![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightHad visitors this weekend and way, way behind with everything on LJ. But before I try and catch up I wanted to post this, as I've just watched the ep.
Spoilers behind cut
Will say first of all that I didn't believe for a moment that the two bodies Theon showed Maester Luwin and the Winterfell people at the end of the ep were Bran and Rickon. In fact, I'm not sure anyone watching would have believed it, given that the two are Starks (and therefore Important), and that the episode telegraphed earlier on that there were two boys of a similar age available to get horribly murdered in their place. Whether I or the rest of the audience believe it is not important, of course, only that Maester Luwin and co might, and there's no reason why they wouldn't. It just seems a little odd to leave it as a cliffhanger when it's not one for anyone outside the story.
Or am I giving the audience too much credit?
Speaking of Theon, I'm rapidly losing patience with him. Don't feel sorry for him any more at all. In fact, if it weren't that I know it'll be really horrible when he does arrive, I'd say hurry up, Bastard of Bolton, and take Winterfell back. And speaking of Boltons, Bolton Snr is becoming more and more unnerving. The way he just hangs about staring meaningfully at Robb or whoever happens to be handy (Lady Talisa in this ep) and doesn't say anything makes me feel very uncomfortable. I wonder if I would feel that way if I didn't know anything about him?
Some great scenes in this ep, though apart from the odd reference here or there (Tywin telling Arya this is the war that will define him, Tyrion telling Cersei that Stannis Baratheon's ships are on their way, Robb riding off to accept some castle or other's surrender) it's not at all clear what's going on with the wider war. I suppose we have to assume that the Lannister/Stark confrontation is a bit of a stalemate, no one yet knows about the Iron Islanders, and the brown stuff won't really hit the fan until Stannis does arrive. Meanwhile, the poor peasants get hammered and massacred (see the first scene in Harrenhal). Business as usual, in fact.
Not that the interchanges in the episode didn't advance the plot. They did, at the same time as deepening the characters. Some lovely scenes for Arya and Tywin (well, I don't know if 'lovely' is quite the right word, but they get on really well. I think he should adopt her), Sansa and Cersei and Cersei and Tyrion - about the only nice scene those two have had, in fact, and nice to see that they're on the same page about more than just loving Jaime. Cersei knows Joffrey is a wrong 'un, even if she wouldn't admit it to anyone outside the family. I'm pleased about that, without being quite sure why. I suppose it's because I would rather understand Cersei than not, and despite what she said to Sansa about only loving your children, no one else, I'm glad to see there are limits, even for her.
Or maybe not. Maybe, next ep, she'll have someone executed for not letting Joffrey join the Boltons' flaying!yay! school, or start slapping poor Sansa around again. I don't know.
Poor, poor Sansa! I'm glad she has Shae at least.
Jaime Lannister got quite a bit of screen time in the ep - which is good, because he's been missing for a while, and Nicolaj Coster-Waldau is too good to waste. Have to say, though, the scene in the cage with the hapless Lannister cousin went on a little too long. I'd guessed what was going to happen the minute the poor bloke said that squiring for Jaime had been the best day of his life. Not that it wasn't a shock when Jaime turned on him. Made me jump.
Michelle Fairley as Catelyn was once again brilliant in this ep, and once again (seemingly) saw through Jaime's attempts to goad her into killing him (or did she? What is she going to do with Brienne's sword?).
Then there are our two spoilt brats - well, that's a bit harsh, but both Dany and Jon were a little brattish in the previous episode, and there are elements of brattishness in their behaviour in this ep too. Jon, I just feel like saying, "Don't be silly," to, except that if he gives in to Ygritte (who I really like) it sort of feels like a betrayal of Sam, his better half, so I don't want him to.
As for Dany, her treatment of her host (Xaon, is it? I keep missing it) and of Jorah is understandable in the circumstances. She's proved right not to trust Xaon (Xaos?) anyway, though I think he'll regret allying with that creepy wizard bloke, and with Jorah I realise she's prickly because she discovered he's loyal to her because he loves her, and this makes her uncomfortable (because she doesn't feel the same way. Sob!) and consequently makes her feel she has to distance herself from him. For what it's worth, though, I believe Jorah absolutely when he told the masked woman he would never betray Dany again (I assume the first betrayal was him telling Lord Varys about her marriage to Drogo and her pregnancy), but the way these things go, it wouldn't surprise me if he managed to do it by accident. Double sob!
We'll see. A terrific episode, though rather episodic, like the last one. I hope the final three will gather these disparate strands and knit them together (while understanding that the story isn't over, and the Dany stuff - and probably the Jon stuff too - isn't going to fit with the 'main' Westeros plot for a while yet).
Trivial stuff:
I really had to suspend my disbelief about Jon and Ygritte - especially Jon, since he doesn't even have a hat - not freezing to death lying on the snowy ground like that over night.
My reaction to that final scene of the children's burned corpses was actually relief (sorry!). I'd thought Theon's men were going to execute Maester Luwin.
I hope Brienne gets to beat the crap out of Jaime Lannister (in a knightly way) for that 'beast' crack.
Poor Irri! Glad to see Dany mourning her and admitting that following her has done her khalasar no good. I hope Doreah's all right.
As I said before, poor, poor Sansa!
I see Ghost continues to be the most useless direwolf ever. 'Course, I'll take it back if ep 8 begins with him leaping down from the nearest glacier to save Jon.
