text:
Tag Archives: Carice van Houten
Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 7 – "The Broken Man"
Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Arya Stark, Braavos, Bran Stark, Brienne of Tarth, Brother Ray, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Cleganebowl, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dragons, Emilia Clarke, Essie Davis, Faye Marsay, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Gwendoline Christie, Ian McShane, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jaime Lannister, Jaqen H'ghar, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lady Crane, Lady Stoneheart, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Meereen, Melisandre, Natalie Dormer, Ned Stark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, No One, Peter Dinklage, Ramsay Bolton, Richard Madden, Riverrun, Robb Stark, Robett Glover, Rory McCann, Sansa Stark, Sean Bean, Sophie Turner, Television, The Blackfish, The Broken Man, The Faceless Men, The High Sparrow, The Hound, The House of Black and White, The Ironborn, The Many-Faced God, The Night's Watch, The Waif, The Wall, Theon Greyjoy, Tom McInnerny, Tom Wlaschiha, Tommen Baratheon, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Westeros, White Walkers, Winterfell
"The Broken Man" was a slow episode; it began with a cold opening and ended with a sombre finale, and in between there wasn't a lot going on. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Seasons of television require moments of restraint, and whilst I didn't find this episode particularly exciting, it set up future conflict in a reasonably intelligent way. Fan theories were touched upon to thrill book readers, which is enough to keep them entertained despite a noticeable lack of death (until the final two scenes), and there was a lot of strategic positioning going on; whether it be Sansa (Sophie Turner) sending a letter to Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) speaking with The Blackfish (Clive Russell), or Yara (Gemma Whelan) expressing her plans to make a pact with Daenerys (Emilia Clarke).
This episode was titled "The Broken Man" for a reason; The Hound (Rory McCann), Arya's (Maisie Williams) worst enemy turned best mate, returned in what was a pretty cool opening scene. It wasn't particularly shocking for me, because Ian McShane (the actor playing Brother Ray – The Hound's 'teacher' in this episode) gave away the fact that he was going to bring back a character previously thought to be dead on the show prior to the start of season six. This could've been a number of characters, with Lady Stoneheart and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) cited as possibilities at the time, but it was obvious to most of us that the only real choice for this resurrection was The Hound, given the description of the character that McShane was set to play and the Gravedigger theory.
On top of that, McShane also revealed that he would only be on the show for one episode, which tarnished my enjoyment of the final scene in "The Broken Man" because it was abundantly clear that Brother Ray was going to die and that The Hound was going to move on. This didn't make the final scene any less interesting, particularly because it teased Lady Stoneheart in a big way by re-introducing The Brotherhood Without Banners, but I do wish that I hadn't read any articles about the series before it started because it would've been nice to have gone into this episode without knowing this information.
via popmatters.com
Still, The Hound being back opens up a world of possibilities, including Cleganebowl. I think that everyone in the "Game of Thrones" fandom would like to see the two Clegane brothers face-off against one another at some point, so the fact that this is now a possibility is really exciting. Plus, the face that the reveal was done using a cold opening (i.e. a scene which occurs before the opening credits) made it all the more impactful, as it caught me off guard and made it feel as though The Hound's return must have real significance. However, I should point out that the main reason that the episode was edited in this way was that Rory McCann's name appeared in the opening credits!
Having said all this, The Hound wasn't the only broken man in this episode; Jaime Lannister, Robett Glover (Tom McInnerny), and Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) also showed that they are also utterly damaged.
Jaime's storyline is perhaps the most interesting here, as he is once again separated from Cersei (Lena Headey) and is thus able to understand the ramifications of his actions outside of King's Landing. As a character Jaime has always shown that he can be kind as well as cruel, and any abhorrent things he may have done have always been for the sake of Cersei, including pushing Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) out of a window back in episode one. Cersei is toxic for Jaime and she stops him from fulfilling his true potential, so I welcome having him as far away from her as possible.
via idigitaltimes.com
However, I can't say that I'm overly bothered about the Freys and The Blackfish. This isn't to say that the characters themselves are dull or that the actors playing them are doing a bad job, it's just that it doesn't feel as though this storyline is ever going to go anywhere, given that the Lannister forces outnumber the Tully forces significantly and it would be silly to have Jaime orchestrating a protracted siege on a decrepit castle for the remainder of the series. He's going to win the battle, so the real question is whether or not doing so is going to affect his character in an important way. Hopefully it will, because I think the majority of the audience would like to see Jaime return to how he was in season three, when he was finally showing some humanity on his travels with Brienne (Gwendoline Christie).
We know that Brienne and Jaime are going to meet up again in the next episode because their doing so is on the promo, and also because Brienne is headed to Riverrun, so I'm hoping that she can talk some sense into him. I'm not expecting some sort of dramatic change in the character right away, but perhaps Brienne can be the catalyst for another redemptive Jaime character arc.
Elsewhere, Jon and Sansa were on a kind of recruitment drive in the North, trying to convince Stark loyalists to fight for them. Back in season one this was an easy sell for Robb Stark (Richard Madden); at the time Ned (Sean Bean) was still alive, and there was a sense of hatred towards the Lannisters permeating the North. However, following The War of the Five Kings people are less inclined to take up arms – they've lost their families, friends, and livelihoods, and they simply want peace. They feel a sense of betrayal at the Starks because of what happened in the North during the aforementioned war, as the ironborn attacked their castles and killed their people, so they aren't really ready to put their faith in a bastard and a woman who has been married to two of her enemies.
Their logic is sound here, so it's difficult to get behind the protagonists even though we know that their cause is righteous. They're in a tough spot right now, so they need to do something to turn the tide – step in Littlefinger. It seems obvious to me that Sansa was writing her letter to Littlefinger asking for his support, and it also seems clear that she'll get it… for now. I like to imagine that Littlefinger wants what's best for Sansa, but it's going to be hard for her to trust him in the future after everything he's done, and I don't think that he'll be satisfied with an alliance in which he doesn't have complete control. This leads me to think that we could well see a trademark Littlefinger betrayal before the season is over; imagine if Littlefinger was to lend his support to Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) and bolster the Bolton army instead at the last minute! He likes to fight for the team that's got the best chance of winning after all.
A scene which wasn't so amazing in this episode was the one in which Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) had a conversation about the marriage bed. I have to say that from a personal perspective I'm becoming increasingly bored with this storyline and with King's Landing in general, because as I mentioned last week, there's nothing that the Lannisters, the Tyrells, or the Faith can do to stop Daenerys or the white walkers. Although they were a key factor in the first few seasons of this series, the Lannisters feel like a side note to a far more important story now, which means that when they appear on screen they merely take up time which could be spent on more compelling events elsewhere.
Nonetheless, I'm not naïve enough to believe that this is really the case, because the way in which the showrunners are streamlining George R. R. Martin's narrative leads me to believe that anything they're putting on the screen has to be important in some way or another; it's just that this storyling doesn't feel like it is when I'm watching it unfold, and the way it feels to watch an episode of television is very important.
I'm expecting Cersei to get her comeuppance at some point, just as I'm expecting Margaery to outthink the High Sparrow, but how either of these things will come about is much less clear. It seems like Cersei will have a trial by combat to decide her fate, but it also appears that if she does she'll come out on top, so the trouble won't end there. Cersei wants the High Sparrow dead and the High Sparrow wants Cersei in chains, so it's pretty clear that both of them can't go on living as they are right now. After Bran's visions last week, I'm expecting Cersei to use wild fire to burn down the Great Sept of Balor (probably with the High Sparrow inside) but because we're talking about Cersei here something will likely go array. Perhaps she'll set the whole city on fire, making it easier for Daenerys to take it amidst the chaos, or maybe she'll unwittingly kill Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) and thus fulfil the prophecy which she fears so much. I think the latter would be a really satisfying way to end her character arc, so that's what I'm putting my money on.
Finally, I should probably mention what was simultaneously my favourite and least favourite scene in "The Broken Man", Arya's stabbing by The Waif (Faye Marsay). Arya walked the streets of Braavos with a skip in her step, booking passage back to Westeros and staring out into the distance with a dream of freedom in her mind. She looked triumphant and happy for the first time in a long time because she was finally herself again – she wasn't 'No One', she was Arya Stark and she was ready to go home.
Sadly, things aren't so easy for the youngest of the Stark girls, and once again her dreams were wrecked by violence. The Waif, disguised as a very agile old woman, snuck up from behind her and stabbed her violently in the stomach, once again showing that she is a very bad Faceless Man; firstly because she didn't finish the job, and secondly because Jaqen (Tom Wlaschiha) told her not to let Arya suffer – I don't know if this is just my opinion, but being stabbed in the belly and allowed to bleed out in a canal isn't a peaceful way to go.
The scene itself was great to watch because for a moment I really did believe that Arya was going to die, and it injected a feeling of urgency into the episode which was noticeably missing before that moment. However, when I took a step back and thought about the stabbing in the context of the series, I realised that Arya's actions were wholly unbelievable. There's a real inconsistency here with the portrayal of the character, because the Arya Stark that we know wouldn't be so careless with her life as to walk out into the open and stand still for all to see; at least not when she knows that there is a skilled assassin out to kill her.
As such, there are two logical explanations which explain her carelessness; 1) she doesn't think anyone is out to kill her, which seems incredibly silly given that she knows that she's denied the Many-Faced God a life; or 2) the writers are lazy.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out which one of these options is the reality of the situation, as it's pretty clear that the character knew what she was in for when she spared Lady Crane's (Essie Davis) life; after all, she ran away rather than returning to the House of Black and White. Some people have gone as far as to theorise that Arya has split-personality disorder in order to bridge the logical gap between Arya's actions and the character as established by the first five seasons, but I have to say that I think this is a massive stretch on their part. Whilst it would be interesting if this was actually the case – with The Waif symbolising the side of Arya that wants to become 'No One' and destroy what's left of the girl she once was – the show just doesn't have the time to sink its teeth into a psychological phenomenon like this before the end of the season. To do so would require a lot of exposition and a lot of explanation that the writers don't really need to implement, especially when most people have been satisfied with how Arya's plot has been handled thus far in season six.
It's more likely that Arya really did have a lapse of concentration at the worst possible time, and that the writers wrote the storyline in this way to save time in a series which has become diluted with characters competing for a slither of screen time. It's a shame, but it's the reality of the situation.
Where Arya goes from here is much more interesting to theorise about, because she's definitely going to need help if she's going to survive (although if we're being honest with ourselves she wouldn't survive – she has no access to proper healthcare and her gaping stomach wounds would either cause her to die of blood loss or they'd become infected, leading to septic shock). Help will most likely come in the form of Lady Crane, not just because she's the only person that Arya knows in Braavos who doesn't want her dead, but also because the writers have spent a lot of time this season trying to establish a rapport between the pair. I think having Lady Crane support Arya in her time of need would be incredibly cheap on the part of the writers, but frankly I wouldn't put it past them right now given that they're desperate to simplify proceedings at every turn.
