TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones - Oathkeeper

The opening scene of Oathkeeper is perhaps one of my favourite moments in this season so far. It's such a simple one; Grey Worm is being taught to read and speak the Common Tongue by Missandei and through the process, the audience learns more about their backgrounds and the system of slavery in this world without heavy-handed exposition. The subsequent attack on Meereen is also brilliantly shot, with director Michelle MacLaren utilising the claustrophobic underbelly of the city to evoke the hellish slavery conditions before contrasting this in the wide shots of Dany as a conqueror looking over her new city. MacLaren is one of the best directors working on the show currently and this episode's strength lies with her. Even the scenes I wasn't particularly enamoured with were beautifully shot and composed.

The closing scene was also a sequence of note, the heavy blues contrasting sharply with the fiery oranges of the episode's opening. Any time the white walkers are seen in Game of Thrones, it's a reminder that, whilst everyone may be squabbling over the Iron Throne, the real threat is largely beyond the Wall and their numbers are growing. In a big surprise, it turns out that White Walkers can turn babies in a stunning final scene that saw poor Craster's son's eyes turn icy blue. Even us book readers didn't know they could do that (though it's obviously part of Martin's wider plan; I can't imagine the writers would be able to throw something like that in without him noticing).

Other strong scenes included a revelatory moment between Margaery and Olenna, in which her part in the killing of Joffrey is revealed (well done to people who called that one). The female Tyrells are a wonderful creation, endlessly spiky and difficult to control. The only sad thing is it's likely we won't see much more of Diana Rigg with Olenna returning to Highgarden. She's been absolutely marvellous from start to finish and I can't think of anyone else who could have played the Queen of Thorns with such attitude. Margaery also proved her worth with her late night visit to Tommen's room, in which she met Ser Pounce and demonstrated to the audience exactly why they've made Tommen a bit older in the series. 

And then there is the rest of the episode, which I'm just not all that enamoured with. With the theme of keeping oaths across the episode, it's not surprising that Jaime became one of the main focuses but, first of all, let's deal with the one-handed elephant in the room. The director of last week's episode insisted that that scene in the sept was meant to be consensual (which somehow makes the entire situation worse) and so the thread of that narrative continues . For a show that has done so much right, Game of Thrones has dropped the ball in a big way on this one, not even anticipating that sections of their audience might interpret that scene differently. Even David Benioff has stated that it was Jaime 'forcing himself on her', which is a further example of this disconnect. If the creative team have differing opinions on this, where does that leave the audience? This episode is clearly working with the angle that it was consensual because in fact, it feels like that scene didn't even happen at all. Jaime's back to being his usual slightly-heroic complex self whilst Cersei returns to her dry, cynical view of the world. 

It makes any scene with Jaime in this episode troubling to say the least; for those of us in the audience who saw rape, we're suddenly being asked to consider Jaime as one of the complex heroes of the show again (which he has clearly been positioned to be, given his redemptive arc in the previous season and despite the pushing of Bran). His one scene with Cersei shows that their relationship is over in what is barely a blip in the wider narrative of the episode. Instead, Jaime's focus is on the oaths he made and his honour, both to Tyrion and to Brienne. Both of his scenes sparkled with the kind of witty dialogue that we've come to expect when the Lannisters are involved. Before last week's debacle, the scene with Brienne would have been something I would have lavished praise on. Now, it just makes me feel a little uncomfortable.

Elsewhere in the episode, pacing was once again a bit of an issue. It's another filler episode in which everyone is repositioned for the next Big Event and which begins to deviate a fair way from the book in question. I've been accommodating of the changes made in adapting the books so far, because largely they have made sense and streamlined the narrative to make it more coherent. However, in this episode, it feels like it has gone another way. With the expansion of the mutineers at Craster's Keep, it just feels like its starting to play for time rather than continue to take the story forward. We had even more filler this week with numerous scenes on the Wall in which we're reminded that Jon Snow is fighting prejudice in the ranks, the wildlings are really dangerous and Castle Black is under a great threat. Which is exactly where we were at the last time we were there. 

