Braavos
Stannis (he who is dour) and Davos (he who is grimm) have travelled here to talk to the Iron Bank.
Stannis insists he is the king, insists that Tommen isn’t, throws in claims of
incest and illegitimacy – but the Bankers don’t really care. History, honour,
bloodlines are less important than bank balances. And the balance of Stannis’s meagre
forces, low resources and tiny fleet doesn’t look good. Davos tries to speak
for Stannis (though how much the Braavosi are impressed by a smuggler is somewhat
dubious). But he has some sense as well – when the 67 year old Tywin dies, then
who leads the Seven Kingdoms? Tommen, a child? Cersei, a queen who is hated?
Jaime, the Kingslayer?
Hah, shows how little he knows about Kings Landing – the Tyrells will rule!
While in Braavos, Davos meets up with Salladhor Saan (who
is with naked prostitutes. Because Game of Thrones). He recruits him with cash
(that suggests they got the loan) to Stannis’s war effort.
In the North – where
everyone’s awful and we should be Team Nobody.
Yara Greyjoy – Theon’s sister and daughter of the Lord of
the Iron Islands who still controls several men in the North, reads the letter her
dad received from Ramsay
Bolton (evil, creepy son of Roose Bolton who wants to take over the North
now the Starks are dead/scattered/lacking the sense normally seen in cabbages)
demanding they leave the North in brutal terms involving lots of flaying,
complete with bits cut off Theon. While we watch Ramsay have sex with his
torture buddy Myranda (we see her naked, him not so much. Because Game of
Thrones) Yara gives a stirring speech to the grim Iron Men. She leads her men
against the castle where Ramsay is – and demands to be taken to her brother
Who is kept in the kennels – and so broken he’s terrified
of being rescued or called by his real name. Ramsay arrives, shirtless and
covered in blood leading some of his men – and he’s loving the entertainment.
He launches himself at the Iron Men – but Yara and her men are forced to run
when Ramsay releases his hounds. She tells her men that Theon is dead.
As a reward, Ramsay gives Theon a bath, that really just
emphasises what a pet Theon is to Ramsay. And is extra extra creepy –
especially with Theon cringing at every move Ramsay makes. And for extra
complexity – Ramsay wants Theon to pretend to be… well... Theon to help him
claim the Moat Cailin (a strategic castle held by the Iron men) back.
Meereen Saviour
Lady Holds Court
Daenerys is hearing supplicants and being a Queen – this includes
a man she gives a wedge of cash because her dragon ate his goats, a noble who
wants to bury his dad who she crucified (which she agrees to after learning
that he actually opposed the whole mass slaughter of slaves).
Kings Landing back
into the snake pit – but snakes are less venomous
The Small Council meets, including Oberyn who is very
very amused by the whole affair. Tywin also has no time for flattery (from Mace
Tyrell who Tywin treats like a servant). The agenda covers Sandor, the Hound (a
bounty on his head), Varys summing up Daenerys’s forces in exacting detail
(Jorah is also no longer their spy); Varys and Tywin both take the opportunity
to tell Cersei how silly she was to sack Ser Barristan.
Afterwards Varys talks to Oberyn, questioning him about Oberyn’s many travels and being very suspicious of Oberyn knowing where he was from. Oberyn pries into Varys’s history and gets little- but is surprised to realise that Varys is neither interested in men nor women – he finds desire quite destructive and distracting and prefers to focus on other things – and looks to the throne.
Jaime and the guards take Tyrion to his trial, Jaime
looking all guilty and Tyrion making sure of the fact. He’s taken to the very
full throne room. Tommen announces the judges and proceedings begin- Tyrion doesn’t
take things very seriously. Evidence is produced – including Tyrion’s awesome
slap of Joffrey (ah, such a sweet memory), Sansa’s poison necklace (that has
made its way back from Littlefinger’s boat on Dontos’s floating corpse),
Pycelle accusing Tyrion of stealing poisons and of course, Cersei. Even Varys
is quick to throw Tyrion under the bus, must to Tyrion’s shock because Varys
respected him.
