The wildfire explosion was a fantastic moment which the episode never topped. Character of the Episode: I'll pick The Hound because he was more interesting here than ever before. Conclusion: This episode was an epic spectacle with a lot of really good moments, but it under-delivered in my opinion. While I still really enjoyed it, there should have been more of an impact on the overall story from a seismic event like this and yet it didn't happen. This is a tough episode to score because of that, as it was terrific, yet at the same time disappointing. Score: 72 Summary: Yara tells Theon to leave Winterfell as it has little strategic advantage for them but Theon doesn't want to. Tyrion plots King's Landings defense against Stannis and realizes they have a massive disadvantage. Catelyn sends Brienne to take Jaime to King's Landing to trade for Sansa and Arya, angering Robb and others in the camp. Robb falls in love with Talisa and sleeps with her. Jon reunites with Qhorin who has also been captured. Dany prepares to go to the House of the Undying.
The Good: Theon's story continued to be very strong in this episode. We got more exploration of his relationship with Yara, which was much needed for him. Yara was really good as her experience puts her on a higher level than Theon in terms of battle strategy and she completely destroys Theon's reputation which is deserved. Yara explains with sound logic why Theon's maneuver was stupid and did nothing in the long run for the Greyjoys yet Theon's immature need to prove himself makes him not listen and still refuse to cooperate. Then the scene takes a better turn as Yara stops humiliating him and speaks with him alone, showing some genuine affection which adds even more to their relationship. I really enjoyed these interactions. Arya's storyline was pretty good as well. I liked her trying to kill Tywin when she learns of her plans. Some will complain about her not doing this earlier, but she knows that she only has three names and she is still a child who likely isn't thinking far enough into the future to realize how significant it will be to kill Tywin. It also made sense that Jaqen wouldn't be able to kill him since he is still human after all. It's good to get some insight that Jaqen isn't a godly being or a plot device. Additionally, I liked Arya manipulating Jaqen to get out of Harrenhal quickly with her friends. I loved the scenes which hyped up Stannis' upcoming siege of King's Landing. The build-up was tense and dramatic and makes this upcoming battle feel like a huge deal. Most of this season has been set up, and this episode did a great job of demonstrating that the pay-off is upon us and we will be getting a really satisfying climax soon. To make this better, we were treated to a number of good scenes as this went on. Tyrion's interactions with Bronn are hilarious and fantastic, I love seeing them talk with each other and I'm invested int heir unique friendship. Tyrion and Varys were terrific as usual as they discuss the happenings in the world with great wit and humour. There was also a fantastic scene between Tyrion and Cersei, albeit one with a different tone from the previous episode. This time Cersei is back to being hostile, as she begins to cave under the pressure of Joffrey's awful reign combined with Stannis' looming threat. So she chooses to cement power over Tyrion once more, threatening to kill his whore, though luckily for Tyrions he has the wrong whore. Robb was very good in this episode too and continues to be a terrific king. His anger at his mother for freeing Jaime (see: The Bad) is certainly warranted as she has embarrassed him in front of all of his men and taken away his advantage. I liked seeing Robb open up more to Talisa as well in these times of pressure. He is still young and thrust in a major role, so it makes sense for him to need to find a way to relieve some pressure. Unfortunately this leads to him breaking his vows to Walder Frey which can't possibly end well. It's a stupid decision, but we understand easily why he chose it, and he further tries to support it by telling himself that since he doesn't need to go south anymore, he didn't really need passage at The Twins anyways. It's dumb but understandable, unlike a similar decision made by Catelyn in this episode (see: The Bad). Stannis and Davos had some great development in this episode. It has been hard to care for them too much this season, but this one scene has done an absolute ton for their story. Now we understand their relationship, their backstory and their dynamic together, adding to my investment in them as a whole. This makes the upcoming battle much more interesting, as it's difficult to choose a side to root for. I definitely want Joffrey to be unseated as king more than anything, but Tyrion is my favourite character so I'm pretty torn. I liked some smaller things in this episode as well. Jaime remains terrific and his scenes with Brienne were witty and well-written. I also liked seeing a brief glimpse of Jon dealing with the consequences of not being able to kill when he needed to. It's a good lesson for him and I doubt that he will make the same mistake again. The Bad: Catelyn's choice to free Jaime is beyond stupid and nonsensical. I understand that she would do anything to get her daughters back, but I have no idea why she thinks that the Lannisters would just send Sansa and Arya back. She knows they are evil and yet she agrees to a deal which they can either choose to honour or ignore entirely. It's stupid and motherly instincts do not excuse her motivation in the same way that being young and stressed excuses Robb's. The Unknown: What will Tyrion do to protect King's Landing? He still has that wildfire which he can use. What was the significance of the dragonglass that Sam and the others found? Best Moment: Tyrion goes to Shae after fearing that Cersei had captured her. His raw emotion and love for her is on full display and it makes for a genuinely touching scene. Character of the Episode: Tyrion. Conclusion: This was another really good episode. While this one was another calm set-up episode, I really enjoyed it overall since it has promised a ton of action in the season's concluding episodes which are coming up next. The only flaw was Catelyn's decision and while that hurts the score slightly, I still have a very positive outlook on this episode as a whole. Score: 67 Summary: Theon chases down Bran and Rickon. Later he shows the burned bodies of two boys to everyone. Ygritte continues to flirt with Jon and eventually leads him into a trap. Tywin and Arya have another chat. Jaime escapes his cell by killing his cousin but he is reprimanded instantly. Lord Karstark wants him dead but Catelyn protects Jaime. Xaro and Pyatt Pree kill the other thirteen in Qarth. Pyatt reveals that he has Dany's dragons.
The Good: Theon's story was strong once more as he continues to act more villainous s he tries to prove himself. He goes too far here as he tries to kill the Starks and may have actually succeeded, though I don't think so (see: The Unknown). Either way, it's good drama and continues to show us Theon's downfall as a human as he continues to hurt the Starks. Jon and Ygritte were terrific here. Ygritte flirting is a ton of fun and the dialogue is funny and well written. I love the arguments regarding Jon's freedom as well as they really start to explore what Jon has lost by joining the Night's Watch. They really play into the idea that Jon may forsake his vows to be with Ygritte and that makes for fun and tense viewing all the way until the surprise ending where Jon gets captured by wildlings. I really like this development as well since it will likely allow us to learn more about the wildlings now. Tywin and Arya stole the show once more with a terrific scene of dialogue. They have great chemistry and their conversations are fascinating and develop the world in interesting ways. "Game of Thrones" has been doing a terrific job of making the story engaging despite not following normal TV conventions. This show s unique because of scenes like this, and the show benefits greatly for it. I can't think of any other TV show which has lengthy scenes of characters simply talking about random things throughout an entire episode that has gripped me this much. Another example of this conversation is with Jaime and his cousin. The dialogue felt so organic and believable that I felt like I was watching a real life conversation. It was fascinating and both characters came off well, especially Jaime who showed that charming side of himself once more before revealing his true heart as he tricks his cousin into getting close enough to be killed, aiding Jaime in escaping his cell. The whole sequence was terrific to watch and satisfied me a lot. The rets of Jaime's story was great too. I loved seeing Lord Karstark trying to kill him despite the orders from Robb. I would completely buy that the Starks aren't happy to keep somebody vile like Jaime in the camp and it has caused organic dissension. I also liked seeing Catelyn step up to protect Jaime as she realizes that he is the only way she will get her daughters back. Cersei had a very good episode as well as she got to show us her experience in motherhood. I appreciated her being honest with Sansa about motherhood, also giving her some advice to help her survive. It was the first hint she gave that she wasn't happy with Joffrey, which paid off a few scenes later with Tyrion. Cersei's emotions about how terrible Joffrey is felt very real and I loved seeing her say all this to Tyrion, who she despises, because he is all that she has. It was touching and it also did well to highlight the danger of Stannis as the two siblings who hate each other are now coming closer in times of desperation. The Bad: Dany in Qarth wasn't that good. It was hard to care about the execution of the thirteen and both Xaro and Pyatt don't really interest me. The storytelling feels lame and rushed. Furthermore, I wasn't fond of Dany and Jorah's scene. I can understand Dany being angry, but Emilia Clarke's performance isn't really working for me so I struggle to buy into the story, as well as Jorah's love for her. The Unknown: The Brotherhood Without Banners has been mentioned again. Who are they? Where did Barristan end up going? He was mentioned again and we haven't seen him in 10 episodes now. Surely he will reappear somewhere. Best Moment: Arya and Tywin's conversation was really good. I am enjoying their interactions a lot. Character of the Episode: Jaime. Conclusion: This was a really good episode, though it was a rather quiet one. Despite that, I thought that storylines progressed nicely and there was some great character development and exploration. A much stronger episode to build the story than the others ones we have seen earlier in the season. Score: 69 Summary: Theon takes over Winterfell and kills Ser Rodrik. Osha has sex with him and then sneaks out and frees Bran, Rickon and Hodor. Robb is angry at what Theon did and wants him dead. Tywin is visited by Littlefinger who is sent to make an alliance with the Tyrells. Joffrey goes through the city to see off Myrcella who is going to Dorne but a riot breaks out when Joffrey threatens to kill everyone. Sansa is nearly raped but The Hound saves her. Dany doesn't get any help from Qarth and her dragons are taken. Jon ventures with Qhorin and they ambush a wildling camp. Jon stays behind to kill a wildling, Ygritte, but he can't go through with it and is separated from the group with Ygritte.
