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 - Blood of my Blood

Spoilers...

Sometimes you just need to slow down, especially considering that this season so far has been a mile a minute. The world of Westeros is turning like it's had several grams of speed, so we needed to stop and reflect, and Blood of my Blood gave us that. This was an episode that had no Jon, no Sansa, no Tyrion, but looked at the other factors either in play now or soon to be.

At King's Landing, there was a surprising outcome that stopped Margaery's walk of atonement, as she appears to have not only joined up with the High Sparrow but also convinced Tommen to do the same, deciding to bring together the crown and the faith. It's a moment that stopped bloodshed, at least for the time being, although Jaime and Cersei are still being their boring old "ooh we'll destroy our enemies" selves. But there's an interesting line here that also links in with the ending, which shows the schism between those still playing the game for the Iron Throne, and those who realise that winter is coming.

Sam and Gilly (and little Sam) made it back to the Tarly home, only for father of the year elect Randyll Tarly to go off at Gilly and his hatred of all wildlings at dinner, which caused Sam to steal his sword (the wonderfully named Heartsbane) and jog off to Oldtown for maester training. I love the way the show (and book) looks at parental units and the influence of them, for good and for bad. And while Bran doesn't have his parents anymore, the closest thing he had appeared this week with the sight of uncle Benjen, coming in heroically to slay a bunch of wights. It was a great moment and I knew within a second that it was him (well sort of - he's kind of undead now), and I guess Bran's visions maybe weren't just building up to R+L=J.

Bran had a quick vision, which went all over time, but interestingly featured the Mad KIng Aerys saying "burn them all". It's hard to ignore this and his parental influence with the episode's end, which saw Drogon return to Dany and a paraphrase of Khal Drogo's speech from A Golden Crown in season one where he said he would take the throne and ride across the salt water in wooden horses. It was another triumphant Dany ending, with her ready to take her Khalasar to take the Iron Throne, but let's also remember Khal Drogo was a barbarian who was ready to have his troops rape every woman in Westeros while general pillaging and so forth. Here we have Dany ready to take deadly fire to those who would stand in her way, while Westeros is about to be hit by the white walkers. The fire versus ice thing is obvious, but who knows what Dany will do when she finds out no one really cares about the throne right now. Or will her parentage make her the "mad queen"?

And with another excellent episode, everything is set up nicely for some big action. Riverrun has been taken by the Blackfish, so Jaime (no longer part of the Kingsguard) is being sent to deal with him. Who knows what will happen when Jon and the wildlings start up, and will Jaime actually see what's going on in the North and see the actual cause that needs to be fought for?

Probably not, but stranger things have happened.

- Charlie

You can read Charlie's look at previous episode, The Door, here.

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TV REVIEW: Game of Thrones - Book of the Stranger

Spoilers...

Well, Dany doesn't call herself "The Unburnt" for fun, something the Khals of Dothraki found out this week in an episode dominated by women in power. To be fair to our white-haired dragonrider, she was given three options: stay in Vaes Dothrak as part of the Dosh Kahleen, be traded to slave masters for a bunch of horses (ten thousand, admittedly), or continually raped by the Khals, their bloodriders, and their horses. Dany went for door number four - flaming death - and burned her male captors alive in their hut, herself emerging from the fire to the rest of the Khalasar, who immediately and familiary bowed to her. I can't wait to see the face on the slavers in Mereen when she shows up with a Dothraki horde.

This episode could have been billed as a family reunion special, with many reconnections both joyous (Sansa and Jon), awkward (Yara and Theon), and pitiful (Margaery and Loras). But the truth is that all of the ladies had the upper hand in terms of strength here, with the boys putting in a pretty poor showing. It was wonderful to see Sansa turn up at Castle Black to see Jon, but there is still something very wrong with him, mainly due to him being haunted of his betrayal. It's not difficult to sympathise, there's something terribly existenstial about being obsessed with the moment that killed you. But after a threatening note from Ramsay saying he wants Sansa back or he'll pretty much do everything evil you can imagine, it was her taking charge and convincing Jon that they need to go and take Winterfell back.

Meanwhile, Margaery finally had a meeting with the High Sparrow who fed her the same junk he's fed others, and she was briefly allowed to see a broken Loras, who was ready to give in. But Margaery is a schemer, and she knows the Sparrow is up to something, as does her mother and Cersei, who along with the small council (i.e. Kevan and Jaime) are planning to make sure her walk of atonement doesn't happen, and the Sparrow and his, um, sparrowlings end up very dead. This sounds like a very stupid plan and confirms that after Tywin's passing they all together have the tactical nuance of Hot Pie.

