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| Monday, May 23, 2011 10:38 AM |
| (Last updated on Monday, May 23, 2011 10:39 AM) | | On the Viewer - Game of Thrones (Episode 4 - "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things") |
 by Fëanor |
As usual, beware the spoilers.
Bran finally has a dream about a three-eyed crow! Yes!! I was trying to figure out how they were even going to tell the rest of the story without those dreams, so I'm glad to see them finally showing up.
And hey, there's Hodor! Hodor, Hodor.
And Tyrion's going to design the saddle for Bran. A lot of the things I was afraid they weren't going to include are being included in this episode! Excellent.
Bran: "I'm not a cripple."
Tyrion: "Then I'm not a dwarf! My father will rejoice to hear it."
Tyrion: "I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things."
There's your episode title, ladies and gentlemen. And boy is it an excellent one.
Tyrion, to Theon: "Your loyalty to your captors is touching. Tell me, how do you think Balon Greyjoy would feel if he could see his only surviving son has turned lackey?"
Ouch! Way to hit him where he lives. I like the way they're using this added conversation between Tyrion and Theon to fit in the backstory of the Greyjoys. A bit needlessly nasty of Tyrion to talk to Theon that way, but it works.
Samwell Tarly arrives at The Wall. Poor bastard.
Sam: "I've come to take the black."
Man 1: "Come to take the black pudding?"
Grenn: "A coward! And people saw us talking to him! Now they'll think we're cowards, too!"
Pyp: "You're too stupid to be a coward."
Ooh! Daenerys arrives at Vaes Dothrak!
Viserys: "A pile of mud. Mud and shit and twigs! Is this the best these savages can do?"
Daenerys: "These are my people now. You shouldn't call them savages."
Viserys: "They're my people, and I'll call them what I like! This is my army. Khal Drogo is marching the wrong way with my army."
Mormont tells the short version of the story of his banishment and the loss of his wife, and does so a little more readily than he did in the book. His history had to come out eventually, but I'm a little disappointed it came out in such a cursory,
undramatic fashion.
An added scene between a whore and Viserys gives us more backstory on the Targaryens and dragons, and also includes a reference to the Faceless Men, unless I'm mistaken. They cleverly slip in Tyrion's memory of the dragons in the Red Keep by making it Viserys' memory. Also, Viserys confirms once again that he is a complete dick.
Another added scene between Sansa and her keeper (whose name I forget) gives us a glimpse of Sansa's fears and hates, and includes another history lesson. Yep, this does appear to be the exposition episode.
Ned: "Lord Baelish will see it paid for."
Petyr: "I will?"
Ned: "You found money for a champion's purse. You can find money to keep the peace."
Interesting look of concern/shock from Varys as Ned offers 20 of his own household guard to assist the City Watch.
Ned gets more details about Jon Arryn's death from the Grand Maester, as well as the "ponderous tome" Arryn was reading shortly before his death. Hmmm! (I'm actually disappointed in the book a bit. I imagined it being much bigger.)
Arya: "Tomorrow I'm going to be chasing cats."
Ned: "Cats? 'Syrio says...'"
Arya: "He says every swordsman should study cats. They're as quiet as shadows and as light as feathers."
Arya chafes under the fate of women in this society. She wants to be a lord or a warrior, not married to one. Sadly, her wish will come true...
Sam tells Jon the horrible truth about why he's here. It's a brutal story, well told. People have a lot of issues with their Dads in this show!
Sam: "I'm not going to get any better, you know."
Jon: "Well, you can't get any worse."
Petyr opens Ned's eyes to the way the game is played in King's Landing. He's surrounded by spies!
Petyr: "Is there someone in your service whom you trust completely?"
Ned: "Yes."
Petyr: "The wiser answer was no, my lord."
Petyr tells Ned to question Ser Hugh, once the squire of the late Jon Arryn, as well as a certain armorer Arryn visited shortly before his death. Hmmm!
Ned: "Lord Baelish, perhaps I was wrong to distrust you."
Petyr: "Distrusting me was the wisest thing you've done since you climbed off your horse."
Ain't that the truth! One of my favorite scenes.
Ned goes to visit the armorer, and thus meets Gendry. Some questions and a careful look at his face and Ned realizes who he is - but net yet why he's so important.
Another added scene between Jaime and Jory Cassel. We learn that Robert has loud relations with lots of girls while Jaime is on guard, just to piss him off. Ouch. Turns out Jaime and Jory fought together during the Greyjoy rebellion, though Jaime had forgotten. Which gives them a chance to teach us some more history. And adds some interesting foreshadowing and pathos to what will happen between Jaime and Jory later.
Jory: "Theon? He's a good lad."