The Good: This was a lot better and had genuine emotion and conflict in almost all of the storylines. Theon's was the best here as his character is forced to officially commit to siding with the Greyjoys over the Starks, needing to even go as far as kill Ser Rodrick to prove his commitment to being a Greyjoy. Impressively, the show does a terrific job of showing Theon's inner conflict through these scenes and the stakes are always clear about the significance of his actions. Theon has turned on his family, and soon he will likely have to face the consequences of this decision. The other storylines are similarly great. The riot sequence was frightening and intense, increasing the tension and conflict at King's Landing while also furthering how much of a threat Stannis is since Joffrey is widely hated by everyone. The riot was intense and frightening, especially for Sansa who had no protection until The Hound arrived to viciously kill her attackers. Scenes like these work very well in "Game of Thrones" because they have a very real sense of consequence. After all, a major character did just die last episode so it feels like somebody can die at any time. Additionally, Tyrion had a great scene as he completely lost control of his emotions when talking to Joffrey. It felt like an earned moment because Joffrey has caused total chaos once more, and Tyrion has been doing everything possible to repair the damage Joffrey has already done. This time it was too much and Tyrion had enough, making for a strong moment which is satisfying for me (and probably everyone else as well) because I despise Joffrey. Jon's story was pretty good too. It nicely establishes his honour and how he is still a young man with little experience, which was touched on by Qhorin already. It was good to see Jon's inexperience hurt him as he discovers he can't kill Ygritte and he is then totally lost. On the other hand, Ygritte was terrific as she was flirtatious and funny at great times as she tries to make the most out of her position as Jon' captive. I enjoyed their interactions and I want to see more about where their story goes. The Tywin and Arya scenes were terrific once more as their interactions remain strong. This episode had 2 terrific sequences of tension too. For the first, Littlefinger arrives and eyes Arya as he takes care of business with Tywin. It's extremely tense because we don't know if Littlefinger will discover her and the scene is shot superbly well to aid the feelings of tension. Furthermore, we get more exciting dialogue as Littlefigner and Tywin plan out the Lannisters next moves which are very important for us to know to keep following the politics of the show. The next sequence was when Amory Lorch discovered Arya stealing the letter which was even more tense since Arya was on a ticking clock to have him dead. The final moment of Lorch opening TYwin's door and falling dead was simultaneously funny and relieving which is very impressive. If a scene can make me feel two different emotions at once, that is a sign of strong storytelling and emotional engagement. I am really enjoying the Spice King in Qarth. The way he dismissively ignores Dany is great to watch and his retorts to her passion are great and hard to argue. The dialogue is extremely well written which I love. The Bad: Qarth isn't working for me despite all of the dialogue. the story feels like it is stagnant and stalling to stretch Qarth out an entire season which is pretty annoying. I want to see Dany start moving towards conquering Westeros, I have no interest in her accomplishing nothing in Qarth. The Unknown: Does Littlefinger know about Arya? He was eying her so perhaps he did figure it out and didn't say anything to pursue his own goals. Will that come into play later this season? Who took Dany's dragons? Best Moment: Theon executing Rodrik was very powerful and a fitting moment to put Theon on the spot to prove that he is a traitor to the Starks, nothing more. The rest of the scene was terrific too, particularly Theon's interactins with Bran who was still treating Theon as a friend at first only to realize harshly that he has changed. Character of the Episode: Theon. Conclusion: This was a great episode with terrific moments in every storyline. There was powerful stuff, tense stuff and fun stuff all mixed together into what I think is the series' best episode so far. Score: 75 Summary: Renly is killed by Stannis' shadow and Brienne and Catelyn are forced to flee. Renly's bannermen go to Stannis but the Tyrells go back to Highgarden. Tyrion discovers that Cersei plans to use wildfire against Stannis and he wants some for himself. Theon goes to raid the Stoney Shore but he makes plans to go after Winterfell instead. Arya meets with Jaqen who is willing to kill three people for her. Jaqen kills The Tickler first. Beyond The Wall, the Night's Watch reunites with Qhorin after arriving at the Fist of the First Men. Across the Narrow Sea, Dany is proposed to by Daxos who tells her of Jorah's affections for her.
The Good: The opening scene was effective at raising the stakes for the show. Renly's death is a huge moment and to see it so early in the season, and in the episode, was shocking and a pretty memorable moment. I also like how Catelyn and Brienne ended up being painted as guilty due to the circumstances, ensuring that they will be alone and that Renly's men would not end up supporting Robb. Tyrion remains strong in this episode. Like last episode, his scenes with Lancel are funny and energetic and they also do well to service the plot. I enjoyed seeing Tyrion learn about the wildfire along with us, making it feel like an important new development, one which will likely be used often in the series when battles occur. I also love the little detail that the people in the city don't like Tyrion because of rumours. It feels very realistic for people to do that. While I doubt we see the Tyrells again for a little while sicne they have retreated, I was very impressed by them. Margaery in particular stuck out as she seems pretty emotionless surrounding Renly's death and she makes it clear that her only objective is to get power, much like many of the other important characters like Tywin and Littlefinger. I'm excited to see more of her in the future. Theon's storyline had a good development as he looks to attack Winterfell. While he does have problems as a character (see: The Bad), it's easy to understand his thought process for attacking Winterfell as he wants nothing more than to prove himself to his men. Furthermore, this development is good since it will involve Bran into the main story. After five episodes in this season Bran has done nothing, so I look forward to seeing him do more. Arya and Tywin have a nice dynamic. Tywin is fascinated by her intelligence and keeps her as cupbearer whereas Arya is frightened and is doing her absolute best to not get discovered. Their conversation was tense and allowed us to learn a little more about both of their characters and their mannerisms. The Night's Watch scenes were solid but nothing special. As were the Dany scenes. Both storylines progressed and we learned new details, but nothing much stood out to me as particularly good. The Bad: The show continues to expand its world and while it's enjoyable to see, it often doesn't lead to great episodes. This is an example of that, as there was nothing wrong with this episode but it wasn't very enjoyable because the story keeps jumping around without really getting us emotionally invested. I'm not invested in Jon and Dany like I was last season because their storylines only really serve to expand the world not tell their own story. We need emotional stakes to enjoy the show, not a larger world. Jon and Dany are yet to go through some real conflict, and after five episodes of slow storytelling, that's very disappointing. Theon's story has suffered too. While his story is well written and expands the world in very good ways which I actually like, it's just hard to care about anything he does. We are getting to know who Theon is, but we aren't given any reasons to care about him. This stands out badly when so much of the rest of the show is centred around dozens of other characters who we actually care about or are interested in. Bran is very dull to me. He has been having dreams for what feels like forever and yet we still know nothing about him as a character. He has become very boring. The Unknown: How does Tyrion plan to use the wildfire? It has been established that catapults aren't a good idea. Who is Jaqen and why is he helping Arya like this? Why does he talk so funny? Who is the red god? Is that the lord of light? How did he kill The Tickler? I want to know more about him. Why is Pyatt Pree interested in Dany? Will she go see him? Will she accept Daxos' proposal? What will she do now that she is aware of Jorah's feelings for her? Also who was that girl talking to Jorah? Best Moment: I'll pick Arya and Tywin's brief conversation. It was engaging and interesting. Character of the Episode: Margaery since nobody else really stood out. Conclusion: This episode had more decent continuation of the story, but so much of the story lacks proper emotion or momentum, making it tough to really care about this season's story. I'm invested in some of the characters, but it isn't enough as there needs to be more of a reason for me to care for the story. Score: 60 Summary: Joffrey tries to punish Sansa but Tyrion saves him. Tyrion sends him some whores to calm him down but Joffrey makes them beat each other. Lancel goes to Tyrion with requests from Cersei to free Pycelle. Tyrion agrees but also gets Lancel on his side. Littlefinger delivers Ned's ashes to Catelyn. Stannis and Renly threaten each other with war. Arya is taken to Harrenhal and is selected to be Tywin's cupbearer. Robb wins battles in the west. Dany secures entry into Qarth. Melisandre births a shadow.
The Good: This episode was a blessing for this season. The tone took a sudden shift into darker territory as scenes of this episode often unsettled me with tough to watch moments. As rough as this was, it elicited a reaction from me and made me care about what was happening on screen, making it the most tense and exciting episode in this season. Joffrey was one of the worst parts of the episode in a good way. He is despicable and awful and I dread to see him on screen due to whatever new way he develops to torture Sansa and those around him. But this makes him one of the most vile villains I have seen in television and I don't think I've ever wanted to see a character die more than I want to see Joffrey get what's coming to him. Thankfully we do get tastes of Joffrey getting some comeuppance from Tyrion who stands up to Joffrey all the time and puts him in his place. The scene with Sansa was getting uncomfortable but Tyrion's arrival made it more lighthearted and enjoyable due to how he handles Joffrey's menace. Furthermore, there was Joffrey's scene with the two whores which I don't even want to begin to talk about. It was cruel and sadistic, and showcased Joffrey's pettiness as he gets back at Tyrion in a really awful way. Tyrion as a whole was terrific once more in this episode. I loved seeing him counter Cersei's attempt to get Pycelle back by getting his own spy in Lancel. Tyrion's mannerisms in that conversation were superb as he turned the tables around on Lancel with a calm demeanor and made Lancel go from being dismissive to actively begging for his life. It was fascinating to watch and was a definite standout scene in the episode. The Harrenhal scenes were very good too. There was a darker tone present as people were being starved, tortured and brutally killed, which is a far cry from the lightheartedness of Arya's storyline a few episodes ago. More notably, Tywin arrived at Harrenhal and picked Arya as a cupbearer which is really significant development as it seems to hint that Arya's identity will be discovered very soon. I enjoyed seeing Renly and Stannis face off. It builds up nicely to an eventual battle an also does a great job of showing the contrast between the two brothers and how they are polar opposites of each other in terms of personality. Catelyn's scene with Littlefinger was very good as well. I loved to see Catelyn get a chance to let out some pent up emotion from Ned's death and Littlefinger is a good character to receive her anger seeing how he betrayed Ned. But more impressively, Littlefigner wins over Catelyn again by the end using his mouth, proving that he is one of the most effective manipulators on the show I really liked the opening scene as well. It had a great use of misdirection with that opening bit with the soldiers and also did a good job of showing us a brief glimpse of what it's like being a soldier in battle. I'm intrigued by the development of Robb meeting Talisa (see: The Unknown). The ending of the episode was huge. It's the show confirming the existence of proper magic which is very unexpected, but I really like it as it makes Stannis' storyline feel very important and makes him feel like a more powerful character, similar to Dany with her dragons. Speaking of Dany, her story was solid in this episode as she forced her way into Qarth with the help of one of the 13, but I did have some problems (see: The Bad). The Bad: Dany's story lacks momentum still and it has been nothing important for the first four episodes. It's a jarring transition after the huge ending to the last season with the introduction of dragons. There just doesn't seem to be much to Dany's storyline this season. Also, the scenes of Dany's entry made little sense to me. I don't understand why Dany didn't just show the dragons as they would easily grant her access. Additionally, Daxos using Sumai felt like a cliché as it feels like a plot convenience for him to get Dany into Qarth. Littlefinger is a master manipulator, but scenes like the one with Margaery contradict that entirely. Littlefigner doesn't come off as cunning when he openly reveals his knowledge to others in ways that don't give him the advantage and it hurts his credibility. The Unknown: Will Robb break his vows to Walder Frey with Talisa? That could be very dangerous. Who are the Brotherhood and why do the Lannisters want to know about them? What is Sumai? I doubt we get any more information on it as it feels like a convenience through and through. What the heck was that shadow baby? What will it do? Best Moment: I'll avoid the temptation to pick Tyrion once more and I'll go with the ending scene for what it means for the show as a whole with the introduction of proper magic. Character of the Episode: I'll go with Joffrey actually for being such a despicable villain. Conclusion: This episode had a much darker tone and was all the better for it. There was a good sense of urgency here and that made this the best episode of the season so far. Score: 68 Summary: Catelyn visits Renly's camp. Renly is married to Margaery who wants to give him a child to dispel the gay rumours surrounding him. Tyrion uses sneaky tactics to discover that Cersei's spy is Pycelle and he proceeds to imprison him. Shae is made to be Sansa's handmaiden. Yoren's group is attacked by soldiers and he is killed. Arya, Hot Pie and Gendry are taken to Harrenhal with the survivors.
