*Spoilers below*
‘The House of Black and White’ throws so much at the viewer. After last week’s slow start to the season, episode two gives us so much to chew on. From Arya’s arrival in Braavos to Daenerys’ quandary in Meereen, we are given so many excellently scripted moments that it was hard for me to pick a single favourite. As there is so much to touch upon, I shall waste no time in getting started.
After being absent from the first episode, Arya is back and her arrival on Braavos is somewhat underwhelming to start with. It was a shame to see Arya turned away from the House of Black and White and the Faceless Men, especially after everything she has been through. Luckily for us, the penultimate scene reunites her with the deadly assassin, Jaqen H’ghar. It has been some time since the two were on screen together. To refresh your memory, Arya and Jaqen parted ways all the way back in season two’s ‘The Night Lands,’ where he rescued her from Harrenhal. He gave her a coin and asked that if she ever wanted to join the faceless men (a group of mysterious assassins that have the ability to shapeshift at will), she should show it to a Braavosi and utter the words ‘Valar Morghulis.’ Three seasons later and the reveal of Jaqen certainly made me smile. Arya’s story is shaping up very well and with only two episodes in, things are more than likely going to go from strength to strength. I can’t help but think that a few more seasons down the line, Arya is going to return to King’s Landing and exact revenge on those names that she continues to repeat.
Like Arya, we didn’t get to see much from Brienne or Podrick in last week’s episode but as normal, Game of Thrones gives almost all storylines adequate screen time and within minutes, we see the two of them sat down drinking ale and eating mush in another one of those wonderfully generic taverns. In the corner, Sansa Stark and Peter Baelish are also present and it doesn’t take long for the loveable Podrick to see them sat there. After Brienne wanders over and bends the knee to Sansa, offering to protect her from all the threats that Westeros offers (after promising Catelyn, Sansa’s mother), she bluntly turns her down. Baelish once again uses his wicked tongue and punishing wit to make a mockery of Brienne but she is no fool (and by God, she can wield a sword). A fight ensues between her and Baelish’s soldiers, leaving Brienne and Podrick no other options that to escape. The soldiers catch up to them but they are left in a bloody mess; she decides that it is still their goal to find and protect Sansa, even if Podrick is somewhat reluctant to do so. I’m not sure if I really like the way this is going; I think this is partly down to the great appeal of Brienne and setting her on yet another chase seems like a waste of her character. Maybe it is just me but I always saw better things for her and using her character like this wastes her talents and abilities on a wooden and dull character like Sansa.
Jamie Lannister is by far my favourite character and it was a fantastic sight for him to buddy up with the wonderfully roguish Bron. After Cersei shares her worries for her daughter (and Jamie’s), Myrcella (who was sent to Dorne as a bargaining chip to win them over for their allegiance in the war), Jamie decides to travel to Dorne to bring her back to King’s Landing. Jamie Lannister has never really opened up about the love he has for his children—no doubt because of its incestuous nature but regardless of this, Jamie shows glimpses of his parental loyalty and a ferocious desire to protect his little girl. When Cersei questions how Jamie is going to succeed with only one hand, a huge alarm went off in my head and I hoped, nay, I prayed that the Kingslayer would go and persuade the marvellous Bron to go with him—I wasn’t disappointed. After offers of a better bride and a bigger house, Bron agrees and a setup for what will surely be an entertaining adventure is born. Speaking of Dorne, we get our first look at its beauty and also their Prince: Prince Doran. If only a short introduction, my first impression of Dorne and its people is a good one. Oberyn was an exceptional character and it was such a shame that he met an untimely demise in the last season. My love for him alone makes me confident that his brother and those from Dorne will be big players in the game of thrones.
Meanwhile, the Knight’s Watch are selecting a new Lord Commander on the wall. Stannis offers to rename Jon Snow as Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell. No longer a bastard, Jon could bring pride and honour back to the stark name (if he kneels at the feet of Stannis). When Jon refuses, I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed—this would have been a nice move for Jon and a nice move for the show; however, as the next scene in the great hall shows us, Jon Snow is chosen as the 998th Lord Commander (a scene in which Sam once again excels himself by giving one of the nicest speeches so far). After everyone cheers and Jon Snow rises to a rapturous applause, I let go of all that disappointment and joined in with the cheers for Jon Snow, Lord Commander of the Knight’s Watch.
The only negative of the episode (which isn’t really a negative and more of a qualm) is the lack of Tyrion and Varys’ screen time. What little we see still manages to give us the funniest moment of the episode but due to the language, you’ll just have to go and watch it for yourself. “The best part of her for the best part of me” will mean much more once you go and watch the episode—believe me. We also get a nice reminder that there is a mad scientist thing going on in Knight’s Landing with Qyburn, who asks for the head of a Tyrion lookalike to experiment on (after two pathetic excuses for hunters bring it back to Cersei, thinking it is Tyrion). In last season, it was Qyburn that injected the Mountain with all kinds of weird substances in order to bring him back from the brink of death and turn him into a real-life monster—hopefully we will see the Mountain in all his mutated glory very soon.
The final part of the review is all about the Queen of Dragons, Miss Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen. After one of the unsullied was murdered in the last episode, one of the Sons of Harpy is discovered hiding in an empty house by Greyworm and Daario and is ‘arrested’ for his murder. A council is called to decide how best to deal with the traitor. After much deliberation, Daenerys decides to give the accused a fair trial. Unfortunately, one of the freed slaves kills him before he gets a chance to plead his innocence. In a move that could be considered dangerous, Daenerys decides to publically murder the slave—seemingly to show fairness between the former slaves and their masters. As his throat is cut, a deeply disturbing hiss is heard throughout the crowd as the slaves show their discomfort and disagreement with the choice that their liberator has made. Rocks fly and fights break out as Daenerys is escorted to safety. After many weeks of mediocre scenes featuring Daenerys, I felt that this was an excellent move and a great step forward in the progression of her story. The episode closed out with the re-emergence of her missing dragon, Drogon. In what can only be described as bittersweet—in Daenerys’ time of need, her lonely child seemed to want his mother’s attention and her love. As Daenerys goes to stroke his snout, Drogon flies off and leaves her once again to face the future alone. Daenerys truly has lost control.
‘The House of Black and White’ is a jam-packed episode full of humorous and poignant moments. It is a great showcase for an excellent cast to shine and better yet, a huge step into where the future of Game of Thrones is heading and I for one am truly excited by that.
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