Ah, there's the rest of the Stark children. In what feels like the second half of a season premiere we get to the characters there wasn't time for in the actual premiere. Arya and her companions Gendry and Hot Pie, Bran with his merry band of Rickon, Osha, and Hodor (Hodor!), Brienne escorting Jamie, and even Theon, whom I had totally forgotten about.
Theon's reintroduction is short, but the most intriguing to me. In the books, after the end of book two, A Clash of Kings, Theon does not reappear until book five, A Dance With Dragons. Storm of Swords is a very plot heavy book, so adding things doesn't seem like a wise idea. However, after Alfie Allen's performance last season, I see why the producers didn't want to lose him for two years and run the risk of him being part of another show by then. It seems they are going to be filling in what we didn't see happen to Theon to get him to the point he is in Dance. And on a personal note, that foot torture things was very hard to watch.
Arya's story is the slightest of the new for the season returning characters, but it finally introduces us to some of the Brotherhood Without Banners. We now have some names for the people the Mountain was torturing people for information on at Harrenhal last season. Thoros of Myr seems like a jovial fellow for fighting in such a brutal war. I especially liked Gendry complaining about the names that Arya used for her three kills by Jaqen. The names she gave seemed sensible at the time, but saying Joffrey or Tywin or even the Mountain, would have been better.
Bran's traveling party has increased by two, with the introduction of Jojen and Meera Reed. Bran is dreaming of the three-eyed crow again, but it looks like Jojen has some insight into why and for what purpose. The replaying of the very first episode in Bran's dream is a great call back to a time when things were happy, we even get to here the voice of Ned Stark. It's a reminder of how very long it's been since any of the Stark children have been together (outside of Bran and Rickon, but Rickon barely counts as a character).
The final grouping of the characters there wasn't time for in the premiere was Brienne and Jamie. It's a shame, too, because I could watch an entire hour of the two of them traipsing through the woods, bantering and bickering away. Jaime does everything he can to get rise from Brienne, but she never gives in. He finally gets one of her swords, but the battle doesn't go as well as he planned. We know Brienne was able to best the men at Renly's camp, but we've been told many times that Jaime is one of the best swords in Westeros. It looks like weeks of imprisonment have left him weaker than he thought. Brienne was able to just power through and tire him out.
Elsewhere in the Riverlands, Robb has gotten bad news. "Dark Wings, dark words" is a mantra repeated throughout the books to signify ravens bringing bad news, and these two ravens carried some whoppers. Hoster Tully, Catelyn's father, has died, and Winterfell was put to the torch by the Iron Islanders (love that update to the title sequence). Bran and Rickon haven't been found, but Catelyn assumes the worst. Later, on the way to Riverrun, we get a great scene for Michelle Fairley giving us some more backstory for her relationship with Jon Snow. What she did to Jon was cruel, but you can sympathize with the why of it. Only a mother who has lost her children can think that that act so long ago could be the cause of a civil war.
Jon Snow is learning more wondrous things Beyond the Wall. Last week, giants, this week, wargs. Orell informs Mance that the nightswatchmen at the Fist have been slaughtered by Walkers. Ygritte is incredulous that Jon has never encountered a warg before, but little does he know he grew up with one. Not all the crows were killed, though, but Sam is having trouble with the march south. His lack of physical fitness and guilt at not sending the ravens leads him to just want to stop and give up. Mormont is having none of that. In true leader fashion, he is going to get everyone he can home to safety.
In King's Landing, we get another new character introduction. Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns. She's like the Dowinger Countess of Westeros, an old lady that doesn't take any crap. Her and her granddaughter, Margaery, are able to coax out of Sansa what she's been afraid to say for a very long time. This information leads to the best scene of the episode, Margaery, now knowing exactly what Joffrey is, is able to play him perfectly. Cersei is rebuffed when she tries to control him, but Margaery sympathizes with his sadist instincts and is able to curry his favor that way. Tyrion gets a visit from Shae, which he strongly disproves of. I'm enjoying her larger role of becoming protective of Sansa.
Nothing from across the Narrow Sea this week. I guess we'll see how things go with Ser Barristan and the Unsullied slaves next week.
Unlike the premiere, this episode ends on a proper cliffhanger. Jaime and Brienne have been cornered and Arya has her identity revealed by the Hound. Can't wait for next week.
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