Tag: Romance
Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 6 (“Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken”)
SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from Season 5, Episode 6 of Game of Thrones.
So many faces, so little time:
A girl is not ready to become No One, but she is ready to become someone else. -Jaqen H’ager concludes to Arya Stark
Arya (still sweeping/washing dead bodies) is once again tested by the other girl she has been working w/ in The House of Black and White, then later, by Jaqen. He hits her w/ a branch whenever she tells a lie about her past life. When she gets the dying little girl to drink the (poison) water of the well, Jaqen sees more of Arya’s potential. I LOVED how naturally Arya related to this girl. (I didn’t know that this well was the last resort for people who drank from it, but it makes sense now!) Jaqen leads Arya down through a tunnel to a long room- there are faces EVERYWHERE! Arya is speechless as she looks over these faces.
Unlikely Traveling Companions:
Do you ever stop talking!? -Ser Jorah Mormont exclaims to Lord Tyrion Lannister
Jorah (FINALLY) learns from Tyrion that his father, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, is dead at the hands of some his own men. Iain Glen (one of my faves on this cast of FAB actors) quietly lets us know how his character is feeling. Later on, the two men are captured by a band of pirates led by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who you may know from HBO’s prison drama Oz or ABC’s Lost. (This was a nice surprise- I didn’t know he’d have a role on this show!)
Take me to Slaver’s Bay. Put a sword in my hand. I’ll prove my worth. -Jorah tells the pirate leader
Tyrion does what he does best- talking his way out of getting killed and convincing the pirates that Jorah is a great warrior (of course, we know he IS). Jorah joins in by explaining that he killed one of Khal Drogo’s bloodriders (which he did to protect Dany and her then unborn child).
Young love (probably won’t end well):
What was up w/ the rescue/kidnap plan of Myrcella (looking so pretty/sweet) in the Water Gardens!? Talk about a hot mess! Neither Jaime and Bronn nor the Sand Snakes had a good plan. Bronn got a cut on his arm. (Joanna Robinson and Dave Chen of A Cast of Kings wondered if he was poisoned. Oberyn said that he put poison on his weapons in S4.)
Some viewers were happy to see that Myrcella and Trystane (son of the king of Dorne) had fallen in love. Tyrion arranged the match to protect the girl in case war came. But, come on people, do you REALLY think a couple will be allowed to be happy on THIS show!?
Littlefinger runs into Lancel, then meets w/ the Queen Mother:
We’re both peddling fantasies, Brother Lancel… mine are just more entertaining. -Lord Petyr Baelish (Littlefinger) explains to the young Sparrow
I absolutely LOVED the above line- who else but Lord Baelish would have the gall to compare religion (albeit a very extreme from) to pimping!? LOL!
Hmmm… why exactly did Cersei call Littlefinger back to Kings Landing? He works his magic w/ his words (as usual), and eventually reveals that Sansa Stark is alive. Well, THAT gets Cersei’s attention! Of course, he never says anything about HIS role in helping Sansa out. And can you imagine Littlefinger trying to rally the lords of The Vale in a battlefield!? Hey, it might happen if the Martells remove their support.
The Tart-Tongued vs. The Tart:
I didn’t trust your father, or particularly like him, but I respected him. He was no fool. He understood that sometimes we must work with our rivals rather than destroy them. -Lady Olenna comments
House Lannister has no rivals. -Queen Mother Cersei Lannister retorts
The scene w/ Cersei and Olenna was just perfect! And did you see how comfortable Cersei looks in the office of The Hand (where her father Tywin used to sit)? Olenna pointed out that House Martell has been providing “gold, wheat, and troops” to the capital, so she can’t have her house’s “future” (Ser Loras) locked up in jail. But the above remark about the Lannisters having no rivals was just dumb, even dangerous.
Faith, Lies… & (GASP!) Olyver:
…neither kings nor queens are exempt from testimony at a holy inquest. -The High Sparrow explains to Margaery
Next up- the inquest (NOT a trial) which involves Tommen, Cersei, Lady Olenna, Margaery, Loras (looking FAB w/ that beard), and the High Sparrow/High Septon (still in threadbare robes) and a few of his attendant Sparrows. This scene was pretty predictable, as Dave Chen noted. Loras denies that he and Renly Baratheon were lovers, even though we Loras mourned his death deeply and wore his king’s green/gold armor at the Battle of the Blackwater (see clip below).
