Game of Thrones Episode 10: Fire and Blood

The series finale of Game of Thrones has come and gone, and it did not disappoint! Things were set up nicely for a second series despite the main character and actor being killed off in the previous ep. There was so much going on and lines being drawn that you don't notice there's a stand out protagonist: the shades of grey, not black and white. Plot wise, we have learn that Dany's child died, but was sacrificed by the witch to "save" Drogo, who was in a vegetative state. Dany smothers Drogo rather than let him be a vegetable, and burns him and the witch as a sacrifice, before going into the fire herself with her dragon eggs. The next morning, Jorah finds her unharmed, with three baby dragons, a species believed to be extinct. Seeing the dragons, Jorah and the khalasar make her their new Khal. It was this scene that took up most of the episode and ended the series, and what a way to end it. Emilia Clarke was great as the coming of age heiress to the Targaryen legacy, showing grief and anger at the deaths of her son and husband, coldness at the Witch's suffering and confidence as she steps into the fire. I dismissed this plot line as tedious and predictable last month, and how wrong I was! First we get Harry Lloyd brilliantly humanizing an incestuous demon in Viserys as he gets the "golden crown", then we get Drogo giving his rousing war speech, before the program swerves us and kills him off. And then this happens; George RR Martin, take a bow!
Elsewhere, Tywin Lannister is in a state after losing the war to Robb Stark and learning that Jaime has been captured by the enemy. So he sends Tyrion to act as Hand to the King in his stead, which moves that subplot along nicely for series 2. And the more we see of Tyrion's woman, Shae, the better. Speaking of the king, Joffrey is a frightening bastard. A poisonous villain if ever there was one. It's bad enough he has Ned killed, but he brags about it to Stark's daughter and his future queen, Sansa, who he then had a servant hit for talking back to him. A mad king indeed. Jack Gleason plays him as a mad, creepy, psychopath who is uncontrollable. A delightful creation.
Speaking of bastards, Jon Snow tries to desert the Wall after learning of his father's death, eager to kill Joffrey. However, he is convinced to stay by his friends, and later joins the Night Watch go beyond the Wall to find Benjen and fight the White Walkers. Speaking of the Wall, Arya, having been sneaked out of King's Landing by Yoren, looks to be joining the Night's Watch alongside Chris from Skins (UK). Finally, Robb is declared as "King in the North" by his bannermen after their victory over the Lannisters, and Catelyn learns that Jaime tried to kill Bran all the way back at the start of the series. So much possibility for the second. Are that still going to call it Game of Thrones, or Clash of Kings, after the book?
One gripe I had was the amount of unneeded "filler" scenes to pad out the hour. There was a scene showing Cersei in bed with her cousin that showed no purpose except that she won't learn that incest is wrong, especially if you're in the Royal Family. There was also three pointless exposition scenes, one involving Bran teaching Osha about his ancestors, one where Grand Maester gives a lecture to a whore about past kings, and one where Varys and Littlefinger talk about how their roles in government are the same, no matter who the king is. Is this necessary in the series finale? Other than that, I'll be looking forward to series 2. I'm currently reading the book in the meantime to quench my thirst.

Game of Thrones Episode Nine: Baelor

"Ser Ilyn, Bring Me His Head"

