Game of Thrones ep 5
Jul. 11th, 2011 07:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightSo, because writing fanfic proved beyond me today, I re-watched another episode of Game of Thrones instead. Spoilers within.
I'd forgotten there was an episode that was completely Dany/Jorah-less. Terrible! 'Course, it was also Jon Snow/Wall-less, and an upcoming episode is Tyrion-less so I know I shouldn't complain. And it's not like Dany and Jorah (and Viserys and Khal Drogo) don't get mentioned at all. In fact, their existences are important plot movers in the episode, as Arya in her Syrio-inspired quest to understand cats, overhears a conversation between Varys and Illyrio that she really shouldn't have been privy to, and Ned draws a line in the sand beyond which he won't step even for the sake of his friendship with Robert. He refuses to sanction the murder of Dany and her baby, no matter how politically expedient it might be.
I think the first time I saw this scene I took Ned's refusal to countenance political assassination as a sign of his bullheaded, blunt Northerness and a bit unrealistic of him. And it is that, but it's also a sign of his genuine honourableness (is that a word?). I do realise that in the circumstances, it's airy-fairy idealism, but it's definitely a point in Ned's favour, even if it's a clear sign to both Varys and Littlefinger that he's a man they can easily exploit for their own ends because he's so guileless (though I currently do think Varys's ends are more unselfish than Littlefinger's). There's a lot of politicking in this ep. In fact, apart from the initial jousting scene and the fight scene in the Vale (during both of which I had to look away at some point), it's pretty much all politicking - from Bran learning the names, sigils and mottoes of all the noble houses, to Loras and Renly having their intimate moment, to Robert and Cersei's bittersweet reminiscences about their failed marriage that is somehow holding the kingdom together, to Ned's fatal (for poor Jory) delay in leaving Kingslanding and encounter with Jaime Lannister. The movers and shakers behind the scenes (principally Varys, Littlefinger and Cersei) are plotting their plots to maintain the status quo, while Robert, like a bear being tormented by hounds tries to drink himself into oblivion, only for the whole cleverly constructed house of cards the plotters have built to fall down when the 'honourable' characters - Ned, Cat, and yes, Jaime Lannister - the men (and women) of action - take matters into their own hands.
By the end of the ep, Robert has pretty much abdicated responsibility for everything (spurred on, IMO, by a big helping of self-disgust), and the quarrel between the Starks and Lannisters has turned into open war. I can see now that Ned has already lost his chance to get Sansa and Arya to safety.
Other scenes: well, there's a Ros sexposition scene with Theon Greyjoy, which I don't really get the point of since we already know Theon's position in the Stark household. I felt a bit sorry for Ros in this one because Theon was so nasty to her. That said, she gave as good as she got.
Elsewhere, Bronn is awesome in a fight (and Tyrion definitely takes notice) and poor Catelyn learns that when Tyrion told her her sister had changed he really wasn't kidding. Lady Arryn is nuttier than a fruitcake with extra nuts in it.
In fact, the whole episode has an air of incipient madness hanging over it. Things are sliding downhill fast. Great stuff.
I'd forgotten there was an episode that was completely Dany/Jorah-less. Terrible! 'Course, it was also Jon Snow/Wall-less, and an upcoming episode is Tyrion-less so I know I shouldn't complain. And it's not like Dany and Jorah (and Viserys and Khal Drogo) don't get mentioned at all. In fact, their existences are important plot movers in the episode, as Arya in her Syrio-inspired quest to understand cats, overhears a conversation between Varys and Illyrio that she really shouldn't have been privy to, and Ned draws a line in the sand beyond which he won't step even for the sake of his friendship with Robert. He refuses to sanction the murder of Dany and her baby, no matter how politically expedient it might be.
I think the first time I saw this scene I took Ned's refusal to countenance political assassination as a sign of his bullheaded, blunt Northerness and a bit unrealistic of him. And it is that, but it's also a sign of his genuine honourableness (is that a word?). I do realise that in the circumstances, it's airy-fairy idealism, but it's definitely a point in Ned's favour, even if it's a clear sign to both Varys and Littlefinger that he's a man they can easily exploit for their own ends because he's so guileless (though I currently do think Varys's ends are more unselfish than Littlefinger's). There's a lot of politicking in this ep. In fact, apart from the initial jousting scene and the fight scene in the Vale (during both of which I had to look away at some point), it's pretty much all politicking - from Bran learning the names, sigils and mottoes of all the noble houses, to Loras and Renly having their intimate moment, to Robert and Cersei's bittersweet reminiscences about their failed marriage that is somehow holding the kingdom together, to Ned's fatal (for poor Jory) delay in leaving Kingslanding and encounter with Jaime Lannister. The movers and shakers behind the scenes (principally Varys, Littlefinger and Cersei) are plotting their plots to maintain the status quo, while Robert, like a bear being tormented by hounds tries to drink himself into oblivion, only for the whole cleverly constructed house of cards the plotters have built to fall down when the 'honourable' characters - Ned, Cat, and yes, Jaime Lannister - the men (and women) of action - take matters into their own hands.
By the end of the ep, Robert has pretty much abdicated responsibility for everything (spurred on, IMO, by a big helping of self-disgust), and the quarrel between the Starks and Lannisters has turned into open war. I can see now that Ned has already lost his chance to get Sansa and Arya to safety.
Other scenes: well, there's a Ros sexposition scene with Theon Greyjoy, which I don't really get the point of since we already know Theon's position in the Stark household. I felt a bit sorry for Ros in this one because Theon was so nasty to her. That said, she gave as good as she got.
Elsewhere, Bronn is awesome in a fight (and Tyrion definitely takes notice) and poor Catelyn learns that when Tyrion told her her sister had changed he really wasn't kidding. Lady Arryn is nuttier than a fruitcake with extra nuts in it.
In fact, the whole episode has an air of incipient madness hanging over it. Things are sliding downhill fast. Great stuff.