Last nighttime ’s Game of Thrones was the only episode thus far to be almost whole ego - contained and free of “ meanwhile . ” But that did n’t think of it was simple . If anything , this sequence put several of the show ’s principal characters under a microscope and permit us see how they performed in an insane billet .
This could have just been a collection of action mechanism set piece . But once again , Game of Thrones show that character = action . Spoilers ahead …
For a couple year now , Game of Thrones has been state us over and over that engagement is the crucible in which people are made or broken . In the thick of scrap , you find out who you are . We ’ve heard people switch warfare tale over and over , to the point where conflict has achieved a mythic significance . And now , for the first clock time , we ’re get word it firsthand .
The plot of “ Blackwater ” is fairly childlike : Stannis Baratheon assaults King ’s landing place , but is defeated thanks to a combination of Tyrion ’s cunning and valor , and Tywin ’s last - min rescue . ( And also by Ser Loras Tyrell , get revenge on Stannis for killing his buff Renly . )
But so many characters are revealed to us in a new light as these consequence play out , and so many snare are sprung . Director Neil Marshall does a fantastic job of showing just how faithful the battle comes to going the other style , as Stannis comes within a breath of triumph . Stannis ’ defeat is the core of a routine of single pick .
Let ’s take them one by one …
Davos Seaworth
Davos is leading Stannis ’ fleet into struggle , and he ’s in line to be the Hand of the King . Those ships he ’s commanding are only there because he win over the pirate Salladhor Saan to give them in the first plaza , and Stannis only has the support of all those armies because Davos convince him to leave his Red Priestess Melisandre behind .
But Davos is a crap commander , because he ’s endeavor to think like a Lord instead of like the moon-curser he used to be . He view Tyrion ’s trap a mile away , and still sail aright into it . Why are there no ships in the harbor ? It ’s obviously not because all the sailors have deserted , or because they caught the city by surprise , as Davos ’ feckless son Matthos believes . Rather , it ’s because this is a trap .
Davos just does n’t have the self-assurance to regularise the fleet to stop and rip back before they get trapped in Tyrion and Bronn ’s igneous massacre . mayhap he lack the religion in his own authorization , or he ’s afraid of seeming infirm in front of his men . In any case , he leads everyone into an obvious trap , and both he and his son are caught in the flaming as a result .
Oh , and here ’s an excellent composition of construct art , that we happen over atWICNet .
Stannis Baratheon
Many people would have beat a retreat after losing almost all of their fleet , and a fortune of troop . But Stannis is within sight of the wall of King ’s landing place , and he ’s not go bad to give up now . He conduct the rape himself , including being the first up the ladders , and he slaughters gentleman’s gentleman right and go out . ( Not astonishingly with Marshall helm the episode , there is a quite a little of really vivid slaughter in “ Blackwater . ” ) Stannis ’ ferocity is kind of inspirational , and it almost puts him over the finish dividing line . Almost .
Bronn
The sequence begins with Bronn carousing with some bird and cackle about how many time his nose was broken , as he prepare for the coming slaughter in the direction he knows best . Bronn seems completely pose back about the possibility of being dead or worse in the near future , even when the Hound come and challenges him . ( More on him later . )
George R.R. Martin , who publish the installment , is clearly enjoy place two characters together who never get to have a private conversation in his record . The Hound find Bronn ’s nonchalance almost unbearable , because Bronn ’s a Orcinus orca just like the Hound — only smaller . The Hound is develop to kill Bronn for no other reason than because Bronn seems to be at habitation in his own peel , and Bronn is quick to prod the Hound in the back , when the warning bell are sounded .
Later , Bronn seems actually quite surprised when Tyrion says they are friends even though Tyrion is paying for Bronn ’s servicing . Bronn has never bury what he is : a sellsword , who defend for money . If they ’d contrive that “ Sworn to Fun , truehearted to None ” tattoo in Westeros , Bronn would have it . And yet , Bronn represent a key role in Tyrion ’s plan to burn Stannis ’ fleet , force out the all-important flaming pointer that lights all the Wildfire . And he save fighting after many others are giving up , even pull through the Hound ’s life with an ironic , mocking smile and salute .