No Bronn for the second week running. Obviously, he was on Joffrey slapping duty again.
Spoilers behind cut
Will say first of all that I didn't believe for a moment that the two bodies Theon showed Maester Luwin and the Winterfell people at the end of the ep were Bran and Rickon. In fact, I'm not sure anyone watching would have believed it, given that the two are Starks (and therefore Important), and that the episode telegraphed earlier on that there were two boys of a similar age available to get horribly murdered in their place. Whether I or the rest of the audience believe it is not important, of course, only that Maester Luwin and co might, and there's no reason why they wouldn't. It just seems a little odd to leave it as a cliffhanger when it's not one for anyone outside the story.
Or am I giving the audience too much credit?
Speaking of Theon, I'm rapidly losing patience with him. Don't feel sorry for him any more at all. In fact, if it weren't that I know it'll be really horrible when he does arrive, I'd say hurry up, Bastard of Bolton, and take Winterfell back. And speaking of Boltons, Bolton Snr is becoming more and more unnerving. The way he just hangs about staring meaningfully at Robb or whoever happens to be handy (Lady Talisa in this ep) and doesn't say anything makes me feel very uncomfortable. I wonder if I would feel that way if I didn't know anything about him?
Some great scenes in this ep, though apart from the odd reference here or there (Tywin telling Arya this is the war that will define him, Tyrion telling Cersei that Stannis Baratheon's ships are on their way, Robb riding off to accept some castle or other's surrender) it's not at all clear what's going on with the wider war. I suppose we have to assume that the Lannister/Stark confrontation is a bit of a stalemate, no one yet knows about the Iron Islanders, and the brown stuff won't really hit the fan until Stannis does arrive. Meanwhile, the poor peasants get hammered and massacred (see the first scene in Harrenhal). Business as usual, in fact.
Not that the interchanges in the episode didn't advance the plot. They did, at the same time as deepening the characters. Some lovely scenes for Arya and Tywin (well, I don't know if 'lovely' is quite the right word, but they get on really well. I think he should adopt her), Sansa and Cersei and Cersei and Tyrion - about the only nice scene those two have had, in fact, and nice to see that they're on the same page about more than just loving Jaime. Cersei knows Joffrey is a wrong 'un, even if she wouldn't admit it to anyone outside the family. I'm pleased about that, without being quite sure why. I suppose it's because I would rather understand Cersei than not, and despite what she said to Sansa about only loving your children, no one else, I'm glad to see there are limits, even for her.
Or maybe not. Maybe, next ep, she'll have someone executed for not letting Joffrey join the Boltons' flaying!yay! school, or start slapping poor Sansa around again. I don't know.
Poor, poor Sansa! I'm glad she has Shae at least.
Jaime Lannister got quite a bit of screen time in the ep - which is good, because he's been missing for a while, and Nicolaj Coster-Waldau is too good to waste. Have to say, though, the scene in the cage with the hapless Lannister cousin went on a little too long. I'd guessed what was going to happen the minute the poor bloke said that squiring for Jaime had been the best day of his life. Not that it wasn't a shock when Jaime turned on him. Made me jump.
Michelle Fairley as Catelyn was once again brilliant in this ep, and once again (seemingly) saw through Jaime's attempts to goad her into killing him (or did she? What is she going to do with Brienne's sword?).
Then there are our two spoilt brats - well, that's a bit harsh, but both Dany and Jon were a little brattish in the previous episode, and there are elements of brattishness in their behaviour in this ep too. Jon, I just feel like saying, "Don't be silly," to, except that if he gives in to Ygritte (who I really like) it sort of feels like a betrayal of Sam, his better half, so I don't want him to.
As for Dany, her treatment of her host (Xaon, is it? I keep missing it) and of Jorah is understandable in the circumstances. She's proved right not to trust Xaon (Xaos?) anyway, though I think he'll regret allying with that creepy wizard bloke, and with Jorah I realise she's prickly because she discovered he's loyal to her because he loves her, and this makes her uncomfortable (because she doesn't feel the same way. Sob!) and consequently makes her feel she has to distance herself from him. For what it's worth, though, I believe Jorah absolutely when he told the masked woman he would never betray Dany again (I assume the first betrayal was him telling Lord Varys about her marriage to Drogo and her pregnancy), but the way these things go, it wouldn't surprise me if he managed to do it by accident. Double sob!
We'll see. A terrific episode, though rather episodic, like the last one. I hope the final three will gather these disparate strands and knit them together (while understanding that the story isn't over, and the Dany stuff - and probably the Jon stuff too - isn't going to fit with the 'main' Westeros plot for a while yet).
Trivial stuff:
I really had to suspend my disbelief about Jon and Ygritte - especially Jon, since he doesn't even have a hat - not freezing to death lying on the snowy ground like that over night.
My reaction to that final scene of the children's burned corpses was actually relief (sorry!). I'd thought Theon's men were going to execute Maester Luwin.
I hope Brienne gets to beat the crap out of Jaime Lannister (in a knightly way) for that 'beast' crack.
Poor Irri! Glad to see Dany mourning her and admitting that following her has done her khalasar no good. I hope Doreah's all right.
As I said before, poor, poor Sansa!
I see Ghost continues to be the most useless direwolf ever. 'Course, I'll take it back if ep 8 begins with him leaping down from the nearest glacier to save Jon.
No Bronn for the second week running. Obviously, he was on Joffrey slapping duty again.