TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones - The Broken Man

Spoilers...

Is it really episode seven? This season has absolutely flown by, and has to be one of the most consistently brilliant so far, with The Broken Man, which is another great episode. And it doesn't waste any time in reintroducing a great character from previous seasons who had been theorised to return; The Hound aka Sandor Clegane, who is found being part of a religious commune building a sept. The show had taken Sandor on an interesting journey previous, having shifted not only loyalties but morality, with a somewhat different take on things after being paired with Arya.

Here, Clegane's story is given significant heft, with the episode structured around his story, itself a sad reminder of the inevitability of war in the world of Game of Thrones, and its effects on everywhere - nobody is safe, no matter how far, remote, or peaceful they are. And for a man with a history of violence, it's almost impossible to escape. He seems content as part of the commune, if still as cynical as ever, but it's fascinating watching his conversations with the leader Ray - played by Ian McShane - who has had seemingly as dark a past as Sandor. McShane's casting is a masterstroke, bringing wonderful gravitas and depth to a tiny part (in the scheme of things) which has a crucial role in reintroducing Sandor.

The warrior's attempt to get away is shattered by the Brotherhood of Banners, who kill everyone in the commune for no discernible reason - something we're unfortunately used to seeing in Game of Thrones. Joffrey may have become the king we all loved to hate, and Ramsay is doing a similar job, but they both did cruel and inhuman things not for tactical or leadership reasons, but because they wanted to and they had the power to do so. The episode ends powerfully, with Sandor finding the bodies of the commune members strewn across the field. In his scenes he was shown to be chopping wood with an axe, almost as a redirection of power from his previous use of similar items, but the final shot has him picking up the axe from a tree stump, his motivation clear.

Speaking of Arya, she's not having a wonderful time trying to escape Braavos and the faceless men, and after booking passage on a ship she was approached by an old lady who, hugely predictably, turned out to be the waif. It was a bit uncharacteristic for Arya to let her guard down like that, but it was after a little moment where it felt like was saying goodbye to the city - and ready to become a Stark again. She was stabbed quite a few times, although while the episode left her looking bleak, you know it's not going to kill her off (it doesn't help that you see her in the preview for the next episode afterwards). The other Starks aren't getting on particularly well either: While Tormund was able to rally the wildlings to Jon's cause, House Glover had no interest, and while House Mormont pledged their allegiance, they only have sixty-two men. Nevertheless, the young leader of House Mormont was a charming girl of ten years old who happily talked smack to Jon and Sansa, with Davos eventually getting through to her, possibly thinking of Shireen.

Things in King's Landing are beginning to pick up, and we finally have a bit more of an idea of Margarey's plan after she secretly passed a drawing of the Tyrell rose to her grandmother, confirming her allegiance under the watchful eye of the faith militant. Olenna had a brilliant scene with Cersei where she just absolutely railed against her leaving her absolutely struck dumb, and hopefully she'll stick around in the show even though she's back off to Highgarden. Cersei undoubtedly has something up her sleeve, and chances are the theorised "Cleganebowl" is about to come true with Cersei choosing zombie Gregor as her champion, and The Mountain versus The Hound sounds like a fantastic way to go.

PS Yara likes the ladies. Never saw that coming.

- Charlie

You can read Charlie's look at previous episode, Blood of my Blood, here.

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TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones - The Lion and The Rose

As ever, major spoilers in the following review... Please don't read ahead if you haven't seen this episode.

It's an outing at the writer's desk for George RR Martin himself this time as we enter the second episode of this season, The Lion and the Rose. It's a fairly big sign that something big is coming if you see Mr Martin's name in the opening credits and so it proves once again. The episode opens in brutal fashion as Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon) engages in a human hunt with companion and the newly christened Reek (Alfie Allen) by his side who has cast off his old identity as Theon Greyjoy. Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) continues his journey north with Jojen (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Meera (Ellie Kendrick) and Hodor (Kristian Nairn) and has visions of where they must go next. Then, to King's Landing, where the final preparations are being made for Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and Margeary's (Natalie Dormer) wedding.

With a show such as Game of Thrones, there are always going to be those episodes where certain moments will overshadow the scenes that have gone before it for a variety of reasons. In some cases, it is from the sheer shock of what you had just seen, such as the Red Wedding. And it is to another wedding we turn for the other reaction that might overshadow the episode; sheer, unadulterated glee. It seems morally wrong to revel in the death of a character, but Game of Thrones doesn't exactly operate on an even keel when it comes to moral codes. Then there is the fact that the character in question is one of the most odious, most hated and downright evil characters to have ever walked across the screen.