The Hound
Meanwhile , the Hound has some kind of last breakdown in the thick of all that fire , which contribute back his puerility harm in a ugly room . He freezes up and ca n’t fight any more , despite all his millions of words about loving to kill multitude . When Tyrion tries to rally the Hound to get back outside the walls and wipe out some attackers , the Hound deliver what would have been the best speech communication of any other installment , climax in “ Fuck the King . ” Then he runs and hides in Sansa ’s bedroom , where he offer to take her home if she comes with him . The Hound is fleeing , but he does n’t need to do it alone . In spite of all his protestations in early episodes , he either likes Sansa or thinks she ’ll be kind to him . But Sansa turn him down and he ’s squeeze to run aside on his own , disgraced and traumatized .
Lord Varys
This episode really drives home how much of Tyrion ’s rise to heroism and leadership has been spearhead by Varys , the Spider . Varys is the one who give Tyrion that pep talk about how a small man can cast a big phantasm a while back , and now Varys build Tyrion up even more , saying that he ’s the only man who can save the metropolis . And then he render Tyrion the only kind of power he has : secrets . In this character , a mathematical function of the metropolis , read the secret tunnel the Targaryens built , which enable Tyrion to best Stannis ’ troops later on .
Varys obviously does believe in Tyrion , but he ’s also desperate to keep Stannis off the throne , because he really believes in dark magic . And he thinks horrific things will result if Westeros has a king who ’s in thralldom to Melisandre , the Red Priestess , and her unspeakable force .
skilful King Joffrey
There ’s been a working argumentation , for a couple episodes now , about just what function Joffrey should take in the defending team of King ’s Landing . Should he be leading in the van , or hunkering down in a secure location ? Joffrey begins “ Blackwater ” pretty determined to lead the fighting , set about Sansa to kiss his fancy unexampled blade , which he signify to coat with Stannis ’ line of descent . But Sansa openly rag Joffrey , ask if he ’ll be as intrepid as her pal Robb , pop off where the fighting is thickest . Joffrey almost gets tricked into swear to lead the avant-garde , but rather wusses out and says he ca n’t discuss scheme .
Joffrey has no creation of scheme whatsoever , and he ’s quickly reduced to barking furiously at Tyrion when he attend there are no ship defending the harbor . later on , when his female parent summon him back to the Red Keep , he ’s deplumate between pretending to be a brave leader and really saving his own neck . Tyrion points out , yet again , that they ’ll sure lose if their men do n’t see the King fighting with them , but Joffrey is too fearful . This is in all likelihood cash in one’s chips to be the defining moment of his sovereignty , the daytime he run aside when things got rugged .
Cersei and Sansa
Sansa is still absorb to marry Joffrey , even though she ’s now openly muttering that she hates him in the midsection of the can room . ( The bit where she tell Tyrion she ’ll pray for his safe rejoinder just as she will Joffrey ’s is really pitiful . )
And torment Sansa is one of the few pleasures Cersei has these daytime , given that she have it away exactly how Sansa feels . Cersei is take it upon herself to train Sansa in the theatrical role of a Lady , include couch up a brave front in the centre of a battle and reassuring the other noble ladies that everything will be ok so they can clack subsequently about your staunchness . And yet , Cersei wish she ’d been pay a boy , like her brother Jaime . She ’d rather be maintain swords than “ woman ’s weapons ” like tear and conquest .
The moral force between Cersei and Sansa is sort of the reverse of that between Bronn and the Hound , actually — Cersei is nonchalant and smug about her function as operator and faker , just as Bronn is about his choose profession of manslayer for hire . But Cersei ca n’t stand to be around Sansa , who is clearly damaged and is being just as much of a liar and fake as Cersei , only without any guile or assuredness . Sansa bugger off on Cersei ’s nerves , because she ’s so bad at pretending , and so obviously a raw nerve .
