"We're all liars here."

And that, of course, is how the Game is played, right to the end. It was, of course, the finale on Sunday. I've been a bit distracted by other things and part of my distraction was a somewhat mixed and/or muted reaction to what went down in episode 20. I wasn't entirely disappointed, so much as more than a little aware that I'd seen/read so much of this story before that I didn't really need a "bridge" episode to get me to the next sequence. I was and am already waiting to get there. But I'll go into that in more detail in a bit.

This episode was about lies: the major ones, like the carefully choreographed setting aside of Sansa for Margaery in the throne room, to the little ones, like Brienne telling 3 northmen that she served the Starks just moments after insisting to Jaime that she didn't; the huge ones, like the visions of the House of the Undying, to the smaller ones, like Jon and Qhorin deceiving the Wildlings about the former's loyalty. The wedding, Melisandre's visions, Theon's bravado, Tyrion's reign as Hand, the empty vault and, of course, Jaqen H'ghar. All lies, to one degree or another. Lying is how politics and power games function, whether in a fantasy medieval society or in modern America. In the end, those that can do it best tend to succeed.

It was gratifying to see Alan Taylor take the director's reins again, as I think he's probably the best among the regular group that has been employed (and he's now a producer, as well.) Little touches, like beginning with Tyrion's mismatched eyes, reminding everyone that he is still the dwarf, the outcast, are emblematic of his method. Also, opening the throne room sequence with a pile of horseshit only slightly less odorous than the careful dance that would proceed in that scene was another nice note of style.

This scene was our establishing shot for the episode. It was the wrap-up to the furious pace of "Blackwater" and a demonstration of the victors sharing the spoils. We got the first recitation of the full titles of the king in quite a while, a blatant demonstration of the ambition and deviousness of the Tyrells (admittedly, Loras (Finn Jones) could stand to have an expression on his face other than petulant child by next season), the remonstrations of duty and character by the Lannisters, and finally the acquiescence with the best moment, Sansa laughing to herself as she leaves the room... before Littlefinger buttonholes her and gives her the reality that she, once again, just misses. Sophie Turner has been great this season and this brief moment was no exception. "Look around you. We're all liars here and every one of us is better than you."

I have to say that one of the moments that put me off was the following scene with Varys and Ros. I'm all about giving Conleth Hill more moments to shine (which he did here: "I am not like most men." "That's what most men say."), but was it necessary to show a scene of this length for Ros' recruitment. I wonder if that could have been simply woven into next season as she's going about a task for him? Regardless, best hashtag I've seen recently is: #InVarysWeDoNotTrust.

Meanwhile, everyone's favorite odd couple proceeds on their merry way. Nikolai Coster-Waldau, having not been given a huge range of situations to deal with this season ("Be a prisoner. Go."), is at his arrogant finest in the last few weeks while paired with Brienne. "You're a virgin, I take it?" That said, one of the best expressions of the night was the look on his face when Brienne eviscerated (and castrated) the three soldiers in seconds, followed by the command to "Stay" as if the Kingslayer was the nearest dog. Next season is already looking good. By the same token, Robb's scene with Catelyn was a bit more stilted than before, perhaps intentionally, as he's firmly decided that her decisions no longer have any impact on what he's doing ("The only parent I have left has no right to call anyone 'reckless'.") I think they handled the wedding about as simply as it needed to be. There is some degree of dissension out in the GoT community about the presence of Talisa and why the whole love story needed to play out on screen, whereas it takes place between the 2nd and 3rd books. I didn't particularly object to the off-camera joining of Robb and Jeyne in the books, as I know that Martin was trying to convey both the progression of time and the grueling aspect of a ceaseless war. Given the difference in media, I think trying to drop a new character on a TV audience and especially one that carries such import for the story overall (alliance with the Freys, etc.), without giving them any opportunity to know about her and identify Robb's feelings for her, would have been a very poor idea. There are still reviewers that joke (humorlessly) about the endless parade of characters in the series. Adding another and expecting the audience to catch up to events that weren't even on their screens is a bit much.

It was nice to see Melisandre back on screen, obviously recovered from her postpartum depression. While their relationship seems understandable in the books, given the absolute fervor of most of those surrounding Stannis (including his wife, Shireen, who is being cast for season 3 as I write), I continue to think that it seems a little unfounded for the stern and pragmatic Stannis to have his head so spun around by the red woman with little else to go on other than "I've seen it!" That's why it was kind of gratifying to hear Stephen Dillane use the "Where's your god now?" approach. Melisandre's equally poignant response: "Inside... you." was one of the few hints at mystery that the writers have proceeded with and which, again, I'll get into a bit later.

By far, the best scene of the episode, though, was the one between Theon and Maester Luwin, while the horn of (presumably) Bolton's bastard and his men sound outside (this is why vuvuzelas were banned at the World Cup...) Theon's presentation in the books is that of arrogant prick and he never really loses that mantle, even when confronted with the reality of the loss of Winterfell and the shame to follow. His presentation here, as I've mentioned before, is far more tragic and, while he is just as stupid and overconfident as he is in the books, he's also carrying a burden that is far more pronounced than any that Martin ever assigned to him. In the same way that Osha was moved by Natalia Tena's performance from token figure to one of actual intelligence and interest (and which will be expanded upon by Martin in Winds of Winter), I think the writers of the series and Alfie Allen shifted Theon from side character to one that people could take an active interest in, not simply to detest like Joffrey, but to sympathize with as someone caught up in a world he can't possibly control but continuing to protest to everyone (even himself) that he can. This line would not have come from Book Theon: "Know what it's like to be told how lucky you are to be someone's prisoner? To be told how much you owe them? And then to go back home to your real father-!" Their later exchange only drives the point home, perhaps unnecessarily: "I've known you many years, Theon Greyjoy. You're not the man you're pretending to be. Not yet." "You may be right. But I've come too far to be anything else." The final insult to injury is the clout over the head when he's supposedly making the one "honorable" choice of his life, but which is actually just another way to escape responsibility, in the end. Dagmer Cleftjaw's pointed line: "Was a good speech. Didn't want to interrupt." was a last kick of sand into the face of Theon, never good enough to be Hero of the Beach (Ironborn, of course.) While I really missed the more elaborate events surrounding Winterfell (we're not even told who burns down the castle, departing Ironmen or invading Boltons), I understand the time constraints that required shortening the story (rhymes with "tweak"...) and I hope they'll be able to make it up sufficiently in season 3.

They could have gone further with the scar. This is one of the few complaints I've had in two seasons about set, props, makeup, or other immersion details. I'm sure Peter Dinklage didn't relish the idea of sitting in a makeup chair for six hours every day to have half of his nose removed, so I can understand some restraint there (in addition to money concerns) but I think I have scars on my face that look more dire than that one. This was a good moment almost solely for Dinklage's performance, as there was little else to be gained other than to confirm that Bronn was also removed from power and that Shae would be sticking around. Tyrion summed up my interest in politics in perhaps the most cogent manner I've ever heard:  "These bad people... Out-talking them, out-thinking them... It's what I'm good at. And I like it. I like it more than anything I've ever done."