Jack Gleeson's performance as Joffrey has always been one of the best in the series, capturing the Boy-King's maniacal love of power and the torture he inflicts on others. He's slowly grown into the character everybody loves to loathe and in some ways, it will be sad to see him go. However, just in case we had any sympathetic feelings at all, Martin leads up to the fatal moment with one of the worst acts of Joffrey's brutality not involving a crossbow. A not-so-subtle power-game between Joffrey and Tyrion showcases the King's hatred of his uncle, using a play with dwarfs to illustrate the War of Five Armies, not only humiliating Tyrion, but also torturing poor Sansa with some graphic attacks on the player representing her brother, Robb. Tyrion slowly placing his hand over his wife's during this scene was one of the sweetest moments in a dark episode.

And so to the death itself. Book readers will know how it is done, but I'm enjoying reading everyone's various theories around the internet (I won't be detailing it here). The episode had already been fairly brutal before we even got to King's Landing (more on that shortly), but there was an over-riding sense of things coming to an end slowly building throughout. With Shae sent away by Tyrion, Stannis and Melisandre regrouping at Dragonstone and the Boltons on the move, the episode felt more characteristic of the usual 'Episode 9' dramatic turns rather than the second episode. By the time we got to the wedding, the tension mounted slowly with every cruel comment or prank that Joffrey played. The moment itself was built beautifully as everyone slowly realised that he was choking; some hesitated, some rushed in gallantly, some stood back and watched it happen. And then for the fans, there was a nice, extended close-up of Joffrey's purple, bloated face, just so we could all make sure. It's not hard not to cheer at that.

Now to the scenes that we saw prior to the Purple Wedding. The episode opened far more brutally than it would later end, as Ramsay Snow uses his authority to engage in a hunt, chasing down a young woman with hounds and his bow-toting companion. The hunt itself was composed well, building throughout and getting considerably more graphic as the victim was chased down. Whilst not quite at the Joffrey level of hatred just yet, Snow is putting in a decent bid to replace him as the show's most reviled character. Theon may have been an ambitious but useless leader, but his plight is a sympathetic one and Allen's performance of the transition from the brash, over-compensating Theon to the maligned, broken Reek has been excellent. The look on his face when he found out that Robb was dead was heartbreaking.

Amidst all the death, we also got a few quieter scenes to highlight some of the underlying issues in Westeros. A particularly good scene was that between Tywin and Olenna (Diana Rigg is just marvellous isn't she?) which reminded everyone of the Westeros financial troubles. Tywin may shit gold as the saying goes, but the crown still owes a hell of a lot of money. Can we also have a round of applause for Oberyn, the sassiest man in Westeros? Seriously, Pedro Pascal is knocking this role out of the park. I want to see him go toe-to-toe with Tywin and Cersei at least once a week for this season. I also loved the scene between Jaime and Bronn. I may still remind myself that Jaime once pushed a child out of a window, but the fact I have to do this is a testament to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and the writers for giving him such a compelling, sympathetic arc.

The fourth season is clearly set to pull no punches, starting with a major demise in the second episode. The big, dramatic moments will always be the ones that people remember, but where Game of Thrones really excels is those scenes in between.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of the previous episode, Two Swords, here.

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TV REVIEW: Doctor Who - The Crimson Horror

Lots of planets have a North, they told us several series ago, way back in the days when Christopher Eccleston carried the sonic screwdriver. And if lots of planets have a ‘North’, so too must this one. And it certainly does, as Matt Smith’s Doctor proved this week in ‘The Crimson Horror’, a Mark Gatiss penned episode that sent him up, as it were, to a Victorian factory in Yorkshire.

I’m not usually a fan of my home regions being referred to as “The North”, with implied capital letters and italics suggesting something other, and foreign to the cultural norm, but I found it surprisingly pleasingly to bear here, enjoyable, even.  Having heard about the rapid, and distinctly odd disappearance of most employees of Mrs Gillyflower’s (Diana Rigg) match factory, Sweetville, with several corpses discovered stained a bizarre and ominous crimson colour, The Doctor (Matt Smith) and my fellow northerner, Clara (Jenna Louise Coleman), naturally set out to investigate.  Soon lost to the darker side of the factory themselves, our heroes are joined by old friends Madam Vastra (Neve McIntosh’s) a green lizard woman for those unaware, her wife, Jenny (Catrin Stewart), and  Straxx (Dan Starkey), a battle hungry Sontaran. Mind you aren’t they all? Together they must work out what on earth* is going on at the factory- namely, why do people not come out alive and when they do come out at all they’ve turned red, and who, or rather what, is Mrs Gillyflower’s silent partner, Mr Sweet?

