Game of Thrones S05 E03&04 Review

Somewhere along all the film educationing I’ve done, I seem to have developed a habit of looking at films and TV shows in two ways. I describe them as ‘in show’ and ‘as show’. ‘In show’ is looking at a TV show (or film) within the world it has developed, as in thinking of it as real life; real people and real events. Even a high fantasy show has to believable within its world, and the actions of the characters have to be believable within their personality. From this, the audience tries to understand character decisions and predict what they might do next based on their personality. For example, a Disney princess would not murder someone in cold blood; it would go against their character personalities and as viewers we wouldn’t believe this within the world of the show.

‘As show’ is understanding what the show makers are trying to achieve, and ultimately what they are progressing towards. It is understanding that what you are watching isn’t in fact real life, but is made specifically for your entertainment. Certain shows have narrative ‘tells’ that, once recognised, help you to predict what might happen. An example of this is in The Walking Dead; when a character is going to die they almost always have a sentimental moment earlier in that episode. They do this to make you care about the character more, so that when they die you have a stronger emotional reaction – this is an ‘as show’ trait. ‘As show’ is often concerned with manipulating the viewers’ emotions, which ultimately increases the show’s popularity, and therefore the amount of money it makes. The best shows and films balance these two aspects out perfectly, so that what is happening makes sense within the world of the show, without being overly realistic and therefore boring for the viewer.

Game of Thrones does this beautifully. The characters are not simple and one dimensional, but rather are multifaceted and have many different motivations and goals. This is great for ‘as show’ because it keeps them all interesting, and helps make things less predictable. It also makes the characters more realistic in the sense that no one in the real world is purely good or bad, but everyone is some varying shade of grey, which is how they are in GoT.

Another great thing about GoT is that it isn’t generally like other TV shows. It is in no way predictable; you might guess at something, but you can never be 100% certain that you’re right. Also, it doesn’t wallow in things for too long – things happen, people deal with it; they don’t just bitch and moan. Each character’s story keeps moving and every episode is exciting and essential to the development of the plot. There is very little ‘fluff’ (random stuff that happens in a lot of shows that pointlessly drags out what you actually want to see). These are some of the reasons, I believe, that Game of Thrones has become so popular.

Now – about this season. (Once again, there will be spoilers here so be warned and please don’t read without watching!) I have been a bit reluctant to write this review if I’m honest, I don’t generally like to say anything bad about Game of Thrones. However, after so much excitement and anticipation for season 5, I can’t help but feel a little bit let down so far. We’re almost half way through the season now, and yet still nothing much has happened! To be honest, I think these four episodes could have easily been condensed into two/two and a half, and nothing would have been lost – in fact, it would have made things much better.

About the only parts that are still on GoT level are Jon Snow’s scenes, which have been amazing. Also, Sansa and Little Finger have been interesting; I liked their scene in the crypt at Winterfell in episode 4. But other than this, nothing particularly remarkable has happened so far. Don’t get me wrong, I have still really enjoyed all of the episodes, it’s just that they haven’t been as good as I have come to expect from the show.

My problem is that these episodes have felt more like other TV programmes, which is a step down for GoT which used to be a stand alone, one of a kind. I do wonder as to why this is and question if it’s because the previous seasons were closely based on the very long, dense books, the show makers had to utilise every minute of each episode to fit all the necessary information in. However, this season has departed from the books a lot more, and so the episodes needn’t be as condensed as before, because they have a less strict guideline to work from. Therefore, it seems like each event has been dragged out a lot more than usual.

Let’s talk about Daenerys first. I’m going to split my thoughts into ‘in show’ and ‘as show’.

In show
A) Dany is still refusing to reopen the fighting pits. I understand her initial point of view on this; making slaves kill each other isn’t cool, and I believe that she would say no at first. So it’s not her saying no that annoys me; it’s the fact that there has been no real explanation for her answer. It is pure stubbornness that she is right even though everything suggests she isn’t. Usually in GoT this sort of thing would be discussed with actual reasoning and debate, but instead we’ve just had:

‘Can we open the fighting pits?’ – ‘No’
‘But the people want it, what’s the point of freedom if they can’t do what they want?’ – ‘No’
Closest advisor to the queen – ‘But I wouldn’t be where I am without the pits, I owe them everything’ – ‘No’

She is just being unreasonable when there are a number of simple compromises she could (and should) make to keep everyone happy.

B) Then there’s the fight. *sigh*. I just didn’t believe it! The Unsullied are trained from birth to be warriors; fearless fighting machines. So why were they all killed so easily by a bunch of normal people? Yes, the Unsullied were outnumbered, and I understand the two dying that were ambushed, but the patrol party should not have gone down that easily. I just didn’t believe it.

I think that Grey Worm will live, but Barristan will be dead, because this will give Dany a push to forgive Jorah when he gets back.

