Brought to you by humiliation, mutiny, mutilation, slow claps with spears and OMFG DRAGONS DRAGONS DRAGONS FIRE DRAGONS OMFG.
Spoiler Alert!
The thorough debasement of Jaime Lannister that opens the episode is not likely to end with these opening minutes, as nasty as drinking horse piss undoubtedly is. Now begins the destruction of his pride, and because he believes he’s lost his honor and has definitely lost his fighting skills, it’ll be the last thing he has.
Having sympathy is something I doubt viewers of the show expected, but I have no doubt that it is happening. Jaime’s second scene, where he is asked by Brienne why he lied to protect her – by convincing the Brave Companions she was a valuable prisoner – is heartbreaking because of its unspoken answer. He’s always had honor in him, but it’s been thoroughly warped by privilege, pride and (of course) his incestuous love of Cersei.
This episode is more clearly focused on political machinations than its predecessor. It returns to Tyrion’s struggle to gain leverage over his treacherous queen-of-a-sister by exposing her attempt to kill him. Margaery’s continuing courtship of Joffrey – enduring his fascination with the deaths of Targaryens past and slaughter in general – infuriates Queen Cersei, especially because her father approves of it. Finally, we see Varys come into a new light by working his way into the Tyrell/Lannister/Littlefinger clusterfuck, and his lines about how a carefully planned long game eventually brings success. (Which is, of course, the essence of the show and series.)
We also had yet another major character intro – Beric Dondarrion, the Lightning Lord, leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners and a legendary fighter. His verbal face-off with the captive Sandor Clegane was electrifying, and served as a further wrinkle in the latter’s pained, rage-driven character. Clegane (“the Hound”) is clearly a man of immense sorrow. In season 2, you could tell he’d begun to detest the things he’d done at King Joffrey’s psychopathic request, which is why he fled King’s Landing. But he, too, has a sense of pride that makes him too angry to be penitent. Dondarrion, who was sent (in the long-ago of season 1) by Ned Stark to capture and kill Clegane’s brother Gregor (“the Mountain”), is thoroughly loyal, and will not allow a man like the Hound to easily escape.
Theon’s storyline from the past two episodes – freed from captivity by a mysterious rescuer, saved from the men sent to pursue him – took a shocking turn into psychological warfare. He was tortured, cut loose, allowed to run free through the woods, saved again and then…brought into a castle that’s OH WAIT, THE SAME PLACE HE STARTED AT. Now that Ramsay Snow (false rescuer) has begun to reveal the depth of his cruelty, things are gonna get real bad.
The scenes involving the Night’s Watch began in elegiac calm, mourning a fallen ranger, and ended in brutality and chaos. Inevitably, the pressure of living under Craster’s house rules became too much for the nastier men of the Watch, and they slaughtered him – and their own Lord Commander. Now the good men of the Watch are as lost as they were while at the mercy of the wights and white walkers, and Samwell is separated from them all, on the run with one of Craster’s sister-wives and her infant child.
Oh, so I guess I should get to the dragons. Remember that thing where Daenerys bought 8,000 of the world’s best soldiers for a dragon (the biggest of the three, Drogon)?
Well, if anyone actually thought she’d give him away, they are silly. With Drogon’s help and her newly acquired army, she laid waste to the slavers of Astapor and truly began her path to conquest. This is essential, as any further delays to her march toward her lost birthright (all of Westeros) might be infuriating to viewers.
Daenerys, the world is fucking yours.
Missing from the episode: Stannis Baratheon, Melisandre, Jon Snow.
Almost missing: Bran (one brief green-dream sequence).
Best off: Daenerys.
Worst off: Jaime and Theon (tie).
Liam Green can be reached at lgreen@thoughtpollution.com.