Monday, May 12, 2014

Game of Thrones 4x06 The Laws of Gods and Men

By s. Monday, May 12, 2014 ,

The Laws of Gods and Men is, so far, the best episode of the season. While I did enjoy the Purple Wedding as a stand-alone sequence more than the trial and episode 2 ending is my favorite so far, this episode was far better mostly because of the strong script and directing (and in spite of some questionable choices made by some of the actors). Almost every scene was very good and the episode felt very well planned and carefully orchestrated.

We finally see Stannis, in the very first scene of the episode. Stannis and Davos go to Braavos and we see stunning shot of the Titan, as their ship sails beneath it (the trailers' money shot this year - there will be more epic shots this year, but because of spoiler risk they couldn't show them in promos). Considering how long I'll have to wait until I see Stannis again, I'm just gonna shamelessly fangirl for a little while.
Oh my God. Not only did Stannis finally get some screentime and a really good scene but there was some good lighting going on. Well, kinda - at least it was better than usual. Can I just come to the set and, I don't know, bring a gigantic lamp with me?! Although me being on that set would be a gigantic security issue. I'd take so much stuff home with me. Swords. Dresses. Stephen Dillane.

The scruff is back. Yes, yes, YES! Please get even scruffier. While all of you are losing it over this awesome dragon CGI in this episode, I'm losing it over the fact Stannis refuses to shave.

And also - all the faces.
Stannis walks around the room in the Iron Bank of Braavos, complaining how long he is forced to wait. Davos is trying to get him to chill and sit but his efforts are futile. Stannis does not chill.

Suddenly the door opens and Tycho (Mark Gatiss) and other bankers walk in. Tycho asks Stannis to sit. Stannis takes a moment to decide what to do and reluctantly does it.

My God, even the way Dillane sits down is so Stannis.
Tycho refers to Stannis as "lord" and Davos is quick to correct him - Stannis is the king. Tycho points out that there is a king sitting on the Throne - Tommen. Stannis says the boy is a bastard and the throne is not his.

A quick conversation follows where Tycho questions Stannis about his army (turns out Stannis has 4,000 men) and resources (Dragonstone produces none, unless you count crazy religious gibberish as a resource). Tycho is saying how much he believes in numbers and how blood and rights don't really matter this much to bankers. During all of this Stannis throws the most hilarious "you brought me here....for this shit?" look towards Davos and Davos responds with his best '...sorry' look.
Stannis gets up and Davos decides to try and convince Tycho one more time. While Stannis stands there looking at the wall - because Stannis Baratheon does not fucking beg - Davos shows Tycho his mutilated hand - Stannis chopped off his fingers once because Davos was a smuggler. Davos goes on to say that it was a fair punishment and Stannis is a just man and when he says he'll do something - he will do as he promised.

Davos had a great speech here. He reminds Tycho that after Tywin dies (and he is almost 70) the Throne will be left to a child, a Queen people despise and the Kingslayer. Stannis is a leader. Stannis is in his prime (I was like this when he said that). Stannis is the man. Stannis is someone who would honor the debts. The scene ends with a cliffhanger and we don't know what Tycho's response is. But we will see him again, in future seasons.

Can the writers please get the audience to believe in Stannis as much as me and Davos believe in him? They will have a good shot for making that happen soon. Let's hope they take it.
We get another scene with Davos, when he visits his pirate friend in the bathhouse. He gives him some gold and asks him to join him and Stannis. That scene was there to show all the boobs. Also to piss me off that we didn't get Stannis in that bathhouse - his reactions to the said boobs would have been hysterical.

We cut to Theon's fearless sister Yara (the only tolerable Greyjoy) reading a letter about her brother written by Ramsay Snow to her men. The letter mentions Theon's castration and the killing of other Ironborn. Yara urges her men to fight with her for their Prince. As she says those words we see (for absolutely no reason at all) Ramsay having sex with Myranda.
Yara arrives to Dreadfort and gets to Theon quite easily. Theon is unfortunately so brainwashed - not to mention he has always been a coward - he thinks it's a trick and Yara has to drag him away from his cage. He yells that he is Reek and goes all batshit on her.

Ramsay appears, shirtless, obviously, and the fight begins. While all this is happening Theon bites Yara's hand and runs back to his cage. This is some Eyrie-quality insanity. Some Ironborn are killed and Ramsay's loses some men as well. Yara tells him no more men will die if he gives her Theon. Ramsay mentions that she has balls, way bigger than her brother. Oh, Ramsay. Such wit.
He then takes a key and opens a cage with his hunting dogs. Yara runs away and gets on her boat telling the men her brother is dead. As ultimately pointless as all of this was - let's save Theon-oh no dogs-Theon is dead - at least it was an exciting scene that managed to establish just how broken Theon is without any torture porn (well, apart from that Ramsay/Myranda thing - he was also covered in cuts after he left her, I think that scene went on a little longer in original cut and was shortened - there was a moment in trailers where she slaps him and that wasn't in this scene). Also it was cool of them to remind people of Yara's existence.

