SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from the latest episode of Game of Thrones.   

Wow, there is so much to discuss about this meaty episode!  Jon Snow (Kit Harington) has cast off his black cloak and joined the Wildlings.  He and Ygritte (Rose Leslie- a long way from Downton Abbey) get their (perhaps overly?) romantic scene.  Harington is not the strongest actor on the show, but I think Leslie is pitch-perfect in all her scenes. 

Arya (emotionally w/ teary eyes): I could be your family.

Gendry (gently pointing out their different classes): You wouldn’t be my family.  You would be my lady. 

After the fiery battle between The Hound (Rory McCann) and Lord Beric (Richard Dormer), the one-eyed warrior lies bloodied.  The Hound chides the men, saying that their god likes him.  But in no time, Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye), speaks a prayer to the Lord of Light, and Lord Beric stands tall (alive).  Whoa!  Arya (Maisie Williams) later asks if her father can be brought back.  Thoros says no, sadly.  Aww!

Gendry (Joe Dempsie), looking grown-up with his beard and goatee, decides to stay behind and serve the Brotherhood without Banners.  He won’t go with her to Riverrun and serve Robb.  Arya is very saddened to hear this news.  (I believe she looks on him as a dear friend.)  The reviewers who saw any hint of romance in this scene are clueless. 

Lady Selyse Baratheon: No act done in the service of the Lord of Light can ever be a sin.

Lord Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) goes to see his family, who happen to be under lock and key (in Dragonstone, the castle built by the Targaryens).  Stannis’ wife Selyse (Tara Fitzgerald from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Jane Eyre) is a religious fanatic.  She knows exactly what went on between Melisandre and her husband.  Selyse has preserved the fetuses and little bodies of her sons in large jars- very creepy!

Stannis’ sweet/lovely young daughter, Shireen (Kerry Ingram), suffers from Grayscale.  (It looks like one side of her face has a skin disorder, but in time, Grayscale will destroy her entire body.)  Stannis doesn’t know how to show her affection- not a big shock!  He tells her that Ser Davos is a traitor, so has been put in the dungeons.  Shireen seeks out The Onion Knight and wants to teach him to read.  Of course, I was very glad to see Ser Davos (Liam Cunningham)!

Lord Rickard Karstark: You’re no king of mine.

The wild-eyed/vengeful Lord Karstark (John Stahl) and a handful of his men break into jail to kill the two Lannister boys.  King Robb Stark (Richard Madden) won’t tolerate such acts- he beheads Karstark himself (like his father, Ned, did in the series premiere).  In no time, all of Karstark’s 2,000 men ride away.  Robb decides to attack Casterly Rock, the Lannister’s ancestral home.  But he’ll need Walder Frey’s help.  Hmmm…

I just LOVED the costumes worn by Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) and Lord Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish (Aiden Gillen) in their plotting scene!  They talk about what to do about Sansa and the Tyrells.  Lannisters lead primarily with force, but the Tyrells know how to play politics better (as some reviewers noted).

As if there wasn’t enough of a creep factor in this ep, we have a scene between Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Littlefinger.  The way it’s set-up, Littlefinger is lower than Sansa, looking up at her (as if in adoration).  Sansa thinks of him as an ally and is confused by his demeanor- he wants her to call him Petyr and kisses her hand.  Awkward!  Sansa will stay behind in King’s Landing while he sails for the Vale.

Lady Olenna (Diana Rigg) shows Lord Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) the importance of numbers… and figs.  Her family has contributed much to feed/protect the realm.  Tyrion says that the royal wedding expenses are very high.  She declares that the Tyrells will pay half the cost.  More Diana Rigg!

Littlefinger sends a spy (Oliver) to act as a squire and learn about Ser Loras (Finn Jones).  Poor Sansa is still lovestruck.

Ser Jorah Mormont: You’re no lord commander here. 

