Game of Thrones Episode 3.03: “Walk of Punishment”

[chavalah.livejournal.com]

The title fits (especially for Jaime, Brienne, Theon and Arya, but even for some other characters on a more metaphorical bent,) but I can’t help but think about what the title refers to in canon—basically the public shaming of a woman who dares to defy the patriarchy. Might’ve done better to call this episode “The Bear and the Maiden Fair” but wuddaya know, that’s coming up in a few weeks. :P And I can’t fault that naming.

But back to this one! In my semi-private, preliminary recap when this ep aired a year ago, I called it “The Game of War Costs.” That definitely still stands. We have Robb and his uncle Edmure’s communication failure on the battlefield, Arya’s dubious situation as a hostage (to say nothing of Sansa’s, but she didn’t appear this episode,) the steep moral and financial price of warfare that Daenerys and Tyrion were dealing with respectively, war crimes like infanticide and rape, and the iconic closing scene.

Overall I enjoyed this episode, but there was an eyerolly porno stuck in the middle of it that really served no purpose. Some people, I know, appreciated the base humor, but if I wanted to see women act like barely animate sex toys, then I’d go find free porn on the internet. Not worth the price of HBO—joke’s on us. :P

( Episode Summary and Spoilers )