In the recess, Jaime appeals to Tywin for mercy for his
brother (not taking kingslaying as an instant executable offence, for obvious
reasons, and clearly seeing that Cersei is the mover behind the trial). Jaime
also plays his trump card – with Tyrion dead and Jaime celibate, Tywin has to
rely on some non-entity cousins to carry the Lannister name. He offers to give
Tywin what he wants – to leave the Kingsguard and give Tywin the grandkids he
wants, if he spares Tyrion’s life. Tywin agrees – when found guilty, if Tyrion
begs for mercy he gets to join the Nights Watch.
Yeah, this “mercy” is rather limited all things
considered.
Jaime takes the deal to Tyrion who points out that Ned
Stark was promised the same thing. And the final witness is… Shae. She lies and
declares Tyrion and Sansa guilty of plotting to kill Joffrey and adds that
Tyrion “stole” her from another knight by violence
Tyrion snaps, wishing he’d never saved the city during
the battle of Blackwater and confesses – to the crime of being a dwarf – the same
trial he has been under all his life. He adds that though he didn’t kill
Joffrey, he wished he had. He continues to rant – and demands trial by combat.
Varys is incredibly ruthless in his realism. His “betrayal”
of Tyrion shows the extent of that – he knows what games he has to play, he
knows what he’s up against and he doesn’t allow sentiment or loyalty or, well,
anything get in the way of that. He’s not a Stark to die nobly for a cause (or
die nobly while his cause collapses)
It looks like Tyrion hasn’t really played the Game very
much this season, but then he has been given so little chance to. In some ways
it emphasises that, for all Tyrion’s great intelligence and skill, part of the
reason he uses them so well is because of the immense advantage he gets from
being a Lannister – and once those tools are taken from you… well cunning only
gets you so far. Also, has Tyrion made some of the mistakes that both his family and Ned did - not having enough true friends of influence and trusting too much? All of course added to the Lannister's other flaw - arrogance. Joffrey sorely deserved that slap, but Tyrion has made enemies left right and centre on the assumption that his family name would provide a shield - and when that shield is removed we see them lining up against him; Lannister pride mixed with Stark honour (unwillingness to allow the cruelties of Joffrey go unquestioned - like so many, Tyrion is just too good for Kings Landing politics). In some ways I also see a parallel with Varys on the trial –
Varys isn’t playing a game he can’t win, and nor is Tyrion – he doesn’t even
fight the trial. He knows better than to play a game so heavily stacked against
him.
Of course, Tyrion is also human and after Shae turned on
him and all he did for the Lannisters, I think he’s due a bit of an outburst
This whole episode feels a little distracted – with all
that’s going on in the world, we focused on a very few scenes and very little
advanced in any of them except Tyrion’s trial – but even then that’s the lion’s
share of the episode and still not resolved; but then, this is an epic moment
and probably needs the attention. I think Stannis and the Braavosi are an
important element because they remind us, while Kings Landing is devoted to
this trial, that the ending isn’t set – the implication of the Braavosi loan
and the clear labelling of Tywin’s vulnerability remind us that it’s not
secure.
Shae is surprising – but I think it’s wise to tamp down
first instinct and ask just what does Shae owe Tyrion? Really? She was a
prostitute and a maid, paid for her services, owned, and with little options or
opportunities. Facing up against the Lannisters, should she really make such
powerful enemies for the sake of Tyrion? Why is Tyrion owed such a sacrifice
from her? Especially with his dramatic “I must hurt you for your own good”
moment.
In other things not going as planned - Daenerys is finding ruling less than fun and not just because it's boring - but because her sweeping proclamations may work for grand gestures, but ruling requires a bit more nuance than that. And Theon has found his grand plans of empire not only failed, but now dramatic turned round into him being a weapon against his father