Ramsay rewards Theon/Reek with a bath for his loyalty. He asks him if he loves him. He also tells him there is a castle with bad men in it and Reek must pretend to be someone else. To be 'Theon Greyjoy'.

I had to watch Reek take the world's creepiest bath but you just couldn't find the way to get Stannis in that bathhouse?
Meanwhile, in the land of boredom and dragons, a man is there with his child and his goats and Drogon appears, burns shit down and flies away with roasted goat. That was harsh - these goats were cute. A man comes to see Daenerys and tells her what happened. She promises to repay him 3x for what he lost. A lot of book readers scream about this scene today because I think every book reader was expecting it to be something else, but I think that scene is just the set up and we're getting the eventual scene later this season.

Because while Stannis gets scraps of screentime, Dany gets to have set up scenes.

Anyways, Drogon CGI was impressive. We see far less of dragons this season, which I think is great - we saw so much of them and so little of direwolves in the past and now it's the other way around. And they are saving up - there are new creatures appearing in the last two episodes this season, with the finale containing so much CGI, it's the show's most expensive episode yet.
Another man appears before Dany - Hizdahr. Turns out that he is the son of one of the crucified masters. He asks Daenerys to allow him to bury his father. Dany looks turned on again. I refuse to have sympathy for her, seeing how Jorah is there, like right next to her, and she does nothing about it.

I usually defend Emilia Clarke but she was really bad this week. Iain Glen did more with one look than she did with the entire scene. I think Clarke and Dinklage are both overly confident - they are continuously praised - at least when it comes to big award nominations - to high heavens for their work on the show and they are not even best actors - and certainly not the ones giving the best performances this season - in the show.
We travel back to King's Landing where at early morning a Small Council meeting is to be held. Oberyn, chilling, sitting like he doesn't care - because in truth, he really doesn't, expresses the hope that the meetings won't always be held this early as he stayed up late last night. He wonders if since he is now on the Small Council he is gonna be a master of something and Mace Tyrell promptly responds that Tywin already made Mace the Master of the Ships.

Tywin enters and everyone stands up, except for Oberyn. The Hound is briefly discussed and Tywin sets a bounty on his head. Varys gives the account of Hound killing Lannister soldiers - "the phrase FUCK the King was uttered". I so missed Varys. Then conversation turns to Daenerys, because why fear 100,000 wildlings approaching your Kingdom or its rightful King and terrific commander gathering the army when you can worry about incompetent horny chick and her goat killing dragons instead.
Varys mentions how Jorah no longer spies for them in regards to Daenerys. He also mentions her armies and the Unsullied. Oberyn says that Varys is right and Unsullied are to be feared - turns out he saw them first hand in Essos. He mentions they are impressive in battle but less so in the bedroom.

Oh, Oberyn.

Tywin asks Varys if his little birds can get near Dany and Varys says yes. Then Tywin asks Mace to bring him a paper and a quill as he needs to write something. Friendly reminder that the last time Tywin wrote letters The Red Wedding happened. I'm not saying something will happen. On the other hand - maybe I am?
Varys and Oberyn have a little chat in the Throne room, which made me miss Littlefinger a bit, as well as Oberyn did in the scene, mentioning how Varys should hang out with him and Ellaria in the brothel as they have good wine and boys on retainer. He then tells Varys that he is sure he likes boys and Varys says no. Damn, everyone always accuses Varys of that.

Varys responds he never desired anything - as he saw what people's desires have done to this country. When Oberyn asks him what he is interested in he looks at the Iron Throne.
Jaime goes to Tyrion's cell to bring him for the trial which is held in the Throne room. As Tyrion walks in, people scream 'Kingslayer!' at him. Tommen announces that he recluses himself from the trial and Tywin will be the judge instead. No doubt a decision Tywin influenced, but perhaps also due to Tommen's belief his uncle is innocent?

The other two judges are Oberyn and Mace. Tyrion is asked how he pleas and he responds that he didn't do it. Most of the lines during the trial were lifted straight from the pages of the book and I was delighted, as it is a wonderfully written chapter.
The witnesses give their testimonies - there is Merryn, Joffrey's guard, talking about how often Tyrion threatened the king. Then there's Pycelle reading a list of poisons - that were apparently stolen, which he accuses Tyrion of. He also has Sansa's necklace - apparently it was found with Dontos' body. He says that the poison - called the Strangler - was hidden in one of the gems. He also mentions how it was used to kill the 'most noble child that ever lived' and I laughed for like a minute.

