This was the finale we had all been waiting for. The showrunners called it the best hour of television they had ever made, so I went in with high expectations.
The aftermath of the Castle Black assault is ominous in its scenery as Jon reaches out to Mance to strike a bargain. I found Mance's portrayal a bit lacking of that earlier season grimace and fear he commanded; here he sounded a lot less menacing and intimidating, even talking about his own death. Still, the entire sequence of the cavalry arriving was epic. The music was fitting as Stannis' army, more disciplined, more organised, surrounded the band of wildlings and came away with a overwhelming victory. A comical moment as a solitary wildling was mowed down in front of Stannis set the tone for a interesting balance between the unyielding King beyond the Wall and the One True King, Stannis Baratheon. A warning from Jon is foreboding; there is harsher and more terrible horrors out there in the north which makes for burning bodies a wise idea.
Pycelle continues his incompetence as Grand Maester yet Qyburn is there to fill his shoes. Cersei seems very interested in the fate of her Mountain of a warrior but in contrast is adamant of her position in King's Landing. Cersei finally takes control over her father's meddling ways and drops the incest bombshell on Tywin to devastating effect. It's a conflicting Tywin, head of the Lannister house who cannot control his family like he has done so for so long. All 3 of his children now in open rebellion. And two of them continue their inseparable bond.
Moving over to Essos, Dany's actions finally come back to bite her. She's been unstoppable and invincible, but the consequences of her breaking chains shows in Hazzea's story of the safety of slavery. Freedom seems to be not everyone's goal. What is even more damning is the second coming of Drogon unchained, now feeding not on mere sheep, but children. Dany makes the decision to chain up her remaining two dragons in hope of preventing this. It's a heartbreaking scene as she locks away her 'children' and show signs of wear and despair, her campaign finally starting to show some signs of unravelling.
His name was Grenn, giant-slayer, and he held the gate. His name was Pyp, steward. The burning is an emotional scene as we say goodbye to two friends of Jon Snow. The awkwardness of the outsiders in Stannis and Davos is fitting yet you sense Mel is finally able to show her true colours after the success of the cavalry charge, which she advised way back in the season 2 finale. Touching words by Tormund lead to Jon bringing Ygritte back North to her true home and burning her alone. In front of the Weirwood Tree, she is kissed by fire.
Another notable Weirwood Tree finally makes its appearance in a scene we have been waiting for forever. The Three Eyed Raven's cave is so close yet in a stunning sequence of events, undead wights rise from the ground in an ambush. It's purely CHI and a spectacle to behold as we finally witness Bran take full control of Hodor and utilise his warging potential. The death of Jojen was quite unnecessary I felt, but it magnified the desperation of the situation and the first COTF sighting. Not exactly what I had in mind but the fireballs sure are handy. Leading them into the cave to finally meet the Raven is a tense reveal; the man in the roots emanates power and presence. Time to fly, Brandon Stark.
We had predicted a Brienne and Hound meeting but not like this. Two heavyweights clashed in a verbal battle emphasising just how much the Hound cares for Arya before a swordfight erupts. It's brutally choreographed to go from grabbing bare Valyrian steel to biting off ears but it ends with the Hound ultimately falling. Arya's transformation is clear and the Hound's jibes of Mycah and Sansa are cutting and damning. As cold as she has become, her walk away is colder.
Shae's reveal was so shocking and yet the fight scene was not what I had in mind. It becomes much less tragic the relationship they had if Tyrion kills her only in self defense. Yet the next scene made up for it. Gone is the jovial half man full of wit. The father son talk is perfect for Father's Day, chilling and cutting to each other's pride. Tywin's lifelong hatred is so evident even with his declaration of Tyrion as his son and as a Lannister. He despised Tyrion's whoring yet take pleasure in Shae himself. And so ends Tywin Lannister, the man who cared so much about his family but failed to care about his children. You shot me, he said, surprised.
The final scene was not what I wanted but still a great cliffhanger. Arya finally finds her true calling and utters the words that ring true in this show: Valar Morghulis. All men must die. And yet some live to see another day. Bring on Season 5.