I've seen screenshots which suggest that Syrio Forel (Arya's 'dance teacher' in season one played by Miltos Yerolemou) could be the person who helps Arya survive her attack, but they could easily have been photo-shopped so I wouldn't hold out much hope. I think that this would be a far better way to carry on her story and also to remind her of her past as Arya Stark, but when Maisie Williams has asked the showrunners whether or not Syrio Forel is still alive in the past they have responded with a resounding 'no', which probably means we won't see him again on the series.
So, that was the episode. The Hound returned, the High Sparrow talked about the birds and the bees, Jon and Sansa recruited their army, Jaime went to Riverrun, Theon was sad in a brothel, (which I've intentionally ignored because it was a nothing scene), and Arya got stabbed. That might be a slightly patronising description of what was a reasonably well-written and intelligent episode of television, but that's the meat of what happened in "The Broken Man". It was an episode which took a long time to come to life, but the reintroduction of The Hound and the imminent conclusion to Arya's time in Braavos were enough to provide a sense of intrigue and excitement. It wasn't a memorable episode, and moments could've been executed with greater care, but on the whole "The Broken Man" was a decent hour of television.
Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 5 – "The Door"
Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Carice van Houten, CGI, Cleganebowl, Comedy, Conleth Hill, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dragons, Emilia Clarke, Euron Greyjoy, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Six, George RR Martin, GoT, Grey Worm, Gwendoline Christie, Hodor, Hold the Door, Iain Glen, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jaqen H'ghar, Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, King's Landing, Kingsmoot, Kit Harington, Kristian Nairn, Kristofer Hivju, Liam Cunningham, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Max von Sydow, Meereen, Melisandre, Michiel Huisman, Natalie Dormer, Ned Stark, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Ramsay Bolton, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Summer, Television, The Door, The Night King, The Night's Watch, The Three-Eyed-Raven, The Wall, The White Walkers, Theon Greyjoy, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Varys, Vladimir Furdik, Westeros, White Walkers, Winterfell, Yara Greyjoy
via popsugar.com
When I first saw that the fifth episode of season six was called "The Door" I had expected that title to be some sort of analogy regarding life and death, and in a way it was. Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) opened the door between life and death by allowing the Night King (Vladimir Furdik) to mark him, and in doing so he caused the deaths of the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow), Hodor (Kristian Nairn), and Summer. However, more literally the title related to Hodor and the origin of his name, as he had to 'hold the door' to keep Bran alive.
Personally, I thought that this origin story was a little strange because it seems harsh to brand a child with a name as a result of a mental breakdown; still, I suppose the "Game of Thrones" universe has always been a bit off-kilter. Still, the fact that Hodor gave his life to save Bran and was the way that he was because of his loyalty made his character all the more loveable, and gave him a lot more gravitas. Before this episode he was predominantly used for comic relief, but now when we watch the series back we will know that his simplicity, so to speak, is the result of heroism and not stupidity. In a world of duplicitous and often malicious people he was kind and courageous, which makes him one of the most memorable characters on the show.
Hodor's death, as well as Summer's, was representative of the fact that Bran's childhood is slowly fading away, and that winter has finally arrived. In a quite literal sense winter killed summer in this episode, which probably marks a shift in the story. If Bran is going to head south – which would make sense given that heading deeper into the snow would take him into the white walker's territory – then this could be the catalyst to take the walkers past The Wall and into the realms of men, after all, it's likely that the magic that protected the lair of the Three-Eyed Raven is the same magic that protects The Wall. If this is the case then Bran's passing The Wall as a marked man could allow the walkers to follow him, which would make his idiocy in this episode all the more frustrating.
I have to say that from my perspective Bran's scenes were the least compelling of the entire episode, even though they had the biggest ramifications, because they relied on a suspension of disbelief. Through Bran we learnt about the origin of the white walkers and of Hodor, but the way the scenes were executed marred the moments for me. It seems silly to me that something as important as stopping Bran from allowing the Night King to touch him wouldn't have at least been mentioned by the Three-Eyed Raven, because the fact that this information could've saved multiple lives and saved a species makes it worth knowing! It's possible that with time travel now in place in the "Game of Thrones" universe in a minimalistic way, the Three-Eyed Raven knew what was going to happen before it happened and thus intentionally withheld information, but that still feels a little cheap to me.
Other issues I had with Bran's scenes were: 1) the acting of the young man playing Wylis; 2) the acting of Isaac Hempstead-Wright; 3) the fact that Leaf (Kae Alexander) – the child of the forest – sacrificed herself to kill the wights when she could've just as easily thrown the fireball in their direction; 4) the CGI, which was quite poor and jarring to look at – I know that there's a budget in place and that the special effects on the show are usually great, but the CGI here tarnished the impact of the wights for me; and 5) the fact that Bran's being marked caused the death of a beloved character and could possibly have a huge part to play in the wars to come, yet it wasn't explained before or after it occurred.
So much of the magic involved in this storyline is just there and we're supposed to accept it, even though no effort is made to make it feel believable! The dragons are great because their birth was ritualistic and they feel other-worldly whilst remaining partly possible, but the magic in Bran's storyline is so prevalent and unearned. As far as I can tell, magic occurs in Bran's storyline when there's no other way to either give exposition or fill a hole in the story, which makes it feel like a plot device and nothing more.
Elsewhere, Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) and Sansa (Sophie Turner) had a reunion of sorts, although it wasn't a very warm one. It's still unclear exactly what Littlefinger knew about Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) before he left Sansa in his care, but I think that either way he made a mistake. Sansa said that either Littlefinger was an idiot for leaving her at Winterfell, or he was her enemy, and she's probably right.
Both actors did a great job in this scene, and from the perspective of someone who loves dialogue-heavy episodes I really enjoyed watching the pair chat. The way that both characters acted in this scene left me unsure as to who was playing who, because it seemed like Littlefinger was genuinely surprised by Sansa's assertiveness, but also that he had a plan. Sansa has now sent Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) to The Riverlands because of what he said, so he still has a high level of control, and it remains unclear whether or not he told the truth – this is Littlefinger we're talking about, so this whole wild goose chase could easily be a trap.
It also seems like Littlefinger wanted to drive a wedge between Jon (Kit Harington) and Sansa, perhaps because he perceives the former to be a threat, but I doubt that this will work. Jon is the closest thing to family that Sansa has got right now, so if she starts to doubt his trustworthiness I think it would be wholly unbelievable. She did keep important information from him, but I think she did that because she wants to keep her cards close to her chest, and also perhaps because if the rest of the people in the war room knew about Littlefinger's army then they would probably want to side with him.
Arya (Maisie Williams) isn't quite as empowered as her sister right now, as she tries to become a servant of the Many-Faced God. The writers are really pushing the idea that she isn't going to succeed in her journey to become No One because she clearly doesn't want to kill the actress from the play, so I'm expecting her to make a run for it before the end of the season. Arya as a character has always had a keen sense of what's right and what's wrong, and even though she's a capable killer she chooses her victims carefully. She wants to kill people who deserve to die, so she isn't going to like being a glorified hitman for malicious and jealous people.
Still, if Arya does try to escape then it's hard to see what her end game could possibly be – there are faceless men all over the world, so if she goes against their wishes then surely she will be a wanted woman for the rest of her days. This isn't a particularly brilliant life for a character who has suffered since childhood, so it wouldn't be very satisfying from a viewer's perspective.
I loved Arya's scenes in this episode, especially the play, because the dialogue was well-written and as always Maisie Williams' acting was perfect. Arya is my favourite character on the show so I am a little biased, but I still thought that her scenes here had it all. Comedy, grief, drama, foreboding, male nudity – what more could you want? I just hope that it all pays off by the end of season six.
Another character that I'm growing quite fond of, surprisingly, is Yara (Gemma Whelan). She's always been a fairly likeable character on the show because she's a powerful woman who is also quite kind for an ironborn, but now she's becoming more interesting because she could have a part to play in the wider story.
I've really enjoyed the Greyjoy storyline so far this season, mostly because I think that Euron (Pilou Asbæk) is an interesting character, but I feel that it has been rushed a little bit. Euron's argument and his plan were sound – although I don't think he'll sell Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) on his marriage proposal – but the kingsmoot should've been a huge political battle between him and Yara for the Salt Throne, whereas it turned out to be a five minute war of words for a crown made out of twigs. It was a fine five minutes – Euron admitted that he'd murdered his brother and Theon (Alfie Allen) sided with his sister – but it could've been a lot better if the showrunners just took their time.
The real issues I had with the Greyjoy scenes in this episode were more specific than an issue with the streamlining of their storyline, most notably the fact that Euron spoke about building 1,000 ships as though it was an afternoon's work, and also that he allowed his main opposition to steal his biggest assets right in front of his nose! If he knew that becoming the leader of the ironborn would require an elaborate (and very cool) ceremony, surely he should've kept them locked up somewhere where they couldn't cause any trouble? Still, it seems like there's now going to be a race between Euron's forces and Yara's forces to reach Daenerys, which I feel is really exciting if they give it some screen time.
Speaking of Daenerys, she had an all too brief cameo in this episode, and in my opinion it was one of the worst moments of the season so far. Although I'm personally glad that Jorah (Iain Glen) has finally told her how he feels, I found the scene itself both silly and cheesy. First off, Dany said that she couldn't take Jorah back but she also couldn't send him away, yet once she found out that he had a deadly disease she commanded him to find a cure and return to her! I don't know how everyone else feels about that U-Turn, but to me asking him to return is taking him back! Jorah should've caught greyscale a long time ago because the sympathy vote would've saved him a lot of hassle!
Finally, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) continued to rule in Meereen in Daenerys' stead, and he began a propaganda push in the city. His thought processes are rational enough – he wants to sway public opinion towards Daenerys and force a particular narrative down their throats – but the way he's applying them is pretty naïve. I don't think he fully appreciates the danger that having a red priestess in your service poses, and it seems like Kinvara (Ania Bukstein) may be even more dangerous than Melisandre (Carice van Houten).
This scene was well executed, as there was a lot of fire around to light the room (which was clearly intentional) and the actors played off one another wonderfully. I thought the actress playing Kinvara did a really good job of making her seem powerful, and she portrayed the same sense of self-confidence that Melisandre had back in the early seasons. I see this storyline getting better with time, and I'm excited to see where it goes, but I'm very worried for poor old Varys (Conleth Hill)!
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. It wasn't perfect, but I thought the dialogue was well written and I appreciated the fact that we got to spend more time with characters than we have previously in season six. I didn't really care for Bran's scenes, even though conceptually they were probably the most interesting of the episode, but I thought that everything else was pretty good. If things weren't being so rushed then this episode would undoubtedly have been better – for example, more time should've been spent on the kingsmoot – but that's just something that we're going to have to accept from here on out. Storylines are in a good place right now, and with half the season left to go I'm expecting a lot of fireworks! Bring on Cleganebowl, Bastardbowl, and widespread bloodshed!
Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 4 – "Book of the Stranger"
Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Art Parkinson, Arya Stark, Ben Crompton, Book of the Stranger, Braavos, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Conleth Hill, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Diana Rigg, Dothraki, Dragons, Emilia Clarke, Finn Jones, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Six, Gemma Whelan, George RR Martin, Grey Worm, Gwendoline Christie, Hardhome, Harry Lloyd, Harry Potter, Iain Glen, Iwan Rheon, Jacob Anderson, Joe Naufahu, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, Jorah Mormont, Khal Moro, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Kristofer Hivju, Lena Headey, Lino Facioli, Littlefinger, Loras Tyrell, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Meereen, Melisandre, Michiel Huisman, Missandei, Natalia Tena, Natalie Dormer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Olenna Tyrell, Osha, Peter Dinklage, Ramsay Bolton, Rickon Stark, Robin Arryn, Rupert Vansittart, Sansa Stark, Slaver's Bay, Sons of the Harpy, Sophie Turner, Television, The High Sparrow, The Night's Watch, The Seven Kingdoms, The Temple of the Dosh Khaleen, The Wall, The White Walkers, Theon Greyjoy, Tommen Baratheon, Tormund Giantsbane, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Varys, Viserys Targaryen, Westeros, White Walkers, Winterfell, Yara Greyjoy, Yohn Royce
"Book of the Stranger" was a strong episode of "Game of Thrones". Whilst the writers struggled to fill the holes that their minefield of rushed plot points has created, they temporarily covered them with compelling dialogue and a degree of character development. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) proved that she can hold her own against her enemies without the need for dragons and armies, Sansa (Sophie Turner) demonstrated that she's ready to take charge of her own destiny, and Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) showed us all that there's a person for everyone… good luck Brienne (Gwendoline Christie).
"Book of the Stranger" predictably started at The Wall, as once again the showrunners bookended an episode with its two most exciting moments. I enjoyed this scene for a couple of reasons: 1) because seeing Jon (Kit Harington) and Sansa reunite after such a long time injected a bit of hope into the story; and 2) because Edd (Ben Crompton) said exactly what I've been thinking about Jon over the past week.
It seems to me that Jon riding south is pretty futile because although he's tired of fighting, he has nowhere else to go. He has no friends in the outside world, and even if he did he knows that eventually the White Walkers will attack The Night's Watch. Edd said as much to Jon by questioning his decision and mentioning the battle at Hardhome last season, so this was a very relieving moment from my perspective. It showed that the writers aren't completely ignorant to issues that their handling of the story presents, and demonstrated that Jon might not be the same heroic figure as he was before he died.
The only issue I had with the opening scene was that we didn't get to see Sansa and Jon talking to one another about what has happened since they were last together, which means that we are left to assume a lot of things. We know that they both have an idea of what the other has been doing, but it isn't clear whether or not the specifics have been discussed.
Does Jon know that Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) raped his sister repeatedly? Does he know that Theon (Alfie Allen) helped her escape? Does Sansa know that Jon has died and been resurrected? The answer to all these questions is likely to be 'yes' because they talked about the issues that surround the questions, but not knowing for sure what information they have at their disposal is frustrating and leaves their motivations in a slightly confusing place. You'd think that if Jon knew that Sansa had been raped by Ramsay then he would have no problem with going to kill the bastard as soon as humanly possible… wouldn't you? If not then why are we routing for him at all? This therefore makes his initial reluctance to act more disturbing, and changes how he should be seen as a character.
via observer.com
With a war between Jon's forces and The Boltons being teased from the start of the episode, (and in the trailers), Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) was promptly reintroduced to the story. He visited his son-in-law, Robin Arryn (Lino Facioli), bringing him a falcon as a gift to represent the fact that the boy is wrapped around his 'little finger' – pun very much intended. He then thrust this fact in the face of Yohn Royce (Rupert Vansittart) by accusing him of informing the Boltons of his travel arrangements, which led Robin to show everyone just how much his diplomatic skills have evolved since the series began (moon door politics for the win). Afterwards he persuaded the young lord to help Sansa in defeating her husband and his forces, which leaves Littlefinger in a good place as a loveable antihero.
We'll have to wait and see what Sansa thinks of Littlefinger when they meet again in the next episode – she probably won't greet him with a hug – but it seems to me that they'll be working together for the foreseeable future. This is actually a really interesting point in Littlefinger's story, because we don't yet know whether or not he truly understood the extent of Ramsay's evil, and we also don't know what diabolical scheme he has up his sleeve should things go array. He likes to improvise when the situation calls for it but he's always prepared, so I wouldn't be surprised if he has a plan B which ends in him betraying Sansa. He wants to install people that he can trust in positions of power, and he does have a level of affection for Sansa which makes her the logical choice to rule Winterfell, but if she seems reluctant to trust him then there's always the possibility that he could choose another ally.
Elsewhere, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) was doing some damage limitation of his own, as he tried to fix Daenerys' mess in Slaver's Bay. He explained to Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) that he prefers the diplomatic approach over the military approach, so rather than trying to break the wheel he did the civil thing of talking to the Masters. It's a breath of fresh air to see Tyrion speaking to these people as though they're on his level, because Daenerys is so arrogant and talks to everyone as though they're beneath her. Tyrion is a pragmatist – a politician – he finds a middle ground and then he does his best to make it bear fruit. He knows that slavery is an atrocity, but he also knows that trying to end the practice in the blink of an eye is something that only a blind man would believe is possible.
The most pressing issue on his mind is the possibility of revolution and the rise of the Sons of the Harpy, so like any intelligent man he deals with that issue first by hopefully cutting off their funding and leaving them powerless – this will make ruling Meereen easier, and his offer to the Masters will also buy him time to find a better solution. In this time he and Daenerys can make allies, acquire some ships, and possibly take King's Landing. He knows that the slaves will suffer over the seven year adjustment period that he is proposing, but if Daenerys can become Queen of the Seven Kingdoms in that time then she will have the means to end the practice for good.
For the most part I liked the scenes in Meereen this week, but I have to say that I was irritated by the fact that the writers used the joke (that wasn't funny in the first place) about Tyrion not being able to speak Valyrian again.
Whilst Tyrion held down the fort, Daario (Michiel Huisman) and Jorah (Iain Glen) proceeded to bond over talk of having sex with their queen and being attached to weapons. Daario lowers the tone of the show every time he appears on screen, and I have to say that for me the fact that Daenerys is willing to keep him in her company (never mind sleep with him) brings her character down as well. I wish he'd never been introduced to the story, and so far I don't see any reason why he was.
As for the actual scenes involving the pair in this episode… I hated them. I was frustrated by the fact that the pair were so sure that Daenerys had been brought to the Temple of the Dosh Khaleen, because she could've just as easily been raped and killed by a sexually charged Khal and his bloodriders. I know that Jorah has previously spent time with the Dothraki and has an understanding of their traditions, but that doesn't make them any more predictable – they're a fierce and violent bunch, so anything could've happened.
I also found the fact that Daario carried on travelling with Jorah after seeing his greyscale a little bit ridiculous, because from a practical perspective Jorah is a walking death sentence. I know that Daario is portrayed as a 'good guy' on the show – after all, he's the love interest of a protagonist – but the least he could've done was say 'please, for the love of god, stay away from me'. If Jorah so much as slips and touches Daario with his arm then the latter will become terminally ill and face the prospect of turning into a stone man, so I think that he has pretty good cause to leave the old man behind.
Moving swiftly on, (and ignoring Daenerys' first scene in the episode because it wasn't really worth analysing – it basically served to show that she had a plan and that she didn't need a man to rescue her), we saw Margaery (Natalie Dormer) being held captive in a grotty dungeon. She looked amazing for a woman without any means of grooming herself, which is understandable because make-up costs money and most people won't really notice, but for me this fact broke any immersion that the episode had created.
The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) spoke to Margaery about his past as a cobbler, although his story quickly escalated into one about a playboy getting tired of orgies and fine wine. It was nice to be given some sort of insight into the life that the devout leader had led before he became a religious fanatic, although it isn't completely clear whether or not he was telling the truth to Margaery or simply trying to manipulate her. In any case, the acting and delivery in this scene was fantastic, as Pryce and Dormer proved once again that they are two of the best actors on the show.
Once they were done talking, Margaery was allowed to see her brother, Loras (Finn Jones), presumably for the first time since the pair were taken into custody. This wasn't a great scene, partly because I couldn't really tell what the writers were going for and partly because it didn't seem particularly necessary, but it was nice to see Loras again. For a moment I thought that he wanted Margaery to kill him when he said that he wanted it to stop, and I'm still a little confused as to whether or not this moment caused Margaery to give in to The High Sparrow.
In a later scene Cersei (Lena Headey) told Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) that there was a walk of atonement planned for Margaery, which left me puddled as to whether or not this was a lie that The High Sparrow had told Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) to trick Cersei into action, or something that we were supposed to have taken from the previous scene with Margaery having confessed off-screen as a result of meeting Loras. I'm still none-the-wiser after watching the episode three times, so for now I'm going to chalk this confusion down to either poor execution on the part of the writers or intentional misdirection.
via gameofthrones.wikia.com
Once the political battlefield that is King's Landing was visited, attention turned to Theon and his journey towards redemption. The timeline for this storyline has become very messy, because it doesn't seem like Theon could have reached Pyke at the same speed as Sansa reached The Wall, and it's also a little farfetched that he could just get on a boat and walk into Yara's (Gemma Whelan) chambers. Nevertheless, it was nice that the theme of reunion was present throughout the episode – Sansa reunited with Jon, Daenerys reunited with Daario and Jorah, as well as revisiting her past and the person that she was at the end of season one, and Theon reunited with his sister.
Yara didn't seem too pleased to see her brother, but I think that this was a reaction to the fact that: 1) she lost good men when she tried to rescue him; and 2) his sudden re-emergence just before the kingsmoot was poorly timed. Let's not forget that Theon is known for betraying his 'family', the Starks, and has been living with Ramsay who is a psychotic murderer intent on ruling the North. For all Yara knows Theon could be an assassin sent to kill her under the orders of Ramsay, or a contender to rule the Iron Islands intended to cement Ramsay's hold on the North, so she has every right to be suspicious.
Personally, I like the Greyjoy storyline and I'm enjoying seeing more of them on screen, so for me this scene was a positive moment in the episode. The only thing that remains unclear at this point is exactly how Theon thinks that he can be of use to Yara, because the ironborn respect strength above all else. Theon is a lot of things, but right now he definitely isn't strong physically, mentally, or emotionally.
via viralshack.com
Sticking with the North, and sadly for fans of "Harry Potter", Ramsay killed Osha (Natalia Tena). This wasn't a particularly inspired scene, but it was definitely necessary for the plot given that Rickon (Art Parkinson) needs to seem as though he is in a precarious position. The writers don't want him to have any allies in Winterfell because they want the stakes to be as high as possible, so killing Osha off quickly was probably the right thing to do. There was absolutely no reason for the show to keep her around, and I'm glad that the writers didn't drag out the process by having her be tortured or brutalised – we've seen that before and I think that the majority of the audience have been thoroughly desensitised.