Now, however, we get to see more of the oft-mentioned mutineers, the ones who betrayed Lord Commander Mormont last season. It's another one of those scenes in which exposition takes place whilst naked women are raped in the background and men drink out of skulls. Burn Gorman was suitably odious in his role but the scene dragged interminably and there was still no actual attack on Craster's Keep (despite Jon talking about it for two episodes and finally assembling a team to go and take them on). It was largely here to remind us that a) the mutineers are Really Bad People (which we sort of knew already) and b) to set up the big final scene of the episode with the White Walkers as Craster's last child, a son, is sacrificed to them. 

Alongside these events, we had Bran warging with Summer and getting trapped at Craster's Keep, seeing Ghost trapped himself in a cage. The warg effects are nicely simple and yet effective and any scene with the direwolves is immediately 20% better. By the end of the episode, Bran's crew are trapped with the mutineers (who they don't encounter like this in the books) and it seems to be heading towards a Jon-Bran reunion. I'm intrigued to see how they play this in the coming episodes, because part of Jon's plight is that he believes that his entire family are dead. To receive confirmation that this isn't the case would throw up an interesting new dynamic for the character. 

The first half of any given Game of Thrones season is always largely set-up for the revelations that get thrown up in later episodes. For Oathkeeper, this was certainly the case, though this is the first time that it felt like it was dragging. I'm hoping that now the pieces seem to be in place, we get a little forward momentum in the next few episodes because, at the moment, it feels like aspects are stalling.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of the previous episode, Breaker of Chains, here.

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TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones - The Bear and the Maiden Fair

Last week's episode saw plenty of pairings defined by power and status whilst this week's takes a look at the romantic (ish) relationships that dominate the characters' and affect their motivations. Once again, the episode's title bears more than a little on the ongoing narrative (pun intended) as we see various pairs of mismatched couples defined by their gruffness or their beauty. Another slow-burning episode, we darted to various locations and caught up with all of the usual suspects, the difference being that this time George R.R. Martin is on script duties this week with Breaking Bad's Michelle McLaren in the director's chair.

Again exhibiting the leisurely pace we've come to expect from the last couple of Game of Thrones episodes, it didn't necessarily do The Bear and the Maiden Fair any favours. In fact, of all the episodes of this series, it was this one that felt most like filler, closing the gaps and further establishing the narrative direction for the characters in the rest of the season. Certain scenes were excellently put together, particularly Dany (Emilia Clarke) and her dragons taking on the emissary from Yunkaii which not only showcased the special effects work with the flying menaces, but also Dany's evolution from shrinking violet to the Silver Queen.

Other highlights including the weekly Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) dressing down of a member of his family and a development in the relationship between Robb Stark (Richard Madden) and Talisa (Oona Chaplin), almost singlehandedly filling this week's episode quota of naked bottoms (yes, we appear to be in a clothes off week once again). The ongoing relationship between Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Ygritte (Rose Leslie) is perhaps afforded the most screen time. Their scenes together have steadily improved through the season and here, they have their funniest flirtatious conversations so far even as their relationship is undermined by their very different backgrounds. However, they were also punctuated by scenes that slowed the pace even further and served little purpose but to set up directions or remind us of issues gone by. Despite a stirling performance from Natalie Tena as Osha, the scene with Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) deciding to go after the raven was one such example. It seemed included just to let us know where Bran was off to and remind us all of the threat of the White Walkers. Another example was the return of Theon (Alfie Allen), tortured once again and now possibly missing an appendage. This was also the scene in which we saw more nudity. Because just one scene isn't enough. It served little purpose really, other than to check in with Theon's terrible, yet deserved, situation.

One of the episode's strongest points though was the editing and the way we moved through Westeros. Pairings separated by other characters were sort of brought back together; Arya (Maisie Williams) and Gendry (Joe Dempsie) may have been torn apart from each other, but their scenes were connected, reminding us of their relationship whilst facing new challenges of their own. We also had pairings yet to be joined in matrimony; Sansa (Sophie Turner) mourns her impending marriage to Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and in the very next scene, he does the same in turn with Bronn (a welcome return for Jerome Flynn). It's exemplary stuff and really works to provide a cohesive strand running through an episode which was marked by its internally episodic nature.

Then there were the final scenes which brought back the high quality and spark that seemed missing from a large part of the episode. I've spent a lot of these reviews going on about how much I love the pairing of Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Brienne (Gwendolyn Christie) and this week does nothing but make me love them more. Jaime, ever the dashing knight, rides back to Harrenhal to rescue Brienne from a situation in a rather literal interpretation of the episode's title. It's a fantastic sequence that cements just how much they have come to rely on each other and has a killer final line from Jaime. Just brilliant.

A mixed bag then this week as we head into the final three episodes of the season. The chess pieces are surely all in place now so let's hope that the pace picks up and we get some moments of sheer shout-at-the-television awesome.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of the previous episode, The Climb, here.

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TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones - Kissed By Fire

This week's dose of Westeros came complete with quiet character developments, daring swordfights and more than a few naked bottoms.

Game of Thrones has always been about the grey area of the characters we follow, the honourable tempered by their own pride or the evil-doers by their compassion. It's what makes the show so compelling because we're never quite sure where we stand with certain people. Kissed By Fire was an excellent exploration of this grey area, the choices that these characters have to make in order to ensure their own survival, no matter what the cost to their own moral standing or their honour. As a result, the episode slowed the pace down from last week's whirlwind of revelations and spent much more time in several places, offering us a glimpse at just how far some characters have travelled since their first appearances.

Perhaps the most obvious example is Jon Snow (Kit Harington); like Ned before him, Jon has a fierce sense of honour and his infiltration of the wildling camp has put that to the test. Harington was finally given something to do this week (as it were), facing two tests to prove that he had broken his vows completely. One is to pass on intelligence about the forces remaining at Castle Black which he passes by threatening violence and insisting on his honesty. The second is a naked Ygritte (Rose Leslie), Naked Bottom Number One, compelling him to prove he is no longer a crow by also getting his kit off, Naked Bottom Number Two. And I can pretty much guarantee that no one will ever take Ygritte's catchphrase seriously again.

We also got to spend more time with Stannis (Stephen Dillane), who so far hasn't really amounted to doing much bar looking a bit gruff and having Davos (Liam Cunningham) arrested. Here, we got introduced properly to his family, Selyse (Tara Fitzgerald - though glimpsed briefly last season played by another actress) and his daughter Shireen (Kerry Ingram). Offering a chance for us to see Stannis in a domestic setting, it also serves to show the audience just how far he has fallen; his wife not only forgives his betrayal with Melisandre (Carice Van Houten), she celebrates it. And keeps dead babies in pickle jars. The woman is not well. It is the scene with his daughter though that was particularly touching as she clearly symbolises this distance for him. It's a touching scene and Shireen's song, both in this scene and the end credits, is particularly haunting.

Family was another important theme of this episode, as evidenced in a particularly heartbreaking scene between Arya (Maisie Williams) and Gendry (Joe Dempsie). When Gendry decides that he wishes to stay with the Brotherhood, he cites that he has never had a family and these could be his. Williams plays the next line with such vulnerability, completely contrasted with her fierceness earlier in the episode, that I am not ashamed to admit, I welled up; "I could be your family". As Gendry mournfully observes, she would be his lady. Both Dempsie and Williams played the scene perfectly, capturing the strangeness of their relationship and their reliance on each other in just a few lines.

Once again, the episode is stolen by the unfolding relationship between Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Naked Bottom Number Three, and Brienne(Gwendolyn Christie), Naked Bottom Number Four. Full of symbolism (they're both naked, in a bath, which reflects their own images back at them), it's a big revelation scene, the story of how Jaime came by the nickname Kingslayer. It perfectly encapsulates the idea of a character's mix of light and dark and the emphasis on family that runs through the episode. Jaime makes no excuses for what he has done, he simply tells the story of how the Mad King forced him to choose between his oath and his family. Coster-Waldau again proves his worth as do the show's writers; after all, they've managed to make everyone feel sorry for a man who pushed a child out of a window so he could continue having sex with his sister.

These conflicted characters make compelling viewing, but of course, not all characters are so morally mixed up. After all, this is a show which also includes Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) and Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen). It's been awhile since we saw Littlefinger in full flow, beyond simply manoeuvring to get Sansa (Sophie Turner) out of harm's way. Here however, he is employed by Cersei (Lena Headey) to find out what the Tyrells are up to. He does so, thanks to sending a nicely attractive boy, Naked Bottom Number Five, to seduce Loras (Finn Jones) and discover their plotting. This in turn leads to Tywin reasserting himself as supreme bastard by forcing Cersei to marry Loras and Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) to marry Sansa in order to stop the plot. The Lannister meetings are always entertaining, and this one is no different, particularly Headey's raised eyebrow at the end of the scene.

