Little over three weeks since “The Rains of Castamere”, my pillow is finally dry and I can objectively review the explosive season without every paragraph descending into a drivelling emotional ballad ending with “WHY GEORGE R. R. MARTIN WHY?” Believing that, having read the books, when it finally came to the small screen I would be prepared was a huge oversight on my part, and I will never be so naive again. There is no doubt that “The Rains of Castamere” was one of the best episodes in Game of Thrones history, however it should not eclipse what has been one of the most exciting seasons on television this year.
Following the Battle of the Blackwater, our characters are left treating emotional and, in Tyrion’s case, physical wounds. As with most season premieres “Valar Dohaeris” was primarily a setup episode, and whilst no episode of Game of Thrones should be described as filler such episodes can become slightly tedious. Even so with a dragon spotting over the open sea, and the reintroduction of Ser Barristan Selmy whom I have greatly missed, I felt that the premiere finally advanced Daenerys from the fringe and offered hope that the Khaleesi is on track to claiming her rightful place on the Iron Throne.
Episode Two and Three’s primary function was to move the storyline forward, but they still provided us with some great moments of TV. The heartbreaking cries of Brienne in the face of rape and Jaime’s punishment for saving her were truly shocking moments, however what I most enjoyed was the development of Margaery Tyrell, the seemingly innocent queen-to-be who is clearly playing the game of thrones better than anyone could have foreseen. Her manipulation of Joffrey has for me been one of the most interesting parts of the season and has introduced Margaery as a force to be reckoned with. What’s more, her grandmother is always welcome on my TV screen, for too long Tyrion has been the sole source of comic relief and I’m glad Season 3 has added a bit more humour to the mix.
“And Now His Watch is Ended” reminded me why Game of Thrones is one of the best things on the TV right now. Whilst the first three episodes of the season were great they fell to curse of George R. R. Martin; there are too many great characters which means we are purely dropped into their storylines from time to time, sometimes leading to the plot moving more slowly than desired. However this episode was definitely well worth the wait, Daenerys’ evolution from a young women into an incredibly powerful and intelligent leader has never been more evident and the reveal she could understand Kraznys mo Nakloz all along was mesmerising. Really though it all comes down to one incredibly powerful moment which left my heart pounding, “Dracarys”. Whilst Daenerys dominated the episode, an honorable mention goes to the North, whereby the lull in action from the preceding episodes definitely did not prepare us for the death of Jeor Mormont and Craster. “And Now His Watch has Ended” definitely represents what this series does best – pulling the rug out from under our feet just as we’ve settled into a false sense of security.
For all those who ship Jon Snow and Ygritte, “Kissed by Fire” finally gave the pay off everyone was waiting for. What really struck me though was the cinematography of this scene, the cave was beautiful and the lighting made everything appear so tranquil. I’m not for a second undermining the chemistry between Kit Harington and Rose Leslie (which is obviously present because of their relationship in real life), but for me what made the scene was how it was set aside from sex as an act of lust which is so common in Game of Thrones, and made way for romance, making me against my will fall in love with the doomed couple. Jaime and Brienne also slipped into steaming water in a scene which allowed Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to show how much of an incredible actor he is, bearing his soul to his confidante about his real intentions when betraying the Mad King, if this scene doesn’t win him an Emmy I don’t know what will.
“Kissed by Fire” and it’s successor “The Climb” gave us an insight into the politics of Westeros. No matter how many wars you win and kings you kill, strategy is what will win the game of thrones and marriage is possibly the most powerful weapon there is. Sansa’s betrothal to Tyrion has given Tywin dominion over the North, and marrying Cersei to Ser Loras will assure that his relationship with the family that helped him win the Battle of the Blackwater remains stronger than ever. Characters like Lord Baelish and Varys have grown to power under this theory, and Littlefinger’s speech at the end of “The Climb” was enough to give anyone shivers. Team this with one of the most enthralling visual sequences of Game of Thrones as Jon and Ygritte climb the wall and the heartbreak of Sansa as she releases she’s doomed to remain in King’s Landing and you have one of the most moving episodes of the series so far.
The next two episodes fell slightly off the radar for me, of course in “The Bear and the Maiden Fair” there were great scenes, such as Brienne fighting off a bear with a wooden sword and Jaime’s heroic rescue of her, but this was overshadowed by two of the storylines that I have been least invested in during this season, the torture of Theon and Bran’s journey to the North. Following this was the wedding of Tyrion and Sansa, but my focus was on Joffrey. Out of all the villainous characters on Game of Thrones, of which there are plenty, he is by far the most malicious of them all. Taking the stool away from Tyrion was cruel, but threatening to rape Sansa was just downright evil and I left the episode with one thought in my head: the King cannot die soon enough.
“The Rains of Castamere” follows with what has been the most powerful episode in the history of the series with most of the audience still in the recovery phase or writing angry mail to George R. R. Martin. Those who haven’t read the book may not know that Robb’s Queen, the pregnant Talisa, was a replacement of the character Jeyne Westerling who survives the wedding therefore giving me hope that the Stark heir would survive, hence I was audibly heartbroken after seeing a knife repeatedly plunged into her stomach. Michelle Fairley’s performance however far overshadowed the twists and turns of the episode, the actress is an institution and Game of Thrones won’t be the same without the Stark matriarch. George R. R. Martin did not confine the plot twists to the Red Wedding however, Ygritte and the audience alike always knew Jon Snow was a crow but I was as despairing as Ygritte watching him ride away back to the Night’s Watch. Hopefully Jon’s choice of honour over love, unlike Robb who chose the latter option, will mean he fares better than his deceased brother.
Finally, the season concluded with ‘Mhysa’, whilst no finale could bear a cliffhanger like that of “The Rains of Castamere”, I enjoyed watching the relationship between Tyrion and Sansa improve and the final image of the Yunkai swarming Daenerys calling out for their ‘Mhysa’ gave me goosebumps. My interest peaked however with Stannis and Davos who have finally overlooked the war and are heading to the Wall which has made way for what I believe to be the most intriguing storyline coming into Season 4. The war for the throne may be over for now but something more sinister is coming, and with that I have no doubt that Game of Thrones will only get bigger and better, for this I cannot wait.
bethonagillim 