I have never done a review like the kind you see Entertainment Weekly do, reviewing individual episodes immediately after they air, but for Game Of Thrones this is something I'm going to be doing from now on. It's my favourite show on Television, it's back for another round, so I figured I'd tune in each Sunday and give my two cents on the episodes as they air.
WARNING: This will contain Spoilers (of course) from the episode and probably the books as well.
To start off, quite a lot went down last season, Tyrion killing Tywin, Arya heading to Braavos, Stannis arriving at the Wall, etc. and the premier of season 5 is mostly just setting the pieces and the board for the new season, but there's still quite a few powerful moments in it.
I'd also like to mention that this is my second season going in having read all the books. A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons don't have that great of a rep, considered slow, a bunch of build-up with no pay-off, and those criticisms certainly do have merit, I still loved the both of them though. As a matter of fact, the Northern storyline in Dance is one of my favourite's in the entire series! So how will this affect my viewing of the new season? If The Wars To Come is anything to go by, not much. It's telling the story more efficiently than Feast or Dance ever did.
We got our first ever flashback scene with a perfectly cast younger Cercei, and a strangely cast Maggy the Frog (who was described as a ugly old hag in the books, but is actually decent looking in the show), in a scene that explains much of Cercei's disdain for Margaery. Both Lena Headey and Natalie Dormer have great scenes with Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Lancel Lannister (Eugene Simon) and Loras (Finn Jones). Cercei's conversations with Loras hopelessly trying to give Tywin praise, and a newly religiously fanatical Lancel are hilarious. And when Margaery barges in on Loras and Olyvar getting it on, I can't tell if she's annoyed by it, or is up for a threesome. I won't lie, I was hoping for the latter. At the end of it, Natalie Dormer delivers this powerfully ominous "perhaps" when Loras points put she'll be stuck with Cercei.
Tyrion and Varys arrive in Pentos, and have what would have been the best scenes in the episode if it wasn't for certain other scenes. The dialogue between Varys and Tyrion is just brilliant, Peter Dinklage kills it as always. Varys also reveals his loyalty to the Targaryens to Tyrion, and suggests Tyrion go with him to Meereen. Tyrions asks him if he can drink himself to death on the way there.
Speaking of Meereen, Looks like Dany finally decided to get rid of that Harpy statue from her new pyramid. We're introduced to an Unsullied who looks quite a bit like Grey Worm who heads to a Brothel. Where he is immediately killed to introduce the Sons Of The Harpy. Daenerys has a couple scene where she tells her council to hunt the Sons down and rejects a proposal from Hizdahr to reopen the fighting pits. I admit, I didn't think Emilia did all that well in season 4 (except for when she chained the dragons), but she actually did pretty well in this episode. Especially during her little bed talk with Daario and when she goes to see the dragons. Which are looking better every year.
In the Vale, we're treated to Sweet Robin (son of Sansa's crazy aunt Lysa that got pushed through the Moon Door) practising Sword play and failing horribly at it. Yohn Royce thinks there's no hope for him, but Littlefinger tells him to man Robin up anyway. LittleFinger and Sansa are on their way West, to a place where Cercei can't touch Sansa. Apparently Sansa is going to Winterfell, which is a Far cry from the books, but fuck it. This is far more interesting.
And Lastly, the scenes at the wall are fantastic. Like I said, The Northern storyline was my favourite from Dance, and the show is doing it justice so far. Jon's scenes with Stannis and Mance were incredible. Jon learned from Stannis what his plans for the wildlings are, and Jon tried to convince Mance to swear fealty to Stannis. But Mance was having none of it. Ciarin Hinds did a fantastic job, especially when Jon told him he was to be burned alive. Oh, did I mention that part? The burning itself was a fantastic scene. Seeing Mance's fear and pain as the fire engulfed him, and the reactions of everyone who watched, spoke so much about each character. Stannis seemed disappointed, and took no pleasure in doing it. His wife Selyse looked like she was orgasming to it. Their daughter was horrified. Tormund (Mance's right hand) looked like he was about to burst into tears. And Jon Snow couldn't stand it anymore and put an arrow in Mance to end his suffering. A perfect way to end the episode.
There wasn't anything really shocking, or all that eventful, it was just a "setting the board" kind of episode. But it had great moments, Mance's burning the highlight for me, and it promises plenty of greatness for this season. Bring it on.
8.5/10
Tyrion and Varys arrive in Pentos, and have what would have been the best scenes in the episode if it wasn't for certain other scenes. The dialogue between Varys and Tyrion is just brilliant, Peter Dinklage kills it as always. Varys also reveals his loyalty to the Targaryens to Tyrion, and suggests Tyrion go with him to Meereen. Tyrions asks him if he can drink himself to death on the way there.
Speaking of Meereen, Looks like Dany finally decided to get rid of that Harpy statue from her new pyramid. We're introduced to an Unsullied who looks quite a bit like Grey Worm who heads to a Brothel. Where he is immediately killed to introduce the Sons Of The Harpy. Daenerys has a couple scene where she tells her council to hunt the Sons down and rejects a proposal from Hizdahr to reopen the fighting pits. I admit, I didn't think Emilia did all that well in season 4 (except for when she chained the dragons), but she actually did pretty well in this episode. Especially during her little bed talk with Daario and when she goes to see the dragons. Which are looking better every year.
In the Vale, we're treated to Sweet Robin (son of Sansa's crazy aunt Lysa that got pushed through the Moon Door) practising Sword play and failing horribly at it. Yohn Royce thinks there's no hope for him, but Littlefinger tells him to man Robin up anyway. LittleFinger and Sansa are on their way West, to a place where Cercei can't touch Sansa. Apparently Sansa is going to Winterfell, which is a Far cry from the books, but fuck it. This is far more interesting.
And Lastly, the scenes at the wall are fantastic. Like I said, The Northern storyline was my favourite from Dance, and the show is doing it justice so far. Jon's scenes with Stannis and Mance were incredible. Jon learned from Stannis what his plans for the wildlings are, and Jon tried to convince Mance to swear fealty to Stannis. But Mance was having none of it. Ciarin Hinds did a fantastic job, especially when Jon told him he was to be burned alive. Oh, did I mention that part? The burning itself was a fantastic scene. Seeing Mance's fear and pain as the fire engulfed him, and the reactions of everyone who watched, spoke so much about each character. Stannis seemed disappointed, and took no pleasure in doing it. His wife Selyse looked like she was orgasming to it. Their daughter was horrified. Tormund (Mance's right hand) looked like he was about to burst into tears. And Jon Snow couldn't stand it anymore and put an arrow in Mance to end his suffering. A perfect way to end the episode.
There wasn't anything really shocking, or all that eventful, it was just a "setting the board" kind of episode. But it had great moments, Mance's burning the highlight for me, and it promises plenty of greatness for this season. Bring it on.
8.5/10
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