Jorah Mormont sets sail alongside his prisoner, Tyrion. Cersei makes a move against the Tyrells. Jaime and Bronn sneak into Dorne. Ellaria and the Sand Snakes make their plans. Melisandre te... Read allJorah Mormont sets sail alongside his prisoner, Tyrion. Cersei makes a move against the Tyrells. Jaime and Bronn sneak into Dorne. Ellaria and the Sand Snakes make their plans. Melisandre tempts Jon. The Harpies attack.Jorah Mormont sets sail alongside his prisoner, Tyrion. Cersei makes a move against the Tyrells. Jaime and Bronn sneak into Dorne. Ellaria and the Sand Snakes make their plans. Melisandre tempts Jon. The Harpies attack.
- Melisandre
- (as Carice Van Houten)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIan McElhinney, who plays Barristan Selmy, was surprised to learn of his character's death, as he had read the novels where Barristan was still alive at that point, and becoming an increasingly prominent character with his own point-of-view chapters. McElhinney suspected something when his shooting schedule was shorter than usual; his death scene was originally scripted to occur in Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken (2015), but got pushed ahead during production. In an interview after the episode aired, McElhinney remarked, "He had to be seen fighting. He's been talked about as the greatest knight that ever was, so he's got to fight. So it's great that he does." In the last book that was released at the time, Selmy was gearing up to fight a battle, and it was speculated that he might die in the unreleased next one.
- GoofsAt the end of the last fight, Grey Worm lies down with his head close to the corpse of one of the Sons of the Harpy. Then the camera changes to aerial view, and the corpse is gone.
- Quotes
[Melisandre enters]
Melisandre: Lord Commander.
Jon Snow: How can I help you?
Melisandre: Come with us when we ride South. No one knows the castle as well as you do. It's hidden tunnels, it's weaknesses, it's people. Winterfell was your home once. Don't you want to chase the rats out of it?
Jon Snow: Castle Black is my home now. The Night's Watch take no part in the wars of the Seven Kingdoms.
Melisandre: There's only one war. Life against death. Come, let me show you what you're fighting for.
Jon Snow: You're gonna show me some vision in the fire? Forgive me, my lady... but I don't trust in visions.
Melisandre: No visions. No magic. Just life.
[Melisandre bares her upper body, and Jon's touch roams over her]
Melisandre: Do you feel my heart beating? There's power in you. You resist it, and that's your mistake. Embrace it!
[Melisandre sits in Jon's lap]
Melisandre: The Lord of Light made us male and female. Two parts of a greater whole. In our joining, there's power. Power to make life... power to make light... and power to cast shadows.
Jon Snow: I don't think Stannis would like that very much.
Melisandre: Then we shouldn't tell him.
Jon Snow: I can't.
Melisandre: Why?
Jon Snow: I swore a vow. I loved another.
Melisandre: The dead don't need lovers. Only the living.
Jon Snow: I know. But I still love her.
[Melisandre feigns that she is about to kiss Jon, stands up, goes to door, turns back]
Melisandre: You know nothing, Jon Snow.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Thronecast: High Sparrow (2015)
"The Wars to Come", "The House of Black and White" and "High Sparrow" were very good to great previous episodes from Season 5. "Sons of the Harpy" manages to be even better than them, while not one of my favourite 'Game of Thrones' episodes or one of the show's magnum opuses, it was with this episode where Season 5 started to properly settle.
While there is evidence of the quieter and intricate tone seen in the previous three episodes, "Sons of the Harpy" balances that and brilliantly with brutally bold action, insightful characterisation and development (the one possible exception being Sansa, who the episode could have done more with), surprising twists and revelations and drama that feels intense and emotional. Of the four episodes, it is with "Sons of the Harpy" where it felt the most like the storytelling and characterisation were evolving and moving forward.
'Game of Thrones' has never failed to deliver on the acting. "Sons of the Harpy" doesn't disappoint in that regard with strong performances across the board, regardless of any reservations with Sansa it to me doesn't lie with Sophie Turner but merely that the character pales in comparison to stronger characters that have had more development and exposure.
Visually, "Sons of the Harpy" looks amazing, as one would expect for 'Game of Thrones'. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.
One cannot talk about "Sons of the Harpy" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions. The story is still riveting, with plenty of passion and sensitivity.
Summing up, excellent episode if not quite one of my favourites. 9/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 20, 2018
Details
- Runtime51 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1