Without a doubt, "Baelor" is the best episode of this season so far. The ending is an absolute shocker, and one of the best endings you will ever see. My feelings for Joffrey, the snivel brat king, took a deep dive. When a character makes you so angry through his actions, that means you have quite the memorable character. You gotta feel for poor Ned. He was an honest, trustworthy man who kept his code to the end. As the sword was about to take off his neck, through King Joffrey's orders, I was shocked by such a powerful moment.
While Ned and the Starks were the important part of the episode, the centerpiece belonged to Tyrion. Peter Dinklage created many Emmy-worthy performances and he has many of them here at use. We learn a little more about his tragic backstory and his doomed first marriage, but he remains as funny and snarky as ever. He even gets to suffer a war wound, much to the surprise of his father. One of the best sequences here is the "Have I Ever" game that Tyrion played with Bronn and Shae, a woman that Bronn found. We delve deeper into Tyrion's past while maintaining a humorous vibe. Tyrion was also ordered to be the army's vanguard against the Stark army, where he gets injured with a hammer.
Back in the capital of Westeros, Joffrey originally promises that Ned's life will be spared after Sansa begs for mercy. With the backing of Cersei, Joffrey agrees. He agrees only on the condition that Ned admits he is a traitor. Ned is adamant at first on not doing anything for a person like Joffrey, but he realizes he needs to protect his children. He has a nice conversation with Varys admitting he does not fear death because he is a soldier. As for Arya, she escaped the clutches of the Lannisters and lives in King's Landing as a peasant. But in the end, she sees what is truly happening to her father. Something that no child should ever witness.
As we go across the Narrow Sea, it becomes clear that the Dothraki invasion will not be happening anytime soon. From what seems to be a minor wound, this week has Khal Drogo knocking on death's door with nothing but a witch to aid him. Daenerys figures out she doesn't have much power without Drogo backing her up. But at least we can figure out that Jorah Mormont is a loyal ally to her.
We do not spend much time in the North at the Wall, but the little time we spend there still has Jon contemplating his values. He wants to join his brother in war against the Lannisters, but then again, he made a commitment to the Black. A commitment that cannot be broken unless he wants to die. Master Aemon tells him as much when he recounts his Targaryen lineage that used to be on the throne.
As for Robb, he becomes a valuable general here. Richard Madden certainly is taking his character to another level. With each passing episode, I become more enamored with his character. He was also able to capture a certain Lannister prisoner. Cersei will certainly not be happy! I also liked the addition of David Bradley as Walder Frey, a sleazy old man with a wife whose age could be his granddaughter's. Creepy old man! But this British thespian is great at playing these kinds of characters, so it should be no surprise he does it well here. We definitely will see more of him considering Robb is engaged to one of the Freys.
Game of Thrones reached its season's peak with this incredible episode. The ending is shocking, and it serves as a launching pad for what is to come next. These scenes are truly heartbreaking. When Ned sees his two daughters for the last time, I nearly lost it. You could tell that this execution was not planned. The shocked look on Cersei's face was pure golden. These are the moments that we truly live for in this series. One could forgive the fact that there were tons of off-camera fighting. My biggest gripe of the series is that we have not been many battles. They are only spoken about. After all, even the biggest shows have budgets....but still. Anyhow, an utterly amazing penultimate episode!
My Grade: A+
While Ned and the Starks were the important part of the episode, the centerpiece belonged to Tyrion. Peter Dinklage created many Emmy-worthy performances and he has many of them here at use. We learn a little more about his tragic backstory and his doomed first marriage, but he remains as funny and snarky as ever. He even gets to suffer a war wound, much to the surprise of his father. One of the best sequences here is the "Have I Ever" game that Tyrion played with Bronn and Shae, a woman that Bronn found. We delve deeper into Tyrion's past while maintaining a humorous vibe. Tyrion was also ordered to be the army's vanguard against the Stark army, where he gets injured with a hammer.
Back in the capital of Westeros, Joffrey originally promises that Ned's life will be spared after Sansa begs for mercy. With the backing of Cersei, Joffrey agrees. He agrees only on the condition that Ned admits he is a traitor. Ned is adamant at first on not doing anything for a person like Joffrey, but he realizes he needs to protect his children. He has a nice conversation with Varys admitting he does not fear death because he is a soldier. As for Arya, she escaped the clutches of the Lannisters and lives in King's Landing as a peasant. But in the end, she sees what is truly happening to her father. Something that no child should ever witness.
As we go across the Narrow Sea, it becomes clear that the Dothraki invasion will not be happening anytime soon. From what seems to be a minor wound, this week has Khal Drogo knocking on death's door with nothing but a witch to aid him. Daenerys figures out she doesn't have much power without Drogo backing her up. But at least we can figure out that Jorah Mormont is a loyal ally to her.
We do not spend much time in the North at the Wall, but the little time we spend there still has Jon contemplating his values. He wants to join his brother in war against the Lannisters, but then again, he made a commitment to the Black. A commitment that cannot be broken unless he wants to die. Master Aemon tells him as much when he recounts his Targaryen lineage that used to be on the throne.
As for Robb, he becomes a valuable general here. Richard Madden certainly is taking his character to another level. With each passing episode, I become more enamored with his character. He was also able to capture a certain Lannister prisoner. Cersei will certainly not be happy! I also liked the addition of David Bradley as Walder Frey, a sleazy old man with a wife whose age could be his granddaughter's. Creepy old man! But this British thespian is great at playing these kinds of characters, so it should be no surprise he does it well here. We definitely will see more of him considering Robb is engaged to one of the Freys.
Game of Thrones reached its season's peak with this incredible episode. The ending is shocking, and it serves as a launching pad for what is to come next. These scenes are truly heartbreaking. When Ned sees his two daughters for the last time, I nearly lost it. You could tell that this execution was not planned. The shocked look on Cersei's face was pure golden. These are the moments that we truly live for in this series. One could forgive the fact that there were tons of off-camera fighting. My biggest gripe of the series is that we have not been many battles. They are only spoken about. After all, even the biggest shows have budgets....but still. Anyhow, an utterly amazing penultimate episode!
My Grade: A+