by Robbie Jones
Looking back on the rather poor quality of this season, it shouldn’t be as surprising as it is. Season Four of Game of Thrones wasn’t amazing either; it certainly wasn’t bad, but it lacked the quality of the previous seasons. Season Four may have dropped in quality but it still blew audiences away with Tyrion’s trial (Peter Dinklage’s best performance on the show by far), the heartbreaking battle between Oberyn Martell and The Mountain that left viewers shocked and disoriented, Tywin getting his just desserts from Tyrion and of course, the television masterpiece that was The Watches on The Wall, an hour of breathtaking action and exhilarating performances. Everything bad about Season Four can be forgiven for those things, but Season Five has yet to do anything brilliant. Poor efforts every week, and whilst last week wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t great. Hardhome is the first episode this season to truly knock it out of the park, but does it make up for the rest of the season?
Looking back on the rather poor quality of this season, it shouldn’t be as surprising as it is. Season Four of Game of Thrones wasn’t amazing either; it certainly wasn’t bad, but it lacked the quality of the previous seasons. Season Four may have dropped in quality but it still blew audiences away with Tyrion’s trial (Peter Dinklage’s best performance on the show by far), the heartbreaking battle between Oberyn Martell and The Mountain that left viewers shocked and disoriented, Tywin getting his just desserts from Tyrion and of course, the television masterpiece that was The Watches on The Wall, an hour of breathtaking action and exhilarating performances. Everything bad about Season Four can be forgiven for those things, but Season Five has yet to do anything brilliant. Poor efforts every week, and whilst last week wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t great. Hardhome is the first episode this season to truly knock it out of the park, but does it make up for the rest of the season?
First, let’s talk performances. Every year since the show has started, Peter Dinklage has picked up an Emmy nomination (Albeit in the wrong category, which is why he hasn’t won since the first season) and rightfully so, but whether or not that will be the case this year is uncertain. Here’s the thing about Tyrion’s story this season; Dinklage has been in every episode that’s aired so far, yet it feels like we haven’t seen him in forever. In terms of spectacle and drama, his story has never hit any high notes. He lead the battle of Blackwater, made drunken angry threats to his nephew and gave the whole of King’s Landing a right bollocking at his trial, and in all of those performances, Dinklage has shown ferocity, wit and emotion. His story this season, however, has not given him any opportunity to do so. He is the lead actor of the show (Yes, there is a big cast but his name does come first in the credits, plus he has been the biggest focus of the show so far) but certainly hasn’t felt it this year, taking a backseat to the likes of Kit Harrington, Emilia Clarke and Stephen Dillane.
Who does deserve an Emmy however is Lena Headey, who is once again killing it as Tyrion’s twisted sister Cersei. Her power has slowly seeped through her fingers this season, with Margaery becoming Queen and getting a grasp on her only son, and even employing the Faith Militant to arrest Margaery didn’t solve things because she was arrested too. Now she’s locked up in a dingy cell, in her dirty rags, sipping water off the floor because she has too much pride. Headey’s portrayal of a falling star, a once powerful ruler slowly descending into a broken woman has been utterly mesmerising, and hands down the best thing about this season. But her storyline begs the question; where is Jaime’s storyline going to go? Cersei is locked up for committing incest with her cousin (Who no doubt ratted out Jaime as well), and if he returns to King’s Landing, he’ll be done for the same thing. Next week’s episode sees him a tricky situation with Prince Doran, so it could be that he stays in Dorne, or maybe goes elsewhere, or perhaps returns to save his sister (Or maybe he doesn’t come back at all, but let’s not imagine that possibility...). Jaime’s relationship with Cersei is based on honour, not lust (Apart from when he raped her, but that was just rape for the sake of rape) and it’s hard to imagine that he could ever not try to help her. It’s a tricky situation indeed.
Who does deserve an Emmy however is Lena Headey, who is once again killing it as Tyrion’s twisted sister Cersei. Her power has slowly seeped through her fingers this season, with Margaery becoming Queen and getting a grasp on her only son, and even employing the Faith Militant to arrest Margaery didn’t solve things because she was arrested too. Now she’s locked up in a dingy cell, in her dirty rags, sipping water off the floor because she has too much pride. Headey’s portrayal of a falling star, a once powerful ruler slowly descending into a broken woman has been utterly mesmerising, and hands down the best thing about this season. But her storyline begs the question; where is Jaime’s storyline going to go? Cersei is locked up for committing incest with her cousin (Who no doubt ratted out Jaime as well), and if he returns to King’s Landing, he’ll be done for the same thing. Next week’s episode sees him a tricky situation with Prince Doran, so it could be that he stays in Dorne, or maybe goes elsewhere, or perhaps returns to save his sister (Or maybe he doesn’t come back at all, but let’s not imagine that possibility...). Jaime’s relationship with Cersei is based on honour, not lust (Apart from when he raped her, but that was just rape for the sake of rape) and it’s hard to imagine that he could ever not try to help her. It’s a tricky situation indeed.
And now, let’s focus on what’s got everyone talking about this episode: The battle at Hardhome. Jon and Tormund convince the Wildlings to fight with them, but as they prepare to leave, White Walkers and an army of the undead attack, adding a whole load of Wildlings to their army. What a phenomenal scene this was; any action scene involving Jon is badass, and this is no exception. Even though it’s obvious that Jon’s time isn’t yet, it was still absolutely terrifying to see him fight that White Walker. This has to be one of the most impressive set pieces of Game of Thrones so far, and the effects were top notch too. The White Walkers are scary as fuck, the one with horns is particularly unsettling. The scene was exhilarating, so well shot and so well directed that it keeps you on the edge of your seat till you’ve practically fallen off. Winter has come, friends, and it’s going to fuck everyone up.
It was definitely a terrific ending, but has it redeemed the season? Not quite. The slow pace and gratuitous nature of the earlier episodes still remains an annoyance that drags the show down, but luckily, we could be in for an epic end of season. Episode nine is usually the episode in which something big or shocking happens, and yet, from the trailer, it’s extremely hard to tell which bit that will be. Only two episodes left this year, please let this season end on a high.
It was definitely a terrific ending, but has it redeemed the season? Not quite. The slow pace and gratuitous nature of the earlier episodes still remains an annoyance that drags the show down, but luckily, we could be in for an epic end of season. Episode nine is usually the episode in which something big or shocking happens, and yet, from the trailer, it’s extremely hard to tell which bit that will be. Only two episodes left this year, please let this season end on a high.
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