That said, again, it is sometimes the little things that make the whole project work. At this point, my favorite piece of music from two seasons is the soft, inquisitive, vaguely eerie harp that accompanies the presence of Jaqen H'ghar. It was a great idea to leave an abrupt demonstration of his abilities as a Faceless Man to the very last moment. This is, again, one of those things that is demonstrative of a difference in medium. Leaving this kind of event to the last moment in a book would leave your readers confused. Doing so in a TV series, where so much is done visually, is exciting and I think it worked well. It speaks to how long I've been reading these damn things that at every point where Jaqen and Arya used the words "Valar morghulis" the first thing that came to my mind was "Valar dohaeris."

Aemon's last moments were also well done (again, little lies to the boys) and I appreciated both seeing a line and some actual acting from Rickon (Art Parkinson), as well as a few more seconds with Shaggydog and Summer (for the eternally absent dire wolves that are still supposedly crucial to the story...), and later Ygritte's look of wonder and surprise at Jon's viciousness when he kill Qhorin (similar to Jaime's at Brienne's display of skill earlier) and the finale showing the impending attack by the Others and a horde of wights. That last moment was the only one where lies were simply not possible. Winter is coming, indeed.

Most of what I've mentioned has been positive and not indicative of why I would be disappointed in the episode. But, as I said, most diehard fans like me have little need of a show that wraps up everything very neatly until next time. We know that the story continues. We know how the story continues. There's nothing at all wrong with leaving a few loose ends hanging (one that they did leave adrift is what happened to Davos Seaworth, as I'm quite certain that many amongst the TV audience simply believe him to be dead (with good reason)) and enticing people to find out why. Or, for that matter, using a ready opportunity to drop some questions into the plot line that people can muse about until next spring. Said opportunity was the House of the Undying.

I honestly never really liked this sequence in the books. It was one that became almost jarringly surreal in a book that was otherwise firmly rooted in the pragmatism of (literal) cloak and dagger. However, one upside to it was the chance to show scenes from Daenerys' past and a past she was not even aware of (including a figure that was clearly Rhaegar Targaryen.) It's this kind of lore and history that is what makes the series an "epic" fantasy and it is the lack of same that many fans (such as Ello and Linda of Westeros.org here) complain is missing. This kind of stuff "makes the world", as it were. Westeros.org goes so far as to suggest that, in replacing lore with sappy romance (i.e. Robb and Talisa), the producers have pushed the series past one that is "based on" A Song of Ice and Fire to one that is "inspired by".

I'm not sure that I'd go quite that far. As I noted above, I think there are very valid pragmatic reasons for leaving Robb's relationship on screen. Furthermore, some of that same pragmatism exerts control over why such things aren't shown (lack of money and airtime, which this season has suffered from far more than the first.) Most importantly, though, I think it potentially detracts from the central thrust of the story. When the furry appears in the famous moment of The Shining, does anyone really know what that means? Does it impact the story in significant fashion the way the ocean of blood or the murdered twins do? No. It's a conceit of Kubrick's and a weird touchstone for people who've seen the film. In the same fashion, did we really need to see four dwarves raping a beautiful woman in the House of the Undying? Did we need to see Rhaegar citing his son, Aegon, as the "prince who was promised"? Would that kind of stuff create intrigue in the manner that Ello and Linda suggest took place with Lost or would it just create confusion in an audience already supposedly burdened by a cast already stretching into the dozens and set to increase by a couple dozen more next season?

HBO has been doing a pretty decent job of trying to school people on the background of the books and the world in which the story takes place. They've done so largely by including features on their website and adding extras to the DVD/Blu-ray releaes. Having been immersed in the books since 1996, I really haven't paid much attention to any of that. I know it all already. But with those resources available, is that detracting from their willingness to show history and lore? Or is the show sufficiently different from one like Lost, the central mystery of which was the basis of the show's identity, to not need mysterious visions and an endless reference to names and family branches to already encourage discussion through next winter about the show and what is happening? Does this come down to a difference of stylistic approach or is it more a concern over how close the producers are hewing to the material?

For example, Ello and Linda suggest that the way Theon is represented has spoiled what made the character Theon Greyjoy. He is "not Theon". I've heard many similar complaints about key figures like Cersei and Daenerys. But, given the quicker pace and greater constraints of the medium of television, that kind of change is almost inevitable. Characters are going to be different and, more importantly, be interpreted differently in a different medium. As fond as I am of the story, I suspect that I would say that many of the altered versions as presented in the show are actually better than their counterparts in the books. Osha is undeniable (by Martin's own estimation.) Theon is far more interesting (How long could Alfie Allen have gone on being the shallow prick that is Theon in the books?) So, I'm not sure that complaining that certain presentations and detail are lost is sufficient evidence to say the producers have seemingly lost their way, even if I do agree that the House of the Undying sequence was a bit lacking in its execution. Honestly, did it really matter that she went there to retrieve the dragons rather than simply seeking an audience so they could assassinate or kidnap her, anyway (as in the book)? Isn't going there to retrieve her children a more compelling scenario?

For that matter, how would they have gone about representing who Rhaegar was, since Martin actually never specifically named him in Clash of Kings, but has generally acknowledged that, yes, that's who was in the vision. Dany never knew him. She was an infant when last in his presence. Jorah Mormont may have been able to identify him if described, but then we start veering off of Mormont's character. Put simply, I guess I'm saying that while I wouldn't have minded seeing those scenes of Rhaegar from the book, I can understand why the produces would choose to leave them out in favor of something far more pertinent to the viewers who've been watching for the last year-and-a-half:

Nice cameo by Momoa, too.

So, there it is. Another season done. I think it's still proceeding well, overall, and I'm looking forward to the first half of Storm of Swords next season. This note from Winteriscoming.net confirms casting for the Blackfish, the Reeds, the Queen of Thorns, and Thoros of Myr, among others, and I've seen an audition video for Vargo Hoat. Of course, the character I'm most looking forward to would have to be the Red Viper (House Martell fan: Unbowed. Unbent. Unbroken.) I have a couple conflicting images of him in my head, so I'll be interested to see how they mesh with a new face.

"The world is built by killers, so you'd better get used to looking at them."

So, this was what everyone had been waiting for: the first major battle scene of the show. I think they succeeded, for the most part. The constraints involved didn't seem to be money so much as time: there's only so much tactical detail you can convey in an episode that lasts an hour and which has to cover a lot of other storytelling ground. There were a lot of nice touches throughout (the overflowing puke barrel on Stannis' approach was one of the best) and the characters that shone through were the ones who actually had as much steel in their spines (Bronn, the Hound, Cersei, Sansa) as they were wearing, if not more.


The fact that the episode was written by Martin provided a bunch of little subtexts for anyone that has read the books. Was the confrontation between Bronn and Clegane something he'd been wanting to do in the books and took advantage of here? It didn't add a whole lot to the moment, as we were already aware of both of their attitudes and their disdain for their opposing employers. Of course, that whole scene gave us plenty of texture to begin with ("Don't feel sorry for him. He'll be halfway up your ass before the night's through."), including the obligatory nudity and, finally- FINALLY! -music for the Rains of Castamere! Now we just need music for the bear song and the world is complete.

Credit: http://ivyarchive.tumblr.com/

I'm not entirely sure I like the direction that Varys has taken in the last couple episodes ("I'm entirely sure you're entirely sure what I'm suggesting.") Trying to spare the realm death and destruction is one thing, but being the local Jeremiad is something else. Bringing up the Dark Powers/Old Powers at this stage is kind of an odd placement for that bit of info, especially since we haven't seen Melisandre since she ganked Renly.

