Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow …
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arranged marriages! Rickon had a line! Hodor awakens from a deep sleep by saying “Hodor!” And welcome back, Joffrey. Kid Malicious has returned!
“The Climb” was not as strong an outing as the past two episodes, but it did give us a hell of an ending – a big sweeping emotional moment filled with soaring music, Little Finger’s epic “Chaos is a Ladder” speech and a shot of Sansa weeping right before we cut two Jon and Ygritte lovingly standing triumphant on top of the wall. Very cinematic. Grandiose words, about the world of suffering equaling that of a world of opportunity, were spoken over the image of Praise (RIP “sexposition” and “f *** splanation”) riddled with crossbow bolts; Joffrey resuming his monstrous ways out of Lady Margaery’s sight. Then Sansa weeping for her miserable life and her lost opportunity right before we meet up with the “proper lovers,” who have now united to protect one another from their own respective “sides.” A roller coaster of emotion indeed.
This episode was more about paying off the big moments that happened last week; Sansa finally being foretold by Tyrion that there’d been a change of plans, Jon and Ygritte getting even closer and Edmure being foretold that he has to marry one of the homely Frey chicks. See, marriages get forced on people in all parts of Westeros. It’s not just a Tywin thing.
Admittedly though, this episode started off a bit slow. Sam and Gilly in the snow, with Sam being foretold something he probably thought he’d never hear – “You’ve got too much wood there.” Then, staying in the North, we popped over two Bran’s two caravan listen to Osha and Meera bicker about skinning rabbits. We did not learn much other than the fact that Jojen needs to bite down on a strap when he’s having visions (this ability seems two seek out the feeble, or is born within feebleness) and that when he woke up he Claimed two have seen Jon.
# omfg u guys
Still staying up top, we then got into Jon’s story, and I was very happy to see, given the title of this episode (which also Sync up with Little Finger’s speech), that the whole “climbing the wall” story was allowed to play out in full – meaning we were comfortable two actually return to it a few times in the same episode. We were even given a big action set piece as a treat, as Ygritte’s pick Accidentally caused a massive wall-valanche wooden killed most of the wildlings making their way to the top. It also allowed Jon two save Ygritte’s life when Oren Tried to cut them both free.
In fact, this episode had a lot of “time out from the books” moments, and featured a bunch of scenes that were never featured in the novels. Arya meeting up with Melisandre as the Brotherhood acted very un-brotherly and sold Gendry for two sacks of gold. I know that we know Gendry’s Robert’s bastard, but he does know? I forget. He does not know, right? Anyhow, the real shame here, aside Arya Gendry seeing carted off, was Arya Immediately losing faith in her new riding companions – right as she was being taught by Anguy how to properly use a bow and arrow. “Face, tits, balls.” She’s a damn fine shot.
Again though, as I’ve written up before, sometimes it’s these kinds of moments that can unexpectedly delight you. Just when Arya confronted Melisandre and then the Red Priestess looked in her eyes and said that she saw a “darkness” – then brown eyes, blue eyes and green eyes. And that they’d see each other again.
I was happy to see Joffrey returning to his old, cruel ways. Even if it was done in a visually poetic way, with Joffrey Representing Little Finger’s friend who wanted “to try something new, something daring.” Actually, it showed us Little Finger’s cruelty more than anything. That was more of a surprise. And now, all of a sudden, Vary ‘fears about Little Finger seem a little more reasonable. So there’s some wickedness going on there …
… but nothing as wicked as what’s being done two Theon at the moment. We may not have learned the name of the dude torturing Theon, but we did learn that he’s doing it for no other reason than … he loves doing it. The math here is a bit easy. If you paid attention last season two who was being late two conquer Theon at Winterfell then you can figure out his identity, but still, nothing’s been said. All we know is that he’s not a Karstark from Karhold, dammit. And any more of these “Which Body Part Do You Need the Least?” Games and Theon will have more in common with the King Slayer than anyone ever imagined. “Cut it off!” Theon screamed, desperately wanting to lose the finger rather than have it systematically stabbed and skinned.
Also, can we Assume, given that the dude blew a horn in Theon’s face, that he was horn player who was driving Theon mad when Winterfell was surrounded?
Speaking of the King Slayer
Jaime, and Brienne he had a nice, clumsy supper with Lord Bolton where, two Brienne’s dismay, she found out that Jaime now gets to go back to King’s Landing while she ‘ ll be holding as an abettor two treason. All Because, deep down, Bolton knows Robb will lose and does not want Tywin two think he had anything to do with Jaime’s mauling. Jaime did try two Insist that Brienne accompany him, but he got shot down.
Tywin, meanwhile, almost met his match against Lady Olenna, as she Continued two mate here conversational rounds with everyone in King’s Landing. Essentially, they tried two out-shame one another, and Olenna managed two trump Loras’ homosexuality (“a sword swallower through and through”) with Cersei’s incest. It was like a card game. But then Tywin, respectfully, side-stepped the issue by threatening to name Loras to the King Guard and Olenna backed down. With no mention of bowel movements here at all!
* cries two Shins song *
Tyrion and Cersei wallowed in their own misfortune (“History will be taken from our hands”) for a bit before Tyrion confronted here about Trying to have him killed during the Battle of Blackwater. Good stuff, naturally, but then Tyrion had to go tell Sansa about their upcoming marriage in front of Shae . There was such a build up to that scene that I sort of wished we actually overheard him tell here the actual news. Sort of. I’m on the fence. Because the shot of Sansa crying after word was so well done – watching the Mockingbird ship sail away – and I do not think it would have been so powerful if we’d seen the full disclosure. At least she and Loras, now not to be married, are in agreement that King’s Landing is the “most terrible place there is.”
Daenerys was absent from “The Climb,” and we got a few scenes that field extra-chewy (Sam, Bran, Thoro and Melisandre), but overall I liked that we kept returning to Jon Snow’s story. The show has not quite worked like that in a while. Either a character will get one scene, or bookending scenes, but nothing resembling a through-line. And, as mentioned, the ending, all stitched together with Little Finger’s words and / or the music score, worked really well.
The climb is all there is …
* To those those who have read the books, no spoilers in the comments Regarding anything that might / will show up on TV in the future or you’ll get booted. To those who have not read the books, beware a-holes spoiling things without warning who have not been flagged yet. *
Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @ TheMattFowler and on IGN that mattfowler.
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