The Good: I really enjoyed the scenes at Renly's camp. It was nice to see a war camp created by an overconfident and carefree king in Renly, providing more diversity from all of the kings we have seen so far. However his nature suggests that he won't be victorious in this war, as he sports a very defined weakness much like Ned. However, he is much smarter than Ned, as he has married Margaery Tyrell to gain power from Highgarden and also to help dispel the gay rumours. I like the detail that Margaery is aware of Renly's sexuality and is still willing to marry him for the power of being a queen. This show has such a unique dynamic since almost every character has their own personal goal which they try to accomplish, and this Renly storyline continues to add to that dynamic. Theon's story is good even if it does pander to the books a bit too much for my liking (see: The Bad). It's easy to understand his conflict as he is split between siding with his true family or the only family he has known throughout his life. Obviously, we want to see Theon side with Robb since he is treated like crap in Pyke and Balon is not a good person, but Theon understandably and tragically chooses to side with his family, a decision which may come back to haunt him later. Sansa's scenes were good too and her character remains sad to watch. Her scene with Shae was lightly funny but also pretty depressing as Sansa had to exert control over the only person ho she has power over. After being forced to listen to so many of the Lannisters without being able to voice her opinion, she will naturally want to boss somebody around to get out all of her pent up emotions. Tyrion remains the very best character in the show by quite some distance. His schemes in this episode were a ton of fun to watch and delivered some very exciting moments. I loved the editing while he told Varys, Pycelle and Littlefinger different ideas about what he plans to do with Myrcella. The scenes transitioned beautifully and we were able to figure out what Tyrion was planning to do. The scene this led up to was terrific too as Pycelle was forced to abandon his "old and frail" act to beg for his life. It was cathartic and entertaining to see Tyrion outsmart the spy and give him what he deserves. One of the standout scenes was Tyrion talking to Varys though. The acting was terrific throughout and the conversation was enthralling as Varys explored the realities of power in King's Landing and how important it is. I really liked Yoren's story to Arya as it demonstrated the values of revenge to her and how important it is to her. The story was engaging and I'm excited to see what Arya will take from it. The battle which followed afterwards was also very good and exciting. The Bad: The Greyjoys haven't been developed enough for me to really care and I feel like I don't have enough details to fully understand their role in the story. This episode continues to have that slow paced feeling that this season has had so far. While this episode did have better moments, it still feels like the season is missing the same meat to its bone that season one had. The Unknown: Will Gilly return later? Surely there will need to be some payoff for Sam leaving her a gift. I feel like I need to bring up bran's dreams again as they are getting more and more realistic and will likely lead somewhere. He seems to have a connection to his direwolf, so does that make him one of those mystical creatures that Luwin was talking about earlier? Why is Tyrion sending Littlefinger to the Stormlands to meet with Cat? What are his motives behind that? WHat will happen to Arya and the others after they get taken to Harrenhal? Didn't Tywin's army go to Harrenhal too? That could be very bad for Arya. Best Moment: Tyrion capturing Pycelle was a great moment. The scene was spliced with some fantastic humour and I loved seeing Pycelle start panicking when he realizes that he lacks control of the situation. Lastly, I loved the character detail of Tyrion paying the whore extra for what she had to go through. Character of the Episode: Tyrion. Conclusion: This was a good episode with some really fun moments, but the season still isn't clicking as well as the last one. Score: 64 Summary: Soldiers attempt to get Gendry from Yoren but he sends them back. Gendry and Arya bond. Tyrion takes charge in King's Landing and sends Janos to The Wall while assigning Bronn as leader of the City Watch. Sam talks to one of Craster's daughters and learns she is pregnant. he wants to help her escape but Jon tells him to stop. Theon arrives at Pyke and meets his father and sister. Davos gains the allegiance of Salladhor Saan for Stannis. Melisandre seduces Stannis. Jon sees a White Walker in the woods.
The Good: I enjoyed the Arya and Gendry scenes quite a bit. They had good interactions and have started to develop a nice friendship which I presume will continue to blossom throughout the season. The other scenes with Arya were very solid too as we got development for other characters like Lommy and Hot Pie. Furthermore, the storyline still has some tension as we are aware that Yoren's group is a target now that Yoren has sent the soldiers away without giving them what they want. Tyrion was the highlight of the episode as he showed us the significance of being Hand of the King by making all of the power moves that Ned was too honourable to make. I enjoyed seeing him combat Varys' threats as it appropriately demonstrated how Tyrion differs from Ned in his approach, while simultaneously allowing Tyrion to learn that King's Landing is a dangerous place and that he is going to need to take drastic measures to ensure his safety. And he does that later in the episode as he banishes Janos to the Night's Watch and assigns Bronn to the City Watch, ensuring that he has soldiers who cannot be bought from him (see: Best Moment). Davos has started to stand out as a character now. We understand his motives and dedication to Stannis and after a few conversation scenes we have a good idea of his history, personality and relationships with other characters. He is likeable and has carried the Stannis scenes so far because Stannis is currently lacking a lot (see: The Bad). I also love the small detail that Davos can't read, which keeps up with the medieval world this show takes place in. Sam's story was fine too. He has always talked about how much he likes girls, so it's fair that he would start talking to one of Craster's daughters despite being told not to. I also like that Jon has learned from the last episode and is now keeping his mouth shut, instead of helping Sam smuggle Gilly out of Craster's Keep. Theon's story was nice as his homecoming didn't go as expected. While there wasn't a lot of meat to his story, it does set up for the future as it appears that Balon has no intention to help Robb or Theon. The comedy in this episode was really well-written and it fits in the world with men making fart jokes and inappropriate jokes about women as well as Hot Pie being too stupid to understand what a battle while trying to act cool. The Bad: Too much of this episode was spent with side characters who we don't really know very well so that makes this easily the least gripping episode so far with very little for us to latch onto. Furthermore, the pace lacks urgency once more and despite the ending to the previous episode, the story still hasn't picked up and feels quite lethargic at the moment. It makes episodes like these difficult to enjoy and be engaged with despite the fact that I'm really into the story. The Stannis and Melisandre scene left a lot to be desired. It felt like a basic way to introduce us to some of Stannis' character but it was nowhere near as interesting or engaging as Davos' character introduction and the moment where they had sex completely lacked any significance. I like the ending as a whole because it's always cool to see White Walkers and it raises tons of questions (see: The Unknown), but the ending doesn't suggest that the story will pick up in the next episode which is disappointing. The Unknown: Why did the White Walkers take Craster's boys? Do they have some use for the children or do they just kill them? Are Craster's donations the reason he is allowed to live so far beyond The Wall? Why did Melisandre tell Matthos that death by fire is the purest death? Does that foreshadow something or is it something else? Best Moment: Tyrion dismissing Janos was a great scene as Tyrion carries himself in that charismatic way he always does. It makes his interactions gripping to watch and his insults to Janos are wildly entertaining, adding even more enjoyment to the scene. Furthermore, this is a great way to give us some justice for Janos' betrayal back in "You Win or You Die". Character of the Episode: Tyrion. Conclusion: There wasn't anything outright bad in this episode, but it was fairly bland and uninteresting to watch. The story continues to expand, but it remains very shallow in depth this season which is hurting the quality. Hopefully things will get better towards the end of the season, like it did in the first season. Score: 58 Summary: Joffrey enjoys his name day with Sansa whos till despises him. Cersei tries to discipline him but Joffrey is out of her control. Tyrion arrives. Robb makes plans to ally himself with Balon Greyjoy and Renly. On Dragonstone, Stannis has a red priestess named Melisandre who he follows. Melisandre worships the Lord of Light. Beyond The Wall, the Night's Watch arrive at Craster's Keep, owned by Craster who has only daughters and he marries them to make more daughters. Jon doesn't take kindly to this. Across the Narrow Sea, Dany travels across the Red Waste and is slowly starving to death.
The Good: This was a fine opening episode with some good moments. Joffrey remains compelling as the out of control villain. His interactions with Sansa remain cruel and it's sad to see that Sansa has accepted her role in an attempt to save herself, resorting to saying predetermined lines about her love for Joffrey. The opening sequence was a good way to show Sansa and Joffrey's conflicting personalities, while also showing that The Hound may be out to help Sansa as he confirms what was likely a lie on Sansa's part to prevent her from facing Joffrey's wrath. Speaking of Joffrey's wrath, I found it very compelling to see Cersei lose control over Joffrey. It was expected that Cersei would essentially get control with Joffrey as a king, but Joffrey is so horrible that he only does what he specifically wants. It's nice to see that everything doesn't go according to the plan for the Lannisters. Furthermore, there is good irony in having Cersei realize for herself that power is power, echoing what she tells Littlefinger in a different scene. Tyrion was terrific in this episode as usual. I love that he casually strolls into the council meeting bearing the news that he is Hand of the King. It's nice to see him embrace and immediately flaunt his new role to Cersei, showing that he does in fact have some power in his hands which he will likely use in a more wise fashion than Joffrey will. It was good to get information on Mance Rayder as well. He was mentioned in the season 1 finale but we didn't learn that much about him. Now that we have learned of his significance in that he is recruiting a massive wildling army, he becomes more of a clear villain who will likely be the main focus of the Night's Watch storyline this season. Robb was very good in this episode. I loved his threats to Jaime, ensuring that he understands that Robb won't treat him well or act like a kind and moronic king. As a whole, this is a good reason to get behind Robb as he is not like Ned and he understands that to get things done he will need to set honour aside and be smart at times, making him an even more endearing protagonist. It was really easy to root for him and I like seeing him make a strategy to help take King's Landing by allying with both Renly and Balon. I liked the ending of the episode a lot. The killing f the bastards was powerful (see: Best Moment), but I also really like that there is an open hunt for Gendry now who happens to be with Arya at the moment. It adds a lot of tension to their storyline as we are now aware that the two of them have an enemy chasing them. The Bad: The problem with Mance Rayder is that we are all aware that there are White Walkers beyond The Wall. Mance Rayder doesn't feel like a big threat because there is a much more pressing issue at hand which I'm already more invested in. This worries me because I feel that I won't get invested in the Night's Watch vs Wildlings storyline that is being set up. This episode as a whole had a pretty awful pacing and sense of momentum. Coming off of the last episode, I was expecting more of a bang to open up the season but all we got was a scene-setter episode which lacked any sort of forward momentum and urgency. The most exciting parts were of Stannis, but those scenes were brief and didn't accomplish much aside from setting up some interesting new plot threads (see: The Unknown). I wish that this episode accomplished more for the plot as it ended up feeling too much like a catch up episode to refresh fans as to what each character was doing prior to this season. The Unknown: What does the comet symbolize and what has it appeared for? What happens to Craster's sons? I'm sure that there is a story there. How did Melisandre survive the poison in the wine? What or who is the Lord of Light and how does it aid her? Regarding Stannis story as a whole, I'm unsure of what to think. Stannis seems like a straightforward man but that makes it much more awkward to see him following Melisandre. I also wasn't sure what to feel when the old Maester died because I don't know how he was significant to any of the other characters in the story. Best Moment: The ending with the killing of the bastards was pretty harrowing and was Game of Thrones at its miserable best. It was also the only moment in the episode with a sense of forward story momentum. Character of the Episode: Robb. Conclusion: This was a fine episode to reintroduce us to the story, but I felt that it lacked forward momentum or a real purpose. There just wasn't much meat to this episode and that makes it one of the weakest so far despite there being nothing bad happening in the story. Score: 62 Summary: Robb becomes King in the North after learning of Ned's death. Tywin selects Tyrion to represent him as Hand of the King in King's Landing while he battles in the field. Jon tries to leave to fight with Rob but Sam and the others bring him back. Jeor decides to go beyond The Wall with the Night's Watch. Dany wakes up to learn her son died in birth and Drogo has become a vegetable. She smothers Drogo and then burns Mirri in a pyre. She walks into the fire and emerges unharmed with three baby dragons.