A more shocking moment for Ramsay's character in this episode occurred when he wasn't even on screen, as Jon and Sansa read the pink letter aloud in the middle of dinner. The pink letter is sent to Jon in the books before he dies and refers not to Rickon but to "Arya" – not the real Arya (Maisie Williams) for those of you who are wondering how on earth the youngest Stark girl ended up back in Winterfell. It was great to see this moment play out on screen, even if it didn't feel as epic as I would've liked, and the words that were read to the audience were suitably menacing. For those of you with an imagination like mine the content of the letter was also pretty graphic, and it served as a vicious invitation from one bastard to another. The letter sets up the upcoming battle between Jon and Ramsay perfectly, as Jon knows that if he doesn't win then the wildlings, his sister, and his youngest brother, will die painfully. The stakes are as high as they could possibly be, particularly because if the wildlings die then The Wall will be incredibly vulnerable when the White Walkers attack, so the battle is set to be one of the biggest of the series to date.
via ligadoemserie.com
Finally, and perhaps most importantly for fans of Daenerys, The Mother of Dragons took a leaf out of her children's books by burning her enemies alive. She called the leaders of the Dothraki 'small men', which in turn led to Khal Moro (Joe Naufahu) threatening her in a way which was reminiscent of Viserys' (Harry Lloyd) threat back in season one. Daenerys then proceeded to rain fire on him and his vulgar friends, showing that she is more than willing to kill anyone who gets in her way. She presented the men with a choice and they chose wrong – as she said in season four 'they can live in my new world, or die in their old one'.
This was an intriguing scene for a number of reasons, most notably because it marked a significant departure from George R. R. Martin's book series. Martin has previously stated that in the books Daenerys is not immune to fire, but that when she became The Unburnt there were special, presumably magical, circumstances in play. In the TV show it seems like things have been simplified, as it appears that Daenerys is simply impervious to fire in all its forms. I have to say that I personally prefer the direction that the television series is taking as far as this plot point goes, because to me it just makes more sense – although I'm aware that that sounds crazy.
The only issue that I had with this scene was that Khal Moro and the rest of the men inside the temple didn't think to run towards Daenerys after she began to set the place on fire. It makes sense that one or two of them would panic – fire burns after all – but it seems pretty unlikely to me that not one of them thought it would be a good idea to kill the woman before she could cause further damage. In a life-or-death situation it's a matter of fight or flight, and most people will choose flight in that scenario, but these men are Dothraki. They're brutal killers who constantly engage in altercations which could end in their death, so to think they would suddenly lose their minds at the sight of a few flames is just too ridiculous for me to take seriously.
Still, it's exciting to think about what this scene will mean for the series as a whole. Daenerys now has at her disposal: 1) three dragons; 2) the Unsullied; 3) a Dothraki horde; 4) a seasoned politician in Tyrion Lannister; and 5) what remains of Varys' (Conleth Hill) network of spies. She has almost everything that she needs to take King's Landing; all she's missing is a fleet of ships.
So, on the whole I thought that "Book of the Stranger" was a great episode. It wasn't perfect, but even the most critical of fans would have to admit that it contained some of the best moments of the season so far. Moreover, the acting was a lot better than it has been in previous episodes, and the return of Littlefinger was long overdue. The only significant negative was Daario's inclusion, but at least Daenerys' reaction to him was akin to the audience's – i.e. 'go away, I don't need you'. I'm a lot more optimistic about where this season is headed after watching this episode, and I'm looking forward to episode five – "The Door" – next Monday.
Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 3 – "Oathbreaker"
Aidan Gillen, Alliser Thorne, Anton Lesser, Art Parkinson, Arthur Dayne, Arya Stark, Ben Crompton, Beric Dondarrion, Braavos, Bran Stark, Brenock O'Connor, Bronn, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Charles Dance, Cleganebowl, Conleth Hill, Daenerys Targaryen, Davos, Dean-Charles Chapman, Diana Rigg, Emilia Clarke, Faye Marsay, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Six, Gendry, Gilly, GoT, Grand Maester Pycelle, Grey Worm, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, Hannah Murray, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jacob Anderson, Jaime Lannister, Jerome Flynn, Joe Dempsie, John Bradley, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, Julian Glover, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Kristofer Hivju, Lena Headey, Liam Cunningham, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Max von Sydow, Meereen, Melisandre, Missandei, Natalia Tena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ned Stark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Oathbreaker, Olenna Tyrell, Olly, Osha, Owen Teale, Peter Dinklage, Qyburn, Ramsay Bolton, Richard Dormer, Rickon Stark, Rory McCann, Samwell Tarly, Sansa Stark, Shae, Sibel Kekilli, Sophie Turner, The Brotherhood Without Banners, The Citadel, The Dothraki, The High Sparrow, The Hound, The Mountain, The Night's Watch, The Sand Snakes, The Three-Eyed-Raven, The Tower of Joy, The Waif, The Wall, Tommen Baratheon, Tormund Giantsbane, Tyrion Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Varys
This episode of "Game of Thrones" season 6 was my least favourite of the three to be aired thus far. Whilst it would be a decent episode on any other show, in my opinion it was substandard given the level of quality that we've become accustomed to since this series began.
"Oathbreaker" started where the previous episode left off, with a naked Jon Snow (Kit Harington) rising from the dead. I have to say that after such a long build up to this moment I was incredibly disappointed with its lacklustre execution; the dialogue was uninspired, the performances were overstated, and the way that characters acted didn't make sense given how they'd been established in previous episodes. It should've been one of the most memorable moments of the series so far, but instead it felt soulless.
There was no sincerity in Davos (Liam Cunningham) when he spoke to Jon, and Jon didn't seem particularly grateful to be back, so the whole escapade felt flat for me. I'd have also liked shock to have been shown by Davos and Melisandre (Carice van Houten) in a more subtle and considered way, because rather than stumbling on their words or expressing their disbelief they pulled their best 'oh my god' faces and then moved on. I'm not sure when "Game of Thrones" became a soap opera, but that was the standard of this moment.
The next scene at The Wall was equally frustrating, although the conversation between Edd (Ben Crompton) and Jon made it slightly less so. I didn't appreciate the fact that Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) gave Jon a hug, because that isn't the way that a wildling would act, but it was interesting that when Edd looked into Jon's eyes he asked if Jon was still in there. This was intended to remind the audience of previous scenes such as the one in which Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) told Melisandre what being resurrected by the Lord of Light was like – in this scene Beric told Melisandre that each time he came back he was 'a little less', which makes me wonder whether or not Jon will be significantly different now that he's back. That remains to be seen, but I'm looking forward to watching this storyline play out in future episodes.
After this scene we finally got to see what Sam (John Bradley) and Gilly (Hannah Murray) have been up to since the end of last season, and it turns out that they've done very little. We knew that Sam would be heading to the Citadel when Jon allowed him to leave The Wall, and he's still on that journey now. The scene served as a tool to re-establish the dynamic between the two star-crossed lovers and tell the audience what their plans were, so it didn't really do much for me. There was nothing particularly wrong with it, but it could've easily been cut out to give more interesting characters extra screen time.
Then we saw Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) continuing his training with the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow), as he delved into the past in a scene which book readers have been talking about for many years. I didn't dislike this scene, but in my opinion it was weaker than it should've been because of the actors that were involved. I personally didn't feel very attached to Ned Stark because of the actor that was playing him – he didn't look powerful or manly enough for my liking – and (as usual) Isaac Hempstead-Wright's performance was devoid of emotion; it felt more like the work of an amateur drama student than that of a top actor. I also thought that the Three-Eyed Raven's line about learning 'everything' was very cliché, and it reminded me of a comedy sketch from BriTANick (which you should definitely watch on YouTube – just type in 'BriTANick everything' and it will pop up).
Moving south, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is still biding her time with the Dothraki. I've said before that this is a storyline that I'm not interested in, and this is only furthered by the fact that Daenerys doesn't seem to be learning anything by going backwards and revisiting her past. She's so arrogant and sure of herself right now that it's almost sickening, and I'm really starting to dislike her as a character. She doesn't respect anyone else's traditions or views and she belittles them at every turn – just look at what she's done to Meereen.
My biggest problem with her storyline is that it's unclear whether or not this is the angle that the writers are going for – the plot is formed in such a way that Daenerys should be the protagonist, and I feel as though that's what the writers are going for, yet from my perspective she isn't. She isn't likeable, she isn't humble, and she's a conqueror not a liberator. If she takes King's Landing in the state that she's in right now then she'll destroy it!
In Daenerys' absence Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) has been ruling over Meereen, and so far he's had a relatively easy job (compared to the job that Daenerys had). There's not been a lot of resistance, and with Varys (Conleth Hill) taking control of the situation he finds himself making small talk with Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) as though he didn't have a care in the world. It's common on "Game of Thrones" for Tyrion to spend the majority of his time enjoying the sound of his own voice, but usually his friends have something to say back; however, right now only Varys is on his level, so having a meaningful conversation is becoming difficult. This is something which this episode tackled in an attempt to create comedy, as Tyrion tried to play the game that he played with Bronn (Jerome Flynn) and Shae (Sibel Kekilli) in season one with Missandei and Grey Worm, only to be met with confusion and silence. Sadly, this scene wasn't particularly funny, and only served to show that Missandei and Grey Worm are underdeveloped characters.
Elsewhere, in King's Landing Qyburn (Anton Lesser) persuaded Varys' little birds into doing his bidding by offering them candied plums. This was another scene which was designed to reintroduce a character and his role in the story, as having not seen him yet this year it would be easy to forget that he is the Master of Whispers. It wasn't a bad scene, but the fact that the writers are still wasting screen time to reintroduce characters in episode three is worrying, particularly because people like Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) are yet to appear.
One positive aspect of this scene was that Cersei (Lena Headey) revealed her intention to request a trial by combat, something which will have excited book readers aplenty. It's been speculated for a long time that Cersei would request such a trial, and that her champion would be The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), and it looks like that will be the case. The question then is who will The Faith choose as their champion – the prevalent theory is that The Hound (Rory McCann) will come back to fight his brother, in an epic clash that has been foreshadowed since the very start of the series, and I have to say that it's a theory I believe.
via thewrap.com
However, there are other possibilities; in case you'd forgotten, there are two Sand Snakes running around in King's Landing who have a hatred for both Lannisters and The Mountain – after all, the latter killed their father and their aunt. To see one of them fight on behalf of The Faith would be pretty amazing, not only because it would bring Dorne into the wider story, but also because there would be a massive size difference between the two fighters.
After Cersei revealed her plans we saw her, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and The Mountain interrupt a meeting of the Small Council. This was probably the best scene in the episode in terms of dialogue, as the sharp-tongued Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) was brought back into the fold to throw insults at the Lannisters and bring the only genuine laugh of the season so far. It's just a shame that the scene was tarnished by a ridiculous moment in which Grand Maester Pycelle (Julian Glover) farted in fear at the sight of The Mountain. "Game of Thrones" is beloved because of its dark tone, so I can't comprehend why the writers thought that it would be a good idea to lower the tone with such a pointless attempt at producing a cheap laugh. Whoever made that call should be paraded in the streets naked and face a trial by combat – shame.
Next we saw The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) and Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) having a civil chat about Cersei and why she deserves the punishment she's receiving. This scene really pushes the fact that The High Sparrow is so much more than a holy man attempting to rid the world of evil – he's a master manipulator and he preys on the insecurities of those around him to get what he wants. He lets Tommen have his say because he knows that Tommen feels powerless, but then he talks him down by presenting himself as a wise father figure, something that Tommen has never had. He talks about Cersei and Tywin (Charles Dance) as though he cares about them and he tricks Tommen into calming down.
After this, the episode turned its attention to Arya (Maisie Williams) and her journey to become 'No One'. This scene wasn't perfect, but it was definitely my favourite of the episode. Montages are usually a cheap device to tell a story in a swift but still compelling way, and that's clearly the case here, but it works for this storyline because nobody really wanted Arya's blindness to be drawn out. I think what everyone would like is for Arya to leave Braavos immediately, so at least by streamlining her narrative in this way we're getting closer to what we want. It's another story which will feel hollow when it's watched back on DVD, because Arya was only blind for a combined period of about three episodes, but right now it leaves her in a good place.
Moreover, a couple of smart decisions were made in these scenes which I appreciated. Through Arya's conversation with The Waif (Faye Marsay) we were reminded of Rickon at the perfect moment (Art Parkinson) – a character who many will have forgotten all about – and also of The Hound, who may well come back this year. I also liked that she said she was confused when she made the decision to travel to The House of Black and White, as this set up the conflict that will occur in Braavos in future episodes nicely.
However, the fact that Melisandre wasn't on Arya's list annoyed me, because after Gendry (Joe Dempsie) was taken from The Brotherhood Without Banners in season three Arya added The Red Woman to her list, and there's absolutely no reason why she would've removed her name from it.
After Rickon was verbally re-established, he was given to Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) as a gift from The Umbers. It's unclear exactly what Ramsay is going to do to Rickon and Osha (Natalia Tena) at this stage, but it probably won't be much fun for the youngest of the Stark children. By now the audience is pretty desensitised to Ramsay's actions, and we've already seen him do deplorable things to characters we're more interested in than Rickon, but that doesn't mean that this won't be an interesting development in the story. Personally I'd prefer if we didn't see Ramsay torture Rickon at all, because his doing so wouldn't achieve anything, but that might be wishful thinking.
From my perspective, the easiest way to move the plot along using Rickon is to introduce the pink letter, which book readers will know all about. In the books this is a letter that's sent to Jon Snow and it relates to 'Arya', or rather a person who Ramsay claims is Arya. This character's place was taken last year by Sansa (Sophie Turner) but the pink letter didn't appear, so it would be very easy for the writers to introduce it now and use Rickon as the bait to force Jon and the wildlings into battle.
Speaking of Jon, the episode ended with our favourite dead man walking getting revenge on his killers. Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) and Olly (Brenock O'Connor) were hung, to the delight of fans all over the world. It was a very satisfying scene, as two of the most hated characters on the show were killed in a pretty nasty way. Alliser took it in his stride and died honourably, if that's possible for a man who organised the murder of his commanding officer, and Olly stuck to his guns despite the fact that if he'd asked for mercy he probably would've got it. Both men had their reasons for doing what they did, so it was nice that neither of them were willing to apologise.
When the deed was done Jon passed on command of The Night's Watch to Edd, (which explains why the show has been placing the character at the forefront of the storyline in recent times), and announced that his watch had ended. This is contentious, but technically he did die and the vows he made were null and void upon his death (I still think that because the vows say 'for this night and all nights to come' he should be bound to them, but what do I know?). This was a great mic drop moment, and served as a cool way to end the episode, but it's unclear exactly what Jon is going to do with his new found freedom. Hopefully he'll still meet up with Sansa in the near future.
So, that was the episode. Over the course of about fifty minutes a total of eight locations were visited, which in my opinion is a bit excessive. Every episode feels like a battle for screen time between the characters, which for me takes all impact from the show. I like where Arya's story is headed, but because we spend so little time with her each week it's hard to become invested. Nevertheless, I am a harsh critic, and it would be wrong of me to say that there weren't moments in this episode that I enjoyed. I thought that the final three scenes (Arya's, Ramsay's, and the execution) were quite good, and the episode definitely improved as it went on. However, if the season continues in this disjointed manner then it will definitely be my least favourite of the show so far.
Game of Thrones: Season Six, Episode 2 – "Home"
Alfie Allen, Alliser Thorne, Arya Stark, Braavos, Bran Stark, Brenock O'Connor, Carice van Houten, Castle Black, Cersei Lannister, Conleth Hill, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Drogon, Elizabeth Webster, Euron Greyjoy, Fat Walda Frey, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Five, Game of Thrones Season Six, GoT, Grey Worm, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, Home, Ian Whyte, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jacob Anderson, Jaime Lannister, Jon Snow, Jon Snow's Resurrection, Jonathan Pryce, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Kristofer Hivju, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Meereen, Melisandre, Michael McElhatton, Missandei, Nathalie Emmanuel, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Oberyn Martell, Owen Teale, Pedro Pascal, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Ramsay Bolton, Richard Madden, Robb Stark, Roose Bolton, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Television, The High Sparrow, The Mountain, The Night's Watch, The Wall, The Wildlings, Theon Greyjoy, Tommen Baratheon, Tormund Giantsbane, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Varys, Wun Wun
the verge.com
"Home", the second episode of the sixth season of "Game of Thrones", was definitely a crowd-pleaser. It was an incredibly busy episode filled with three or four great moments, and I have to say that I enjoyed it a lot. Interesting characters were introduced and reintroduced, two massive players in the game were killed by their kin, and the moment that everyone has been talking about over the past year finally happened.
However, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration at the fact that this episode was significantly less structured than the season premiere. Scenes in which Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) talked about his intended pursuit of Sansa (Sophie Turner) were followed by the latter character appearing on screen, and scenes in which Theon (Alfie Allen) spoke about going home were juxtaposed by the appearance of the Iron Islands, but it still had a disjointed feel about it as a whole. Personally, I prefer episodes which centre on a specific storyline and have other characters appear to complement it, which was the norm in earlier seasons, so episodes like this one test my patience. Nevertheless, the plethora of exciting scenes in "Home" went some way to making up for the lack of focus, and it was a very entertaining hour of television.
As predicted, the episode began with everyone's least favourite character, Bran, as Isaac Hempstead-Wright did his best Undertaker impression by rolling his eyes into the back of his head and pretending to have a vision – this scene was incredibly awkward and I couldn't take the young actor seriously. Moreover, the fact that we are going to learn more about Jon Snow's (Kit Harington) parentage through Bran is something that I find extremely worrying, because his presence in this important moment could very well ruin it for everyone.
After this excruciatingly average opening scene the episode got back on track as Wun Wun (Ian Whyte) charged through the gates of Castle Black, allowing his fellow wildlings to capture Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) and seize control of The Night's Watch. This was a cool but very convenient scene, and I think that most people will have been internally cheering as they saw the mutinous men of The Night's Watch become prisoners. Nevertheless, I felt that the execution of the scene was slightly clumsy, especially when Olly (Brenock O'Connor) charged at Tormund (Kristofer Hivju).
The episode then took a trip away from the snow to King's Landing, where Robert Strong (The Mountain, played by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) killed a man by bashing his head against a wall, much like Wun Wun had done in the previous scene. I enjoyed watching this moment play out, but I'm not really sure what its purpose in the episode was other than to reintroduce the character. We already know that a man of that size can kill another man with his bare hands – we saw him do it back in season four (R.I.P. Oberyn (Pedro Pascal)) – so it didn't really need to happen.
This was followed by a scene in which Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) expressed his guilt at allowing his mother to be paraded in the streets like a common whore, which was interesting. I think we'd all like to see Tommen become more assertive in upcoming episodes, particularly because he's probably going to die at some point (he might as well go out with a bang), so I'm glad that he's voicing his frustration at being powerless in his position – hopefully he does something about it and doesn't just get Cersei to do it for him.
via dnaindia.com
We then saw Jaime's (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) altercation with The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce), a moment which I'd been looking forward to ever since the season six trailer was released. I thought this was a great scene; the dialogue was sharp, the performances were strong, and we were afforded an insight into The High Sparrow's end game. Whilst he pretends to be a godly man with righteous intentions, he wants to play the game – perhaps more so than most characters in the "Game of Thrones" universe – which is apparent when he says 'together we can overthrow an empire'.
Next, after a brief scene in which Tommen asked his mother for help, the episode turned its attention to Meereen. Here another moment from the trailer appeared, as Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) explained that drinking and knowing things are his two best attributes, and because of his prowess in the latter he thought that freeing Daenerys' (Emilia Clarke) caged dragons was a good idea.
The logic here wasn't completely convincing, because although it was great to see the show's best character interacting with dragons, he never should've gone down there without Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) or Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson). It was established in the scene that the dragons saw Missandei as a friend, and Tyrion used this as an argument for setting the dragons free, but then surely the best course of action would've been to bring Missandei along as a show of good faith. Instead, Tyrion brought Varys (Conleth Heath), a man who an intelligent creature would never trust.
The scene might've still worked had the writers painted it in such a way that Tyrion was still down on life and had a death wish, because then it would seem as though he was willing to die if it meant interacting with dragons at least once in his life, but this wasn't established and the moment therefore felt unearned.
I'm aware that we don't know everything about dragons, and it does seem as though they are pretty intelligent, but that didn't stop Drogon from burning an innocent girl alive in season four did it? The reason that the dragons were chained up in the first place was that they were dangerous and had the potential to kill innocent people, so it seems a bit ridiculous to then say that they are smart enough to only kill their enemies.
Still, the CGI in this scene was brilliant, as was Peter Dinklage's performance. I loved his story about wanting a dragon for his Name Day when he was a child, and I thought it was very cool that the dragons seemed to be listening to him. I liked the scene, (which might seem strange given the two paragraphs of criticism that you've just read), I just didn't like the set-up and thought it could've easily been improved. Even if Tyrion is a Targaryen, a theory which this scene gave more weight to, it doesn't change the fact that the thought process behind his going to set the dragons free (without Missandei or Grey Worm) was idiotic, and would never have been condoned by Varys.
