S04.E07: Mockingbird

[Which Tyler]

 

Tyrion gains an unlikely ally; Daario asks Dany to allow him to do what he does best; Jon's warnings about the vulnerability of the Wall are ignored; Brienne follows a new lead.

 

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 Any information from unpublished books, such as preview chapters should be in spoiler tags.

[kechara]

Was I the only one who kept thinking "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my  father (ok sister in this case) Prepare to die." when Oberon was in the cell with Tyrion?

 

Also - can I have a Moon Door of my very own?  I could sure use one

[mac123x]

I squeed like a little girl several times tonight.  Hotpie was a fantastic cameo, and the entire discussion between Pod and Brienne was hysterical.  Hell, just her facial expressions when Hotpie was rambling were a riot.

 

Peter Dinklage knocked it out of the park, yet again.  When Oberyn was recounting how he first met baby!Tyrion, Dinklage was giving another Emmy performance with just facial expressions.  Sadness, misery, resignation to his  fate, followed by hope and gratitude when Oberyn volunteered to be his champion, mostly without dialog.  Amazing.

 

Alas poor Hound, Arya might feel a little bad when she finally kills him.

 

I squeed again when Sansa slapped Robin.  Sophie Turner did a great job with that scene, again awesome facial expressions; she was humoring him with words but her face was saying "fuck this creepy little turd."

[Mya Stone]

That entire scene with Oberyn and Tyrion was riveting. Almost verbatim to the book, and it was amazing on both sides.

[Brn2bwild]

Was hoping the Lysa scene would be more intense -- in the book, wasn't Peter right there behind her, having to talk her down?  The Winterfell scene was good, but felt like it should have had more build up.  Some of the emotion was robbed by the scene directly before it (Oberyn declaring himself Tyrion's champion).

 

A lot of the dialogue seemed to be taken from the book in this one.  Don't know if that's always the case and I just happened to notice this time.

[Mya Stone]

Also, my unsullied sister said "Prince Dorne hot guy is totally not winning this duel, is he? It's just the way things go for Tyrion. He can never win."

[Independent George]

Hot Pie! HOT PIE! HOT PIIIIIIIIE!

 

Excellent episode all around.

 

Just as in the books, Bronn's scene with Tyrion was oddly moving. He really does care for him. Actually, all of Tyrion's scenes tonight were stellar. Tyrion/Jaime, Tyrion/Bronn, and Tyrion/Oberyn most of all.

 

Arya & the Hound was awesome as usual, but all I could think of was: Fire Good!

[Izzyboy]

That entire scene with Oberyn and Tyrion was riveting. Almost verbatim to the book, and it was amazing on both sides.

 

So true, I love it when the show is able to use the book dialog unaltered...and in the hands of the actors playing Tyrion and Oberyn its absolute gold.

 

Speaking of actors, I have to say that Sophie Turner has come a long way since the show has started.  She's really delivering in her scenes and I'm as interested in Sansa's character as I ever have been, a large part due to her skills.

 

I also love the job Rory Mccann has been and is continuing to do with the Hound.  His talk with Arya could've felt really out of character, but they've done a good job developing the character to the point where he could actually open up and show some vulnerability.  Awesome stuff.

[elzin]

I really liked this episode a lot. The completely made-up-for-tv stuff really kept with the tone of the books, while keeping its own unique sense of humor. Hotpie was all Forrest Gump's friend Bubba-esque about the kidney pie. 

 

I was thinking that tonight is the first of a weekly BIG death.  Next week Oberyn (not enough sad smilies in the world for that), the real Gregor will be fatally wounded (Franken-gregor aside), then Ygritte, then Tywin, Shae, and it will appear that The Hound dies too.  The amount of WTFs for the next few weeks is going to be awesome.

[areca]

I'm going to miss Oberyn, I mean Pedro Pascal.  Frankly, I'm sorry, but if anyone deserves an Emmy, it's him.  Dinklage is good and all, but he's got SO much more to work with than Pascal does, and Pascal is easily neck and neck with him, from the 1st second he was on screen.  Stunning.

