Quick and Dirty Plot:
Robb (Richard Madden) still isn’t getting anywhere with the Lannisters. While he’s away from camp with Talisa (Oona Chaplin) retrieving medical supplies, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) escapes. He is promptly recaptured and dubbed a “man without honor” by Catelyn (Michelle Fairley). I mean, he’s having sex with his twin sister, so that’s a given.
Speaking of his sister, Cersei (Lena Headey) confides in her brother, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), that she believes Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) is a tyrant because of the whole incest thing. Meanwhile, Tyrion is a bit preoccupied as he thinks Joffrey has the dumbest idea on how to defeat Stannis (Stephan Dillane). Sansa (Sophie Turner) has her own troubles as she wakes up to find that she has started her period. Shea (Sibel Kekilli) attempts to help her cover it up, but the Hound (Rory McCann) finds out and tells Cersei. Cersei then gives Sansa the most awkward sex talk ever.
Beyond the Wall, Jon (Kit Harington) is being taunted by wildling Ygritte (Rose Leslie) as he looks for his companions. Once again, Ygritte outsmarts Jon and escapes. Jon goes to recapture her but learns he is surrounded by wildlings. Dummy.
Theon (Alfie Allen) still has control of Winterfell. He learns that Osha (Natalia Tena) has helped Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and the other Stark kid escape. Theon and a group search for the Stark boys. Their scent leads them to a farm. Theon returns to Winterfell with two burned children’s bodies.
Then, in Qarth, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is looking for her dragons. Xaro (Nonso Anozie) tells her that he has a lot of influence over the council in Qarth. And she was like, “But do you? Do you??? Because you talk about this a lot.” While meeting with the council, the Voldemort-looking member tells Daenerys he has her dragons in the “House of the Undying.” During this meeting, Xaro proclaims himself King and then the freaking wizard dude multiples himself and kills the rest of the Thirteen. Daenerys then flees with Jorah (Iain Glen) to go to the “House of the Undying” to get her dragons.
Takeaways:
OKAY! This episode feels like it is building to the climax of the season. Daenerys is going to venture into the “House of the Undying.” She is going to get her dragons back. I know she gets them back. I’m still nervous. But deep down, I know. What will happen to her and Qarth? I’m interested to see what happens. Is Xaro going to do something to screw Daenerys over? Is she going to prevail? That is what I will learn. I will say, I am not impressed with Qarth. The people there are so creepy and manipulative.
Then, Joffrey is heading to battle with his not-uncle Stannis and Tyrion is preparing to save Joffrey’s butt. Tyrion is surprisingly good at this whole strategic war thing. I wonder why no one listens to him when he clearly has an aptitude for planning. I really despise the Lannisters but I like Tyrion. He’s funny and smart and caring.
Poor Sansa. Seriously, does this girl EVER catch a break? Like, she can never catch a break. Here’s what has happened so far: her father was beheaded in front of her, she’s basically a political prisoner, she’s betrothed to a monster, she has to hangout with that monster’s mom, and she was almost sexually assaulted. NOW, she gets her period for the first time, which means she can have children for Joffrey. BARF! First of all, periods are terrible to begin with. Secondly, your period signaling that you have to marry and have sex with Joffrey is even more terrible. Like, awful. I don’t know what’s going to happen here, but can something good occur? Damn. She’s more than earned it.
The Starks and Greyjoys dynamic is going to reach a boiling point. Robb wants Theon’s head. Heck, I want Theon’s head. Theon is just making things worse by murdering more people. I wonder what will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Because I know that Bran ain’t dead. I know things. So, do Robb or Catelyn learn that they’ve been “killed”
Also, I LOVE Ygritte. She is smart, cunning and snarky. I am assuming more happens with her, since IMDb says that she’s in several seasons, but this is a slow build. Does she finally seduce Jon Snow? That is pretty feminist if she is the seducer. I just want to see her being utilized more. My hope is that, in coming episodes, there will be more Ygritte. I think this episode has set it up for more involvement from her.
Speaking of Ygritte, I absolutely adore Rose Leslie in this role. I’ve seen Rose Leslie in “Luther,” some episodes of “The Good Fight” and a few episodes of “Downton Abbey.” Seeing Leslie in this role is just refreshing. I’ve also seen interviews with her and boy howdy, she is posh AF. So, seeing her as a rough-and-tumble survivor is so badass. She just owns the role and I am highly impressed. I am truly excited to see more of her in this role and how Ygritte continues to put Jon in his place.
We have discussed Sophie Turner in the past, but I wanted to bring up this whole period storyline. In an interview, Turner said that she was teased at school because of it. Looking at the things Turner and other young cast members, like Jack Gleeson or Maisie Williams, were put through is kind of jarring. I am sure Gleeson had a lot of backlash and toxic fan interactions because Joffrey is a terrible person as a character. I don’t know how old Turner was at this stage of filming but she is being put into pretty sexualized scenarios. That just feels like a lot for kids to have to endure.
What makes it worse is knowing that the “Game of Thrones” workspace was not good at protecting their case, i.e., what Emilia Clake was put through. I wonder if this type of content with the level of security would be acceptable today. My hope would be that there would be better protections for the network and creators of their cast — young and old — and providing adequate support.
Out-of-Context Quotes:
- The War of Five Kings? Lame name.
- Lotta dragon talk. I love it. I love dragons.
- “You remind me of my daughter.” Not a compliment.
- How did Emilia Clarke do this after severe brain trauma? Why didn’t she win an Emmy?
- I like super posh Rose Leslie in this role.
- “You know nothing, Jon Snow” WE’RE MAKING SHIRTS!
- Wait, what is happening at this council meeting?
- Worst work meeting ever.
- Jorah!! I love that dude.
“Game of Thrones” is available to watch on HBO and HBO Max.
Follow Shuffle Online on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Love our work? Buy us a coffee on Ko-Fi!
Feature 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.
I gave your article a 5 star rating from what I’ve read on your blog so far – Fantasy series Game of Thrones debuted nine years ago on HBO and proved to be a major game changer for Television. Not only was it a smashing international success giving viewers a unique bigger-than-film experience throughout its eight seasons, but the HBO show was also incredibly expensive by all TV standards.