“Fuck yeah!” Did you happen to say that at the end of this episode, gentle reader?
“Home” delivered more than a few crowd-pleasing moments, with just a dash of psychopathy. After years of wandering in the wilderness, we remembered why we watch this show.
We also wondered, is Ser Pounce really a tiny dragon?
Rejoice with three fans with different perspectives. Rosalyn Claret, who has read the books yet says she “forgets” how many times; Laura Fletcher, a casual fan of the television and book series; and Cheryl Collins, who does not read. Maester Corrin Bennet-Kill is on hiatus.
Please join the discussion in comments!
Cheryl
We start as usual in the north—the far north. We open on a black screen and the call of a raven.
Voilà Bran — whom we have not seen for a while— taking a virtual reality tour of Winterfell with Max von Sydow.
Laura
I liked that right away we get a shout-out related to the episode’s title, “Home.” We get a pinch of the danger of homesickness when Bran doesn’t want to leave his vision and the Raven has to force him out.
Cheryl
And we are introduced to some backstory here: Ned and Benjen, Lyanna, and “Willis.” As for Willis/Hodor as a young man: he talks! And we are reminded twice that he has giant’s blood in him.
Rosalyn
Winterfell in the balmy past. There’s so much color in this scene versus present-day, Bolton-infested Winterfell.
Cheryl
So clearly Bran is being prepared for something by the Raven.
Laura
Lyanna is very reminiscent of Arya! And yes, what is the purpose of the wayback machine? Bran says the Raven knows a war is coming. I’m with Meera on this: why are you just toodling around in the tree if there’s shit to do, Bran?
Cheryl
Meera hates waiting around, but she is reminded by Leaf that Bran is being prepared for something or other.
[Editor’s note: Yes, we looked up this character’s name.]
Rosalyn
Loved that scene of the barren winter landscape, by the way. It’s a reminder of how far they had to journey and how far they really are from any action.
Laura
It seems Bran is honing his power, learning the limits of it (or at least the limits to staying sane while using it), and providing viewers with oodles of backstory.
Rosalyn
I also think the purpose of the wayback machine is to prepare viewers to absorb additional bits of lore we’re going to need to understand the rest of the season.
Cheryl
We have not seen that dreary landscape for a while, since Jon toiled north of the Wall for an entire season.
Laura
Plus, the landscape is totally barren—no people anywhere. All the Wildlings and other residents who aren’t White Walkers have fled south.
Cheryl
Suddenly I felt like Willis/Hodor might play a more important role — otherwise, why show him as a young man?
Laura
I think the show has mentioned before that no one knows why his one word is “Hodor.” It’s certainly not his name.
Cheryl
I felt that that story of those four—Ned, Benjen, Lyanna, and Hodor—will somehow be important and that’s why the Raven was showing it to Bran—and us.
Rosalyn
What about “He won’t always be in here,” or whatever the Leaf lady said to Meera? I haven’t thought about Bran being back out in the world, really, and not in a way that Meera could help him. Will he be Warging?
Laura
One could have thought Bran was apprenticing under the Three-Eyed Raven, but according to Leaf, he’s definitely leaving. Not, for example, taking the Raven’s place beneath the mother of all heart trees.
Rosalyn
Exactly. I imagined Bran becoming a part of the tree, and dreaming across the realm from the North, seeing through weirwoods and animals’ eyes.
Cheryl
I took it that he would be key in the big conflict to come with the White Walkers.
Laura
I hope Hodor’s mystery is meaningful. His character always bothered me, that he was treated as a bit of a punch line or, at best, a way to make sure Bran could stay on the move.
Think about how reminiscent the flashback Winterfell scene is to the training sequence at Castle Black, with Sam as an equivalent to Willis/Hodor (both big guys—I don’t think it’s a stretch). Is this another pairing? Perhaps another hint that Hodor, like Sam, is much more than meets the eye—and should challenge preconceptions.
Cheryl
Yes, further south we travel … to find Davos and crew and Thorne, Olly, and the rest of the Night’s Watch facing off.