Director Alex Graves also chose to explore this through the use of light and dark in the visual aspects of the episode; the warm, dangerous glow of the flaming swordfight contrasted sharply with the muted cold tones of Selyse's residence or north of the Wall. It's one of the most beautiful episodes to date and one of the best in terms of advancing the plot. However, for those of us who have read the books, it's becoming torturous. Fear not, I won't reveal any potential spoilers, but I think it is safe to say that big things are on the horizon.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of previous episode, And Now His Watch Is Ended, here.

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TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones - Walk of Punishment

After the previous two scene-setting episodes, Game of Thrones needed to start upping the ante for Season 3 so did David Benioff's first directorial effort succeed? Did it ever.

Please don't read this review if you haven't seen Walk of Punishment yet, as it will spoil the episode for you in a rather major way.

Walk of Punishment saw several of the show's major players take a massive step forward in their respective narrative arcs, whilst making time for some well-pitched comedy and the first major shock of the season. It was the best instalment so far of Season Three and a good sign that the focus on scene-setting in the first two episodes will lead to some excellent pay-offs later. Of course, one of which awaited at the end of this episode, but more on that later.

What really impressed me with this episode was how well some scenes were performed without dialogue to great effect. Lannister Musical Chairs has to be one of the best representations of the political manoeuvrings of the family, as well as one of the funniest scenes the show has produced to date and with barely a word spoken. Then again, once the Lannisters enter into conversation, it isn't long before the barbed words start flowing. The first meeting of the Small Council finds Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) with the title of Lord of Harrenhal and with a mission to win over and marry Lysa Aryn (Cat's sister, breastfeeder of ten year olds and Season One all round mental if you're struggling to place her). With that, the position of Master of the Coin is soon handed over to an unimpressed Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) who reasons that 'a lifetime of outrageous wealth hasn't taught me much about managing it'. Then again, as Cersei (Lena Headey) points out in rather blatant subtext, Tyrion is just being set up for a fall.

In another dialogue-lacking scene, but on a more blackly comic level, our first outing to Riverrun (making its debut in the credits map too) introduced us to Cat's family, most notably Brynden (Clive Russell), also known as the Blackfish, and her brother Edmure (Tobias Menzies) who looks like he's going to be every bit as bumbling and useless as he is in the books. The scene in which he fails repeatedly to set his father's funeral boat alight was both intensely awkward, yet very funny. The Lannister scene may have affirmed their family dynamics, but those of House Tully were instantly put in place in preparation for Robb's best scene yet.

One of the standouts of the various dialogue-driven scenes, Robb's dressing down of his uncle was well-written, giving both Robb (Richard Madden) and Edmure a chance to take centre stage for a bit. Robb has largely been confined to looking perturbed and glaring at his mother so it was refreshing to see him engage with other characters and remind us all why he has become the King in the North. Menzies made a good impression in his first appearance as Edmure, but it was Madden who stole the scene, presenting a worn-out leader who is winning all the battles, yet not gaining any ground, both militaristic and familial.

Further away from Westeros, we also had some developments for Jon (Kit Harington) beyond the Wall, as well as his former brothers' who have made their way back to Craster (Robert Pugh), much to the disappointment of Sam (John Bradley). Jon Snow's character arc is a favourite of mine from the books, but I've not felt that this season hasn't done it justice so far. Whilst the horse spiral was suitably icky, there hasn't been a lot of the internal conflict that characterises Jon's journey, partly due to Harington's slightly lacklustre performance, but also due to the writing. Much of this conflict comes from his relationships with Mance Rayder (Ciaren Hinds) and Ygritte (Rose Leslie), but neither of them have been developed that well just yet. Obviously this could all be still to come, yet there seems to be a drop in tension once we hit the snowy plains of beyond the wall. Let's hope the attack on Castle Black will go some way to address this.

