The Moment: The Red Viper faces the Mountain in a fight to the death to determine Tyrion’s fate
Setting the Scene: Tyrion’s trial by combat leads to a long-awaited showdown between Oberyn Martell and Gregor Clegane. During the fight, Oberyn demands that “the Mountain” admit to the crimes Oberyn knows he’s guilty of: the rape and murder of his sister Elia and the deaths of her children.
Warning for those who haven’t seen the episode: These videos (especially the second one) contain EXTREMELY violent, disturbing images.
Why It’s Awesome: I’ve been awaiting this scene with equal parts excitement and dread since I first read it in the books, and those feelings only intensified when we were first introduced to Pedro Pascal’s incredible take on Oberyn in this season’s premiere. While this showdown wasn’t as long as I would have liked (especially compared to its length in the book), it was still every bit as compelling as I’d hoped it would be.
This was Oberyn’s shining moment, and Pascal ran with it. I was captivated from the moment Tyrion saw him with Ellaria before the fight even began. There’s something so engaging in Pascal’s portrayal of Oberyn’s confidence; there’s nothing smarmy about it, which is a difficult balance to achieve. I think it helps that we finally got to see exactly how he got his reputation as the Red Viper with his spear skills. The choreography of the spear work was stunning. There was this graceful power to it that reminded me perfectly of a snake. And it was such a beautiful counterpoint to the brute force of the Mountain.
Once again, this is Heather filling in. Let me know what you all thought of the episode this week and how you think the season in general is going!
The Moment: Oberyn visits Tyrion
Setting the Scene: Oberyn goes to visit Tyrion in his cell. He tells the story of meeting Tyrion as a baby then volunteers to be his champion.
Why It’s Awesome: Tyrion’s three visits in his jail cell all highlighted various relationships in his life. First was his relationship with his brother and his shared dislike of their father’s pressures. Then came Bronn, a loyal friend but not one stupid enough to die for him. Finally came someone who is most certainly not a friend to the Lannisters, but like Jaime and Bronn, capable of seeing Tyrion as a human rather than a monster.
Pedro Pascal and Peter Dinkledge are fantastic scene partners. Throughout the season, Pascal has shown himself to be a compelling presence on-screen and Dinkledge has always been celebrated for his work on the show, so putting them together in such a simple manner really allowed them to shine.
The Moment: Cersei and Oberyn talk about their daughters
Setting the Scene: Cersei visits Oberyn to talk about her daughter Myrcella, who has been sent to Dorne. As they talk, she learns about his eight daughters, and they discuss the way neither of them could save the ones they loved, despite all the power they’re believed to possess.
Why It’s Awesome: “First of His Name” was quite possibly my favorite episode of this Game of Thrones season so far. And I think much of my love for this episode comes from the performances we were treated to throughout. This was especially true in the scenes in King’s Landing, where little plot movement happened (beyond Tommen being crowned king), but I was reminded that this part of the cast is so talented that I would watch most of them talk to each other about nothing of plot importance for a whole episode because they would still manage to give it weight.
In an episode anchored by great acting, no one was better than Lena Headey. From her opening scene with Natalie Dormer to her conversation with Charles Dance, I found her to be the perfect scene partner in “First of His Name.” But my favorite moment of Headey’s came opposite another actor who seems to be an excellent partner for anyone he shares a scene with: Pedro Pascal. Both Headey and Pascal bring so much weight to even the most seemingly innocuous pieces of dialogue. In this scene, there is such understated tension between both of them but also an odd but beautiful kind of understanding that comes from both of their roles as parents to daughters in a world that is often too cruel to little girls—a fact both of them know very well.
This week began the final push towards many popular shows’ season finales. On Once Upon a Time, many major plot threads came to a head in Sunday’s episode—including who cast and who would break the latest curse, what would happen when Hook’s curse was revealed, and how would Henry regain his memories. Sunday night’s stellar TV lineup continued with another strong episode of The Good Wife (featuring Laura Benanti!) and some beautiful scenes between some of my favorite characters on Game of Thrones. Monday brought us Latin night on Dancing with the Stars and a Castleepisode that featured wedding party plans, Scrabble upsets, and strip poker. Tuesday’s episode of New Girlbrought Jess and Cece’s friendship to the forefront and The Mindy Project showed Mindy and Danny facing their complicated relationship. Wednesday’s Nashville took Juliette’s character a big step in the wrong direction; Thursday saw Burke’s return to the world of Grey’s Anatomy; and Saturday featured an episode of Orphan Black that introduced us to Kira’s father and an episode of Saturday Night Live that proved just how funny Andrew Garfield can be.