9.5/10 (Book readers will know why this is not a perfect 10)
The aftermath of the Castle Black assault is ominous in its scenery as Jon reaches out to Mance to strike a bargain. I found Mance's portrayal a bit lacking of that earlier season grimace and fear he commanded; here he sounded a lot less menacing and intimidating, even talking about his own death. Still, the entire sequence of the cavalry arriving was epic. The music was fitting as Stannis' army, more disciplined, more organised, surrounded the band of wildlings and came away with a overwhelming victory. A comical moment as a solitary wildling was mowed down in front of Stannis set the tone for a interesting balance between the unyielding King beyond the Wall and the One True King, Stannis Baratheon. A warning from Jon is foreboding; there is harsher and more terrible horrors out there in the north which makes for burning bodies a wise idea.
Pycelle continues his incompetence as Grand Maester yet Qyburn is there to fill his shoes. Cersei seems very interested in the fate of her Mountain of a warrior but in contrast is adamant of her position in King's Landing. Cersei finally takes control over her father's meddling ways and drops the incest bombshell on Tywin to devastating effect. It's a conflicting Tywin, head of the Lannister house who cannot control his family like he has done so for so long. All 3 of his children now in open rebellion. And two of them continue their inseparable bond.
Moving over to Essos, Dany's actions finally come back to bite her. She's been unstoppable and invincible, but the consequences of her breaking chains shows in Hazzea's story of the safety of slavery. Freedom seems to be not everyone's goal. What is even more damning is the second coming of Drogon unchained, now feeding not on mere sheep, but children. Dany makes the decision to chain up her remaining two dragons in hope of preventing this. It's a heartbreaking scene as she locks away her 'children' and show signs of wear and despair, her campaign finally starting to show some signs of unravelling.
His name was Grenn, giant-slayer, and he held the gate. His name was Pyp, steward. The burning is an emotional scene as we say goodbye to two friends of Jon Snow. The awkwardness of the outsiders in Stannis and Davos is fitting yet you sense Mel is finally able to show her true colours after the success of the cavalry charge, which she advised way back in the season 2 finale. Touching words by Tormund lead to Jon bringing Ygritte back North to her true home and burning her alone. In front of the Weirwood Tree, she is kissed by fire.
Another notable Weirwood Tree finally makes its appearance in a scene we have been waiting for forever. The Three Eyed Raven's cave is so close yet in a stunning sequence of events, undead wights rise from the ground in an ambush. It's purely CHI and a spectacle to behold as we finally witness Bran take full control of Hodor and utilise his warging potential. The death of Jojen was quite unnecessary I felt, but it magnified the desperation of the situation and the first COTF sighting. Not exactly what I had in mind but the fireballs sure are handy. Leading them into the cave to finally meet the Raven is a tense reveal; the man in the roots emanates power and presence. Time to fly, Brandon Stark.
We had predicted a Brienne and Hound meeting but not like this. Two heavyweights clashed in a verbal battle emphasising just how much the Hound cares for Arya before a swordfight erupts. It's brutally choreographed to go from grabbing bare Valyrian steel to biting off ears but it ends with the Hound ultimately falling. Arya's transformation is clear and the Hound's jibes of Mycah and Sansa are cutting and damning. As cold as she has become, her walk away is colder.
Shae's reveal was so shocking and yet the fight scene was not what I had in mind. It becomes much less tragic the relationship they had if Tyrion kills her only in self defense. Yet the next scene made up for it. Gone is the jovial half man full of wit. The father son talk is perfect for Father's Day, chilling and cutting to each other's pride. Tywin's lifelong hatred is so evident even with his declaration of Tyrion as his son and as a Lannister. He despised Tyrion's whoring yet take pleasure in Shae himself. And so ends Tywin Lannister, the man who cared so much about his family but failed to care about his children. You shot me, he said, surprised.
The final scene was not what I wanted but still a great cliffhanger. Arya finally finds her true calling and utters the words that ring true in this show: Valar Morghulis. All men must die. And yet some live to see another day. Bring on Season 5.
9.5/10 (Book readers will know why this is not a perfect 10)