 

Really going to miss The Adventures of Arya and The Hound.  

 

Side note:  I'm kind of ... happy that Nikolaj hasn't had his teeth Americanized, but he's probably going to have to post-Thrones.  I hope he doesn't do it now, because honestly, a badass warrior -should- have jacked up teeth.

Edited May 19, 2014 by areca

[joliefaire]

Side note:  I'm kind of ... happy that Nikolaj hasn't had his teeth Americanized, but he's probably going to have to post-Thrones.  

What does that mean?

[kechara]

No caps , crowns or orthodontia, perhaps?  I never noticed his teeth

[BlackberryJam]

American here and I know exactly what you mean.  His bottom row of teeth are crooked.  I noticed it immediately.  I'm not saying I care, but the angle of the shot really made it obvious  I think he won't get them perfected.  I don't think he needs to.

 

Loving the HotPieness of the episode.

 

Oberyn was perfection.  Dinklage showed his acting chops without chewing the scenery. 

[Growsonwalls]

Sophie Turner did a fantastic job in tonight's episode. That scene with her building a snow castle of Winterfell broke my heart. She's come such a long way since then, but I like that Sansa alone of all the characters hasn't really become hardened and callous. That innocent, naive girl is still there, albeit buried under layers of bitterness and heartbreak. 

 

That scene between Tyrion and Oberyn was also killer. 

 

Overall, great episode. Even Dany didn't bore me. 

[Mr. Simpatico]

I do get the sense that D&D aren't as impressed by Daario as GRRM is. He doesn't even get a sex scene and we then cut to Dany who is NOT obsessed with him after their night together. I wonder how this plays into the entitlement issues Daario feels in the books because the Queen is his paramour.

 

I'm missing Oberyn already and the fight hasn't happened yet. 

 

Sansa and LF was incredibly creepy. I cannot not see Sophie Turner as the little girl she was when she started the show (and she's still a teenager and Aiden Gillen is still old enough to be her father). I have to think that's the impression the show wants us to have.

 

I did appreciate the mention of Lollys without the insulting gang rape attached. And how they got Bronn out of it by staying true to his character (what a welcome change) - he's out for money and to save his own neck.

 

The new Mountain looks much younger than his "younger" brother Rory McCann. I understand its a difficult role to cast but still...

[CherryMalotte]

I rather enjoyed this episode - a little bit of everything, pushing the plot forward.  

 

Pedro Pascal really has embodied Oberyn for me, bravo to him.  I've never seen him in anything prior, but I'm going to try and watch some of his other work.  He's great!  

 

Not quite sure how they are going to take on the 'who pushed Lysa out the Moon Door' deal with no Marillion to take the fall, pun intended.  

 

Hot Pie needs to be on a Westeros version of MasterChef.   

[BlackberryJam]

I'm not bothered by the age of the Mountain and the Hound.  I expect that having your face burnt off really ages your skin.  SPF can't fix that.

 

AG should play a creepy pedophile in the a Lifetime Movie.  He's perfect for it.  Sansa seemed somewhat into the kiss though.  I wonder if they are going to go there with those two.

 

Dany is still boring the crap out of me.  I'm not all that impressed with Daario.  She's so got Jorah on the hook though.  She might as well have asked him to make her chocolate cake and do her laundry saying, "we can't be together, right now."

 

GC was hilarious with Pod and Hot Pie.  Her nonverbals were great.  That armor is stunning on her.

 

I miss Oberyn.  I love everything about him.  I loved that he saw through Cersei so completely. I want him to LIVE.

 

ETA:  I think they will say Lysa committed suicide.  Who didn't think bitch be crazy?

Edited May 19, 2014 by BlackberryJam

[mac123x]

I do get the sense that D&D aren't as impressed by Daario as GRRM is. He doesn't even get a sex scene and we then cut to Dany who is NOT obsessed with him after their night together. I wonder how this plays into the entitlement issues Daario feels in the books because the Queen is his paramour.

Sansa and LF was incredibly creepy. I cannot not see Sophie Turner as the little girl she was when she started the show (and she's still a teenager and Aiden Gillen is still old enough to be her father). I have to think that's the impression the show wants us to have.

