Is it just me, or was last night’s episode of Game of Thrones kind of boring? Maybe it’s because Sunday was TV overload with all the usual shows and a three hour Survivor season finale, but I just wasn’t drawn in by “A Man Without Honor”. I’m still waiting for something big to happen.
Winterfell
It can’t be easy to wake up to find both your lover and your hostages gone, but it was rather delightful to watch skanky Theon face that situation.
At the end of the episode, Theon revealed two tiny burned bodies to the people of Winterfell – likely neighboring kids, a stunt meant to intimidate the people.
North of the Wall
As disgusted as Theon was to discover his lover was no longer by his side, I think Jon Snow was even more upset to wake up next to a woman. I’m loving Gwen the Downton Abbey maid as a sassy wildling. She’s, er, brash, isn’t she? I’m glad she’s around, because without her the Jon Snow storyline is painfully dull.
Harrenhaal
I’ve heard from some of the blog readers who are GoT book readers that Arya and Tywin aren’t supposed to be interacting, but as someone who’s only a TV show watcher (I do read other books, I promise) I LOVE their scenes together. Arya’s a proud girl – too smart for her own good, as many have told her – and she can’t help but reveal that she’s much smarter than the daughter of a mason would be.
As much as I hate Cersei, when Arya said “Most girls are idiots” I thought his comparison of Arya to his daughter was fair. They’re both sharp ladies, only one is evil and one is amazing.
Arya and Tywin are engaged in a dance – Tywin is trying to figure out Arya’s true heritage, and she’s doing her best to cover it up. When she intentionally said her mother had taught her to speak “proper – properly”, it was a calculated move and Tywin saw through it. I can’t wait to see where this goes.
King’s Landing
Sansa thanked Hound for saving her from the rapists, which she’s suffering from nightmares of. Sansa has grown up in so many ways since we met her, and now there’s another – she’s gotten her first period, which makes her officially a woman and able to bear Joffrey’s children.
Cersei warned Sansa that Joffrey will never be loyal to her, but that Sansa will have their children to love. She did slip up though, mentioning how Jaime stayed by her side during labor.
Quarth
Daeny is reeling after the theft of her dragons, and somewhat stupidly rejects help from Xaro in finding them. I mean, he’s rich and likes her – wouldn’t you have accepted his assistance? The again, with a family like hers it’s no wonder Daeny trusts no one.
When Ser Jorah heard about the theft he returned to Quarth – frankly, I’d forgotten he’d left – and Daney confided in him about her problems. She has no subjects, no dragons, no power.
Later Daeny begs the Thirteen to get her dragons back, and before you knew it the scary warlock guy had killed everyone. He admitted to taking Daeny’s dragons, and he’s in an alliance with Xaro who has now declared himself king. It looks as though Xaro and Warlock dude stole the dragons to try and convince Daeny to join their side – the dragons won’t live without her, and presumably they want to use the dragons so they need Daeny. Things are slowly but surely getting more interesting in this story arc.
I continue to be rather disinterested in what goes on in the actual war. Robb flirts with the hot nurse, Jaime kills his cousin but doesn’t escape. Jaime doesn’t care if he dies, and Catelyn wants him dead, but as far as she knows he’s still her best chance at getting her daughters back. So alive he stays, for now.
If last season is any indication, the big action will come in the penultimate episode.
I was quite curious and surprised at Cersei’s talks with both Tyrion and Sansa this week. She showed vulnerability, emotion and conscience in both of those scenes. The scene with Sansa especially, she was almost motherly toward her. Is she having pangs of conscience or is the reality of Joffrey’s cruelty and Jaime’s captivity also bringing out another side of her?
And like you, I love the scenes between Arya and Tywin and he is indeed trying to get at the truth of her heritage although I shudder to think about what will happen if he figures out that she is a Stark.
