By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This Review is Dark and full of Spoilers.
After only two episodes of Season 7 of Game of Thrones, you get the feeling that this is possibly going to be the best season to date. From perfectly paced episodes driven by well-written stories, to gruesome and outstanding battle scenes. So what did episode three bring?
The show started with the MVP of the episode. Peter Dinklage really showed why he is one of the show’s greatest assets, offering wise words to many different parties and really tying all the characters together. His interactions with Jon especially were one of the episode’s main highlights.
They had some brilliant one liners, with the real zinger being “I’m not a Stark” in reference to Stark men travelling South. It just teases that Targaryen theory a little more.
Of course, the biggest fan service moment was the meeting between Daenerys and Jon Snow. While the visual was pleasing, I was a little annoyed with Daenerys’ attitude to begin with. Her smugness and arrogance in trying to get Jon to bend the knee were a little grating. While you can understand her reasons for wanting to command respect, she maybe went a little too far with it. With that being said, they parted on relativly good terms by allowing Jon to mine the dragon glass.
In King’s Landing, Euron made another grand entrance as he returned to Cersei victorious and bearing gifts. It looks like Cersei is going to given Euron his wish. The tension between Euron and Jaime is so enjoyable to watch.
The best moment here, however, was the brilliant solo performance of Lena Headey. Her onscreen presence was outstanding and she drew all your attention. She was at her evil best, and with a sinister smile she dished out her revenge in the cruellest way imaginable. It was an outstanding scene and further builds Cersei’s ruthlessness. While I’m not usually on the side of anything that Cersei does, when it comes to ridding the show of the Sand Snakes and any traces of Dorne, I stand firmly by her side.
Mark Gatiss reprised his role again as Tycho Nestoris representing the Iron Bank of Braavos. I love watching Gatiss in anything, and even in his limited screen time, he elevated the scene tremendously. It also set up the events to come with the Tyrells.
The fight scenes this week took place at Casterly Rock and Highgarden, and while the latter was over without seeing any of the conflicts, they were both satisfying enough. The attack on Casterly Rock was really well done. Tyrion’s narration over the battle was well worked and the “It’s a trap!” moment at the end was predictable, but well done all the same. Also, looking down at Euron’s flagship looked really menacing. While Casterly Rock saw the action, the battle of Highgarden was played out with words.
Jaime and Olenna Tyrell had a really nice back and forth here, and Lady Olenna went out in style. She maybe pushed Jaime too far at the end with the gloating of killing Joffrey. A key moment in this scene was when Jaime indirectly referenced Robb Stark, in terms of learning from his mistakes and taking the more important target. They are continually calling back to moments and events from previous seasons. And they work really well. You just get so much fan service and payoff, it’s really pleasing. Olenna’s exit sees a fairly likeable and well-established character leave the show. I think allowing her to have her death off screen was also the right call.
The focus was clearly on the South this week, so we didn’t spend much time in Winterfell.
Sansa is starting to lead, wisely planning for the upcoming events. From sorting out food supplies to dictating the type of armour needed, she is really starting to show her leadership potential. But she is now no longer the only Stark in Winterfell. Bran has returned home, and while the initial reunion was really satisfying, the scene that followed quickly threw water on any flames of emotion you may have been having.
Bran is clearly taking his new role seriously, so what could have been a loving moment, turned out to be more business-like. Some will find this frustrating, but it fits with his character now, and the fans need to remain calm. The BIG reunion with Sansa and Arya and possibly even Jon is just around the corner. That will be the big payoff, so we just need to be patient.
The most important scene at Winterfell, however, was between Lord Baelish and Sansa. His presence is still being felt and despite Sansa’s apparent knowledge of what he is doing, he can still make her drop her guard with his clever words. She acts knowing around him a lot, but there are times when she slips. And in those moments she is vulnerable.
Additional Scenes:
Theon is rescued by one of the remaining Greyjoy ships. Despite saying he did all he could to save Yara, the men don’t believe him. As they walk away, Theon is left lying on the deck of the ship. Once again, Theon has hit rock bottom, and it’s looking highly unlikely that he will ever recover.
At the Citadel, Professor Slughorn gives Ser Jorah the all-clear, after Samwell’s daring surgery. Ser Jorah looks set to be reunited with Daenerys, which should hopefully make for another nice reunion this season.
Summary:
The force is strong with Season 7 of Game of Thrones. The shorter seasons ensure we are getting to the meat of the stories. Despite the quick battles, they were executed in a really well-conceived way. This was all about fanning the flames of the war for Westeros, and the writing was on point throughout the episode. With so much time spent in the south this week, I fully expect the focus to shift to the North and possibly another Stark reunion?
What did you think of the episode? Let us know in the comments or on our social media channels.
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