All in all, it was a thoroughly entertaining week in television. But the moment that has stayed with me the most was the beautiful final scene between Jaime and Brienne on Sunday’s Game of Thrones. I’ve already written extensively about how thrilled I was with the show’s take on the “Oathkeeper” moment, so I’ll will spare you all any redundant analysis. All I’ll add is that this scene only gets richer with repeated viewings. The nuances Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Gwendoline Christie brought to this scene—and this relationship as a whole—elevated it to a new level of warmth, intimacy, and love. On a show that doesn’t have a lot of healthy relationships between men and women, this moment was a beacon of genuine light.
I sincerely apologize to any of you who were looking for my post about last week’s episode. I found some of the elements of that episode (and the way they were explained by the director) too difficult for me to write about, especially because I interpreted Jaime and Cersei’s interactions in that episode in a way that was different from how the director seemed for it to be intended (as I think many did). I have decided to pretend that the moment existed as it did in the book (since that seems to be the intention of those involved). If you’re still looking for an excellent analysis of last week’s episode, I can direct you to frequent NGN contributor Heather’s take on it.
The Moment: Jaime sends Brienne on her quest
Setting the Scene: After Cersei tells Jaime she wants Sansa Stark dead, he tasks Brienne with keeping his oath to the late Catelyn Stark to find Sansa and keep her safe. To help Brienne on her journey, Jaime gives her a new suit of armor, a squire (Pod), and the Valyrian steel sword given to him by his father, which Brienne names Oathkeeper.
Why It’s Awesome: Last week’s controversial episode of Game of Thrones reminded us that there are very few healthy relationships between men and women in Westeros, and usually those relationships are based solely on power (hence the prevalence of rape on this show—including the horribly gratuitous scenes at Craster’s Keep in this episode). But “Oathkeeper” served as a moving reminder that there is at least one relationship between a man and a woman in this world that is based on true, mutual respect, and that’s the relationship between Jaime and Brienne.
The scene where Jaime gives Brienne Oathkeeper has been one of my favorite scenes in the entire A Song of Ice and Fire book series since the moment I read it last year. I didn’t think it was possible that Game of Thrones could actually make me love it more. But I guess I underestimated the power of very pointed and specific changes made to enhance the emotional impact of the scene, as well as the performances of Gwendoline Christie and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
The whole tone of the scene was much warmer than it was in the books, and it was infused with a very real sense of equality between them. That changed the tone of the scene somewhat from the hesitancy in the book, but I think that actually served the show well. The depth of emotion between these two characters has always felt even more intense on the show than in the books, and I think that comes from how good Coster-Waldau and Christie are at conveying a host of emotions simply through their eyes.
Setting the Scene: At Joffrey’s wedding, Cersei finds time for a moment alone with her brother’s rescuer. When a smiling Brienne reveals that Jaime also rescued her (a fact Cersei wasn’t aware of until that moment), the former Queen Regent makes a quick study of the young woman and comes to a conclusion that Brienne has no answer for: She’s in love with Jaime.
Why It’s Awesome: I know what you’re probably thinking: Joffrey finally meets his end in this episode (and in quite a brutal fashion), and I’m picking a conversation between Cersei and Brienne as the show’s best moment of the week? Let me be clear: Of course I loved seeing Joffrey get his royal comeuppance, and I adored Lena Headey’s performance in those final moments. But I knew it was coming, so it didn’t have quite the same impact for me as I’m sure it did for people who didn’t read the books (because when I read the books I was thrilled in a way that experiencing it again through the show couldn’t replicate). I loved the little bits of foreshadowing throughout the scene, but my favorite moments on Game of Thrones tend to be ones that surpass my experience while reading or surprise me entirely, and Joffrey’s death, while executed perfectly, didn’t make my jaw drop—not like Cersei preying on Brienne’s open heart did.
