User Reviews

What a lot to absorb. Jaime's actions as a "king killer" are finally revealed. During a time in a bath, talking to Brienne, he reveals that what he did was actually noble, but that Stark had no interest in hearing his side of the story. He is a complex, multi-dimensional character. There is another supernatural element at work here, as well (for me, the less magic and non-earthly things, the better) with the revivification of the leader of the no banners group and the Hound. John Snow is finally seduced and it turns out that he is quite a lover. He is now fully embraced in his new life with his new people. The most intriguing plot development has to do with Tyrion and Cersei, who are now to be used as pawns to join certain factions in the war, and to squelch the efforts of one group to create a marriage of convenience politically. This sets up a whole raft of possibilities. Meanwhile, Dany has made all her new soldiers free men, and, in the process, attained great loyalty from them. They will be great fighters because they are like automatons. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

This week showcased another stellar episode of Game of Thrones in which previously dormant issues are most certainly beginning to erupt in a wonderfully foreboding nature and the true price of loyalty begins to surface. Oh and Jon Snow finally has sex. Mazel tov!

First off we return to Arya, Gendry and the Brotherhood without Banners who are serving the 'Lord of Light' and putting Hound's innocence to the test in a deciding sword fight against their leader. Much to Arya and the Brotherhood's dismay, Hound actually wins the fight (against a flaming sword and all) and is released. The Brotherhood announce they will reunite Arya with her brother the following morning but Gendry decides to stay and serve as a blacksmith, sick of being loyal to the wrong people. Poor Arya seems to be losing everyone around her and for the first time, bathed in the light of fire, we see a burning sense of despair that she is inevitably feeling.

Jon Snow continues to questionably serve the Wildlings, but it is fair to say that his loyalty to the Nights Watch is most definitely over after breaking a sworn oath. That's right, thanks to Ygritte's nudey and luring ways, both succumb to the sexual tension that has plagued their relationship. It's a well executed development and about bloody time too.

Stannis Baratheon continues to be almost on par with Joffrey as contender for television's biggest douchebag. He visits his wife with the intention of confessing adultery and impregnating Melisandre. However she is fully aware of the situation, in fact she seems to be on board with it all believing that someone must fulfill such wifely duties of providing a son. Something which she has undoubtedly failed to do, going by the preserved collection of foetuses that prominently decorate her room. She does however have a daughter but keeps her hidden away due to her facial disfigurement. Not a brilliant mother then, and no surprises that Stannis hasn't particularly been the best father either. In fact he has locked away the only man who has, Ser Davos, who remains imprisoned feeling the weighty punishment for straying loyalties.

Jaime and Brienne are finally handed over to Lord Bolton who treats them in a slightly more hospitable manner than their captors. They're even allowed to bathe, providing what is at first a comical sequence but transgresses into another cleverly written stepping-stone in their friendship. In a moment of relentless vulnerability, Jaime is laid bare literally and figuratively when revealing the truth over his 'kingslayer' name. A breakdown wonderfully performed by Nikolaj Coaster- Waldau that will no doubt have consequences regarding Brienne's loyalty to Lady Stark.

Robb Stark is still dealing with terrible bad luck and un-loyal soldiers as Richard Karstark, in an act of vengeance, murders the two young Lannister hostages. Robb is outraged at this act of betrayal and as a punishment, decides to behead Karstark contrary to the advice from his wife and mother. As feared this move resulted in the rest of the Karstark family leaving Robbs army, placing him in a weaker position than ever. He decides his only chance of re-strengthening his army is to take Casterly Rock which will be made possible by befriending Walder Frey – the man whose daughter was promised to marry Robb. Oops.

Back in Astapor there are no moves of bad-ass proportion from Daenerys this week. Instead Ser Jorah Mormont and Ser Barristan Selmy converse in a battle of worthiness and loyalty to Daenerys. It feels only a matter of time before this mode of civil conversation gets a little more heated.