Hilarious that they did all this furious cross-cutting between both sides of the door to reach the crescendo and then — bam — someone is at the gates: Tormund to save the day.
Rosalyn
I almost felt sorry for the remaining Watch, despite their treachery and general weaseliness, with Tormund and the wildlings inside the gates of Castle Black after all this time, after all this loss of life to keep them out.
But it was interesting to hear Thorne: “Fight, you cowards!” Remember how these same men fought for Jon? Is it because of who Thorne is? Because of who’s left? Because of the odds and nature of this battle? Or because they were really never committed to Thorne’s purpose anyway? Think of how much uncertainty there is in this centuries-old order, with not just one but two rightful lord commanders murdered through mutiny.
Also: Dolorous Edd is kicking ass, taking names.
Cheryl
Excellent point, Rosalyn. Maybe the giant freaked them all out! I would be freaked out. Note that Edd (who someone made sure to dis in the last episode) steps up. And he did not kill any traitors — maybe because they’ll need them. They are down to such a ragtag mess.
Just an aside: we’ve noted in the past that GoT likes to do things in pairs. I think this is an example: In the first scene we saw Willis/Hodor who is part giant and in the next we have an actual giant. A hint of something or other, maybe.
Laura
Do you think the show did a good enough job of describing why Thorne and others didn’t want to make friends with the Wildlings?
Rosalyn
I think they’ve been relying on cuts to a dialogue-less Olly as a stand-in for that, Laura. As if to say: remember? This kid’s family was murdered and raped on screen, and here he is, carrying that memory.
Laura
Olly the Oddly Sure of Himself. Not to be all “but in the books,” but there we were also told repeatedly that the Wall was running very low on food and everyone was facing starvation.
Rosalyn
I guess taking inventory of supplies isn’t riveting TV.
Cheryl
It’s weird to me how they keep cutting to Olly! Why are that kid’s reactions suddenly so important? Maybe because there are not many characters in Castle Black that we recognize anymore.
Further south we go, to King’s Landing. First we see that drunk who is dissing the Lannisters get exterminated by another “giant” — the new, improved Mountain.
Laura
Just like the giant at the wall, he smashed a skull in.
Cheryl
Last week we talked about the themes of shame and confession wending their way through the last episodes. And here we have Tommen, filled with shame — he almost says it — and then he confesses to his mother of his failing and asks for her forgiveness.
Laura
I liked the way Tommen’s scenes progressed. At first, we don’t really pity him at all and wish he’d take action, and gradually we see what he’s really up against, and are reminded of just how young and unprepared he is for ruling.
Rosalyn
Tommen is poignant to me. Tommen as a character sums up a lot of sadness in the Lannister family. When talking to Jaime, Tommen confesses the type of shame that goes along with a grown man’s responsibilities and burdens, not a child’s. Jaime isn’t really much help: “We all fail,” he replies. No one has advised Tommen to this way of life. Both he and all the adults around him are constantly scrambling to catch up, and they all seem a little helpless.
And then with his mother: Tommen still seems to seek a mother’s comfort, and Cersei denies it at first — knowing his position has moved him past her, out of her control. And then he dutifully says the only words that would cut through to Cersei, like a good little Lannister: vengeance, and fuck-all-else loyalty.
Maybe I just feel sorry for Tommen because he likes kittens.
No more kittens for Tommen. Just DEATH and GUILT and REANIMATED ZOMBIE KNIGHTS.
Laura
Once again, I was reminded of the episode title. What kind of home life did Tommen have? Married off young, a pawn in his mother’s and Margaery’s games. But moreover, let’s talk about the parallels between Tommen at Joffrey’s tomb and here at Myrcella’s.
Cheryl
Yes, Tommen is completely unmoored without Margaery — it’s almost as if he can see so much more clearly now without her.
Laura
And compare that Tommen to the one who got a pep talk from Tywin after Joffrey’s murder.
