An explosive episode – in more ways than one – leaves our Game of Thrones bloggers’ jaws on the the floor as season four builds to a thrilling climax.
Hi Kate,
It was a sensitive night for one of the least sensitive shows on television that remarkably managed to have one major character’s head exploded in front of a crowd, a man flayed alive, and some satellite town for Castle Black destroyed by Wildlings. It has been a while since we sat together and watched Game of Thrones, and I felt like it was making up for lost time.
Things I was not expecting tonight:
1. Loads of nude unsullied.
I feel for the fanbase maybe this isn’t exactly what they were expecting, and having Daenerys and Missandei having that chat about the unsullied seemed like a tacit acknowledgement of the large amount of women who are watching the show.
We had some really sensitive Celtic music, and then out of nowhere a relationship might be blossoming. I felt like this was largely because Missandei needed a little bit more development. I am hoping the series will go there with some details on their relationship as it has been coy about it thus far. I had the overwhelming impression it was a Home and Away subplot.
2. Heaps of Theon Greyjoy.
Don’t really know where Theon is going, and I feel the series has invested a lot of time into his character development for little net gain. The camera hold on him when they ask “who are you” elicited some definite sympathy for the wee guy as did the line “only a whipped dog would speak this way, or a woman”. I got the distinct impression this episode was all about having balls.
3. Baelish not sitting on some sort of regal throne with a crown placed on a slight angle on his head.
I felt that with his murder of the Lady of the Vale Baelish would just take up her power, lands, and wealth, but apparently he has to justify himself to three oldies.
Sansa let it all out last night – but with a few key adjustments to the truth. In a long speech she did an admirable job of covering for Baelish. Both characters were playing a tricky game. The scene could only have been improved with Sansa cheekily winking at Baelish at the end.
4. The end of Ser Jorah
Talking about playing a tricky game – Ser Jorah Mormont has been spying, or at least spying at one point. Apparently he was pardoned by Robert Baratheon, but a long time ago. It’s quite hard to tell the time scale of when things have been happening in Game of Thrones.
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Daenerys doesn’t really look like she has changed too much, but boy has she been betrayed by Mormont, you can sense the director tried to overemphasise this with that protracted shot of her staring off into the distance. It’s a bit of a shame to lose the Ser Jorah character as his lack of sexual chemistry and his pining after Daenerys was always, at the very least, reliable.
5. Lack of “The Lion King” music when Bolton was playing his best Mustafa and talking about his vast kingdom.
Ramsay Bolton has got a new father and it was pretty touching. But, to be honest, I am not really invested in either character. Ramsay has been a jerk since we first set eyes on him, and him getting some good news isn’t exactly thrilling, but at least, as we learnt, he is going to have a bath.
Yours sincerely,