Well-paced and cleverly written, this episode contained much of what has been lacking from the show of late- some truly stand out moments. The ones which, when done well, are later preceded by ‘oh and that bit when…’ in pub conversations up and down the land. Gatiss certainly brought plenty of these to the table. Franken-Doctor (you’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen it), ‘attack of the supermodels’, Matt Smith’s Yorkshire accent and Jenny battling said supermodels in that costume were all particularly worthy of this accolade. Some will have loved the tom-tom joke, some will have hated it, but it certainly stood out too- and creating memorable moments, monsters, characters and even planets is something which has always been important to the world of Doctor Who. With plenty of these to hang your fez on, this was a very tidy and complete episode.

Whilst The Doctor and Clara continue to go from strength to strength as a partnership, it was good to see some old faces. Clever with just enough of a sense of fun, the sharp tongued Madam Vastra and slightly saucy Jenny are always a joy. So too is Strax who, funnily enough given he’s arguably the most alien looking out of the lot of them, gave the episode an oddly human edge, with his, to him, at least, common sense attitudes and sense of sheer confusion at some of the goings on providing a window for the audience. Which isn’t a bad achievement for a sci-fi show, if you ask me.

This was certainly one of the better episodes in recent months, if not the best. Which, naturally, makes it very hard to top. Becky will tell you how next week goes so keep your eyes peeled.

*every time!!

Jen

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TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones - The Climb

Less naked bottoms this week as Game of Thrones continues the slower pace to spend some time with a wide variety of characters, once again all finding themselves in impossible situations.

The Climb wasn't the strongest of episodes, especially compared to the previous few episodes, but it did its job of setting the scene for the last few instalments of the season. In fact, it often felt like a chess game in that sense, positioning the pieces in their respective places ready for everything to kick off. The central theme of the episode, the climb of both literal and figurative representations, was perfect for an hour which saw many characters find themselves placed into a new set of circumstances, either by design or by another's machinations. Those in control were few and far between, though by far the most powerful; think Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton) and his control over Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) or Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Cersei (Lena Headey) being forced into acknowledging that Tywin (Charles Dance) is in complete control. As a central theme, it was an excellent way of demonstrating the power shifts in Westeros, but sadly, some the individual scenes just didn't quite sparkle in the way that we're used too.

One such character who is currently at the behest of another is resident traitor Theon (Alfie Allen), a character I have continued to neglect in these reviews quite simply because he hasn't been getting up to a lot. And I've forgotten him. He still isn't getting up to very much, being tied to a cross, and the cathartic pleasure of watching someone so snivelly and spineless get tortured by people has waned somewhat since the series opener. Thankfully, Iwan Rheon's wide-eyed gleefully unhinged performance as the as-yet unnamed Boy (though people who have read this far into the books will have a clue) saved the scene from complete dullness. He was a saving grace in the middle of a scene that just seemed to be there to remind people like me that Theon exists.

Another victim of not-so-exciting-scenes recently has been Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) though of course last week, he did get to go all wet and wild for a bit with Ygritte (Rose Leslie). In contrast to Theon's linear progression, Jon's was directly vertical as he and the other wildlings prepared to make the ascent up the Wall, the literal climb of the episode's title. The quiet scene between Ygritte and Jon was nicely done by both actors, conveying the subtext of their relationship well without overplaying the moment. The climb itself was very well done, with Sarkharov employing some impressive, vertigo-inducing visuals to convey the danger and extremity of the situation. And we all know that MacKenzie Crook's Orell is probably going to find himself at the pointy end of Longclaw before the season is out.

There is one scene though that stood out amongst all of the others was that scene between Lady Olenna (Diana Rigg) and Tywin Lannister, a battle of wits and one-liners that typified a lot of what we love about Game of Thrones. Usually in these scenes, honesty is not something that's demonstrated; we get a similar moment later in the episode when Varys (Conleth Hill) and Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) dance around each other, elegantly sidestepping each other. In contrast, watching Olenna go up against Tywin was like watching two battleaxes clashing violently, sparks flying, but neither one refusing to budge. With some cracking lines ("a sword swallower through and through") and some brilliant eyebrow acting from both parties, Olenna and Tywin was a match we'd been waiting for. Rigg has fast become the new fan favourite in her performance and quite right too; she's bloody good.