Cersei ’s Plan B ? self-annihilation . She ’s got Ser Ilyn Payne , the wordless public executioner who killed Ned Stark , ready to drink down her and Sansa if Stannis gets inside the metropolis . She also has a bottle of venomous Essence of Nightshade which she procured from Grand Maester Pycelle , in case Ser Ilyn go wrong . She will not be taken alert . Meanwhile , Sansa ’s plan is to implore and sing hymns , and finally — at Shae ’s root on — to operate and blot out in her room , because Stannis wo n’t offend her .
In the closing , Cersei amount within minute of poisoning herself and Prince Tommen , while she tells a beautiful story about a lion greenhorn who will grow up to be King of the Beasts — but her Father-God shows up at the absolute last irregular to announce that he ’s make headway . And meanwhile , Sansa turns down the opportunity to take flight with the Hound , because she believes she ’ll be good with Stannis . Both women make ego - destructive pick based on believing that Stannis has won , but only Sansa is stuck with the outcome of her choice .
Tyrion Lannister
And finally , there ’s Tyrion , who rise to the juncture astonishingly — and then falls into the one snare he did n’t see coming .
Tyrion ’s journey has been paralleled with Ned Stark ’s , all season long , as he became Hand of the King and tried to do the correct thing for the people . He ’s say over and over again that he wo n’t suffer the same fortune as misfortunate erstwhile Ned . And this all culminates in an episode where Tyrion choose to do the right thing and the gay matter , over and over — and then almost does meet the same fate as Lord Eddard , for the same reasons .
The triumph over Stannis is clearly thanks to Tyrion . He comes up with a architectural plan to use the “ pigshit , ” aka Wildfire , in a mode that wo n’t burn the metropolis to the ground , with that one decoy ship full of the stuff . That takes care of most of Stannis ’ fleet , and then Tyrion keeps leading the defense , while Joffrey screech like a nincompoop .
After Joffrey and the Hound have both fled the struggle , it ’s left to Tyrion to rally hoi polloi one last time , giving an awe-inspiring lecture culminating in “ There are brave man knocking at our logic gate . have ’s go drink down them . ” Amazeballs . Any other show would have made this the offset of a emanation to greatness , and the instalment would have terminate with the triumphant Tyrion being carried on the backs of victorious military personnel . And Tyrion does get a brief moment of solemnisation where his followers chant “ Half Man ! Half Man ! ” before his inevitable ( specially on this show ) downfall .
Tyrion leads his men through the tunnels under the metropolis , so they can cabbage up behind and fuck Stannis ’ man in the prat . This strategy actually work out quite well , until a ton more of Stannis ’ troop amount around and set on .
And it ’s at this point that Tyrion gets bushwhacked by Ser Mandon Moore , Joffrey ’s right - bridge player asshole , who slashes him in the expression and inflicts accidental injury whose severity we ’re not sure of at this point . ( Westeros does not seem to do very well with treating head injuries in ecumenical . ) Tyrion has trusted the incorrect people , or at least swear them not to betray him in the middle of a conflict . The only thing that saves Tyrion ? He ’s also trusted the correct person : his squire Podrick , who spear Ser Mandon and saves Tyrion ’s life .
As Tyrion lays on the ground , blacking out from his trauma , he sees his father ’s soldiery riding to the delivery . The battle ’s won , but Tyrion ’s not in any position to celebrate . Because even though battle is the crucible in which Tyrion has been formed as a true hero , it ’s also the bench vise in which he ’s been cracked . We ’ll find out how badly next week .
All screencaps , pictures and GIFs viaWICNet Tumblr .
BooksGame of ThronesGeorge R.R. MartinNeil MarshallTelevision
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