I am not even sure I care about what is happening with the war, is there even active fighting really going on? Seems like the Lannisters are sitting around Harrenhal and Rob’s group are whereever they are and we haven’t seen a lick of Stannis Baratheon in a couple of episodes. And the proper Greyjoy’s the girl and the dad, where are they? Theon did mention them. You’d think especially Rob would be marching toward King’s Landing to rescue Sansa and Arya. It’s just kind of not moving anywhere.
Daeny’s story is moving but too slowly, I wish they would pick up the pace with that and the war already. Last year her character was such a powerhouse, I find her falling really flat this season.
Over the course of the last week I have been rewatching season 1 to help me put more context into the characters and the storyline which has been helpful but I also realize how much I miss the characters of Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark. They were both strong, intriguing and they really helped keep the momentum going. Now I feel like it is a little bit all over the place.
I was surprised by Cersei too, but I don’t trust her at all so I’m kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. I feel like she was manipulating Sansa or something.
I think the problem for Rob is that you need ships to take King’s Landing and he doesn’t have any yet? But I may have misunderstood that.
The war has been moving along, but there is only so much time in the show and they can’t go into too much detail about it. As if the last episode, Stannis is coming for Joffrey and kings landing very soon and in a big way, which is in the east. Robb is in the west, moving in on the Lannister’s home. He just accepted the surrender of one of the last castles between him and casterly rock, which is the Lannister equivalent of Winterfell. Tywin is in a tough spot because he can’t deal with both, and he has been planning his next move. Theon’s plot will be moving fast because of what he did, and that will include his sister’s reaction. Hope that makes the war more clear.
thanks!
they have changed tnighs though; Jon is supposed to let himself be captured, as opposed to actually being taken hostage by the wildlings. I was a little disappointed by the Theon scenes; in the books you get utterly shocked when he kills Bran and Rickon; and you only really find out what happened to them in the absolute last chapter of Book 2.In the show, its not at all shocking, and you kinda know already that its not them and is not really as effective as it could have been. Oh well.
Book Reader here! I’ve just started the 4th book. I really like the addition of the Tywin/Arya storyline. It adds a little depth to both characters and the acting is perfect!
The books don’t detail a lot of the actual fighting. There is one battle that I’m sure (I’ve read online somewhere) will be showcased and it should be soon. This episode was a big set up for other things to come!
The Jon Snow story in the books is actually one of my favourites. He’s a complex guy and I wish the show would do it a little more justice!
Cool, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens! I hope Jon Snow gets a little more interesting since fans of the books love him so.
On the Brotherhood. No, you aren’t really supepsod know who they are at this point, except that they are a thorn in the Lannister’s side. There isn’t really a spoiler free to explain the shadow baby, but it is an indication that Melisandre does have some real power if the poison thing in episode 1 wasn’t enough. How much? Still not sure, but it probably won’t be the last time she does something difficult to explain.
they have changed things though; Jon is supposed to let himself be captured, as opposed to actually being taken hostage by the wildlings. I was a little disappointed by the Theon scenes; in the books you get utterly shocked when he kills Bran and Rickon; and you only really find out what happened to them in the absolute last chapter of Book 2.
In the show, its not at all shocking, and you kinda know already that its not them and is not really as effective as it could have been.
Oh well.
Book Reader here! I’ve just started the 4th book. I rllaey like the addition of the Tywin/Arya storyline. It adds a little depth to both characters and the acting is perfect!The books don’t detail a lot of the actual fighting. There is one battle that I’m sure (I’ve read online somewhere) will be showcased and it should be soon. This episode was a big set up for other things to come!The Jon Snow story in the books is actually one of my favourites. He’s a complex guy and I wish the show would do it a little more justice!
I also was kind of lost on what was going on with Jon Snow this week, hopefully one of your more-knowledgeable redears can fill those blanks in. Vulture usually does pretty good recaps. Tyrion had so many funny lines this week. I just love him, he is such a great character and such good comic relief in a show which, I think without it, would become tedious.