Cersei testifies, doing her best poor, innocent me impression. She repeats the joy to ashes phrase. Oberyn picks up on the words about the debt and asks Cersei what debt did Tyrion mean - she says that she discovered he was keeping whores in his tower and she asked him to keep that business to the brothel. The fact she captured and had Ros tortured is obviously conveniently missing from her testimony.
Even Varys, who I think all thought was Tyrion's friend, goes against him. Tyrion asks Varys if he forgot that he saved the city, something Varys said will never be forgotten and Varys responds 'sadly my lord, I don't forget anything'.

Tywin announces recess. We see him eat which I got excited about considering what my favorite book theory is. Anyways, Jaime visits him and tells him that Tywin owes him his life as Jaime disrespected Mad King's orders and killed him instead of killing Tywin. In the moment that never happened in the books Jaime promises to give up the Gold Cloak and become Tywin's heir in exchange for Tyrion's life.
In the books Tyrion is visited by his uncle Kevan (who you may remember from season 1) who mentions to him his father doesn't want him dead and will instead send him to the Wall. Tywin, in that scene with Jaime, seems like he had that plan all along as well, but he is glad that Jaime will finally give up the cloak.

Jaime tells Tyrion what the plan is - plea for mercy, ask to join Night's Watch, no more outbursts. I suppose this whole Jaime gives up his cloak thing is not important now anyways, as Tyrion does the one thing Jaime asked him not to do and the outburst indeed happens.

Because here comes the final witness. Shae.
I wonder how many of you non book readers were shocked? The show made this little detour - "Shae went to Pentos", to throw you off the track, which obviously now we know didn't happen. I wonder where is Bronn? Did he know Shae was apprehended? Did he know she'll do this? Did he betray Tyrion too? Anyways, Shae appears and the look on Dinklage's face was the only time I thought the words 'great acting' should be attributed to his performance last night. So powerful.

Shae shamelessly lies about everything - she says Tyrion forced her to do things and she didn't want to do them. She tells the judges Tyrion wanted Sansa and that's why he wanted to kill Joffrey - to make her a gift. As she says all those things we see stunned Margaery - we know Margaery knows Tyrion is innocent,. I like to think she was shocked at Shae's ability to be with someone and then after it's over stab them in the back in such a cold and brutal manner.
MAJOR BOOK SPOILERS As Shae is talking we see Tywin far more than Cersei. In the book it is Cersei who manipulated Shae to testify and Shae also slept with Tywin. The show has tendency to whitewash Cersei - will Shae betrayal be completely attributed to Tywin? He did seem to be looking at her curiously during this trial and Cersei told him about Shae a while back. 

I always wondered abut that final Storm of Swords chapter about Tyrion - did Tywin bed many whores? Did he bed this one because it was his son's? Did he really hate him so? I wonder what they'll do on the show - on one hand we have Tywin trying to spare Tyrion's life. But why have Shae testify then, if it turns out he is behind it in the series? I hope the show goes into greater detail considering how and when Shae and Tywin started as I was always confused by that in the book. END OF SPOILERS
I will not be joining the shockingly large group of people praising Peter Dinklage for his work last night. I think, after 3 seasons of wonderful work, Dinklage stopped caring, or perhaps only trying, as much as he did before. He has been uneven this whole season - he is great in quieter, tender moments - like his scene with Pod - or just when he acts with his eyes - like that  moment Shae enters the room - but holy crap watching him in that ending was like seeing Meryl Streep in August: Osage County again. That is if Streep dropped acid and took quaalludes.

I'm disappointed in Dinklage. The writing was great - though perhaps they did the scene disservice by avoiding Shae's 'he told me to call him the Giant of Lannister!', the line from the book - after she says it, the crowd roars with laughter and Tyrion snaps. Still, whatever the hell Dinklage was doing with his face there was way, way too much. Instead of coming off as bitter, heartbroken, betrayed man, he came off like he was only missing The Joker's make up here.
Some say the intent was to make Tyrion look deranged and ugly - but it was distracting. I literally went 'what the hell is he doing?' as I was watching the scene - that's not what good acting is, when person watching it is thinking of actor, not the character while witnessing the scene. Thankfully the lines were great and when Dinklage stopped doing whatever it was supposed to be with his face he was good.  

Pedro Pascal - now, that's someone who disappeared into character last night - he was fantastic and I loved they kept Oberyn bored/amused attitude during the trial.

Anyways, in his outburst Tyrion yells at the people that he wishes he never saved them and that he wishes that Stannis would have killed them all (preach!). He says to Cersei that watching her see her vicious bastard die gave him more relief than bedding thousands lying whores. He goes on to say he wants to confess and he says he confesses of being guilty of being a dwarf and being on a trial his entire life.
Tywin laughs at him, saying that's not what he is on trial for and Tyrion continues to say that he did not kill Joffrey but he will get no justice in this trial. In a fantastic ending Tyrion demands trial by combat and we witness everyone's reaction - Jaime is disappointed as Tyrion just threw away Tywin's offer, Tywin is furious, Cersei looks cunning, Margaery looks shocked.