Rosalyn
Well, we still had Tywin Lannister lurking about then to catch Tommen’s ear. He is very much a pawn, and an innocent, not through any fault of his own.
Cheryl
This seemed to be Tommen coming back to Cersei. The family of Jaime, Cersei, and Tommen is congealing.
What did you think of Cersei’s reactions: first, she chooses not to engage the Kingsguard to go see Myrcella. Next, she is very passive with Tommen until he asks for her help.
Rosalyn
I was surprised that Cersei backed down. I wondered if she didn’t want to make that walk to the sept again. She is nothing if not petty.
It’s hard to think that their family bonding and his “success” as a king comes down to Cersei twisting his best instincts back to revenge and preemptive strikes against the entire rest of the world. But it’s also hard not to feel for Cersei, who’s lost all her children and is claiming him again as her own in the only way she knows how.
Laura
When Cersei says (something like) “it’s good to see you” without looking at Tommen … wow.
Rosalyn
She’s punished Jaime in that exact way on many occasions throughout the last season.
Cheryl
Cersei has changed, it seems. She is chastened … dare I say humbled? (No.)
Laura
So here’s a pairing that just occurred to me: Melisandre and Cersei.
Cheryl
Exactly Laura. They’ve both been humbled and are looking at the world anew, perhaps reexamining their assumptions, and figuring out carefully their next steps in this new world. As you say, without the same power.
Rosalyn
Power that seemed unassailable at one point.
I don’t know, though. I think Cersei’s always been acutely aware of her own vulnerability. She wishes she was born a man, and an heir, and it accounts for her bitterness and desperation. I’m not sure I see that in Melisandre (though it’s hinted at ever so slightly in her book backstory).
Cheryl
I’m just saying in the behavior that we saw here — backing down in confrontation with the Kingsguard, and her emotionless greeting and interaction with Tommen — we see someone who has changed. For the better? Doubtful!
Laura
Cersei is both aware of her own vulnerability and helplessly shortsighted. She is just not that clever, all in all.
Melisandre is more than she appears; Cersei, less.
But they both had realizations that they wield less power than they thought and are trying to come to terms with it.
Cheryl
And Jaime too is trying to get a handle on this raw power of the Faith Militant.
Laura
Melisandre clearly had a good night (not that she knows it yet). Will Cersei rise again?
Rosalyn
It’s interesting to think of Melisandre’s as a crisis of faith, though. I thought about the role of faith a lot in this episode, especially with the Ironborn back in the mix.
Cersei’s disdain for the faith is what helped put the High Sparrow in power and led to her own downfall, of course.
In the scene in the sept, I also thought the High Sparrow’s response was awfully worldly for an ascetic leader with high-minded words. That look he gave to Jaime when he saw that Jaime knew he was outmaneuvered was the canniest look I’ve seen on his face yet, the closest the High Sparrow has seemed to me to be just another player in the game, instead of a humble man motivated by faith alone.
Laura
The Sparrow’s speech changed a lot after Tommen left. A reminder that this is much, much bigger than one mean septa against Margaery, Loras, and Cersei.
Rosalyn
There were several new challengers to the throne introduced this episode: Ramsay (since he’s no longer simply next in line to his dad’s challenge), whichever Ironborn steps into Balon’s shoes, and the High Sparrow.
Cheryl
And circling back to this whole notion of shame, confession, repentance, and redemption: the Faith Militant are an effort for a codified, FORCED process backed with violence. Not good.
Laura
The lighting and blocking in the sept, especially of the High Sparrow’s entrance but also of the Faith Militant ringing the room, made it creepy as hell.
Cheryl
I thought the mood for the whole episode was creepy as hell. So moody and evocative.
Rosalyn
And so many people so heavy with their grief. Except for one high point: Tyrion!
Laura
We’d best get to Meeren.
Rosalyn
First of all, “That’s what I do. I drink, and I know things.” All I can say is #goals.
Laura
One of the best lines of the season, I’d bet! Varys, in contrast, is so disappointing thus far this season. I hope we get much better dialogue from him soon. He just makes lemon faces and gets bad dick jokes lobbed at him.
