(This
review contains spoilers for episode 7)
The
plotlines in Game of Thrones continue to converge as the
season moves closer towards its finale.
The
episode opens by showing how Sansa is coping with Ramsay's continued
abuse. On one hand, she's clearly not too afraid to call him out on
his illegitimacy which shows a lot of development from her more timid
earlier self. Perhaps Sansa's becoming somewhat desensitized to such
treatment, having suffered so much of it in King's Landing. But we do
see some genuine horror when she learns that her northern maid has
been betrayed and tortured to death. I think Turner and the writers
do a great job of striking the balance between Sansa's colder and
more human sides.
The
episode also sadistically teases that Theon may start to rebel
against his masters, only for him to betray Sansa to Ramsay which
leads to the torture of the old woman. I was glad they didn't go down
the cliched route of using Sansa's rape as a catalyst for a male
character's redemption, as it means Sansa will have to escape the
Boltons on her own strengths – if she escapes at all, that is. With
that said, I still hope to see Theon get his own revenge on Ramsay,
but it's clear by this point that he and Sansa will have to do it
seperate from each other.
In
Dorne, things get briefly interesting when Bronn almost dies from
poison. The Sand Snakes are also given something to do by taunting
him before giving him the antidote. This is probably the most
invested I've been in the Dorne subplot till now and I hope things
improve from here.
Jaime
meanwhile has to put up with his daughter's naive tirade that her
love for Trystane can outweigh the schism between their families.
While her rant feels very cliched, it does play a vital role in
Jaime's development. The arrogant belief that “love conquers all”
is one that he himself used to have, going back to the very first
season (“The Kingsroad”) where he makes a vow to Cersei:
The
boy won't talk and if he talks I'll kill him. Him, Ned Stark, the
King, the whole bloody lot of them until you and I are the only
people left alive in this world.
It
mirrors the scene in A Storm of Swords where Jaime meets the
equally arrogant Ser Loras Tyrrell, who reminds him of a younger
version of himself. Like in the book, Jaime is confronted with a
manifestation of his own past, but here it's far more effective
because this time he faces one of his own illegitimate children, a
product of his own vanity and blind devotion.
The
scene is also reflected in Cersei's talk with Tommen, where she
promises to destroy the whole world to protect her children. This is
one of the few truly sincere things Cersei has said to Tommen, and it
shows the widening rift between her and Jaime. Whereas Jaime is
beginning to look beyond himself, Cersei is becoming more and more
wrapped up in her own ego. This of course makes for a very satisying
climax where the Sparrows turn on Cersei and she's locked in the
Black Cells mere moments before she taunted Margaery in one.
One
of the best moments from this episode for me was the meeting between
the High Sparrow and Olenna Tyrrell. What made it so great was that
this was the first time Olenna is seen even slightly ruffled. While
Tywin Lannister was equal to her in terms of ruthlessness and
calculation, the High Sparrow is someone else entirely – he's not
out for gold or power (or at least claims not to be) but instead
wants to bring the nobles down to the level of the smallfolk they've
been lording it over for so long. He frustrates Olenna by simply
refusing to play her game. But that's not to say he doesn't know the
rules, like when he points out that the grain House Tyrrell uses to
feed the city is grown by peasants. The scene echoes Varys's motto
that “Power resides where men believe it resides” and hints that
Westeros may undergo something of a power shift very soon, if the
High Sparrow can convince the smallfolk the power lies in their
numbers and not the status of their masters. If the High Sparrow's
predictions come true, he may end up paving the way for Daenerys to
take Westeros by portraying herself as the liberator of the people.
I
loved Pryce and Riggs's performances in this scene. Even though
neither character raised their voice, it still conveyed the
ideological clash between them brilliantly. Pryce also shows
considerable menace when Cersei is arrested. He remains calm and
reserved as always, but the steel in his face is unmistakeable. This
is the first time the High Sparrow goes from kindly to downright
sinister, but Pryce pulls it off magnificently.
An
even more crucial meeting is that between Tyrion Lannister and
Daenerys. The build-up is very well-done with the show briefly
hinting that Tyrion will flee the arena and Jorah's plans will be
ruined. Jorah himself is shown at his most desperate when he bursts
into the arena just so he can look on Daenerys's face one last time.
While he was never my favourite nor most compelling character, I
still couldn't help feeling sorry for him when after everything he's
tried, she still won't forgive him for his treachery. How she'll
react to him bringing a Lannister to her court is another matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment