Tyrion’s life continues to get worse and worse, often when he’s not even directly involved.
What They Say:
A Golden Crown
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
A Game of Thrones continues to move us through a great deal of maneuvering and politics while building up background plots at the same time that are fascinating to watch unfold. The various stories at work here continue to have ties together while still building towards other things that could come far in the future, such as Eddard’s daughter and what she’s undergoing for training with the sword. The up front storylines continue to be the most engaging though, especially if you have a preference for what the name of the series is all about with the games that are played among those with power and those that desire and crave power.
With the troubles that Eddard faced in the previous episode at the end, tensions are naturally quiet high as he comes out of the fever to the find the king and his wife in his chambers with her ready to cut his throat over what’s happened. Of course, her version of events is very different than the reality, and she has the information about Tyrion to back it up as well with how Eddard’s wife is keeping him embroiled in a great deal of trouble up in the Vale. Robert himself just wants it all settled to his satisfaction, which means everyone staying alive, as he does not want to lose Eddard as he’s the brother that he chose, as he puts it. It’s another moment that definitely shows the strong bond between the two, but can also paint the picture of how epic it can be should it end. The desire to have Tyrion back and to put an end to the troubles that are growing between the Starks and the Lannisters.
Tyrion’s time in the Vale is endlessly fascinating as we see the way the lands are run by a madwoman who is barely keeping it together while infecting her son with more of it. Tyrion’s smart enough to find an opening to get out of the cell that he’s been placed in so he can try and win his freedom, and it says a lot about him in how he manipulates the situation by using all those that are there and those that have gotten to know him. The main audience chamber has some interesting secrets to it as well as the boy there loves the Moon Door that’s shown, where we see an incredible drop through which he wants to see the small man fly. With Tyrion being as knowledgeable as he is, it’s fun to see how he uses the laws, honor and more to work things in his favor. It has some brutal moments, and you can’t be sure of where it will go, and that keeps it endlessly fascinating to watch unfold.
The story that kept me truly captivated though is the one involving Daenerys and her time with the Dothraki. She’s becoming more a part of their culture and growing in her understanding of herself as she seems to communicate silently with the dragon’s eggs that she has. Less than subtle clues point to her being more than has been let on, but that’s been a given for several episodes now as she’s gained power and influence with Drogo. Viserys is where the real problem continues to lay though as he can see his position waning more and more as hers ascends and he’s to the point where he intends to take real action in order make sure he can still raise the army he needs and to regain the honor of his family. There’s a great moment where he talks about the weight of generations of kings that have come before him and it says a lot about how much its influenced him.
In Summary:
Like all the episodes that have come before, there’s a whole lot going on here to keep track of and multiple stories that are all engaging enough to carry a series of their own, never mind just a part of the larger narrative here. There are some significant moments that happen in this episode with revelations about lineage, who is destined for what and the continual movements of pawns across the board. I continue to be enthralled by just about everyone here, large and small, as they deal with conveying characters with a lot of history to them and a lot of potential for where they can go over time. Some lives are cut short, others are extended for another day, and the brutality of it all is still very much there. Even when you get to subplots you don’t care much for, there are so many little tantalizing moments to it that you can’t help but to be drawn to it. A Game of Thrones continues to be one of the most engaging series I’ve seen out of Hollywood in quite some time.
Grade: A-