The Good: All of the Stark reactions to Ned's death were very powerful. It was sad to see all of the main characters in grieving this episode, as even Dany was left in mourning. The episode was a bleak and dark end to the first season of the show as it seemed to be an endless barrage of the main characters in misery. Misery can be a powerful asset in storytelling, as it's a good way to make us connect with the characters and also provides emotional and memorable scenes. But misery is tricky because giving too much can provide the opposite effect and leave the viewers in agony, not willing to watch any more and put them through the pain. This episode understood this however and did well to ensure that there was enough hope to keep us engaged for next season where maybe things can get better. Robb and Catelyn are grieving Ned's death, but hope is created when Robb is declared the King in the North. Maybe he can kill Joffrey and the Lannisters and then everything can end up well. That is the hope that this episode expertly utilizes. The other storylines have similar problems which are overcome with glimmers of hope, including Jon accepting his new brotherhood in the Night's Watch and Dany overcoming her losses by birthing the first dragons that the continent has seen in thousands of years. There is hope that next season things can get better, and that's important to ensure that we are still compelled to watch more. But things were terrible at the start of this episode. Take Joffrey, who is quickly beginning to develop into a fantastic villain. While I really want to learn more about his upbringing (see: The Unknown), what we have so far is more than enough to make us completely despise him. He is weak and cowardly, with a serious superiority complex; no bite to his bark. And yet somehow this terrible and weak human has become King of the Seven Kingdoms and is immediately abusing his powers to torture those who really don't deserve it. That one scene with Sansa is enough to despise the man in his entirety, but we have been treated to a full season of his awfulness taking our hatred of him to the next level. It's rare for a TV show to create a villain so terrible that I absolutely can't wait for him to get what is coming for him when he hopefully bites the dust. This is really good because it makes me look forward to something (Joffrey's death which will hopefully come soon), increasing my investment in the show. I really like that in the span of one season we have learned all about Westeros before a chain of events has sent the continent into a civil war, with at least three different people wanting to become king, all of them with a strong following. It's an exciting hook for the next season as we will presumably get to see the war truly get underway. Tyrion becoming Hand was a small moment I really enjoyed. It was surprising to see Tywin show something resembling affection for Tyrion, though I would suspect it is just to ensure that he cooperates. Also, it's nice to see that something potentially good awaits Tyrion as he will now serve as Joffrey's advisor. Considering their last interaction which involved several well-deserved slaps, I am excited to see where this storyline goes. Dany's tragedy was fantastic in this episode. It was really sad to see her lose everything here, with her husband, son and army all getting away from her. Halfway through this season she had looked invincible as she fought her way to the top of the Khalasar, overcoming her brother. But now her inexperience has cost her as she made some critical mistakes in her approach to war. She just wanted everything to be the way she imagined it to be, and after her time as Khaleesi, she had gotten used to getting what she wanted. However this cost her as she estranged her Khalasar and created a bitter enemy in Mirri Maz Duur who successfully took away everything she cared about. It was a tragic fall which was painful to watch, particularly in this episode as she mourned the loss of everything she loved (see: Best Moment). Mirri was a really well done character too and I completely understood why she would spend her remaining life trying to screw over Dany, who was responsible for taking everything from her. She was a good villain while she was around and her demise was satisfying as she screamed loudly despite saying that she wouldn't. Of course that final scene was also terrific as dragons were a huge reveal which makes me desperate to see Dany's path continue and for her to wreak havoc on Westeros. Jon's storyline was really good too despite being short. There was genuine emotion as Jon's friends recited the vows to bring him back with them and I completely bought into the brotherhood which has been formed by Jon and his friends. The Night's Watch story has ben completely separate from the main storyline, but that was always the point as this storyline represents the impending doom which is coming upon the main storyline. Kudos to the writing for making me still care about the characters in this story too, making it clear that the story is more than just a prop. One final thing I have enjoyed about this season as a whole is how the scenes that took place in the cold were very clearly in the actual cold, with cold breath and a chilly atmosphere. After watching "The Terror" which failed to adequately demonstrate the cold, this was very refreshing to see. The Bad: While a lot of parts of this episode hit hard, I feel that it could have been even better. This season went at a brisk pace and we were never really allowed to breathe with the characters. If we had perhaps gotten 1 or 2 more episodes to slow the pace and attach us to the characters more, I suspect that this could have been even better. The Unknown: Do dreams have meaning and significance in this world? Bran and Rickon's dreams were very curious. What is Joffrey's past? Surely something must have made him such a terrible human being. I'm willing to wait to learn about him as he is pretty compelling at the moment, but I hope that there is something big to learn about his past. Is Pycelle not as old as he lets on? It appears that everything he is doing is an act, likely to make him seem like more of an innocent individual. It's very interesting to learn this information. Will Arya make it back to Winterfell with Yoren? She has a long way to go. It's significant that she ran into Gendry, as it could imply that he has a bigger role in the show than expected. What was Jeor talking about that was happening beyond The Wall? What will the Night's Watch find when they go past The Wall? Best Moment: Dany suffocating Drogo was such a tragic moment which was very emotional. This episode was so good at providing emotion. Character of the Episode: Dany. Conclusion: This was a great season finale, ending the storylines with a depressing bang while also setting up the next season in numerous exciting ways. A great way to end the season. The season as a whole was tremendously enjoyable. The beginning had tons of exposition and the pacing was slow, making it tough to get through at times. But it was all necessary foundation for the rest of the story to work. Once the story started moving and the stakes and characters were understood, the show took off and delivered an exciting, tense and overall fun series of storylines which related to each other and bounced off of each other in unique ways, making for an interesting story structure. And then by the end of the season the show engaged my emotions and proved that it could hit hard like any other good TV shows. This was a very strong start to the show. Score: 73 Summary: At The Wall, Jon is faced with a decision on whether to stay with the Night's Watch or go help Robb fight his war. Across the sea, Drogo's cut festers and he is on the verge of death. Dany gets Mirri Maz Duur to save him by doing witchcraft, which the Khalasar does not appreciate. Robb has to cross at The Twins and is forced to broker a deal with Lord Frey to marry one of his daughters in order to cross. Tywin's army is attacked by a small force and they win easily but it is a decoy as Robb has gone to Riverrun and captured Jaime. Ned confesses his treason and declares Joffrey as the true king but Joffrey has him killed anyways.
The Good: The opening Ned and Varys scene was just as fascinating as the last as it continued to play on Ned's current emotions while also building more mystery around Varys as a whole. The conversation didn't accomplish much, but it was terrifically written and engaging all the way. It was good to get a look at Ned's emotional state before his big scene at the end as it built up more tension regarding what he will do when called up in front of everyone. That leads me to the biggest moment of the episode, right at the end when Ned actually does confess his sins. It was really surprising for me to see Ned debase himself to save his daughters, but also really powerful as it was one of the few genuinely smart things that the honourable Ned has done in the show. And yet it was all for naught because Joffrey had him killed anyways. This scene was terrific and did so much good for the series. For one, it succeeded in establishing that anything can happen, as the show's main character was just killed after nine episodes which is a huge shock. Secondly, it develops Joffrey as a major villain who we all universally want to see killed for what he has just done to the Stark family. And also, it was a terrific moment in a story as the only fate suitable for Ned after all of his mistakes was death. It gives a huge sense of consequence to the show which is terrific, as I always love shows which actually make characters face the consequences of their decisions. "Breaking Bad" was a terrific show for this reason and "Game of Thrones" is succeeding because of it as well. Furthermore, I love the tragic element of Ned's death as the honourable guy ended up being hated by everyone as he was executed, given no credit for the honour he holds. The side storylines were fantastic in this episode too. I really loved Jon's brief storyline and it's the most excited I've been to see more of The Wall since the show began. I'm glad that the show has explored Jon's struggle with committing to the Night's Watch and abandoning his family, while also showing the turmoil that it's put him through. I especially loved the reveal that master Aemon is a Targaryen as it provides a great example for Jon showing what could happen if he chooses to abandon his family for the Watch. Furthermore, Aemon's story is quite horrifying and does a great job of telling us how it must feel to watch your entire family die while you are helpless to do anything. Tyrion's past being revealed was another fantastic moment. His relationship with his father was just introduced, and this episode fleshed it out through Tyrion's backstory by showing how despicable of a man he is and how much he has ruined Tyrion's life, along with Jaime. The story was very sad and helps us sympathize with Tyrion even more to ensure that we aren't totally against the Lannisters as the show's best character is part of that family. I enjoyed the entirety of the drinking scene too, not only the story. "I Never" scenes in TV shows tend to be great as they get to show the personality of the characters involved while also giving us a little bit of their backstory. I also really loved how Tyrion couldn't predict Shae's life accurately which confused him, adding a lot of great levity. Though we don't know very much about Shae so far, I hope we get a lot more since she has made a big impact as a character so far and I would like to see her relationship with Tyrion develop. Dany's story was very well done too. Last episode showed some cracks forming within the Khalasar and now with Dany bringing witchcraft into the mix, I suspect that we will have something big happening in the next episode. The show has done a terrific job of showing how Dany is slowly gaining the hate of members of the Khalasar, and here it finally explodes as Dany is completely alienated from everyone and Jorah is left protecting her, being forced to get into a major fight with Qotho. What I really love is that I have no idea what happens next, which builds up a lot of tension and excitement for the season finale. Robb's story was another really good one. The problem of crossing The Twins was a great idea as it allowed us to grow attached to Robb as we see him face his first real test as a commander. His resolve also makes him immediately likeable as he is willing to do whatever it takes to save his father. As a side note, I also loved Walder Frey who was a brilliantly senile old man who was awful in all of the worst ways. I enjoyed the way the show handled the battles too. As cool as it would have been to see a massive ground battle, it would have been very tough to do with the budget that this show has so I think they did a good job of avoiding the battles while still showing us how Robb outsmarted the Lannisters to put himself in an advantageous position. The reveal that he has captured Jaime is huge as he now has a Lannister to properly bargain with, though it may be too late seeing that Ned has been executed. I liked the small moment of Jeor giving his sword to Jon and all of the Night's Watch wanting to see it and touch it. It was a great little moment of world-building. The Bad: Nothing I would call as bad. This was a great episode all around. The Unknown: Will Robb actually follow through and marry Walder's daughter? What is Drogo's fate? Will he actually be brought back to life? What will happen to Dany now? I can't imagine anything good will come out of Jorah taking her into the tent. When did Bronn go past The Wall and why? That interests me a lot and makes me want to see more of his history. Will Jon choose to stay with the Night's Watch or leave? Best Moment: Ned's death was a pivotal moment for the show. Character of the Episode: Tyrion. Conclusion: This was a terrific episode which progressed all stories in interesting ways which developed characters, added mystery and suspense and also gave us some powerful storytelling. The best episode of the series so far. Score: 74 Summary: The Starks at King's Landing are executed and Sansa is captured. Arya escapes though Syrio is presumably killed. Sansa pleads for mercy for Ned and ultimately she gets her wish as Joffrey decrees that Ned will be spared if he confesses his sins and declares Joffrey as the true king. Robb gets word that Ned has been imprisoned and he goes to war with Catelyn. He marches south. Tyrion befriends the hill tribe and meets with Tywin's army, which is ravaging the Riverlands. Across the sea, Mago is displeased when Dany doesn't allow him to rape a girl from a village the Khalasar pillaged. Drogo fights Mago and kills him. At The Wall, two dead bodies are found but they come back as wights. Jon kills one which attacks Lord Commander Mormont's chamber.
