Spoilers ahead!
Man, I shouldn't have wasted time worrying the story was spiralling out of control last week- this week gave us introductions to at least eight new characters! And once again, despite what many would accuse of being a leisurely pace, this episode barely took a breathe in its momentum forward.
We find out that Little Lord Bran's still making slow progress to the Wall, with Hodor, Rickon and Osha (how is it that I never knew this character's name?) providing support both literal and defensive. Bran's still having his animal dreams and we get an answer as to why. He's a warg, of course. Another supernatural element to annoy all those viewers who were suckered in by the politics, handsome production design and loads of sex and are gradually losing enthusiasm because of the appearance of smoke demons, zombie armies and actual dragons. Ah, well.
A warg is a person with the gift of second sight, and who can view the world through the eyes of animals. Bran is a warg, this new kid Jojen Reed, (the freakish kid with the inky shark eyes from Love Actually) is a warg and Gareth from the original UK version of The Office is a warg. And Jon Snow got to see a warg. That's basically all he did this episode : look at a warg and act all unperturbed by the vision of 'dead crows' at the Fist of the First Men.
Theon's also back on the scene, and his fall has been as swift as his rise, with us finding him strapped to a cross undergoing his very own Spanish inquisition. Which he (like everyone else) would never expect! Especially since the last moment he was conscious he was giving a rousing speech to his not-so-loyal-as-it-turns-out troops in the courtyard of a besieged Winterfell. Then another ex-The Office actor knocked him out with a blow to the head. Now he's woken up to knives under the fingernails and screws through the feet. It's sure put my bad morning into prospective.
The Kingslayer Jamie and Brienne are still perfecting their very own version of a Crosby & Hope road movie, complete with clever word play, fisticuffs and pratfalls. Actually scratch that, it's more like a medieval Midnight Run (my spin-off pitch: Night's Watch Run), with the straight-talking, resourceful bounty hunter constantly being hamstrung by her wise-cracking, difficult prisoner. And now they're in all sorts of trouble because House Bolton's man-at-arms' Locke (played by Noah Taylo! Where'd he come from?!) got tipped off an 'innocent man' that Brienne let go earlier in the episode. Doing the honourable thing never pays off in Game of Thrones.
Margaery's schemes start taking root after she and her Grandmother Lady Olenna quiz Sansa about Joffrey's true nature while enjoying some lemon cake. This could prove to be the most dangerous afternoon tea ever! While there's no doubt about the Tyrell's motivations for bringing Sansa into their confidence, it's hard to imagine a situation where Sansa's life won't be extinguished out by a crossbow-wielding Margaery when Joffrey decides he needs a little... release.
Lady Stark got a nice confessional monologue on the way to her father's funeral where we really come to understand her reasons for letting the Kingslayer go. It appears as though poor ol' Catelyn blames herself for all the tragedies that have befallen her family ever since she wished death upon the baby Jon Snow. That's a heavy weight to carry around, and provides a nice solemn moment around which so much turmoil revolves.
Samwise is his usual mopey self, barely trudging along with his brothers back towards the Wall. (He's not really living up to his namesake Samwise Gamgee's reputation for long walks, is he?) The fact that he's not already dead suggests he's got a great heroic moment in him. We're into the third season now, I wonder how far off it is?
And the great Arya is finally back with us, getting lost in the forest with Gendry and Hot Pie and encountering the likable rogues that are the Brotherhood Without Banners. Plus another two great characters introduced, the smooth talking Thoros of Myr and his stunning archer Anguy who gets a memorable and, let's face it, hopefully prophetic scene where he fires an arrow into the sky that lands exactly where he wants it to: six feet away. When an archer stops talking: move.
Also:
- Tyrion seems to have been moved to a nicer room, this one gets some natural light.
- Lady Olenna's keen thoughts on Renly: "Gallant, yes, and charming, and very clean. He knew how to dress and smile and somehow this gave him the notion he was fit to be king." Which in the world of Monty Python and the Holy Grail is precisely what identifies a king: "He hasn't got shit all over him".
- Ha! Gendry gives Arya a hard time for not simply wishing her three deaths upon the people who really deserve it.
- Nice to see the Hound back in action. Even if he may have just made life very difficult for Arya and the gang.
- Latest piece of beyond-the-wall trivia: "Everyone hates the Cave People".
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