Game of Thrones Season 4 Ep 5 (the clueless about the books POV)
Was out all day yesterday and didn't get to watch this until quite late at night, so was too tired to write a review then. Here it is now.
Spoilers behind cut.
Despite the nasty stuff at the end (courtesy of Burn Gorman, and which thankfully never reached the physical level) this episode was an easier watch than many. The hardest scene to watch in many ways was the one where the Hound crushed Arya's treasured memories of Syrio Forel and what he taught her. The Hound has a point, of course. Not too much a fencing master - despite his skill- can do against a big bloke covered in armour (and more than likely on a horse). It was still tough to see the realisation hit Arya, though. Poor thing!
Speaking of poor things, it didn't take Sansa long to realise that she'd jumped from the frying pan into the fire, with the discovery that Aunty Lysa is clearly off her trolley and that she's doomed to marry yet another psychotic teenager (who will probably want to breastfeed from his mother during the wedding ceremony). Not to mention she'll have Littlefinger as a step-father-in-law (and Lysa may be psychotic, but she's not wrong in thinking Littlefinger would like to get his hands on Sansa).
The Stark boys, Bran and Jon, did a little better. Bran and his friends got away from the Nightswatch deserters with minimal damage (ie. no one got raped or killed), and Jon did the job he'd set out to do and was rid of the horrid Bolton spy without even realising the danger he'd been in (good riddance, btw). On the other hand, it was sad that the first time that Bran set eyes on a sibling since he parted with Rickon in season 3 he wasn't able to speak to him.
Yet again, I find myself thinking that the five Stark children still living are unlikely to meet each other ever again. :(
Elsewhere, Cersei confounded expectation by making peace with Margaery (Cersei must have an angle, I just don't know what it is yet) and agreeing that she should marry Tommen one day, while acknowledging that Joffrey was a monster who would have made Margaery's life hell. Then Cersei has reasonable conversations with her father and with Prince Thing-y from Dorne (his name escapes me), but this time I could see through her reasonableness to her underlying motive - to influence the judges in Tyrion's trial. Looks to me like it might have worked too. Great scenes anyway, both of them, especially the Cersei/Tywin scene. Charles Dance is just so good!
Finally, the brief Dany interlude gave me what I've been wanting for ages - a Dany/Jorah scene with just the two of them. At the moment, she will still listen to home truths coming from him - this time a reality check about how all this freeing the slaves stuff has worked out in retrospect (not so well, is the answer). Good to see Dany making a decision to stay and rule the people she's thrown into chaos instead of sailing for Westeros on a wave of self-righteousness.
Dany/Jorah4eva btw - and yeah, I know it's not age appropriate.
Oh, forgot the Brienne/Podric scene. Loved it. I think they're going to get on like a house on fire (possibly literally if Podric doesn't learn how to skin a rabbit properly).
ETA: Eeek! Realised I totally forgot to mention that this was the episode in which we finally learned the answer to the mystery with which the show started - who killed John Arryn (anyone remember him?) and started the poor old Starks on the road to destruction.
Well, it was his wife (no surprise, except that I never for one minute guessed it, heh!-because, as previously noted, psychotic), who had been in cahoots with Littlefinger all along (also no surprise given what a git he is.)
Not sure whether this is an anticlimax or not.
Spoilers behind cut.
Despite the nasty stuff at the end (courtesy of Burn Gorman, and which thankfully never reached the physical level) this episode was an easier watch than many. The hardest scene to watch in many ways was the one where the Hound crushed Arya's treasured memories of Syrio Forel and what he taught her. The Hound has a point, of course. Not too much a fencing master - despite his skill- can do against a big bloke covered in armour (and more than likely on a horse). It was still tough to see the realisation hit Arya, though. Poor thing!
Speaking of poor things, it didn't take Sansa long to realise that she'd jumped from the frying pan into the fire, with the discovery that Aunty Lysa is clearly off her trolley and that she's doomed to marry yet another psychotic teenager (who will probably want to breastfeed from his mother during the wedding ceremony). Not to mention she'll have Littlefinger as a step-father-in-law (and Lysa may be psychotic, but she's not wrong in thinking Littlefinger would like to get his hands on Sansa).
The Stark boys, Bran and Jon, did a little better. Bran and his friends got away from the Nightswatch deserters with minimal damage (ie. no one got raped or killed), and Jon did the job he'd set out to do and was rid of the horrid Bolton spy without even realising the danger he'd been in (good riddance, btw). On the other hand, it was sad that the first time that Bran set eyes on a sibling since he parted with Rickon in season 3 he wasn't able to speak to him.
Yet again, I find myself thinking that the five Stark children still living are unlikely to meet each other ever again. :(
Elsewhere, Cersei confounded expectation by making peace with Margaery (Cersei must have an angle, I just don't know what it is yet) and agreeing that she should marry Tommen one day, while acknowledging that Joffrey was a monster who would have made Margaery's life hell. Then Cersei has reasonable conversations with her father and with Prince Thing-y from Dorne (his name escapes me), but this time I could see through her reasonableness to her underlying motive - to influence the judges in Tyrion's trial. Looks to me like it might have worked too. Great scenes anyway, both of them, especially the Cersei/Tywin scene. Charles Dance is just so good!
Finally, the brief Dany interlude gave me what I've been wanting for ages - a Dany/Jorah scene with just the two of them. At the moment, she will still listen to home truths coming from him - this time a reality check about how all this freeing the slaves stuff has worked out in retrospect (not so well, is the answer). Good to see Dany making a decision to stay and rule the people she's thrown into chaos instead of sailing for Westeros on a wave of self-righteousness.
Dany/Jorah4eva btw - and yeah, I know it's not age appropriate.
Oh, forgot the Brienne/Podric scene. Loved it. I think they're going to get on like a house on fire (possibly literally if Podric doesn't learn how to skin a rabbit properly).
ETA: Eeek! Realised I totally forgot to mention that this was the episode in which we finally learned the answer to the mystery with which the show started - who killed John Arryn (anyone remember him?) and started the poor old Starks on the road to destruction.
Well, it was his wife (no surprise, except that I never for one minute guessed it, heh!-because, as previously noted, psychotic), who had been in cahoots with Littlefinger all along (also no surprise given what a git he is.)
Not sure whether this is an anticlimax or not.