Actions from all over the Seven Kingdoms continue to influence events in King’s Landing in surprising ways.
What They Say:
The Wolf and the Lion
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As events progress in the Seven Kingdoms, there’s a lot of maneuvering going on throughout it. All of it is interesting as it adds new bits of nuance and intrigue to the various large cast of characters and their own dealings. Some of what we get is a curious piece that will surely be expanded on, such as the death of a squire who has become more at the start that has Eddard wondering how he gained the armor that he has. It ends up with him talking with Robert some and we continue to see a King that is very out of touch with what’s going on, but mostly because of his frustration and not being able to do what he’d like as King. Making matters worse is how he views things, with all those under him little more than shits, though he says it joking, while he himself has only grown fatter and can’t even wear his armor anymore. It’s an uncomfortable moment for the young man trying to help him since he’s forced into an awkward game, one that Eddard himself does not like participating in.
Tyrion’s journey has certainly taken a less than welcome turn to be sure. While he managed to survive the potential inquisition facing him back at Winterfell, running across Catelyn and her entourage. Her plan is one that seems right at first, tying him up and taking him to the Vale where her younger sister is, but Tyrion’s time traveling the world has let him know that she’s not quite as right as she was when Catelyn saw her some five years earlier. Tyrion’s position is precarious though, trying to convince a deadly serious mother that he had nothing to do with the attempt on her son, but the fates often have a way of making things move in strange ways. An attack on the group leads to a very brutal moment, one that may not convince Catelyn entirely of his honesty in this, but it does show her a side of him that can ease her thoughts some until the full truth is known.
The time spent with Lysa certainly does show that she’s gone around the bend a fair bit, especially when it comes to her son. The whole place has a certain beauty to it but it has the stench of decay about it as well because of events of the past. Those events have trapped Lysa into this state, which is getting progressively worse, and she’s infected her son with it as well. Bringing a Lannister in front of her is almost an affront to her and even her sister has a hard time making sure that Tyrion isn’t killed. You have to feel for him as he’s getting thrown from situation to situation in difficult ways and this one, the cell that he’s in now with one hell of an open window, is pretty unfriendly and only feels like it could get a hell of a lot worse.
The subplot that’s definitely intriguing is watching the way the feelings of Robert shifts when he learns that Daenerys is with child now that she’s part of the Dothraki. The threat of a future boy with a Dothraki army behind him has set a great amount of fear in him and he’s ready to ride and crush everything across the seas. Not surprisingly, Eddard has a more pragmatic approach, especially as he’s concerned about the source of the information and how valid it may be, but also because it fits in to how Robert has run the kigndom so badly. As Robert says himself later to Cersei, the kingdom is all about backbiting and infighting. He yearns for a real battle, but the kingdom certainly isn’t capable of it at this stage and his thinking, while in some ways correct, may be the thing that drives the stake further through its own heart.
The sequence between Robert and Cersei is a fascinating one as the two have a bond of hatred between them that has helped for so long in making sure their plans have worked. There’s a weariness about both of them at this point, but they won’t let their glad down in the slightest. The conversation turns to some interesting points as it progresses, going so far as to talk about the death that has set him so hard against the Targaryen’s. When you discover that she’s never asked in all these years, it certainly is significant and you can see some red flags go off for Robert as well, though he doesn’t really pursue it all that much to try and understand why she’s asking at this time.
The action side for this episode is relatively small overall, with only two sequences of significance, but they’re quite engaging. The attack on the road against Catelyn by a group of bandits has some good fun to it as it doesn’t pull any punches and the adrenaline rush is definitely there for them after they push back against them. The fight at the end involving Eddard has a different sense of brutality about it, something that both do share, but here it is much more personal and intense. Eddard’s position has definitely been a difficult one for him to handle in a lot of ways, especially since his wife is off causing trouble, and this is a big culmination of that. I’ve always enjoyed watching Sean Bean wield a sword and he has the perfect look and movements here as someone who has done this all his life, but has lived longer than he should in a lot of respects and lacks the extra energy that a younger opponent can bring to the fight.
In Summary:
A Game of Thrones brings a lot to this episode as it weaves in a fair number of stories, but it also keeps a few out of the picture as well. The lack of material involving the Dothraki does sadden me as I’m really enjoying that arc and the same can be said of the one at The Wall involving Jon Snow. But there’s just so much good stuff here that can keep you thoroughly entertained that you won’t really notice. Each of these arcs can survive fully on its own with all the intrigue and plot progression that comes from it and that definitely helps to ease the loss. There’s a lot of changes going on in this episode and seeing how new bits of information change the trajectories of certain characters makes it hugely engaging and quite re-watchable. This midway episode does a lot to build up the show even more and has the perfect balance of intrigue, action and subtle humor to keep you glued to the screen for its entire hour.
Grade: B+