And Oberyn? Oberyn gets so excited he actually leans forward.
Overall it was a great, exciting episode. It set up future storylines for certain characters very well and it certainly depicted the trial in an accurate way. Apart from my complaints regarding Dinklage, the ending really won me over and his little smirk at furious Tywin right before the camera showed his father again was terrific.

You thought that trial was exciting?

Just wait till you see trial by combat.


Do I whine about next episode now or wait till it airs? Here's the issue - the scene which I was certain will be in finale because 1. it would be a perfect set up for final scene of the season 2. it's just so good - it's finale material, is happening next week. I'm sure it's gonna be terrific, but it's just seems like an opportunity wasted. I bet it closes the episode too - just to get you to crawl on the walls more as after episode 7 there is yet again an excruciating 2-week long wait for the next one, thanks to Memorial Day.

The next episode, entitled Mockingbird (Littlefinger's sigil) will re-introduce us to the Mountain, show Tyrion having few visitors, Lysa getting even crazier at the Eyrie, Sansa in one of the fans' favorite scenes of hers and Dany wasting our time some more, this time with Daario. There are also Stannis' ladies at Dragonstone and according to synopsis we'll see Brienne and Pod again.
PREVIOUS SEASON 4 RECAPS:

54 comments:

  1. Will you review another episode from season 1 or 2 during the break week?

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    1. I'm not sure, I only reviewed Blackwater cause it's my favorite. I may write something Thrones-related though!

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  2. What is your favourite book theory about Tywin?

    Anyways, I loved this episode. Yes there were unnecessary boobs but that's like expected. I really want to have the faith you and Davos have in Stannis but he still mostly bores me though he made me laugh several times in this episode 'cuz he just seemed to annoyed by everything.

    My favourite acting in this episode was by Liam Cunningham. Love Davos!

    During the Khaleesi scene, all I could think of was "Do all those people have to stand for the 212 complaints or whatever". Also I just love it when Clarke gets to do sassy Khaleesi.

    I'm really really really excited for Alfie Allen getting to do proper acting again!

    Coming to the trial, I actually had to pause when Shae came because my heart like fell out of my mouth. What a bitch! And I agree that Dinklage shined the most during his quieter moments today. The part when he asks Shae to stop and the final exchange of looks between him and Tywin were fantastic.

    And Oberyn's the best. Why why why why why why? :'(

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    1. I can't reveal that to those who don't know the story, but If they follow the theory in the show I'll address it again.

      That's good he made you laugh, Stephen has the best expressions :) They are kinda showing him as passive for a purpose, you'll see this season what the purpose is. Unless they fuck up in which case I'm sending them poop.

      Cunnigham is really great. He had such an awesome scene here.

      Ha, great that they managed to surprise you! I was worried with Cersei finding out and telling Tywin about her in PW episode they made non book readers suspicious.

      Oh, right - you know.... but the scene will be fantastic!

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  3. "Stannis does not chill." lol. So true.

    I'm glad you explained the small council scene. A severe weather alert interrupted it here for me, so I didn't get them talking about Jorah, or the Unsullied. It picked back up when Oberyn said "not so much in the bedroom" and I honestly thought he was making a joke about dragons, not the Unsullied. That's a lot less creepy.

    One thing I loved about the trial, that look Tyrion gives Jaime after he asks if he trusts him. It was so vulnerable, you could tell Tyrion still really looks up to his big brother.

    As for the Tywin/whore theory, I got the impression that he whored quite often, because of the tunnels leading INTO the brothel, but the reasoning behind picking Shae is something I DO hope is eventually explained.

    I can't believe we're getting that scene next week too. I'm sure it will still be awesome, but it's SO early.

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    1. Who knows what Oberyn is really into :) in that scene Varys basically kept listing her armies and mentioned how Jorah and Barristan are by her side to skeptical Cersei and Oberyn who looked intrigued.

      Yeah that was amazing, smaller moments like that, quiet ones were good when it came to Dinklage's performance. I love how well they are showing Jaime/Tyrion brotherly bond, that will make finale more effective.

      I know there was this talk about this tunnel....I really hope they make an effort to clear that up, I read that chapter 4 times - it's my favorite chapter - and I still have no idea what happened.

      It's incredibly early, especially with that god damn hiatus coming up :/

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  4. I didn't mind Dinklage's speech in the end.. yes, it was loud and it was furious but for me, it worked.. I did love that small little smirk in the end the most.. the final line "Trial by combat" one was the one that gave me the goosebumps though, the yelling was just kind of throwing his anger at everybody and then.. he focused it on Tywin again..

