Lets just get rid of Theon now,
Theon
He's still being tortured by Ramsey, who blows a horn and decides to play the "where are we, and who am I" game, and skins his finger. This is just a waste of valuable screen time, and I think by now, that the audience knows who Ramsey is, and that he is a defcon 5 psycho. I can only pray we will no see him again until 4.10.
Sam
Well, thankfully Ghost has realized that Sam is not Jon, and has not followed him on his journey back to the wall. However, Sam is with Gilly and her son, and they are sitting by a fire, and he eventually breaks into song. He also tells Gilly all about the delicious food at Castle Black, as she schools him on the best way to make a fire.
Basically, this scene is to show everyone that Sam has an obsidian dagger and it will be used very, very soon.
Bran
Meera and Osha are competing at "who can skin the rabbit" faster and better than the other.
Bran is annoyed, and tells them to stop fighting, and get over themselves, and they stop bickering. During this lovely discussion, Jojen starts having a seizure and Meera runs over to help him, as apparently HBO Jojen has seizures while he has visions. So, he wakes up, and tells them that Jon is on the wrong side of the wall and he is surrounded by enemies.
King of the North
One of the great things about this series, is how it reiterates how important Ned is to the story. The moment in 1.01 when he kills the deserter of the NW, has turned out to be an act that deeply affected both Jon and Robb. In fact it is so important, that it defines who they become as men. If you recall, Ned said " The man who passes the sentence, should swing the sword.". This means that if you are brave enough to be the accuser, you are brave enough to do the deed. But this was our dear Ned, who was an honorable, brave, man, whose values got him killed, and began a war.
Continuing on...Karstark has finally gotten vengeance for his sons by killing the Lannister boys. So Robb does a Ned, and decides that Karstark must die for betraying him, even though it will cost him all of Karstark's men. He sentences him to death, because he is a traitor. Meanwhile, we see his family looking on, as they know Robb's decision will affect his campaign, and not in a good way.
But Karstark was not just any man, he was a Stark. He was loyal to his father, The North, and is Robb's kinsman. Robb is enraged, while at the same time, he is clearly distraught, by his decision. This is evident, in the powerful moment, when he throws the sword down after killing Karstark, and walks away in the rain. Yet, he would rather loose the men, than be seen (in his mind as weak) because he did not kill a traitor. However, he was already losing control of his campaign because of what his mother did, his marriage to Talisa, and may now be named the kinslayer who has betrayed the North.
The scene when Robb beheads Karstark was as foreshadowing as the moment when Ser Rodrick told Theon "Gods help you Theon Greyjoy" before he was beheaded. Karstark says that he has no problem dying for what he did, and his final words are: "Kill me and be cursed. You are no King of mine.".
The result of this catastrophic decision is that Robb has to crawl back to the Freys, because he needs them in order to conquer Casterly Rock. They are a sorry bunch, but they decide that in order to make up for the insult of Robb marrying Talisa, (I still wish they had kept Jeyne, as the reason he married her, showed how he is truly his father's son), Edmure will have to marry a Frey. Poor Edmure, he is once again looking like a total loser, because he has to do whatever Robb and his uncle tell him to do, for THE NORTH. In addition, he is paying for his nephew's mistakes, who at least has the decency to admit that Edmure is paying for his actions.
Dragonstone
Is it me or is Stannis looking hotter every week? If he looks this good every time Melisandre goes on a trip for some more King's Blood, I say, she should leave him more often.
I will preface this by saying that Stannis was so distraught over his loss at the Blackwater, that he let Melisandre do things, he would not have otherwise done; ie. burning the so called traitors. We saw in 2.10, how angry he is at Melisandre, and himself for believing that she would help him to win the war. He let her commit horrible acts in the name of a god, that he never believed in. Yet, as we book readers knew, she took back control of the situation, and had him look into the flames, and see a battle in the snow; season 4 people, season 4.
So far in S3, we have seen a depressed, broken Stannis. He has been greatly humanized for the show, as in the book he is always portrayed as a stoic, harsh man, who does not interact w/his child and daughter in any meaningful way, if he ever does at all. He is also sleeping with Melisandre, who is acting as his defacto Queen and Hand of the King. Presently, we know that he has been sleeping with Melisandre, and she has been acting in the same manner, and has had enormous influence over his actions.