And so bookends probably the most captivating and emotionally-charged piece of television this week. "Baelor" saw plot arcs and threads come together, join up and reach an inevitable yet unpredictable climax.
The main talking point this week was the judgement and execution of Ned Stark, the main protagonist and hero of the series, who was killed off for real. The scene of his judgement in front of Joffrey, Sansa, Cersei and the Small Council and the people of King's Landing was powerful and haunting, one of the best scenes of the programme and will undoubtedly go down in history as a classic death scene. There are so many great little touches to this sequence alone. The reveal of what happened to Aria, Ned being led out in chains, the fade to silence, the imagery of the birds flying away and transition to slow-motion as the impact of Joffrey's verdict sinks in; the reaction of the Small Council and Cersei to Joffrey's decision as Cersei's role as puppet master crumbles in light of King Joffrey's newly discovered defiance juxtaposed with Joffrey's triumphant, power-mad face as he calls for Stark's head; Ned and Aria's eyes meeting as he's led to the platform closely followed by Ned's speech and the Nights Watch guard shielding a desperate Aria from seeing the execution; Ned's resignation and peaceful acceptance of his death, while chaos, grief and horror reign all around him. Also, the scene came out of nowhere, given that the bulk of the episode focussed elsewhere, and that I wasn't expecting it. Joffrey has now taken top spot in the race for main antagonist, a truly despicable character. Even Cersei was questioning of his decision. Another mad king in the making perhaps. It opens up doors to what's going to happen next in the finale next week, and is, in my eyes, unmissable. The scene between Varys and Ned was a great set up to the climax, with Ned sacrificing his honour and pride to save his family, but sadly it was for nought.
I also liked Tyrion's sub plot; the scene where he, Bronn and the whore play drinking games on the eve of battle is another gem. The bit where Tyrion explains his back story was great, he and Bronn seem to have good chemistry and provide some humour and Tyrion's rousing speech to the mountain men followed by him being knocked out for the whole battle was abrupt yet memorable for the right reasons.
The Dothraki storyline took an interesting turn as Khal Drogo seems to be dying from an infected wound. Desperate to save both her husband and her Dynasty, Danearys orders that Blood Magic be performed and an animal be sacrificed  in order to save him. This leads to Danearys being forced to go into labour after a mutinous Dothraki general rebels against her. Emilia Clarke does a grand job of her performance as a grieving widow, a tyrannous queen and a lost girl all in one scene. An exhausting performance for the viewer, and so much to come. Meanwhile, at the Wall, Jon Stark learns of Robb's war with the Lannisters, and Robb proves to be a worthy commander in battle, defeating Jaime's army and capturing the Kingslayer. We don't get to see either of the two battles which is understandable due to time and budget constraints, and the reveal by Tywin that "Robb is with eighteen thousand of his men" was a highlight. Robb's defiance in front of Jaime was another great scene and looked as if maybe the good guys might triumph. Then the final scene happened. The repercussions of Joffrey's actions look to make for some gripping television, and I can't wait.

Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle Episode 6: Politics

The last in what is a treat of a series draws to a close, Stew casts his silver gaze over politics, specifically the Tories and David Cameron. As with every other topic, Lee soon goes on a tangent and talks about something else. He talks about how in the eighties everyone hated the Tories, questioning how they constantly got re-elected all those years. This segues into a twenty minute bit about David Cameron, "born into power", but having to do so as part of a coalition with Nick Clegg. He then told a touching story about betrayal and friendship concerning himself and David Cameron when they were at Oxford together. It's too long and brilliant to recap, but it turns out that the story isn't true, but a testament to Cameron's character. I'm glad this joke got a look in in the TV series since it's a favourite of mine from the "If You Want A Milder Comedian" live show, only in that show he talks about making friends with a teenage Richard Hammond, instead of a young David Cameron. It's a great, multi-layered joke and a favourite of mine. Throw in some parallels with Cameron's political career and some repetitive observational comedy "parodies", and its a typically Stewart Lee funny half hour and a worthy end to the series.