    Dany's part just bores me a lot.. it's the same thing over again, she's the savor, she's the queen etc.. I don't know.. her eye rolling was very teen flick like and I'm just more interested in everything else a lot it seems.

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    1. The final line of the ep, combined with everyone's reactions was incredibly effective, especially one knows who the champions will be. I wonder if people think Jaime will represent Tyrion.

      They are desperately giving her screen time because she is he face of the show...I knew people will get bored with her, she peaked with Dracarys.

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  5. I liked Dinklage's speech as the end. Yes, it was over the top, given the context of the trial, but I think it was meant to be & Shae was the straw that broke the camel's back...as she was meant to be. I would love for the show to explore what went down with her and Tywin. How didn't she get to Pentos? Interestingly enough, there is an interview comment going around where Sibel Kikelli thought it was out of character for Shae to implicate Sansa because Sibel felt like Shae loved that girl and would never want to see her come to harm. Sibel supposedly went to D&D about it and they told her the lines stay as is. Gotta love Sibel for remembering that Shae did say she would kill for Sansa.
    The ugly face Tyrion made during that speech was definitely a way for the folks to see him as the monster they think he is.
    Emilia Clarke is overrated, as is her character (Dany leaves me cold in the books as she does on the show)...meanwhile Stephen Dillane, Liam Cunningham and Conelith Hill don't get enough praise and should have more screen time.
    This was Pedro Pascal's best episode since the first one. His reactions were just perfect.

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    1. I didn't think his facial expressions were quite merited here. I understand the logistic and intent of the scene but I question the way Dinklage chose to act this out.

      I really hope we'll see Bronn soon and they clear up whether he was involved in the betrayal or not.

      I read her comments, I think Kekilli is a terrible actress but it's good she at least got so involved with the character that she is questioning her motives. The writers made the right decision - after all Shae's testimony wasn't her own idea, she was schooled to give it and it is in Lannisters' interest to make Sansa look bad.

      Perhaps, but as with Cersei's allegedly manipulating the judges the intent wasn't stated clearly - I won't be giving the writers/actor benefit of the doubt because it may have been intentional or not. It shouldn't be up for me to decide just what the hell they were going for.

      Yes, Hill! He is such a perfect Varys, isn't he?

      Pascal was on fire. Really wonderful work this season.

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  6. When Reek started to get undressed for his bath, I kept cringing and saying to myself, please don't show it, please... phew.

    The first part of the trial was a little long but I liked how each witness twisted Tyrion's words into horrible deeds when actually they're listing off my favorite moments of his. The impression I got from the book is during the trial Shae's testimony could be interpreted as self preservation but we learn differently later, here it's lot of scorn. I love Tyrion's tirade, I enjoyed his acting and kept thinking it's his Emmy nomination reel. He also had another great scene in a previous episode when he broke up with Shae and wanted to send her overseas.

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    1. Yeah same here. I know I constantly ask for male nudity but that's not what I had in mind:)

      His break up scene with Shae was a great moment for Dinklage but Kekilli is so bad it's distracting. I actually much preferred Dinklage's scenes this season from PW where he was quietly being humiliated by Joff and his cell scenes. I sincerely hope that he tops the trial scene because I'd cringe if that was his Emmy submission.

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  7. Oh my goodness, can they stop showing pointless Dany scenes. It's like you said, Stannis has to scrape by, whilst there's too much fruitless Dany.

    And yes, more needless nudity. Thanks HBO. Every year we complain and it just gets worse. Overall good episode though. I'm really looking fwd to the TRIAL BY COMBAT!!!

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    1. If Stannis was a blonde with boobs we would be swimming in his scenes and promo pics :)

      At least if they leveled it out a little with some guys...not Reek though.

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  8. Great recap as usual :)

    Dinklage definitely seemed over the top but I think it worked. He's usually so calm and calculated but Shae pushed him over the edge. It was betrayal that did that to him.

    Very strong episode though I thought and each one has me itching for more! I freakin' love Oberyn, think he's such an awesome character and I can't wait to see what happens to him.

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    1. Thank you!

      I preferred his acting when he was provoked in prior seasons - like during his wedding. It was much more natural and believable.

      Oberyn is awesome and his greatest moment is still to come :)

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  9. Good wrap-up. I luckily skipped the book spoiler. Good that you wrote that in gray :D I agree about everything except Dinklage's performance. I found it very exciting, emotional and masterful. I think it was his best in last two seasons.

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    1. Well, I don't just write for non book readers, so I'll write about everything that comes to my mind. I always change font for GoT spoilers.

      I don't think it would have made it in my top 5 from this season alone, except for that look he gives Shae.