Queen Margaery sticks up for her big bro, even saying that she swears to the gods that she’s telling the truth. I knew that the pro/procurer, Olyver, would testify against Loras (who should’ve been more discreet). But why should his testimony be held above that of a noble family!? It doesn’t make such sense. Shockingly, Margaery is taken away by the Sparrows, while Tommen just sits silent (powerless/clueless).
The third time is NOT a charm for Sansa:
…the last thing we needed was to have a powerful young woman brought low in order for a male character to find redemption. No thank you. -Joanna Robinson (A Cast of Kings podcast/Vanity Fair magazine)
I’m sure we ALL felt very sorry (yet again) for poor Sansa! She has been through SO much, but come out as a survivor. The dirge-like music as she prepared to go to the wedding was a superb touch, as was the dark/snowy nighttime setting of the ceremony. Sansa took her time to agree to the alliance (this is political, after all). Notice the evil/gleeful look in Ransay’s eyes? It was creepily apropos.
I agree w/ Joanna that focusing on Theon’s/Reek’s quivering/crying face as Sansa is being raped (yes, marital rape is real) by Ramsay was NOT a good choice. Why does it have to be about the man’s pain!? I expected BETTER!
Trailer & Interview: Indian Summers (coming soon to PBS)
Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 5 (“Kill the Boy”) – Top 10 Lines
SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from Season 5, Episode 5 of Game of Thrones.
10) Keep reading, Samwell Tarly. -Lord Stannis Baratheon concludes w/ this in his scene w/ the (literary) steward
Stannis is surprised when he realizes that Sam is the son of a great warrior, Randall Tarly, the man who defeated his brother Robert once in a battle. Sam (humbly) tells Stannis that he has killed a Whitewalker, like the crows said. Now, he’s going through all the books in Castle Black to find ANY reference of the creatures. In a world where all men must serve, some serve better by using their brains NOT brawn (or Bronn- pun intended).
Sidenote: Wasn’t it funny when Stannis corrected the grammar of one of the Night’s Watch? Here is the scene, along w/ one from Season 2, Episode 4.
9) When the battle comes, promise you’ll protect me. -Ser Davos jokes w/ Shireen Baratheon as they prepare to leave Castle Black
Aww, I LOVE the little light-hearted moments in this (mostly serious) show! I liked how Shireen had time to make friends w/ Sam (a bright bulb like herself) and Gilly (who she was teaching to read).
8) What would make our time together truly enjoyable would be some wine. -Lord Tyrion Lannister explains to Ser Jorah Mormont
If YOU saw a dragon, you’d probably need a drink, too! Jorah is surprised to see how big Drogon has gotten; Tyrion is speechless (for a change).
7) We don’t want to overfeed them. -Daenerys Targaryen comments to the Meereenese noblemen in the dragon cave
Barristan the Bold is indeed dead, which means that Dany is short of ANOTHER advisor. She rounds up the heads of all the noble families (including Hizdahr zo Loraq), shows them her other two dragons, and then one of them gets eaten- YOWZA! I did NOT expect that to happen, BUT Dany is full of surprises this season. See more below…
6) This isn’t a strange place. This is my home. It’s the people who are strange. -Sansa Stark corrects Walda Bolton at the dinner table
Sansa is at Winterfell, BUT it’s not like home at all. Ramsay’s freaky/VERY jealous girlfriend, Myranda, shows her to the kennels where Reek (formerly known as Theon Greyjoy) is sleeping. Of course, Sansa is shocked to see the state of her adopted brother-turned enemy.
5) That was getting… very tense. -Ramsay Bolton comments at dinner
Wow, was that dinner awkward?! Ramsay says that Reek will give away Sansa (being the closest to family). Roose announces that Walda is expecting their child, possibly a boy. Oh yeah, that shuts Ramsay up fast! Did you notice the look on Sansa’s face? It was golden!
4) Sure, I’m your son.. until a better alternative comes along! -Ramsay declares to his father, Roose
That unborn son will do Roose no good in the battle to come — he’ll tell Ramsay whatever he needs to in order to keep him flaying folks for Team Bolton. -Jeremy Egner (The New York Times)
We (finally) learn Ramsay’s origin story- it’s a HORRID one, of course! Hmmm, I wonder- does Roose love Ramsay? Or is he just using the sick, sinister young man to further his ambitions. Ramsay (as MANY critics/viewers have written) is worse than his father.
