TV Review: This Week on Game of Thrones (S5 Episode 3/ April 26, 2015)

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

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EPISODE 3: High Sparrow

THE PLOT : The long summer is at an end, winter truly is coming and with it the cold winds of war as five self proclaimed Kings claim dominance over Westeros, but there can be only one winner when you play the game of thrones.

THE LOWDOWN: (The following column contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so I don’t recommend reading this if you haven’t watched this episode). Tonight was a big night in King’s Landing, we finally get a wedding that doesn’t end in a complete bloodbath—that said, you’d think considering how often it does happen that people would appear more tense. I like Tommen, and nestled tightly under Tywin’s wing he’d have no doubt had a chance at greatness, but Tywin’s dead and things couldn’t look bleaker for the capital. Cersei is a shark, and she’s hungry, waiting ever so patiently for the first drop of blood to hit the water. How does Margaery not see this!? She knows what lengths the Lannisters will go to, she know what they’re capable of, yet she decides to flaunt everything in Cercei’s face. Of course, Cercei’s no better, her hatred for Margaery is so volatile that she’s aligning with forces she can’t control. The High Sparrow may seem innocent enough, but like all religious factions in Westeros, he too can make waves, especially with an army behind him. We haven’t seen much on this front, but I’m anxiously anticipating the unveiling of The Franken-Mountain. He should be quite the sight.

Jon Snow gets his first glimpse of the joys of leadership when Sir Janos oversteps his bounds. I get that the hierarchy at The Wall is slack compared to most places, but what in God’s name was Janos thinking? Jon’s acting commander now. He calls the shots, and he also has Stannis’ ear. You really think telling him to shove his order up his ass is the right call? They just burned Mance at the stake, hell, you can probably still smell burnt toast around the camp, I don’t think now is the time to test people’s patience. I loved the feel of the beheading scene, a throwback to episode one with Ned—Jon wasn’t nearly as hesitant though. And is it me, or does his squire always give him a funny look when the Wildlings are mentioned, and by “funny look” I mean it almost seems like he’s thinking of stabbing Jon through the heart. Might be dangerous having a kid whose parents were butchered by Wildlings by your side when you’re trying to remain friends with both sides.

Someone wrote in the Strike Backs last week about Brienne asking “what the hell are they doing with her character?” I have to admit, I was deeply disappointed by the changes made in light of dropping Lady Stoneheart, but I think I get it. She makes yet another big speech ending with ire toward Stannis tonight. Stannis will be at Winterfell soon, surrounded by the men who tried to feed her to a bear, basically everyone Brienne hates in the world. Very soon they’ll all be in the same spot, with Sansa in the middle, so it’s the logical place to put Brienne I suppose. Am I defending her current storyline? Hells no, but I’m assuming that’s where it’s headed. Sansa handles being thrown into the snake pit like a champion, and I hope to God she’s got a plan. The banter between Roose Bolton and Littlefinger is among the most delicious I’ve seen in a while, but I don’t feel a summons to King’s Landing bodes well for poor Littlefinger. I know he’s a villain, but he’s put such an elaborate plan together that I’d hate to see him go down now.

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 5’s third episode picks up the pace and ends on a brilliant high note, but before I get to that, let’s talk about Arya. Not sure what’s going on in The House of Black and White, but I’m thinking the water in that fountain isn’t for drinking. That other chick is a bit of a bitch. Seeing Arya shed her “Arya Stark” belongings wasn’t tough until she got to Needle. I’m glad she decided to hide it, but damn girl, that’s a terrible hiding spot. So the high note ends with Tyrion, who finally convinced Varys to leave their carriage for a drink. Not the brightest plan to be sure, and once you see Jorah (book reader or no), I think what happens next becomes apparent. I like Jorah, and despite his controversial relationship with Daenerys, I think she was too hard on him. He f’ed up, sure, but I felt he redeemed himself through servitude afterward. Either way, I’m anxious as hell to see how that scenario plays out. Most people are still on the fence as far as this season goes, but I remain hopeful.

SEX/NUDITY: Ugh. There’s a very disturbing scene involving the High Septon’s walk of shame. We get some boobage before and some more once we catch up with Tyrion and Varys.

VIOLENCE: The sparrows cause a bit of havoc, but nothing major. Jon Snow’s solution for Janos is fairly violent however. And we get some skinned villagers that make it look like Predator was in town for a visit.

MOST EPIC SCENE: My favorite scene is when Sansa’s entering her bedchamber back at Winterfell and one of the house maids, an older lady, welcomes her back by name and says “the north remembers.” That sent chills down my spine. I was also partial to Stannis’ line “whoever said that didn’t have many enemies” when Jon Snow said he thought you were supposed to keep your enemies close.

FINAL VERDICT :

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