In King's Landing Tyrion meets with Olenna Tyrell, in a highly anticipated union of characters, to discuss the finances of the big royal wedding. It is a brief moment of comical discourse, played brilliantly by Diana Rigg, who out-smarts and out-wits Tyrion, a tough feat by any means. Most shattering, however, is Cersei's reveal (thanks to the help of Littlefinger) that Marjaery Tyrell is planning to marry off Sansa to her gay brother, Loras. In order to prevent this happening and keep Sansa (the heir of Winterfell) in line with the Lannisters, Tywin instructs Tyrion to marry Sansa instead. To the credit of Peter Dinklage, the heart-wrenching devastation exudes from his eyes over the nature of his father's order. Not only will this crush Tyrion and Shae's relationship but there is also a genuine concern for Sansa. Tywin's 'I- hate-my-children' reign does not finish there. He also orders Cersei to marry Loras. She naturally declines of course, but Tywin will not be defied and is adamant that orders will be carried out. Although the proverbial apples do not fall so far from the tree and something tells me it won't be as easy as all that...

In addition to the one or two note-worthy performances, the stand-out element for this week was the episode's overwhelming foreboding nature. From horrific rain storms to over-powering shadows that devour half of the shot – it all alludes to the encroaching and explosive drama that will unfold resultant from the aforementioned character developments. Once again each trope was well balanced, moving at a pace that befitted the narrative. Yet whether its two minutes in Astapor or ten in King's Landing, each moment is continuously captivating.

Overall Game of Thrones continues to simmer this week, as tension reaches a new level – so does the impending sense of doom and devastation. Whilst it does require you to rack your brains for previous plot points, the episode is nevertheless well written by Bryan Cogman, as each character trope is well balanced and distributed. Characters' various loyalties are questioned but with their development of a calibre this high, our loyalty to the show most definitely isn't.

This episode sees The Hound face trial by combat but the result is not the one Arya had hoped for. North of the wall Jon Snow still isn't fully trusted by the Wildlings but after telling them about the defences at the wall Ygritte takes him to a cave where Jon breaks his vow never to lie with a woman… and he even manages to teach the more experienced Ygritte a thing or two. Robb Stark's plans face further setbacks when Lord Karstark and his men murder the two young Lannister boys; Robb has the killers executed but that leads to Karstark's forces departing leaving Robb with only half the men he had before; if he is to get more men he will have to have the Freys ally with him; something that won't be easy given that he broke his vow to marry Lord Frey's daughter. Back in King's Landing we learn that Loras Tyrell, the man it is suggested that Sansa marries, prefers the company of men and when Tywin Lannister learns of the proposed union he has other ideas about who Sansa and Loras should marry… somewhat to the dismay of his own children. Elsewhere Brienne and Jaime are handed over to Lord Bolton; here their treatment improves and after Jaime's wounds are treated he has a conversation with Brienne in which he gives the details about why he killed the 'Mad King'; details that make him a more sympathetic character.

This was another fine episode which got of to a great start with The Hound's trial; it was an exciting fight made all the more impressive by his opponent's flaming sword. Arya's reaction to what was happening made it even more interesting; Maisie Williams was great here and in the scenes that followed. The scenes between Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, as Jon and Ygritte, were impressive and despite the nudity didn't feel gratuitous partially because it seemed entirely natural but also because his breaking of his vow is an important step to him joining the Wildlings. After all the scheming involving Tyrion and Cersei it was interesting to see their reaction to their father's demands; Tyrion's honourably reaction and Cersei's disgust! What ultimately happens to Sansa will be interesting to see. The scenes between Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau and Gwendoline Christi, as Jaime and Brienne, were surprisingly touching as Jaime tells the story about the Mad King's death. There are plenty of other great moments including a scene where Daenerys gives the Unsullied the right to choose their own names and one where Stannis visits his wife then his young daughter. All these scenes are combined in a way that leaves the viewer keen to discover what will happen next to the protagonists without feeling that any one scene goes on for too long. Overall another gripping episode.