 
Of all the off-battle scenes, though, the best was probably the one that took place in the throne room. Bronn and Tyrion's Marx Brothers routine was brilliant:

"Do you know how to use that?"
"Chopped wood once... No, I saw my brother chopping wood."
"I saw ya kill a man with a shield. You'll be unstoppable with an axe. Don't get killed."
"Nor you, my friend."
"Oh? Are we friends now?"
"Of course we are! Just because I pay you for your services doesn't diminish our friendship!"
"Enhances it, really."
"Oh! Enhances! Fancy word for a sellsword."
"Been spendin' time with fancy folks."

But some of the best moments were Sansa's. It took me a long time to warm up to Sansa as a character. In fact, I don't recall doing anything but sighing at her chapter headings until Feast for Crows. But Sophie Turner has been doing great work in the series and gave one of the best performances of this episode ("I'm sorry, Your Grace. You're right. I'm stupid. Of course you'll be in the vanguard.") I wish they had been able to take a moment to indicate to viewers that Hearteater is Ice reforged. I'm not sure how many would catch that or if there was something obvious to indicate it that I missed.

Speaking of people that were on fire (away from the battle...), once again Lena Headey was just excellent. The schoolgirl-level taunts of Sansa, the stories about sieges to elicit reaction; and the cold acknowledgment that, in a male-dominated world, the most precious resource to her are her children, especially the one currently sitting on the throne, were all moments for her to shine. I loved the repudiation of the old aphorism "There are no atheists in foxholes": "The gods have no mercy. That's why they're gods."; and the frank acknowledgment of the other weapon at her disposal: "If it were anyone else, I might have hoped for a private audience, but this is Stannis Baratheon. I'd have a better chance of seducing his horse." But the best moment was the exchange with Sansa over their place in the world:

"He was heir to Casterly Rock and I was sold like a horse to a stranger to be ridden whenever he desires."
"You were Robert's queen!"
"And you will be Joffrey's. Enjoy!"

These moments more than any other made it clear that it was Martin behind the screenplay, as the theme of women being powerless even while seemingly masters of all they survey has been a constant throughout the story and something almost as prominent as the sorry fate of the smallfolk caught up in the Game. A nice addendum was Shae: "Maybe she hates you less than she hates everyone else."

On to the battle... The wildfire explosion was great. I think it was probably a good idea to forget the chain, since they couldn't really show the battle on the Blackwater Rush, as opposed to the bay (although I hope they figure out what to do with Bronn's coat of arms next season...) Of course, the chain kind of demonstrated Tyrion's overall plan for the battle, rather than just taking advantage of the alchemists, which makes what happens later a little less traumatic (but only a little.) I kind of wondered about the combination of green fire and regular fire in the later moments of the catastrophe, though. Was that an implication that the wildfire (the liquid) had burned out and the ships were still alight or was it a technical issue (i.e. not having enough funds to keep everything green)?

Stephen Dillane's look of calm self-assurance on the advance and near-feral grin at a couple points were great representations of Stannis' conviction that both the battle and the throne would be his ("We're too far from the gates. Their archers... Hundreds will die." "Thousands.") Even though the men on the field were, in fact, dozens or a couple hundred as opposed to thousands, I think they ended up representing the magnitude of the battle sufficiently. The choice of flaming arrows was a good dramatic touch, since the scene was taking place at night and it's tough to see arrows in the dark (even if flaming arrows aren't the best choice in "real world" situations.) I was disappointed that Tyrion's hill tribesmen weren't mentioned or seen at all, since they provided a rather important key to the way the battle turned in the books (allowing the Lannister/Tyrell force to approach without warning because the Baratheon scouts had all been killed by the tribesmen.) Strangely, they decided to replace their existence with their famous cheer of "Halfman!" when Tyrion led the initially successful sortie.

Stannis on the battlements was another of those nice touches, demonstrating his willingness to come to grips (literally) with his crusade. However, I was really questioning the head-slicing scene. The blood display was fine, but did they really want to spend that much money on CGI for that? Wouldn't it have been better to enhance some other aspect of the battle if the money was there? Like, say, showing even more horses in Tywin's charge into the fight (which, admittedly, was still a nice moment)? Given the changed circumstances of the fight and the time constraints, it was probably a good idea to eliminate the whole "Garlan Tyrell in Renly's armor"-thing, though. If they're worried about people confusing Asha and Osha, I can't imagine how they might have been fretting about viewers actually thinking that Renly was back from the dead. We had a brief enough glimpse of Ser Loras to be aware that the Tyrells were involved.

And then we come, of course, to the Hound. As most of my tiny audience probably knows by now, the Hound is my favorite character of the story. His cynical pragmatism (embodied in the title quote of the post) and outright savagery ("Any man dies with a clean sword, I'll rape his fucking corpse!" - line of the night) provide more truth about the world of Westeros than almost any other. I had kind of hoped for a bit more anxiety on the part of Rory McCann, as the outright terror that the character displays in the books is stark. Certainly, anyone is going to weave back with a torch waved in their face and it's not irrational to tell someone: "Any of those flaming fucking arrows come near me, I'll strangle you with your own guts!" But to be reduced to gibbering fear that doesn't allow for calm moments where you tell the king to fuck off is more of what I remember from the scene in Clash of Kings. It's that stark contrast that makes the character, to some degree. However, the lone San/San scene in Sansa's room was well played by both actors.


So, the wrap-up next week. Sad trombone. At least we'll finally see the House of the Undying and figure out if they're going to return to canon in the Daenerys storyline for next season.

"Death is certain. The time is not."

This week was about irredeemable choices. Once you make that choice, you can't go back and a slew of consequences will follow including, often, death. That theme encompassed not only recent choices, such as Theon's decision to kill two children and claim that they were Bran and Rickon but also Davos Seaworth's decision to save Stannis Baratheon so many years ago during Robert's Rebellion. Everything leads up to the now and what you do now is all that you do forever.

Obviously, with the big ending of last week's episode, it made sense to start this one with the arrival of Asha/Yara at Winterfell for another good round of Chastising Theon. This week's first prize is a warning that dad is upset and that Theon's great victory is not only hollow, as we all knew, but potentially disastrous, as every man in the north will not only want Theon's head but will potentially fight the Ironborn all the harder. There is the precipice and then there is the fall. The second prize is an artfully-timed moment of actual emotion and concern from Yara for Theon's well-being. After playing nothing but the harpy since her excellent deception on the ride up to Pyke, it was both jarring and genuine to see her play the older sister for a brief moment. The best lines of the scene:
"Go on, then. Warn me."
"Don't die so far away from the sea."
 speak volumes not only about Yara's genuine toughness and ease of command, but also the cultural underpinning of what it means to be from the Iron Islands and a believer in the Drowned God: they all die and their choices (as raiders and reavers) will doubtlessly lead to death, but if it's done within the bosom of the ocean, then it's a good day to die.

I was less impressed with the Lord of Bones than I'd hoped. I suppose my mental image from the books had him a bit taller and his clothes being more free-flowing. Of course, if you're standing on a glacier, free-flowing clothing is not optimal. Both scenes with Jon were fleeting, allowing only time for Ygritte to confirm her status as a free woman by retaining her prisoner for Mance and for the Halfhand to begin laying the groundwork for Jon's acclimation to the wildlings. I liked the fact that, in the second scene, where Qhorin makes a show of being angry with Jon, Rose Leslie's sly smile can be interpreted as anything from taking pleasure in Jon's dismay, to confirmation of her opinion about the Watch and the ethics of the southerners, or awareness that the Halfhand is putting on a show in order to keep Jon (and the hopes of the Watch) alive. She was, once again, a brilliant choice for the role. The best exchange of the scenes is one that will be mirrored in the last of the episode: "They died because of me." "See that it wasn't for nothing."