By contrast, Dany (Emilia Clarke) is already way ahead of her book counterpart in terms of level of interest as the scene in Astapor was brilliantly handled. Clarke has always been exceptional in the role, even during Season 2 when she was given practically nothing to do but moan about her missing dragons, and she excelled again here. Like Robb's scene, this one reminded us all of why Dany has the potential to go all the way to the Iron Throne and she also had her very own Eowyn-type moment; 'yes, all men must die. But we are not men'. The conflict for her affections between Ser Jorah (Iain Glen) and newly-arrived Ser Barristan (Ian McElhinney) is playing out nicely in the background but both of them were united when she decided to trade 8000 Unsullied warriors for one of her dragons. Considering how protective she was over them last season, it's clear that giving them a dragon doesn't exactly carry the definition that the slave trader expects.

And finally, we get to that scene. The biggest, boldest and shout-at-the-television worthy scene in the season to date, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) found out what happened when you try to play the 'daddy's got loads of money' card one too many times. Preceded by a rather hilarious scene between Pod, Bronn (Jerome Flynn) and Tyrion, the final sequence of events began in much the same way, with Brienne (Gwendolyn Christie) and Jaime bickering whilst tied together on the back of a horse. Their adversarial relationship is a joy to watch and the humour and levity of the situation made what followed all the more harrowing. Brienne is taken off by their captors to be raped but Jaime, in rare moment of thinking about someone else, concocts a story and manages to save her from being 'besmirched'. An intriguing development, it served to demonstrate that, despite his bravado, Jaime clearly respects Brienne and their relationship is now becoming more than just prisoner and guard; he needs her to survive.

Of course, with the horrific screams from Brienne in the background and the foreshadowing of rape, you could be forgiven for not expecting what came next. After Jaime successfully negotiates her release, he manages to talk his way out of his chains and into a hot meal. Alas, that's not exactly what Locke (Noah Taylor) had in mind as the episode closes with Jaime's right hand, crucially his sword hand, chopped off. Coster-Waldau has been the perfect Jaime, capturing the bravado and arrogance that the Kingslayer is famous for, and I have every faith that his performance will continue to impress now that he has to play a Jaime who has just lost his defining feature. It was also a brilliantly shocking way to end the episode and remind audiences of just how twisted, violent and unexpected Game of Thrones can be.

As a fan of the books, one of the aspects that I thought would be lost in the transition from page to screen would be the songs that crop up so often throughout A Song of Ice and Fire. As this rather good Den of Geek article points out, the songs are an essential part of Westeros, a way in which the world feels more real because of its history and identity as a nation. Thankfully, Benioff and Weiss have also seen the importance of this, because they have ensured the songs remain and have used them to great effect. This episode saw a rather brilliant use of The Hold Steady's version of The Bear and the Maiden Fair as a jolting end credits song after the hand incident and whilst not quite up there with The Rains of Castamere from Season 2's Blackwater, it made quite the impact. 

Easily the best of a good bunch so far, I cannot tell you how hyped this episode has got me for the rest of the series. It was also so action-packed I have completely forgotten to mention Theon (Alfie Allen) until now, but I liked his chase scene and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to the treacherous git. The week-long gap in between instalments is already starting to become painful and I think it's going to be torturous once we get past halfway...

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of the previous episode Dark Wings, Dark Words here.

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TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones

I offer my most sincere apologies, having been so lax in my Westeros-based reviews of late (I blame real life getting in the way) but now, here's a bumper look back at the last four episodes of everyone's favourite quick-witted, drama-filled and semi-nude fantasy drama. As always, spoilers after the dramatic title banner.

Plotwise, things are beginning to speed up in the battle for the Iron Throne. Robb is gaining victories all over the place and is attempting to ally himself, through Catelyn's emissary work, with Renly Baratheon. Stannis is Westeros-bound and, thanks to Melisandre, looks set on gaining some major victories for himself. Arya and Gendry have fallen in with Lannister forces at the creepy melted castle Harrenhal while Jon is journeying even further north in search of the wildlings. Dany has found refuge finally in the walled city of Qarth, though it may cost her a lot to stay. Back in King's Landing, Tyrion is revelling in his role as the King's Hand, playing the game of thrones with an assured hand, exhanging one-liners with Bronn and generally making his sister miserable. Oh, and Joffrey is still a shit.


