Can the one hundred Crows stand against the army of Mance?
What They Say:
The Watchers on the Wall – Jon Snow and the Night’s Watch face a big challenge.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Game of Thrones has had a pretty involved season with what’s been going on and it’s given some attention to the events of the Wall. It’s certainly a change from the previous seasons where we had the introduction to the wall and the ranging beyond it that Jon got involved with as largely it’s been about the impending threat. The movements have been smaller but we’ve seen how the Wildlings have made their incursions over it and are ranging their own way back up towards it from the South now, working to try and draw the Crows out of the various castles to lessen their numbers. Not realizing that their numbers are as little as they are as there’s barely a hundred to defend Castle Black itself, and it’s struggling with its own issues as well. It’s a dire situation but the Seven Kingdoms continues to pay it no mind.
With the Wall now taking central focus for the remainder of the season, what little is left overall, everything feels like its’ bigger right from the start with the effects and design to really make us feel the height and scale and just how much must be watched to protect the Seven Kingdoms. Amusingly, set against this backdrop, we get Sam inquiring strongly with Jon about what it’s like to be a woman since he’s never going to know based on the way events are going to go. It’s fun in itself, especially as Jon has such a hard time explaining the feelings, but it’s also fun to see how Sam has managed to parse the vows so that it is clear that having sex with a woman isn’t specifically against the rules. Interpretations are fun in that way, though it’s just idle chatter since you know Ser Alliser would never go with it and they’re all facing impending doom.
While we know the big events are coming, there are still the smaller things to go through first like that. We also get to see Ygritte as she and the other wildlings that are camped outside of Mole’s Town getting ready for what’s to come, but some argumentative moments since Ygritte is not exactly trusted by some at the moment considering the way Jon escaped from them. We also get some interesting teases at Castle Black as we see Sam working through the library attempting to learn as much he can about the wildlings. But he ends up having some decent time with Aemon as well, who reveals to him has Targaryean past as well as he relates stories of his youth that helps to let Sam feel a little bit about what he feels towards Gilly that he’s convinced is going to never be based on what’s coming. Aemon’s fun in how he swings widely across the way things are said.
Gilly’s return to Castle Black at that time is certainly ominous, what with the no women allowed thing itself, but also because the horn blows that signals to the wildlings across the land within earshot that it’s time to begin the attack. There’s a great bit of tension that starts to turn from all of this as we see the Crows handling the top of the Wall, but also facing some pretty significant forces on the ground with what the wildlings are preparing. The preparations that the Crows can make are minimal, considering the size of their forces, but there’s a beautiful moment where Alliser allows Jon to say his piece on what they should have done, but it’s not something that fits in with how Jon operates. It’s not that the two find a common ground here, but they face the common enemy and are in for the long haul to deal with it.
With forces on two sides to attack, naturally those north of the Wall are more impressive as we see them coming out of the woods, large and small creatures alike, and there’s even a bit of humor along the way as well because of the sheer nervousness of the Crows that are so vastly inexperienced. The south side of the wall is a bit more dangerous at the start though since it’s lightly protected, but it’s also just a single gate that’s easier to defend. There’s a real lack of command going on in the midst of it though as Alliser is out of his element, enough so that he actually puts Slynt in charge which is amusing. And the frustrations visible plainly on Jon’s face as he sees them doing such simple and what will prove to be ineffective things. He knows what the wildlings have been planning and their numbers and there’s a real sense that nothing they can do to push back will be enough. And it’s an honest enough assessment to be sure based on what’s going on, even with all the history that Castle Black has to it.
The battle throughout the episode once it truly gets underway is pretty well done as we get the smaller hand to hand kind of combat moments and the bigger attacks with the beasts and arrows. There’s also a surreal moment as we watch how Slynt isn’t acting as needed, even while watching the giants stride across the plain and denying their existence as being from children’s tales. Luckily, he gets pulled away through a bit of a crafty moment and that leaves Jon in charge. He does manage to get a few good things going, but there’s some amazing brutality thrown into it, especially as the giants start to nock back an arrow or two themselves which just takes some portions of the Wall and the crows out completely. There isn’t exactly heroism across this as it’s just about survival when you get down to it, but we do see moments of cowardice as well, which is sad to see since it comes from men like Slynt that should know better based on his time in King’s Landing.
Alliser gets himself into a good fight that’s a bit more theatrical than it might be in reality, but we also get to see Sam stand well and get a few licks in as he sets things to where they need to be. He’s intent on getting back to the top of the Wall and he actually manages to be pretty inspiring when you get down to it. Sam’s changes over the course of the series have been fun to watch (less so to read in the books) and having him do well here is good to see. Much the same can be said as Jon puts things in a decent spot on top of the Wall as well as their plans to defend the outer gate as long as possible are put into effect while he also has to send men down to protect the inner gate, knowing that he’s basically sentencing them to death in order to do it. It’s carnage all around that’s made creepier by the giants and their beasts working against it all.
One of the best moments though comes when Jon and a small group make their way back down to the southern gate to help fight and that has Jon telling Sam to free his direwolf. That adds a new raw side to things and gives the direwolf a chance to really get into things a bit after being kept locked up since his return. Sadly, while the direwolves were a fascinating part of the show early on, they’ve largely been killed off with only a couple remaining. So getting a little more screen time here is good. Of course, Jon’s fight puts him up against some of the nastier wildlings that made their way south with him that have a bone to pick, but it also brings Ygritte into play as she’s intent on being the one to take him down. Which you’d think would be easy after the beating that he got that should kill any man. But a small smile from Jon is all the distraction that’s needed for her to put down her guard and Olly, the lift boy, is the one that fights for once and kills her. It’s one of those beautifully tragic moments that certainly helps to define Jon all the more.
In Summary:
When we get episodes that focus on a singular event, such as the battle of Blackwater, they’re usually among the best of the season for obvious reasons. The first night of the attack against the Wall by the wildlings is certainly what you want to it be, especially since it is just a test of defenses to see what’s the enemy is capable of. The battle is bloody and brutal and there are some cruel moments to be had throughout, but also some fantastic ones such as with the scythe that nearly has you cheering even in its terribleness. The characters show who they are in this episode, Crows we’ve known for so very long now, and though many of them die, we realize the truth of their character. There’s some fantastic moments across this episode that gives us the first true battle of the Wall. There’s a lot to take in here and just about every moment is worthwhile to absorb for its larger meaning across so many smaller character arcs, main and supporting.
Grade: A-