I love what has been done with his character, and you can see, particularly in his interaction with his wife, the weight of breaking his marriage vows, and the realization that he let Melisandre control his life. But crazy Selyse opens her mouth, and Melisandre comes out of it. She keeps saying that the Lady Melisandre has kept her up to speed, and that he is King, and he can do whatever he likes, ie.cheat on her. Stannis is no fool, and he sees how Melisandre has manipulated his wife into thinking, "I can't give you sons, but Melisandre can give you all the sons you need to be King. Dishonor me all you want! In fact you honor me by breaking your vows, and letting her give you what I cannot."
He also has the pleasure of seeing, but turning his back on the "sons" that Selyse has kept, no doubt at the behest of Melisandre. Kings blood, is Kings blood right? I guess if Gendry doesn't work out, she would need some back-up, since there are no more Baratheon bastards in town.
Stannis leaves his zealot wife, to go see his daughter, who unfortunately has greyscale.
Greyscale seems to come from the sea, and normally will cause death, but some survive. My impression from the books, is that the skin is thick and grey, like an old statue, that has cracked. Shireen survived and her face is severely deformed because of it. So, this is Shireen "light", but she remains a sweet child.
Stannis is clearly uncomfortable with the joy of his daughter, (strong emotional reactions are not really his thing), upon seeing her father and giving him a big hug. Shireen asks about Davos, who has apparently been visiting her, in her not so ivory tower. As she is holding a toy ship that Davos had given her, Stannis says that Davos fought bravely, and honorably in the war. However, he is a traitor and is in the dungeons, so "she best forget about him". In other words, "I am trying to forget the pain & guilt of knowing that although Davos tried to kill Melisandre, I put my most loyal, and trusted advisor into a dungeon without blinking, because SHE told me to. Gods, what have I done.".
Wow! I had no idea that I had so much to say about Stannis! But he does look super sexy right? Let's look at him again:
Kings Landing
*"Images and Quotes courtesy of HBO's "Game of Thrones" 3.05 & 3.06
King of the North
One of the great things about this series, is how it reiterates how important Ned is to the story. The moment in 1.01 when he kills the deserter of the NW, has turned out to be an act that deeply affected both Jon and Robb. In fact it is so important, that it defines who they become as men. If you recall, Ned said " The man who passes the sentence, should swing the sword.". This means that if you are brave enough to be the accuser, you are brave enough to do the deed. But this was our dear Ned, who was an honorable, brave, man, whose values got him killed, and began a war.
Continuing on...Karstark has finally gotten vengeance for his sons by killing the Lannister boys. So Robb does a Ned, and decides that Karstark must die for betraying him, even though it will cost him all of Karstark's men. He sentences him to death, because he is a traitor. Meanwhile, we see his family looking on, as they know Robb's decision will affect his campaign, and not in a good way.
But Karstark was not just any man, he was a Stark. He was loyal to his father, The North, and is Robb's kinsman. Robb is enraged, while at the same time, he is clearly distraught, by his decision. This is evident, in the powerful moment, when he throws the sword down after killing Karstark, and walks away in the rain. Yet, he would rather loose the men, than be seen (in his mind as weak) because he did not kill a traitor. However, he was already losing control of his campaign because of what his mother did, his marriage to Talisa, and may now be named the kinslayer who has betrayed the North.
The scene when Robb beheads Karstark was as foreshadowing as the moment when Ser Rodrick told Theon "Gods help you Theon Greyjoy" before he was beheaded. Karstark says that he has no problem dying for what he did, and his final words are: "Kill me and be cursed. You are no King of mine.".
 |
| Robb making the second biggest mistake of his life |
Dragonstone
Is it me or is Stannis looking hotter every week? If he looks this good every time Melisandre goes on a trip for some more King's Blood, I say, she should leave him more often.