While the third episode, What Is Dead May Never Die, was a little too pedestrian for some tastes (including my own), it was necessary to ensure that the audience was completely aware of everyone's motives, otherwise a lot of the upcoming plot points will have made little sense. As The Clash of Kings, the novel upon which this season is loosely based, is a massive set-up for its sequels, it does make sense that the showrunners spent so much time setting all the characters and locations up. One scene that particularly deserves a mention for both its technical and performing brilliance was the one in which Tyrion decides to root out the small council mole. Deftly-handled, it was a joy to watch Peter Dinklage go toe-to-toe with the other fantastic actors, particularly Aiden Gillen and the editing between the three was just seamless. However, I was starting to worry that the pace was becoming just a bit too slow - there's only so many times you can listen to a conversation about how dangerous the whole game of thrones is getting before you actually just start yelling at the television and baying for blood yourself. Thankfully, the show is in such good hands that when the action began to ramp up, it really took off. 


Episode four, Garden of Bones, did cause a bit more of a ruckus than previous episodes, mainly because of that birthing scene, but I'll get to that in a bit. What the Garden of Bones episode did for me, was to push the boundaries both for the characters in the show and for the members of the audience and sadly, it wasn't always successful. There were great scenes, Dany's takedown of the Thirteen in Qarth was particularly memorable, reminding you just why so many people follow her and what a queen she could become. Likewise, the scenes at Harrenhal with the torture in front of Arya and Gendry was an excellent way of reminding everyone of the peril all around for the youngest female Stark. Yet there were other scenes that seemed mainly there to shock you as much as possible. 


The main one to which I am referring is the one with Joffrey and the prostitutes. It seems to have become an episode staple that, at some point, the audience must be reminded that Joffrey is evil and needs to die. As if we need that. He killed Sean Bean. The first scene in which he mentally and physically humiliates Sansa was necessary to the plot - you get to see just how well she's playing the game and, as Tyrion observes, she's one of the most capable survivors in this world. That would have been enough. But no, instead we get an overlong, disturbing scene in which Joffrey gets one prostitute to beat the crap out of the other. The whole thing was just deeply disturbing and didn't really offer much more of a development in Joffrey's psyche; we all know that he's a misogynistic power-hungry twerp. This scene was just another excuse to see Ros naked and throw things at Joffrey's face. I would have much rather have seen something that developed one of the other characters a little more, or something that furthered the plot. 

Speaking of which, the other outrage-inducing scene had to be Melisandre's maternal moment. In the book, the passage in which Melisandre gives birth to a shadow-creature that looks like Stannis remains to this day one of the most jaw-dropping moments in the entire Ice and Fire series. And I have to admit, I loved the fact that they kept it in all its deeply shocking glory. Kudos must go to Carice van Houten for her courageous performance in this scene and also to Liam Cunningham for reacting exactly as most audience members were no doubt reacting in their sofas. Twitter went a little mental, some people proclaiming the graphic nature of the scene to be the outrage, which by all accounts, is an expected reaction. 


I knew what was coming and I was still amazed that they managed to get away with showing as much as they did. But then, there was the other outcry against it, that of the overwhelming amount of magic the series had all of a sudden developed. Only, this isn't really the case is it? Although the writers did play down the magical side to this particular fantasy epic in Season One so as not to put off any prospective viewers, it was always there. We had zombies, dragons, witches and gigantic wolf creatures right through the ten episodes. Yes, it is one of the more 'realistic' fantasy series out there but it was always engrained within the narrative of show. And you'd be really disappointed if they got rid of the dragons wouldn't you?


Like Season One's episode, The Lion and the Wolf, which saw the proverbial excrement really hit the rotor blades, episode five, The Ghost of Harrenhal, saw the plot lurch forward in such an exciting way, I barely stopped for breath for the entire episode. As the title suggests, it was a little more Arya-focused this time as we saw her developing relationships between both Gendry and the mysterious Jaqen H'ghar. We also saw a scene that was practically dripping in dramatic irony as Arya served water to Tywin Lannister as he goes on about what a nuisance her elder brother Robb is being. The reactions of Maisie Williams to hearing this news were perfectly pitched and she really is one of the most consistently brilliant performers in the show. 


