Grade: A-
Before this episode, there was certainly conflict and a great deal of tension between House Stark and House Lannister. Yet here in episode 5, things get physical, and as such, the rivalry blossoms into something with true life and death stakes. As such, this could be seen as a point in season 1 where things get very, very serious, and the momentum from the climactic fight sequence will be sustained and then some for the remaining five episodes (to say nothing of how the second half of the season paves the way for the seasons that follow, but to go off on that tangent would mean getting way ahead of myself).
Ned and Jaime clashed verbally prior to this episode, but in this episode they clash physically. Tyrion's arrest by Catelyn has caused the Lannisters to really lose their cool, and even though Tyrion did not try to murder Bran, it's hard to feel bad for Jaime at this point. If he hadn't pushed Bran out the window, there would have been no need for the Lannisters to attempt a murder, and as such, Tyrion would have never been falsely accused. Jaime brought this upon himself, so it's extra frustrating to see him essentially win the battle at the episode's end. Ned Stark has a spear shoved through his leg, as well as several of his men (including Jory) murdered. The episode ends with him passing out in shock. Things just got extremely real for our protagonist, and that's without even taking into account his dramatic clash with King Robert in this very same episode.
We get some more intense action when Catelyn, Tyrion, and the other characters travelling with them are attacked. Tyrion goes out of his way to protect Catelyn, killing a bandit that was about to murder her. His unusual method of applying a shield to the man's head repeatedly is memorably graphic, but once the shock wears off, you do realise that it shows the good in Tyrion. He could have easily sat back and let somebody kill Catelyn, but he saves her- hopefully she's appreciative of this in time, too.
Then at the episode's start we get a clash between the Clegane brothers, after The Mountain chops the head off his horse. Extremely violent episode overall, all things considered, but that shouldn't surprise first time viewers too much at this stage... and it definitely shouldn't surprise viewers like me who are rewatching the series.
Memorable sequences of violence and combat aside, there are less action-packed scenes that have a real impact in this episode, too. With both Daenerys and Jon Snow sitting this episode out, there's a particularly large emphasis on King's Landing, and all the wonderful suspicion and intrigue that comes with it. The conversation between Littlefinger and Varys is a particular highlight, with each trying to outsmart and get 'one up' on the other, and it's a particular delight at this early stage of the show to watch two morally shady characters engage in a type of combat that is instead verbal in nature.
The early seasons of Game of Thrones are beloved because of this kind of verbal sparring and interesting dialogue, and it is a delight to watch it again. As this episode strikes such a good balance between the political intrigue + shady characters and action (not to mention some great special effects and imagery when Catelyn and Tyrion arrive at The Vale), it's not difficult to call this the best episode of the show's run to this point.
Even better, season 1 just gets even more exciting and engaging from here on out...
Before this episode, there was certainly conflict and a great deal of tension between House Stark and House Lannister. Yet here in episode 5, things get physical, and as such, the rivalry blossoms into something with true life and death stakes. As such, this could be seen as a point in season 1 where things get very, very serious, and the momentum from the climactic fight sequence will be sustained and then some for the remaining five episodes (to say nothing of how the second half of the season paves the way for the seasons that follow, but to go off on that tangent would mean getting way ahead of myself).
Ned and Jaime clashed verbally prior to this episode, but in this episode they clash physically. Tyrion's arrest by Catelyn has caused the Lannisters to really lose their cool, and even though Tyrion did not try to murder Bran, it's hard to feel bad for Jaime at this point. If he hadn't pushed Bran out the window, there would have been no need for the Lannisters to attempt a murder, and as such, Tyrion would have never been falsely accused. Jaime brought this upon himself, so it's extra frustrating to see him essentially win the battle at the episode's end. Ned Stark has a spear shoved through his leg, as well as several of his men (including Jory) murdered. The episode ends with him passing out in shock. Things just got extremely real for our protagonist, and that's without even taking into account his dramatic clash with King Robert in this very same episode.
We get some more intense action when Catelyn, Tyrion, and the other characters travelling with them are attacked. Tyrion goes out of his way to protect Catelyn, killing a bandit that was about to murder her. His unusual method of applying a shield to the man's head repeatedly is memorably graphic, but once the shock wears off, you do realise that it shows the good in Tyrion. He could have easily sat back and let somebody kill Catelyn, but he saves her- hopefully she's appreciative of this in time, too.
Then at the episode's start we get a clash between the Clegane brothers, after The Mountain chops the head off his horse. Extremely violent episode overall, all things considered, but that shouldn't surprise first time viewers too much at this stage... and it definitely shouldn't surprise viewers like me who are rewatching the series.
Memorable sequences of violence and combat aside, there are less action-packed scenes that have a real impact in this episode, too. With both Daenerys and Jon Snow sitting this episode out, there's a particularly large emphasis on King's Landing, and all the wonderful suspicion and intrigue that comes with it. The conversation between Littlefinger and Varys is a particular highlight, with each trying to outsmart and get 'one up' on the other, and it's a particular delight at this early stage of the show to watch two morally shady characters engage in a type of combat that is instead verbal in nature.
The early seasons of Game of Thrones are beloved because of this kind of verbal sparring and interesting dialogue, and it is a delight to watch it again. As this episode strikes such a good balance between the political intrigue + shady characters and action (not to mention some great special effects and imagery when Catelyn and Tyrion arrive at The Vale), it's not difficult to call this the best episode of the show's run to this point.
Even better, season 1 just gets even more exciting and engaging from here on out...