The greatest drama on Game of Thrones has been delivered via
several iconic moments, those ones that when the show has run its course, will forever
linger clearly in our minds. Ned Stark loses his head, dragons are hatched and
swarm Daenarys Targaryen’s nude body, Blackwater Bay explodes in vivid green
flames, a horde of white walkers trudge toward a battle with the Night’s Watch,
with no subtlety Jaime Lannister’s hand is sliced off — these are some of the
moments we will never forget.
But I believe “And Now His Watch Has Ended” handed us
perhaps the iconic moment that, thus far, trumps all of these. We have been
following Dany Targaryen since season one. The beautiful blond with a heart for
the oppressed has evolved from a bartering chip to the one holding all of the
chips. In last week’s recap when I said she showed her hand by offering up a
dragon for Kraznys’ army of the unsullied, I, like most fans of the show, was
certain she would not leave Astapor without all three of her winged babies. The
fact that I knew this, and still got goosebumps from the series of events that
led to Daenarys and her army marching to wherever (hopefully some boats), says
a lot. The final scene, a wide shot with a multitude of former mercenaries on
land and three dragons overhead, combined with heavy, pulsing music had me
saying “Oh shit” over and over again. Khaleesi’s story arc was remarkably done
this episode. And if you’re keeping score, Astapor is the second city whose de
facto rulers have been taken down by Dany. Qarth’s surviving council members
were burnt and locked up. Astapor’s whip wielders on the wall were vaporized by
dragon fire as those on the ground were instructed to be killed in fluent
Valyrian. Further establishing her position of power, Daenarys recruited an army
willing to die for her, not just willing to die, by setting the unsullied free
and giving them a choice to fight or stay. Ser Barristan’s advice from last
episode may have been heeded, or perhaps this was her plan all along.
Back in the “civilized” world, Varys was doing what he seems
to do best – gossiping. He hates magic, we learned, which is why he so despises
Stannis Baratheon and his red priestess. His dislike of illusions and
incantations is told to Tyrion during a story of how Varys was cut by a
sorcerer. Tyrion is told revenge does not come overnight, but with patience, it
can eventually be delivered right to your doorstep. When Varys wasn’t waxing
poetically about the wizard in the box, he and Ros were discussing Podrick’s
legendary moves in the sack and Petyr Baelish’s plans to make off with Sansa. He
has other plans, though, and starts making arrangements with granny Tyrell to
hook up Sansa and Loras – the same wheels Maergery is putting in motion
elsewhere in the capital. I’ve never particularly enjoyed Varys, who looks
about what I’d expect a middle-aged eunuch to look like, but this episode
encapsulated well exactly who he is, and how he become what he has. For all of
the heavy conversations he had about revenge and distrust of Little Finger, who
would see the country burned if he could be king of the ashes (powerful
stuff!), the lighthearted Podrick gossip was my favorite scene with Varys, if
only to give me a break from all the tension last night.
Make no mistake, tension abounded in Westeros. Jaime
Lannister has been beyond humbled, forced to wear his rotting, severed hand
around his neck while he drinks horse piss. Even a death wish doesn’t come true
for the guy who used to be able to get whatever he wanted, and whenever. Bri
tells him to buck up and be a man, informing him that she knows he stood up for
her when the rapists came calling. He never does tell her why he did so when
she asks, but he does nibble some bread.
Members of the Night’s Watch were seeking more than bread
from Craster, who didn’t take too kindly to being called a bastard. His anger
is no match for the skilled fighters of the Night’s Watch, though. It’s a
full-on mutiny at Craster’s cabin, as the Bear is slayed as well. Amidst all of
the fighting indoors, Sam makes a move, running outside to find Gilly and her
newborn son. Hey Sam, her daddy/baby daddy is gone and the kid is safe for now,
what’s the rush? Perhaps it was the co-leader of the mutiny who called him
“piggy” several times, including one last time as he and Gilly ran through the
forest. For some reason, I’m not as excited about seeing Sam and Gilly sneak
through the woods as I was to watch Jaime and Bri get some alone time.
Theon and his hero were sneaking through the woods, under
walls, etc., but for what? I have stuck up for this story arc in the past, but
this latest twist has outright confused me. Why did said rescuer set him free
and aid his escape in the first place? Plus, even though he returned Theon, he
did still kill four men who intended to do the same thing. Is this the same torture
chamber? Are these the same captors? Unless this man is Jaqen H’agar, I
could’ve done without all of this.
We got another short installment of “Who’s Daddy
Disappointed in?” starring Tywin Lannister this week. Cersei tells him that
amongst she, Jaime and Tyrion, perhaps she should have the upper hand in
consideration for lands and titles. Tywin lets her know that she has done
poorly in controlling her son, but he is working to get the little shit back in
order.
While Cersei and Tywin are trying to keep him under control,
Maergery continues to work on improving Joffrey’s image by having him wave to
the public. I am still unsure of her real intentions in all of this, but
continue to be interested in where this relationship will go, if anywhere.
Cersei and Granny Tyrell don’t think too highly of it, but for the
queen-regent, the steely grip on her son is starting to slide.
On the road somewhere, the Lannister’s former gut-cutter the
Hound is brought before the one-eyed leader of the Brotherhood, a group of
merry men who apparently are Lord of the Light loyalists. This upset me. I was
hoping they were simply a group of happy-go-lucky nihilists. On the bright
side, it looks like we’ll get to see the Hound in action as he and said cyclops
square off. We’ll see if the dog has any bite left in him, or if it was washed
away with battlefield wine.
This week was full of confrontations, both violent and pacified.
While the highlight for me was Dany’s ascent to a legitimate contender for the
throne, the other storylines did not disappoint. There was a big shakeup in the
Night’s Watch and possibly in the King Slayer’s outlook on life. What really
excites me is that this episode had enough big moments to serve as a season
finale, which is still six weeks away. Big things have happened, but bigger
things await. I can’t wait to see what they are.
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