Game of Thrones Episode Eight: The Point End Review

After two barnstorming episodes in a row, the series seems to be building towards the climax. All plot points are drawing towards the end and it makes riveting viewing. Having been betrayed and captured at the end of "You in or you die", Eddard Stark spent this week chained up in the dungeon of Kings Landing while Cersei and Joffrey take over. Word gets round to Winterfell, and in response calls for the Starks' allies to join him in battle against the Lannisters. They are joined by Catelyn, who has failed in convincing Lysa in sending Knights of the Vale to fight alongside the Starks. In the Lannister camp, Tyrion, having recruited a Mountain Clan and Bronn, is reunited with his father in a less than heart warming scene. Tywin, having gone to war in principle over Tyrion's capture by Catelyn, even sends "the imp" into the front line.
This episode continued in the series tradition of instantly quotable dialogue and great moments. The opening scene of Syrio fighting off Lannister guards in order to save Aria is particularly memorable. "What do we say to death?" "Not today". Ser Bastion, a fairly minor character up until last week, gets a good few lines when he's forced into retirement by Cersei and Joffrey. "I will die a knight!" he bellows as he draws his sword, but adding to the Lannister guards, "I could strike you all down on my own" (paraphrased from memory). The court scene made me hate the Lannisters even more and seeing Sansa beg for mercy was well done. The Lannisters are truly evil and made Sansa sympathetic. Another scene worth noting is the one where Varys "comforts" Ned in the dungeon, seemingly giving him a lifeline. Varys, another unfavourable character brought into a new light. The mystery surrounding Aria is tantalising as well, since we are led to presume she escaped King's Landing after killing the stable boy, in a moment of foreshadowing, since she's the first Stark child to kill, and as King Robert said, you are not a man until your first kill. Speaking of war and fighting, the Dothraki are seen this week raping and pillaging a village. Khal Drogo even brutally kills a mutinous underling who disapproves of Danearys' influence, ripping out his tongue. In another eerie moment of foreshadowing, his contacts a minor wound which is treated by a local "healer". This scene solidifies Drogo as someone not to be messed with, and has continued the tradition of him killing and boasting about killing, and thus he has become my favourite character
Tyrion makes a welcome return after his one-episode hiatus. His scene with Tywin, greatly anticipated, was an enjoyable scene where their relationship was established. There was a lot of humour this week as well, possibly as a precursor to the bloodshed in the future; Tyrion's introduction of the clansmen, "Sanner son of Dolf," followed by "Bronn, son of...you wouldn't know him," raised a titter. Furthermore, Tyrion's reaction to Robert Baratheon's death and Joffrey taking the throne ("My sister rules, surely") was very funny. Meanwhile, Jon Snow encounters a corpse "touched" by a White Walker, and learns what those who live on the other side of the wall are like. It seems the Dothraki invasion and "winter" will be saved for a second series, as the remaining episodes look to be focussing on the war and Ned Stark. What I like about the last couple of episodes are the development of Robb Stark, who was a boring character to me at the start, having to contend with Jon Snow, Ned, Theron and Aria. But as the stakes are higher certain characters seem to have light shed on them, thus setting the scene for an epic climax. The preview for next week looks like more of the same, with Jon wanting to help his father and Robb becoming a leader in battle. I can't wait.

Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle Episode 5: Identity

This week, Stewart Lee, owner of the funniest blank stare in comedy, talks bout national identity, meaning plenty of satisfying jokes about Americans, Australians and the "Scotch". He starts with two quick fire gags; first, one about Americans picking on BP even though they are the biggest consumers of oil. Lee compares the situation to a man hitting a prostitute due to his insatiable desires. The second joke was about the law against not voting in Australia, something Lee calls into question since Australians don't have a lot of choices to make. Imagine these jokes told with Lee's deadpan, repetitive style and you've got comedy gold. Always a comic to have his cake and eat it, Lee takes a shot at the critics to some of his more un-pc jokes through the "critic", Armando Ianucci, who questions Lee on his motives with these jokes.
Next, Stew moves into familiar territory with a routine about Scotland, Scottish Identity and Braveheart, recycling material from years ago, but still very funny. He peppers the audience for laughing at the word nook, and outs William Wallace and Rob the Bruce as gay lovers. He moves on to a surreal gag about Winston Churchill not being real, but in fact a cigar advertising campaign gone too far. He mentions that he did a documentary for Channel 5 concerning that Churchill was in fact a pig in disguise, and a call out to real life is made as Channel 5 apparently changed the title to "Churchill was a pig: Take that, fuckers, by Stewart Lee." This is inspired by an experience Lee suffered when he made a documentary for BBC2 about blasphemy. Unbeknownst to him, at the last minute BBC2 changed the title from "These New Puritans" (The Fall reference! Yay!) to "What's So Bad About Blasphemy?" What follows is easily my favourite sketch to come out of "Comedy Vehicle": an interview with Alan Moore about Churchill being a pig. This came out of nowhere and was a welcome change of pace to the deliberate tedium Stew gives his audience.
Rounding off the episode was a rant against emigrants from England, specifically those who emigrated to the colonies. Typical Stewart Lee, all funny, nothing meant to be taken literally or seriously. Another good week.