By far, one of the best scenes of the night (if not THE best scene) was the mother/son confrontation after Robb learns that Catelyn has set Jaime Lannister free. Choices. "Tell me this isn't true." Richard Madden continues to play to Robb's notorious restraint (evident in his attachment to Talisa but his unwillingness to acknowledge it.) Where most characters would be raging at the upheaval (betrayal, discord, loss of a strategic asset), Robb refuses to lose his cool. This was the point in the books where I began to drift away from Catelyn as a character. While her desire to see her children freed at almost any cost is absolutely understandable and her anguish leading to paying that "almost any cost" is eminently believable, I think her rash nature (you know, the thing which triggered this whole Lannister/Stark spat) began to make her more annoying than sympathetic. Michelle Fairley treads that dividing line really well here. It was a great performance by both of them. There wasn't a whole lot to dwell on in the following associated scene, with Brienne and Jaime escaping down the Trident. Jaime remains entertaining and it was nice to see Gwen Christie fold her legs properly as one would when wearing armor around the hips and legs. Having frequently sat in the similar uncomfortable position used by the samurai (for a series of iaido techniques known as chudan), my knees sympathized and I appreciated the attention to detail.

On to Harrenhal, where we find Tywin and Kevan arguing over their untenable position and Tywin unknowingly delivering an accompaniment to Robb's earlier comment to Talisa about how Eddard had told him that the only time one could be brave was when one was afraid. Tywin's observation: "He'll risk anything at any time, because he doesn't know enough to be afraid." is less true than he knows, but that's warfare for you. This is just the setup for Arya's final demand of Jaqen H'ghar, which are still some of my favorite scenes in both the books and the show. And, again, here we see the choices that will have ramifications far past what the maker can know. Maisie's matter-of-fact "A man can go kill himself." was excellent and Tom Wlaschiha's performance remains a delight as the title quote indicates. One niggling annoyance is the fact that Arya runs around asking for H'ghar. Given the subtle nature of their relationship and his activity, it struck me as a bit off that she should be so open about it. Also, I had my first glimmer of disappointment with Maisie's performance, as I expected a bit more emotion on her face while she was accosting Hot Pie, but it's possible that she was directed to continue her stonefaced approach as she had in her scenes with Charles Dance. I don't think the transformation of the still emotional young girl should happen quite so quickly, though.

Despite the excellent interplay that normally takes place between Bronn and Tyrion and, in this case, was added to by Varys, I thought the scene of Tyrion trying to prepare for a siege while Bronn annoyed him was a bit slow. Obviously, this whole episode was a step down in pacing from those previous, as we're clearly building to the crescendo that will be episode nine, but since they've already been dragging out the question of how to withstand Stannis for most of this season, one more reminder that sieges suck was really kind of unnecessary. Bronn's pragmatic approach to dealing with the inevitable issue of famine ("It's just the unknown thieves we have to worry about now."; reminiscent of Donald Rumsfeld's comment about the "known unknowns") was well played, though.


In contrast, the next two scenes in Kings Landing were fantastic. Tyrion's dinner with Cersei (the old English proverb: "He who sups with the Devil should have a long spoon." immediately sprang to mind) was their best scene yet, allowing Lena Headey to revel in her character's wickedness and tremendous insecurities while Dinklage is confronted with a perilous moment: How to control one's relief and one's dismay? Obviously, he's relieved that it's Roz and not Shae whom is brought before him. On the other hand, as one of the few characters in the game with an actual moral streak, he knows that Roz will be tortured to death if things don't proceed according to Cersei's desires. Choices. Throw it in Cersei's face that she screwed up and save Roz's life or continue to live under better cover with her already satisfied? This is, of course, compounded by the fact that it was Tyrion who called attention to Roz in the first place by sending her to Joffrey. "Your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth." is a great line unfortunately spoiled by earlier trailers for the series, but I liked Cersei's "Get. Out." even better, as it was framed by her contemptuous delight. Great, great moment. This was also the second reference to "baby brother" in this episode, with starkly different intent. Honestly, I know I've mentioned their chemistry before, but no pair could have done this scene better. There's been a great deal of criticism of Headey's portrayal of Cersei because she was supposedly "too human". But the point is that Cersei is human, with all of the failings that go with that. She's not the Wicked Queen of Snow White or some kind of Sauronish embodiment of evil. She's human (albeit a fairly amoral, petty, and vindictive one) and I think Headey's performance has been exemplary.

On the other hand, Tyrion and Varys (and Joffrey) walking the battlements was excellent largely for the dialogue and the reinforcement of tendencies we're already well aware of:
"Imagine Stannis' terror!"
"I am trying."

"I wish we could converse as two honest, intelligent men."
"I wish we could, too."

"If we're going to play, you'll have to start."
"A most highborn plumber."
"One game at a time, my friend."

Using that moment to remind everyone of their awareness of Daenerys was good timing, but Tyrion's final statement about having other things on their plate was the wisest thing actually said. Someone else who doesn't come in for accolades very often is Conleth Hill, as Varys. He's done a remarkable job with a very subtle role that requires him to both overplay it and underplay it at various times. Great stuff.

Another good moment was Weiss and Benioff's decision to finally delve into the story of the Onion Knight, Ser Davos, for the benefit of the TV-only viewers; reminding everyone of the roots of some of the current conflict by, once again, highlighting choices that were made in the past (Davos' decision to run the blockade of Storm's End and save Stannis; Robert's decision to give Renly the Baratheon seat instead of his older brother) that still have ramifications now. There's so much history in the books that the TV series really can't touch on (despite website and DVD features) that it's often nice to have these moments of people reminiscing to events like Robert's Rebellion and informing the viewers of how deeply rooted some of these conflicts are. The moment of dragonglass discovery by Sam and Co. is another of those. A long-ago Watchman buried the glass at the Fist of the First Men as a clue. It will be up to Sam and his book-learnin' to see if they can use it to their advantage.

And, of course, the scene of the night for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it's a choice that will have huge ramifications for Robb and his position in the field and on the presumed throne of the North. His betrayal of the arrangement with the Freys is a profound insult to an already vainglorious family. Secondly, it's only the second moment that Robb steps outside his carefully established boundaries (the other being him attacking the tree in anguish over Eddard's death in season 1) and fully engages what he wants, rather than what he feels obligated to do. I think they teased this just enough that it felt genuine (Roose Bolton's quick exit from the tent acknowledged the public awareness of the attraction between Robb and Talisa, even if the latter's body language wasn't screaming the message already.) Robb's line: "How did you go from reciting Valyrian poetry to sawing off men's feet?" was brilliant but actually seemed more appropriate with Bolton in the room ("At the Dreadfort, we do both!") The culmination of the scene was, without doubt, the hottest sex scene of the series to date. Why?

She left the boots on.

Put aside the fact that Oona Chaplin is already smoking hot. She left the boots on. I wonder if that was the actor's choice or the director's. I'm kinda thinking it was hers. I'm going to stop talking about this now...