 

I agree that D&D aren't going the smitten-fangurl route with Dany and Daario.  Part of it is that Dany is 20ish instead of 16.  Also,the actor playing Daario is a handsome fella, I'll give him that, and he can actually act which the previous guy could not, but I still think he's dull.  Bland, son of Bland, son of Bland the  Elder. 

 

I got a chuckle when Petyr had to lean UP to kiss Sansa.  Sophie Turner has gotten tall.

 

That entire scene with Oberyn and Tyrion was riveting. Almost verbatim to the book, and it was amazing on both sides.

 

I love how they repurposed it and made it more effective.  In the book, Oberyn told Tyrion that story as they were riding in to Kings Landing, mostly just to annoy him.  Which it did.  In the show, it was much more powerful, because it really drove home to Tyrion just how much Cercei has always hated him.

[magdalene]

Oh, how I will miss Pedro Pascal. He is wonderful as Oberyn.

 

I thought this was Aiden Gillen's best work as Littlefinger. Often he has seemed too eeevil! mustache twirling and un-subtle for my taste but in this episode he sold it.

 

All around fantastic episode.

[Mya Stone]

I thought this was Aiden Gillen's best work as Littlefinger. Often he has seemed too eeevil! mustache twirling and un-subtle for my taste but in this episode he sold it.

 

I believe it's because we were finally shown some emotional truth behind the character. He seemed almost surprised by his honesty with Sansa as to why he killed Joffrey - his guard was actually down for a millisecond.

[matilda76]

 

 

 

The new Mountain looks much younger than his "younger" brother Rory McCann. I understand its a difficult role to cast but still...

Well, yeah, but I'm willing to give it a pass because, really, how young can you expect to look after a lifetime of heavy drinking after getting half your face burned off? And we all know the Mountain bathes in the blood of little children....

[LilWharveyGal]

Thank the lord (of light) we immediately had some boobs to counteract the male rear end!  /sarcasm

[Dev F]

So . . . in a scene that was all about how Melisandre has potions and little tricks to deceive people in the service of the Lord of Light, it seems like quite an oversight that she was shown sitting in the bathtub in all her naked loveliness without her choker on.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Dev F

[matilda76]

Alas poor Hound, Arya might feel a little bad when she finally kills him.

But she doesn't does she? In the books, doesn't he basically ask her to put him out of his misery, and she just walks away? In ADWD, what I recall is that people are SAYING he's dead, but GRRM doesn't make that explicit. As my friend Carin always says, and I find to be more or less true, "no one is ever really dead on GoT until you cut off their head." *

*Exception: Joffrey, and probably a few more I'm forgetting

[Brn2bwild]

Thank the lord (of light) we immediately had some boobs to counteract the male rear end!  /sarcasm

Yes, a very brief shot of male backside followed by several prolonged shots of a naked woman's breasts.  Great attempt at equality, D&D!

[Joystickenvy]

Loved pretty much everything in this episode. My favorite parts were Pod, Brienne & Hot Pie, Oberyn & Tyrion and Arya & the Hound.

Hot Pie was so darn adorable between "never give up on the gravy!" And the dire wolf for Arya.

The "that's where the heart is" scene was perfect. Also loved the Hound sharing his story. I'm really gonna miss that pairing. Since both Biter & Rorge appear to be dead, I wonder if they are skipping that bit or if someone else will end up attacking Brienne.

Oberyn telling Tyrion about their first meeting was also perfect. And yes, I definitely get Inigo Montoya vibes from him, but that happens every time he speaks. I'm going to be soooooo sad when IT happens.

Also really liked the way they handled Bronn & Tyrion. Consistent with both characters. The Lysa out the moon door part didn't have the impact of the book, but I think that's because I knew it was coming. Plus I kept thinking, maybe "let her go" isn't the right choice of words here Peter.

The Dany stuff was probably the least interesting, but I agree with those that like the change to her not being a lovesick teen. However, as soon as she ordered Darrio to disrobe, I got an unpleasant Orphan Black flashback lol

If the rest of this season is as good I'll be a happy camper. Either way, I will never give up on the gravy. Never!

