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.
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