I loved seeing two of my favorite characters back on screen together: Brienne and Jaime. It was wonderful to see that these two unlikely friends were happy to see each other -- even though they didn't want to outwardly admit it.
Brienne was clearly moved by Jaime giving her the sword (which will make her an even greater warrior against the White Walkers) and he was clearly gracious and almost loving in his insistence that she keep it. He has honor, something that only a few people (Brienne) truly knows he has, and she has loyalty and bravery, something the only a few people expect from a woman. This shared, private admiration is what makes their friendship work and creates a true bond. It's that bond that wrecks our hearts as we see Jaime wave goodbye to Brienne. Both know that he should turn her in, both are grateful that he doesn't.
A lucky break for them both.
This is what the show does well. It poses the question, what if you have two people that share a bond, one they share with no one else, and pit their loyalties against each other? What will happen?
Let's huddle up to comment on how merciful and skilled Jaime was in his interaction with Edmure Tully. His extension to the Blackfish failed, yes, but it would have saved lives. Here, he does it again. Jaime is not a demure flower. Just because it didn't work on Blackfish, doesn't mean he won't try it again. On the surface, it seems like he is so brutal in his dealings with Edmure Tully, but, if you really think about it, he saves thousands of lives. Jaime's army is far superior. They would take Riverrun, but losses would be high on both sides. His threats are vile, but valid. I mean valid because he will do it. Unlike the scene we were shown when first Jaime arrives at Rivverrun. In that moment, the soldiers threatened death against Edmure, but they didn't have the follow through. Here, Edmure believes Jaime. Jaime is skilled in finding what matters to Edmure and uses it against him in the most ice-cold manner possible, but it works. And why not threaten it? In this Game of Thrones world, why not threaten this Lord in the most heinous manner possible if it will save lives and expedite the process? The other great thing is, Jaime will be remembered. He will be remembered as a threatening menace who was so feared that he could take an entire castle without even delivering a blow. Pretty good, Jaime Lannister, pretty good.
These two characters are a perfect example of the larger theme that is about to erupt in the show. Lots of things have happened since the start of this show. Alliances and friendships are going to be tested. Sansa is a Stark, but who is she loyal to? Who will the Stark family have to create alliances with? Who will Jaime follow? His worthless son? Who will Littlefinger align himself with? Will it be the daughter of the woman he loved? Or will he keep his alliances with the Lannisters? Some feelings are bound to get hurt.
Brienne was clearly moved by Jaime giving her the sword (which will make her an even greater warrior against the White Walkers) and he was clearly gracious and almost loving in his insistence that she keep it. He has honor, something that only a few people (Brienne) truly knows he has, and she has loyalty and bravery, something the only a few people expect from a woman. This shared, private admiration is what makes their friendship work and creates a true bond. It's that bond that wrecks our hearts as we see Jaime wave goodbye to Brienne. Both know that he should turn her in, both are grateful that he doesn't.
A lucky break for them both.
This is what the show does well. It poses the question, what if you have two people that share a bond, one they share with no one else, and pit their loyalties against each other? What will happen?
Let's huddle up to comment on how merciful and skilled Jaime was in his interaction with Edmure Tully. His extension to the Blackfish failed, yes, but it would have saved lives. Here, he does it again. Jaime is not a demure flower. Just because it didn't work on Blackfish, doesn't mean he won't try it again. On the surface, it seems like he is so brutal in his dealings with Edmure Tully, but, if you really think about it, he saves thousands of lives. Jaime's army is far superior. They would take Riverrun, but losses would be high on both sides. His threats are vile, but valid. I mean valid because he will do it. Unlike the scene we were shown when first Jaime arrives at Rivverrun. In that moment, the soldiers threatened death against Edmure, but they didn't have the follow through. Here, Edmure believes Jaime. Jaime is skilled in finding what matters to Edmure and uses it against him in the most ice-cold manner possible, but it works. And why not threaten it? In this Game of Thrones world, why not threaten this Lord in the most heinous manner possible if it will save lives and expedite the process? The other great thing is, Jaime will be remembered. He will be remembered as a threatening menace who was so feared that he could take an entire castle without even delivering a blow. Pretty good, Jaime Lannister, pretty good.