[BloatedGuppy]

But she doesn't does she? In the books, doesn't he basically ask her to put him out of his misery, and she just walks away? In ADWD, what I recall is that people are SAYING he's dead, but GRRM doesn't make that explicit.

 

I think he makes it fairly explicit that he's alive. There's a bit on the Quiet Isle, with an unusually large gravedigger...ah hell let me find a detailed post about it and save some time. I'm sure one exists.

 

Well, that was easy. http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/60808-the-gravedigging-hound-complete-analysis/

 

Good episode tonight, for the most part. Pascal and Dinklage killed their scene. As a reader, I was moderately-majorly annoyed that Arya took down Rorge of all people with such a feeble jab. Book Rorge was a terrifying combatant. It was all Brienne could do to take him down, and she was fighting with Valyrian Steel. Show Rorge gets punk'd by a 10 year old girl. He even had a nose! <shakes fist at television>

[yellowfred]

I got a chuckle when Petyr had to lean UP to kiss Sansa.  Sophie Turner has gotten tall.

 

Yeah, I laughed about that, too.  You would think they'd find him a box or something to stand on.

 

But she doesn't does she? In the books, doesn't he basically ask her to put him out of his misery, and she just walks away?

 

You're right, she doesn't kill him, she just leaves him to die from a festering wound.  If I remember correctly, the problem was that they didn't have anything they could treat it with, so it makes it really sad that they could have treated it, but didn't because of the Hound's fear of fire.  

 

I really like the change they made to Brienne's storyline.  I was thinking for a moment that Hot Pie would direct them to the Brotherhood Without Banners, which is how they'd run into Stoneheart, but this is actually putting her on a path where she could theoretically find both Stark girls.  Plus, this is quite possibly one of the only times someone's lack of guile has actually worked out for them, which makes this development exciting on a number of levels.

 

I thought the stuff at the Vale was a little rushed.  I wish they'd given more time to Sansa building the snow castle (at least showing how long she spent on it and how much she wanted to get all the details right) as well as Lysa's pre-death monologue (in particular, it sucks that she didn't mention the time she was pregnant with Littlefinger's baby and her father tricked her into aborting it, since that was such a big part of her resentment for her family).  

[Independent George]

You're right, she doesn't kill him, she just leaves him to die from a festering wound.  If I remember correctly, the problem was that they didn't have anything they could treat it with, so it makes it really sad that they could have treated it, but didn't because of the Hound's fear of fire.  

 

Kind of - the Hound is was bleeding from several serious wounds from the fight at the inn, with one going septic. The only thing that could have saved him was high doses of antibiotics, not fire.

 

That actually reminds me - I hate the way the 'burn the wound out' has made it into the realm of Hollywood medicine, in no small part because I know some idiot is going to scratch himself while hiking and then decide to try and burn it clean. It's really, really, really bad advice - yes, it will kill any surface bacteria, but it will also burn the hell out of the living flesh around it, creating an even bigger wound while doing nothing against the portion of the infection below the surface.

 

The books talk about using boiling wine and bread mold, which kind-of sort-of makes sense - boiled wine is at least sterile, but bread mold is really not the same as penicillin. Cleaning out a wound with a sterile solution and keeping the dressings fresh (and sterile!) while letting the immune system fight off the infection is about the best medicine they can hope for. 

Edited May 19, 2014 by Independent George

[Bannon]

What is terrific about Tyrion's conversation with Bronn is that Bronn has enough integrity to tell Tyrion to his face that he won't fight The Mountain, and Tyrion has enough self awareness to realize that it's a bit much to ask a friend to give up the first experience of a comfortable life, for a better than 50% chance of getting killed by The Mountain. To me, this is Martin at his best.

[Helena Dax]

In your next life use a sword, Biter.