The denouement with Aemon, Osha, and Bran was the final reinforcement of the theme. The two think that they're sparing Bran the distress of knowing that two boys died for him, but he's already aware and the decision to not tell him is just one more little thing that may or may not color later events. Next week is the big bash and, presumably, Dany's trip into the House of the Undying (given her two minutes of screen time this week) so "faster-paced" doesn't really begin to describe it. The episode was written by the man himself, GRRM, so here's hoping they did his script justice.

"Did you pull a knife on me in the night?"

It's not common for the show to deliver what I thought was the line of the night so soon, but Ygritte does it in the first five minutes. That one phrase covers a lot of ground for the show, both at the micro level in continuing her subtle defiance and torture of Jon from the "bum-wriggling" (as they say in the kingdom; no, the real kingdom), and at the macro level, as the show is essentially about not trusting anyone. Anyone might pull a knife on you at this or any other moment, albeit generally one they intend to kill you with... (If you haven't read Clash, the fact that you know nothing might be spoiled below.)

What it really highlights for the seventh episode of the season is the theme of maturity. Jon and many of his friends amongst the Watch are still boys playing at war. They're unaware of many of the ramifications of what they do and how driven the Wildings are to maintain their own way of life. As sexual maturity is often a sign of genuine maturity (not least the ability to understand when someone's blatantly spinning your head around for the purposes of escape), the subtext encouraging Jon to grow up and realize that he's involved in something that has a wider scope than simply the honorable vows of an ancient and somewhat outdated order is pretty evident to everyone except Jon until late in the hour.

By the same token, Ygritte's repeated claims of "freedom" are often no less hollow than the mission of the Watch. Claiming that being pushed into the most desolate corner of the world and engaged in a literal fight for survival on a daily basis is no more an expression of freedom than being a serf for whatever fancy lord will have you south of the Wall. So, like usual, everyone carries their own pet illusions to get through the day, some more prominent than others.

Dany's whole story for the first two books is largely about the casting off of childhood illusions and, thus, the acquisition of maturity. While her story has taken the most marked deviation from the books this season (the theft of the dragons, the death of 90% of her khalassar), I think the presumed reasoning behind much of it is both obvious and not altogether a bad thing. First off, the House of the Undying sequence and events around it are awfully acid trippy for a series that many seem to favor for its foundation in the brutal politics and maneuvers of "reality". Very little encourages Dany to go to the House other than simply not having many other avenues out of Qarth. There simply isn't time for her to dawdle into that with only 10 episodes to cover the book. Furthermore, the urgency created by her being separated not only from the three things that might actually win her the Iron Throne but from the beings that she considers closest to her of anything in the world is a proper motivation that new viewers and old readers should be able to relate to. Combine it with the palace coup created by Pyat Pree and XXD and it's actually even more interesting than the tale Martin originally told. Given a scenario (Dany continually wheedling with the reluctant Thirteen for their assistance) that took up very little of Clash because it was so tedious (and was just verging on that in the show in the coup scene), I'm kinda glad that Weiss and Benioff weren't afraid to cut to the chase, as it were.

Cut to: what is currently the best relationship of all of those various and sundry throughout the realm: Arya and Tywin. Again, our theme of maturity is emphasized, as Arya learns to not only stop being so impertinent and accept the grace of one's lord when it is given, but also to keep playing the game in a more appropriate manner, since Tywin knows damn well that she's not whom she pretends to be. Thankfully, for her sake, he appears tickled to be around someone so obviously intelligent and isn't concerned about the mild lies that she engages in for her own safety. Of course, if he knew how big those lies really were, things would be different. I've appreciated this deviation from the books more than I thought I would, largely based on the chance for two of the best characters and two of the best actors from the brilliant cast to spend some time together. This moment also was the opening salvo in an episode that would largely be driven by people standing around and talking to each other, which one hopes the audience possesses the maturity to appreciate (including the story of Harren the Black and the Targaryen conquest, as well as Arya's evident appreciation for Aegon's sisters was a nice touch, story-wise) in the same way that readers of Martin's work, which has a wealth of "action" embodied in conversation (much like Asimov), have been able to.

Our theme finally clubs us over the head with the arrival of Sansa's literal sexual maturity, even though the character, just as in the books, stays fairly static in her ways. She's used as a jumping off point for a deeper look at Sandor Clegane, who rebuffs her thanks for saving her life, and at Cersei, who begins to acknowledge the fact that her son has long since passed her control, even while Sansa continues to provide her wooden reassurances of her emotional fealty to him. Cersei, of course, experienced the same emotion (or lack thereof) while attached to Robert, so the ice queen does show a bit of sympathy here. This is further enhanced by the rueful conversation between Cersei and Tyrion, as they not only ruminate on Joffrey's madness but also the magnitude of responsibility weighing upon their shoulders. And this is my one real note of disappointment with this episode.

At several points, some of the most important secrets of the story (Cersei and Jaime's relationship, Arya's identity) are somewhat trivialized by how open they've become. As much as I liked the seeming level of confidence displayed by Tywin in dealing with his cup-bearer's identity, it brings to question why a man so careful would be so cavalier with what may be a significant tactical advantage. He knows she's a northerner. He knows she's of the nobility. That's a captive for ransom or potential capitulation, not someone to serve you wine. Considering that he was hanging people left and right after Amory Lorch's assassination (which he mistakes for an attempt on his own life), it's more than a bit careless to have the daughter of an enemy having access to the food and drink that you're consuming on a daily basis. I suppose one could read his insistence that she eat the mutton as a way of testing for poison, but it certainly wasn't dramatically presented in that way.

Even worse is the handling of the incest. It's now being presented as common knowledge and the ramifications of said relationship (Bran's crippling) are treated as an openly leveled charge. It seems like the ripples from this would be larger. In the books, while most seem to acknowledge the likelihood of the situation, the stories are still presented as rumors spread by a rival (Stannis) or the rantings of a bereaved mother (Catelyn.) While the moment of Cersei suggesting that Joffrey looks like Jaime "in a certain light" and Tyrion's consequent eye roll is an excellent one, they then dispel that moment by openly discussing the fact that Jaime has fathered all of her children. I suppose that some would begin to consider it a bit trite to keep dancing around that topic, but there would seem to be smoother ways to handle it. Is it really likely that the most common epithet for Jaime would be "Kingslayer" if the fact that he was screwing his sister was so readily discussed? Compounding that is Cersei's acknowledging that Jaime was far more important (and better filled the role of husband during her labor) than Robert when talking about the role of a queen with Sansa. Again, the limited amount of camera time may be a factor here but it strikes me as a bit ham-handed.

Highlights-

- Rose Leslie as Ygritte is nothing short of spectacular. "You know nothing, Jon Snow." is one of the most iconic lines of the story and it was delivered with real impact by Leslie. But even better is her evident mastery of the one-sided conversation throughout the episode.

- Emilia Clarke's performance as Daenerys. Her rather desperate attempts to still be "queenly" in the midst of a situation where she lacks the foundation to be so are a delight to watch.

- Theon coming into his own with his men. Once again maintaining the maturity theme, as Theon grows in the estimation of his crew in true Ironborn fashion: by beating the crap out of them.

- "Most girls are idiots." Maisie Williams continues to be a treat.

- Jaime still taking shots at Ned Stark, even after the latter's death. That's either a sign of true dedication in hatred for one's enemies (and personal rivals) or an excellent way to divert attention from one's own deeply felt shortcomings. Probably both, and Nikolai Coster-Waldau plays it well.

- The incredibly awkward moment where Tyrion is about to comfort Cersei in her moment of grief and the two of them try to find some way out of it. Again, the actors' personal chemistry is put to good use here.