As show
A) Why are we still hearing about fighting pits? This is not a big or interesting argument to be watching. It is these boring, dull conversations that frustrate me and the fact they keep talking about it. How many scenes have been wasted talking about the pits with no progression, no character development or plot progression? It’s just been a waste of time.

B) Fights are one of GoT’s strong points… usually. This one (the one at the end of E04) just felt sloppy and poorly choreographed. Grey Worm’s fighting was good, but that was what I’d expect from all of the Unsullied. But the rest of it, particularly Sir Barristan’s bit, was just not very good. It didn’t seem like they’d put their usual amount of effort into making it look as polished as usual. It didn’t in any way feel like a GoT

Cersei (/Kings Landing)

In show
A) Cersei’s conversation with Margaery in E03 was brilliant, very Kings Landing GoT; so manipulative. Margaery’s pars were so funny, and Cersei’s calm kindness chilling.

B) Cersei introducing the Faith Militant made sense from her. Although it was a really bad move and will almost certainly screw her over at some point, and Tywin would never have allowed her to do it. However it was a very Cersei thing to do. She is short sighted and wilful. She wanted to make a statement and teach Margaery a lesson and she did. By getting Loras arrested it showed Margaery that Cersei is still more powerful, even though Maraery is technically now Queen.

As show
A) This conversation was a good set up for Cersei’s retaliation (point B).

B) You can see the foundations being set for future events, which is exciting and a return to form.

Jon Snow (/Stannis)

In show
A) LOVED it when Jon chopped off Janos Slynt’s head! SO good. It was so reminiscent of Ned it was spooky! That first scene of Ned executing the deserter way back when. This was a good move for Jon, it showed his strength and that he wouldn’t take insubordination from anyone. Hopefully this will make some of his opposers fall into line. I also think it was good to make Alliser Thorne First Ranger; he’s a dick but he proved himself in the battle at the Wall and he deserved recognition. It was the honourable thing to do, so of course Jon did it. He really is so like Ned.

The other great thing about killing Slynt is that when he was Commander of the City Watch in season 1, it was him that conspired with Little Finger and betrayed Ned, so for Jon to kill him was so satisfying!! It is unclear as to whether Jon knows this himself, but ‘as show’ it’s great for us!

B) I’m so glad Jon turned Melisandre down! That was good. It would have been out of character for him to sleep with her so it made sense that he didn’t. I’m still so excited by her interest in him though. Her saying “You know nothing Jon Snow” though made my skin crawl! So sinister.

C) Stannis, and Jon Snow actually, are getting better with every season, I just like them both more and more. I loved Stannis’s talk with his daughter Shireen, it was so sweet! It was nice to see his softer side confirmed. We’ve seen glimpses when he’s stuck up for Shireen to Selyse so it didn’t come totally out of the blue. Shireen needed it as well I think, poor girl, she’s had a pretty rubbish life and it was clear that her father’s acceptance of her meant the world.

As show
A) Jon’s character has really progressed since season 1. He started out unconfident, quiet, kind of boring and inconsequential, but he’s grown so much! He is taking control now, he’s come out of his shell and he’s found somewhere he belongs. It has been interesting watching his development and has made me care more about his character, which is essential in keeping his scenes exciting to watch.

B) Kit Harrington’s acting was really good here; Jon’s naivety when it comes to women came across subtly, and you could see his inner desires warring for a second. The Red Woman’s use of Ygritte’s line was a good little narrative devise. It showed her mysterious powers in a really simple but effective way. She had no normal way of knowing Ygritte said this to him, so how? It was really creepy, and you could tell Jon thought so too. Great use of five words.

C) Like Jon, Stannis has developed well over the course of the seasons. In the beginning he was so so dull and I hated him, but now we have seen more sides to him and he’s become a more complex character, which has made him really interesting to watch. And I think he’d actually make a really good King now! The show makers are laying good foundations for his marching on Winterfell as well; this is good plot development for things to come.

Sansa (/Winterfell)

In show
A) Nooooooo not Ramsay!! Poor Sansa! She can never catch a break can she. At least she’s a little more in control now though; she’s not so much of a victim. I am very concerned though that Little Finger doesn’t seem to know how much of a psycho Ramsay is, this doesn’t bode well.

As show
A) Again, Sansa has progressed a lot since season 1 and she’s a lot more interesting now. I’m looking forward to seeing how she deals with Ramsey when LF isn’t around. This situation has been set up well and is one area that’s been kept true to GoT

So as you can see, it’s not all bad at all! It’s more just that a lot of it has taken a really long time to get going and it’s been needlessly dragged out. This is a shame because Game of Thrones used to be the one show you could count on not to do this. It is still super entertaining and I have in no way written it off! I am just hoping that the next 6 episodes will be a return to full form. Fingers crossed!