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  10. I actually found Emilia Clarke's acting quite good as I could feel the anger and sadness inside of her. I knew it was there ever since the premiere when she said she would see the faces of each and every child that was killed in a brutal way.
    Why are you just okay with Dinklage's acting? I was completely destroyed during his trial, all the lies, all the injustice and he saved them all. I read somewhere he destroyed 3/4 of Stannis's army during the battle of the Blackwater, and then led the defense. And then, when he says 'I want to confess' three times, the first one being very quiet, the second not so silent and the third - the loudest, for even he didn't expect his life to become so unjust, as it wasn't enough he had to take it all his life. The outburst the follows towards the lies, the hypocrisy and the stupidity that Jofrrey died because he was a stupid c*nt was suitable it seemed to me, to say the least.
    I also thought that his was The Best episode so far this season, with a capital 'T', although I agree that the Purple Wedding was the best sequence as it was really cool exciting and inflating towards a burst.
    The trial by combat will be more exciting? How is this even possible?

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    1. I thought I explained my feelings about Dinklage's acting sufficiently - he was over the top and came off laughable for me. I'm not okay with his acting - it was either good or terrible. So I wouldn't say I'm okay with the way he chose to act out his big moment, at all.

      I understand the reasons for outburst but I didn't like the way Dinklage played it. There are ways for an actor to convey all of that without reducing a character to caricature, my goodness in all his years Gleeson didn't come off close to what Dinklage was doing and he would be allowed to do that. Dinklage's way of showing Tyrion's outburst was insanely jarring for me and took me out of the scene.

      How is it possible? Well, easily :) You'll see.

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  11. You didn't like Dinklage's acting. It seemed to me it was suitable, to say the least. All the lies, the hypocrisy and that stupidity that was just a matter of time before Jofrrey got himself killed along with everyone else because of his stupidity and cowardness. I thought it was an A+ acting from D.
    It reallt was the best episode so far.
    And I feel that E. Clarke was also good. I could feel her anger and her sadness because of what was done to the slaves.

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    1. Not sure why double comment? Blogger acting weird again? God, I hate this platform sometimes :/

      About Emilia, I just didn't think her heart was in it. "Bury your father" was a good moment, though.

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    2. Yep, sth happened to my computer, now I probably look like I have schizophrenia, but whatever.
      If you didn't feel her heart was in it I'll respect your opinion(s) (and even if I didn't, who am I to judge? We're not all the same), and although I was mostly satisfied with the acting of Dinklage I did notice he was somewhat laid back at momments.
      May we see some more GoT awesomeness and I am looking forward to your usual Friday post!

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    3. People don't need to agree about their feelings for characters and performances - that's the beauty of the show, everyone has different favorites :)

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  12. I loved how they show the reveal of Shae. It was really devastating just seeing Tyrion's face as she came in.

    The whole time I was reading the lead up to the trial I kept thinking to myself "trial by combat! trial by combat!" and also of who his champion turned out to be. It just works so perfectly.

    The whole Yara bit seemed a little stupid with how easily she gave up but it did do a good job setting up Reek's mindset. I am loving Reek/Theon's storyline in ADWD, especially Ghost of Winterfell chapters, so I look forward to that developing. I just wonder if they are still going to bring in Jeyne.

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    1. There are all those theories among book readers who will be used as Jeyne, I remember in s3 they even thought it will be Talisa :)

      As gross as that wedding night was (worst.chapter.ever.) I hope they keep the wedding in the show - FREY PIES! :)

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    2. Oh god, the wedding night is horrifying. That was one of the most disturbing and awkward thing in the books!

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    3. And seeing how they love Theon and Ramsay on the show I'd bet they include it :/

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  13. Why, why, why they're going to give us the Eyrie scene next week? I was so hoping they'll save it for the finale. Now I'm thinking we are going to see LS only through Brienne, it's a shame, really. They are wasting another opportunity for a very powerful scene.

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    1. I'm sure it's gonna be a good scene but yeah, out of all those things that could have been moved from finale - Arya for example... it seems like they are going to try and end every upcoming ep with something shocking. That's the only reason I see for this move.

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    2. One thing is on my mind with do you think Tywin wrote that letter to? Does it have something to do with Jorah spying on Dany in the past?

      Also I loved Oberyn in this episode! Pedro Pascal is doing shuch a great job. :D I wish we could see a scene with Oberyn and Tywin dining together (wink, wink ;P).

      I hated scenes in Dreadford, giving them so much screentime is sucha waste!

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    3. I'm 90% sure we saw that because someone will intercept this letter and that will lead to Jorah's banishment. Perhaps it's a letter to Jorah offering him lands etc. if he kills Dany? Casually mentioning 'since you did spy before' for Dany to know about his betrayal when the letter is revealed.