I will preface this by saying that Stannis was so distraught over his loss at the Blackwater, that he let Melisandre do things, he would not have otherwise done; ie. burning the so called traitors. We saw in 2.10, how angry he is at Melisandre, and himself for believing that she would help him to win the war. He let her commit horrible acts in the name of a god, that he never believed in. Yet, as we book readers knew, she took back control of the situation, and had him look into the flames, and see a battle in the snow; season 4 people, season 4.
 |
| 2.10: Stannis realizing that his obsession, has cost him his honor. |
I love what has been done with his character, and you can see, particularly in his interaction with his wife, the weight of breaking his marriage vows, and the realization that he let Melisandre control his life. But crazy Selyse opens her mouth, and Melisandre comes out of it. She keeps saying that the Lady Melisandre has kept her up to speed, and that he is King, and he can do whatever he likes, ie.cheat on her. Stannis is no fool, and he sees how Melisandre has manipulated his wife into thinking, "I can't give you sons, but Melisandre can give you all the sons you need to be King. Dishonor me all you want! In fact you honor me by breaking your vows, and letting her give you what I cannot."
 |
| Confessing to Selyse that he has sinned. |
 |
| Sexy Stannis: Horrified by Selyse's reaction to his confession |
He also has the pleasure of seeing, but turning his back on the "sons" that Selyse has kept, no doubt at the behest of Melisandre. Kings blood, is Kings blood right? I guess if Gendry doesn't work out, she would need some back-up, since there are no more Baratheon bastards in town.
 |
| My hot husband, look at all of my dead sons |
 |
| Daddy you're here! |
Greyscale seems to come from the sea, and normally will cause death, but some survive. My impression from the books, is that the skin is thick and grey, like an old statue, that has cracked. Shireen survived and her face is severely deformed because of it. So, this is Shireen "light", but she remains a sweet child.
Stannis is clearly uncomfortable with the joy of his daughter, (strong emotional reactions are not really his thing), upon seeing her father and giving him a big hug. Shireen asks about Davos, who has apparently been visiting her, in her not so ivory tower. As she is holding a toy ship that Davos had given her, Stannis says that Davos fought bravely, and honorably in the war. However, he is a traitor and is in the dungeons, so "she best forget about him". In other words, "I am trying to forget the pain & guilt of knowing that although Davos tried to kill Melisandre, I put my most loyal, and trusted advisor into a dungeon without blinking, because SHE told me to. Gods, what have I done.".
Wow! I had no idea that I had so much to say about Stannis! But he does look super sexy right? Let's look at him again:
 |
| Sexy, non? |
King Tywin vs. Lady Olenna
One of the best scenes in the series are these two powerhouses facing off about Cersei and Loras. I love how this goes down as a business deal, as they both have a big bad secret. The worse kept secrets, but nonetheless, they would destroy their houses.
So in short:
Lady Olenna: "Cersei is too old to bear children and I do not want her to marry Loras.".
KingTywin: "No way, Cersei is the most beautiful woman in the realm. Oh and PS I know Loras is gay, ( or as he says "this affliction") so you have to do what I want."
Lady Olenna: "Yeah whatever, I know about the twincest and that would put a stain on MY house. Oh, and I already know that he is gay, and so does everyone else. Bye the bye, you did you not experiment in your youth?"
King Tywin: "First, twincest is a viscous lie (he so knows it is not, but would never admit it to himself)., and if Loras does not marry my daughter, I will make him a member of the KingsGuard. What does that mean? The Highgarten line will die. Shall I draw up the order?".
Lady Olenna: " Aahh, you have lived up to your reputation, and you have won the battle. Cersei shall marry Loras." And she breaks the quill in half.
On a side note: Isn't it interesting that Tywin threatens to use Loras, in the way The Mad King used Jaime by making him a member of the KingsGuard? Jaime figured that out at a later date, but KingTywin never forgot. In fact he found it so clever, that he added it to his own playbook.
Lord Varys vs. Littlefinger
This is another great moment that is not from the book. The scenes between these two men have been some of the most amazing moments of the series. The show has portrayed Littlefinger as a man who wants it all, which includes the Iron Throne. In fact, he tells Varys how many swords that compose said throne. They have a little chat in the Throne Room, wherein we discover that Littlefinger knows that Roz was working for Varys, and "was a bad investment".