Rosalyn
His facial expressions remain rather priceless, though.
Cheryl
Tyrion, as ever, is trying to figure out next steps. They know they don’t have a lot of leverage, but they have … dragons.
Rosalyn
In this little scene with Tyrion drinking and knowing things, I appreciated his recitation of dragon lore — book learning that not many people had much use for — including the little tidbit thrown in that the dragons had dwindled to “the size of cats,” which is a nice detail from the books.
Laura
Let’s start a fan conspiracy theory that Ser Pounce is actually a small dragon.
Rosalyn
Ser Pounce the magic dragon …
Cheryl
… lives by the sea …
Backstory on the dragons was important. Why are these things special? Why do they give Dany power?
All of Slaver’s Bay is in turmoil. The shift to Meeren opens with a shot of the fallen Harpy idol. A reminder perhaps that they’ve broken Meeren but have not yet figured how to make it work.
Enter Tyrion.
Rosalyn
What do you think of the dragon special effects? I’ve never thought about it much one way or another, but I loved the sight of the fire kindling deep within the dragon’s throat, flaring, and seeming like it could roast Tyrion at any moment. They really made that dungeon seem terrifying.
Laura
I also thought that Dinklage was terrific in that scene, and I felt like the dragons were real, more so than when Dany would stroke them or whatnot.
And we got that glimpse of the dragons’ intelligence that he’d just spoken of!
Cheryl
They have made a friend. I want to see Tyrion fly.
Rosalyn
I just loved this glimpse into Tyrion’s past, his old childish dreams, his daring. It was oddly touching.
Cheryl
Tyrion always wanted a dragon—well, he’s got some, now.
Rosalyn
I was rooting for him for his bravery and for mattering but also because we got to witness him experiencing something he thought was only a tale, dead for one hundred years. Totally wild for him. It was a really nice moment in an overall awesome scene. Seeing their reality dawning in his eyes.
Laura
A reminder of just how miraculous these creatures are, a throwback to their hatching, almost.
Cheryl
On to Arya?
Laura
I suppose! Yet another fairly dull scene in Braavos. I suppose Arya’s finally growing a bit, really letting herself (her self) go.
She thought she’d already hit rock bottom, but it wasn’t until she was blind, begging, and getting beat up that it really sunk in.
Cheryl
And finally she renounced all — all of her old life.
Rosalyn
It’s really rough with Arya. I’ve started wondering: why does she really want to do this anymore? Just to win? To be powerful? It must be sinking in that revenge can’t be what drives her anymore, or she’ll fail. Maybe she’s starting to make that connection, but then why? She just has nothing left, nowhere else to go?
Cheryl
I thought the same thing Rosalyn! Why is she hanging on? Why not just walk — or stumble — away? It’s like she’s in a cult and she desperately wants the cult leader’s approval. Very Manson family. It is a flip side to the Faith Militant.
OK, deep breath: on to Winterfell and the Boltons.
So Ramsay kills Roose. After word comes there is a new son. Anyone surprised?
Rosalyn
Am I the only one who wasn’t sure who was stabbing whom at that moment? Who thought and/or hoped that it could be Roose doing away with Ramsay?
Laura
I wondered!
Rosalyn
I didn’t see Roose’s death coming—in part, because we know there is not one sentimental bone in his body. He’s using his son like he uses everyone else: because it happens to be convenient for him right now, and it might get some dirty work done. I don’t know where they were going with “you’ll always be my firstborn” thing..
I was reflecting on Roose’s game here — drawing Ramsay in, promising, doling out scraps of respect or praise, withdrawing again — and I think the show did foreshadow this turn of events. Roose’s tactics amount to a kind of torture, mirroring Ramsay’s ways, albeit with less mess. He follows the same abusive dynamics, just emotionally and psychologically rather than, uh, flay-ily.
And then Roose lost, too, by pushing too far, becoming too confident of his total control. He could’ve taken his own advice to his son from last episode: “You played your games, and you lost.”