 

Bye, Lysa! I really enjoyed your scenes. Maybe it is because I love that part of the story, but I was fond of her and her craziness and I'm fond of Robin and his snotty nose (in the same twisted way Hannibal Lecter would be fond of someone). I didn't cry her death and I won't cry Robin's eventual death, but they're characters I like. And the seven gods help me, I think Littlefinger was telling the truth when he said that he had killed Joffrey in revenge for Cat's death. It was one of the reasons, at least.

 

Hot Pie! Tbh I don't care about the character that much,  but it's nice to see that someone's doing fine!

 

Loved the scene with Oberyn and Tyrion. Oberyn's such a great character, it'll  be a tragedy to see him die. And really, poor Tyrion. To realize he was hated from  the moment he was born...

Edited May 19, 2014 by Helena Dax

[dr pepper]

Hot Pie! Say it again! Hot Pie!

 

Dany, next time you make a concubine strip, also make him face the camera. That 2 second rear view is not equal opportunity.

 

Mountain, if that really is your name, before you meet the Red Viper, you've got a match with The Big Show.

 

I was a little surpised that they included the bit about Cersei pinching baby Tyrion's little Hodor.

 

Hound, who says you've got no parenting skills? Showing a child how to reach the heart is just what a good father should do.

 

Sorry, i'm not getting a pedo vibe from LF with Sansa, more like a professor and student vibe. She just doesn't look that young.

 

Jon Snow, i hope you put your wolf in a kennel with a simple latch. Otherwise you'll just prove you know nothing.

 

Mel, what are you up to? Who keeps a poison so dire, you shouldn't even touch it, with the regular potions, huh? I think it was deliberately planned so you could point it out to your worshipful disciple.

[Haldebrandt]

The rare pleasure of nearly unaltered book-dialog.  It's amazing how much better these scenes get with them.

[mac123x]

Now that my initial squeeing has passed, time for some nit picking:

 

Again, the opening title sequence bugged me.  No scenes at the Dreadfort or Braavos, yet they were included.  No Eyrie in the title sequence despite some seriously consequential events occurring there.  Okay, maybe they're being cheap and don't want to have to reanimate the sequence to put the Eyrie model back in, but why not use the Ep 1-5 animation, since at least it includes Dragonstone.

 

Arya and the Hound are on horseback, and are traveling from the vacinity of the Twins towards the Vale.  They're obviously staying off the beaten path, which might explain why it's taking so long.  Yet somehow Rorge and Biter have a) learned of the reward Tywin posted just last episode and b) located them in the hinterlands.  Or are we supposed to believe it was a chance encounter?  That's... pretty contrived.

 

Brienne and Pod have been traveling on horseback also, but by road.  According to Brienne, they've been on the road for weeks, which just makes the timeline for Arya and the Hound even worse considering they took off from the Twins after the Red Wedding, while Brienne and Pod left King's Landing after the Purple Wedding.  At this rate, B&P could get to the Vale before Arya does.

 

Who were the people that the Mountain was slaughtering, captive rebels, criminals, practice-peasants?

[Haldebrandt]

Stray thoughts
- Ser Gregor should've been aged up.

- Also, it was funny to see the camera straining to make him even taller than he already is in that shot with Cersei.  Why not just have him stand on something?
- I was hoping they would avoid Arya/Hound bonding scenes. Endearing as the pair is, that "growing grudging respect between two enemies" thing is older than the hills.
- Still surprsied by how much I am enjoying Meereen.  Loved Dany casually using Daario, and the show's even more casual dismissal of the whole thing.  Thank you, D&D.
- Eyrie was good, but telegraphed weeks ago by the show and last week by the promos. Inevitable, I guess.
- The jail-house convos were shockingly good.
- What's up with the sloppy title sequences lately?  No Eyrie?  Dreadfort I get, but Braavos? WTF.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Haldebrandt

[ellystar]

I feel like the special effects of Lysa going out the Moon Door were straight out of Once Upon a Time and detracted from the "holy crap!"-ness of the scene. Plus the fact that they moved the revelation of who actually killed Jon Arryn to another episode. I remember being blown away by this scene in the books, but here not so much. But, like someone said earlier, maybe it was because I knew it was coming.

