Game of Thrones Episode 4.06: “The Laws of Gods and Men”

[chavalah.livejournal.com]

This felt like a more compact episode than most, with each storyline contained to its section, and not broken up in pieces, dispersed amongst each other. It’s also an hour where all of the major players are debating questions of justice and entitlement, which, among these nobles are often conflated into the same thing. Was Daenerys too harsh in her collective punishment towards the slavers? What is Stannis’s claim to Westeros amongst Essos bankers who only care about numbers? Is a broken man worthy to be saved and brought back to his former family? And, most centrally, how do personal desires taint what is supposed to be impartial law? Perhaps the Iron Bankers are incorrect—no story is without bias, or “interpretation.”

Won’t ever be my favorite episode, because there’s no Starks in it, save for the mention of Sansa at the trial. And speaking of such, my main quibble actually concerns her, though I don’t want to get too spoilery with it over the cut. I also think there’s a little bit of convenient hand waving at the Dreadfort, but it ends in a powerful place. Speaking of, no surprise after you watch it, but the clip they used for Peter Dinklage’s acting nominations this year all came from the end of this hour.

( Episode Summary and Spoilers )