One eyed man has fire power like the red devil lady. OK. The Hound gives him too much to handle, that is until he used more Satan-fire magic to come back from the dead, and not be a frozen winter guy... Jon Snow ain't taken shiz from nobody. Especially Ygritte, who is getting in the way of the Snow/Daenerys world take over. Jaime apparently is trying to overcome a drug addiction as well, and refuses to take pain killers while his flesh is literally burned off his arm.

Tyrion may have met his match with mouthy grandma, Arya is running out of protectors. She needs to come to terms with The Hound and get him on the Snow train to the promised land. Robb Stark looks like he's well on his way to the same place. Along with the One Eyed Highlander.

This Lord of Light is also gaining quite the popularity. Crazy cult is now taking over where incest isn't rampant and Jon Snow isn't present. Speaking of incest, it looks like Jaime is looking to expand the gene pool with Brienne. Cersie is going to love that one.

Things are looking extremely well for Daenerys. Although last time this happened her husband went all Hulk-smash and died of infection while a witch cursed her baby, and she had to start against from square one...

Tension is definitely running high among the Lannister's. Must stem from lack of genetic diversity.

Jon Snow is questioned about the defenses of The Wall. Then he goes with Ygritte to a cave where they have sex. Daenerys asks her officers who should be their leader and they indicate Grey Worm. Lord Rickard Karstark kills the Tywin's grandsons and Catelyn, Talisa and Edmure advise Robb to keep Rickard as a hostage since if he executes Rickard, his men will leave him and return home. However Robb beheads Rickard in the name of the justice and he loses half of his army. Jaime and Brienne are delivered to Lord Bolton and he gives accommodations to them and Jaime's arm is treated to avoid gangrenous. The Hound defeats Dondarrion and is released by the Brotherhood. Tyrion makes financial arrangements with Oleanna to share the expenses of the wedding. Then Cercei and he are summoned by their father that explains that each one of them will get married.

"Kissed by Fire" shows Jon Snows breaking his vows of Night's Watch with Ygritte. Robb's sense of justice has brought losses to him. The mysterious Lord of Light is powerful and revives Dondarrion that is killed in combat by The Hound. But the Machievellian Tywin uses Cersei's poison to makes arrangements for the marriage of his children. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Kissed by Fire"

As each episode does, "Kissed by Fire" covers a hell of a lot within its running time. I laughed the other day when there was discussion about how certain GoT fans were angered at the first few episodes of the 8th season not running at film time. 52 minutes of this episode covers as much as a chapter in a book and doesn't need 30 more minutes.

Cersei just enjoys it when Tywin passes down commandment to Tyrion, taking great delight in each humiliation. When told to marry Sansa with Tyrion protesting that she deserves better than all the misery already passed down to her, Cersei can't smile wide enough, knowing that Margaery's plan to have the Tyrells and Starks wed. But Tywin has plans for her, too-to marry Ser Loras-so that she could be aligned to the Tyrells and Highgarden. Cersei's own disagreement with this, much like Tyrion, leaves no impact as Tywin demands they bring respect to the name finally. Sansa could have chosen to ship away with Littlefinger (to have a Stark daughter would have been ideal for him as Varys understands all too well) but decided to heed Margaery's advice and remain at King's Landing, hoping to wed Loras (who is all too happy to bed a squire instead). Tywin doesn't want Olenna and Margaery to have an edge over the Lannisters, so his children are to make sure to secure power as he demands. Joffrey might be named King, but the Hand is the one calling the shots, it seems.

Robb Stark is losing the faith of his men, as Cat's release of Jaime left him quite vulnerable, as Lord Karstark led a siege upon the Lannister boys, killing them in retaliation for the murder of his son thanks to Jaime. Robb has those responsible hung and Lord Karstark beheaded (Robb does the chopping, supposedly as a matter of procedure for betrayal). And the gulp in the throat: Robb sees a possible way towards seizing Casterly Rock through the aid of Walder Frey. The Red Wedding is fast approaching. You can see here where Lady Catelyn and her "King of the North" (no longer leaving such an intimidating sheen) son have gradually brought upon themselves their own doom.