The Good: This episode continued to deliver the exciting storytelling and non-stop action that was started in the last episode and I still really enjoy it. This episode felt really important because of that, and I think it's really impressive how the show has picked up ever since "The Wolf and the Lion". The early sequence of the Stark men being executed was very well done, and it goes to show that Ned has lost all control and the Starks have been completely dominated, making King's Landing enemy territory. I enjoyed seeing Arya and Syrio fight back though and Syrio got to presumably die in great fashion, both saving Arya and giving her one final unintentional lesson about life and death. Varys and Ned's scene together was also terrific. I loved Varys addressing how he is not a hero and is just trying to serve the realm (see: The Unknown), as it gives us more interesting information about who he is. The meat of the scene as the best part though as it all reflected on Ned's mercy, which ended up being his fatal flaw which has led to all of this happening. It's the perfect thing for him to contemplate as he sits in his cell and it paints a very sad image of what has happened to him since arriving in King's Landing. Sansa was great in this episode. It's sad to see her be so easily manipulated by Joffrey and Cersei, still swayed by her foolish and childish belief that the Queen and King are both trustworthy and brilliant individuals. It's compelling to see her in such a hostile environment without realizing it as she tries everything in her power to save Ned from harm. It's really tense to watch as we understand that anything that Sansa wants can now only be given to her by Cersei and Joffrey, two monstrous individuals. I loved seeing Robb get forced into a more major role as well since he has been a minor asset of the show so far. But the capture of his father forces him o take action, and Robb clearly shares his father's honour, recklessness and grit as he instantly calls his banners and goes to war. It's exciting to watch and also opens up yet another character arc as we now get to see the young Robb forced to immediately harden himself into a leader so he can command his army into battle. Tyrion was sublime as always. I really enjoyed seeing him talk his way out of a problem with the hill tribe by offering them tools and gold, and in doing so he gets himself a new group of allies. This also leads to a very good scene where Tyrion meets his father and we learn of his relationship with Tywin while also getting some light-hearted comedy from Bronn and more war set up as Tywin tackles the immediate threat of Robb coming south. The stuff at The Wall was really good too. I loved the wight attack as it was suspenseful, well choreographed and very engaging (aside from that one moment where Jon throws the lamp which featured some audio clips which were blatantly added in editing). The scene had my interest and paid off of 8 episodes of build up to the Night's Watch being confronted by the threat of white walkers directly. The rest of The Wall story was great too. I enjoyed seeing Jon unsettled and angry after learning about what happened in King's Landing, and it also nicely continued Jon's feud with Ser Alliser who continues to antagonize him. Also, I enjoyed Sam's increased role in the story as he has found his calling as the brain of the Night's Watch who has all of the knowledge. I'm pleased to see that he is more than just a coward. I also enjoyed seeing Dan conflicted with the rape that the Khalasar does after looting a village. It's understandable that she would sympathize with the villagers for that and is unhappy with doing that much despite being content with stealing the money from the village. This conflict also led to a nice scene where Drogo finally shows what he is capable of as he dominates and brutally murders Mago. Lastly, I really liked seeing Barristan retired by Joffrey. It's exactly the kind of evil thing that we can expect the Lannisters to do. The Bad: Arya's scene where she kills the one boy was really badly done. It was too rushed to have any real impact, which was likely because the boy proved to be a terrible actor in the 12 seconds of screen time he had. I also don't really understand who he is, which detracts from Arya killing him. It seems like he was familiar with her which I don't understand. The scene with Robb being questioned by the Greatjon was poorly done too because of a rushed pace. The scene's tone fluctuated far too quickly and that took me out of it. I also thought it was too excessive to have the Greatjon laughing moments after losing two of his fingers. The Unknown: Where has Arya gone? What does Varys mean when he says he supports the realm? Will Ned actually confess to save himself? It seems unlikely to me. Best Moment: Not much stood out, but I'll pick Tyrion's reunion with Tywin as there were some fascinating character dynamics present in that scene. Character of the Episode: I'll go with Jon for having the most interesting character development here. Conclusion: This was a very good episode with lot of solid story progression and excitement. Though nothing particularly memorable happened in this episode, it was gripping and engaging nonetheless. Score: 67 Summary: At The Wall, Benjen doesn't return from his ranging. Jon is selected as a steward for the Lord Commander who wants to groom him as his successor. Across the sea, Dany is almost killed but Jorah has a change in heart and saves her. Drogo decides to go after Westeros. In King's Landing, Ned tells Cersei to leave before he tells Robert about Joffrey. Robert returns but he is wounded by a boar and is dying. He names Ned as Protector of the Realm. Ned gets options from Renly and Littlefinger to take power but refuses and decides to be honourable. Joffrey assumes the throne after Cersei disregards Robert's words. Ned gets the City Watch on his side courtesy of Littlefinger and tries to take down Cersei but Littlefinger betrays him.
The Good: This episode made terrific use of tension to succeed on a higher level than anything else that came before. While the show didn't engage my emotions to that next level yet, it had me more engaged, excited and on-the-edge-of-my-seat than ever before. The main reason for this is Ned's storyline which was handled brilliantly. It was immensely tense seeing Ned confront Cersei early in the episode and it was surprising to see him directly address Cersei with his suspicions about Joffrey's lineage. It would have been smart for Ned to just quietly destroy Cersei after discovering the truth, but he is honourable and he wants to give Cersei a chance to flee which ends up being his undoing. We know that Cersei is aware of Ned's plan and will be plotting everything to make sure that she is able to trump whatever he tries, so that adds a lot of tension as we know that Cersei will be plotting during all of this time that we see Ned plotting. The episode does a spectacular job of explaining why Ned loses this battle of wits. He is given multiple options, from Renly and Littlefinger, which all would give him a big victory, but Ned refuses, opting to be honourable and give the rightful crown to Stannis. His honour is his undoing and it's painful to see him making so many mistakes leading up to that final scene. We still root for him to overcome the evil Cersei, but there is this sinking feeling that he has dug his own grave. It adds a lot of tension to that final confrontation as well, especially as Ned appears to have a clear numbers advantage, though Cersei seems completely unfazed by anything that Ned does, setting up for that shocking final moment (see: Best Moment). One bold move that I really appreciate this episode doing is killing off Robert. His character was interesting and had depth, but his death needed to happen to properly fuel the plot. Everything had pretty much been explored already about him, and we even got more about his relationship with Cersei in this episode. With his role in the story done, he needed to die and I think they did it in a very smart way. The manner of his death leaves us uncertain about the Lannisters (see: The Unknown), and also feels poetic as Robert's own unhappiness with his life has brought about his death. It's a fitting end for his character and did lead to some nice lines of dialogue in his final scene with Ned. Tywin's introduction is another really strong part of this episode. His character oozes control like no other character so far, and I applaud the writers for introducing him the way they did, with him skinning a boar. It immediately shows how tough and gritty of a man he is as well as how serious he is, giving him a soldier-like vibe while he addresses Jaime and pretty much makes him look like a fool for everything he has done so far. Just a terrific scene overall as it sets up a character I'm very excited to see more of. Lastly, I enjoyed the storyline across the sea. The assassination was some good drama and it nicely set up Jorah's decision to side with Dany instead of returning to Westeros. Furthermore, it was a logical way to get Khal Drogo to decide to attack Westeros as he is not going to take Robert's attempt at Dany's life lightly. While there is nothing spectacular here, it's all really solid stuff and it comes at a good time, as we are all yearning for Joffrey's reign as king to be cut short, and having a Dothraki army attack would be the perfect way to accomplish that. The Bad: Littlefinger's scene in the brothel was too much with the pointless nudity and sex. It wasn't necessary and only detracted from the scene and annoyed me. That's a shame too because the content of the scene was great as it crystallized Littlefinger's motivations a little more, which helped the twist at the end make a lot more sense. The Unknown: What happened to Benjen? Was that his arm that Ghost found? Is he dead? Will the Night's Watch search for him? Did the Lannisters get Robert killed? Perhaps Cersei instructed Lancel to get Robert so drunk that he would likely get killed. Where did Renly run off to at the end? Did he run away to escape justice or for another reason? Best Moment: The ending twist was stellar and surprising, but it made so much sense. Of course Littlefigner would betray Ned as he has nothing but hatred for the man that wedded the woman he loves. Furthermore, it's a smart decision for him to side with the Lannisters, who currently have all of the money and power. Why be a hero siding with Ned where you have nothing when you can win the affections of the rich who may reward you with better stuff? Character of the Episode: Ned, as despite all of his mistakes, it was still easy to root for the guy. Conclusion: This episode didn't fix everything I wanted to be fixed, but it committed to the overall nature of this show. This show will be different and it will do everything to ensure that it is compelling with every storyline. An episode like this launches the plot into forward motion and it is very exciting to follow. There was so much to love about this episode, and that makes it the best one yet. Score: 70 Summary: Tyrion gets Mord to bring him to Lysa to confess his crimes. Tyrion declares he is innocent and demands trial by combat. Bronn steps up for him and kills Lysa's knight to free Tyrion. Ned stands in as king as Robert goes hunting and declares Tywin Lannister an enemy of the crown after The Mountain ravages several villages. Ned discovers that Joffrey is illegitimate after he tells Sansa and Arya to go to Winterfell. Bran is attacked by wildlings but is saved by Theon and Robb. Viserys threatens Dany's child to try to get his army, but in response Drogo and Dany allow him to be killed.
