That was a wonderful episode. Lots of stuff moving events forward, and some fantastic acting from both the usual suspects and… some not so usual.
I don’t have anything to add to the discussion of the fight scene except… surely I’m not the only one who was having Princess Bride flashbacks, right? “I am Oberyn Martell. You killed my sister. Prepare to die!” “STOP SAYING THAT!”
And like everyone else, I thought that Sophie Turner really kicked it up a notch this week. Not only was the sexy-mockingbird outfit and matching swagger really well-presented, but her scene with the inquisition was just wonderful. I remember thinking the other week that her acting in the snow-castle scene was pretty weaksauce, but she more than made up for it this episode. I’m also pleased with how they seem to be shortening the power-struggle in the Vale here with Royce (and thus I guess all the Vale lords) backing Littlefinger. I guess that puts the Sansa and Littlefinger stories at the end-point of Book 5 right? So anything new we see from those will be “new”.
The Arya/Hound road-show was fun, as always. HBO seems to delight in having the Stark kids come within a hair’s breadth of one another. Arya’s laugh was great, but the Hound’s expression when he learns of Lysa’s death was just spectacular.
What else?
The opening bit with Molestown was pretty cool. I like how Ygritte is still seething with murderous rage but retains enough decency to make her sympathetic. The shot with the blood coming through the floorboards while she tells Gilly to hush was quite nice.
I’m not sure what to think about the budding, doomed-to-be-platonic romance between Grey Worm and Missandei. On one hand, I’m not sure the show needs yet another arc about lovers who cannot be together due to duty/family/castration/whatever. On the other hand, if HBO wants a reason for more gratuitous T&A, Nathalie Emmanuel seems to be a good choice and who am I to complain?
Jorah’s exile scenes worked very well. Great acting from Emilia Clarke in that one too. Ser Barriston’s “You’ll never be alone with her again.” was a spectacular line.
The Theon stuff was probably the most throw-away part of the show, but even that contained some good acting from Alfie Allen as the warring sides of his psyche almost reduced him to a gibbering wreck. The scene with the two CGI armies from House Bolton meeting on the moors was understated but effective. I’ll wager that Rooce Bolton lives to regret elevating Ramsey to the nobility.
And finally… the beetle scene. Like last episode, we’re treated to a metaphysical conversation about morality and the worth of individual lives that I’m fairly sure wasn’t in the books. Not that I’m complaining – any chance for Dinklage and Coster-Waldau to act off each other is a winner.