As noted in my little introductory sentence, there was a distinct lack of nudity in this week's episode, contrasting sharply with Kissed By Fire. There seems to have been a recurring pattern this season in which we get an episode absolutely full of naked bottoms, bare breasts and the occasional male appendage followed by one in which there is nary a piece of flesh in sight. The nudity is an aspect of the show I have never overtly criticised as it has never been something I took great issue with, despite the naked male to female ratio being vastly disproportionate. However, it seems to be an odd pattern this series, perhaps designed to appease both sides of the audience, those who desire naked bottoms and those who can do without. Either way, Game of Thrones doesn't need to rely on this nudity quota to get itself through; it's a fantastic drama with or without the odd bare breast.

The Climb was lacking a little something this week for me, despite being built on an excellent theme and individual scenes shining. Sadly, it never came together to form a cohesive whole but let's face it, even a bad day for Game of Thrones is far above a fair amount of things on the television.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review for the previous episode, Kissed By Fire here.

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TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones - Dark Wings, Dark Words

In a very brief summary, here's what Dark Wings, Dark Words had to offer. King's Landing continues its preparations for the wedding of Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) whilst Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) promises to assist Shae (Sibel Kekilli) in protecting Sansa (Sophie Turner). Further from the capital, Brienne of Tarth (Gwendolyn Christie) and Jaime Lannister (Nikolai Coster-Waldau) continue to make their way south whilst trying to avoid people killing them and them killing each other.

Arya (Maisie Williams), Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey) and Gendry (Joe Dempsie) decide to head to Riverrun but are stopped by the Brotherhood Without Banners and run into someone who may know who Arya is. Robb (Richard Madden) and Cat (Michelle Fairley) learn of the fate of Winterfell, not knowing that Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and Rickon (Art Parkinson) are alive and heading to the Wall.

Whilst last week was an episode of reminders, Dark Wings, Dark Words was an episode of introductions, bringing us a host of new characters to get to know. Once again, the casting of the show is impeccable as Thomas Brodie-Sangster's Jojen Reed and Paul Kaye's Thoros of Myr demonstrate. Although we only caught a brief glimpse of him, MacKenzie Crook had the important task of introducing the warg to us so that Bran and Jojen could follow. But of all the new characters, there is one who I have been looking forward to more than most; Diana Rigg as Lady Olenna, Queen of Thorns. Fearsome, forthright and not afraid of anything, she could easily slip into the Dame Maggie 'speak your mind and a dozen one liners' characterisation, but somehow, I think Rigg is going to keep a dangerous edge about her which the Dowager Countess just doesn't have.

Another slower-paced episode, this one seemed to be based around the idea of co-operation and forging new partnerships. 'Dark wings, dark words' is a common warning uttered by the arrival of a raven and so to it proves this week as not only does Cat discover the death of her father, but also the probable death of sons Bran and Rickon, leading to a revelatory conversation with Talisa (Oona Chaplin). The show and Fairley's performance have gone some way to humanise Cat more, who is a fairly reviled figure in the books for, as she observes, pretty much causing everything to go completely wrong for just about everyone. Here though, her anecdote about baby Jon Snow goes some way to allowing the audience to understand her motivations, even if you don't agree with them.

Speaking of reviled characters, Joffrey was in fine obnoxious reform once again this week and it turns out, if you thought he was bad beating women, he's just as horrific when it comes to wooing them. However, Sansa only knew how to play the victim whilst Margaery is a consummate politician. With what was quite possibly the most symbolic, innuendo-riddled crossbow since the weapon was invented, she managed to tap into Joffrey's need to kill and use it to win him over. It was a fantastically creepy scene, a combination of sexuality and death that was never comfortable. Give her her due, Margaery certainly knows how to play the game and seemingly has Joffrey under her control. No mean feat by any stretch of the imagination. 

In another winning combination, we also got to see more of Brienne and Jaime this week, culminating in a confrontation that many a fan has been looking forward to. The fight on the bridge and its build-up was great for showing just how well-matched the pair are, both in terms of their wit and their fighting abilities. Jaime is rarely beaten, but for him to be beaten by a woman is going to be something to deal with. The two actors have a good chemistry, selling the bickering between the two of them and allowing Coster-Waldau to get some of the episode's best lines at Renly Baratheon's expense. I'm hoping we see a good deal of the odd couple this season.

Some audience members may not enjoy the slower pace and emphasis on conversation over action, but I think the show's writers are doing exactly the right thing. There's a great deal to get through this season and without affording it the proper set-up, the action becomes meaningless; the audience would not care about characters they hadn't been introduced to properly. Besides, when you have conversations as electric and suspenseful as the ones between Thoros and Arya, or Olenna and Sansa, you don't need too much action, just some cracking one-liners.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of the first episode, Valar Dohaeris here.

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