      Me too! But I guess they can just as easily have Cersei say 'the Viper blamed father and he knows poisons' after the smelling starts :)

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  14. I was expecting more pics of Dillane here :P Wow, for some reason I didn't realize Liam Cunningham is Davos, ha I guess I must've been distracted by Oberyn, he..he.. Btw, my coworker who've been binge-ing on GoT told me first thing Monday how good Dinklage was in this episode.

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    1. Oh there is gonna be plenty of gifs in RF :)

      I'm one of the few that doesn't share that impression :)

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  15. I LOVED this episode! Dinklage overplayed it at that face (too Joker indeed), but other than those few seconds, I thought he was fucking excellent. I was so sorry for him. I hope that "intense Shae bed scene" is two full minutes of Tyrion strangling that bitch. Varys broke my heart too. When he mentioned Stannis, I realised all I really want right now is for Stannis to kill Tywin. He is the dick of all dicks. I was really impressed by Jaime and Oberyn both, though, they absolutely belong to the pros-list!

    PS. Have you thought about using Disqus instead? I used to hate it, but compared to Blogger's comment field it's like an angel. So many long comments lost through Blogger, ugh.

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    1. Stannis should have just ride in on a dragon and you know, burn the whole thing down ^^

      Glad you liked Jaime and Oberyn too, I thought they were easily the best performances in the episode.

      Oh, no. I'd be afraid I lose existing comments.

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  16. Great review Sati ! ;)

    The questions you rise about Cersei's whitewashing are relevant. Will we learn how more she manipulated the trial ? I really hope next episode brings a great scene when she introduces her champion and a scene between her and Tywin.

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    1. Thank you!

      I think next ep perhaps she tells Jaime or Tywin she chooses the Mountain after seeing him kill some people. We need more evil Cersei!

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  17. haha. "do you whine about next episode already?" you ask. I laughed reading that because it seemed you whined about a lot in this one. Granted there is plenty of gratuitous nudity in the show (we get it...it's there almost every week) and not enough Stannis, perhaps but there's so many other great things to discuss! I couldn't wait to see what you had to say about not-terrible acting of Shae (whose appearance here as a witness was actually expected by this non-book reader), or why Tywin had Mace go get the paper and quill instead of calling a servant (i found that curious), or how amazingly fitting it was that the Rains of Castamere played at the end after we see Lannister (Tyrion) vs. Lannister (Tywin) in the throne room! --knowing the lyrics that gave me chills.

    I actually am not as disgusted with Dinklage as you. My opinion of him and his acting hasn't changed but that's just me. I felt his passion and rage during the trial and wouldn't have wanted it to be anyone else.

    I agree that Davos, Varys and Oberyn were also fantastic this episode. I was also glad to see only a little of Daenrys. I hope that storyline gets moving along soon.

    Thanks for mentioning Margaery's shocked look! That intrigued me too. Man, I can't wait to see what happens next. Thanks for the recap as always!

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    1. Whined? I can say it, in regards to my complaints for the placement of a scene, which ultimately is a minor problem, but honestly did you wrote that in regards to my recap? I back everything I write in those recaps by my reasoning. Also do you think this word applies when someone opens with 'best of the season'?

      I'm not at liberty to write about every little thing here. These recaps are already very precise. What's more is there to say about the 3 things you mentioned?

      "Disgusted"? At no point I said I was disgusted.

      You're welcome and I guess I do appreciate each comment.

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    2. Dear Sati,
      I'm afraid that my comment might have offended you and I wish to apologize if so. I did not intend that at all. In reference to my comments, it is unfortunate that words on a page cannot always convey the sense of jest where intended and the fault lies on the chooser of the words...in this instance: myself.

      I am thankful for all the time you put into your posts. In the past there seemed to be much more tying into the books in your recaps and lately there's been less of that at least from previous seasons. And in poorly chosen words I failed to convey that I love reading more of your background insight instead of as much venting (i can't think of a different word). But it wasn't my place to tell you what content to put on your posts. So I truly apologize.

      After reading all of your posts from seasons past I like to guess what you will mention in each post and usually peg it right and set myself up to be excited for a few aspects of the episode to be mentioned and overzealously expressed my disappointment in the lack of mention. I should've just asked you what you thought of those scenes...especially the song played! (Oh man!!)

      I look forward to your posts each week and am glad to have found a blogger who loves GoT so much! I hope you will accept my apology and continue to allow my comments here.
      Sincerely, -T

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    3. There is really no apology necessary, I guess I really do whine I just find it to be a slightly offensive word when someone else uses it in regards to my posts ^^ I'd certainly never reject someone's comment when it's on topic and I really do appreciate the feedback even if in this case apparently misunderstood it (damn that temper of mine!:)).

      I welcome all the suggestions, obviously, but the thing to remember is that I write those recaps as a hobby. I have my favorite characters and things to write about and treating the flaws of the show jokingly is something that I enjoy doing - I find the flaws of the show to be a source of entertainment - the amount of nudity is basically a drinking game at that point it got so ridiculous.