Lowlights:

- Using Jaime's attempted escape as the foundation of the venom which Rickard Karstark holds for him. I was wondering how they were going to pull that off, given their reluctance to show mass battles and the fact that Jaime was captured in season 1. But it was a bit on the typical melodrama side and one wonders why the son of one of Robb's most powerful bannermen would be reduced to guarding prisoners...

- "I beg pardon, ser." I was waiting for yet another "I'm no ser." and they missed it. Bummer.

Overall, I think the pacing of this episode was solid and it was clearly the beginning of the bujld-up to episode nine, even if it wobbled a bit in its intensity at points because of the continued switches to set-piece conversations. Got a glimpse of Rattleshirt in the "coming scenes" bit, too. Woo hoo!

"Don't trust anyone. Life is safer that way."

Jon Snow may finally know nothing (I was mildly disappointed that said iconic line didn't get used in the first appearance of Ygritte) but you'll know more than you want below if you haven't read the books.

For those who have read the books, you can see the more complex elements of the story and the origins of future events beginning to seep through in all kinds of little lines and moments. Shae's line about trust; Roose Bolton's comment about how his boy would be happy to retake Winterfell from the Greyjoys; and Xaro Xhoan Daxos' admonition about the things you have to do to achieve wealth and power. The early episodes of the season felt rushed, as they scrambled to lay all of the groundwork they needed. But the last two have begun to feel like the story is proceeding at a reasonable pace, which is odd considering the aforementioned increasing complexity. I am beginning to get nervous about how they'll be able to succinctly close everything in the Battle of the Blackwater and its aftermath, but there's nothing to do but wait and watch in that respect.

As we say goodbye to Rodrik Cassel in particularly savage fashion, one wonders at the temperament of Theon in that scene. Is it all about his internal turmoil at the betrayal of the Starks and the death of someone he at least grudgingly called friend? Or was there something to Bran's question: "Did you hate us the whole time?" (nicely delivered by Isaac Wright-Hempstead) The series Theon is significantly different from the book Theon. The latter was still a weaselly little shit who gave no indication that his loyalties lay with anyone but himself. This one has gone through a more traumatic (and, honestly, more interesting) transformation and is still experiencing it whenever he makes a command decision. But one wonders if they did decide to use that execution moment as a way for Theon to exorcise the frustration of his existence to that point. It is, of course, nicely paralleled by the experience of the other only-partial member of the Stark clan

and his new best friend. We see two scenes of potential execution: one carried through because the executioner wasn't strong enough to say "no" and another avoided because he was. In both instances, Theon and Jon are confronted with the reality of their isolation: Jon in a wasteland without friends and now reliant on an enemy and Theon in enemy territory and only vaguely supported by those that are supposed to be his kinsmen. That theme permeates the whole episode, as the royal court flees the people, Arya navigates the maze of Harrenhal, and Daenerys attempts to maintain her independence in a place where she can do little more than put her hand out. In all of these situations, the lesson is clear: in this game, you need people that you don't like, don't trust, and don't know. Welcome to life.

Personally, I was thrilled to see the Hound finally get into some real action. Sandor Clegane is, by far, my favorite character of the entire story. His blunt cynicism and distaste for everyone around him is something that I find hilarious, but the depth of his character in the books is remarkable, especially in Storm of Swords, when he teams up with another member of our cast who tends to reject the expectations of society. His everpresent aphorisms: "I didn't do it for you." and "I'm no ser." are the constant reminders that most of the people in the story are  living in an artificial world of their own creation. They need to believe that the motivations of that world are honorable at their root, even if they know otherwise, and the Hound is there to remind them of their own dishonesty.

More things I was glad to see:

- Another casting coup by the directors of the series in Rose Leslie, as Ygritte. She fits the character perfectly, even if she is somewhat more attractive than it seems Martin presented her in the books. The wriggling moments between her and Jon (literally) were brilliant. She's another female character (like Arya, like Cersei) whose grasp of the world is way beyond what is expected or often permitted of her.

- The continued expansion of Osha's role. It's not that I'm particularly entranced by the character. I just find this deviation from the books particularly interesting, especially given Martin's assertion that Natalia Tena's performance has inspired him to do more with her in the next book. Speaking of doing more, I had to wonder what the Harry Potter fans thought of (ahem) Nymphadora Tonks giving us her all this episode...

- Qhorin Halfhand giving Jon the inspiring speech, followed by his immediate dispelling of any heroic notions: "They're just words. They help keep us warm at night and make us think we have a purpose." Nothing will help keep you alive in that environment more than confronting the reality of what it is you're doing there. That said, there was pragmatism in the spiel about purpose, as well: "I don't want you to be glad about it!"

- The appearance of no less than three(!) dire wolves in one episode. Crazy.

- The rather resigned response of Jaqen H'ghar to Arya's demand that he kill Amory Lorch. As implacable as he is, you can see him do the neck bob thing when she fully explains why it has to happen NOW: "Excuse me? I've already promised to kill three people by your say so. Now you're telling me how to do my job?"

A few things I was perturbed to see:

- Tywin Lannister does not say "I'm cold." Tywin Lannister doesn't get cold, no matter how much you try to humanize him by having him give his life story to his cup-bearer. "It's cold in here." "Bring more wood for the fire." "Do your job before I box your ears." That's Tywin Lannister.

- In that same vein, I'm not sure I understand the point of making Petyr the traveling idiot. One would think that someone as canny as Littlefinger would know that sitting down with Tywin Lannister to tell him that a moment of crisis presents opportunity is bound to get excoriated (which is exactly what happens.) And if they're doing so to present the idea that Littlefinger is playing dumb so people won't suspect him...? Yeah, no. He's the Master of Coin for the Seven Kingdoms, having risen from a tiny spit of land in Nowheresville. People already suspect him. He's been flitting around for the past two episodes telling people things they already know. Is this for the benefit of new viewers?

- The first scene limitation I can clearly recall. The whole exchange with the Spice King happens on a staircase that was obviously the same set from a scene earlier in the series but shot from a different angle. While the dramatic movement is appropriate (he is above her, as she is the supplicant), the scene felt constrained, as if they cut costs here.

- And now Irri is dead?  There's going to be no one left of Daenerys' khalassar by the time they get to Dance of Dragons.

"Anyone can be killed."

Thus, the hallmark of the Song of Ice and Fire for many fans, supposedly never knowing when another major character will be killed off. This is actually less true than many believe it to be, in the same way that Arya's assertion that "anyone" can be killed is true only so far as one is capable of doing so. Or having the friends to do so.

This episode was rife with excellent character moments and exchanges between the different players. All of the performers seemed to be on their game. One wonders if the direction had any part of it or whether everyone was just given plenty of red meat to toy with in this script. While it lacked some of the powerful one-liners of previous episodes, it exceeded them in story and performance and was the best episode of the season so far; at least for those of us that appreciate the sometimes-dizzying complexity of the story.

I found myself wondering if the shadow scene was too abrupt, in that it is a major turning point of the book. Of course, I kind of felt that about the book, as well, as I remember questioning whether Renly was actually dead and what, in fact, had killed him until I arrived at the next Brienne/Catelyn scene and everything coalesced. Of course, this episode was so packed with people and events and their reactions that one wonders whether it could have been anything but abrupt. For the first time, I wondered whether non-reading viewers were going to have trouble following what was happening, as new characters like Qhorin Halfhand were introduced without much direct indication, and important events were taking place at a pace that may not have allowed the new viewer much time to digest and by which to appreciate their magnitude. That said, I thought the overall pacing felt much less rushed than other episodes this season.