Brienne of Tarth is my favorite character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series for so many reasons: her subversion of stereotypes about physically imposing, unglamorous women; her innocence; her open heart; and her belief in honor even after a life of being treated cruelly by almost all she meets. It’s interesting to note that nearly all of those reasons make her a direct foil for Cersei Lannister. Ever since Brienne and Jaime returned to King’s Landing before they did in the book, I’ve been waiting for these two formidable women to meet on the show, and I was so happy that it turned out even better than my expectations—perhaps because it was written by George R.R. Martin himself.
Game of Thrones is back, and I think we all need a place to talk about it. My inability to always watch the episodes in a timely manner would get in the way of writing full reviews of each episode, but I definitely wanted to start a Game of Thrones weekly feature over here. So feel free to comment about the moments I choose throughout the season, but the comments are open to discussion of every aspect of these episodes! And just as a fair warning: I read the series last year, so if I accidentally spoil anything by talking about foreshadowing or by not remembering how far along the show is compared to the books, I apologize. (Short story: Possible spoilers ahead!)
The Moment: Tyrion meets Oberyn Martell
Setting the Scene: The bad blood between the Lannisters and Martells is shown in no subtle way by “second son” Oberyn Martell’s stabbing of a Lannister in a King’s Landing brothel. Following this show of force, Oberyn reminds Tyrion that his sister, Princess Elia of Dorne, was once married to Rhaegar Targaryen before he ran off with Lyanna Stark and started a war, which resulted in the deaths of Oberyn’s niece and nephew as well as the rape and murder of Elia at the hand of Gregor Clegane. As a parting word, Oberyn tells Tyrion to inform his father that “the Lannisters aren’t the only ones who pay their debts.”
Why It’s Awesome: I think one of the character introductions that A Song of Ice and Fire readers have been anticipating the most is the Red Viper of Dorne, and this exceeded my high hopes by creating a fully-realized character from his first scene. Pedro Pascal is an excellent casting choice for Oberyn. The way he delivered his monologue about Elia’s fate left me breathless, and I wanted to cheer at his perfect parting words. The controlled grief and fury laying just below the surface of his words were chilling in the best possible way. You know this man means business, and you know from the start that it’s not a good thing for the Lannisters that he’s the Dornish prince in town for Joffrey’s wedding. Oberyn Martell is one of the most charismatic and compelling characters in the whole series, and his introduction left me hanging on his every word—even when I knew what they would be. Once again, this casting department did an excellent job, and this scene left me so excited for all that’s to come with Oberyn this season.
Honorable Mentions: Brienne confronts Jaime over the fate of the Stark girls, Joffrey mocks Jaime’s blank space in the White Book, Jon Snow talks about Robb, and Arya is reunited with Needle
Some of television’s most emotional moments need no explanation. Some moments are more profound because of the background we know about characters and relationships, but some are simply so visceral that all you need to know is what’s in front of you.
Ned Stark’s death on Game of Thrones is one of those visceral moments, but even more than Ned’s death, his wife and son’s grief is so palpable that all you need to see is their one interaction in the woods after his death to feel every ounce of the sadness these characters are carrying with them.
Michelle Fairley is characteristically brilliant in this scene. The moment when she has to lean against the tree, letting her strong façade crumble only for a moment, is so profound. She allows herself that one moment of all-consuming grief, but she knows she has only that moment to fall apart before she has to be strong for her son.
And then there’s Richard Madden. This is my favorite scene of his entire career on the show because it’s so raw and so real. It’s easy to forget that Robb is a boy in so many ways, pushed into a man’s role after his father’s death. But this scene is such a painful reminder of the character’s youth. You can feel his need to hurt something, to break something, to make something else feel the pain he’s drowning in. And when he says, “I’ll kill them all,” he looks and sounds like the boy he really is.
When Robb collapses in his mother’s arms, it’s impossible not to believe the love the Starks have for one another. The way Catelyn strokes Robb’s hair is so maternal and soothing, and it’s a really interesting contrast to the coldness in her voice when she tells Robb that they will “kill them all” after they get Sansa and Arya back. When Robb says he wants to kill them all, I get tears in my eyes because of how grief-stricken and young he sounds. When Catelyn says it, I get chills because she sounds so certain.
A part of so many characters died when Ned did, and this scene shows that more painfully than any other.