The Good: This was another solid episode which progressed the story forwards pretty nicely. I think Dany's story had some of the best progression and storytelling as it had one major event which was a long time coming. That moment was Viserys finally crossing a line with Dany. Viserys has been a fascinating villain because he isn't mean or threatening at all, but rather he is pathetic and whiny, with no real power of his own. He was less of a villain and more of a nuisance and his inability to sport any type of power was always going to get him killed. Here he finally crosses the line, becoming jealous of everything Dany has that he doesn't. He threatens Dany's unborn baby, crosses a line and in that moment he is completely dead to her. After that we know what is coming, but the poor guy has no clue until he finally has his head melted with molten gold, ironically getting the crown he always wanted. What I love most about this sequence of events is how Viserys' pathetic nature and jealousy is almost sympathetic and because of that, combined with Dany's cold behaviour leading to his death, it makes us feel pity for his death. It isn't the feeling of a villain getting what he deserved, but a feeling of a nuisance being taken care of, almost akin to shooting a dog with rabies. It's shocking that these scenes are executed so well that our feelings for one of the most hateful characters so far can be somewhat swayed, and that is a sign of terrific writing. Tyrion's storyline on the other hand is a little simpler, but because of that it is actually just as effective. In such a complex show, it is refreshing to see a story as simple as Tyrion's where he is stuck as an unfair prisoner, and is going to do whatever he can to fight through the injustice to go home free. In doing this, Tyrion gains my respect and adoration even more than he has so far, making him far and above the best character in the show so far. Every scene he was a part of became so much more charismatic in this episode, and it allowed for a very fun nature. Scenes like Tyrion trying to negotiate with the uneducated Mord or Tyrion "confessing his crimes" were fantastic because they brimmed with character as we watched this man try to use his wit and charm to get him out of the pickle he is in. As expected, it works and he wins the respect of Bronn who stakes his life on Tyrion's and fights for him in the trial of combat in a very well executed and exciting swordfight. Speaking of which, the concept of a trial by combat is terrific for a show like this. What we understand about the judicial system in this episode is that it is extremely biased and unjust, which is very accurate to the times. In this world, it doesn't matter who is innocent or guilty, it just matters if the people in power want the victim to die or not. But the trial by combat works too because it's a good last ditch method for the guilty, and also fits with the world, as it naturally leaves a character's fate in the hands of the gods. The little details of the world like this are great ad it has been a blast getting accustomed to this world. Ned's story is pretty good too. I liked the opening scene with Cersei and Robert as it was a good way to show how the Stark/Lannister conflict is endangering Westeros and is giving Robert a ton of grief as all logic goes out the window as these 2 families look for blood against each other. It's a conflict which can be avoided if Robert is to lay down some rules as opposed to just slapping Cersei to shut her up and to threaten to make Jaime the next Hand if Ned tries to quit again. But Robert leaves to go hunting and doesn't enforce anything leaving a chance for everything to go wrong, which is exactly what happens. Ned overreacts to The Mountain attacking some villages and declares the Lannisters as official enemies and putting a death sentence on The Mountain. It seems weird that Ned can do this without Robert's consent, but seeing that Lysa was about to execute Tyrion earlier, it makes sense with the rules that the show has established. The last major moment of this episode was the reveal of Joffrey's true lineage, something which had been hinted at and foreshadowed so much, yet it was still impossible to figure out and a genuinely shocking twist which has huge implications on the show. As Joffrey isn't legitimate, it means he has no claim to the crown after Robert's rule ends, which is very big, as it could also pay off of Renly's claims that he should be king as he could perhaps be next in line. But I doubt the Lannisters would want to let Renly take the crown, hence it could possibly become a "game" of thrones. That's just me theorizing, but it certainly sets up for some very exciting storytelling down the road, which is exactly what I hope to get from a major twist like that. One small thing I liked was the Dothraki ceremony. It was another great detail in a world full of detail, but it was also an effective way to showcase how far Dany has come in such a short amount of time, having earned a major position of power. The Bad: The one problem with all of this is how the show doesn't seem to engage your emotions very much. The writing is tremendous, the world-building is so detailed, and the characters are simple and effective in their roles, and there re even more things which are done exceptionally well.. This show has everything necessary to succeed, and while I definitely think it succeeds, it just hasn't hit that next level for me. I enjoy what I'm watching, but I never feel myself getting emotionally invested in the storylines, and that' due to a number of things, be it the show's overstuffed nature, the many characters, the quick storytelling and the lack of scenes which are meant to let you sympathize with characters or truly understand them. I feel that the show needs to find a way to sort out these problems if it is to achieve greatness. There were a few awkward moments here. For one, I didn't like Viserys' claims that Jorah is in love with Dany. This show has been really good to follow the "show, don't tell" rule of writing, but this one scene broke that as we haven't seen any evidence of Jorah loving Dany. I remain confused by what Catelyn wanted to do with Tyrion anyways. She seemed content for him to just die, which felt really stupid and nonsensical to me. She can't possibly be 100% sure that Tyrion is guilty so why execute him? Also, surely she is going to consider the fact that Ned and her daughters are all in King's Landing at the mercy of the Lannisters at the moment, so shouldn't she value them? Family, duty, honour right? Also, you would expect the wife of honourable Ned Stark to be a little more honourable as to give Tyrion a fairer trial. The Unknown: How was Dany not affected by the fire from touching the egg? Does that mean that she is the dragon? What does that mean anyways? What is going to happen now that Ned has discovered Joffrey's illegitimacy? Surely he will do something to get the rightful heir on the throne. How will Robert take the news? I see a major domino effect coming from Ned's discovery. Best Moment: There were a lot of great scenes, but I'll go with Tyrion confessing his crimes as it provided some great comedy while also building on one of the show's most charismatic characters and also showing him attempting to solve a problem he is facing. It's multi-purpose scenes like this which can be really impressive when done right. Character of the Episode: Tyrion. Conclusion: So much of this episode was well done and brilliantly executed with terrific moments, but the show is missing that emotional spark to get it to the next level. Score: 69 Summary: Catelyn takes Tyrion to the Eyrie to see Lysa, who she discovers has gone off the rails. Tyrion is imprisoned there. Varys reveals to Ned that Jon Arryn was poisoned. Varys meets with Illyrio in secret but Littlefinger takes notice. Ned resigns as hand after Robert chooses to murder Dany. Littlefinger takes him to follow a lead on Jon Arryn but he is confronted by Jaime and his men. Jaime is angry about Tyrion and kills Jory and leaves Ned wounded.
The Good: This was a great episode with a lot of great scenes throughout which left me intrigued and excited for more. There was only one scene which felt like it existed for exposition and that was the scene between Bran and Maester Luwin. The scene worked though as it was a good way to give us more of an idea of the world of Westeros and the families that live there. More information on the Greyjoys as welcome too. The show has frequently mentioned them, so I'm sure they will turn up soon. More importantly, the scene turned into a moment for Bran as he called out Luwin on the fact that his mother left him, which felt real and effectively called out Catelyn for doing something which I didn't think fit her character. At least the show has acknowledged it which makes it a little less bad. Most of everything else was terrific though and it moved the story along really nicely. The follow-up on Tyrion's capture was great and furthered the story. Catelyn has taken him to the Eyrie but thankfully Tyrion never sat still and accepted his fate. He improved his situation and fought for his innocence, bringing up good points which make Catelyn seem like a fool for taking him in, which she most certainly was. However Catelyn being foolish for taking in Tyrion isn't a bad development because we know that her hand was forced when Tyrion called her out and she chose to take action on instinct, not on thought. And now she is facing the consequences as Ned gets attacked and Lysa proves to not be as sane as she would have expected. I really liked the time they spent on the road too. Tyrion of course managed to gain the friendship of Bronn, one of the mercenaries by once more using his wit and charm. It fit his character nicely and I'm interested to see what role Bronn will play in the story. I also liked the hill tribe attack as it added some tension to the episode and gave us a hint at what action would be like in this show. I really enjoyed Varys in this episode. The way his character is played is superb as he seems untrustworthy on every level yet he has charm and information which makes us trust him a little bit, similar to Littlefinger. I love the way that we are made to trust Varys after he gives information to Ned, but then immediately after we see him plotting some shady dealings with Illyrio (see: The Unknown), making us once more question our idea of what his motives are. Often times I hate when characters motives aren't clear, but when shady motives are used like this to create an atmosphere where nobody can be trusted, I'm all for it. The story is never about who they are as characters as much as it is about how these characters affect the story, which I think is a fascinating way to tell a story. The one scene which exemplified my point about how these characters affect the story is Littlefinger's conversation with Varys. Both of these characters are minor and they are not people who the story directly focuses on, but they are characters with hidden allegiances and one single motive: to gain power. Because of that, they feel important as they have the ability to influence so many characters and the roles they play in the story. This one scene of them subtly blackmailing each other and trying to gain leverage was superb to watch and it shows us how good they are at manipulating and ensuring that they rise up in power. These dynamic characters may never be the most central to the story but they are perhaps the most interesting to watch. Ned's story was great in this episode. As it was foreshadowed back in "The Kingsroad", Ned and Robert have come into conflict about Dany and what to do about her. Their blowout scene was well done and more importantly, I sympathized with both characters and understood why they took the stance they did on Dany and what to do about her. Furthermore, I bought into Ned resigning as Hand of King, as ill-advised as it was. Ned has always been an honourable man with a rather short temper, so I could understand his emotional reaction leading to him making a bad move which puts himself and his family in pretty major danger, especially with Tyrion captured by Catelyn. I thought the final confrontation was very good too. While we don't quite understand the significance of it (see: The Unknown), I'm willing to wait to find out and I don't think I detracted much from the scene, which I thought was all about the Starks poor decisions finally catching up to them and potentially kickstarting a major conflict. The fight between Jaime and Ned was very tense and served as an exciting climax to a great episode which rapidly began to build tensions and conflicts within the story. My favourite part of the episode was with Robert and Cersei however. I love the fact that the role of king hasn't been glorified by the show and it is shown that becoming king has done nothing for Robert and given him no peace as he is now more in pain than ever before as he can no longer do what he enjoys and is still left hurting from when he lost Lyanna. The conversation with Cersei did a terrific job of showing us Robert's pain and his mental state at the moment. Furthermore, we got to learn that Robert really isn't an idiot as he understand the threat of the Dothraki and has thought far ahead to think of how Viserys could take the throne from him. It also adds on to the significance of Dany's story since we are now aware that her actions could result in the destruction of the Seven Kingdoms, which makes her every move feel a lot more important to the story than it had felt before. There were a lot of little things I enjoyed, which is a big reason as to why I enjoy this show so much. I love things like a man singing songs about Tyrion, the existence of a rogue hill tribe, Arya having to aggressively force her way back into the castle, and more. Every episode has had these fascinating little bits of information and character which I think have added a ton to the experience of the show. The Bad: I didn't like The Mountain's outburst at the tournament because he got no consequences for attempted murder. I understand that it's meant for us to hate him, but it felt like he needed to have some sort of punishment for what he did, especially seeing that he attacked a wealthy man like Loras. I wish we had a better idea of what Catelyn was expecting to do with Tyrion. Why does she want him at The Eyrie? How can her sister help her out? I don't understand all of this and that's a big problem for a central storyline. This show is starting to have a gratuitous nudity problem. I don't think any bit of nudity was needed in this episode, yet we had at least 3 scenes with half naked or fully naked people to ensure we don't get bored. It's unnecessary and insulting to the audience. The Unknown: Are Renly and Loras just talking or will they actually take a shot at getting Renly to become king? He could become a big player later. Also, who is Stannis? Another brother of Robert? Where is he? Where are Varys' allegiances? Why was he talking to Illyrio? What information did they share and what are their goals? How did Littlefinger know about that? Could he potentially use this against Varys? That would be counteracted by Varys likely leaking that Littlefinger told Ned to suspect the Lannisters so perhaps not. What are Jorah's motives? Does he just want to get into the good graces of Westeros again by giving away all of Dany's movements? How will it play out if he is discovered? He does seem genuinely fond of Dany though so perhaps he is a double-agent of sorts? We will have to wait until we see him again to find out. What will become of Ned and Jaime? Surely Jaime will have to be punished for doing something illegal. I'm just interested to see what comes next. Best Moment: Robert and Cersei's conversation as stellar. Character of the Episode: Robert. Conclusion: This was great episode with great plot movement, dramatic moments and an impressive pace. This was the most important the show has felt and it is an absolute blast to follow everything that is going on. Score: 69 Summary: A fat coward named Sam joins the Night's Watch and he is picked on but Jon becomes friends with him and helps him get assimilated. Dany fights back against Viserys. Littlefinger gains Ned's trust by helping him with the Jon Arryn mystery. At a tournament, The Mountain kills Ser Hugh who was Jon Arryn's squire. Tyrion starts heading to King's Landing and runs into Catelyn at a bar. Catelyn accuses Tyrion for murdering Bran and he is taken in by her.
