TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones - First of His Name

Opening with Tommen's coronation, First of His Name is another episode which ranges across Westeros and Meereen, but rather than check in with everyone they possibly can, we get several focused scenes with select characters. In King's Landing, we follow Cersei through various conversations as she attempts to secure the future for Tommen as well as checking with Oberyn about Myrcella. Arya and the Hound have another confrontation, this time about what kind of sword is required to kill a man whilst Brienne finds herself coaching Pod into doing something useful as her squire. Sansa and Littlefinger have arrived at the Eyrie, greeted by her mad cousin Robyn and her mad aunt Lysa who promptly marries Littlefinger and lets the entire castle in on their wedding night. Finally, Jon's troupe closes in on Craster's Keep to take down the mutineers.

The previous two episodes have had a fair few issues with them, perhaps the most obvious of which was pacing. Oathkeeper was seemingly various long exposition scenes sandwiched between two outstanding sequences to open and close the episode. First of His Name has a similar problem, but this time, the strongest scenes are threaded throughout the narrative, which boosts the pace somewhat. It still feels like certain scenes are in there just to remind audiences of characters or to pad out the story until the next Big Event, but there were three key moments in this episode where it felt like Game of Thrones had begun to rediscover its groove.

Tommen's coronation was a nicely sombre affair tinged with humour as Margaery continued to apply her claws to the latest Baratheon on the Iron Throne. Her conversation with Cersei, in which the two acknowledged their mutual goals and respective ambitions was particularly well done and both Natalie Dormer and Lena Headey rose to the challenge admirably. Margaery and Cersei really aren't too dissimilar and seeing them exchange euphemistic conversation whilst actively trying to undercut each other is a delight. It also acts as a useful reminder of the ways in which women learn to survive in Westeros that doesn't involve some sort of sexual violence as a catalyst. Margaery is ambitious and knows her family affords her a certain amount of privilege. She can also work her assets in a way that no doubt Cersei once did. Cersei on the other hand resorts to her role as a matriarchal figure to get things done, namely by ensuring that Tommen will be married to a strong ally.

Speaking of females surviving, one who has done remarkably well for herself is Sansa, who believes herself to be in a safe place when she arrives at the Eyrie, only to discover her aunt and her son are quite bonkers. Kate Dickie's performance was gloriously unpredictable, calm and inviting one minute then all wild stares and accusations the next. Praise should go too to Sophie Turner who has managed to turn what was once a wholly unsympathetic character to someone we actively fear. Granted, Joffrey helped this transition, but it it was galling to see Sansa get to what she thought was finally a safe place only to have the rug pulled from underneath her once more.

Of course the big reveal in this moment is that it was Littlefinger and Lysa behind the poisoning of Jon Arryn which kickstarted all of these events way back when. With the death of Jon Arryn, Littlefinger put himself in a position through which to provoke the antagonisms between the Lannisters and the Starks whilst ensuring that he can keep the situation to his advantage. So far, so good. Long have people said that Littlefinger is the most influential man in Westeros and this goes some way to prove that. When Lysa asks why he cares so much about Sansa, she assumes it is because he fancies her for himself, which is a fair assumption really as Sansa is supposed to look how Catelyn did at the age when Littlefinger fell in love with her). However, with Sansa in his keep and Lysa in his marriage bed, Littlefinger has access to two of the most important strongholds in Westeros, the impenetrable Eyrie and the last known remaining heir to Winterfell. 

Michelle MacLaren is once again on directing duties and produces another stunning episode. I particularly loved the framing of the final shot in Meereen with Dany stood on the balcony with her back to both the camera and Ser Jorah, watching over her as ever. It was a beautiful visualisation of their relationship and how the power dynamic has evolved and shifted since their first meeting at her wedding. Another admirable sequence was the climactic fight between Jon and Karl, lit hauntingly by the central fire and shot at a frenetic pace. Then, of course, there was that final cathartic shot of Longclaw bursting through Karl's mouth which has to be one of the best non-Joffrey deaths of the series so far. Erlack.

It is that final sequence, coupled with the scenes in the Eyrie, that elevated this episode from another substandard affair. After what felt like weeks of the Night's Watch discussing the mutineers, something finally got done and in a suitably brusque and brutal fashion. It was also surprisingly emotional when Bran looked on to see Jon, failing to get his attention before being convinced it was probably best he didn't talk to his brother. Like Arya arriving at the Twins just in time for the Red Wedding, it was heartbreaking to see the two brothers gets so close without actually meeting (though for the longer narrative, it was preferable that they didn't). I also loved the simple scene with Jon as he is reunited with Ghost. It's a small moment but it's not often you get people reunited with friends or family on this show. Let's savour it when it happens.

It was in the minor scenes that once again those little niggles showed. Whilst Brienne and Pod provided some welcome relief, Arya and the Hound appeared again to re-tread the same ground they've already gone over in at least three episodes; life is hard, Arya needs to harden up. Maisie Williams and Rory McCann are one of my favourite partnerships on the series, but I can't help feeling they're being overused. It was welcome to see Williams' water-dancing which was beautiful to watch and to hear her finally say her list in front of the Hound, but again it felt like the scene went on to long to get their relationship to a point we knew they were at. It's a toxic one that Arya would do well to get away from, but it's belabouring the point somewhat now.

