This week, things slowed down and focused on a select few storylines.
Dany made her biggest move of the show this week, and it was awesome.
Well, that was quite an exciting episode of Game of Thrones, wasn't it? This week, things slowed down and focused on a select few storylines, which added to the effectiveness of every important twist and turn we witnessed. Let's jump right in!
It was probably inevitable that we'd pick right up with Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie). This episode served to further humanize Jaime, as we learned he actually lied to protect Brienne last week, further enhancing the ultimate sacrifice he made. We also saw how useless he was trying to swordfight with his left hand, and it appears that the two of them have realized they need to be on the same side for now if they ever want to get out of this alive. We only got a couple scenes with these characters, but it was enough to further establish the arc. I'm sure there's still plenty more to see between the two of these outstanding characters.
Our time at King's Landing this week reminded us that the titular "Game" was, indeed, still being played. We saw more manipulation from Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and Olenna (Diana Rigg), who remains an excellent character to watch. We saw Varys (Conleth Hill) hard at work this week, from hunting down the man who turned him into a eunuch to maneuvering the kingdom in a way that will allow it to survive. Much of the actual action focused on Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) and Sansa (Sophie Turner), though neither of them were directly involved. We learned that Sansa is quite possibly the most important person in King's Landing, as the oldest Stark heir not fighting a war, and if Littlefinger were to marry her, as everyone suspects he will, he would become one of the most powerful people in Westeros. The Tyrells had other plans, and it seems they want to take Sansa all to themselves. Poor Sansa has no idea what's going on, and I can't predict this is going to end well for her.
We spent a little time with Theon (Alfie Allen) this week, but it was time well-spent. His arc started with some heartfelt talk about his life at Winterfell, and his subsequent return home, and his desire to please his father. We now know that he knows he has made a series of terrible mistakes, and when he thought he was going to have a chance to redeem himself, it's possible he could have turned things around. All his hopes were dashed, however, in a truly cruel twist where the man helping him brought him back to the torture chamber, and even blamed the death of last week's pursuers on Theon. Things are not looking up for this man who is quickly earning our pity.
Another short chunk of the episode introduced us to more of the Brotherhood Without Banners, including their leader, and a favorite of mine, Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer). The scene in the cave between the Brotherhood, Arya (Maisie Williams) and The Hound (Rory McCann) was one of the best of the episode, and set up what is sure to be an outstanding payoff next week, where The Hound defends his honor against Beric, who we've seen using a flaming sword ever since the first trailer for this season was released. I can't wait!
It wouldn't be an outstanding episode of Game of Thrones without a few deaths, and this week delivered in spades. First up, is the Night's Watch. They were still stuck at Craster's (Robert Pugh) Keep, and an unhappy sentiment was rising through the ranks. It didn't take much before the Watch lashed out at Craster for holding back food from them, and generally treating them poorly. Commander Mormont (James Cosmo) tried desperately to keep a handle on things, but inevitably Craster was killed, via dagger in the chin, and Mormont soon followed. He wasn't a huge character on the show in terms of screen time, but the importance of Jeor Mormont no longer leading the Night's Watch will be felt for the rest of the series, as we have to remember this is a group of criminals that no longer have a strong leader to keep them in line. We could see a few of them fighting the rebels, which suggests there are those that will fight to maintain order. An interesting dynamic has been created, and it'll be interesting to see where things go.
Finally, we returned to the other side of the world, as Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) was trading Dracarys for the entire Unsullied army. My disappointment at the episode ending with Dany was quickly overruled by how awesome the sequence was. Things seemed pretty bleak, and it looked like she might have been fully committed to giving up her dragon. Then, we learned she could speak Valyrian the whole time, thus she could understand what the slave master was saying all along. Clearly, this didn't bode well for him, as he was burned alive, and the other masters were killed by the Unsullied. Effectively, Dany took the army from Astapor, then turned it against the city, claiming her first conquest. It was the most exciting moments on this side of the story since season one, and a much needed win for a character who was languishing in defeat.
Thus ended an excellent episode of Game of Thrones. A lot of the changes this week feel unimportant for now, but things are definitely much different at this point in the season than they were at the start, which is impressive, considering we are only four episodes in. We've had just under a handful of major deaths so far, and the body count is sure to rise as we near the important middle point of the season. Next week looks like it will continue this trend of excellence, and I, for one, am very excited to see what the rest of this season holds.