I think they were playing a parallel game without realizing it. Roose definitely manipulates Ramsay in the books, but I think the show really drives it home. Roose is, if anything, even more hate-able and frightening in the books, just because he is the coldest SOB there is.
Cheryl
And he died by a stab wound, just as Robb did at his hands.
I took it that Ramsay knew with the birth of the son he was in a weaker position — that and the comment about Jon Snow being a bastard and not a real Stark sent him over the edge.
Laura
I think somehow Myranda’s death solidified something in Ramsay. Roose thought he could control Ramsay by promising leadership and perhaps even affection, but when Myranda died Ramsay realized that was the only real connection he ever had. I think that scene where he eulogized her was really telling—he was about to cry. He had maybe one human emotion left, and at that point he chose to extinguish it.
I think it was at that point he began plotting the murder of his father
Cheryl
Next to the for me too-long scene in the kennel. That scene with the dripping water and barking dogs and dark lighting was most unpleasant.
Rosalyn
I was so hoping they wouldn’t go there with the baby.
Laura
One part of me says: at least they didn’t show it. Another says: the image of Walda turning her back to the dogs, protecting her baby, will haunt me for days, if not longer.
Cheryl
One more example of his pure psychopathy.
Rosalyn
Also, how carefully she had handed her newborn to him to hold.
Cheryl
It’s like her instincts said, “don’t give him the baby.”
Laura
But she knew that Roose would want her to obey his son.
Rosalyn
Or that you don’t cross Ramsay because he’s unpredictable.
Laura
That kennel scene reminded us of just how extreme it must have been for Theon to live there while in Ramsay’s throes. All Ramsay would have had to do is put his lips together and blow.
Rosalyn
Let’s talk about Theon and Brienne and Sansa and Pod!
Cheryl
Our fabulous foursome. Nice to see Brienne filling in Sansa about Arya, a scrap of family for her: home.
Rosalyn
I want to say how much I love Gwendolynn Christie. One detail that I think she really brings out in her performance, which I’ve loved, is how Brienne thrives and glows a little when she has an opportunity to be in a teaching and mentoring position (even somewhat against her will, as with Pod). She’s been mocked all her life, and hasn’t had a place in the usual ways that men teach and learn.
Laura
Interestingly, Brienne is the old sage of that foursome, almost parental.
Rosalyn
It’s a really nice, subtle side of her that comes out, and she wouldn’t have any other position to express that in—no family, no fosters, no squire (except Pod).
Cheryl
Great point, Rosalyn. She can show her softer side — not to mean feminine, but she can let her walls down.
Laura
Pod gets credit here — think of Brienne’s initial lack of patience with him when he couldn’t even ride a horse. Thanks to him, she softened up.
Cheryl
And he learned how to handle a sword.
Meanwhile, Theon has advanced and Reek receded — he seems to be well on his way to becoming (kind of) whole again. And he too finally confessed his sins to Sansa, and she forgave him.
Laura
The confession, again, and the setting of his own penance. Or at least his own fate: to go home.
Rosalyn
I was thinking a lot about Theon too, how he’s coming back. He’s so much more present now, even though Ramsay previously dressed him back in Lord’s clothes and gave him a sword and a horse. Now he’s driven by something more than fear for the first time in a long time.
And, if anything could make us care about the Iron Islands (personally I like the Iron Islands scenes from Book 4, but understand I’m in a minority), it’s this compelling scene with Theon and this emotionally weighty transition: “Home.”
It’s interesting that he calls the Iron Islands “home.” Last time he was there, he wasn’t sure where home was. He felt more like he was of Winterfell. And of course feeling like an outsider and the desire to prove himself is partly what led this whole chain of events with Winterfell and the Boltons to unfold, and all his treachery.
Cheryl
I wondered, who the hell is that on the bridge?
Rosalyn
We recognize that shadowy figure from the books.
Cheryl
He looked too young to be Balon’s brother. Another nut job. Great!