But what a coincidence! He knows a man who wanted to try something new, aka King Sociopath,who was oh so grateful, that Littlefinger gave him Roz to fulfill this request.
I will digress for a moment: Roz has been a problem for me, ever since she appeared in season one. She has wasted valuable screen time that should have been used for telling the real story. However, I would be disgusted if the writers wrote Roz for the sole purpose of reminding us that King Sociopath is quickly becoming worse than the Mad King:
Then Littlefinger says to Varys, exactly what Varys said to Lady Olenna: He is so dangerous, that he would be King of ashes to get what he wants.
Varys: " I did what I did for the good of the realm."
Littlefinger: "The realm. Do you know what the realm is? It is a thousand blades of Aegon's enemies. A story we agree to tell each other over and over until we forget that it is a lie."
Varys: But what do we have left if we abandon the lie? Chaos. A gaping pit, waiting to swallow us all.
The episode concludes with Littlefinger's voiceover:
That concludes Part II, and straight to 3.09: The Rains of Castemere.
One of the best scenes in the series are these two powerhouses facing off about Cersei and Loras. I love how this goes down as a business deal, as they both have a big bad secret. The worse kept secrets, but nonetheless, they would destroy their houses.
So in short:
Lady Olenna: "Cersei is too old to bear children and I do not want her to marry Loras.".
KingTywin: "No way, Cersei is the most beautiful woman in the realm. Oh and PS I know Loras is gay, ( or as he says "this affliction") so you have to do what I want."
Lady Olenna: "Yeah whatever, I know about the twincest and that would put a stain on MY house. Oh, and I already know that he is gay, and so does everyone else. Bye the bye, you did you not experiment in your youth?"
King Tywin: "First, twincest is a viscous lie (he so knows it is not, but would never admit it to himself)., and if Loras does not marry my daughter, I will make him a member of the KingsGuard. What does that mean? The Highgarten line will die. Shall I draw up the order?".
Lady Olenna: " Aahh, you have lived up to your reputation, and you have won the battle. Cersei shall marry Loras." And she breaks the quill in half.
Lady Olenna: 0
King Tywn: 1
On a side note: Isn't it interesting that Tywin threatens to use Loras, in the way The Mad King used Jaime by making him a member of the KingsGuard? Jaime figured that out at a later date, but KingTywin never forgot. In fact he found it so clever, that he added it to his own playbook.
Lord Varys vs. Littlefinger
This is another great moment that is not from the book. The scenes between these two men have been some of the most amazing moments of the series. The show has portrayed Littlefinger as a man who wants it all, which includes the Iron Throne. In fact, he tells Varys how many swords that compose said throne. They have a little chat in the Throne Room, wherein we discover that Littlefinger knows that Roz was working for Varys, and "was a bad investment".
But what a coincidence! He knows a man who wanted to try something new, aka King Sociopath,who was oh so grateful, that Littlefinger gave him Roz to fulfill this request.
I will digress for a moment: Roz has been a problem for me, ever since she appeared in season one. She has wasted valuable screen time that should have been used for telling the real story. However, I would be disgusted if the writers wrote Roz for the sole purpose of reminding us that King Sociopath is quickly becoming worse than the Mad King:
- King Sociopath killed a woman for fun, so that he could test out his new crossbow.
- Littlefinger has outwitted Varys, and his punishment for using Roz as his spy, was giving her to Joffrey. The horrified look on Varys face said it all, because he knows Roz has now died a horrible, long and painful death, to the sounds of laughter, courtesy of King Sociopath.
 |
| CHECKMATE. |
Varys: " I did what I did for the good of the realm."
Littlefinger: "The realm. Do you know what the realm is? It is a thousand blades of Aegon's enemies. A story we agree to tell each other over and over until we forget that it is a lie."
Varys: But what do we have left if we abandon the lie? Chaos. A gaping pit, waiting to swallow us all.
The episode concludes with Littlefinger's voiceover:
"Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, they cling to the realm or the gods or love. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is."
As we see King Sociopath walk away from the dead body of Roz, and Sansa weeping as she watches Littlefinger sail away. Brilliant and Powerful
That concludes Part II, and straight to 3.09: The Rains of Castemere.
No comments:
Post a Comment