The first notable thing about this episode is the arrival of Samwell Tarly at Castle Black. His importance and brilliance as a character is not really shown yet but he is endearing right from his second scene where he chats to Jon atop the wall.
There are lots of scenes of dialogue which just strengthen the character development continuing to grow but it is a mostly transitional episode leading towards the next episodes where things really start to kick off.
There is a nice depiction of Tyrion's decency as he shows Bran how there is still hope for him to ride and have enjoyment in life. There is a beautiful little scene between Ned and Arya which is touching and shows Arya's strength and unwillingness to conform to expectations. Gendry is introduced in a plot which leads on to forthcoming action. Scumbag Rast and Alliser Thorne continue to be villainous towards Jon as they train for the Nights Watch and Viserys continues his vileness but finally Danaerys shows the ability to strike back. There is a great scene as 'the Mountain' Gregor Clegane fights in a tournament joust and Lord Baelish slimily explains to Sansa and Arya how he burned his little brother (The Hound) disfiguring his face when they were still children. Also there is a tasty little confrontation between Ned and Cersei beautifully acted by Lena Headey.
Catelyn Stark has already caused damage by riding to Kings Landing and influencing Ned to trust Lord Baelish which sets Ned up problems to come. In the final scene of this episode Cat compounds that major error as she makes another fatal mistake by taking Tyrion a prisoner for supposedly injuring Bran. He is not only the wrong person, it is a very unwise move politically and sets off a chain of tragic events basically causing the war for the seven kingdoms. Foolish and catastrophic decision making by Cat and she goes on to make numerous other similar terrible decisions. She really is the cause of all the troubles along with Baelish who is, unknown to her, pulling the strings to cause trouble. This is all brilliant and enthralling storyline taken directly from the books. It sets up the dramas to come but also makes Catelyn a character I consider a liability and a bit of an idiot. It is of course vitally important for the plot that she does these things and is great, logical story development but it destoys the sympathy or affection I might have for her character. I cannot really understand people who see Catelyn as a character they love and support. Yes she is a great character in the show but not one who I sympathise with.
Not action packed or showy as an episode but all perfectly judged and acted. It is a very important set up episode for the great episodes to come.
9/10
There are lots of scenes of dialogue which just strengthen the character development continuing to grow but it is a mostly transitional episode leading towards the next episodes where things really start to kick off.
There is a nice depiction of Tyrion's decency as he shows Bran how there is still hope for him to ride and have enjoyment in life. There is a beautiful little scene between Ned and Arya which is touching and shows Arya's strength and unwillingness to conform to expectations. Gendry is introduced in a plot which leads on to forthcoming action. Scumbag Rast and Alliser Thorne continue to be villainous towards Jon as they train for the Nights Watch and Viserys continues his vileness but finally Danaerys shows the ability to strike back. There is a great scene as 'the Mountain' Gregor Clegane fights in a tournament joust and Lord Baelish slimily explains to Sansa and Arya how he burned his little brother (The Hound) disfiguring his face when they were still children. Also there is a tasty little confrontation between Ned and Cersei beautifully acted by Lena Headey.
Catelyn Stark has already caused damage by riding to Kings Landing and influencing Ned to trust Lord Baelish which sets Ned up problems to come. In the final scene of this episode Cat compounds that major error as she makes another fatal mistake by taking Tyrion a prisoner for supposedly injuring Bran. He is not only the wrong person, it is a very unwise move politically and sets off a chain of tragic events basically causing the war for the seven kingdoms. Foolish and catastrophic decision making by Cat and she goes on to make numerous other similar terrible decisions. She really is the cause of all the troubles along with Baelish who is, unknown to her, pulling the strings to cause trouble. This is all brilliant and enthralling storyline taken directly from the books. It sets up the dramas to come but also makes Catelyn a character I consider a liability and a bit of an idiot. It is of course vitally important for the plot that she does these things and is great, logical story development but it destoys the sympathy or affection I might have for her character. I cannot really understand people who see Catelyn as a character they love and support. Yes she is a great character in the show but not one who I sympathise with.
Not action packed or showy as an episode but all perfectly judged and acted. It is a very important set up episode for the great episodes to come.
9/10