These two characters are a perfect example of the larger theme that is about to erupt in the show. Lots of things have happened since the start of this show. Alliances and friendships are going to be tested. Sansa is a Stark, but who is she loyal to? Who will the Stark family have to create alliances with? Who will Jaime follow? His worthless son? Who will Littlefinger align himself with? Will it be the daughter of the woman he loved? Or will he keep his alliances with the Lannisters? Some feelings are bound to get hurt.
The Hound is always fantastic. He was a great addition to this week's episode. I loved him bartering back and forth about how to kill the prisoners. This was good television -- it also only highlights how little we needed such a long exposition last week from the great Ian McShane.
As for Arya ...
Arya is alive!!! Duh.
Arya killed The Waif!!! Duh.
Arya gave The Waif's face to the dude as an exchange for her own!!! Duh.
Glad we spent two seasons on that.
Whatever.
A final thought on that. I'm most certainly hate watching the producers post show interview. One of them said something along the lines of "we now know for certain, something we weren't entirely sure of before, that Arya was not no one, but Arya Stark".
Oh, jeez. Duh.
This is what make me fear the rest of the show's writing. If the producers really think, over two seasons, we didn't think Arya was going to stay true to her Stark name, then they are more delusional than I thought and the show is in serious trouble.
As for Arya ...
Arya is alive!!! Duh.
Arya killed The Waif!!! Duh.
Arya gave The Waif's face to the dude as an exchange for her own!!! Duh.
Glad we spent two seasons on that.
Whatever.
A final thought on that. I'm most certainly hate watching the producers post show interview. One of them said something along the lines of "we now know for certain, something we weren't entirely sure of before, that Arya was not no one, but Arya Stark".
Oh, jeez. Duh.
This is what make me fear the rest of the show's writing. If the producers really think, over two seasons, we didn't think Arya was going to stay true to her Stark name, then they are more delusional than I thought and the show is in serious trouble.
Every time Cersei is on the screen I'm so excited. I love the actress who plays her and this series of scenes was no exception. Just the way she utters the words "I choose violence" was breathtaking. So well done.
However, I did see this coming. There is no way the High Sparrow would let a trial by combat take place. Yet, it was a master stroke by the High Sparrow to say all crimes are judged by the religion. Cersei is toast because that is most definitely not a trial by her peers, but by her enemies. It also does one more thing, it takes the power right out of King Tommen. All crimes, and now punishment, are determined by the Faith of the Seven (FOTS). The FOTS are now judge, jury, and executioner -- that's a lot of power the High Sparrow now has. Oh, simple minded Tommen, you are ruining King's Landing.
Tommen also picked the religion over his own mother. Another great acting job done by Lena Headey. Despite him having just basically condemned her, she smiles at him fondly. Cersei really does love her children. That Tommen though, he's got to go.
Of note, how quickly did the sect crumble when The Mountain took one of their men? Without the High Sparrow leading this group of misfits, I think their time is extremely limited. They just don't have the gumption to continue the fight without their leader. Get rid of the High Sparrow means riddance of the cult.
However, I did see this coming. There is no way the High Sparrow would let a trial by combat take place. Yet, it was a master stroke by the High Sparrow to say all crimes are judged by the religion. Cersei is toast because that is most definitely not a trial by her peers, but by her enemies. It also does one more thing, it takes the power right out of King Tommen. All crimes, and now punishment, are determined by the Faith of the Seven (FOTS). The FOTS are now judge, jury, and executioner -- that's a lot of power the High Sparrow now has. Oh, simple minded Tommen, you are ruining King's Landing.
Tommen also picked the religion over his own mother. Another great acting job done by Lena Headey. Despite him having just basically condemned her, she smiles at him fondly. Cersei really does love her children. That Tommen though, he's got to go.
Of note, how quickly did the sect crumble when The Mountain took one of their men? Without the High Sparrow leading this group of misfits, I think their time is extremely limited. They just don't have the gumption to continue the fight without their leader. Get rid of the High Sparrow means riddance of the cult.
