Monday, April 14, 2014

Game of Thrones Recap

Source

 So once again Game of Thrones is on. (Yea!) As with last season, I'm going to be doing recaps of the episodes and discussing them. I've been super busy, so I didn't get the post up last week. This one will contain recaps of both episodes 1 and 2.

 Remember that this will contain blatant spoilers for the series. So, if you haven't watched yet or otherwise don't want to know what's happening, stop reading now!

 Season 4, Episode 1: Two Swords

We begin with Tywin Lannister melting down a sword and burning a wolf pelt, both of which belonged to Robb Stark. He creates two swords, symbolizing the end of the Stark rebellion, and gives one of them to our friendly neighborhood kingslayer, Jaime. He tries to ship his older son off to Casterly Rock, but Jaime stands his ground, insisting on staying. It's nice to see Jaime stand up to his horrible father, even if it's just to stay close to his sister for...less than pure reasons.
Tyrion and Oberyn (Source)
Meanwhile, Tyrion goes out to meet Prince Oberyn of Dorne, who is an old Lannister enemy. He's been invited to Joffrey's wedding, and it's obvious that Tywin is trying to manipulate things. While he and Tyrion talk, we get a good discussion of the bloody history between the two families. I thought this was well done and set us up for what will take place between these two men later in the season.

 Tyrion also tries to comfort Sansa in her mourning, but as per usual, she's kind of horrible to him. Later, Sir Dontos seeks out Sansa in the garden. I will say I was surprised to see this. Dontos made a very brief appearance at the beginning of season 2, and we haven't seen him since. I sort of thought maybe the writers were going to include him, but then changed their minds. But nope! He's back and offering his services to Sansa. You gotta love a guy like him, even if he's not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Lady Olenna (Source)
Shay is angry and Tyrion, of course, and while being fitted for his golden hand, we see the tension between Cersei and Jaime that seems to be headed toward a split between them. 

 Margery and her grandmother, Lady Olenna discuss wedding plans. Lady Olenna is one of the most charming characters in the series, and she doesn't disappoint. Still a fiery old lady who has no qualms about speaking her mind. If she was charming by herself, Olenna doting on Brienne is simply fabulous. Loved that scene!

 We also see Jaime and Brienne discussing the remaining Stark girls. Yet another setup for the season to come

 Ygritte waits for orders with the other Wildlings, while at Castle Black, Jon Snow is on trial for his actions among the enemy. 
Dany and her "children" (Source)
Across the world, Dany's dragons are too big for comfort anymore. Two big even for her to control. Dario is still around and expressing interest, though the actor has changed. That was a good change in my opinion. Dario is supposed to be this super-hot, hunky general. The guy they used last season was a fine actor, but he looked like a Mediterranean Fabio. I just didn't see it. This actor still isn't how I pictured Dario, but he's an improvement over last season.

 Finally, we see Arya traveling with the Hound. They find trouble in a roadside inn and we see that Arya is becoming more and more calloused.
Arya and the Hound (Source)
Best line of the episode:

 Arya rebukes the Hound for not stealing them any food, to which he replies that he's not a thief. She scathingly asks how he can have no trouble killing defenseless little boys but have a problem stealing food.

 The Hound's reply: "Man's got to have his code."

 I about died laughing.

 Overall, an okay start to the season. A bit slow, perhaps, but I can see the setups being maneuvered into place. We've still got Joffery's wedding to deal with this season, and based on how other weddings in this story have turned out, I think it's safe to say that it won't bode well. Can't wait to see more!

 Season 4, Episode 2: The Lion and the Rose
Source
Theon (a.k.a. Reek) is Ramsey Snow's lapdog. He watches the sick bastard (hehe) hunt a human girl and turn his dogs on her. Lord Bolton shows up to inspect Reek, and is angry at how he's been treated. He'd wanted to trade Theon for Moat Cailin. His bastard, Ramsey, does have some valuable information to offer, though. He explains that Theon didn't actually kill Bran and Rickon, and Bolton puts together a hunt to find them.

 Tyrion sups with Jaime, encouraging him to learn to sword fight with his left hand. Apparently, Bron will teach him. (This oughta be fun.) Meanwhile, Varys comes to tell Tyrion that Cersei knows about Shay and once Tywin finds out, he'll have her killed. Tyrion sends Shay away on a ship. He has to hurt her emotionally--call her a worthless whore and such--to get her to go. I thought this scene was poignant and well done.

 Melissandra is busy sacrificing human beings while Stannis looks on. Then she goes to speak with (and by that, I mean indoctrinate) Stannis's daughter. (That's just a disaster waiting to happen, if you ask me.)
Bran kneels at a heart tree (Source)
Bran is spending a lot of time in Summer's skin. Jojen warns that if he stays too long in the Direwolf's body, he could lose himself, his memories, and his very identity. Eventually they come to a heart tree, which Bran touches with his palm.

 Best scene of the episode:

 This was probably my favorite scene of the entire episode this week. He had tons of cool visions involving the raven he's looking for, what's happened in the past, and what may happen in the future. Most notably, the shadow of a dragon over a city. Afterward, he announces that he knows where they need to go.
Source
Ah. Joffery's wedding. They stuck very close to the book for this entire part, and I thought they did an excellent job. There were no pigs for the entertainers to ride, but even so the scene was sufficiently uncomfortable--downright offensive to Sansa--and in poor taste. Of course, Joffrey humiliates Tyrion, and then....FINALLY...gets his comeuppance. 

 I watched this with my sisters and, while Joffery was tormenting Tyrion, one of my sisters said, "So when's someone gonna kill this kid already?" I just grinned behind my hand and resisted the urge to tell her to wait five minutes. 

 The final scene was sufficiently intense, with blame falling on Tyrion and Dontos showing up to pull Sansa away. Poor Tyrion!

 My sister put it perfectly: "Well good. He's finally dead. But Tyrion's in a lot of trouble, isn't he?"

 Yup. You can count on it. He is.

 No Dany, Arya, or Jon Snow tonight. Overall, though, I really liked this episode. Sufficiently shocking as only Game of Thrones can be. 

 What did you think of these first two episodes of the season?
Posted by at
Labels:

1 comment :

  1. Maurice MitchellApril 14, 2014 at 10:08 AM

    I'm going to have to watch this show someday, but I love how they incorporate dragons into such a realistic world.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )