It’s amazing how Thrones hasn’t faltered; this was yet another outstanding hour!
After weeks of being the most irritating creature on the planet, Viserys Targaryen is finally dead! Even more satisfying is the manner in which the character was killed off. I absolutely love the episode’s final sequence which features Viserys threatening Dany and her unborn child with his sword, only for Drogo proceeding to give Viserys the crown he always wanted: a melted golden crown that effectively melts half his face off. It’s a powerful scene, punctuated by Dany’s calm acceptance of what must happen to her brother for her to thrive.
Tyrion’s adventure in The Eyrie also reached a thrilling climax, as he demanded a trial by combat and Bronn stepped in for him, cunningly disposing of Lady Lysa’s champion. Thanks to Jerome Flynn’s cool and laidback performance, Bronn is an immediately likeable character that I can’t wait to see more of. The dynamic between him and Tyrion already feels like it’s going to be a season highlight.
Elsewhere, Bran finally got his special horse and saddle (thank you Tyrion), and it was a real uplifiting treat seeing the young Stark so happy after being hopeless for so long. Of course the subplot took a turn for the worse as he was intercepted by Wildlings. I found this scene tremendously unsettling, so Robb (and Greyjoy) coming to the rescue at the last moment was a very welcome development.
And then there’s the biggest twist in the narrative yet, with Ned discovering that Robert’s kids probably aren’t even his. The trigger for this discovery is actually quite amusing: Sansa is nagging about wanting Joffrey’s “golden-haired” babies, which pushes Need to look through Jon Arryn’s book and realize that all Baratheons have black hair,… except for Robert’s kin. What a coincidence that Cersei and Jaime both happen to be blonde as well!
Bits & Beheadings
– Robert slapping Cersei: not cool! I did however love his taking’s Ned side and calling him his brother.
– Why does Dany put the dragon egg on the fire? Is she trying to get it to hatch?
– Even more foreshadowing: Dany feels nothing when she grabs the egg off the fire while her handmaiden’s hands get burned.
– Bran sees the three-eyed Raven again in his vision.
– Terrific scene with Dany eating the raw horse heart and then Drogo carrying her high as a jealous Viserys watches on.
-I was definitely rooting for Jorah when he stopped Viserys from stealing Dany’s dragon eggs.
– The Eyre is a quite the creative setting, particularly with those treachourous Sky Cells and the Moon Door (perfect for executions aren’t they?).
– Love the fact that Tyrion pays the guard on his way out because “a Lannister always pays his debts.”
– How annoying is Lysa’s son? His constant screams are cringeworthy.
– I asked for more Greyjoy and Ros in the last episode and that’s exactly what I got. Ros is now on her way to King’s Landing, but not before hilariously flashing Greyjoy one last time.
– Seriously can someone please slap Sansa?
– Also worth noting: Ned takes over Robert’s kingly duties as his highness goes on a hunt, and orders Tywin Lannister to appear before the court, in addition to the arrest of The Mountain after the attack on several villages.
– In the final moments, Dany says that Viserys was no dragon since he couldn’t withstand fire. But as we’ve seen countless times, it seems that SHE can.
Kings & Quips
Cersei: He’s attacked one of my brothers and abducted the other. I should wear the armor and you the gown.
(Robert slaps her)
Cercei: I shall wear this like a badge of honor.
Robert: Wear it in silence or I’ll honor you again.
Robert: My loving wife. I should not have hit her. That was not… That was not Kingly.
Syrio: There is only one God and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death… “Not today.”
Viserys: She has to eat the whole heart? I hope that wasn’t my horse.
Tyrion: When I was seven, I saw a servant girl bathing in the river. I stole her robe. She was forced to return to the castle naked and in tears. If I close my eyes, I can still see her tits bouncing. When I was 10, I stuffed my uncle’s boots with goatshit. When confronted with my crime, I blamed a squire. Poor boy was flogged and I escaped justice. When I was 12, I milked my eel into a pot of turtle stew. I flogged the one-eyed snake. I skinned my sausage. I made the bald man cry…. into the turtle stew, which I do believe my sister ate, at least I hope she did. I once brought a jackass and a honeycomb into a brothel…
Littlefinger: Gold wins wars, not soldiers.
Sansa: Where are you from anyway? The North or the South?
Septa Mordane: I come from a very small village in…
Sansa: Oh, wait. I just realized, I don’t care.
Sansa: Who cares about your stupid dancing teacher! I can’t go. I’m supposed to marry Prince Joffrey. I love him and I’m meant to be his Queen and have his babies.
Arya: Seven hells.
Conclusion
Packed with momentum and bombshells, this one’s another standout hour.
Nad Rating
A
I’m shocked just how fast-paced this season was! I really thought the first few seasons were slow, dull and boring. Good lord was I mistaken!
Viserys’ death is SO darn satisfying, I was almost cheering. It’s funny, but I had absolutely no idea how he’d die (seriously, my rewatch barely feels like a REwatch after all as there are so many developments I’d missed the first time). It’s nice to still be surprised.
You mentioned this in an early review, but seeing The Eyre during the map in the opening credits is such a cool detail. I originally thought the show added these locations to the credits when going from one season to the other, not during EPISODES. Incredible.
– Seriously can someone please slap Sansa?
Hahahha for real though.
And it’s strange, but I’m starting to hate Cersei more now in my rewatch. Seeing the despicable things she’s done in the early seasons makes me like her just a little less. It infuriated me the way she and Joffrey (UGH) treated Ned after Robert dies.
Enjoying these reviews soooo much!!