When Tyrion set the dragons free and made another bad joke, the stage was set for a brief Arya (Maisie Williams) cameo. Just like last week, I thought that Maisie Williams did an admirable job of playing a blind character, and I thought that she made Arya seem both vulnerable and dangerous. Of course, right now she isn't very scary because she hasn't mastered the art of fighting without the ability to see, but Williams portrayed the rage that is bubbling beneath the surface in Arya and it's only a matter of time before she releases it. It was a short scene, but it was still one of my favourite moments of the episode – plus, it wasn't flawed in any way which made it stand out for me.
Next we found Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) and Roose (Michael McElhatton) discussing tactics, in a scene which saw Ramsay turn from antagonist to protagonist for all of five seconds. After being called a mad dog by his father, Ramsay stood motionless with hatred in his eyes and calculated his next move. Still, as crazy as he is I don't think that he was going to kill his father right then and there, that is, until it was revealed that his brother had been born.
From that moment it was pretty obvious what Ramsay was going to do. It was nice that Roose died by getting stabbed in the belly, because it was very reminiscent of the way that he killed Robb Stark (Richard Madden) back in season three, but I would've liked to have been able to savour the moment for a little while longer. To see such an evil character die in such an abrupt way was a little disappointing from my perspective, as was the way in which 'Fat Walda' Frey (Elizabeth Webster) died with her new born child in her arms. I know a lot of people found that scene shocking and horrible, and maybe it would've been if we actually saw it happen, but all that we saw was Iwan Rheon's blank expression as clearly artificial sound effects got progressively louder. As far as I'm concerned, this was a pretty underwhelming moment and a merciful death as opposed to being flayed alive.
Once this nastiness passed, we as an audience were afforded a brief moment of joy. Sansa (Sophie Turner) forgave Theon (Alfie Allen) for the crimes he committed in season two, and for a moment the world was a brighter place. It was a lovely scene on a show which is filled with pain, and both actors sold me on what was happening on screen. Theon leaving the group is a shame because he doesn't have anywhere safe to go, but I think he did what he did because he thought it was what was best for Sansa, which made the moment all the more heart-warming. I just hope that he doesn't end up with Ramsay again, although after Euron's (Pilou Asbæk) awesome introduction I don't think that the Iron Islands are that much safer than Winterfell.
Finally, the episode ended at The Wall, just as it did in episode one. Here, the worst kept secret in television history finally happened, much to the excitement of fans around the world. Jon Snow came back in a scene that was reminiscent of the moment when Bran woke up from his coma in season one. I loved how the scene was drawn out to make audience members wonder whether or not he was really going to wake up, because after a year of speculation it would've been fitting for a show like "Game of Thrones" to parade the possibility in its fans' faces just to say 'nope'. In my opinion, that would've been one of the greatest moments in the history of television, especially if the episode then ended with Jon's body burning, but alas it wasn't to be.
via inverse.com
Like most people, I'm glad that Jon is back – he's clearly integral to the story and he'll have a huge part to play in the war to come. Additionally, the Tower of Joy flashback is going to appear in episode three and Sansa is on her way to The Wall, so his presence is going to be vital for other storylines. However, I wasn't very enamoured by the way that the showrunners handled his resurrection and I feel that he's been brought back far too soon. I'm aware that there are only so many episodes left for the showrunners to tell the story that they are planning to tell, and perhaps Jon had to be brought back so that they had enough time to get through their material, but this is a bigger problem rather than an accentuating circumstance. They've been rushing their story along ever since the end of season four, and it's getting really annoying.
When I watch the whole series back from start to finish, as I do every year before the start of a new season, Jon Snow will only be dead for one episode. One episode. As a collective audience we've had to wait for a year for Jon's resurrection so of course it seems natural that he should be back now, but in reality it's pretty ridiculous. The least that the showrunners could've done was left Jon's storyline out of episode two completely, perhaps replacing his scenes with Daenerys' from episode three, so that we all had to bite our nails for another week.
Overall, I thought that this was an enjoyable episode of "Game of Thrones". For most people it will have been amazing simply because a lot of significant things happened, and of course, because Jon Snow was resurrected. However, it fell short in a few areas for me because whilst I agree that Tyrion speaking with the dragons, Roose dying, and Jon coming back, were massive moments, they were also imperfect. My favourite scenes in the episode were actually those of Arya, Euron, and Jaime because they were well-executed and the performances were solid. I'm glad that the majority of fans loved "Home", and I liked it, but I felt that it could have easily been better.
Game of Thrones: Season Six Premiere – "The Red Woman"
Alexander Siddig, Alliser Thorne, Arya Stark, Balon Greyjoy, Beric Dondarrion, Braavos, Brienne of Tarth, Carice van Houten, Castle Black, Catelyn Stark, Cersei Lannister, Conleth Hill, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Davos Seaworth, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dorne, Dothraki, Ed Skrein, Ellaria Sand, Emilia Clarke, Euron Greyjoy, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Six, George RR Martin, GoT, Gwendoline Christie, Iain Glen, Indira Varma, Iwan Rheon, Jaime Lannister, Jessica Henwick, Joe Naufahu, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, Jorah Mormont, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Khal Drogo, Khal Moro, King's Landing, Lena Headey, Liam Cunningham, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Meereen, Melisandre, Michael McElhatton, Michelle Fairley, Michiel Huisman, Myrcella Baratheon, Natalie Dormer, Nell Tiger Free, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Nymeria Sand, Obara Sand, Owen Teale, Patrick Malahide, Paul Kaye, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Prince Doran, Ramsay Bolton, Reek, Richard Dormer, Roose Bolton, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Stannis Baratheon, Stephen Dillane, Television, The Iron Throne, The Lord of Light, The Night's Watch, The Red Woman, The Sand Snakes, The Sons of the Harpy, The Wall, Theon Greyjoy, Thoros of Myr, Toby Sebastian, Tommen Baratheon, Trystane Martell, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Varys, Winterfell, Xena
This review contains spoilers for everything that has happened on the show so far, including the events of this episode.
"The Red Woman" was one of the most anticipated episodes of television in recent history. People have been talking for months about the future of Jon Snow (Kit Harington), and speculating what's next for their favourite characters given that "Game of Thrones" has finally caught up to George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series.
The episode itself had to balance a number of characters, meaning that although it lasted for an hour, it felt as though it had been on for all of ten minutes when the credits rolled. It was a strong season opener, but it could've done with a bit more focus and more thoughtful writing.
The episode began where season five finished, with Jon Snow's corpse lying in the snow. Ghost's cries of anguish at his master's death were mirrored by fans as they saw that the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch really was dead, and that if he's coming back it won't be any time soon. The scene itself was fine, but it left me with one nagging question in my mind – why was the body left there? Was it a 'we're in charge' gesture or a plot hole? We all know that men of the Night's Watch are wary of the dead being resurrected as wights, so leaving a dead body lying around inside Castle Black seems like an unnecessary risk. Such an oversight felt like a convenience for the writers to allow Jon Snow to come back, rather than an understandable decision by the characters in the "Game of Thrones" universe.
Melisandre (Carice van Houten) made her entrance almost immediately, entering the makeshift tomb of Jon Snow to speak to Davos (Liam Cunningham). She expressed confusion at the sight of the dead man and explained to the group surrounding the body that she had seen him in the flames fighting at Winterfell, with a look of anguish on her face which explained just how much her faith had been tested by the events of the previous season.
Melisandre's words gave weight to the theory that Jon Snow will come back this season, because many people thought that they could see Jon fighting at Winterfell in the trailer, and we know from that trailer that the Boltons will face a battle at some point this season. Furthermore, it is likely that at some point the White Walkers will get past The Wall, so Jon could fight them at Winterfell to bring Melisandre's vision to life. Either way, it seems like a strange specification on the part of the writers to have Melisandre say exactly what she saw in the flames if that isn't then going to come true.
This scene was followed by another at Castle Black, as we saw Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) placating a crowd of outraged Night's Watch men following Jon's death. He told them that he had performed the act along with the other officers, and that he did so for the sake of the Watch, not for his own selfish reasons. This wasn't a particularly hard sell, which was slightly annoying, but the men at The Wall are murderers, rapists, and thieves, so to convince them probably wouldn't be that difficult (particularly when they know that if they disagree with him he might stab them to death).
It's hard to argue against his leadership skills or his rationale here, but he clearly misses the bigger picture. Jon Snow was one of the few people who had seen what the Night's King was capable of, and he was also able to bring the wildlings on side, which is obviously going to be important if The Wall is to stand. I can understand why Thorne doesn't see this, because he's been fighting against the wildlings for the majority of his life, but when he says that Jon would've been the end of the Night's Watch he must also realise that trying to take on an army of the dead with only 50-ish men would lead to the same sad outcome.
After the initial scenes at the Wall we travelled to Winterfell, where we saw Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) share a sincere moment with the body of Myranda (Charlotte Hope). He explained his love for her and told her that he would avenge her death, and this scene served to show that whilst Ramsay is the most evil character on the show (move over Night's King), he does have feelings. Those feelings ended up being used for comedic effect when Ramsay said that the body should be fed to the hounds, but it added another dimension to his character nonetheless.
This scene was then followed by another at Winterfell in which Roose (Michael McElhatton) and Ramsay had a heart-warming father-son conversation… or not. They spoke about Sansa (Sophie Turner) and how they desperately needed to get her back in order to cement their hold on The North, and Roose made a veiled threat to Ramsay that if he didn't solve the problem then his unborn child would take Ramsay's place as heir to The North. The scene was mostly a reminder for the audience of what happened last year, but it also explained what the Bolton's motivations would be for the rest of the season, and suggested that at some point this season Ramsay and Roose may actually come to blows.
After hearing about how important Sansa is to the Bolton cause, we watched on as she ran as far away from Ramsay as she could, accompanied by Theon (Alfie Allen). The scene itself was quite good, with Sophie Turner looking mesmerising in the snow, but some aspects of it didn't make a lot of sense. Personally, I thought that the Bolton soldiers were quite tame when they found the pair, because although they were given orders to find them and bring them back to Winterfell they could've roughed them up a bit. Roose isn't a nice man and neither is Ramsay, so presumably their soldiers would follow suit and take pleasure in the pain of others.
Nevertheless, I liked how Theon did something heroic for once because I've grown very tired of the Reek angle. I actually thought that his moment of bravery would've been a great way for him to die on the series, because it would've been redemptive given that he would've died for the Starks whom he had previously let down. I still think that his transformation has felt forced and happened far too quickly, but it makes sense that the writers would fast-track his storyline as fans of the series are pretty sick of seeing him act like a coward.
