This week's episode spent a lot of time developing some characters that have floated in the background this season.
Jaime (Coster-Waldau) became a hero this week. Hopefully he stays that way. As the third season of Game of Thrones builds to what is sure to be an outstanding conclusion, each episode works to deliver one big story moment per episode. Last week, it was Jon (Kit Harington) climbing The Wall with the Wildlings, and this week it was Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) completing his transformation from one of the biggest villains of the story to one of the most likeable characters. Aside from the thrilling conclusion involving the titular bear, and maiden fair, the rest of this week's episode spent a lot of time developing some characters that have floated in the background this season, while slowly advancing the plot.
The episode started off by returning the Jon and his band of Wildlings. Most importantly, Ygritte and Orell (Rose Leslie and Mackenzie Crook) are featured, one of which Jon is infatuated with, and another whom he can't stand. Jon spent some time complaining to Orell about cutting his rope when they climbed The Wall, but Orell made some very good points about the way the Wildlings live, including cutting people out when they are no longer convenient. Orell then proceeded to make some moves on Ygritte, concluding with some ominous words about her not liking Jon when she learns who he really is. As viewers, we don't know what that means quite yet, but we have to remember that Orell knows things that normal people possibly couldn't. The rest of the time we spent with these characters further enforced the strong bond Jon and Ygritte have developed. I'm loving watching these two on screen, whether they are arguing or joking about, and I think it is currently the best pairing of characters in the show.
Speaking of pairings, we got to actually spend some time with Robb and Talisa (Richard Madden and Oona Chaplin), who we have barely even seen together on screen this season. Their scene was a nice little moment between the two characters, and we learned that Talisa is pregnant, which could present some interesting complications considering Robb is in the middle of a war. Aside from the cute moments in this episode, we also learned that their travel to Riverrun to marry Edmure (Tobias Menzies) to the Frey girl has been delayed by a few days, and apparently the Freys won't like that. It seems we are reminded at every turn how terrible a person Walder Frey (David Bradley) is, so it'll be interesting to see what happens once they arrive.
A large chunk of this episode was spent in King's Landing, including an interesting conversation between Margaery and Sansa (Natalie Dormer and Sophie Turner). We all know the Tyrells have very ambitious political plans, but I wholeheartedly believe that Margaery was being sincere when she tried to make Sansa feel better about having to marry Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), and she's right for the most part. Worse things could, and have, happened to Sansa so far in the series. It was also interesting to see that Tyrion is just as unhappy with the decision, as he is once again being forced to bend to his father's will. He also has the deal with Shae (Sibel Kekilli), who is understandably angry at this new development. There was no playfulness in their argument, and Tyrion will have to work hard if he wants to please both his father, and his lover.
Tywin (Charles Dance) himself had a great scene this week as well, as we finally got to see him interact with Joffrey (Jack Gleeson). I loved watching Tywin do everything he could to undermine the king in the most subtle ways possible, from lecturing him about attending council meetings to standing above him, Tywin clearly has the upper hand in this relationship. Joffrey has had a tough time this season trying to handle two people who are clearly more capable at the political aspect of ruling than he is, though I'm sure we can assume that he will lash out very soon, and in a very unpleasant manner.
We spent a short amount of time with the other two Stark children, as well. Arya (Maisie Williams) is still very upset with Beric (Richard Dormer), so much so that she decided to run away. Inevitably, about the worst thing that could happen did, and she was snatched up by The Hound (Rory McCann). We didn't get any more information this week, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens now that the worst person in the world has one of the most liked characters. We also checked in real quick with Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and his crew. All that we know now is that most of the group intends to go beyond The Wall, while Osha (Natalia Tena), who has dealt with the zombified people before, refuses to go farther than Castle Black. I'd be surprised if she doesn't stick with the group despite her protestations, but there is definitely a rift growing.
Before we get to this episode's big moment, let's check in with Dany (Emilia Clarke). She and her army have reached a new city, Yunkai. Jorah (Iain Glen) smartly advises that she simply bypass the city, which is known for its powerful walls and ability to withstand most attacks. Next thing we know, Dany is receiving and envoy from the city, who brings her gold and offers her enough ships to bring her entire army back to Westeros. Rather than accept the offer, she threatens the man with her surprisingly large dragons, steals his gold, and declares war on the city unless they free all of their slaves. On one hand, it's easy to understand Dany's desire to eliminate slavery on this side of the world, but it wouldn't be wrong to question her desire to ever return home at this point. For sure, Jorah and Barristan (Ian McElhinney) must be growing disappointed, as they hoped to return her to her former glory in their homeland. At any rate, we'll have to see how she handles a full-on siege as she goes to war with Yunkai.
Finally, we get to Jaime, his nasty stump, and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie). Jaime is finally going to head home with a much better escort than he had before, but he quickly learns that his earlier lie to save Brienne from getting raped is the same lie that could get her killed, as the men that remained at Harrenhall refused the first ransom offer for her in hopes of actual sapphires. Jaime has been slowly working to gain the viewer's trust, and this episode has pretty much cemented this transformation, as he returned to the castle to see that they put her in a pit to fight a bear with nothing but a wooden sword. Jaime smartly used his value as a prisoner, successfully this time, to save her life, and he is now bringing her to King's Landing. I don't expect we'll see much more of these two this season, and that's a shame, because they have been great to watch every time they've been on screen.
As we head into the final three episodes of this season of Game of Thrones, things are going to get pretty serious, pretty fast. This episode was a bit slower paced, but things are already being set up for next season, never mind the conclusion of this one. Expect things to pick up as the show returns next week. For now, we got a pretty good episode that added some depth to the characters, without killing the momentum the show has.