3) Kill the boy, Jon Snow. Winter is almost upon us. Kill the boy… and let the man be born. -Maester Aemon counsels
Jon worried what the other crows will think if he makes a certain decision. Maester Aemon (How cool is he!?) says that Jon’s the one that must make the decision, and it doesn’t matter what he or anyone else thinks! It’s time for Jon to put aside his doubts and lead, as a Lord Commander should.
2) Thankfully, a suitor is already on his knees. -Daenerys Targaryen says to Hizdahr zo Loraq in his jail cell
A woman who began this story as a matrimonial offering to a barbarian ruler is now using a political marriage to her own advantage. -Jeremy Egner (The New York Times)
I was VERY surprised by Dany’s sudden decision to ally w/ the former slaveowners of Meereen by marrying one of them- Hizdahr (Joel Fry)! Then I recalled how Hizdahr (though afraid) stood tall in the cave w/ the dragons. Also, he served as Dany’s ambassador to Yunkai, and made some valid points at court. Looks like ANOTHER wedding is coming up…
1) Don’t let them touch you! – Ser Jorah Mormont warns Lord Tyrion Lannister after the Stone Men attack their boat
The BEST parts of this ep involved Jorah and Tyrion, two noble men from Westeros traveling through a (rather spooky) area of Valyria. They admire the ruins, recite a poem together, before being attacked by the Stone Men. Whoa, those dudes were kinda scary! Jorah fights with several of the zombie-like men. In the commotion, Tyrion falls out of the boat. As he struggles w/ the rope binding his wrists, he sinks lower, then the screen goes black for a few VERY tense moments. No worries, Tyrion is safe! He and Jorah (one of my faves) are on an empty beach, but the knight has contracted Greyscale- OH NO!!!
Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 1 (“The Wars to Come”)
SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from the Season 5 premiere of Game of Thrones.
The woods:
Who is this little blonde girl? Is it Myrcella (who was taken to Dorne for her protection)? No, it’s a pre-teen Cersei (notice the same hairstyle and nasty attitude)! This is the first flashback scene in GoT, showrunner David Benioff notes. Cersei learns of her future from a witch (played by British actress Jodhi May) living deep in the woods. Instead of marrying the prince she was betrothed to, Cersei will marry a kind and become a queen. Her future husband (Robert Baratheon, of course) will have 20 children, but she’ll have 3 (as we know Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella).
Gold will be their crowns. Gold will be their shrouds. -The witch
Queen Cersei Lannister & Ser Jaime Lannister in The Grand Sept:
Many lords and ladies are lined up to see/pay respects to Tywin (killed by Tyrion at the end of Season 4). See those creepy stones on Tywin’s eyes? Cersei (Lena Headey) doesn’t care, saying that they can wait a bit longer. Inside the sept, a somber Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is guarding the corpse. He says that their enemies are outside, eager to see Tywin’s dead body. Cersei says their enemy is Tyrion, who Jaime let escape from jail, and now “look at the consequences.”
He loved you more than anyone in this world. –Cersei
Lord Tyrion Lannister & Lord Varys arriving in Pentos:
There is a cool POV shot of Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) breaking out from the crate. The fluffy beard on him shows us that a good amount of time has passed since the end of S4. Varys (Conleth Hill) says that they are at the home of his old friend, Ilyrio Mopatis (who was an ally of the Targaryens and arranged the marriage in S1). Tyrion throws up, but then continues to drink (red wine, as usual).
Westeros needs to be saved from itself. -Varys
Meereen:
The (main?) harpy statue is pulled down from a high pyramid and smashes to the ground. An Unsullied visits his usual pro in the city, hoping for some cuddling, but gets his throat slit by someone in a creepy gold mask and shapeless robe. When Danerys (Emilia Clarke) and her council talk, Ser Barristan (Ian McElhinney) explains that the killer was one of the Sons of the Harpy, an “insurgent” group. Dany declares that she’s “not a conqueror.” Notice the young freed slave in her council?
Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) goes to ask Grey Worm (Jacob Andersen) about some of the Unsullied being seen in brothels (awkward). He says that he doesn’t know anything about that. (Um, what’s the point of this scene?)
Castle Black:
That young orphaned boy (from S4) is training with Jon. Gilly (Hanah Murray) asks Sam (John Bradley) why he’s not fighting (oh, please). He reminds her that he’s killed a Whitewalker and a Thenn- a rare feat for any man. (It’s cool to see Sam w/ some confidence!) Gilly worries that she and baby Sam will be sent away if Ser Alistair (Owen Teale) is chosen as the next Lord Commander.
Melisandre (Carice Van Houten) comes to fetch Jon (Kit Harington, looking mature/intense). She (sorta) hits on him on the long lift up to the top of The Wall, but he’s not amused. Stannis (Stephen Dillane) asks Jon: “Don’t you want to revenge him [Robb]?” But Jon has pledged himself to The Night’s Watch. Stannis decides that Mance Rayder will either “bend the knee” or be burned at the stake.
They were born on the wrong side of The Wall. They’re not monsters. -Jon
The Riverlands at Lord Royce’s castle:
We learn that Robin Arryn is now 13, but can’t fight worth squat (to the dismay of his new protector, Lord Royce). Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) says that some boys don’t need to fight- they have the right name/title. He gets a message (via raven, of course) and Sansa (Sophie Turner, now an even more striking young woman) wonders what’s up.
Back on the road w/ Pod & Brienne of Tarth:
Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) is in a bad mood- she’s not really a knight, so Pod’s not a proper squire. Pod reminds her that Sansa Stark is still out there somewhere, even if Arya refused her protection. On the road nearby, Littlefinger, Sansa, and their retinue go by (irony).
The good lords are dead. The rest are monsters. -Brienne
Lord Tywin Lannister’s wake (at the palace in Kings Landing):
Guess who’s back? Cousin Lancel, now one of the Sparrows (a religious order), is wearing a threadbare robe and a very short haircut (which suits him actually). When they are alone, Lancel asks her forgiveness for their “unnatural relations” and what happened w/ the King. (Yes, I knew he had something to do w/ it! Lancel probably poisoned Robert’s wine before he went out on that boar hunt in S1.) Well, Cersei is not happy to hear this spoken out loud- watch out, Lancel!
Tyrion & Varys in Ilyrio’s garden:
A very depressed Tyrion wants to drink himself to death- calling himself a “coward.” Varys disagrees, saying that Tyrion can have an important role in deciding who rules the Seven Kingdoms. There is someone he should meet in Essos (Dany, of course)!
I will never sit on the Iron Throne. -Tyrion
No, but you could help another to climb those steps… take that seat. -Varys
Meereen: Dany’s court, her chamber, & in the dragons’ cell:
We learn that many people in Yunkai want “the fighting pits” to be reopened, though Dany thinks it’s barbaric. Later on that night. Daario (still don’t buy this actor, Michiel Huisman, in the role) tells her how he saw sold by his mother (a pro) into slavery. In time, he became a good fighter (“I wasn’t big, but I was quick…”) in those pits, earned money for his master, and eventually was freed. Dany is worried about ruling, but also about Drogon, (“hasn’t been seen in weeks.”) When Dany visits the two other dragons, this huge head comes out of the dark and breathes fire at her (scary and effective)!
Castle Black: Mance Raydar’s jail cell, then the courtyard:
When Jon comes in to talk, Mance (Ciaran Hinds, underused on this series) already knows what Stannis wants. “I’ll never serve him,” Mance says calmly. Jon tries to change his mind, telling him to “think of your people.” (Jon has become more serious- good to see!) Mance explains that the Wildlings follow him b/c they respect him; they don’t care about Stannis.
Oh, I am afraid… no shame in that. -Mance
Everyone is waiting/watching (even Gilly, the young boys, and Shireen) when Mance is brought before Stannis, then put on a big wooden pyre and tied up. Melisandre says a speech about choosing “the true God or the false” (whatever, you nutjob) and sets the pyre aflame. Mance begins to sweat and shake as the flames get higher/hotter. Jon decides to end Mance’s suffering by shooting an arrow right through his heart. (This was a heroic thing to do and also a great ending for the ep!)
Knightleyemma 