Poor Theon returned home emasculated (literally) and was immediately and understandably torn down by Yara, who eventually went a bit easier on him when she figured out he wasn't there to get in her way of leadership. About the only men who went unscathed was Tyrion, who admittedly got a rollicking from Missandei and Grey Worm after agreeing to bring back slavery for seven years, and Littlefinger, who told brave Ser Robin that they should pledge the knights of the Vale to Sansa's fight. Considering Jon only has two thousand wildlings, this may be a much needed boost, although obviously Littlefinger is not to be trusted. There's also the question of if the Karstarks etc are actually on the side of the Direwolf or the Flayed Man.

The only thing that was really missed was Bran's vision quest, although I imagine that's been slowed down a bit considering how close they are to revealing R + L = J. But everything else is poised well; Sansa and Jon off to take on Ramsay, the Lannisters about to see if they can stop the High Sparrow, and Dany, who should really start to actually make it westward now she has the Dothraki behind her. Sorry Khal Bongo, but you just happened to be in an episode where the girls rule and the boys drool. Long may that continue.

- Charlie

You can read Charlie's review of the previous episode, Oathbreaker, here.

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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.

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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 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: Game of Thrones - And Now His Watch Is Ended

Anyone expecting or desiring a nice quiet episode after last week's shocking ending might not have got what they wanted, but for those of us who eagerly await the next big gasp moments, And Now His Watch Is Ended did not disappoint.

Focusing in on fewer settings than the three previous episodes, And Now His Watch Is Ended hones in on the events occurring in King's Landing as the city prepares for the wedding of Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and Margaery (Natalie Dormer). It's the turn of remaining female Lannister, Cersei (Lena Headey), to get a dressing down from the patriarch Tywin (Charles Dance) whilst plans are made by several different parties to aid Sansa (Sophie Turner) in her departure from the capital. Dormer's performance as the incumbent Queen is masterful, as is the character's manipulation of Joffrey, but it is Diana Rigg who is stealing all the scenes is the Queen of Thorns and getting all the best lines too. Her scene with Varys is yet another one of those quieter moments in which much is said of importance and not a line is wasted in conveying the wider machinations of both characters.

Elsewhere in Westeros, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is mourning the loss of his favourite appendage (no, not that one) whilst Brienne (Gwendolyn Christie) does her best to keep him alive. Although we only see them briefly this week, Jaime's development, and with it Coster-Waldau's performance, is one of the most impressive character-driven aspects of the show, aided by superb support from Christie. Their fireside conversation is one of the quieter highlights in which the oddest couple in Westeros realise their survival depends on a mutual respect for each other. Arya (Maisie Williams) and Gendry (Joe Dempsie) find themselves in the secret hideout of the Brotherhood Without Banners, meeting the most impressively-named individual in the Seven Kingdoms, their leader, Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer). Although it was again only a small scene, Williams continues to impress and we're set up for a showdown between Dondarrion and the Hound next week.

But perhaps the most important lesson that I have learnt from this episode is that I really need to stop doubting Benioff and Weiss quite so much. Now don't get me wrong, I have a large amount of faith in them for delivering just over two seasons of sheer, unadulterated awesomeness, but we are fast approaching some of my favourite scenes in the entirety of A Song of Ice and Fire and like any self-respecting fan girl/boy, I'm a little protective of them. I know I shouldn't be, but it is the nature of the beast when you have devoured a novel series of such magnitude and quality. I've got them all up there in my head; a little show reel of all the bits I've loved and imagined in glorious internal technicolor. One such scene was featured at the end of this episode. You know the one I mean. The one where Dany got to be badass for the first time since the end of Season One, where the Unsullied were efficiently bloodthirsty, the one with the DRAGON.

What director Alex Graves and the Benioff-Weiss writing team delivered was actually just as good as the scene that played in my head as I read that particular chapter, if not better. Emilia Clarke has always been brilliant as Dany, but the big reveal of her native tongue as well as her plans for the sizzling demise of the horrific slave owner was so well done. Despite knowing that the scene was on its way (let's face it, you would have to have been dozing to miss the subtext in 'giving them a dragon' last week), the build-up was perfectly paced and the action expertly handled. The special effects for the dragons did not disappoint either and though we only saw all three together briefly, I can't wait until the trio are given more to do. And then there was the music; a soaring, choral march that added so much to the chill factor of the scene. Oh it was just so good.

So in conclusion, I am from henceforth going to have much more faith in messrs Benioff and Weiss, because if my book-based predictions are correct for what the rest of the season features, we haven't seen anything yet. 

And I've forgotten to mention Theon again...

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of the previous episode, Walk of Punishment 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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