Other thoughts:
This episode was unique. I liked it quite a bit (thanks to Jaime, Brienne, and The Hound), but I still feel like the show has lost something. The thing is, once a viewer hits a certain annoyance level, the eye-rolling just can't stop. I find myself wanting to like the episodes more than I do -- I think, more out of loyalty and love for what the show used to be, than for what it is now. The show can absolutely right itself, but it needs to start soon. It's not like I need constance violence, I just need something to happen. Arya being trained as an assassin is fine, just not for as long as it was. Watching Tyrion be wasted in needless scenes with Greyworm is high treason. Watching The Hound in a field for 30 minutes was heinous. Danny's multiple speeches, countless characters simply getting to the next location -- this is what has to go. Also, some of this on it's own is fine, but when you combine it all ... it gets boring. Then add Boring Bran on top of it and you can see why fans are disheartened this season.
Next episode is the typical battle episode. It will be good, of course, but then there is only one episode left. That's a lot to expect from one episode to make this season a worthwhile one. I hope the last episode is not a gimmicky one. I want more than just a fan-theory character to show up. That's fun for that one character, but a show as intricate as this, that one-trick pony is lame.
- I don't love how Tyrion has been completely absent this season. Such an underutilization by the writers. Plus, when he even is onscreen, he's in some lame discussion with Greyworm and the girl. Enough already. What a waste.
- Finally, no speech from Danny. However, she looks pissed. She should be. Yet, she left on her dragon when the whole group was being ambushed in the arena. Perhaps she should keep her scolding to a minimum.
- Even before Danny showed up I couldn't understand why Tyrion didn't release the other two dragons to see if they would burn the ships. I know, they probably don't listen to him like they do Danny, but shouldn't they? He released them, she chained them up.
- Two things happen with the siege by the masters. Either my boyfriend Theon shows up or Danny sets Drogon on the ships. I'm hoping for Theon, because I seriously can't stand Danny winning something again solely based on her ownership of dragons or being able to walk through fire. She is now my least favorite character.
- I feel like the battle for Winterfell is a bit strategically rushed.
- I wonder if Cersei has to die for Jaime to achieve his hero arc?
This episode was unique. I liked it quite a bit (thanks to Jaime, Brienne, and The Hound), but I still feel like the show has lost something. The thing is, once a viewer hits a certain annoyance level, the eye-rolling just can't stop. I find myself wanting to like the episodes more than I do -- I think, more out of loyalty and love for what the show used to be, than for what it is now. The show can absolutely right itself, but it needs to start soon. It's not like I need constance violence, I just need something to happen. Arya being trained as an assassin is fine, just not for as long as it was. Watching Tyrion be wasted in needless scenes with Greyworm is high treason. Watching The Hound in a field for 30 minutes was heinous. Danny's multiple speeches, countless characters simply getting to the next location -- this is what has to go. Also, some of this on it's own is fine, but when you combine it all ... it gets boring. Then add Boring Bran on top of it and you can see why fans are disheartened this season.
Next episode is the typical battle episode. It will be good, of course, but then there is only one episode left. That's a lot to expect from one episode to make this season a worthwhile one. I hope the last episode is not a gimmicky one. I want more than just a fan-theory character to show up. That's fun for that one character, but a show as intricate as this, that one-trick pony is lame.
Until next time.
** If you would like to read my other blogs, please find them at:
http://www.madelinefresco.com
http://www.ihatemyback.com.
**** Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Diego. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at http://www.madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com
** If you would like to read my other blogs, please find them at:
http://www.madelinefresco.com
http://www.ihatemyback.com.
**** Madeline Fresco is a novelist who lives in San Diego. She is the author of CROSSED THE LINE, available for Kindle at Amazon.com, for Nook at Barnes & Noble, and as an ePub at other eBook retailers. You can also listen to her novel as a free, serialized audiobook at http://www.madelinefresco.com. Her second book THE CHOICE, is available on Kindle at Amazon. Her third book ANGUISH, is available for Kindle at Amazon.com