So it does appear the God of Fire does have serious potency...Beric Dondarrion, with his flaming sword, does give The Hound a good swordfight but the hulking swordsman gets the better of him. However, with but a few magic words from his drunk companion in the Brotherhood, Beric once again revives. The catch: Beric carries the scars of each death, a little less himself each time. Arya looks into a fire, inside the cavern, fuming over Beric letting The Hound free, wanting him dead for the loss of her friend by his hand. After the loss of Hotpie, who remained to cook in an inn, Gendry also decides to remain with the Brotherhood to be a smith to repair their metal.

Speaking of the God of Fire, the wife, Lady Selyse (Tara Fitzgerald), of Stannis is praying to it when he arrives to visit her, needing to confess his affair with Melisandre. But Selyse is okay with it because she gave him a son. Stannis wants to see his daughter, as her face is "marked" with a type of leprosy, while her heart is pure. She wants to see his Onion Knight (Davos), but Stannis informs her he's locked in a dungeon for betrayal. She goes to visit Davos in his cell, to provide reading and offering to help him learn to read just to be with him. It never hurts to have a little warmth in a show filled to the brim with dark souls and rotten characters. Selyse hasn't been able to give Stannis a son, jars of fetuses reminding her of her failure. And as we have seen in the past, it is no surprise Stannis desire Melisandre so. Seeing the Brotherhood worshiping the same god as Melisandre is quite a shock, but the god of fire wouldn't be so confined to just a certain area and not spread further north.

Roose Bolton offers Jaime help with his wound, better quarters to sleep, and a hotbath to bathe. Jaime doesn't want to lose his whole arm so he will endure a procedure by a doc who was stripped of his maester status due to "experiments". It is an interesting turn of events. Roose even tells Jaime that his family was victors at King's Landing. What are Roose's real intentions? Jaime, at his lowest, sits in the bath, unwilling and not desiring a confrontation with Brienne, tells her of why he killed the Mad King. That he couldn't obey the King and kill his father or allow wildfire to bathe the entire kingdom in some great spread burn. It was a decision that has lived in infamy because Jaime chose his father, families and children, over the oath and honor of a Hand of the King. Brienne listened in horror, understanding his sacrifice. This is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's finest moment in the character because it revealed a vulnerability and weight Jaime had carried. And Christie deserves credit, too, as Brienne's reaction to Jaime's recollection speaks of how awful his situation really was. Best sequence in the episode.

Barristan Selmy riding alongside Jorah tries to prepare him for when they do take the kingdom, speaking about the circle, how they were once rivals, and the idea of actually supporting and representing a Queen worth the trouble. I enjoyed their banter, but Jorah's dedication to Daenerys is unquestioned. Selmy wants to know if she is worth fighting for and defending, and Jorah is without a doubt she is. But Selmy trying to judge both Jorah and Daenerys, whether they are prepared for the pressures and difficulties that come with the Iron Throne, does leave us wondering where he truly stands.

Jon Snow finally can no longer get away from Ygritte and the sexual tension and desires between them. Once inside a cavern with a hot spring, Jon gives in to his urges with just a wee little bit of seduction from Ygritte. We see as they cuddle, touch, and caress each other, talking about never wanting to leave the cavern, that there has been a bond...not just sweet lovin'. When questioned by Giantsbane and his warg about the Night's Watch's forces, Jon tells them but he's challenged on his loyalty. You see Jon aggressively emphasize his words are true...that he is worth trusting in their cause.

Includes is Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye), mentioned by Selmy to Jorah, telling Arya she would be reunited with her brother soon, The Hound fighting through the fire that is his weakness to vanquish in the swordfight (even though only a few minutes, it is incredibly well orchestrated in a cave, with the sword aflame), Tyrion having to negotiate funds for the wedding with Olenna over financial help (her dismissing him as browbeaten just further humiliates the poor guy), and plenty of God of Fire getting some love in the episode.

This is why i love this show so much even in an episode that is clearly building to something epic we get so many bone chilling moments (Jamie's confession and the hounds fight being my favorites) but it did leave a little to be desired in some story lines. I hated the way jons and ygrittes scene was done in the book this moment was built up and felt more believable but neither of them have had any real airtime to build chemistry and what was with lady baratheons fetuses that is definitely a change from the books i don't like. Grey Worms speech to Dany was really moving exactly how i imagined it to be. and robb continues to ignore the advice of his mother like that hasn't bitten him in the as before.

