Sunday, May 19, 2013

Discussing Game of Thrones: The Bear and the Maiden Fair

* Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen “The Bear and the Maiden Fair.”

The title of last week’s episode says it all. I had been anticipating this episode for a long time, since I first read this scene in A Storm of Swords. It’s one of my all-time favorite scenes from the books, and I was kind of freaking out while watching it. The pacing of the episode seemed really busy to me, with a lot of cutting away to different characters.

The Awkward

I figured I’d get all of the awkward stuff out of the way first. With the exception of how badly I ship Jaime and Brienne, I can give or take a lot of the romances in the books and on the show. I didn’t like Robb’s wife in the books (where she’s a completely different character, right down to her name), and I don’t like Robb’s wife on the show. There’s something about her that I don’t trust. This scene seemed to drag on, and with some of the sappiest dialogue; I just wanted to see the freaking bear already. The news that the two are going to be parents is a total departure from the novels; can’t wait to see where this turn of events winds up.

Poor, poor Sansa. That was one uncomfortable girl talk she had with Margaery. From the look on Margaery’s face and the amused tone of her voice, I don’t think she learned all of that from her mother.

Another week, another scene of Theon being tortured. This was the absolute worst one.

Lovelorn Orell

Orell pours his heart out to Ygritte, but she’s clearly not interested. I’m not the biggest Ygritte fan, but she does make me laugh when she teases Jon. Unfunny moment: when a somber Jon tells her that the Wildlings are going to die trying to take Castle Black.

What the Hell Am I Supposed to Do with a Gold Chain?

Tyrion presents Shae with the gift of a ginormous gold chain, and she’s just like, WTF? You are marrying someone else, buddy! Shae is another character who’s very different from how she’s portrayed in the books, and again, it’ll be interesting to see how this impacts later events. And you gotta love how practical Bronn’s view of the world is. He and Tyrion should get their own sitcom spin-off because their conversations are always so hilarious.

Arya Gets a New Traveling Companion

The Brotherhood gets wind of Lannister soldiers nearby, and they can’t pass up a plundering opportunity. Arya demands to know why they aren’t taking her to Riverrun and then makes a break for it. She’s caught by none other than the Hound, and we all know how much she loves him (not).

Lord Tywin Makes Climbing Steps Look Cool

Stupid Joffrey whines to his grandpapa about not being included in Small Council meetings and how he’d have to climb all those stairs in the Tower of the Hand. Lord Tywin offers to have him carried up. Maybe Joffrey would like a bottle and a diaper change to go with that as well. I’d hoped that Lord Tywin would have taken advantage of his close proximity to Joffrey to beat the crap out of him, but alas, that didn’t happen.

Here’s a Present for You . . . Your Life!

Daenerys sets her eyes on the city of Yunkai and potentially adding to her number of troops. This was a great scene, especially with the dragons, but I cannot erase from my head the Daenerys from the books who annoys me to no end. I skimmed a good number of her chapters in A Dance with Dragons. I feel like the show goes out of its way to make her all badass, and while I tolerate this version of her character, her story line is the one I’m least invested in.

Finally . . . the Bear!

Jaime sets off for King’s Landing . . . without Brienne. Their goodbye was so poignant, and I loved how Brienne called Jaime by his name instead of Kingslayer. These two have just been brilliant all season. Already away from Harrenhal, Jaime learns from Qyburn that the ransom Brienne’s father offered for her return has been refused. Locke believed Jaime’s story about Tarth being rich in sapphires and is holding out. Realizing the consequences of his words, Jaime gets Bolton’s man to take him back to Harrenhal, where Locke has put Brienne, still in that hideous pink dress, in the bear pit, armed only with a wooden sword. Jaime offers to pay the ransom himself, but sadistic Locke won’t be swayed. So Jaime jumps down into the pit to help Brienne! Greatest GoT fangirl moment ever! Both are pulled to safety, and a standoff between Jaime and Locke ensues. Jaime reminds him how much more valuable he is alive, and parts with,“Sorry about the sapphires.” The look on Jaime’s face as he said that! Bahahahahaha!!!!!

What We Learned from This Episode

  • The Blackfish has seen wet sh*ts he likes better than Walder Frey. Oh God, I love this guy! Why didn’t they bring him in sooner?!
  • When Lord Tywin says you’ve been counseled, you’ve been counseled. End of story.

In the Next Episode

Dany squares off against another adversary; Sam fends off something scary; the Lannisters face off against each other.

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