The Good: The ending of this episode was fantastic. Finally an event has happened which is bound to affect the story massively and start pushing the plot forwards. It looks like we are finally done getting exposition (for now at least), and I'm more than ready to get to the meat of this story. The final scene was done very well as it dramatically emphasized on Catelyn making the most of a bad situation where she got spotted by Tyrion, and it has resulted in her making a big decision to capture him. The rest of the episode featured mostly just stories. Various characters kept telling their stories to increase our understanding of them and the world they are living in which is good for the most part. Sam's story was particularly good as it made us sympathize with him despite the fact that he appears to be totally useless. It also helps us understand why Jon would stand by his side and become friends with him, as Jon must pity him for having a father who doesn't care at all about him, while Jon had loving Ned as his father. Alliser Thorne's story was another really good one and it served the story a lot. We don't know much about The Wall and what is behind it, so to learn more is a good way to spend our time. Alliser talking about the horrors he experienced in the cold is a great scene which helps explain why not many people want to join the Night's Watch and why it's considered a job for criminals to do, seeing that so many criminals are sent to Castle Black. Furthermore, the story also helps flesh out Alliser's character and why he is so cold (pun not intended) to the new recruits since he knows what they are training for. I enjoyed the King's Landing scenes with Littlefinger and Ned a lot. I love that King's Landing has a different atmosphere from the rest of the show in that Ned can't trust anybody and feels like he is in hostile territory despite his position as Hand of the King. I was fascinated by Littlefinger explaining the way of the city and all the spies there, and it makes me question who is really on Ned's side and who is actually trustworthy. It even makes me question Littlefinger a bit, which is great development. Due to the abundance of spies everywhere, every character's conversations will likely have an air of tension to them. Dany's story was fine as she finally snapped at Viserys. I do feel that it's really rushed and would have been better if it had time to breathe, but I still enjoyed it enough to put it in The Good. The Bad: The big Ned/Cersei scene ended up being pretty anticlimactic. They didn't really accomplish anything or prove any point. Cersei just showed up, they exchanged vague threats and then Cersei left. It felt like a filler scene which didn't add much to he story, which isn't good for a story which already feels pretty cluttered. Sam plays his role too well. It's a rare case of the actor who was cast being too good at his job as he plays Sam as so perfect of a coward that it feels like too much. But unlike Joffrey, Sam doesn't have a backstory which explains his personality and why he is the way he is. That makes his character less plausible and a little hard to buy into, detracting from every scene he is in. I'll return to the stories for a bit now because there were some I didn't like. The Viserys scene where he was with the whore wasn't very enjoyable. First of all, it went far too long and wasted a good chunk of the episode without really telling us anything worth knowing. We understand that there are dragons in the world and there isn't any need for us to know the little details about dragons, especially when we are still trying to get down the names of characters, locations and more. It's jut not the best way to spend our time and it isn't that interesting either. Also, I was annoyed by the decision to give Viserys a naked whore, as it felt like the show telling us "here look at this pretty girl so you don't get bored during this long scene". Jaime and Jory swapping stories is the other story scene that I didn't enjoy too much, and it's all because of the ending. The scene itself is very good as it helped further our understanding of the Greyjoys (see: The Unknown) and also served to help develop Jaime's character as a villain who is rather charming. Unfortunately they threw it away when Jaime suddenly inexplicably snapped at Jory for suggesting he hold onto the message. It was nonsensical and out of character, which felt like a hamfisted attempt at reminding us that the Starks and Lannisters don't like each other. I wasn't sure how to feel about Hugh's death. While I do have a lot of questions (see: The Unknown), I wish that I had more clarity about how big of an event this was. Do things like this often happen? Will The Mountain be punished? Will there be any kind for justice for this? The show failed to give the scene meaning which is pretty disappointing. As a nitpick, I didn't like the decision o have Littlefinger tell Sansa the story of The Hound. I thought he sat next to Sansa as an attempt to improve him relationship with the Starks or even because she reminds him of Catelyn. But instead he tells a creepy and dangerous story to her which makes me question why he did it. He didn't have to and it certainly wouldn't help improve his relationship with her as much as it would scare her. The Unknown: What was with the three-eyed crow in Bran's dream? Who is Hodor and why does he only ever say Hodor? Why is Theon with the Starks? How did they acquire him and why did they acquire him? Was it from that rebellion which was frequently mentioned in this episode? Is he actually liked by the Starks or does he feel like an outsider? What is the significance of his existence? Will the Greyjoys come into play later? Also, I want more information on that rebellion that happened and failed. What was Jon Arryn doing which led to his death? What was in the book he was reading? What was so important about Gendry and him being Robert's bastard son? Was Ser Hugh killed on purpose by The Mountain or was it just a coincidence? Which family is he allied with? The ending scene was interesting because we learned about a lot of new families. I doubt that the show explores all of them but I would love to see more details about the families, where they live in Westeros and who they are allied with. Tyrion's capture is a very big development. What will Catelyn do with him now that she has him? How will Tyrion try to prove himself to be innocent? Also, how will the Lannisters react to this news? It can't be good for Ned who is in foreign territory now. Best Moment: The ending was fantastic, so I'll go with that. Character of the Episode: Despite his few scenes, I have to pick Tyrion. He's just so likeable and charismatic. I enjoy watching him in a way that no other character has achieved so far. Conclusion: This was another solid episode, but it was more flawed than the others. However it does appear to be a ray of light as it seems like the story is preparing to push forwards and become more interesting and I can't wait for that. Score: 59 Summary: Ned arrives in King's Landing and meets with everyone there, including Varys, Renly and Littlefinger. Catelyn arrives after and is taken in by Littlefinger, who identifies the dagger as Tyrion's. Catelyn trusts Littlefinger who offers to help her and Ned find out the truth behind whatever the Lannisters are doing. Jon arrives at The Wall and discovers that the Night's Watch are a struggling force of very poor fighters who are mostly criminals and disappointments. Dany settles into her role as Khaleesi and gains more power than Viserys. She is pregnant. Bran has amnesia and has been paralyzed.
The Good: This episode gave us loads of exposition and world-building as two of our main characters both went to new parts of Westeros that we haven't seen before and we were introduced to new concepts and characters all at once. While it's a bit crazy (see: The Bad), I am still enjoying the way the world is being fleshed out. Ned's story had some very interesting developments. Significantly, we have learned that the kingdom is indebted to the Lannisters, which puts them in a position of high power which could be a potential obstacle. Furthermore, Robert continues to waste all of the money which can't possibly help things. It adds detail that Robert's reign can't have been a particularly good one and I'm uncertain that he is loved by his people which can be a big plot point in a series like this one. Also, we had a fantastic scene between Ned and Jaime which furthered their conflict with each other while also offering the insight I had wanted on the death of The Mad King, which we learned a ton about in this episode. Jon's story at The Wall was really good too. His relationship with Tyrion bloomed nicely as Tyrion mentors him about the real way of the world in the way nobody has before. Jon has only been told about great things and being better than everyone but Tyrion gives him a more human lesson about the reality of the world, explaining how things really are. By the end of the episode Jon has changed his opinion of the Night's Watch, which makes for a good character arc which also serves to let us understand what the Night's Watch is and how The Wall functions. I do have a few questions about The Wall (see: The Unknown), but I think the exposition was overall given out well. I enjoyed the white walker story that Old Nan told Bran. The world's mysteries and history are still fascinating to me, so to learn about things like The Long Night and White Walkers is really exciting for me as it helps me invest and become a part of this world. I liked the one scene with Joffrey and Cersei as it helped to explain why Joffrey is such an awful person. Cersei's parenting has been less than stellar and Joffrey has just grown up to become an entitled fool. Clearly he doesn't care at all for Sansa so hopefully she can figure out his true ways before she gets caught in a genuinely awful marriage. The Bad: Bran getting amnesia is way too convenient for the plot and I really don't like it. There needed to be a less clichéd reason as to why he wouldn't remember what he saw. There are too many new characters now. While some interest me, there are so many characters to the point that I can hardly remember a lot of them. It's also harder when there are two new storylines being explored in the same episode. Dany's story got the short end of the stick in this episode and her story felt a bit rushed. Just last episode she started to take advantage of her position, but now she is already in control and gets a big moment over Viserys already, and this is after just one episode of development. It's too quick and I would have much preferred to see more of her adjusting to her new role in life. The show has an issue with engaging emotions. So far we have had three episodes of introduction and exposition without any real conflict or drama of any sort to make me really connect with the story. While the show has been fine so far, it is missing that spark and there needs to be more for the show to hit the level of greatness it is close to reaching. The Unknown: What is Catelyn and Littlefinger's history? Littlefinger revealed some interesting details in his introduction. Varys interests me a lot as he seems to be able to find information easily. I'm excited to learn more about his motives and who he serves since he is certainly a useful person. Did Tyrion actually try to kill Bran? I doubt it. More interestingly, did Littlefinger lie about the dagger or did Tyrion lose it to somebody else? Or is it that Cersei/Jaime used Tyrion's dagger to cover up their tracks? Is there anything significant with Dany being pregnant? It felt like a major reveal? Also why did Jorah react so much to it? He said he is going to Qohor, what is he doing there? Who made The Wall and why? When and how did they acquire the necessary material to build it? Why is The Night's Watch so poor? What is the purpose of it anyways if nobody takes it seriously? Best Moment: I really enjoyed Robert reflecting with Barristan and Jaime about war and their first kills. It gave us some great backstory on the characters, while also developing more about the history of Westeros. Character of the Episode: Jon. Conclusion: This was another solid episode which I enjoyed. The show is still dishing out exposition rapidly, but it remains enjoyable. Score: 62 Summary: Dany begins to take more control of her situation and starts to win over Drogo with better sexual performances. Bran has survived. Jon leaves his family to go to the wall, and Ned promises to tell him about his mother the next time they meet. Tyrion joins Jon. Ned departs with the King and his daughters to King's Landing. Joffrey walks in on Arya sword fighting with Mycah. He terrorizes Mycah so Arya attacks him and Nymeria bites him. Nymeria runs away. Cersei wants justice and gets Robert to declare a sentence of death on Lady, Sansa's direwolf. Catelyn chooses to go after Ned after an assassin attempts to kill Bran. Bran later wakes up.