 

I'm going to miss Oberyn, I mean Pedro Pascal.  Frankly, I'm sorry, but if anyone deserves an Emmy, it's him.  Dinklage is good and all, but he's got SO much more to work with than Pascal does, and Pascal is easily neck and neck with him, from the 1st second he was on screen.  Stunning.

I agree, that scene is amazing. Regarding Emmys, I imagine Pascal would more than likely enter into the guest actor category, while Dinklage would be in either the supporting or lead category. I hope they both win, they've been terrific all season.

Edited May 19, 2014 by ellystar

[quarks]

Wow, Littlefinger kissing Sansa is far more disturbing on the show than it was in the books, and it was pretty disturbing there. I think because the age difference is so apparent, and Sophie Turner looks about 15 to me. But also, I think, because on the show Sansa and Catelyn really don't resemble each other physically at all, so this whole sense that Littlefinger looks at Sansa and sees first a potential daughter, then a potential Cat, just makes Littlefinger look like someone projecting his fantasies everywhere.  Anyway, disturbing.

 

Really liked Brienne finding out about Arya from Hot Pie. Nice return of that actor, and a fun switch.

 

Also really liked that Dany was all "yeah, just totally using the guy for sex, and I'll still listen to wisdom when it's given to me" bit, but that might be because I'm really not a Daario fan, books or show.

 

This new Mountain is terrifying and freakishly tall. Gulp. But is anyone else hoping that just maybe the show will change the books here and let Oberyn win?  Anyone? GULP. 

 

(I know, that thought is even more doomed than my shipping of Jaime and Brienne.)

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Here's what Nick thought about the episode!

[OakGoblinFly]

I don't like the re-cast of The Mountain - he looks like he should be wearing a mask and trying to steal a big glittery belt after smacking someone in the face with a folding chair.

 

Everything with Tyrion was golden; I really liked his scenes with Jamie and then Bronn.  I absolutely loved the scene with Oberyn.  I thought both actors really captured the moment beautifully.

 

I wished the snow castle scene played out a little more; also, I would have liked to see reference to Sweet Robin’s seizures (unless the show is writing that bit out).  I can’t remember correctly (it’s been a while since I read the book) – I thought that after the incident with Sansa yelling at Robin he had a seizure.  Sophie Turner is really turning it out this season – she conveys so much with just her face.

 

Pod and Brienne were enjoyable which for me is pretty amazing as I hated their storyline in the books.  I did like the little call back to

Hot Pie, Winterhell, and Direwolf bread.

 

Ghost!  Aw, Sir Thorne, Ghost should stay in Castle Black – making him leave may not be a good decision.  Just sayin’.

Kit Harrington is so much better when he isn’t emo-moping boy; I liked his scene (brief as it were) – the show is doing a nice job of table setting when it comes to Jon’s future storyline.

While Harrington is getting better I think Clarke is getting worse.  Her scenes were the only ones that made me cringe with how utterly awful they were.  Even the awesomeness of Ian Glenn couldn’t save that drek.

Speaking of actors, I have to say that Sophie Turner has come a long way since the show has started.  She's really delivering in her scenes and I'm as interested in Sansa's character as I ever have been, a large part due to her skills.

 

 

I think Sansa is a character where we the audience benefit from, not being inside her head ...... I think Jon Snow is another and I find that I enjoy the show versions of these characters a great deal more than the book versions (though to be fair, I really liked book Sansa when she became Alayne and Jon was so much more interesting once Stannis came to the Wall).

[jeansheridan]

 

Was I the only one who kept thinking "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my  father (ok sister in this case) Prepare to die." when Oberon was in the cell with Tyrion?

No you are not.  I love Pedro's accent.  Love it love it love it.   And I will miss him bitterly.  As I should.  

 

I love the speeding up of Brienne's plotline.  Her whole plotline in the books was painfully slow and made her look stupid.  Plus Martin felt the deep need to remind us every single time that she's ugly.  Because you know, we have no memory.  So if Biter is dead, does that mean Brienne doesn't get her cheek bitten off?  Nice change show.  Thank you.

