by Robbie Jones
Episode Nine of Game of Thrones is always the most exciting. The penultimate episodes of the past four seasons has seen Ned Stark getting beheaded, Stannis Baratheon’s attack on King’s Landing, Robb and Catelyn Stark being slaughtered and the Night’s Watch defending Castle Black from The Wildlings. Overall, it’s usually the biggest episode of the season, but that didn’t look to be the case this year. Last week’s episode was a triumph and cast members have said that next week’s finale will break the internet, so episode nine is just plopped in the middle. Will it be able to rival its predecessor or successor?
Maybe. But first, let’s talk about all its issues, because it wouldn’t be an episode of Season Five if there weren’t any.
Episode Nine of Game of Thrones is always the most exciting. The penultimate episodes of the past four seasons has seen Ned Stark getting beheaded, Stannis Baratheon’s attack on King’s Landing, Robb and Catelyn Stark being slaughtered and the Night’s Watch defending Castle Black from The Wildlings. Overall, it’s usually the biggest episode of the season, but that didn’t look to be the case this year. Last week’s episode was a triumph and cast members have said that next week’s finale will break the internet, so episode nine is just plopped in the middle. Will it be able to rival its predecessor or successor?
Maybe. But first, let’s talk about all its issues, because it wouldn’t be an episode of Season Five if there weren’t any.
First off, the ‘Jaime in Dorne’ storyline is seemingly coming to an end. Before the season started, the storyline was promising: Jaime Lannister, a reformed man and one of the most interesting characters in the show, and Bronn, the resident badass, on a trip to Dorne to save Myrcella. Sounds great, right? Well, it wasn’t exactly terrible, but it did leave a lot to be desired. In particular, it completely wasted the Sand Snakes, and Ellayria Sand’s inclusion has just felt pointless. Really disappointing stuff. This storyline was really just about getting Jaime out of King’s Landing and doing Cersei’s imprisonment, which will then lead to both Jaime and Myrcella being fucked when/if they return to King’s Landing, which is fair enough, but it was still lacking. Nevertheless, Jaime will appear in Episode Ten, so there could still be more to come.
Next up, where is Arya’s story going? Admittedly, this week was the most interesting her segments have been so far, but it still feels like we’re only halfway through the story. It’s an unsatisfying feeling at the end of season, but hopefully it means we have big things in store for Season Six. And finally, there’s Stannis. Oh, Stannis, Stannis, Stannis. I have heard (And don’t quote me on this) that the events of tonight’s episode are actually an upcoming storyline from the next book, so this possibly isn’t to blame on the writers, but rather the story itself. Admittedly, the more you think about this scene, the more you understand it, but it’s still annoying at first. The scene earlier in the season between Stannis and Shereen was so lovely, and one of the best scenes of the year. It changed Stannis: From Seasons Two-Four, he was power hungry, and he just wanted to be king, meaning he was quite unlikeable. That scene gave him a sense of humanity, and it was nice to see him become an actual human being. However, it was all thrown away when he burned his daughter alive in the hope The Lord of Light will aid him. What is good about it is that it shows Stannis for who he really is, and that whilst we may not like it, power hungry Stannis is all that exists. But how nice would have it been for him to be good man?
Next up, where is Arya’s story going? Admittedly, this week was the most interesting her segments have been so far, but it still feels like we’re only halfway through the story. It’s an unsatisfying feeling at the end of season, but hopefully it means we have big things in store for Season Six. And finally, there’s Stannis. Oh, Stannis, Stannis, Stannis. I have heard (And don’t quote me on this) that the events of tonight’s episode are actually an upcoming storyline from the next book, so this possibly isn’t to blame on the writers, but rather the story itself. Admittedly, the more you think about this scene, the more you understand it, but it’s still annoying at first. The scene earlier in the season between Stannis and Shereen was so lovely, and one of the best scenes of the year. It changed Stannis: From Seasons Two-Four, he was power hungry, and he just wanted to be king, meaning he was quite unlikeable. That scene gave him a sense of humanity, and it was nice to see him become an actual human being. However, it was all thrown away when he burned his daughter alive in the hope The Lord of Light will aid him. What is good about it is that it shows Stannis for who he really is, and that whilst we may not like it, power hungry Stannis is all that exists. But how nice would have it been for him to be good man?
And now we come to the ending. It was a little worrying when not much was happening for the good portion of this episode, but we moved over to the fighting pits for the grand battle in front of Dany, her husband, Daario and Tyrion. It started off pretty standard, and got a little scary when Jorah came out (My theory was Jorah would die). It all gets a little tense but Jorah comes out a victor and....Is that it? Jorah just wins? Well that’s just shi- Oh.
Oh.
The Sons of the Harpy attack out of nowhere and Jorah and Daario become badasses, before they’re saved by Drogon. This scene was immense; firstly, the utter surprise of it all was amazing, it was completely unpredictable and made everything ten times scarier. Then, Daario and Jorah being badasses, and even Tyrion saving Missandei’s life, just ups the ante. Finally, you’ve got five main cast members all surrounded by impending doom, and the way Dany and Missandei just hold hands and prepare for it is heartbreaking (Not quite Toy Story 3 heartbreaking, but still). Quick gripe: Surely it would’ve made more sense for them to all to attack at once instead of a few at a time to be taken down by Jorah and Daario? They completely outnumbered them, they would’ve won. And then Drogon flies over and saves them all, before Dany flies off on its back like she’s in The Neverending Story. Despite the CGI/Green screen looking a bit dodgy during that last bit, this entire scene was outstanding. Exciting, intense, terrifying, and unbelievably awesome. Game of Thrones has outdone itself once again. However, Jorah touched Dany, ,nd she has now touched Missandei. Nothing will probably come of this, but logically, they should both be dead soon.
So, as usual, the penultimate episode of this season was truly a sight to behold. Again, doesn’t redeem the rest of the season but certainly knocks it out of the park. Episode ten looks insanely good, and Daniel Portman (Podrick) has promised it will ‘break the internet’. Oh Lord....What are we in for?
Oh.
The Sons of the Harpy attack out of nowhere and Jorah and Daario become badasses, before they’re saved by Drogon. This scene was immense; firstly, the utter surprise of it all was amazing, it was completely unpredictable and made everything ten times scarier. Then, Daario and Jorah being badasses, and even Tyrion saving Missandei’s life, just ups the ante. Finally, you’ve got five main cast members all surrounded by impending doom, and the way Dany and Missandei just hold hands and prepare for it is heartbreaking (Not quite Toy Story 3 heartbreaking, but still). Quick gripe: Surely it would’ve made more sense for them to all to attack at once instead of a few at a time to be taken down by Jorah and Daario? They completely outnumbered them, they would’ve won. And then Drogon flies over and saves them all, before Dany flies off on its back like she’s in The Neverending Story. Despite the CGI/Green screen looking a bit dodgy during that last bit, this entire scene was outstanding. Exciting, intense, terrifying, and unbelievably awesome. Game of Thrones has outdone itself once again. However, Jorah touched Dany, ,nd she has now touched Missandei. Nothing will probably come of this, but logically, they should both be dead soon.
So, as usual, the penultimate episode of this season was truly a sight to behold. Again, doesn’t redeem the rest of the season but certainly knocks it out of the park. Episode ten looks insanely good, and Daniel Portman (Podrick) has promised it will ‘break the internet’. Oh Lord....What are we in for?
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