The two exiled knights, Ser Jorah (Iain Glen) and Ser Barristan (Ian McElhinney), have a nice scene where they reminisce, talk politics, and connect.  But after a while, they go back to disliking each other.  They both want to serve Daenerys (who they trust), but Barristan thinks Jorah won’t be a proper advisor for the future queen because of his reputation as a slaver.  Way to play the honor card, Ser Barristan, but I’m on Team Jorah.  More Iain Glen, I say! 

Lord Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton) treats his prisoners decently (it seems so far).  He tells Ser Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) the news from the capital (in a quite suspenseful manner).  Bolton humbly apologizes to Brienne (Gwendolyn Christie), who is a lady of noble birth under all that toughness.  Coster-Waldau steals this ep with the riveting story of why his character killed King Aerys!  Brienne is stunned by his words.  Worn out, he faints in her arms.  (He says he trusts Brienne.  They’re becoming friends.)

Cersei: Father, please, don’t make me again! 

Not only does a Lannister always pay his debts, he also has a terrible need to control everything (example: Lord Tywin).  Tywin (Charles Dance) sits Cersei and Tyrion down and tells them what they’ll do (for the good of the realm).  Tyrion is shocked/appalled when he learns that young Sansa Stark has been chosen for him.  Cersei starts out all smug/superior, until Tywin declares that she’ll marry Loras.  Then, even she elicits some sympathy.  (Yup, Tywin scares me!)  It’s not just his words, it’s his demeanor, tone- total disregard for anyone else.

ARTICLES:

TV’s best show about women  by Nina Shen Rastogi (Salon, Spring 2012)

Gwendolyn Christie on her role (Access Hollywood, Spring 2012)

SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from the latest episode of Game of Thrones.   

Influence grows like a weed.  I have no doubt the revenge you want will be yours in time, if you can stomach it. -Lord Varys says to Lord Tyrion Lannister

One of the main themes in this episode is the shifting of power.  Conleth Hill (who plays Varys) finally gets a meaty episode!  He tells Tyrion the story of how he was cut (lost his manhood) while still a boy actor.  Varys has captured the old sorcerer responsible for the terrible deed, had his mouth sewn shut, and is keeping him in a crate.  (Yowza- that’s some revenge!) 

Prodigies appear in the oddest of places.  -Varys to Ros

Ros (seen fully clothed so far) shares some crucial info with Varys: Littlefinger is planning on taking Sansa with him to The Eyrie.  Ros (who can read) reminds Varys that she’s at the right hand of Littlefinger- no longer a mere prostitute.  Knowledge is power, after all.    

It’s like taking a walk through history.  -Lady Margaery comments before visiting the royal crypt with King Joffrey

The common people’s lovefest with Lady Margaery continues, as does ours.  (Yup, Margaery is one of my faves this season!)  Though her outfits are on the revealing side for King’s Landing, can she wrap Joffrey around her lovely finger.  She has just the right words for her elders, the poor, and even (the displaced/dejected) Sansa.  Wouldn’t it be fantastic if Sansa married her older brother, Loras?  “We’d be sisters,” Margaery  says with a beaming smile.  Sansa looks so happy at this proposal- poor girl.   While Sansa’s emotions are on the surface, Margaery can play any part.   

 

My real father lost his head in King’s Landing.  -Prince Theon Greyjoy speaks (tearfully) re: Lord Eddard Stark

Sorry to say, I still don’t get what’s going on with Theon!  It’s a circular plot this episode, like the last.  His ally turns out to be an enemy.  But, Alfie Allen gets some great lines- Theon is slowly maturing as character.  He chose the wrong family, he finally realizes. 

My sword hand.  I was that hand.  -Ser Jaime to Brienne 

Jaime is close to suicidal after losing his right hand.  He falls off his horse, steals a sword from one of Bolton’s men, and tries to fight with his left hand.  But he can’t do anything!  The Northmen treat him very harshly- it’s tough to watch.  He wants to die, but Brienne convinces him to eat something.  I loved her line about him wanting to give up after “one taste of the real world.”  Gwendolyn Christie is doing a terrific job with the role!     

