Yeah,
that's right fat boy, run away from the one thing you just found out
kills the invading monsters. That's smart...
I'm
noticing that this season, perhaps more than either of the other
ones, is an exercise in delayed gratification. Every time I watch a
storyline play out and find myself frustrated by it not going where I
want it to go, or not getting there fast enough, almost like
clockwerk, I get what I want by the next episode. Case in point, this
week we have Tyrion finally getting an opportunity to defend Sansa's
honor, Stannis finally registering a glimmer of understanding that
that Red bitch be crazy, and we get some always welcome White Walker
action to boot.
Can
I just say the Onion Knight learning to read is freaking adorable?
This is a storyline that is maybe a little more prominent than I
would like, especially considering that at this point I'd like to
seem some magic not associated with the Fire God, but its not without
its charm. That said charm is contingent on naked Candice Van Houtan
is only a little crass on my part, but at the very least, the show
seems to be aware of this, subverting expectations by giving us the
second scene in as many weeks combining a beautiful naked woman and
threats to male genitalia.
I
think the Daenerys-As-Mary Sue thing I've talked about in previous
reviews has finally gotten to the point of being unbearable, but
based on the whole delayed gratification trend I mentioned, I assume
she'll be taken down a peg at some point before season's end. I know
that sounds weird and maybe a little misogynistic especially coming
right after the naked Melisandre comment, but the premise of her
story in this episode basically amounts to the idea that her boobs
are magic and have the power to forge and break alliances at every
jiggle. I'm not even saying she's bad in the role or that its a bad
character, but a little more drama and moral complexity would be
nice.
This
episode really belongs to Peter Dinklage, as every episode by all
rights should be, and as too few this season have been. We get his
wedding to Sansa and the aforementioned noble defense of her against
the manipulative Tywin and the dickish and rapey Joffry, and for once
we get something of a happy ending to go out on, though as always
with this show, that's only tentative until the next horrible
tragedy. There's one moment in particular that rivals the famous
Tyrion/Joffry bitchslap heard round the world, and it gives Dinklage
a chance to play the frailty and darkness of his character without
loosing the sympathy he's earned up to this point.
We
get a moment between Arya and the Hound that I'm already dreading
might presage a Jaime-style redemption of a great bad guy, and a
final moment calling back the last scene of season two that, while
incredibly cool, made me scream at my TV in response to the stupidity
of the characters involved. Based on my cursory knowledge of the
books and a tip from a much more knowledgeable fan, I happen to know
that next week's episode is a biggie, and if done right, might just
have the potential to be one of the best of the series. We'll see if
it meets expectations, but as of now, we couldn't get a better set up
for it.
See
you next time.
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