The Good: This was a very good continuation of the story as I continue to be hooked in by the world and the characters living in it. I really enjoyed Dany's storyline in this episode. The show could have wallowed in her misery to make us sympathize with her, but instead we are able to do more than sympathize, as Dany refuses to play the victim. After just a few days she takes action, looking to make the most of her bad situation as Drogo's wife, and by the end she gets her reward as Drogo lets her take control of their intercourse, making it no longer a pain for Dany. This strength shown by Dany is a fantastic way to make us like her and root for her, as she appears to have incredible willpower to still gain power in whatever way she can. If Drogo can be subdued, that would be a huge thing for the Targaryens and they may pose a genuine threat to Westeros. Their story is also tying in nicely to the main storyline as well. It's revealed that Jorah has bad blood with Ned Stark who banished him from Westeros, which could be a major conflict down the line. While the tie-in doesn't affect the story too much, it does suggest that both storylines will be playing off of each other, despite taking place on entirely different continents. While on the topic of Jorah, I'll also mention hat his relationship with both Viserys and Dany has been interesting so far and I'm excited to see what it will develop into. The other characters in the main story were very well done too. Tyrion is immediately likeable as he has a sarcastic and entertaining vibe to him which hasn't been present in any other character. It makes him likeable and relatable as he comes off as the most modernized character on the show. It also helps that we see him disciplining Joffrey first up in this episode, which is certainly something we could use more of seeing Joffrey's cowardly and unsympathetic nature. Jon's story was very good too. I liked seeing him say goodbye to everyone as it allowed us to get a good idea of his relationship with each of the Starks. I was particularly fascinated with his scene talking to Bran as he is clearly well-loved by Bran, but Catelyn still harshly sends him away, showing that there are large amounts of animosity between them. I was also pleased to see Jon talk to Robb afterwards, who asks if Catelyn said anything to him and he replies with no. Across two scenes which take up maybe 1 or 2 minutes, we learn a lot of basic things about Robb, Catelyn and Jon which is very impressive. The condensed nature of the show has helped the show accomplish a lot in these early episodes without slowing the pacing down to a halt. I also really enjoyed the budding conflicts between Robert and Ned about how Robert rules the kingdom. The two have been interesting and exciting to watch as we learn more and more about their characters through conversations with each other, which also serve a double-purpose as they also help build the world and our understanding of how it works. I want to see where their storyline goes as its clear that there are sources of conflict between them, with their differing views about Dany, as well as Cersei who seems to be a manipulative Lady MacBeth type character. The central conflict in this episode was by far the most gripping and enjoyable part though. The tension in the scene with Arya, Sansa and Joffrey was great and when Joffrey was take down it felt like a big deal despite it not being much because of what we have learned about this world. And naturally, the small confrontation had huge consequences as Lady was executed for Joffrey and Arya's conflict, and Mycah killed. Perhaps the innocent being killed as consequences for the actions of the rich will be a recurring theme in this show. This conflict helped establish that, and that will almost certainly pay dividends in the story later on by adding tension and excitement to other conflicts like this. The Bad: Jon's goodbyes were a bit of a double-edged sword as I'm a little conflicted about them. They were good as scenes to introduce us to character relationships, but what good is that if the characters likely won't see each other for a long while? There are lots of characters, so other relationships should be prioritized. Furthermore, I don't like that the scenes were played for emotion, as it's hard to care for characters that you have only seen for like 15 minutes of screen time. I enjoyed the mystery of somebody attacking Bran (see: The Unknown), but I didn't like Catelyn's reaction to it. Beforehand she wouldn't even leave Bran's side, and this was before she knew somebody wanted him dead. But now that she is aware he is in danger she chooses to... leave? It's ridiculous and I can't understand why her character would choose to leave him alone now instead of being even more clingy to him. The show is doing a great job of progressing a lot of stories, but there is a bit too much happening. The show feels a little bit cluttered and I feel that it diminishes how enjoyable it is to watch. At the moment, I am watching the show because it fascinates me, not because I enjoy it. The Unknown: Does Tyrion know about Jaime and Cersei's relationship? He implies that he is aware which is very interesting. Who is Wyla? There is very clearly something significant about her but I can't figure out what. We learned some fascinating tidbits about the history of Westeros. Apparently the Targaryens were former rulers, hence Dany and Viserys wanting to go home. But we learn that the last king wasn't loved and killed Ned's family which caused conflict. But more interestingly, we learn that this king had selected the father of the Lannisters as a trusted hand, yet he was killed by Jaime. There are a lot of details which don't quite add up and I want to learn more details about what happened. Who did try to kill Bran? Was it really the Lannisters? That seems a bit too obvious to be true. I really liked seeing the differing superstitions in the world. We got some interesting ones in Dany's storyline as the two maids talked about the moon. It's interesting stuff which adds a lot of world-building, but it also makes me wonder if any of these stories will have significance to the story. Will Nymeria come back later? What happens now that Bran wakes up? He will likely explain hat he saw and the Lannisters will be screwed. I'm interested to see the consequences for their actions, if there are any. Best Moment: Robert's judgement scene was tremendous. What I loved the most is how all of the characters stayed true to what we know about them in this scene. No dialogue or action felt forced and that is a sign of fantastic writing. Furthermore, the scene has left the core characters involved with conflicts with each other which will presumably carry on throughout the series. Character of the Episode: Robert. Conclusion: This was another really well done episode. While the show hasn't gripped me emotionally yet, it's been fascinating to watch and I'm ready for more. Score: 66 Summary: White Walkers attack the Night's Watch. A deserter arrives in Winterfell and is executed by Ned Stark. New arrives that the Hand of the King Jon Arryn died naturally but another letter arrives suggesting that the Lannisters murdered him. The King goes to Ned to offer the role of Hand to him. Ned's son Bran is climbing and sees Queen Cersei having sex with her brother and is pushed out of a tower. Across the sea, Daenerys is sold to Khal Drogo by her brother Viserys to help get an army to invade Westeros.
The Good: The opening sequence was a highlight of the episode. It was tense, terrifying and excitingly paced, setting the tone for the show immediately while also building a lot of interest It's a great hook which encourages us to give the rest of the episode a shot, and it helps us get our way through the wall of exposition ahead of us (see: The Bad). The exposition was tedious, but it was also done impressively as a lot was introduced in this episode, and all of it in interesting fashion, ensuring that we weren't bored while watching. Our first characters introduced are the Starks and all of them are clearly defined so we can understand them. Ned is the strong, honourable leader, Robb is his son who is being prepared to take over, Catelyn is his wife who isn't a Stark but has essentially become one, Bran is the young son, Jon is the bastard, Arya is the young girl who enjoys boyish activities while Sansa is the girly-girl who wants to marry the prince. These characters lack depth of course, but that's to be expected in a pilot episode. What is most impressive is that all of these characters were introduced within 15 minutes without the episode feeling rushed. I expect that we will get more development for them later, but for now they are extremely effective in their roles. I really enjoyed the arrival of the king. Robert certainly defied expectations as he was just a fat man who appears to love partying, hardly any kind of formal king. He was interesting immediately because of this and I was clamouring to learn more about him, so thankfully the show provided practically immediately. We learned about his history with Ned, his love for Ned's sister and his hate for Targaryens. In one great scene of two old friends reminiscing, the show has given us a character who we understand, with personality traits, desires and friendships. Sure he does need some more work, but for the first episoe, he is a surprisingly interesting character who I want to learn more about. I like that the mentioning of a Targaryen immediately transitioned us to the Dany story. It would be easy for us to forget about who Targaryens are if they were introduced later, so this is a great decision. Even better, is the decision to stay with any for a good 10+ minutes so that we can be introduced to all the characters, conflicts and plotlines at once without feeling like we didn't get enough. And somehow while introducing all of this, the storyline doesn't feel like it's detracting from the Robert/Ned story across the sea as they are all equal in terms of quality. The Dany story works impressively well, which I was impressed with. It could have easily been a secondary story which I didn't care for, but it gripped me. Targaryens were introduced as evil since Robert hates them and we can see that much from Viserys who comes off as cruel and dislikeable. But Dany is put in a position for us to sympathize with as she is played like a young child who doesn't have any drives in the world and is just being bossed by her brother. It allows us to sympathize with her and realize that the Targaryens may not all be so bad. I'm overjoyed that this show is demonstrating so much moral flexibility in its first episode, giving me hope that we can explore some of the fascinating morally grey areas which make so many TV shows so compelling. The final scene was really good too. I was shocked to see Bran seemingly die so suddenly but it does give a huge hook to ensure that we tune in for the next episode to see more. Jaime came off so well early on and seemed a decent person while Cersei seemed to be the evil queen. But the shocking incest scene followed by cold-blooded murder completely changed that. Our opinions of Jaime have changed and the Lannister family can easily be seen as evil (and they are accused for the Jon Arryn murder to add on to that). But despite them being evil, I like Tyrion and I don't want to hate his character so I find myself conflicted about who to side with already. It's impressive that the show has delved so deeply into this morally grey area so early, and it serves as a fantastic hook to make us want to tune in again. Don't present us cheap cliff-hangers, instead present us with quality storytelling and that is what the show did here. The Bad: This episode was overwhelming though. Too many names, too many locations, too many titles, and just a little bit too much in general. While the story has been compelling, it's tough to follow with so much happening at once and that makes it feel a bit tedious. I'm sure this show would be much easier to follow with a character guide of some sort to help you sort out who is who and what their role in the story is. The murder of Jon Arryn is a bit too much information for my liking. The reveal would have been better suited for later on when we knew who the characters were so it could have more meaning. It would also help with the overwhelming nature of the episode by cutting out a bit. The Unknown: What are the White Walkers and what is their role in the story? They seem so detached from everything, so I don't expect them to come into play until a little later. Also, where is that snowy area? The title credits tells me that there is a place called The Wall. Is the snowy area past The Wall? Why did Jaime and Cersei kill Jon Arryn? How did they kill him? Surely they wouldn't have killed him themselves? Will Joffrey and Sansa get married? How would that place the Starks int erms of power? How does the overall world work? I'm very excited to learn more about Westeros? Best Moment: The opening sequence was terrifying and the most engaging part of this episode. A perfect opening scene. Character of the Episode: Ned. Conclusion: This was a really great pilot. While not on the level of all-time classic pilots (Lost, The Walking Dead), this episode proved that simple and effective storytelling is a great way to get a viewer invested in a show. While this episode was messy, the storytelling was great and it makes me excited for more, and because of that, this did its job. Score: 68 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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