This is where everything changes.
What They Say:
With conflict looming, Tywin urges Jaime to preserve the Lannisters’ future; Ned presses Cersei about the death of Jon Arryn; Jon takes his vows at Castle Black, though he’s preoccupied by Benjen’s disappearance; Drogo is enraged by a threat to Daenerys; Robert hopes for a smooth transition at King’s Landing.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
To say that the previous episode of the series was intense would be an understatement as a lot of things fell into place with power, control and positioning. With Viserys’ death and Eddard having made quite the proclamation out there about bringing the Lannister to justice, there’s significant change in the air as Eddard’s move has surprised many and put him in a difficult place, but one where he can see how everyone scurries about to reveal more about themselves. And with what he’s possibly learned about the son of Robert that is to marry his daughter, he may hold even more cards in his hand than anyone else thinks. But there are things that are operating outside of his field of vision at the moment as Jaime has now been given some thirty thousand troops to his name in order to deal with getting back his brother and making sure all Lannister debts are paid.
His confrontation with Cersei is certainly intriguing as she has no real problem acknowledging the truth of her relationship with her brother, but in that it’s something that is meant to be. With the two of them having shared a womb together as she put it, and how families have kept their bloodlines pure for centuries, she can only think of what she has done is the right thing for their family line. Eddard’s threats are careful here, but they’re blunt overall as he’s giving her the chance to get away with her children before Robert gets back. But she’s been playing this game of thrones for far longer and has seen the mistakes that Eddard has made and is essentially calling him on it, but he’s been along the sides of it for so long that he’s survived his mistakes, though he knows it can’t last forever.
A welcome nod that comes into play here involves The Wall again as there is some admission within Winterfell by the surviving prisoner that was brought back previously about why they were heading south as far as they could, though it comes across as little more than rumor to those of Winterfell. The rumors are growing though that there is something happening in the north and that is slowly but surely settling in to the minds of many as they start to put it all together. The time at The Wall is brief when it comes to this part of the story, but it again hints of much from what we saw at the start of the series. The truth is definitely out there, but with thousands of years of denial behind them, it’s only going to change when the reality of the situation is upon them.
Where things really change in terms of the balance of power here is when Robert returns to King’s Landing mortally wounded. This puts Eddard in quite the position since he doesn’t want to lay this on Robert while on his death bed, but his sense of right means that he can’t let the prince take the throne. Luckily for him, there is a bit of weaseling and politicking he can do here as he transcribes Robert’s words and a simple change of a name to “rightful heir” gives him the time he needs as the soon to be regent to find a legitimate heir to the throne. Of course, there are going to be many who will want to eliminate him from the game once Robert passes on. And even before, which we see start to unfold.
In Summary:
While the previous episode had some very Big Moments to it,w hat we get in this one is a lot of small but very key moments that shifts the flow of the river in so many different ways. It’s the kind of episode where it really is the one where everything changes. The Dothraki saga is short here but it shows the change in Daenerys as she grows in her position. The Lannisters are in the midst of a lot of different things, whether it’s Jaime and the army he’s now acquiring or Cersei with the truth of her son revealed, all rolled into the massive ball of trouble that Eddard is now courting with the problems that have befallen Robert. There are so many different ways that it can all go, so many different forces at work, that it’s impossible to see which way things will go and that’s a huge amount of the fun of all of this. But it’s those final moments of the episode involving Drogo that is truly the epic moment in history, the one where the larger path is set upon and done so with such passion that we don’t see in Robert’s kingdom. It’s powerful, moving and highly engaging, leaving you with a big grin on your face to as you savor it all.
Grade: A-