Back in Highgarden, we also saw the consequences of the weird shadow birth from the previous episode. Poor old Renly. No one ever took him seriously, not Ned Stark or his enemies and especially not his brothers. And he never really stood a chance, despite his startlingly practical wife. Now, Renly's been murdered by a shadow man-thing and Brienne of Tarth is to be blamed, running off with Catelyn Stark. I had my reservations about the transfer of Brienne from page to screen. She's one of my favourite characters and is described as being so aesthetically unpleasing that I thought there was no way she'd be portrayed accurately in a glossy, good-looking production. But thanks to Gwendolyn Christie and some less than flattering make-up, it's like Brienne just got up and walked on to set; Christie captures her earnestness and naivety perfectly, as well as the fact she could cut you in half without really making an effort. She's an excellent addition to the cast and I can't wait to see her development for rest of this season and into the next.


Finally in this bumper review section, it's the most recent episode, The Old Gods and the New that has raised the stakes even more than those that have gone before. More explicitly violent than previous episodes, it felt like the showrunners are now starting to crank it up in the run up to the season finale. First of all, Joffrey got hit with a cow pat. YES! Although it's not really the cathartic torture scene we're all hoping for, it's certainly nice as an audience member to see someone so evil get hit with crap. All is not well in King's Landing; the people are starving and decide that the best way of showing this is to throw stuff. Which is fair enough really. Sadly, Joffrey has a characteristic over-reaction and decides to behead everyone which results in some dismemberment and Sansa getting a little closer to the locals than is perhaps strictly legal. The near gang-rape in this scene was really hard to watch and was an expert example of tension and nail-biting fear for a character who's winning a few more people over now. Poor Sophie Turner has been bashed about this season but is selling Sansa's journey from simpering moron to natural born survivor really well.


But the biggest development in this episode though has to go to Theon Greyjoy's decision to invade the North. Oh Theon, so many daddy issues and so little time, but attacking Winterfell was the worst decision since Ned Stark decided that Littlefinger was just trying to help him out. Not only are his actions going to royally piss off most people of importance in Westeros, he also completely hamfists it in one of the most uncomfortable beheading scenes ever committed to celluloid. Like Renly Baratheon, Theon's never really taken seriously by anyone, even Bran doesn't quite believe him when he says he's taking over Winterfell and almost everyone thinks they can convince him to stop being a fool. Sadly not though as poor Rodrik Cassel found out. Alfie Allen's performance has been one of the weaker in the season so far but he's starting to settle into it, conveying the turmoil of character torn between two families and not really knowing what to do about it. 


Thankfully, we had some comic interludes to cope with all the violence. We spent longer with Jon north of the Wall as he is learning, rather unsuccessfully so far, that being a Ranger isn't all sword-swinging and posturing. Despite some early tension with a wildling fight, it's Jon's introduction to Ygritte that provides a chuckle or two as they hunker down in the snow together to cope with the cold. Though the cold isn't really what Jon's got to worry about... Another comical scene is back in the gloomy towers of Harrenhal between Arya and Jaqen when she calls in another death for his debt after being discovered sneaking information away from Tywin's table. Compared to the escalating violence elsewhere in the episode, Amory Lorch's death was both unexpectedly quick and played completely for laughs. While a dry sense of humour is always present throughout, it's often very welcome to have explicitly comical moments, breaking the tension on what was otherwise an incredibly nerve-wracking episode.


What continues to amaze about this second season is how real everything feels. One of the big marketing themes in the run-up was all the new locations in Westeros that we'd be travelling to. The landscape of the show got a whole lot bigger and thankfully, it hasn't lost anything by having to travel all over the fictional map. Whether it's the ports of the continually damp Iron Islands or the oasis of Qarth, each location feels completely authentic. This sense of authenticity develops the show so much, allowing you as an audience to get totally sucked into everything that's going on to the point of feeling your skin crawl when you're wandering the streets of King's Landing with Tyrion and Bronn. The winner of the Best New Set award (which I have just made up) though has to be Harrenhal which is just fantastic, creepy and terrifying all at the same time. It's one of the weirdest locations in the books and the set designers have captured it perfectly. The world of Game of Thrones, in its entirety, looks beautiful and it's a testament to the production team that I actually want to explore Westeros and see it for myself. Well, I'd go and wander round if I was armed, preferably with a large machine gun. You know, just in case.


-Becky