Did it ever occur to you that I might be the one who deserves your confidence and your trust, not your sons?  -Queen Cersei asks Lord Tywin, her father

Cersei is feeling left out of important matters, much like Tyrion was in Season 2.  She doesn’t have her beloved Jaime nearby.  Soon, she’ll be Queen Regent, and Margaery will be the Queen.  Tywin is reluctant to share info with her, and treats her coldly.   

 I could not help Ned Stark.  Perhaps I can help his daughter.  -Varys to Lady Olenna Tyrell re: Sansa

The scene with Varys and Lady Olenna started out very funny, but took a serious turn.  They are both concerned about Sansa.  In the garden, they discuss  a match between her and Loras (no doubt).

Ned Stark is dead.  King Robert is dead.  My brother is alive.  (He spits.)  You’re fighting for ghosts.  -Sandor Clegane (The Hound) to Ser Beric Dondarrion and his men, The Brotherhood without Banners

We, along with Arya and Gendry, learn more about the Brotherhood.  They are mostly commoners hailing from different areas.  They now follow the Lord of Light (the god of Melisandre).  Next up- the mano-a-mano battle between The Hound and Dondarrion (who was loyal to Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon).

I was surprised/shocked by what happened among the Night’s Watch!  Many were driven wild with hunger.  One of the crows, played by British actor Burn Gorman (Wuthering Heights; Bleak House), insulted and murdered Krastor.  It’s too bad that Cmdr. Mormont was killed by Rast (the raper who was always bullying Sam).  Mormont got Rast before he died.  I was very relieved when Sam, Gilly, and her baby boy ran away from the fighting.  

A dragon is not a slave.  -Daenerys explains in her mother tongue, Valyrian 

Will you fight for me?  As free men?  -Daenerys addresses The Unsullied warriors

The final scenes (shot in Morocco) with Dany and her dragons were fantastic!  The music was perfect, too.  It was fun to see the dragons after quite some time.  The scared little victim we saw in the series premiere is gone- Dany has become a leader.  Even Jorah was surprised.  (Emilia Clarke is also growing as an actress, as many critics have said.)  

SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from the latest episode of Game of Thrones.   

Episode 3 begins with the funeral of Sir Hoster Tully, lord of Riverrun and father of Lady Catelyn.  We learn that he was stubborn and a skilled warrior (took part in many battles).  We are introduced (humorously) to Robb’s uncle Edmure (Tobias Menzies; Brutus in HBO’s Rome) and Catelyn’s battle-hardened uncle, Brynden “Blackfish” Tully (veteran character actor Clive Russell).  Dark humor is woven through this episode. 

A world of war and tragedy is not a world without comedy, but rather a world where comedy is rarely allowed to continue unabated for very long.

At any given point, there are characters in situations where they could forget about the gravity at hand, where the inherent humor of human interaction overwhelms the threat of widespread conflict.

-Miles McNulty (Cultural Learnings blog)

Edmure’s men have captured two young Lannister boys, but Robb doubts that Lord Tywin will make peace solely for their release.  The Mountain (loyal to Tywin) and his men are still out there, killing and plundering mindlessly.  Robb is worried about all his young siblings, though he doesn’t speak of it.  Blackfish tells Catelyn that she has to believe that Bran and Rickon are alive.  (Fairley gets another emotional/powerful scene where we see that even she can’t be strong all the time.)

There’s a beast in every man, and it stirs when you put a sword in his hand.  –Ser Jorah 

(This was the most powerful line of this episode, in my opinion.)

Daenerys is still in the slave city of Astapor, wondering if she should purchase the 8,000 Unsullied warriors we met in Episode 2.  She’s disturbed by all that she sees around her- slaves with chains around their necks, others bloodied and crucified, the despair on the faces of the young kids.  Ser Barristan says that men fight for a leader they admire and love.  He says that her brother Rhaegar was “the finest man I ever knew.”  Ser Jorah says that “The Unsullied are not men,” so they will not rape or kill innocents.  Dany decides to sell one of her dragons (much to the shock of both her advisors)!  She also asks Krasznys for the translator, Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel). 

I’m not sure what is going on with Theon, but he gets some help from a young man, who tells him that “you’re not in the Iron Islands.”  Then, there is an exciting riding scene!  Theon is saved from being raped by a gang of vicious thugs by his new friend. 

Jon, Mance, Ygritte, and the Wildlings go south of The Wall and come upon a large spiral of dead horses which Mance says belonged the “best warriors” of Lord Commander Mormont.  The “Old Bear” and his men, including Sam, go back to Krastor’s Keep to ask for shelter.  Sam witnesses Gilly, the young woman he befriended in Season 2, giving birth to a baby- a boy.  Uh oh!   

Arya and Gendry say goodbye to Hot Pie (who served as comic relief); he impressed an innkeeper with his baking skills.  He gives Arya a (somewhat) wolf-shaped loaf of bread as a goodbye present.  Arya is a “guest” of the Brotherhood without Banners, who will protect her from harm.     

The Lannisters seem to have an odd, old-money attitude toward money. It’s the basis of their family’s fame, and yet too much attention to the making and managing of it is uncouth, unseemly. 

-James Poniewozik  (Time Magazine)

Anyway, it’s not my father I’m worried about, it’s the Iron Bank of Braavos.  We owe them tens of millions. 

-Lord Tyrion

Lord Tyrion is made Master of Coin by his father, since Littlefinger is soon going off to The Eyrie to woo the widowed Lady Arryn, the younger sister of Catelyn.   Tywin feels that it’s a “fine” (strategic) match for Littlefinger, who he made Lord of Harrenhal.  Tyrion soon realizes that “the history of the Seven Kingdoms” is inside the ledgers.  There is a cute (yet informative) scene where he explains how money is borrowed to Bronn.   

Ser Jaime (no shining white knight) gets a moment of redemption-  finally!  (Coster-Waldau has become one of the most watchable actors on the show.  His British accent has improved much over the seasons, too.)  Brienne is saved from being raped by Bolton’s bannermen (Northmen) who captured them at the end of Episode 2.  However, Jaime goes  a bit too far (with his egotistical words), and is seriously punished by Locke (Noah Taylor).  It’s quite a shock!  (One viewer commented that he lost a hand, but gained back a bit of his soul.) 

SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from the latest episode of Game of Thrones.   

This one’s for the girls!  The women get highlighted in the second episode of the HBO series.  Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) learns the fate of her father; the men of the North (loyal to Robb) travel to Riverrun for the funeral.  Bran and Rickon could be in great danger (or worse).  Catelyn reveals more of her story (and character) by recalling Jon Snow’s illness as a child.  (I loved the piece of music that accompanied the scene!)

We meet the tough, straight-talking grandmother of Margaery (Natalie Dormer), Lady Olenna (veteran British actress Diana Rigg) who asks for a chat with Sansa.  With some coaxing from the ladies, the innocent and sensitive Sansa reveals her true feelings for Joffrey.  To sum it up: “He’s a monster.”

Margaery, who’s a clever young woman, listens to Sansa very carefully as she talks about the king.  (The wheels are spinning in her head, no doubt.)  Recall how she tried to make things work with Renly (who preferred her brother, Loras)?  Later, we get the scene with Margaery, Joffrey, and a very fancy crossbow.  Yes, she really wants to be “the queen.”

Arya (Maisie Williams), Gendry (Joe Dempsie), and Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey) meet some of the men from the Brotherhood without Banners in the woods not far from Riverrun (the ancestral home of House Tully).  Their leader says that they don’t fight for any lord, but want to protect the forest.  In the tavern, Arya’s true identity is revealed by The Hound, who left the royal court during the Battle of Blackwater Bay.

Another new character is Meera Reed (Ellie Kendrick from The Diary of Anne Frank), who protects her brother Jojen (Thomas Brodie-Sangster from Love Actually) on the quest to find Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright).  They are the children of the man who saved Ned Stark’s life during the Targaryen rebellion.

Let’s not forget Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Jaime’s (exciting) fight on the bridge!  They are getting to know each other (a little) and have good chemistry.  They are both knights, but have very different values.