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shapinglightOh boy, oh boy!
Spoilers behind cut.
Not sure I have anything coherent to say beyond battle! Big, big battle!
No, wait. I'm sure I can do better than that.
Absolutely awesome episode, which must have blown the entire battle budget for the rest of the show, I should imagine, and very little of it CGI'd, except for that bloke getting his head sliced in half by Stannis, and even that may have been a model rather than CGI. Not that I was looking properly. Had to watch most of the battle scenes through my fingers with my eyes half shut.
Is that it, then, for Davos and his son? I don't see how they could have survived the wildfire. That whole sequence was so well done - quite horrible, right down to the barmy old mad scientist's look of satisfaction at the sight of all those burning ships and men. No wonder Tyrion looked appalled. Speaking of whom, if I didn't love Tyrion before, (which I did, of course), this episode cements his standing in my eyes as one of the best fictional characters ever. What a great speech he gave those men, and I bet that's the only time in his life he's been glad to see his father (not that he knows it was him, I suppose). I sort of guessed that Tywin might turn up and save the day when I saw Charles Dance's name in the beginning credits. I'm glad he arrived when he did and am intrigued to know when he teamed up with Loras, who was all full of righteous anger. Revenge! But Stannis got away, didn't he? I daresay he and Melisandre will cause more trouble down the line.
Lots and lots of great character scenes scattered among all the action - Tyrion/Varys (always a winning combination), Bronn/Tyrion (I love that they're still friends - or sort of - though clearly Bronn doesn't see it the same way Tyrion does), Cersei/Sansa (Cersei's scenes were all very unnerving, I really did think that Tywin would arrive too late to stop her killing Prince Tommen). I'd be interested to know how these scenes differ (if they do) from Cersei at this point in the book, because we learned a lot about her here, right down to her anger and frustration at her allotted role in life. Also that she probably shouldn't drink as she gets a bit indiscreet when she does.
Which leads me to the Hound/Sansa, I can definitely get on board that 'ship, I think, because there's surely no going back for the Hound after what he said to Joffrey, and I know that when he tells Sansa he won't hurt her, he really means it. It also means that, if they get away, nobody has a hostage any more. In fact, with Stannis defeated, Renly dead, the landscape of Westeros has changed profoundly yet again.
I'm now looking forward very much to the final episode, which I imagine will give us snapshots of what's going on with all the other characters - Jon Snow, Bran and Rickon, Brienne and Jaime, Robb and Catelyn, Arya and Jacquen and(hopefully) Dany and Jorah. If this season works like last, the final episode will include a lot of drama (I'm hoping that, like last season, a lot of it will centre around Dany), but will also position characters for the next season, because yet again the dramatic highpoint of the season has occurred in episode 9. In season 1, it was Ned's death, in season 2 this bloody great battle.
Okay, crap review. It was great. Roll on the finale (as long as they don't spend too much of it focusing on Robb and Wosserface).
Trivial stuff:
Rather a lot of female nudity, as usual. Bored enough of it now to wonder why on earth it is that Littlefinger's whores and the palace serving women all seem to wear the exact same dress. Weird.
Wilco Johnson has been playing Ser Ilyn Payne all this time? Blimey!
The Kingsguardsman who turned on Tyrion in the battle was probably supposed to be someone we recognise, but I'm afraid I didn't. Who was he?
Spoilers behind cut.
Not sure I have anything coherent to say beyond battle! Big, big battle!
No, wait. I'm sure I can do better than that.
Absolutely awesome episode, which must have blown the entire battle budget for the rest of the show, I should imagine, and very little of it CGI'd, except for that bloke getting his head sliced in half by Stannis, and even that may have been a model rather than CGI. Not that I was looking properly. Had to watch most of the battle scenes through my fingers with my eyes half shut.
Is that it, then, for Davos and his son? I don't see how they could have survived the wildfire. That whole sequence was so well done - quite horrible, right down to the barmy old mad scientist's look of satisfaction at the sight of all those burning ships and men. No wonder Tyrion looked appalled. Speaking of whom, if I didn't love Tyrion before, (which I did, of course), this episode cements his standing in my eyes as one of the best fictional characters ever. What a great speech he gave those men, and I bet that's the only time in his life he's been glad to see his father (not that he knows it was him, I suppose). I sort of guessed that Tywin might turn up and save the day when I saw Charles Dance's name in the beginning credits. I'm glad he arrived when he did and am intrigued to know when he teamed up with Loras, who was all full of righteous anger. Revenge! But Stannis got away, didn't he? I daresay he and Melisandre will cause more trouble down the line.
