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
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
February 2024
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