Quick and Dirty Plot:
What I couldn’t see in the last episode (because the cinematography was super dark) was that Craster (Robert Pugh) was killing all of the boys born to his daughter wives. Jon Snow (Kit Harington) saw everything, so Craster sends the Night’s Watch away.The Commander (James Cosmo) says he knew about Craster killing his sons but that Craster is important for the Night’s Watch’s campaign. As the Night’s Watch heads back to the Wall, Sam (John Bradley) tells Gilly (Hannah Murray) he will be back for her.
Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) arrives at Renly’s (Gethin Anthony) camp. Renly is there with his new wife, Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer), and is watching female warrior Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) kick Loras’s (Finn Jones) butt in a tournament. Renly allows Brienne to join his guards. Meeting with Catelyn, Renly says he is confident he can defeat the Lannisters, but Catelyn ruins the mood by reminding him his army is young and inexperienced. In his private life, Renly has trouble consummating his marriage because he likes Loras, and Margaery is like, “Dude, it’s fine, but we have to make a baby as a symbol of our families’ alliance.” Very progressive on her part!
At King’s Landing, Sansa (Sophie Turner) is reminded by Cersei (Lena Headey) that she is woefully betrothed to Joffrey (Jack Gleeson). Shae (Sibel Kekilli) shows up as her new handmaid — since Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) needed something for her to do. Tyrion also plants false plans to each of the council members and learns that the old wizard dude on the council is a blabbermouth so Tyrion imprisons him. The blabbermouth old man also tells Tyrion that he informed Cersei that John Arryn (John Standing) knew about the twincest. Tyrion then implored Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) to meet with Catelyn to negotiate releasing Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).
In Winterfell, Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) is having weird dreams. Theon (Alfie Allen) learns his father is going to war. His sister, Yara (Gemma Whelan), tells him he must pick a side. Theon turns into a backstabbing bitch and decides to not tell Robb (Richard Madden) what he’s up to.
Meanwhile, the King’s Guards show up again looking for Gendry (Joe Dempsie). Yoren (Francis Magee) and the other Night’s Watch guys are killed in the battle, as is a young boy whom Arya (Maisie Williams) tells the King’s Guards was Gendry to save the real Gendry.
Takeaways:
This is what I’ve been waiting for! Do you notice how there was, like, no Stannis in this episode? Because it was a breath of fresh air! But we did get to see Renly. So, you know how I was trying to figure out which person fidgeting for the throne I liked? Well, it’s Renly. I just feel like he grasps what’s happening better than Robb Stark and he’s not terrible like Stannis or Joffrey. I like this guy. And, he has a super dope crown that I would totally wear.
I think it is actually kind of progressive that Margaery is okay that her husband loves her brother. Like what a great ally for “Game of Thrones” standards. I am also sensing that while Renly is super smart, Margaery is way smarter. I cannot help but love strong female characters. And speaking of strong female characters, we were finally introduced to Brienne of Tarth!!! Y’all, I am pumped. I know Gwendoline Christie from “Star Wars” and, more importantly, her cameo in the “Absolutely Fabulous” movie. I know Brienne is a pivotal character, and it is cool to see a woman kick ass in tournaments. I know Brienne pretty much makes it to the end, so I’m ready to root for her for a while. If she does something bad, please do not tell me. Let me be heartbroken by this dumb show when it occurs.
Speaking of dumb, why does Jon Snow have to ruin everything? He went snooping and got caught and now it cost the Night’s Watch the upper hand in trying to figure out what is happening. Look, last season, I could ignore him being nosey, arrogant and a little stupid because he was a kid. Now, he is all into the Night’s Watch. They are beyond the Wall. He should know better than to go running around. Plus, we all knew Craster was killing the boys. That is not a hard plot point to figure out! You could see it coming a mile away. I do feel bad that Sam is smitten with Gilly. That is going to be a difficult task. First, he has to kill her father/husband. Then, he will have to get her back to the Wall safely. And from there, what is he going to do? He can’t marry her. The Night’s Watch are like priests: cannot marry and stone cold celibate. Would he go against his vows? Would be pretty hypocritical considering he stopped Jon from joining his brother because of their vows.
And, while I’m talking about white guys that are making me mad, how dare Theon betray Robb like this. After Robb has always treated him like a brother. More than he treated Jon Snow. I mean, Theon’s dad is awful. Rivals Tywin Lannister for “Worst Dad of the Year” award. And his sister is bananas. So, he is going to backstab Robb, who is trying to avenge the unjust beheading of his father. Stupid. Stupid! I never liked that dummy anyways.
The conclusion of this episode was pretty intense. It also suckered me back into “Game of Thrones” when the first two episodes were pretty bland. The stakes are super high. If the guards learn of Gendry’s true identity, he is toast. If the guards learn of Arya’s true identity, there is no knowing what will happen. Lastly, I’m sad about Yoren. He was a good dude, even though we didn’t get to learn a whole lot about him. “Alas poor Yoren, I knew him well.”
In Memoriam:
Yoren — cue “Farewell My Friend” by Dennis Wilson
Yoren, you kept Arya safe. You kept Gendry safe. You had clearly seen some stuff, but you didn’t let that stop you from being a decent dude. You did all you could to keep them safe and keep your promise to Ned. We didn’t get a lot of time to get to know you, but you were solid. Even if you did try to give Arya booze.
Out-of-Context Quotes:
- Sam likes Gilly. Poor fool.
- Brienne of Tarth!
- I like Renly’s crown.
- Theon is pissed he groped his sister. Well, if you kept your HANDS to YOURSELF this wouldn’t be a problem.
- “I am not a kitchen wench.” “Kitchen wench” is a good insult.
- Poor Sansa 🙁
- Is he sleeping/betrothed to his boyfriend’s sister? Yeesh. This is complicated.
- That man just offered Arya, A CHILD, alcohol. Wild!
“Game of Thrones” is available to watch on HBO and HBO Max.
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Featured image credit: HBO
Morgan Roberts (she/her) was by films and television. She spent many nights watching “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” or whatever the family rented from Blockbluster. Morgan is particularly interested in cinematography, supporting female filmmakers and “Fleabag.” Outside of a deep love of film, Morgan is passionate about mental health advocacy, gender equality and true crime podcasts. Morgan also contributes to In Their Own League.