‘Game of Thrones’ season 5, episode 3 review: A wedding, a death, and one happy return
“Game of Thrones” has always loved to create their juxtaposition between marriages and deaths, but not exactly in the way we saw on Sunday night’s new episode. For once, we had a ceremony happen without any surprises! Margaery and Tommen are already married, and despite however cringe-worthy it may be, they have also already slept together. Who wants to bet that was a weird one for Natalie Dormer to film?
The wedding of these two characters places Cersei in an even more terrible position than before, knowing that her power and her control is waning. Perhaps this is why she recognizes the influence of the High Sparrow in King’s Landing, and seeks him out of her own accord to receive more information on his mission. If she can keep this together, he and his followers may be interesting allies to have, especially given Margaery’s “love the poor” agenda that she has pushed since before her wedding to King Joffrey.
More matters of marriage – While these two were tying the knot, Sansa was learning that she could be wed yet again, as well. The difference here is that she was not set to marry Baelish as she first thought, but instead a man in Ramsay Bolton who is far more terrible than she even realizes. This was still a powerful moment for the character (played wonderfully by Sophie Turner) in that she was not forced into the nuptials. She accepted her fate willingly, and was ready to embrace potentially living in her new home / old home Winterfell, even if this meant being under the banner of the man who was a part of the Red Wedding.
Also, Theon / Reek is still out there. We’ve missed Theon; he’s not exactly likable, but fascinating more so than many others.
Another journey – Yes, Brienne and Pod are still out there, and yes, she is still trying to be honorable. It was not the biggest episode for the two in the world, even if we did appreciate learning a little more about how she first became under the employ of Renly Baratheon. A stellar performance by Gwendoline Christie here.
Arya loses her face – Remember when Brienne almost managed to retrieve Arya? Well, she is now across the sea in Braavos, completely shedding every remnant of the young woman that she was. Gone is her sword, her old clothing, and any other personal mementos. She is learning to let go, which is the first part of her true transformation.
A man of little ambiguity – Disobey Jon Snow in his new position, and you have your head cut off. This is what took place Beyond the Wall this week, as we saw him strike out the moment that someone defied his rule. This was a major show of strength for him, as was his refusal of the John Stark name and the latest appointment.
Finally, Tyrion – He decided that he wanted to get a little bit of air, which meant that he was interested in spending some time in a local brothel, and also alongside a prostitute who was dressed like Dany. The biggest surprise in the end, though, was the reveal that Tyrion was captured while there by Jorah, who clearly has nothing else going on at the moment.
In the end, this was the strongest episode of the season so far. It was very much surprising, intense, and enjoyable all the way through. We honestly didn’t miss Dany this time around, mostly because her story has almost become more of the same every time. Grade: A-.
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