Lots and lots of great character scenes scattered among all the action - Tyrion/Varys (always a winning combination), Bronn/Tyrion (I love that they're still friends - or sort of - though clearly Bronn doesn't see it the same way Tyrion does), Cersei/Sansa (Cersei's scenes were all very unnerving, I really did think that Tywin would arrive too late to stop her killing Prince Tommen). I'd be interested to know how these scenes differ (if they do) from Cersei at this point in the book, because we learned a lot about her here, right down to her anger and frustration at her allotted role in life. Also that she probably shouldn't drink as she gets a bit indiscreet when she does.
Which leads me to the Hound/Sansa, I can definitely get on board that 'ship, I think, because there's surely no going back for the Hound after what he said to Joffrey, and I know that when he tells Sansa he won't hurt her, he really means it. It also means that, if they get away, nobody has a hostage any more. In fact, with Stannis defeated, Renly dead, the landscape of Westeros has changed profoundly yet again.
I'm now looking forward very much to the final episode, which I imagine will give us snapshots of what's going on with all the other characters - Jon Snow, Bran and Rickon, Brienne and Jaime, Robb and Catelyn, Arya and Jacquen and(hopefully) Dany and Jorah. If this season works like last, the final episode will include a lot of drama (I'm hoping that, like last season, a lot of it will centre around Dany), but will also position characters for the next season, because yet again the dramatic highpoint of the season has occurred in episode 9. In season 1, it was Ned's death, in season 2 this bloody great battle.
Okay, crap review. It was great. Roll on the finale (as long as they don't spend too much of it focusing on Robb and Wosserface).
Trivial stuff:
Rather a lot of female nudity, as usual. Bored enough of it now to wonder why on earth it is that Littlefinger's whores and the palace serving women all seem to wear the exact same dress. Weird.
Wilco Johnson has been playing Ser Ilyn Payne all this time? Blimey!
The Kingsguardsman who turned on Tyrion in the battle was probably supposed to be someone we recognise, but I'm afraid I didn't. Who was he?
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no subject
Date: 2012-05-28 02:58 pm (UTC)I agree, it was a great episode, even if I'm wondering how much they'll be able to tie up in the last episode (please don't tell me this means another season before karma catches up to Theon) and I'm guessing we'll get a few big cliffhangers in the finale. But hey, it's been renewed so roll on.
I thought Stannis got captured at the end, but I wasn't paying very close attention to the guards who dragged him away - might have been his own men, I suppose? But it seemed to me that he was basically a one-man army at that point.
Loras! Was that Renly's armour he was wearing? Awesome if so. And I guess that means he and his sister will still be in season 3. Though... did anyone else feel a bit weird cheering for Tywin Lannister showing up as a Big Damn Hero? Isn't he supposed to be the bad guy?
ETA: Oh, and who'd expected Lancel to be the most badass of the younger Lannisters? Well, maybe not the most badass, but he didn't run away and wet himself like some royals we could mention. Loved Cersei's speech on how she and Jaime were raised, too.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-28 03:09 pm (UTC)Oh definitely. And with any luck, Tywin really will slap the little bastard next episode, because somebody should. Mind you, when Joffrey walked away, I thought that maybe Tyrion, though annoyed, also felt a teeny bit sorry for him. Joffrey's only a kid, after all - even if he is a nasty little sadist.
please don't tell me this means another season before karma catches up to Theon
Believe it or not, I'd forgotten about Theon. I'm pretty sure karma will catch up with him next episode though (hopefully, from what I've gathered from book readers) they won't make us watch in what way.
I think those were Stannis's own men dragging him away. Weren't they the blokes in the padded surcoats? I don't know if Loras was wearing Renly's armour, but it wouldn't surprise me. I'll have to check when I rewatch.
Though... did anyone else feel a bit weird cheering for Tywin Lannister showing up as a Big Damn Hero? Isn't he supposed to be the bad guy?
It's increasingly difficult to define 'bad guy' in this series. Apart from Tyrion. I rather like Tywin, have to say. It's because of all those great scenes with Arya, who he has doubtless forgotten about already.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-29 06:01 pm (UTC)I realize the only reason I would cheer against King's Landing now is because of Jeoffrey.
Jeoffrey needs to get it, while I don't mind the rest of KL characters prevailing. And with Tywin coming in, even if JEoffrey will hang around he'll at least be taken in hand.
The other reason I'd cheer against KL is because I want Sansa to be free. And with Tywin and Tyrells in the picture, and Jaimie on the road, I'm not sure what could happen to her...
So it goes down to likes and dislikes of certain people. While on a global scale I'm with Varys, and I guess with Night Watch - whomever can bring peace and hold the realm together, I'll support.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-30 11:20 am (UTC)Yes, I'm with them too, and bizarre though it may sound, if Joffrey can be reined in effectively (and I hope Tywin won't be mean enough to tell Tyrion he hasn't done a good job, because he has as far as he can, but who knows what Cersei will say and which of them Tywin will choose to believe?).