Another character who finally did something positive for the Starks was Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), who saved Sansa's life and went some way to fulfilling the oath she made to Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) back in season two. Many of the reviews that I've read have cited this as an emotional moment and their favourite part of the episode, but I have to say that personally I wasn't affected by it. I liked the music that was playing in the build up to the scene, and I thought that Gwendoline Christie's performance was great – her intensity in action sequences is always fantastic – but it didn't really get me. It felt like a scene which will be significant going forward, but it also felt a little bit too convenient for my liking.
In King's Landing, Cersei (Lena Headey) had to deal with the loss of her daughter, as Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) returned from Dorne with Myrcella's (Nell Tiger Free) corpse and a soon-to-be-dead Trystane (Toby Sebastian). Lena Headey's performance in this scene was perfect, as we saw the joy turn to ash in her mouth (Tyrion's (Peter Dinklage) promise was finally fulfilled as he inadvertently caused his niece's death by sending her to Dorne in the first place) when she realised that she was going to see her daughter again, but not as a lively young woman, rather, as a lifeless body. She was as excited as I think we've ever seen her when she heard that a ship was returning from Dorne, even though she tried to hide it, but she ended up looking more broken than she was at the end of her walk of shame.
The conversation which followed between Cersei and Jaime wasn't very powerful, at least not in my opinion, but I thought the performances were pretty good. It's not that I didn't like the scene, but these days I find it hard to take Jaime seriously when he's talking about destroying his enemies, given that he's no longer a great fighter and he's grown a conscience.
I did think that it was interesting to gain insight into Cersei's thoughts about the Maggie the Frog prophecy, because last season it played a huge role in her behaviour towards Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and also informed her decision to have Jaime go to get Myrcella back. Having her verbally address this in the episode explained to the audience that the flashback we saw last season was important and played a significant role in Cersei's poor decision making, in a sense making the prophecy self-fulfilling, and the fact that Cersei was so willing to accept the validity of that prophecy represented a shift in her personality; from a position of control to one of self-pity, vulnerability, and perhaps most importantly – shame.
Skipping over the throwaway scene in which The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) and one of his annoying henchman played good-cop-bad-cop with Margaery, the next important scene of the episode took place in Dorne. Last season Dorne didn't go down very well with fans – it felt disconnected from the rest of the show so nobody could get behind Jaime's rescue mission, especially because we never really got a feel for Myrcella as a character.
However, this episode has given Dorne a chance, because what we saw was probably the best moment in the setting so far. To see Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) kill Prince Doran (Alexander Siddig) was a real shock to me and I suspect everyone else, because this is something that hasn't happened yet in the book series and also because Doran was the brother of Ellaria's former lover Oberyn (Pedro Pascal). I was personally expecting Ellaria to be the one who got killed off in Dorne, as Doran had warned her last year that any further treason would be punished severely, but instead we saw a brutal and memorable death scene involving a not-yet-explored character.
I have to say that on the story side of things the scene was a little bit strange, because Ellaria basically killed Oberyn's brother in an effort to avenge him, but at least this scene will bring Dorne into the fold and possibly start a war with the Lannisters. I'd be interested to know whether or not these murders were a reaction to Dorne's reception last year, or if they are a storyline which will happen in the books that the show has shot forward to, but this remains to be seen. It feels like the former to me, because I don't think that you cast someone like Alexander Siddig if you know that the character he is going to playing will be given barely any screen time… but I could be wrong.
With Prince Doran dead, the episode then showed us all just what the Sand Snakes are capable of, as they brutally disposed of Trystane as though he was a fly that needed swatting. I still don't know exactly how they made it onto the boat that Trystane was on, because it seems like it would've been difficult to hide on such a long journey, so maybe they went on a separate boat… maybe. It's not particularly clear right now so I hope that they address the issue in order to ensure that this admittedly cool scene makes sense going forward.
I'm also not sure what the timeline is meant to be, because the episode was filmed in such a way that it seemed as though Trystane died after Prince Doran, but surely the Sand Snakes couldn't have known exactly when to kill him because they were miles away and there was no form of communication to get a message across. This isn't necessarily a problem, but how could they be sure that Prince Doran would condemn Ellaria's actions? If the plot was in place from the moment that Ellaria kissed Myrcella with poison on her lips then a situation could've occurred where killing Trystane would've jeopardised their overall plan. I suppose the point I'm making is that either: 1) the plan wasn't fool-proof, or 2) the plan hasn't been properly explained yet on the show.
In any case, this scene has breathed life into an otherwise dying storyline, and I'm excited to see what the Sand Snakes get up to over the course of the season. Hopefully Nymeria (Jessica Henwick) and Obara (Keisha Castle-Hughes) will remain in and around King's Landing, causing all sorts of mayhem and killing their enemies. Maybe they could kill Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) so that we can have a more exciting king on the throne?
Over in Meereen, Tyrion and Varys (Conleth Hill) are ruling over a city which is in tatters after the attack on the fighting pits by the Sons of the Harpy. The people live in fear and the whole place is on the verge of a revolution, which is made all the more problematic by the fact that we see a red priest preaching to peasants on the streets. We all know from experience that red priests/priestesses can be extremely dangerous, so the Lord of Light could prove to be another unwanted complication for Tyrion as he attempts to keep the peace between the masters and their former slaves.
Watching Peter Dinklage and Conleth Hill play-off each other has been great ever since they started to become friendly back in season two, but in this instance I could've done without the comedy that the writers forced into the scene. We've heard 'Varys is a eunuch' jokes before so having Tyrion make fun of him for not having any genitals wasn't exactly inspired, particularly because it was a completely pointless bit of dialogue. There was also a weird joke made about Tyrion not being well-spoken in Valyrian which felt all too similar to a joke which was intended to make the same point at the end of season five. Neither of these jokes felt necessary and neither made me laugh – I want to take events in Meereen seriously this year and joking around just doesn't help.
Nevertheless, the fact that there was a mention of Varys' little birds and their mission to find out who the leader of the Sons of the Harpy is got me back on board, because when this person is finally revealed it should be a high point of the season. Hopefully it's someone who we already know.
It will also be interesting to see what's done about the boats in Meereen after they were all destroyed in this episode, because Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) can't simply fly to King's Landing on her own atop Drogo and expect to take the city. She needs her army and they need ships. This could be where Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) comes into the wider story, because he must have some sort of role in the big picture for him to be cast so late in the game, and we all know that The Greyjoys like two things, power and ships – they have one of these, and if they help Daenerys take the Iron Throne then they could very well get the other. Balon (Patrick Malahide) has previously said that he doesn't want to help someone else take the Iron Thorne because the Greyjoys take what is theirs by force, but he might not be around for very much longer. This is all speculation, but it does make a lot of sense.
Speaking of things that make sense, wouldn't it be great if all the storylines on the show were well-conceived and thought out? Well, they aren't. Jorah (Iain Glen) and Daario's (Michiel Huisman) scene was by far the worst of the episode, as they magically followed Daenerys' tracks, found a ring in the middle of nowhere, and generally annoyed me to a point where I felt like turning off my TV. The scene, at least in my opinion, didn't feel like it belonged on "Game of Thrones" – it felt more like something out of "Xena: Warrior Princess" from back in the day.
I have to admit that I haven't been a fan of Daario ever since Ed Skrein was replaced by Michiel Huisman at the start of season four, but it wasn't just Huisman's performance that made the scene painful to watch. For one, I really didn't like that Jorah took a look at his greyscale again; 1) because Daario didn't question the fact that he randomly stopped, and 2) because its sole purpose was to remind the audience about the disease. It played no other role in the narrative and will be quite jarring when binge-watching the DVD's because he does it more than once in the space of a couple of episodes for no apparent reason. The whole scene was awful.
I also wasn't particularly fond of Daenerys' battle of wits with the Dothraki leader, Khal Moro (Joe Naufahu), although at least it gave us an insight into what she'll be up to for the first few episodes of the season. It's not that any of the performances were particularly terrible in this scene, but for me Daenerys was far too assertive given that her petulance could've got her killed and basically ruined the entire show. She might feel more powerful than in previous seasons, but in fact she's in the same position that she was in when the story began, with no allies, no dragons to be seen, and seemingly no common sense. The audience knew that Daenerys was in no real danger, but the character should've acted as though she thought that she was. Plus, we've seen Daenerys listen in on a foreign tongue before only to reveal that she in fact speaks it fluently, so there was nothing particularly surprising for us when she started speaking in Dothraki to the new Khal.
A scene which I did enjoy was Arya's (Maisie Williams). It was a short scene, but as she sat on the streets of Braavos begging for change, trying to come to terms with life as a blind and faceless woman, I was captivated. Maisie Williams was incredibly expressive despite the fact that her eyes were clouded over, and she sold me on the idea that Arya was blind. I just hope that Williams gets enough screen time in future episodes to really push this storyline, because Arya has the potential to once again be one of the best characters on "Game of Thrones", provided that she's given the chance.
Finally, the episode took us all back to the Wall to end where the episode had begun, and for some reason Alliser Thorne thought that he could defeat Stannis Baratheon's (Stephen Dillane) right-hand-man with idle words and false promises. He politely offered a pardon to any man who would put down his sword and leave the room… an offer which nobody in their right mind would accept because Thorne had just stabbed his commanding officer to death in cold blood. Still, Davos replied politely, staying put in the room and mentioning that Melisandre could be of help if he and the men of the Night's Watch were going to protect Jon's body whilst staying alive. This season Davos looks like he's finally going to be a leader on the show, something which he's shown he has the mind for ever since he was first introduced, so I'm excited to see what he will achieve in the next nine episodes.
After Davos mentioned The Red Woman, we were treated to a scene which will surely quash fantasies the world over. Melisandre looked into the fire with pain etched on her face, before standing in front of a mirror and looking at her reflection with sadness in her eyes. She then proceeded to disrobe and take off her necklace, which made me roll my eyes because I didn't understand why she needed to be naked… until she was naked. Melisandre, one of the most beautiful characters on the show, became an old crone with wrinkles upon wrinkles, white hair like string modestly covering her head, and posture that makes the Hunchback of Notre Dame look like an Olympic athlete.
She became the opposite of what she has been since the first episode of season two, as the scene showcased her true form, and marked a symbolic transformation for the character. We saw that The Red Woman had been broken by Stannis' death and that she was losing who she was; we saw that for all her trickery and power she is still as vulnerable as any other character on the show. The Red Woman is The Red Woman – the beautiful and powerful priestess we've seen throughout the series – but Melisandre is something more. Her beauty and her strength have been representative of her power from day one, but now we see that both of these aspects of her persona are false.
What this will mean for her in the future is unclear, but it seems like a focus for the season will be the humbling and subsequent rising up of characters (Sansa, Arya etc.), so maybe Melisandre will get a similar arc and perhaps regain her confidence by resurrecting Jon Snow. If you remember back in season three Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye) (the red priest who had resurrected Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) several times) spoke to Melisandre about his crisis of faith, and how when things seemed darkest the Lord of Light showed himself through the resurrection of Beric. Perhaps this scene will take on greater significance now that Melisandre is losing her faith.