      I do not write about the book background here for myself or for readers who read the books. Those instances I write about the books are for the benefit of the non book readers. This season the show has strayed far from the books, as for the case of the trial it was practically all the same as it was in the novel. So in case the material is new - I have nothing to say about what happened in the book series as it's show's invention. And in the case when something is the same, all I can say is that it's a faithful adaptation. If there were relevant book details, I'd discuss them, but the show's 4th season is different than the prior ones - it invents a lot for the characters who simply didn't have different scenes at that point of the story. Caster's Keep raid, Asha's rescue and Stannis' bank trip - none of that happened in the book.

      The things you mentioned - Mace and the quill request - is new to the show. As for acting and music, well it's not something I can write in relation to the books, can I?:)

      To answer you - Mace is made into comic relief on the show, in the book he was barely there. As for Sibel - I cannot really say much here until I see more of what the show does with Shae story, I cannot comment on her acting not knowing what the showrunners decided to show as Shae's motivation. Also I complained about her so much this season I thought I'd give her a break, at least once ^^ As for Rains - well, it is played very often during those big Lannister moments - it was also played during bear episode's ending after Jaime's rescue of Brienne.

      If you want to ask something about the episode I'm very happy to respond but the thing to remember is that as an independent writer and fervent fangirl of some characters and hater of others, the focus of the recaps will never be...balanced :)

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    4. I'll be sure to ask as things pop to mind. Thanks a bunch. I had no idea there was so much less of the book in this season. That explains a lot and its interesting. I look forward to more. :)

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    5. Oh yes, lately 50% of the episodes is basically show's invention. I don't mind it, they are mostly detours and they get to the same point as Martin does in the books.

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  18. I dunno, this episode felt very bitty to me. Don't get me wrong, the bits in separation were good, but none of them felt like they joined together very well. Maybe that's just me.

    Dinklage - yes he was great, my thoughts anyway. For me it's the actress who plays Shae who lets me down here. Her betrayal could have been so much stronger had it come from a better, more believable actress. She just falls flat. Dinklage owns the episode for me. That final scene was fantastically done from him. Not like the book, but it had more drama to it.

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    1. To be fair, do they ever do? The show has so many locations and story arcs.

      Kekili is always a disappointment, she did handle scenes with Sansa well but other than that...awful.

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  19. Oh yeah, this was an awesome episode. I was wondering what Tyrion had up his sleeve and forgot all about the idea of trial by combat. Cannot wait for the next episode!

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    1. Glad you liked it! I think with each week now the episodes will only get better.

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  20. Cracker write-up Sati. I really look forward to these each week. I agree with you about Dinklage hamming it up a bit this episode. My partner actually asked, "Why is he doing that with his face?". To me it came off as him attempting to transform himself into a monster for the shock and outrage of the public gallery at the trial, but it was pretty cheesy. If anything this moment made me really look forward to the big Oberyn thing this episode and the other big Tyrion thing. Trying not to be spoilery but my excitement is almost too much!

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    1. He really overdid it. I mean the way he approach the scene was far less spontaneous than it should have been - Tyrion wouldn't give a crap about the audience, he was supposed to be in shock after Shae's testimony and since they shortened his speech a bit the intensity in quick scene came off as jarring.

      I bet these two moments will easily top the trial.

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  21. "In the land of boredom and dragons" haha, loved that. I've never liked Clarke too much on terms of acting. She's adorable, and I liked her on 1st season but after the "where are my dragons" scene I thought it was a bit too much. And she keeps doing those faces, she puts too much intensity to look menacing, and it does the opposite for me.

    I totally agree with your high and low points. One of my favorite moments was, of course, team Dragonstone visits Braavos (loved your detailed review of that part) with the amazing setting, Stannis/Dillane all badass, Liam Cunningham's great speech and Gatiss appearance. And I also loved Pascal's and Coster-Waldau's performances. They gave some of the best moments. Alfie Allen also did a great job as Reek.

    Can't wait for next episode to see that final moment you talk about and Sansa's scenes.

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    1. I really liked Emilia in s1 and she had some really good moments in s3 but season 2 and 4 are really far from her heights.

      Sansa scenes are going to be wonderful this week. It's gonna be adaptation of two incredibly written chapters and quite possibly the best scenes Sansa had so far in the series.

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  22. Only just saw this episode the other day. Absolutely loved it! Thank god someone agrees with me regarding Dinklage's strange facial expressions - just bizarre.Other than that what a strong episode!
    Great write-up once again Sati. I'll be watching Mockingbird tonight and can't wait to read your review.

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    1. There is so much praise for him for this episode and honestly I think he was much better in Mockingbird, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with his acting there.

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