Jaime: "I doubt it."
Heh. Well said!
We get to see the awesome scene where Jon, with the help of his wolf, enforces his rule about not touching Sam in the practice yard. Hee hee.
Ser Alliser Thorne: "When you're out there beyond the Wall with the sun going down, do you want a man at your back or a sniveling boy?"
Thorne is still a bastard, but certainly more... well, understandable at least, if not likable, in the show than he ever was in the book.
Daenerys tries to help Viserys blend in with the Dothraki, and he doesn't exactly take it well.
V: "Next you'll want to braid my hair."
D: "You've no right to a braid - you've won no victories yet."
Ha! D ain't taking his crap no more.
D: "The next time you raise a hand to me will be the last time you have hands."
Sam complains about the vow of celibacy, and the hypocrisy of the brothers who run off to the brothels whenever they want. Jon is a little surprised - as am I! - that he cares so much.
Sam: "I like girls just as much as you do! They might not like me as much..."
This whore named Roz is coming up a lot in this episode for some reason...
Kinda creepy watching Sam get all hot and bothered over this description of Roz that Jon is giving him.
Jon: "But I couldn't do it. Because all I could think was, what if I got her pregnant? And she had a child. Another bastard named Snow."
I like this line, and this scene. It gives us powerful insight into Jon's character.
Thorne walks in and tells Jon and Sam a lovely story about being caught in a winter storm beyond the Wall and having to eat horses and men to stay alive.
Thorne: "They will call you men of the Night's Watch. But you'd be fools to believe it. You're boys still. And come the winter, you will die like flies."
What a nice guy!
Mormont: "Truth now: do you want to see your brother sitting on the Iron Throne?"
D: "No. But the common people are waiting for him... praying for his return."
M: "The common people pray for rain, health, and a summer that never ends. They don't care what games the high lords play."
D suddenly realizes that her brother could never lead an army, and that he will not be the one to retake the Seven Kingdoms. Kinda takes the wind out of your sails, realizing the hopes and dreams your life is built on are all lies.
The Hand's Tournament! We open with the creepy first meeting between Lord Baelish and Sansa. Petyr: "I've known your mother a long, long time." Eeww.
They find a clever way of fitting in the explanation for Petyr's nickname. Arya, rude little child that she is, just asks him straight out why he's called Littlefinger, and he tells her.
Robert knows how to declare the start of a tournament like a true King: "Start the damn joust before I piss meself!" Seriously, Robert is such a dick in this show.
We get to meet the Mountain That Rides! I kind of thought he'd be bigger, but okay. He faces off against Jon Arryn's former squire, and the fellow quickly goes the way of his late lord, in gruesome fashion. Nice.
Sansa mentioned Jeyne Poole earlier, but it doesn't look like she's going to be much of a character in the show; she's not the one sitting next to Sansa in the stands during the tournament, as she was in the book. Makes sense; you have to cut some of Martin's ridiculously huge cast of characters. Still, that means we won't get to have the rather dramatic and effective loss of Jeyne later.
I don't really like that the show has altered things so that it's Petyr telling Sansa the story of the Clegane brothers. It was an important and character-illuminating moment in the book when Clegane himself told her his story. It showed how vulnerable he was around Sansa, that he would let his guard down enough to reveal that to her. Of course, here it emphasizes how creepy Petyr is, which is always good, but still.
Interesting added scene (I think?) between Cersei and Ned.
Cersei, of Robert: "He'll do what he wants, which is all he's ever done. You'll try your best to pick up the pieces."
Ned: "If that's my job, then so be it."
C: "You're just a soldier, aren't you? You take your orders and you carry on. I suppose it makes sense - your older brother was trained to lead and you were trained to follow."
N: "I was also trained to kill my enemies, your grace."
C: "As was I."
Nice! Some of the added scenes I'm not a huge fan of, but that one worked very well.
Cat and Ser Rodrick at the inn! Marillion enters. "A song while we wait?"
Ser Rodrick: "I'd rather throw meself down a well."
Unfortunately for Cat, Tyrion comes in and recognizes her. Unfortunately for Tyrion, Cat has a grudge against him, and a plan. She starts getting people in the inn to pledge their loyalty to her and hers, and Tyrion doesn't realize what she's doing or what's coming.
What a great way to end the episode, with all the swords coming out, and the Starks finally moving openly against the Lannisters! This is the start of all the violence and turmoil that's to come - the spark that will lead to open war. Awesome!
Even though there were a number of scenes with characters just spouting backstory and exposition, and I didn't like a few of the changes they made, this was still a great episode. It filled in a lot of the blanks I was afraid were going to remain empty. Huzzah! |
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