Laura
Definitely younger, and definitely with delusions of grandeur (“I am the drowned god”).
Cheryl
But Balon’s death leads to the possibility of Theon returning to be king … Is it possible?
Rosalyn
Yara wants to be king!
Cheryl
But the religious guy was like, “not so fast, little lady.”
Rosalyn
I liked her exchange with her father. The “pine cones and rocks” line was a nice gesture toward a key scene in the books.
Laura
We even heard Balon say to Yara that if she gets all sassy, he’ll find another heir, but for now he’s in charge.
Rosalyn
I know a lot of people think the Iron Islands are dreary and superfluous, but I really like this. It’s good solid world building.
Laura
And it’s good solid Yara screen time.
Rosalyn
I appreciate that the religion of the Ironborn is also deeply entwined in their culture. Not too many other places in the seven kingdoms are really like this anymore. Even in the north, where wedding traditions are different, the old gods are on the wane. R’hallor (the lord of light) is pancultural.
Cheryl
This whole aspect of the religions seems just too complicated for the show.
And we circle back to Castle Black.
Rosalyn
JONNN SNOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!
Laura
I hate to admit that, in the moment, I was underwhelmed. They just teased me too hard.
Cheryl
Let’s start with Davos and Melisandre. I was struck by how she too (like Cersei) is chastened, questioning all her beliefs. She actually tells Davos “you were right” — another confession of sorts.
Rosalyn
This was pretty amazing. First of all, that Davos is the one to ask her to work her magic, after all they’ve been through, how long they’ve been opposed. Second, Melisandre is visibly despairing — she’s mussed, and COLD. She’s wrapped in fur before the fire! Never before has she shown any signs of being affected by the cold.
Cheryl
She is a shadow of who she was.
Rosalyn
Davos is pretty incredible in this scene, too. She straight up tells him “You were right all along,” and he is so practical and focused that he doesn’t even care about being right. Now, that’s a rare person.
“Fuck ’em! Let’s get to the point: resurrect my boy Snow!
Cheryl
He has no ego. And Melisandre’s problem was that her ego twisted any real powers and strength she had.
Rosalyn
Motivational posters by Davos. “Have you ever tried?”
Cheryl
So there is Melisandre: mussed, lipstick-less, with a different voice affect, reciting words and hoping they work.
Rosalyn
And then I was all NOOOO JON SNOW’S HAIIIIRRRRRR DONN’T DOOOOO ITTTT NOOOOOOO (ahem). Seriously, that was kind of a major haircut. I was very worried.
Laura
Knowing Game of Asses, I was actually wondering if she’d start going for … more hair areas. Honestly!
Cheryl
No gratuitous nudity, thank god.
Rosalyn
Booo.
Laura
I kind of hoped that Melisandre would have to drop her facade or something to get the spell to work.
Rosalyn
She sort of did—she seemed desperate, pleading, not confident. Not mystical.
Cheryl
It reminded me of old movies where some old drunk who is brilliant but has lost all confidence is asked to come forward to solve some terrible problem and try for the team.
Laura
Hmm, so is a crisis of faith somehow part of being able to perform the spell? It was strongly implied that Thoros was basically an ex-priest.
Rosalyn
I wondered that, too, Laura—the crisis of faith.
I’d forgotten that Melisandre is not just another schemer. She’s a person of deep faith. How many are there in this show, for whom that’s truly the main motivation?
It’s possible that it wasn’t her main motivation, of course. That personal power also motivated her and that’s partly why she was smacked down.
Laura
I felt like Ghost waking up just before Jon’s eyes opened could lead credence to the fan theory that his soul warged into the direwolf when he died..
I liked the look exchanged between Tormund and Davos, when it was clear that Melisandre would keep trying even though it seemed futile. It wasn’t pity, exactly, more of a loss of hope. And it recalled the trope of some doctor or loved one repeatedly trying to resuscitate someone who’s clearly “gone.”
Rosalyn
Tormund looked pissed. Disgusted that he got roped into it.
So here’s a question. Why did Davos do this?