This episode was called "The Red Woman" for a reason, as the final scene placed Melisandre at the forefront of the series, changing every scene that she has been involved in so far. Initially she was a wildcard for Stannis – she could do amazing things, but he didn't even take her to the battle of Blackwater, and by all accounts he valued Davos' opinion more than hers. With Stannis gone, Melisandre can actually be seen as the main character in their storyline, with every scene involving Stannis playing a part in her development up to this point rather than his.
Overall, "The Red Woman" was a flawed but enjoyable hour of television, which was epitomised by the fact that the final scene was excellent yet marred by a continuity error (which I have intentionally ignored because I feel that it has unfairly become the main talking point of the episode). It had to juggle a lot of characters, which it did admirably, but I think that the short amount of time spent with certain characters like Tyrion and Margaery meant that their scenes lost a lot of their intended impact. I loved the ending, and I thought that the scene in Dorne was great, but there were plenty of moments which could've been improved. It was a good start, but I hope that future episodes focus more on one or two characters so that narratives can be properly explored and enjoyed.
Game of Thrones: Season Six Preview – Part Two
Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Alliser Thorne, Arya Stark, Balon Greyjoy, Braavos, Bran Stark, Breaking Bad, Brienne of Tarth, Carice van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Cleganebowl, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dorne, Dothraki, Dragons, Drogon, Ellaria Sand, Emilia Clarke, Euron Greyjoy, Finn Jones, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Five, Game of Thrones Season Six, George RR Martin, Gregor Clegane, Gwendoline Christie, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, Hizdahr, Ian McShane, Indira Varma, Jaime Lannister, Jaqen H'ghar, Joel Fry, John Bradley, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, Jorah Mormont, Khal Drogo, King's Landing, Kingsmoot, Kit Harington, Laura Pradelska, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Loras Tyrell, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Mark Addy, Meereen, Melisandre, Natalie Dormer, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Patrick Malahide, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Qarth, Quaithe, Ramsay Bolton, Richard Madden, Robb Stark, Robert Baratheon, Robert Strong, Roose Bolton, Rory McCann, Sandor Clegane, Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner, Spain, Stannis Baratheon, Stephen Dillane, Television, Television Review, The Faith Militant, The Gravedigger Theory, The Greyjoys, The High Sparrow, The Hound, The Mountain, The Red Woman, The Sand Snakes, The Sons of the Harpy, The Unsullied, Theon Greyjoy, TV, TV Review, Tyrion Lannister
This preview will contain spoilers for everything that has happened on the series so far, as well as some book plot points that haven't appeared on the show and two well-documented fan theories.
The Greyjoys
The Greyjoys haven't really been done justice on the show so far, with Theon's (Alfie Allen) resentment of his father and jealously of his sister being our main connection to their storyline. This year it seems like this might change, as Euron (played by Pilou Asbæk), the younger brother of Theon's father Balon (Patrick Malahide), has been introduced. (SPOILER ALERT) In the books Balon dies in a fall, but there's speculation that in fact his death was an assassination at the hands of Euron, which is all but confirmed by the season six trailer. This, as well as the kingsmoot which will follow, could make the Greyjoys a much more important family on the show than they have been in previous seasons.
The first thing that comes into everyone's minds when they think of King's Landing is the ongoing battle between Cersei (Lena Headey) and The Faith Militant's conniving leader The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). Last year's shaming ceremony was clearly a big deal for both characters, and it will likely start a war between them in upcoming episodes – still, that war will probably be fought mainly by Robert Strong, aka Zombie Mountain (Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson), and the Sparrow's many followers.
What many people forget when they think about what will be happening in King's Landing this year is that at the end of last season Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) witnessed his daughter/niece die due to a kiss of death from Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma), which will probably be a more immediate issue when this season opens. I don't think that Cersei is going to be very happy when her lover/brother returns home from Dorne with her daughter's corpse accompanying him, so revenge will definitely be on the cards.
There's also the small issue of the Tyrells, with Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and Loras (Finn Jones) both sitting in a cell. From the trailers it looks like Jaime is going to try to help the Tyrell army in forcing their release, but there's still going to be a lot of resentment between Margaery and Cersei when the pair are both free. (It seems pretty obvious that Margaery is going to be freed at some point this year because Natalie Dormer has talked about filming in Spain, and filming in Spain wouldn't be very practical if she's just going to be sitting in a dark room for the majority of the season).
Cersei just isn't going to have a great time of it this year unless she has a hell of a lot of luck, because whilst she has a man-mountain (pun intended) as a protector, she also has enemies everywhere and an upcoming trial. The main fan theory relating to this trial is usually called the Cleganebowl, and relates to a possible trial by combat between The Mountain, and his possibly dead brother, The Hound (Rory McCann). The idea here is that Cersei would want to avoid a real trial because she knows that she can't sway The High Sparrow with riches or cripple him with fear, and would therefore request a trial by combat believing that The Mountain was unstoppable. The faith would then need a champion, with The Hound being a perfect choice if he is still alive because 1) he's a great fighter, and 2) he'll want to kill his malevolent older brother.
Of course, in the season four finale it was suggested that Sandor Clegane would succumb to his injuries at the hands of Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), but if fans of the series are to be believed then our favourite Clegane brother is very much alive. The theory that I am referring to here is known as the gravedigger theory, and has been given extra weight by the fact that actor Ian McShane (recently cast on the show) has reportedly said that he will resurrect a well-known character this year. The obvious choice would be Jon Snow (Kit Harington), but it's pretty obvious that he isn't the character that McShane is talking about, otherwise we'd be talking about a highly publicised law suit.
Tyrion in Meereen
In Meereen things have been getting pretty hectic, so I'm hoping that this year they settle down with Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) in charge. I know that the Sons of the Harpy will still be in full swing, trying to oust control back for themselves, but that doesn't mean that things can't be a little more political than they were last season.
We don't know a whole lot about what Tyrion is going to be doing this year, other than trying to rule in Daenerys' stead (Emilia Clarke), but we do know that he's going to come face to face with two very angry caged dragons. The trailer also appears to show that there will be a new Red Woman introduced to the story in Meereen, which could be really cool. For me, this is probably the most interesting aspect of the story this season, because it's something new and I have literally no idea what kind of character she's going to be. Will she be working with or against Tyrion? Is she going to be tied to other events on the show from the past? I just don't know, and I can't wait to find out.
Daenerys vs. The Dothraki
Finally, we have Daenerys, stumbling her way towards the Iron Throne by flying thousands of miles away in the wrong direction. The scene in the fighting pits last year was one of the most exciting and important yet on "Game of Thrones", as it proved that Daenerys has a hold of her most powerful dragon and that that dragon isn't yet large enough to conquer a kingdom.
However, it also left the main contender to the Iron Throne stranded, and at the mercy of a Dothraki horde. Still, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, because in the books Quaithe (played briefly on the show by Laura Pradelska when Daenerys was in Qarth) cryptically tells Daenerys that 'to go north… [she] must go south, to reach the west… [she] must go east. To go forward… [she] must go back and to touch the light… [she] must pass beneath the shadow'. This could mean that Daenerys' backpedalling will be her salvation, and bring her one step closer to the Iron Throne, because she really is right back where she started.
It's unclear right now exactly how being with the Dothraki again will help Daenerys, but she could make a similar sort of deal to the one that her brother made back in season one, offering herself in marriage to the new Khal in order to gain an army with which to cross the Narrow Sea. This would still be as dangerous to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms as it was when Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) was in charge; especially given that Daenerys now also has three dragons and an army of Unsullied by her side.
It would make a lot of sense if Daenerys did propose marriage to the new Khal, because last year she proved that this is something that she is willing to do to improve her chances at taking the Iron Throne, as she married Hizdahr (Joel Fry) despite the fact that she detested him. This would also explain why Hizdahr was killed off so unceremoniously in episode nine of season five.
Nevertheless, it does appear that at the start of the season the Dothraki will mistreat Daenerys – although their actions on the trailer seem tame given their nature – which will probably enrage Drogon, who we know will be flying around the area. What this will mean is again unclear, but I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a Dothraki BBQ at some point in season six. If this does happen then it wouldn't necessarily mean that the Dothraki would turn against Daenerys and refuse to back her claim for the Iron Throne, because we know from experience that the Dothraki respect power above all else, and having your dragon-baby burn your enemies alive is a pretty clear display of strength.
My Thoughts on Season Six and The Possibility of Seasons Seven and Eight Being Shortened to Eight Episodes Each
via buzzfeed.com
With talk of characters and their journeys this season out of the way, I'd like to address a couple of things that perhaps the mainstream "Game of Thrones" audience won't be aware of right now. The first is that there has been a suggestion that the final two seasons of the show – seasons seven and eight – will be cut down to eight episodes each, sort of in the vein of "Breaking Bad" and its final season. This is a big decision, because it would mean that we as an audience got less "Game of Thrones" than we were expecting, and that storylines would have to be streamlined to allow the main narrative to progress naturally (which I would probably find disappointing from a personal perspective).
However, if this is a creative decision which best serves the story then I'm all for it! The only thing that really matters to me personally is that every character gets the right amount of screen time, and that the series has a significant pay-off at the end, which could still happen in 16 episodes + the 10 that we'll get this season. Nonetheless, there are a lot of story arcs to wrap up on the show, and I have to admit that I'm a little worried that 26 episodes isn't enough time to give everyone's story a respectable conclusion – the last thing that I want is for the rest of the characters to face the same lacklustre end as Stannis (Stephen Dillane) did in season five.
I have to say that I still think that putting the finale on the big screen would be the best way to end the series, and would make everyone involved a tonne of money, but the rational side of me doesn't believe that this will happen because HBO gets a lot of its money from a subscription model in the US.
As far as my thoughts on this upcoming season are concerned, I think that from a story perspective it has every chance of being the best yet. There are very few plot points that fans can really feel they have a grasp on, due to the fact that the show has caught up with the books, so things should feel even more tense than they already did on a show where (almost) anyone can die.
Nevertheless, there's still a chance that this season could start a decline if the writers don't strike the right balance with all the characters and their respective storylines – this was something which I felt was happening last season, so it could become a trend. Emilia Clarke has spoken recently about how she didn't think that it was possible to fit so much into one season of television as has been slotted into this one, which worries me greatly. I really want things to start meshing together this year rather than become more convoluted, so I hope that when she says that there's a lot going on she means that there's lots of excitement within focused narratives, rather than just a lot of content.
In my opinion, "Game of Thrones" is still the best dramatic series on television – it has amazing writers and a committed cast, so I remain confident that my concerns will be quashed by the end of this season.
P.S. I still think that Stannis' death was really weird last season. I believe that he died, but part of me wonders whether or not we'll see him again. Melisandre (Carice van Houten) believed that she saw him fighting a great battle when she looked into the fire – what if she saw him fighting for the wrong side? Just a theory, but it's one that I wanted to have down in writing just in case!