Okay…The title of this post may be a little hyperbolic, but let’s call a spade a spade: The 2013 Emmy nominations (which were announced yesterday) weren’t exactly exciting. In fact, they left many (myself included) disappointed. I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up for the majority of my favorite shows and actors getting nominations, but that should be part of the fun of nomination day. But I guess “fun” and “nomination day” are two words that only go together for the Critics’ Choice Television Awards.
Over at Media Through a Mom’s Eyes, you’ll find some great reactions and analysis of the Emmy nominees, especially in the dramatic categories. Here, I just want to point out five reasons I’m convinced the Emmys are out-of-touch with what’s actually going on in the world of television.
1. I don’t love you, and I don’t like you. Once again, Parks and Recreation was left out of the running for Best Comedy, with only Amy Poehler securing a nomination in a category which I’m sure she’ll be overlooked in once again. I’ve grown sadly jaded about Parks and Rec’s chances of ever getting nominated again, but I really thought they stood a chance this season. While it wasn’t the strongest season overall, it had two of its most compelling episodes ever with “Halloween Surprise” and “Ben and Leslie.” To see such a heartfelt, well-acted, genuinely funny television show go without any recognition (beyond its fabulous leading lady) continues to break my heart and make me wonder what exactly voters are looking for. If you don’t love Parks and Rec, I don’t think you’re the kind of person I want to know—or the kind of awards show I want to watch.
With most of my favorite shows painfully absent from my weekly TV viewing, it could have been difficult for me to make my pick for the best moment of the week. The Bachelorette‘s premiere left me with no strong impressions about any of the guys—or at least no strong positive impressions. (I definitely felt strongly about “hashtag guy” and “fantasy suite guy,” but those feelings were decidedly unkind ones.) So You Think You Can Dance is still in the audition stage. And it’s usually impossible to classify anything from the Real Housewives franchise as the “best” thing on TV.
But thankfully not every high-quality TV show is on hiatus yet. In fact, one of the best shows on television aired perhaps its most anticipated episode this week.
It was time for another wedding on Game of Thrones, and this time it was a red one. I’ve been waiting for this episode with an odd mixture of excitement and dread since I finished that horrible chapter in A Storm of Swords late last year. I’d never read anything like that before—a scene that literally turned the whole story on its head from both a plot perspective and a thematic one. The Red Wedding took the common heroic myths and stories we’re used to and stabbed them in the chest. It broke my heart, but it made for some of the most compelling literature I’ve ever read.
I also knew it would also make for some incredibly compelling television. And I was right.
Warning: If you don’t know what you’re about to watch, this is EXTREMELY violent and disturbing.
The way this scene built from revelry to dread was utterly perfect—a masterpiece in creating tension that is almost as powerful as it was on the page. Each death was horrific to watch, and you got a real sense that this wasn’t a battle; it was a massacre, which needed to be established in order for this event to carry the weight it needs to carry as the series goes on. But no mention of this scene could ever be complete without acknowledging the absolute brilliance of Michelle Fairley’s performance. The way her voice and her face completely transformed when she’s pleading for Robb’s life gave me chills, and I’ve never heard a scream as purely guttural and agonizing as hers after Robb was killed. And then in those horrifyingly quiet moments after she slit the throat of Walder Frey’s wife, you can see that she is already dead; everything but her body died with her son. I’ve never seen acting like that—so visceral, so utterly destroyed and broken. It was even more haunting for me than the final image of Catelyn in the books—because we can actually see the moment when she’s no longer a human being; she’s simply a body existing despite everything in her soul being dead.
I know this is a horribly depressing pick for the best of TV this past week, but sometimes the best is better than anything else because it makes us feel more deeply—even if those feelings are heartbreak and horror. This scene is what great media is all about—it makes us feel; it makes us care; it makes us react.
Heather has a great post over at TVexamined about why Sunday’s Game of Thrones is an example of how great television is as a medium, and I agree with every word. The reactions to this scene are part of the reason why it was so good. If something can make you feel that strongly about people and events you know are fictional, then it must have done something right. The best fiction makes us think, but it also makes us feel. And the Red Wedding certainly made everyone watching feel something—and feel it intensely.
What was your reaction to the Red Wedding (either onscreen or on the page)? Do you think it was the best thing on TV this week?
Nerdy Girl Notes 