When Littlefinger arrived at the Baratheon/Tyrell camp last episode in a deviation from the books, I thought the producers were doing so in order to make the machinations of Tyrion and Petyr more obvious, since much of that happens off-camera in the books. In a way, it could be seen as ham-handed. But I think it worked well here, especially with Aidan Gillen playing the canny negotiator with an emotional Loras being reminded, as Brienne was, that revenge is difficult when you're dead.

The character development moments were plentiful and almost all were both subtle and involving more than one person coming to a new moment. Davos and Stannis arguing over Melisandre; Tyrion and Cersei continuing Dinklage and Headey's remarkable chemistry; Theon realizing the opportunity for true betrayal and potential glory with Dagmer Cleftjaw; Arya and Jaqen H'ghar striking their deal; Bronn, Tyrion, and one of the Wisdoms of the Alchemists' Guild arguing over the wildfire (with the unintentionally ironic statement "Men win wars, not magic tricks." coming shortly after Renly's assassination); Bran and Ser Rodrik; Xaro Xhoan Daxos and Daenerys; all of these were great scenes that gave real insight into the characters involved and demonstrated the skill of the people playing them.

It was good to see that some of the best material in the book and probably the most intriguing relationship (Arya and Jaqen) was given plenty of screen time. This encounter, more than anything else, sets Arya on her presumed life path and gives her the realization that she can genuinely alter her life and the expectations around her by the force of her own will. Maisie Williams continues to be an absolute treasure as her willful but subservient reaction to Tywin's interrogation wins her his grudging respect and her reaction to the Tickler's death was, by far, the best moment of the episode and, fittingly, the climax.

Short bits:

I thought the detail of Tyrion not wearing the badge of the Hand in the increasingly unhappy streets of Kings Landing was smart. While he and Bronn are obvious to us, they're less likely to be noticed by the smallfolk on the streets.

Although I enjoyed the moment with Theon and Dagmer, the routine of Theon getting treated like an alien is getting a little old. If they're truly moving the story at an accelerated pace, we could probably live without yet another scene of Yara rubbing Theon's nose in the shit that his life has seemingly become.

Dolorous Edd was in fine form: "We'll live another day. Hurrah."

I'm really unsure about the seeming jealousy and cultural conflict between Doreah and Irri. I don't know that the personal conflict serves a whole lot of purpose and the spotlight on the Dothraki being strangers in a strange land was better emphasized by two of them bickering over how to dismantle a golden statue before they leave. Was it really necessary to have the two handmaidens arguing over whether Daenerys is a princess or a khaleesi?

In that same vein: "Valyrian stone"? Really? What's next? Valyrian wood? Valyrian grass, the kind you just can't get out of the crevices in your driveway? I was fine with Valyrian steel. It's a fantasy trope, like mithril and adamantium, but it's based in the history of Damascus steel and provides a nice link to the past in the hereditary swords. Couldn't they have just said that Xaro's vault door was solid granite or 'black quartz' if you really want to invoke the Mohs scale?

On the other hand, I'm glad that they laid a little groundwork for Pyatt Pree. The House of the Undying sequence in the book was not one of my favorites. It felt like going from the "realistic" fantasy of Game of Thrones right into the introspective, New Wave science fiction of the late 60s and early 70s. I'm really wondering both how they're going to handle that scene and what the audience reaction will be like.

Initial thoughts on GoT episode 3 (spoilers)

I suggested to the guys on the board that, since I was no longer reading it, I'd post some thoughts here about Game of Thrones, as many of them have become fans in the last year-and-a-half since the HBO series began. Obviously, there are colossal spoilers below for anyone who hasn't watched or read the books...

I think they conveyed the sense of idleness that permeates the Baratheon/Tyrell alliance. Although the HBO Renly is very different from the book Renly, they both are lacking the same sense of aggression that made Robert the warrior king that he was (or tried to be; far better the former than the latter.) It's all nice and well to assemble 100K men-at-arms and knights, but it's a far cry from an actual army until you have a leader capable of taking it somewhere. Catelyn gets the pleasure of pointing that out on her walk with Renly. Gwendoline Christie was excellent as Brienne, though, and I'm glad they skipped the renaming of Renly's Kingsguard. Given the fact that they're giving free rein to Renly's sexual preferences, rather than overt allusion in the books, the "Rainbow Guard" would have been way over the top. It's a bit much even in the books.

On the one hand, I like that they've introduced Margaery as a smart, capable woman. OTOH, I like the subtlety with which Martin moves her in the books. Even though there is no frank admission of Renly's love for Loras in Clash of Kings, she's presented as clearly knowledgeable about the reality of her marriage and the people around her. Again, this is one of those things that you'd be hard-pressed to imply in a 10-episode TV series (like Melisandre's relationship with Stannis and Craster's arrangement with the Others), so they kind of have to lay it out in the open (as it were.) I think this change to Margaery is unfortunate, but nowhere near as disastrous as the one to Stannis (who was, regrettably, absent from this episode.) With this in mind, it will be interesting to see how they present the Queen of Thorns if she appears next season, as her character is all about subtlety and vague menace. I hope they go into a bit more detail about House Tyrell, as well.

Just like in Clash of Kings, Tyrion is killin' it and, likewise, Peter Dinklage has completely assumed the role of leading man this season. I noticed a lot of people thrilled with his lines and actions in the first two episodes, but this was the one where he really seemed to grow into his own as Hand. The Myrcella situation played out just like in Clash and they preserved a lot of the dialogue, including the moment with Varys ("I've decided I don't like riddles."), which was great to see.

The resolution to the Craster change from last episode was acceptable, although I think they're twisting the "even the good guys make cynical choices in this world" knife a bit too hard. It was obvious when Sam confronted Jon about the fact that Gilly is a person last episode. Having the moment of shock for Jon while Mormont as much as admits that he knows what Craster is up to was unnecessary, IMO. It could have been done much more casually and much faster. We get it, already.

It was certainly good to see Sophie Turner (Sansa) get something out of a script other than shock and dismay. The scene with Shae reminds the TV-only audience that Sansa is still Sansa and not entirely a sympathetic character. I think Shae is being presented as a bit too obvious a fish-out-of-water, though. If this is going to be a secret that is kept from Cersei, the handmaid that flounces around, clearly irritated by her role, is going to be the talk of the servants' quarters pretty damn soon; putting aside the clearly not-Westeros origins.

The Ironborn stuff is still great. Every note of interaction between Theon, Balon, and Yara/Asha has been spot on. While some people complained about the fact that Theon had to be convinced to betray Robb, I think that makes it have more impact. Theon was portrayed by Martin as a petulant irritant from beginning to end (rhymes with 'meek'...), while HBO Theon, although arrogant with the local prostitutes, was showing some genuine ethics and honor in his dealings with Robb. Having to abandon that in order to be accepted by his family makes his decision less of an Eddard-error by Robb and more of a tragedy for Theon. And Aeron Damphair! Woo hoo! But why were the banners gray-blue? Is House Greyjoy so impoverished that they can't replace the banners when they get that badly sun-bleached? Lame.

