With that in mind, these are the ten things I loved the most about the season. Some of them were moments, some of them themes, others just scenarios. Oh by the way, spoilers.
1. I loved the alterations to Dany's story line.They took out the mystery of who Barristan was and they condenced the sellsword companies into one, which honestly worked better for TV. A lot of people hate Dany and will complain about anything she does. She freed slaves so they bitch that she has a messiah complex. Had she not freed the slaves, they would have bitched 'that girl walked right by those slaves and didn't bat an eyelash. She's so selfish.' Dany can't win with some people.
One of the aspects of Dany that gets the most complaints is her relationship with Daario. Show Daario is less extreme looking than Book Daario. He even has a theme, in that he believes every situation has a choice, even if that choice is death. I think this will be a very challenging concept for Dany, because she's spent her whole life reacting to situations with the belief that she had no options. His concept of personal choice will probably destroy their relationship, but she will be better off to have learned the lesson.
2. Tywin and anyone. Charles Dance is truly one of the best assets of the show. His portrayal of Tywin Lannister is so commanding that you have no doubt that he truly is the one who is running everything. Last season he was mostly with Arya, and we saw a gentler, more reflective Tywin. This season, he rules the 7 Kingdoms from the Tower of the Hand, lording over everyone. He tells off Cersei. He destroys Tyrion twice. I think he may have seduced Olenna Tyrell.
The cherry on the top of all of this is how he handles Joffery. The young spoiled king is used to getting his way and intimidating everyone. In the last episode of the season, Tywin basically tells Joff that he's a cranky child who should go to his room . . . and Joffery does.
3. Tywin is just one example of a theme that I really enjoyed in this season . . . very powerful old people. This is a harsh world, so anyone who makes it to old age is either very lucky or very crafty. Usually, they're a bit of both. Tywin and Olenna proved to be the unquestioning rulers of their families. When they commanded, people did as they were told. Lady Olenna Tyrell certainly caused an impact on things, as she is one of the few older women we see in power. She is blunt, witty, and capable of seeing through people's flattery. She really lived up to the title The Queen of Thorns.
Lord Commander Mormont held the Night's Watch together for as long as he could, keeping them alive despite physical hardship and paradigm shifts. He even tried to be a shield between the Watch and Craster, and another powerful old man. Mormont failed and his men killed him and Craster both, but his power was still felt. When he was killed, his men were no better off. They basically fell into chaos. The Lord Commander's son found himself playing second fiddle to Ser Barristan. Once the old knight joined Dany's group, Jorah's status was threatened.
Aside from Tywin, though in terms of conspiracy, along with Tywin, the old person who had the biggest impact on the season was Lord Walder Frey. Lord Walder only appears in two episodes of the season, but the threat of him casts a long shadow over Robb's plotline. Once they finally meet up again, he is even more horrible than imagined.
4. Of course, Lord Walder Frey plays a large role in one of the most defining scenes in the series. I would be remiss to do this list without including Robb and Catelyn Stark's final moments. I wrote before about how Catelyn kills Jinglebell at the wedding and how much that hurts. In the show, she kills Walder Frey's current wife, which in some ways is even more cruel. When Catelyn tells him that she will kill the wife, he just casually comments that he'll just find a new wife.
Catelyn begs Robb to walk away and her begging is so deeply heartbreaking. As he is accepting that his life is at an end, he looks at her and says, "Mother." It's a goodbye, a heartbreaking goodbye. She watches him die and then kills the Frey wife as promised, before standing in utter horror at the scene before her. When her throat is slit, I actually felt relieved for her, because at least the pain was over . . for the moment.
Aside from Tywin, though in terms of conspiracy, along with Tywin, the old person who had the biggest impact on the season was Lord Walder Frey. Lord Walder only appears in two episodes of the season, but the threat of him casts a long shadow over Robb's plotline. Once they finally meet up again, he is even more horrible than imagined.
4. Of course, Lord Walder Frey plays a large role in one of the most defining scenes in the series. I would be remiss to do this list without including Robb and Catelyn Stark's final moments. I wrote before about how Catelyn kills Jinglebell at the wedding and how much that hurts. In the show, she kills Walder Frey's current wife, which in some ways is even more cruel. When Catelyn tells him that she will kill the wife, he just casually comments that he'll just find a new wife.
Catelyn begs Robb to walk away and her begging is so deeply heartbreaking. As he is accepting that his life is at an end, he looks at her and says, "Mother." It's a goodbye, a heartbreaking goodbye. She watches him die and then kills the Frey wife as promised, before standing in utter horror at the scene before her. When her throat is slit, I actually felt relieved for her, because at least the pain was over . . for the moment.
5. On this same episode was the beautiful moment of Brandon Stark, Lord of Winterfell. Bran knew he needed to go North and that going North was very dangerous. As much as he wanted to keep his little brother with him, he couldn't put his life at risk. One of the themes of the season was personal happiness versus what was best for the family. It was quite clear that Bran wanted to keep what was left of his family together, but at the same time, he knew his destiny lay past the Wall.
At the same time, with Robb off to war, Bran was acting Lord of Winterfell. He needed to make decisions that were best for his family and given that both he and Robb were in considerable risk, the most important thing was for Rickon to be kept safe. Tearfully and with a broken heart, he ordered his little brother and Osha to go to the Umbers. He knew they would be safe there and Rickon was quite possibly the last Stark male capable of fathering children.
By the end of the story, I don't think that Bran will be the Lord of Winterfell or the King in the North. I think his path is going to take him and keep him in places deeper and more mystical than that. I think he would have made a great Lord Winterfell though. I think Bran has the kind of heart and wisdom that are needed to rule not only a castle and a kingdom, but a family.
Okay, so that is the first part of this. I honestly planned on just making one post, but it kept getting bigger and bigger. So, tomorrow I'll finish out with my other five. Until then, keep calm and kill Freys.
At the same time, with Robb off to war, Bran was acting Lord of Winterfell. He needed to make decisions that were best for his family and given that both he and Robb were in considerable risk, the most important thing was for Rickon to be kept safe. Tearfully and with a broken heart, he ordered his little brother and Osha to go to the Umbers. He knew they would be safe there and Rickon was quite possibly the last Stark male capable of fathering children.
By the end of the story, I don't think that Bran will be the Lord of Winterfell or the King in the North. I think his path is going to take him and keep him in places deeper and more mystical than that. I think he would have made a great Lord Winterfell though. I think Bran has the kind of heart and wisdom that are needed to rule not only a castle and a kingdom, but a family.
Okay, so that is the first part of this. I honestly planned on just making one post, but it kept getting bigger and bigger. So, tomorrow I'll finish out with my other five. Until then, keep calm and kill Freys.
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