![]() In a straight-forward epic fantasy Robb would lead his army victoriously down to King’s Landing and free his father to the sound of huzzahs all round. One of the most interesting things about this series remains its willingness to overthrow convention. While it’s clear that Catelyn feels she must advise her oldest son, I would argue that it’s a bit questionable to abandon your 11-year-old to rule by himself with only his angry younger brother and an elderly maester for support. Isaac Hempstead-Wright did a lot with a little scene as Bran was abandoned to rule Winterfell (plus Rickon appeared and he spoke too). His decision to pay Lysa back for her treatment by enlisting the mountain clans to ravage the Vale was brutal and brilliant – although his face when he realised that he might not have been as clever as he’d thought was also priceless. I enjoyed Tyrion’s demonstration that the phrase “A Lannister always pays his debts” can mean much more than you might think. Did Syrio die or not? I’ll leave that to you to debate below although my personal opinion is that the key phrase was: “What do we say to death? Not today.” In previous episodes Syrio has always tipped into Princess Bride territory but this brief, powerful scene captivated me to the extent that I found myself shouting “Just move Arya, run” at the screen. The scene between Arya and Syrio Forel is one of the most iconic in the books and lived up to that billing on screen. ![]() If Dany hadn’t desired a kingdom then the Dothraki wouldn’t have ransacked the village for slaves to sell in order to buy the ships to sail to Westeros and claim the Kingdom their Khaleesi had lost… And if that all sounds a little like the old nursery rhyme (‘For want of a nail…’) it is – albeit with added throat slashing and the odd attempted rape. It’s one thing to convince your warlord husband to reclaim your kingdom and quite another to see that intent put into practice. The Queen in waiting learned about the implications of power this week as the Dothraki scenes raised some interesting questions about the nature of corruption. It’s hardly the most pleasant of choices. That said the fact that the Night’s Watch currently has a bunch of reanimated corpses to deal with means that his decision essentially boils down to: desert, be branded a traitor, fight alongside your brother, probably die or stay, support your new brothers, get attacked by zombies, probably die. His dilemma is a fascinating one – does he abandon his rag-tag band of new brothers for his old family? – and Kit Harrington did a good job of leaving us unsure which way he will jump. Jon was also taking his first steps towards leadership, as news of Ned’s imprisonment reached the Night’s Watch. ‘I hope you’re not going to do anything stupid. In contrast to the rest of the new king’s advisors she knows what it is to be valued purely for what you bring to a marriage contract and clearly felt for Sansa, even as she moved to lock her in place. I also thoughtthe base note of genuine pity under Cersei’s perfumed words was interesting. Sophie Turner was particularly adept this week as Sansa struggled to save her father while still clinging desperately to her dreams of courtly love. The Stark’s second child Sansa is the game’s most powerless (and arguably its most important) pawn and, as the episode progressed, it became increasingly clear that she will need help to survive the new court’s dangerous crosscurrents. ‘You disappoint me child, why would you want to speak to a traitor?’Īt least Robb is in charge of his own destiny, however uncertain. Whether the latter will help or hinder him remains unclear – although it’s worth noting that the astute Tyrion believes the boy warrior could succeed. After seven weeks of smouldering in the background, Robb this week seized centre stage, demonstrating that he has both leadership ability and his father’s belief in honour and justice. Chief among those was Ned’s son Robb, played with just the right amount of bullish bravado and adolescent sensitivity by Richard Madden. In an exciting episode, written by George RR Martin himself, this week we were largely concerned with the passing of the old guard – Robert is dead, Ned languishing in prison – and the rearranging of the board as new players joined the game. ‘If you lose, your father dies, your sisters die, we all die’
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