My favorite scene was the one featuring the Greyjoys, whom we hadn’t seen since last season. Ramsay sends them Theon’s junk. Yes, that may sound blunt, but it was indeed an extremely blunt scene. Balon seems surprised at first, but quickly loses interest, as he realizes Theon can no longer father children.
I’m quite fond of the Greyjoys – they might be dishonorable, petty warriors, but they take whatever they need, whenever they want. Despite their failed rebellion, Pyke is still teeming with fierce soldiers, and Balon and Yara are conniving enough to make it big in King’s Landing. However, Yara ends up disagreeing with his father, as she still has a soft spot for her brother Theon. I don’t want to sound heartless, but I’m with Balon on this one. This story does not take place in a land where the sentimental and honorable are rewarded. The Greyjoys are in no position to give up the lands they’ve taken, especially not for Theon, who openly disobeyed Balon’s orders. It seems harsh, but that’s the way Westeros works.
Oh, and Bran ran into Sam. I love it when two storylines merge, however briefly. It’s amazing how far these characters have come and how much they have grown. Bran’s no longer the cripple kid with enigmatic dreams from the first season – he’s got potential to become an extremely powerful warg. Sam is still useless with a sword, but has overcome his fears and currently stands as one of the bravest men of the Night’s Watch, as well as the smartest. He helps Bran and his party go beyond the Wall, although he practically begs them to go the other way. I wasn’t a fan of Sam at first, but I guess nobody was. His evolution is proof that character development is essential to Game of Thrones‘ success. Another prime example would be Jaime Lannister, who was at one point one of the most hated characters in the show, but has become a personal favorite of mine as of late.
Elsewhere, there was a scene featuring Jon Snow and Ygritte where she shot him with her bow, but… oddly enough, I found it cliched at poorly acted. Don’t get me wrong, I respect both Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie’s acting skills, but the scene was overly sappy and melodramatic. Quite honestly, I haven’t downright loathed a single scene in the show thus far, but this has got to be one of the worst.
The final scene was slightly weak. I expected something bold and revealing, yet I was ultimately disappointed. It was quite similar to the first season’s finale, as the main focus was on Daenerys, but it was highly predictable. I didn’t think for one second those slaves would harm her or turn on her, although it would have been a great twist if they had. She had taken the city, and thus became their “Mhysa” (mother). Hooray. Good for Dany, the most predictable, exceedingly generous queen in all of Westeros. Oh, wait, she’s not even in Westeros yet.
All in all, it was a fine episode, save for the scenes featuring Snow and the ones taking place in King’s Landing, which I didn’t think were helpful at advancing the plot, despite Joffrey’s amusing psychotic behavior and Tyrion’s usual wit.
What did you think of the season finale of Game of Thrones? Let us know in the comments below.
