THIS WEEK on Game of Thrones: “Walk of Punishment”
Daenerys Targaryen has quickly captured the imagination and hopes of every viewer of HBO’s Thrones. Small wonder then, that the episodes are frequently titled after her story, and focus heavily on her story, even if it’s a story that’s been mostly divorced from the war in Westeros for over two years.
The “walk of punishment” is blatantly reminiscent of the crucifixion-executions of the Roman Empire. The condemned were forced to hang, nailed to wooden crosses, in rows lining the roads surrounding Rome (historians can correct me if needed).
This walk of punishment doesn’t seem to instill fear in Dany, as intended, but instead, compassion and fury.
A reflection on this week’s extremely memorable episode of Thrones, in pictures:
Dany walks the Walk en route to the heart of Astapor, where she intends to meet with Krazynz again to make a decision about the Unsullied. Jorah and Barristan butt heads over the decision their queen is about to make. Jorah, condemned to the east for being involved in the slave trade, advocates buying the Unsullied slave army. Barristan, hero of the last war that put Robert Baratheon on the throne, speaks about Dany’s brother Rhaegar, whose men fought valiantly for him because they loved him, not because they were hired.
It’s a simple question for Dany: what kind of queen does she want to be?
The answer? A cunning one.
After an entire season screaming for her dragons, no one would believe for a second that she’s ready to give one of them up, least of all “the biggest one”, Drogon, named for her husband.
She’s bought all of the Unsullied in Astapor with Drogon, including all the untrained boys. She caps her purchase with the acquisition of Missandei, Kraznyz’s pet translator. Dany’s on a mission to free slaves, by the look of it. She’s made her decision.
Here, she makes sure her advisors respect that decision, and berates them for ever daring to question her.
The walk continues, this time past the new ‘children’ Dany has planned to acquire, Astapor’s Unsullied. She has a third, newest advisor by her side in Missandei, who seems to speak the language of old Valyria, where the Targaryens are from. “Valar Morghulis” she says, which Dany understands, the phrase that escaped the lips of Jaqen H’ghar, the phrase that Dany translates as “All Men Must Die”.
And the phrase that remains Arya’s secret as she finds herself veritably ‘captive’ yet again. She briefly addresses the Hound and tries to remind him of the horror he exacted on Mycah, the butcher’s boy, a year ago in the same area. As if the Hound would remember; he’s probably killed hundreds since. The Brotherhood Without Banners wheels Arya, Gendry (Robert’s bastard, remember) and The Hound off to who knows where, as the troupe says a final goodbye to Hot Pie.
Hot Pie endearingly reminds us of the fact that Arya is a Stark, at a point in the series where we often forget. He bakes her a bread in the shape of a wolf. We can’t help but remember the dire wolf Arya had to dismiss, Nymeria, who’s off in the wild somewhere. Will we ever see her again?
In one of the strongest opening ten minutes for a Thrones episode in memory, two scenes absent any dialogue swiftly set up character relationships with elegance and comedy.
The first brings us to Riverrun, and the funeral of Cat’s father, Hoster Tully.
Her hot-headed young brother, Edmure, misses on a traditional pyre-burning archery ritual three times before the ‘Blackfish’, Byrnden Tully steps in. This is Cat’s brother, and between his incredible archery, confidence in his abilities and soft-speaking manner, quickly wins us over.
Cat still has no idea where any of her children are, save Robb by her side. It’s staggering to think how much she’s gone through in just one year. Remember too, she’s still in custody, a prisoner of her own side in the war.
But who’s to fault a mother for trying to rescue her children from the lions?
A second scene of near-silence. Extremely illustrative of the relationship dynamics in King’s Landing. Watch how the looks go around the room. Watch how Cersei tries to rewrite the rules of the game by moving her seat. And watch how Tyrion does the same, but in a way that can’t be one-upped.
Who’s still the smartest in King’s Landing?
Tyrion’s story is rapidly changing. Now the Master of Coin in Littlefinger’s absence, Tyrion discovers just how indebted the kingdom is at large to two main sources: the Lannister treasury, and the Iron Bank of Braavos, the free city in the east that Jaqen claimed to be headed to, and that Arya’s dancing master Syrio called home.
A strange subplot comes up; in this week’s gratuitous TNA scene, Pod becomes a bizarre lead on a new conspiracy in King’s Landing. Why did the whores of Littlefinger’s brothel refuse payment from Tyrion?
Halfway across the world, far north beyond the Wall, Mance, Jon and company arrive at the latest killing grounds of the White Walker invasion. This is the third time alone that we’ve seen their victims displayed in an ornate, grisly fashion. Even Mance echoes the sentiment: “Always the artists.”
In the briefest of scenes, the story of the Free People escalates dramatically: Mance is ready to start a war on the Wall. He sends Tormund Giantsbane, Orell the Warg and Jon Snow to scale the wall, make their way to Castle Black and prepare for Mance to begin an assault.
The only ones half-able to stop them, Mormont’s shrinking cadre of Night’s Watch boys, is busy with their own problems:
They’ve returned to Craster’s Keep for food and shelter on their slow march back to Castle Black. Sam spies Gilly giving birth to her own child (and sibling, disturbingly enough), before they all realize it’s a boy. Remembering Season 2, Craster had a deal that even Mormont seemed to know about; he’d sacrifice his boys to the White Walkers for who knows what in return.
This boy is similarly doomed. But we can trust that Sam will probably try and do something foolish to change that.
Sam has one more thing to think about. Ghost, Jon’s dire wolf, is still in the company of the Night’s Watch. He’s saved Sam’s life at least once, and will probably stick around given Jon’s absence.
Theon’s story is emerging in meager scraps. Someone’s freed him from his torturers, and that same man saves him again with some incredible archery (2012 was supposed to be the Year of the Bow, but we’ll give it all to 2013 just for this episode).
All we know: Theon isn’t in the Iron Islands. He’s somewhere in the North. His rescuer says ‘winter is coming’, the Stark words. But why would anyone in the Stark camp call him a lord?
A minor loose end for this week: Dragonstone. Mel’s off on an excursion! Stannis is left to nurse his wounds after the defeat at Blackwater. Melisandre plans to find fresh meat for her ‘magic’ – we know she’s after king’s blood, and Stannis’s won’t do, for some reason. The same blood runs in the veins of others, she insists. Who’s left with true Baratheon blood in their veins?
Robert’s bastards. And most of them were axed in King’s Landing last year. Save one.
And finally, the big takeaway for the week, the fast-changing story of Brienne and Jaime’s trip to King’s Landing. A trip cut short (pardon the pun) by the arrival of Roose Bolton’s troupe, and that troupe’s captain, Locke.
The man’s gone from two minor scenes as a nobody, to the man that stripped the Kingslayer of his main weapon: his fighting hand.
The rockabilly rendition of the show’s newest recurring song – “The Bear and the Maiden Fair” – serves to make Jaime’s loss out to be some kind of comedy. And doesn’t Jaime deserve it? This kind of suffering? The first episode of the entire series ended with him crippling Bran to save his own secret. Another episode ended with his men thrusting a lance through Ned Stark’s leg. He’s a monster by all accounts.
So: why do we feel bad for him?
How did this monster become endearing to us? Was it the two times this episode where he briefly appeared to show genuine concern for Brienne’s well-being?
Is it because we just love his quips and sly remarks?
I think it has to be both.
Tell me what you think below in the comments, and sound off on this week’s episode of Game of Thrones!
Budrickton, First of his Name, Warden of the Actual North (Canada)