There were actually a few things that happened in this episode that will have major consequences both in the next few episodes and next season. They did not do a good job in presenting the scenes as obvious cliffhangers if you did not know where they were going already. In particular, there were scenes where you thought nothing big would come of it, where a major twist was happening. Just one example that is relatively spoiler free. Theon is now the most hated person in the north. Probably more than Joffrey now.
Also, there are book spoilers in colin’s post if anyone reads this before his.
Thanks for the warning! Very interesting that Theon will become so hated – I guess it makes sense, so it’ll be interesting to see what that does to the war being waged.
Does anyone else think the actor plniyag Alton Lannister looks a lot like the actor plniyag Gendry? Funny how they change Asha to Yara so no one gets Asha/Osha confused, but they have two characters who look very similar. By the way, did they ever even say Osha’s name in the show? I don’t recall them ever calling her by her name. It makes me very sad to hear the Reeds won’t be in the season or possibly the whole show. They are crucial characters in Bran’s storyline. I don’t quite understand some of the choices in the production of this show. They add pointless made-up scenes (every Ros scene, the Littlefinger and Cersei scene last episode, Dany’s silver dying, Rhakaro dead, Stannis banging Melisandre, Craster sacrificing a boy, Mago dying, etc) that take up screen time while at the same time omitting crucial characters and back stories. Why do we see Theon banging a girl on a boat that has nothing to do with anything, but yet we get no backstory on Davos, or an introduction to the Reeds? Where is Edmure and Holster Tully? Where is Brynden Blackfish? Where was Theons zealot uncle when Theon came ashore pike? It’s starting to seem like as long as a scene as a potential for showing sex on screen the producers will add it. But everything else thy will change willy-nilly.
Sorry about that! I was excited and just wrote a comment without thinking…eek
that the Lannisters have both Sansa and Arya, he lying to Littlefinger about Arya although the Lannisterb4s do have her, only Littlefinger doesnb4t know it. The Stark girls/women are gentitg good at playing the right game. Sansa still outwardly pledging her loyalty to Jeffrey even when Tyrion offers to get her out of the marriage. And Arya, plotting her revenge all the while eyeing needle. I also think her chanting is a way to help her cope with all that she has seen. I wonder what Tywin Lannister has in store for her. Very curious about what Daeny and her lot are going to do at Quarth.
Frank, Stannis banging Melisandre Happens in the books, just not exlticilpy. Sometimes with TV you have to be more direct. As for the other changes, who knows. I know they’re condensing a lot of characters. Simply too many for one TV show. Ros is replacing Alayaya and Chataya. As for the Reeds? Who knows. Maybe they’ll show up in Season 3.Also, that Theon scene on the boat is pretty much straight from the book. More character development for characters we already know, I guess was the rationale. It had lots to do with Theon and how highly he thinks of himself, only to have all those hopes dashed once he gets to Pyke. Not a useless scene at all.tl;dr Chill, bro.
Like Arya, Jon, Daenerys, Tyrion, Sansa (only the books version. I’m curtrnely reading the second book and I really feel sorry for her).Dislike Catelyn (she’s annoying in the series and in the books and she makes a lot of stupid decisions), Joffrey (no need for any explanation lol).
It’s very interesting. To save time and money, they’ve been (understandably) cibnonimg chapters from the book and omitting several sections. For example, The torture of the captives wasn’t at Harrenhaal, but in a village where Arya is captured. Also, she wasn’t captured right when Yoren died, so they’ve been mixing things up. They also made Bronn captain of the city watch, thus removing the need to introduce a new character. Crafty. Interesting stuff though, and the new scenes are very nifty.
Yeah the only thing to say about the Brotherhood at this point (w/o spoiling) is that there was a scene in Season 1 when Ned is sinittg on the Iron Throne and holding court (while Robert is hunting), and some villagers show up to tell him their village was attacked by Gregor the Mountain Clegane. Ned sentences the Mountain to death and sends Lord Beric Dondarrion and 100 men to bring Ser Gregor to justice. I think its Ep 6, but it might be 7. The rest should be explained as we move forward.