An improvement on last week's episode, First of His Name is all in all a mixed affair, but it is saved by two sequences which work to further the plot rather than delay it, injecting some much needed danger into the proceedings. We're now halfway through the season when things, traditionally, start heating up so let's hope this ascent continues.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of previous episode, Oathkeeper, here.

Follow @AssortedBuffery on Twitter

Or like our Facebook page

FILM REVIEW: Pacific Rim

An inter-dimensional breach deep in the Pacific Ocean has led to huge monsters, nicknamed Kaiju, to wreak havoc on the human race. In response, we build Jaegers, giant mechanised warriors operated by two pilots to do battle with the Kaiju. As the attacks keep coming and the situation gets desperate, Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) brings back a disgraced pilot, Raleigh Beckett (Charlie Hunnam) to help him with the few remaining Jaegers he has left. 

A film from Guillermo del Toro is always going to be visually arresting and right from the first trailer, Pacific Rim has never looked like bucking the trend. The film's excellent viral campaign has been building this world for us for months now and that meticulous attention to detail makes Pacific Rim totally immersive. From small details like pin-up paintings on the side of a Jaeger to city architecture building around Kaiju skeletons, every aspect of this ravaged earth feels authentic with a weight and a history behind it. There is also the multicultural aspect that del Toro has created, blending cultures and people together to create a vision of humanity pulling together against a common enemy.

It is a real shame then that the same level of attention hasn't been paid to achieving some sort of gender balance with the characters seen. Yes, one of the best characters in the film is female (and we'll get to the awesome Mako Mori soon), but there are very little female faces elsewhere. In fact, there is just one other female speaking role and she doesn't really carry any screen time. Many of the other minor roles aren't gender specific and it doesn't really make a lick of sense why, when a fair amount of countries are represented, the same can't be said for the women of this battered earth. It's been a bad year for female characters in blockbusters and sadly, Pacific Rim has done nothing to buck that trend. 

It also doesn't help that the characters are thinly drawn and barely extend beyond their particular archetype. Somehow though, this sort of works and it helps that most of the cast lend a certain credibility to the clunkier aspects of the script. Elba brings a gravitas to his role as the impressively monikered Stacker Pentecost and is clearly destined for more roles of the authoritative variety, giving Pentecost a weariness that plays well into the decaying world around him. Even Robert Kazinksy as the Iceman substitute, Chuck, whilst cartoonish, manages to add a little more drama to the human focused scenes and his relationship with father Herc (Max Martini) provides another emotional dimension to the proceedings.

The light relief of Charlie Day and Burn Gorman's exposition characters can get a bit wearing, especially as Day seems to operate on a permanently SHOUTY level, but they have a couple of funny moments between them and allows for a Ron Perlman appearance to boot. Kikuchi meanwhile is the character granted the biggest arc (though that's not saying much) as Mako Mori, an intriguing mix of vengeance and ambition. She's easily the best thing in the film and it's refreshing to see a female character not simply there just to facilitate the hero's development or just strip unexpectedly down to her pants.

Pacific Rim does not, however, have a convincing lead. Charlie Hunnam certainly looks the part and there are plenty of shirtless moments for girls and guys who are so inclined to have a cheeky gape at. But a well defined set of abs does not a leading man make. Lacking in the charisma that is usually mandatory for this kind of disgraced former genius pilot role, Hunnam is seemingly incapable of varying his line delivery and proves to be a bit of a vacuum at the centre of the film when he should have been the heart. It's also a shame that his relationship with Mako is never really developed, especially considering they are supposed to be mentally compatible enough to pilot Gipsy Danger. Nevertheless, the film does just enough to make sure that you care and it's the first film in a long time where they actually feel in genuine peril for at least the final act.

From the moment the first trailer punched its way on to the internet, Pacific Rim promised huge, bone-crunching action and it really delivers. The CGI used to create the Jaegers and the Kaiju is simply fantastic, a real testament to its quality in an age when all special effects are scrutinised heavily. Both adversaries move with a credible weight, making a visible impact on the locations even when they aren't smashing into buildings and bridges. The sequences are frenetic and largely, it's possible to discern what's happening, but there are occasions when the shots are badly lit or the camera moving at such a pace that it's best to just sit back and wait for the audio to let you know what's happening.

Despite these gripes, Pacific Rim is actually just a huge amount of fun from start to finish and for that reason, it gets away with having a less than stellar script, mostly one-note characters and the odd shaky-cam faux pas. It's a film that is just happy to be a loud, live-action cartoon of many a childhood fantasy and as someone who grew up watching Power Rangers, the action sequences here are what those episodes with the Megazord always promised but could never quite deliver. For that alone, I loved it.

****

- Becky

Follow @AssortedBuffery on Twitter
Or like our Facebook page.