just a quick one this week as even I, a major Game of Thrones fan, thought this episode was a little slow compared to the last few episodes (Joffrey dying, creepy ice Darth Maul guy). I am however continuing my promise of 'dressing up' as a different character each week.
This is Jon Snophie.
Game of Thrones Season 4 Episode Five:
First of His Name
Scene 1: all hail King Tommen
So Tommen has been crowned king, hurrah! We love Tommen. I was sad that Ser Pounce wasn't present at the coronation but life is cruel.
I loved the little exchange between Cersei and Margaery. I think both Lena Heady and Natalie Dormer are doing absolutely fantastic jobs at playing those characters. In fact, I think the women in Game of Thrones are much more interesting than the men at the moment. Jon Snow is being boring and surly and boring boring all the time, Tyrion didn't even make an appearance in this episode, Stannis is just bloody grumpy all the time and Bran is literally the sappiest character going. Cersei, Margaery and Daenerys are taking up most of the screentime, and I'm happy with that. Plus Grandma Tyrell is probably one of the best characters on the show.
Cersei offers Margaery another chance at being queen. Her family need the Tyrells (for reasons explained in a conversation with Tywin later) and therefore need to keep them sweet. Margaery plays it coy, of course, yet we all know she is just as scheming as any of them. What I truly loved in this was the fact that Margaery calls Cersei 'sister'. Anybody remember this quote from season 3?:
Now Margaery can quote comfortably drop the 's' bomb. She is flaunting her new power, and for once Cersei cannot retort.
In another scene, Cersei is talking with her father. He reveals that the crown is in a lot of debt, and the Tyrells (being super rich) are necessary to paying back those debts. The money is owed to the Iron Bank of Braavos. There's been a couple of references in this season to the Iron Bank. In Game of Thrones world, the Iron Bank is the big, big major bank; think all of the big-name banks in our world rolled into one big scary medieval super bank that will send assassins after you if you don't pay them back. Think J.P Morgan meets the mafia.
We haven't seen Bravoos yet (I think) but it's been referred to several times along with several other of the Free Cities. Now might be a good time for a little geography lesson. I found this cute little map here.
Most the stuff we see happening on the show happens in Westeros, which is the sort-of United Kingdom shaped blob on the left. To the right is the big continent, Essos, which is where all of Daenerys's stuff has been happening. Along the west coast of Essos are the Free Cities, cities that- unlike Westeros- are not ruled by a monarchy. This is where Daenerys grew up, moving from city to city with her brother. It is where Robb's wife came from. Chances are we'll be seeing a little bit more of the Free Cities (or at least Braavos) at some point, so it's good to know where abouts everything is.
Scene 2: Daenerys has a new dress
Finally. A new dress. And it's pretty. Daenerys looks super lovely. It's all floating and white and her hair is all nice and curly and yay. I hope to God that the blue tunic thing has been burned. I never want to see it again.So now Daenerys is in Meereen, woohoo. Living in a big palacey thing and doing queen-like things. She learns that, after the recent wars and especially now after Joffrey's death, Westeros is vulnerable. Now would be the perfect time to attack and take back the throne that is hers by birthright. However, she is also told that the two liberated cities (Astapor andY Yunkai) that she left behind her have slipped back into savagery. A council she left to rule in her stead has been overthrown, and a butcher king (he is literally a butcher) has taken over. Daenerys must choose whether to go to King's Landing or stay and clear up the mess she made by ruling the city properly. She chooses the latter.
That's it for Dany this week. No dragons and no Daario. Wah.
Scene 3: Sansa's life continues to be the bleakest thing in the entire world
Petyr Baelish and Sansa arrive at The Eyrie. The Eyrie is a big, impenetrable castle up in the mountains. In fact, the characters go on so much about the fact that it's impenetrable that I'm pretty sure it's going to end up being penetrated. It's just tempting fate. Anyway, Lysa Arryn, Sansa's aunt, lives in The Eyrie. She and Petyr are going to get married. Lysa was once married to Jon Arryn, who was the hand of the king before Ned Stark. Jon Arryn is dead in episode one, and we're all meant to think that the Lannisters had him poisoned after he found out that Joffrey wasn't the child of King Robert. But now, after 4 and a half seasons, the cat is out of the bag. THE LANNISTERS DIDNT KILL JON ARRYN. It was his wife, Lysa, acting on the orders of CREEPY CREEPY PETYR BAELISH. He told her to kill her husband and tell Cat Stark that it was the lannisters. Which was basically the catalyst for everything that has happened in Game of Thrones so far. It was all one of Petyr's little schemes, the reasoning for which is as yet unclear.
It is often said in the books that Sansa is the spitting image of Cat as a young woman, and this is why Lysa goes a bit crazy at her. She, Petyr and Cat all grew up together, and there was a bit of a love triangle thing going on. Lysa was obsessed with Petyr, Petyr was obessed with Cat, but Cat was in love with Brandon Stark (Ned's brother who died, who she was originally meant to marry). Plus Lysa has gone of the rails a bit over the years; she's a bit loopy. She tells Sansa that she is going to marry her to her son, Robin, a weedy little kid who still breastfeeds. Sucks to be Sansa.
That's all for this week. The rest of the episode was just Pod and Brienne and then Jon Snow fighting in the snow.
