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
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|