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EPISODE 07: A Man Without Honor
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:
By now, it should be obvious to fans of the novels that this season’s changed a few things. Realistically I’m not opposed to new forks in the road; on the plus side, new paths create surprises which in turn keep things fresh and interesting for those who find carbon copies of the source material a touch stale. On the flip side, keeping it as real and true to the books as possible gives us a chance to revel in the magic of seeing one of the best stories ever written strut off the page in style. I’ve seen it done both ways, and feel for the most part GAME OF THRONES is doing well at catering to both sides of this coin. That said, too many changes opens up the possibility of writing one’s self into a corner, and that’s one path I’m praying this show doesn’t take. Bran’s storyline is a prime example of how this could indeed happen.
In the books Bran’s escape from Winterfell included two missing characters from the HBO series, Meera and Jojen, who as of tonight are nowhere to be found, leading me to believe they won’t be joining us this season or at all. This provides quite a conundrum when it comes to where Bran goes from here. You might not think so, but Bran’s got some great storyline ahead of him, at least in the books anyway, so it’d be a shame to ruin what could and should be. Another scenario is Tywin and Arya. One second she seems to almost like him, the next she’s ready to open his throat with a knife. This is also new territory, and since I know what happens with both characters in the books, nothing seems to add up here either, yet with such a distinct emphasis being placed on their screen time together you can all but guarantee this relationship will have some effect on this season’s ending.
Then there’s Dany. In the books, Daenerys is a strong willed woman who gets what she wants and burns all who stand in her way, but you never hate or resent her for it. I felt the first season cradled her beginnings well, but this season she tends to come off as spoiled and pouty, bitching and whining when she doesn’t get her way. I’m not fond of her attitude right now at all, and yes, her story’s going in a different direction as well but I’m digging the warlock angle and loved where tonight led her. Oh, and I poked fun at Jorah’s absence last week, but I’d totally forgotten he was off in search of a ship, which I could care less about, I’d much rather know more about the masked chick he keeps bumping into. And poor Jon Snow, constantly getting outsmarted by Ygritte, and what a smartass she is, I found her quite amusing tonight. Of course, the path Jon’s stupidity leads him down is no laughing matter, but one fans of the books knew was coming (next week’s trailer will put a big smile on your faces–hello Mance Rayder!).
GAME OF THRONES SEASON 2’s seventh episode is still a kickass good time despite my highlighting of changes. Don’t get me wrong, as I’ve said before, I’m still very much entertained and hell, you can’t win them all right? There’s always something to nitpick if you look hard enough. Tonight did bring back the Kingslayer (much to my delight), whose commanding performance deserves a standing ovation. I wanted to give him sharpest quip but truth be told his entire dialogue here is pure win. To say he steals tonight’s show is an understatement. His storyline seems like it’s falling into place rather nicely, so here’s hoping they keep that going “as is”. I also really enjoyed Cersei and Tyrion’s scene together, it felt genuine and exceedingly moving, especially when you figure out what they’re actually talking about. Cercei also shared a cool moment with Sansa, who’s thankfully becoming more of a presence in King’s Landing. Lastly, there’s Theon, sigh, yes, he’s still alive and tonight’s ending will have you hating him even more.
SEX/NUDITY:
Jon gets sexually harassed by Ygritte…does that count? And we get some nude body painting, but nothing worth getting excited over.
VIOLENCE:
Sansa has a violent time of the month, the thirteen have a rough night and we get some charred corpses.
SHARPEST QUIP:
There’s a ton of sharp dialogue tonight, everyone was a contender (loved hearing Ygritte say “You know nothing Jon Snow”), but the win goes to Tyrion as he and Cercei discuss how out of control Joffrey’s become. Tyrion: “It’s hard to put a leash on a dog once you’ve put a crown on his head.”
MOST EPIC SCENE:
Jamie Lannister’s discussion with Sir Alton, their revelations about life and seizing the moment, and Jamie’s escape plan. Then there’s the back and forth with Catelyn Stark. Like I said, he’s pure gold tonight. These are rumored to be Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s favorite scenes he’s played as Jamie Lannister to date and I can see why.
FINAL VERDICT:
TELL US WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS EPISODE BELOW!