 

 

- I was hoping they would avoid Arya/Hound bonding scenes. Endearing as the pair is, that "growing grudging respect between two enemies" thing is older than the hills.

 

I think this falls a bit under what Joran was saying to Dany however.  That no one is entirely evil or good.  Arya is beginning to learn that lesson.  Plus we get to see her learning how to kill more effectively with possibly one of the few men in Westeros who is at best neutral about her growing education.  The Hound seems bemused by her and I doubt he sees her as an enemy.  She's a pain in his ass mostly.  A nattering little girl who never shuts up and tends to be unpredictable.  What's kind of cool is that you are seeing the end of one violent career and the beginning of another.  A passing of the torch.  Because I do believe The Hound is on that island just being  a farmer in AFFC.  He may become active again when major violence returns or maybe Martin will just let that storyline drop.  We'll see.  

Edited May 19, 2014 by SilverStormm
Duplicated text.

[Tryangle]

I did appreciate the mention of Lollys without the insulting gang rape attached. And how they got Bronn out of it by staying true to his character (what a welcome change) - he's out for money and to save his own neck.

 

I was mildly surprised that Tyrion didn't bring it up, most notably that her rape got her pregnant with some bastard child, and was Bronn willing to take on that extra role. I had always assumed the woman whose dress was ripped off in the KL riot scene was meant to be Lollys, but I guess that is just now some forgettable rape victim instead.

 

Again, the opening title sequence bugged me.  No scenes at the Dreadfort or Braavos, yet they were included.  No Eyrie in the title sequence despite some seriously consequential events occurring there.  Okay, maybe they're being cheap and don't want to have to reanimate the sequence to put the Eyrie model back in, but why not use the Ep 1-5 animation, since at least it includes Dragonstone.

 

Agreed. The 1-5 would have been fine, or go back to the 4-1 sequence otherwise. Give the Eyrie some love.

 

Here's what Nick thought about the episode!

 

That sketch of Daario's conquests vs Jorah's (lack of) was Made. Of. Win. Well done.

[Independent George]

I complain about Tropes all the time, so this is as good a time as any to throw the showrunners some credit: I love that Arya's still got a bruised lip from getting smacked by the Hound two episodes ago.

[Brn2bwild]

That sketch of Daario's conquests vs Jorah's (lack of) was Made. Of. Win. Well done.

I second this!  It also made me realize that for whatever reason, I find the actor who plays Daario much more appealing on Orphan Black.  Maybe it's the way he's shot, or because his "Canadican" accent is more convincing than his "British" one, but his Daario doesn't do anything for me.   

[Rhondinella]

I can neither confirm nor deny reports of me spontaneously yelling, "Bronn!" when he appeared.

 

And I was definitely not getting teary-eyed when they parted.  Nope, not at all.

 

Prince Dorne hot guy

 

 

Hee!  I'm totally calling him this from now on.

[Rhondinella]

I thought the stuff at the Vale was a little rushed.  I wish they'd given more time to Sansa building the snow castle (at least showing how long she spent on it and how much she wanted to get all the details right) as well as Lysa's pre-death monologue (in particular, it sucks that she didn't mention the time she was pregnant with Littlefinger's baby and her father tricked her into aborting it, since that was such a big part of her resentment for her family).

 

 

Co-signing this.  When I saw the name of the ep was "Mockingbird" I expected more of the ep to take place at the Eyrie.  I figured we'd get two or three short scenes there, intercut with other scenes, and then return for the big scene at the end.  The way it was done was way too rushed to have the emotional impact it was supposed to.

 

Tyrion's little Hodor

 

 

Hee! Another one I'm stealing.

[cosmic1]

Good episode.  I was totally engaged the whole time with everything. 

 

I guess this is the beginning of the end of the Arya/Hound show.  I am looking forward to her time in Braavos, so I am ready for them to be done wandering around getting nowhere.  I am antsy for Stannis and company to get to the Wall too.  They do a good job mimicking the excruciatingly slow pace of the book with some of these story lines.  I get just as impatient with the show, LOL.

 

I really wish HBO would dispense with skipping holiday weekends.  I don't want to wait 2 weeks for the next episode, darn it!