I have been rooting for JONNN SNOWWWWWW for so long that I forgot to wonder why Davos is so fixated on resurrecting him. This is not, you know, a normal day at work or, say, a reasonably attainable goal, for most people.
Laura
Yeah, why did Davos want Jon alive so badly? Certainly Dolorous Edd has made a case for stepping up as the new leader. It’s not like the Night’s Watch is totally bereft, no offense to Jon.
Rosalyn
I mean, Davos’s entire position in life came from Stannis. Let’s not forget that he lost most of his family in the Blackwater.
Rosalyn
And now’s he at the Wall. I guess he must be feeling pretty lost, but you’d never know it. And yet he certainly brings focus and purpose to this—enough to basically dismiss his grievances against Melisandre.
Laura
Stannis was very keen on organizing a force to defend Westeros from the walkers, and Jon forged the alliance with the Wildlings, which Stannis respected. So maybe it’s something related there?
Cheryl
Is it because he needs a king to be second hand to? Or is he just the one pushing the story forward? We are in non-book territory now: someone had to do it.
Rosalyn
But how is Melisandre going to react when she sees her powers worked to resurrect Jon—will it give her new drive/focus? And how is Davos going to react when he finds out that she sacrificed the person he arguably cared most about in cold blood?
Maybe it won’t come to that, but this is an interesting bunch thrown together at the Wall, now.
And I guess Jon Snow will probably have to put on clothes. Oh well.
Cheryl
Finally, finally, finally GoT is delivering, after so many seasons of waiting.
Rosalyn
Yes, this was a good episode! Eventful and largely satisfying.
Cheryl
One note: no gratuitous boobage or sex.
Laura
Only a bit of be-stabbed Snow. And even that was really more “nakedness” than nudity, if you will.
Rosalyn
Slightly gratuitous scantily draped dead man. But y’know.
Squawks
Laura:
I liked the High Sparrow referencing the purpose of the eye stones, which we’ve seen since the very start of Game of Thrones but have never had explained. A nice bit of exposition, smoothly done.
Rosalyn:
One thing I have to give the show credit for is its depiction of lady warriors, and this episode had a few: Meera, Brienne, and Yara. At least two of those characters are also described as having awkward features or not being conventionally attractive.
I think the show treats their costuming and makeup in a pretty matter-of-fact way, not (to my eye anyway) attempting to make them look like anything other than people ready for action. Not prettied up or uglied up. (I always felt the show went out of its way to present Selyse and Lysa Arryn unflatteringly, looking for every excuse to contrast them to someone younger and less weary.) Their depiction is very different from, say, yet another view of Daenerys in Disheveled Nomad Mode (with makeup and all).
Cheryl :
We are beyond the books now, and the showrunners seem to be reveling in that freedom. We have had more crowd-pleasing moments in the last few episodes than we have in a long while. We’ve already had two last-minute saves, with Brienne saving Sansa and the Wildlings coming to the rescue at Castle Black. I would say that is very, very non-GRRM, wouldn’t you? But it is very much successful TV. The scene at the door, as the men inside prepared for battle while the door was being broken down, with shots of people on both sides coming furiously, and dramatic music reaching a crescendo, and then — cue the banging on the gates — felt like such a humorous wink at us. So many people – including us — were ready to throw in the towel after Jon Snow’s murder. And now here we are greedily gobbling up goodies.
It’s almost like the showrunners are saying “OK, now we’ll give you what you want! And we don’t need to show gratuitous sex and nudity to keep you watching.” (So far.)
Another crowd-pleasing trope: the redemption of the washed-up has-been (think: Rocky). Also predictable: that in the last scene, everyone walks away, one by one, and then we get Jon’s resurrection. So obvious. But I still was happy.
One last thing: Episode 1 opens with a black screen and the sound of the wolf: Ghost the direwolf. Episode 2 opens with a black screen and the call of the raven; then we move on to a time traveling Bran. Is this a clue about Jon?
Please comment! But no spoilers, please!
