Game of Thrones ep 8
Jul. 31st, 2011 07:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightI watched this almost a week ago, but because of LJ being down didn't write up my thoughts. Have probably forgotten a lot now.
Spoilers behind cut
This was the episode written by GRRM himself, and contains my favourite ever Bronn moment (see icon). It also contains another case of someone getting their hand badly injured (the Stark bannerman with the loud voice - can't remember his name), and shrugging it off as if it was a mild inconvenience at best and there was no such thing in Westeros as septicaemia (which is not the case in Vaes Dothrak, unfortunately for Khal Drogo). They make 'em tough up north, where it is - as previously mentioned - grim. Very, very grim. The moment is the first in a series of milestones in Robb Stark's journey from barely out of boyhood to lord of Winterfell and leader of an army, most of whom are older and more experienced than he is.
Robb does a pretty good job in fact. By the end of the episode, he's found his feet enough to turn the tables on the Lannisters by feeding their spy false information. He's living up to his parents' expectations, and more.
And so is Tyrion Lannister, who arrives at his father's camp with a motley band of hillmen (and women), and a very competent mercenary in tow, who are promptly added to the Lannister army. Despite Tyrion's success, however, you can see him shrinking (figuratively speaking) in Tywin's withering presence.
And on the Wall, a third young man lives up to expectations, when Jon Snow, confined to quarters for trying to strike a superior officer (and who can blame him, frankly, that Ser Alliser was asking for it), is alerted by Ghost about strange things going on and arrives in time to save Lord Mormont from the zombie Ranger. It's only our second sight of a White Walker in the show (or are the White Walkers the things that turn people into zombies? If so, what are the zombies called?)and very chilling. Osha's warnings that the Stark army is riding the wrong way, and Sam's vain hope that the Wall is 'high enough' ('course it won't be), remind us that whatever petty quarrels the great lords of Westeros are involved in, the real danger is here.
Speaking of said petty quarrels, they don't seem petty at all at the start of the episode, when both Saepta Mordane and Syrio Forel lay down their lives to save their respective charges. I love Syrio. His last stand is a brilliant, brilliant scene. But it's Saepta Mordane walking alone towards the wall of swords that makes me cry. She can't even make a last stand. She's just one, unarmed middle aged woman. All she can do is make a statement of quiet, dignified bravery, and she does.
I realised on watching this time that Sansa's plea to Joffrey for Ned's life at the end of the episode is all stage managed by Cersei. Cersei doesn't want Ned dead (she's realistic enough to know that killing him would be very foolish), but she does want him completely discredited. Using Sansa to do that is cruel, but also very expedient. Who else will the obstinate Ned listen to if not his own terrified young daughter? Poor, poor Sansa!
Finally, the Dany scenes, in which Dany realises the true cost of the war Khal Drogo has vowed to wage on her behalf, and tries to interfere to save some of the victims of the mayhem, and Khal Drogo's uxoriousness gets him into big, big trouble. The beginning of the fight scene with Mago, is interesting. Drogo finds Dany's intervention on behalf of Mirri Maaz Duur and the other women inexplicable, but he's willing to indulge her, and his words to Mago are more or less a shrug and a request to 'indulge the little woman' too. Mago, however, if having none of it, and Dany's refusal to let Mago have his way will have serious consequences for all of them. However, since I'm not a Dany/Drogo 'shipper (I sort of get it, but if Drogo had lived, he would have been an obstacle in Dany's way, not a helpmate), I can't be too upset about it. I'm glad Dany made her stand, even if she does live to regret it.
Spoilers behind cut
This was the episode written by GRRM himself, and contains my favourite ever Bronn moment (see icon). It also contains another case of someone getting their hand badly injured (the Stark bannerman with the loud voice - can't remember his name), and shrugging it off as if it was a mild inconvenience at best and there was no such thing in Westeros as septicaemia (which is not the case in Vaes Dothrak, unfortunately for Khal Drogo). They make 'em tough up north, where it is - as previously mentioned - grim. Very, very grim. The moment is the first in a series of milestones in Robb Stark's journey from barely out of boyhood to lord of Winterfell and leader of an army, most of whom are older and more experienced than he is.
Robb does a pretty good job in fact. By the end of the episode, he's found his feet enough to turn the tables on the Lannisters by feeding their spy false information. He's living up to his parents' expectations, and more.
And so is Tyrion Lannister, who arrives at his father's camp with a motley band of hillmen (and women), and a very competent mercenary in tow, who are promptly added to the Lannister army. Despite Tyrion's success, however, you can see him shrinking (figuratively speaking) in Tywin's withering presence.
And on the Wall, a third young man lives up to expectations, when Jon Snow, confined to quarters for trying to strike a superior officer (and who can blame him, frankly, that Ser Alliser was asking for it), is alerted by Ghost about strange things going on and arrives in time to save Lord Mormont from the zombie Ranger. It's only our second sight of a White Walker in the show (or are the White Walkers the things that turn people into zombies? If so, what are the zombies called?)and very chilling. Osha's warnings that the Stark army is riding the wrong way, and Sam's vain hope that the Wall is 'high enough' ('course it won't be), remind us that whatever petty quarrels the great lords of Westeros are involved in, the real danger is here.
Speaking of said petty quarrels, they don't seem petty at all at the start of the episode, when both Saepta Mordane and Syrio Forel lay down their lives to save their respective charges. I love Syrio. His last stand is a brilliant, brilliant scene. But it's Saepta Mordane walking alone towards the wall of swords that makes me cry. She can't even make a last stand. She's just one, unarmed middle aged woman. All she can do is make a statement of quiet, dignified bravery, and she does.
I realised on watching this time that Sansa's plea to Joffrey for Ned's life at the end of the episode is all stage managed by Cersei. Cersei doesn't want Ned dead (she's realistic enough to know that killing him would be very foolish), but she does want him completely discredited. Using Sansa to do that is cruel, but also very expedient. Who else will the obstinate Ned listen to if not his own terrified young daughter? Poor, poor Sansa!
Finally, the Dany scenes, in which Dany realises the true cost of the war Khal Drogo has vowed to wage on her behalf, and tries to interfere to save some of the victims of the mayhem, and Khal Drogo's uxoriousness gets him into big, big trouble. The beginning of the fight scene with Mago, is interesting. Drogo finds Dany's intervention on behalf of Mirri Maaz Duur and the other women inexplicable, but he's willing to indulge her, and his words to Mago are more or less a shrug and a request to 'indulge the little woman' too. Mago, however, if having none of it, and Dany's refusal to let Mago have his way will have serious consequences for all of them. However, since I'm not a Dany/Drogo 'shipper (I sort of get it, but if Drogo had lived, he would have been an obstacle in Dany's way, not a helpmate), I can't be too upset about it. I'm glad Dany made her stand, even if she does live to regret it.