[Holmbo]

I loved all Tyrion's cell scenes. Specially the Oberyn one. He has the same story in the book but there it just felt like he told it to be annoying (could be book Tyrion's interpretation though) but here it felt like he was being nice, or at least kinda sensitive about it. It was great.

 

I also actually enjoy Dany's Mereen scenes a lot so far. The show runners are managing to tease us about which way Dany is going to turn (still not clear in the books IMO) is she going to choose the simple path of single minded one dimensional thinking making her villainous or is she going to learn from her mistakes and grow as a leader? I also enjoy the changes so far to Hizdar and to Dany and Dario's relationship.

Arya and the Hound was ok. I've enjoyed their scenes but the one in the first episode was really the peak and I'm ready for them to part ways now. Brienne and Pod was fun. Hot-Pie is the last minor character I'd expect to make a reappearance. It'll be interesting to see which hinders the writers will set up for Brienne and Pod not getting to the Eyrie. For a moment I wondered if there would be a Brienne/Hound fight. Because Arya doesn't know Brienne and Pod and might not trust them. But I dunno how that would work out.
 

I thought the stuff at the Vale was a little rushed.  I wish they'd given more time to Sansa building the snow castle (at least showing how long she spent on it and how much she wanted to get all the details right) as well as Lysa's pre-death monologue (in particular, it sucks that she didn't mention the time she was pregnant with Littlefinger's baby and her father tricked her into aborting it, since that was such a big part of her resentment for her family).

 

Co-signing this.  When I saw the name of the ep was "Mockingbird" I expected more of the ep to take place at the Eyrie.  I figured we'd get two or three short scenes there, intercut with other scenes, and then return for the big scene at the end.  The way it was done was way too rushed to have the emotional impact it was supposed to.

 

That part was the first time I felt this new approach of this season (to show all the story line in one continuous part instead of chopping it up during the episode) did not work so good. It would have been better to have the snow castle scene in the beginning of the episode and then return later for the finale in the end.

[Brn2bwild]

I also actually enjoy Dany's Mereen scenes a lot so far. The show runners are managing to tease us about which way Dany is going to turn (still not clear in the books IMO) is she going to choose the simple path of single minded one dimensional thinking making her villainous or is she going to learn from her mistakes and grow as a leader? I also enjoy the changes so far to Hizdar and to Dany and Dario's relationship.

What's interesting about the difference is that Dany in the books comes across as more openly compassionate.  She doesn't kill the children of Meereen's most powerful people, despite threatening to in order to keep them in line.  She comes up with some decent plans for keeping the peace.  She dislikes Meereenese customs, but still adopts them to try and maintain their loyalty.  She's inflexible in some ways ("I don't care if he saved my life; Ned Stark is a terrible person!"), but it's far less clear that she's operating in a dictatorial manner.  Which means that her overall story arc is less clear.  What lesson will she learn: to be less compassionate?  More rigid?  To say fuck all to Meereen?

 

Whereas Dany on the show is all My Way or the Highway.  Her story arc seems clearer: if she wants to win ultimately, she needs to learn to work with those she has reason to hate.  It seems to be doing more to set up Dany's task for when she returns to Westeros and confronts the Lannisters and Starks.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Brn2bwild

[sylvam]

It's interesting the juxtaposition between Tyrion's fairly easy acceptance that Bronn liked him and was really his friend, even if he was ultimately going to act for self-preservation, and his seeming conviction that Shae 100% never loved him and had been faking everything.

 

I just read that the Oberyn/Tryion cell scene was the very first scene the actor shot.  I don't know how you could just show up the first day and do that, although I guess it probably helped that he was a viewer/fan of the show.  Still.

[areca]

Cleaning out a wound with a sterile solution and keeping the dressings fresh (and sterile!) while letting the immune system fight off the infection is about the best medicine they can hope for. 

 

Raw honey has been used for time immemorial due to natural antiseptic and antibacterial properties.  Didn't get this choice on GRRM's part, it's not even that esoteric as far as knowledge goes.

Edited May 20, 2014 by areca