It's time again to reiterate that I have not reached the point in the books that coincides with the current plot in Game of Thrones, so please, no spoilers. I will read the books, but I would like to get there in my own due time without knowing too much about what's coming, or how it differs from the books. It's truly sad that I have to even emphasize that everytime I post, but there's always that one person that will say something that they think to be harmless. When I watch the show, I'm watching from the perspective of someone who hasn't read all of the books. That being said, let's get on to the episode.
There are several key points in this episode that I will touch on: Sansa's evolution, Jorah's banishment, Theon's torment, Tyrion's discussion about the beetles, and finally the Trial by Combat.
Sansa... There is alot that could be said about her. When the show started, I despised her, simply because she had no depth. There was little to her besides whining about Arya, whining about the unfairness of her direwolf being killed, whining whining whining. Then it all changed. Her father was beheaded, and she wore the stigma of his betrayal. She bore the brunt of Joffrey's cruelty, she put up with being treated like absolute crap by Cersei. Very few people treated her with any kindness at all, whether it was because they feared Joffrey's wrath or because they truly just didn't have any use for her.
Yet, through all of it, she still managed to survive it, learned a few things, and after her aunt was pushed through the Moon Door by Petyr, she showed us all a different side of her. The side that says "I have finally come into my own. I have the ability and the means to get the revenge I deserve, for myself and for my family. I dare you to cross me." Of course the means by which she showed us that side is true to her nature, coming off as the sensitive, mistreated, poor little orphan that no one loves, but it worked and that's what counts. I don't think it will be too much longer before she is a force to be reckoned with all on her very own. I don't much like her having to be allied with Baelish at this point, but it appears that is exactly how it is going to have to be in order for her to accumulate the strength she's going to need in the seasons to come.
Jorah was approached by Ser Barristan with a message which contained Jorah's official pardon from Robert Baratheon, for spying on Daenerys. Barristan pulled no punches, giving Jorah the option to go to Daenerys himself and admit what he had done. And so he did, and she was, expectedly, furious. It honestly very nearly broke my heart that she ordered him to leave and never return. He loves her, it's obvious that she loves him, and everything he has ever done has only been for her safety. Sure, he initially reported what she was doing and where she was going, but that stopped. He has proven himself time and again. I cannot let myself believe that their storyline is over. He'll pop back up at some point and earn his way back into her good graces, hopefully before she makes a terrible error in judgment. He has been the voice of reason that has pulled her back from the edge more than once, and she needs that. Barristan, she really won't listen to when it comes right down to it. He doesn't speak to her in a way that will make her see things from another perspective. Daario, well, she basically treats him like a piece of meat, and he does the same to her. Grey Worm will not speak up as an advisor, at least not right now anyway. Jorah is that one person that she will listen to.
Theon, poor Theon has been through hell and back that began with his captivity by House Bolton, specifically Roose Bolton's bastard son who is absolutely 8000 different kinds of batshit crazy. Theon's captivity has resulted in a loss of a penis, and going around calling himself "Reek". It's absolutely disgraceful, the depths his torment and torture have gone to. Theon had alot of promise as a strong character who could do alot of good, but instead he chose to go the route of personal glory, and this is what it's gotten him. When his sister attempted to rescue him, he practically turned into Gollum, refusing to come out of the cage, and she was unwilling to risk dragging him out. Why she didn't just knock him out and carry him out of the keep is beyond me. This most recent episode, Theon has to "win" a keep for Ramsay Snow, by convincing his own people to surrender and leave. The guy he's talking to balks, and Theon starts muttering about his name being "Reek" and it looks like he's going to have a complete breakdown right then and there. One of the others kills the leader, who is already obviously ill, just on the promise that they'll be allowed safe passage home. These guys all end up flayed, Roose praising "Reek", and winning his father's "love" as well as being recognized as a Bolton. I'd say he rather won it by default given that Roose has no other living children, and so, no other heir to his name. Theon, though, is becoming harder to watch with each passing episode, and I keep waiting for that moment when he cracks and goes apeshit, kills Ramsay all the while shouting "MY NAME IS THEON FUCKING GREYJOY!" Regardless of the things he's done, no one deserves the hells that have been visited on him.
That brings us now to Tyrion's discussion with Jaime about their beetle-smashing simpleton cousin. For two weeks now, we have dealt with previews and buildup to this trial by combat, and 40 minutes into the show we have to stop and yammer on for almost 10 minutes about someone smashing beetles? I was annoyed to say the least, but there has been no scene in 4 seasons now that has not had some kind of poignancy to it. This one is no different. I won't profess to know what the point of it was, whether it was drawing parallels between Tyrion's cousin and George R. R. Martin, or whether it was to illustrate the blessing of being a simpleton. Given how Joffrey turned out, and the fact that the Lannisters are, by definition, ruthless, this child was dropped on his head and rendered simple... imagine what he might have smashed had he had full mental capacity. I shudder to think. And then there's the obviousness of it once you look back on the full episode: Oberyn's skull-crushing moment. Perhaps it's foreshadowing that ultimately everyone on the show are bugs, and Tyrion will be the only one left standing out of the current storyline. Who knows.
The Trial by Combat: This is probably the moment I've most dreaded throughout the entirety of this season. Why? Because Tyrion is my absolute favorite character (I love many of them, but he will always be the most favorite). The results of this trial determines if he lives or dies. I had hoped that Oberyn would get to avenge his sister, because the Mountain has brought too much pain into the lives of others and well, he's had it coming. There is not one single redeeming quality about this character who's appeared in maybe 3 episodes (I'm including the recasting.. it's about the character not the actor).
Oberyn comes into the scene pretty much like Inigo Montoya.. "You killed her children, you raped her, then you killed her". He might as well have said "Hello... My name is Oberyn Martell.. You killed my sister. Prepare to die". He fights with alot of flair, but it's pretty obvious that he is a skilled combatant. For a minute, it looks like he's going to win it, and then..... he gets too cocky, too sure that he has this whole thing in the bag. He should have simply finished off the Mountain, but no... no that would be too easy. The Mountain ends the life of the much smaller Oberyn, popping his head like a grape, and presumably passing out dead himself. I'm not going to lie and say I loved Oberyn, he was never really more than means to an end. The big deal that was made over him being brought into the show said to me that he had an important part to play, so I presumed it would last much longer than it did. When he wasn't engaging in various sexual exploits, he was actually a rather charismatic character, and would have been a good addition to the show in a long-term fashion. But the thing I keep thinking is "Thank the old gods and the new that it wasn't Jaime.. or Bronn".
Now, it's pretty obvious they're not actually going to execute Tyrion, I mean he IS one of the most popular characters on the show, but after the Red Wedding last season, and The Walking Dead's beheading of Hershel, I trust nothing when it comes to shows I watch. Without reading the books, it's hard to really imagine where they might go with this, how they might save Tyrion from execution. I suppose they -could- opt to send him to the wall, allow him to take the Black and live out the rest of his life in the Night's Watch, but he's far too clever to allow that to happen.
Next week's episode should be rather interesting, as we haven't heard anything out of Stannis Baratheon in awhile, and at last count he was busy borrowing money from the Iron Bank. I don't foresee him and his armies reaching the Wall in time to face the initial onslaught at Castle Black. I'm still curious as to what happened to Benjen Stark as well, since it was never determined whether he'd been killed or what. All I can say is I rather hope Thorne gets it, he's beginning to get on my nerves.
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