S03.E01: Valar Dohaeris

[Meredith Quill]

Episode Synopsis:

 

Jon meets the King-Beyond-the-Wall while his Night Watch Brothers flee south. In King's Landing, Tyrion wants a reward, Margaery shows her charitable nature, Cersei arranges a dinner party, and Littlefinger offers to help Sansa. Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys starts her journey west.

 

Reminder: There is open air book talk here. If you are just watching the TV show and you don't want to stumble into a potential spoiler you should leave now. Book Talk assumes you have read all the books to date. Any information from unpublished books, such as preview chapters should be in spoiler tags.

[Constantinople]

One of the dragons dives into the sea, emerges in the air with a fish in his mouth, tosses the fish in the air, roasts it with dragon fire and then swallows the fish.  Probably my favorite dragon scene to date.

 

I think this is the last episode in which we actually see any of Dothraki still following Daenerys, albeit puking up on the ship's deck, which seems like a long time given that Daenerys still calls herself Khaleesi.  I think the last time they're even mentioned is 2 episodes hence when Daenerys and soon-to-be-torched slave trader are haggling over the price for the Unsullied.

 

Loved Margaery's backhanded compliment "Have you ever seen anything like it" to Loras about Cersei's metallic ensemble.  And the look of fear on Joffrey's face earlier in the day when Margaery stopped their entourage in Flea Bottom.

 

The introduction of Barristan Selmy was quite different than in the books, but it probably made more sense.  It would be kind of odd if Jorah didn't recognize Selmy.

[Avaleigh]

Loved Margaery's backhanded compliment "Have you ever seen anything like it" to Loras about Cersei's metallic ensemble.  And the look of fear on Joffrey's face earlier in the day when Margaery stopped their entourage in Flea Bottom.

 

 

Margaery is so freaking fake and with comments like that I can totally understand why Cersei can't stand her phony ass. Margaery is already a better player than Cersei but Margaery actually seems to think that this shit is going to be easy and I think that's why I'm really looking forward to season 5 because she hasn't really run into any hardcore obstacles yet. The closest she came to feeling like it might not be easy was when she had that moment with Joffrey and he's giving her a hard time over the fact that she and her family sided with Renly first. 

 

I'd love it if we could somehow get a callback to Joffrey's fear here at going through Flea Bottom considering the upcoming WoS. I know the audience will basically remember what it was like for Ned but hopefully there's some kind of reminder about how vicious the crowds at KL can be, it doesn't really matter who is being led through or what their background is because they see it as the gods judging the person and finding them wanting or else they wouldn't be in the situation. 

[Constantinople]

Margaery is so freaking fake and with comments like that I can totally understand why Cersei can't stand her phony ass.

Cersei would hate Margaery no matter what Margaery said or did. The only question would be whether Cersei would hate sincerity more than phoniness.

[leisawoo]

Just getting into this show. Binge watching! Why don't people talk about season 3, I wonder?