KISSED BY FIRE is another generally fine episode, perhaps a slight step down from the previous two, but only just. The emphasis here is on character growth, from Daenerys as newly-won conqueror to Jaime exploring his hitherto unnoticed human side. The scenes with a tortured Robb are particularly engrossing here, among the darkest the show gets, while the plotting in King's Landing is delightful with Charles Dance at the top of his game once more. Meanwhile, the sword fight between the Hound and Beric is one of the best-choreographed of the entire series.

Kissed by Fire is an average episode, as not much happens and some unlikable characters are present.

Jaime and Brienne are given to Lord Bolton, Jaime shares his story of killing the King with Brienne. The Hound fights for his freedom against a dead man. Jon tells how many men defend the wall and where, then he and Ingrid get it on in the caves, Rose Leslie yes. Tywin tells Tyrion that he must marry Sansa. Shireen sneaks down to her friend Davos's cell and begins to teach him to read. I liked Kerry Ingram's song at the end, I know I know. :)

Ygritte: I don't ever want to leave this cave, Jon Snow. Not ever.

Ygritte, Jon, Shireen and Tyrion the standouts.

John break his vow about the womans. The scene of the sexual scene was a real pleasure to see. The hound get away with his judgments despite Arya wish. The story of Jaime Lannister about saving the city was interesting and reinforce that the fact we dont really know the character and it give us more depth to Jaime about his intentions. And the plan of Tywin to make the Tyrell go away with the wedding plans make things interesting for the future episodes and the future of our characters. And what become really hard for the Stark its that the two Lannister hostages get killed and made them hide that fact just during the war. Of course the Lannister will learn that sooner or later and that make it interesting. Stannis get encourage to do infidelity by his own wife. Quite surprising. An interesting episode with some events and plans that will make changed things and draw a new path of possibilities for our characters. Need to see more.

In this espisode, the context seperated cleary about the north land & King's Land capital with more plo & unexpected things:

• Robb lost the half of his army because the death of Lord Karstard. He killed young servants of Lannisters for the private revenge without Robb's permission. He officially accuse Robb & Catelyn for betraying because they let Jamine go. Ignoring beloved advice, Robb decided to kill Karstard which leads to lose the half of army. This story leads to the Robb's marriage with the daughter of Lord from House Frey. But I feel this wedding will not be good.

The Night Watch got a big messy. The captain was killed by his soldiers. The Night Watch now is messy, bloody & violence because of hunger. The fat guy escaped with one of the Caster's girls & her newborn baby.

Tywin Lannister show his ambitious plan. He forced Tyrion suppose to marry with Sansha to dominant the North. Cersei suppose to marry with Loras Tyrill to reach the Peach land. He hasn't showed his clear plan for recuse Jamine.

The Little Finger show of more about his love through the eye contact with Sansha Lady. In my opinion, he falls in love with Sansha because she look llike her mom or his plot with the North Land. Because we all know the Little Finger is love power more than love.

1. Jon breaks his vow 2. Rob deals with treason 3. Tyrion and Cersei are about to be married off

Another great followup episode to an excellent prior episode.

It feels like a lot of the wives of Westeros are crazy - Stanis' wife is crazy because she couldn't fill her duty of producing a son and Lady Arryn as seen in season 1, is quite crazy too. Very unsettling characters.

That was a beautiful monologue by Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). I expected things to turn sexual between them but instead he delivers the best performance he's given until now. We now understand the deeper side of Jaime, who is despised by everyone and has the title of Kingslayer - when in reality, he was just to protect his own.

The Lannisters also carried this episode with the last scene where Tywin decides to marry Cersei and Tyrion off - which causes protest among them, but Tywin rules over them all. That ruins a lot of things for them. Jaime and Shae will be left alone in the dark. How would they react to this ultimatum? Can only find in the next episode...