Bran's scenes were great for two things. First, we got to see Hodor's acknowledgement of it being Bran inside Summer when the latter was walking around. Second, we got to see Maester Aemon actually talk about the maester's chain and its different links, which is a first for the TV show. Isaac Wright-Hempstead continues to impress as Bran, but I find it kind of odd that they still haven't mentioned Summer's name. They, of course, missed the classic line from the first book when he awakens in order to provide a different dramatic moment when Lady is killed last season. But, at some point, you'd think the TV audience would like to know that the wolf has a name.

Finally... Yoren is dead. Too bad. I really didn't care for the character much in the books, but Francis Magee has been brilliant in the past two episodes, sharing the best line honors with Tyrion this time ("I never really cared for crossbows...") Just as Natalia Tena has impressed Martin enough as Osha for him to expand on her part in the upcoming Winds of Winter, one wonders whether Yoren would have gone out so quickly if Martin had had a chance to watch Magee play the role. I think they fumbled the end a bit, as the ordinarily brilliant Maisie Williams (Arya) sounded very wooden when declaring the corpse of Lommy to be Gendry. I think she could have played it sounding a bit more emotional and we could have stopped to look at her while saying the line before moving to the body. But that may be a director thing, as it was the first time for Alik Sakharov in the command chair, even though he's been director of photography on other episodes and many other HBO series.

Anyway, solid episode all around, although I'll be eager to see Dany finally reach Qarth next week.

Is Fantasy. Is not Fantasy.

Win the Internets for a day if you can tell me which band is referenced by the title without Googling. They were easily one of the most innovative groups of the 90s.

So, allow me to prove myself wrong almost immediately by having something occur to me that is not fiction, but is actually about fiction (Is fiction. Is not fiction...), since fantasy and SF seem to be hot items in the entertainment world these days (All those of us who've been fans for decades can finally roll our eyes once again at mainstream America in that respect: Yes. It was always cool.) But there's a bit of seeming hypocrisy present in the fantasy end of the genre and that's what I wanted to touch on because it directly affects what I'm working on from a viability standpoint.

Clearly, the hottest fantasy series out there right now is George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, known to many by the title of the HBO series, named after the first book, A Game of Thrones.

One of the most frequent comments I see about both the TV series and the books (as the vast majority of viewers seem to have become readers, much to the joy of Martin's bank account (and quite deservedly so; it's a strange world in which we live when a person's months or years of work can be bought for less than the price of a fast food lunch, but that's another post...)) is that Game of Thrones is appealing to them because the "fantasy" elements are largely left in the background. With the exception of one appearance by the Others in the first episode and the appearance of dragons in the finale and a couple minor bits along the way (zombies, the presence of the Wall, etc.), Martin's story is far more medieval power struggle than fantasy epic. Of course, since he largely based the series on the Wars of the Roses and Venetian clan conflicts, that's perhaps to be expected. I have grave news for those viewers who still aren't readers in that the fantasy elements tend to ramp up a bit in the second book (and, presumably, in the second season of the TV series, which begins this Sunday.) You'll see alchemists creating a fascimile of Greek fire, more evidence of the Others, shapeshifting assassins, Wildling mammoths, and a huge dose of mysticism in the mysterious city of Qarth. And, of course, the continued presence of flying, fire-breathing lizards. Will that same audience continue to be sucked in by Martin's brilliant characters and simply accept the emergence of the sorcery half of the typical sword-and-sorcery combo?

One of the interesting aspects to that declaration of the enjoyment of "non-fantasy fantasy" is the demeaning comparison to The Lord of the Rings. The latter is presented as the "too much magic" fantasy which Martin supposedly successfully avoids. The interesting thing about that is, if you read Tolkien's books, there really isn't that much typical fantasy involved, once you get past the very presence of elves, dwarves, and orcs. Take out the One Ring and that's short people and skinny people fighting bestial people, which could be propaganda in any number of wars throughout human history.

(Did I just imply that the uruk-hai were the misunderstood victims of politics? Oh, yes, I did.) The movies tended to add fantastical elements that really weren't present in the books (there is no on-camera telekinetic duel between Gandalf and Saruman, for example) but LotR is still considered the byword for something that real people wouldn't admit to reading or liking if they wanted to be accepted by mainstream America (despite the movies somehow raking in billions and several Oscars; I'm not getting into it...)

But the books are quite different. Tolkien used to harp on a concept he called "lore" more than anything else. The rings didn't actually do anything overt. You couldn't haul off and shoot fireballs with them. They simply enabled people to do other things. The elves built the scintillating forest realm of Lothlórien on the strength of one of the three rings. Sauron built the Barad-dûr on the strength of a ring that seemingly did nothing more fantastic than turning the wearer invisible. Nice for David Copperfield, but hardly something that would turn him into ruler of the world. But the "lore" behind it was what was important. It was the theme of Tolkien's story; his disdain for the modern world and its machine-like impulses (most prevalent in the pursuit of war) when the truer, deeper, more elevated impulses were those embodied by not humans: mostly elves. It was a longing for a time that had never been when confronted by a time that he really didn't care for (having been a participant in WWI and with his son an active participant in WWII while he was writing The Lord of the Rings.) The sword-and-sorcery fantasy in Tolkien's work is actually far more conceptual than what would produce big explosions on screen. But his work is now often derided because it is the foundation of modern fantasy and Martin's work, possessed of far more adult-oriented themes than much of Tolkien's work (savage murder by other humans as opposed to monsters, sex, overt politics (as opposed to the subtle themes of Minas Tirith), etc.), is given credit for being that much more "real", walking precisely the path that Tolkien so derided for being what it was. Tolkien wanted to be fantasy and is now derided for it. Martin's story is fantasy and will become even more overtly so once the dragons start contesting the world with the walking ice men, but is hailed for it.

Bringing this all around to what I'm doing: the prologue that I posted the other day is set in a world that is unapologetically fantasy, but not Tolkien fantasy. Magic is a constant presence but so is the presence of what Martin's books are often lauded for. For example, the pseudo-main character is a contract killer who happens to be of the class of people known as magi: those who can invoke powers beyond their world and use that energy to do fantastic things. But murder is a constant presence. So is the (supposedly) past element of slave trading. And labor rights. And the exploitation of the poor by the rich. And drugs. And, yes, "lore" in more of the Tolkien vein (or at least my interpretation of it.) It will be, in essence, both Tolkien and Martin taken to the Nth degree in many ways (except no dwarves or elves, sorry.)

Does the darker atmosphere make it more viable in today's market or does the constant presence of sorcery and mage stuff make it less viable? Both? Neither? Will it cross the same audiences as Martin's work? Or get relegated to a niche because one element overwhelms the other? When you look at typical fantasy, like Terry Brooks' Shannara series, which is unarguably successful from a sales perspective, does that make it better than Roger Zelazny's brilliant and beautifully-written Lord of Light, which is barely remembered?

I'm not particularly concerned about the sales or audience questions at this point, since my story is largely unwritten and, thus, can't be sold even if people wanted to buy it. It's just another of those theoretical questions that invade my brain and cause me to wonder about people's identity crises vis-a-vis their choice of media. Is it OK to be a prototypical "jock" and like fantasy? Or only Game of Thrones-type fantasy? Do those labels even apply anymore? I'm a diehard Michigan football fan who understands the 4-3 under (that's a defense) better than most football fans I've ever met. But I have a closet full of board games, the majority of which could typically be described as "geeky" (Descent, et al) because of their themes and styles. Does that make me the ideal "modern fantasy" consumer? Good thing I know several other people like me, I guess...