scifi_rewatch | Game of Thrones Episode 1.06: “A Golden Crown”

Plots thicken disquietingly as we cross over into the second half of season one. The cat is out of the bag—the Starks have “attacked one of my brothers and abducted the other,” according to Queen Cersei, and all King Robert wants to do is hunt things to clear his head. :P Back in Winterfell, Robb Stark weighs the pros and cons of marching on Casterly Rock to avenge the attack on his father, and Tywin Lannister responds rather brutally to the imprisonment of his son. Things come to a head for Viserys in Vaes Dothrak and Ned finally learns the truth that Jon Arryn died for. The characters have moved past their backstories now, and are beginning to fall into place in the larger plot!

Really loved the pacing in this one. Scenes kept me on the edge of my seat. Also some great, subtle moments. Anywho! Divided by location, as per usual.

Winterfell

We open on Bran and his crow dreams again. The beginning is the same as we saw in episode four. But then it goes further…the crow leads Bran down a dark corridor. If I’m not mistaken…these are Winterfell’s crypts. A place that will have extreme significance for Bran (and Rickon, if he still exists :P) later in this season and season two. But I’ll tease no more! (For now. :P)

Bran is somewhat rudely awakened by Hodor (HODOR!) barging in. But a cheeky Hodor holds up Bran’s finished saddle. Yaaaay!

Lord Stark the third is a happy, happy boy as he rides his horse (and we get to hear her name—Dancer!) around the yard. In the book, Bran tells us he’s excited because it’s the first time he’s been outside since the accident (which I guess isn’t true on tv, given last ep.) Also in the book, he, Robb, Theon, Luwin, the wolves and other retainers are on a hunt. On tv, it just seems to be him, Robb and Theon with no particular agenda in mind. Well, Theon has an agenda. :P

Theon’s agenda is that Robb has to go to war with the Lannisters. Word has reached them concerning what’s happened to Ned and Jory and the others. (Word has also reached them about Catelyn and Tyrion in the Eyrie in the book, but eh.) Robb is reticent. First of all, only a reigning lord can call the bannermen to war. Secondly, I think it’s pretty apparent that he struggles with his leadership role...and war is heavy. Thank goodness someone realizes it.

In the book, we get all of this from Bran, cos he’s the only POV character in Winterfell right now. Theon and Robb have already talked, though they rehash, slightly, in front of Bran. We also get insight into Bran’s opinion. He takes Jory’s death hard, remembering how his father’s castle guard used to chase him when he climbed. :/ Later, he reminisces with Robb about a fishing trip. This is what I love about having Bran, Arya, Sansa and Jon narrate. They really bring out the nostalgia for what was lost in Winterfell. It breaks my heart. :(

Back to the tv series! Somewhere amidst their discussion, the boys have lost sight of Bran. (In the book, Bran and Robb are riding together, and Robb leaves him to gather the wolves, who’ve just made a fresh kill. On tv…wtf, Bran? Young whippersnapper. :P) In both cases, a gang of Night’s Watch deserters and wildlings make their way to him. They demand he get off his horse and leave her to them…he says he can’t. They threaten to cut off his cock and stuff it in his mouth…dude, did poor Isaac have to hear that? *covers his ears* They cut his leg and he can’t feel it, all the same as the book. When he introduces himself as “Brandon Stark of Winterfell,” ~~Tonks~~ Osha realizes that he’s “Benjen Stark’s blood” and they can use him as leverage with Mance Raydar. Mance is a wildling leader whom Thorne also mentioned in ep four. He’ll be a bigger deal next season, methinks.

Time for Robb to save the day! In the book, the wolves are with him…there’s a particularly graphic image where, after they start fighting, Bran witnesses Grey Wind, I think, pulling the intestines out of someone’s stomach. :/ Fans might be disappointed that once again the wolves are missing (I can only assume it’s due to training issues.) I find I don’t really mind as much. In one way it’s a good change, because we get to focus on Robb Bringing The Awesome (and the hotness *fans self*) with his fighting style. :P About time we see Robb in action. Expect this trend to continue.

Also true to the books, the surviving deserter pulls Bran from his horse and forces Robb into a standoff. All hope seems lost…until an arrow pierces said deserter from behind. Theon saves the day! I like how he’s cocky (in character) and mentions a certain distinction about Iron Islands culture, concerning young boys killing enemies. Robb is pissed. Since Theon was shooting from behind, he coulda killed Bran. The discord between Robb and Theon is a little played up on tv, methinks. In the books, it’s largely Bran (and Jon) who are standoffish with Theon; Robb mostly likes him. Though he does call Theon “an ass” for what he did…which does not sit well with the dude. :/

Luwin’s absence means Robb is the one who gets to swoop up Bran and ask if he’s hurt (*swoon, swoon, swoon!!!* Yes, I know I have family issues. :P) When deciding what to do with Osha, Robb seems to look to Bran for council. Mighta been a thorn in Theon’s side. Oh how I love it, my Stark boys together. ♥ (And good decision on their parts to keep her around…Osha will prove invaluable. *zips lips*)

Final Winterfell scene…Ros is leaving for King’s Landing. A wonderful added scene for two reasons, methinks. First, it establishes some context—with the impending likelihood that Winterfell will go to war, Ros’s clientele is bound to drop. :P Second, it gives Theon a chance to deal with something a lot of the others have had to...loss of stability. Ros, to me, seems like a grounding point for Theon. She’s the only one he can really exert some control over (even though he has to pay for it. :P) She’s the only one who makes him feel more like a noble and less like a political hostage. I don’t think they’re in love…though I chuckled at the line about making her Lady of the Iron Islands. Lololol…to imagine Balon and Asha’s reactions to that! I almost wish we could see it.

Ros rides away, not before imparting Theon with one final glimpse of...herself. :P Thank goodness she plans to catch a ship at White Harbor (nice world building ftw) rather than riding the whole way to King’s Landing on the back of a turnip cart, cos that’s gotta be uncomfortable.

The Eyrie

Tyrion almost rolls off the edge of his cell…is that necessary? Then again, it certainly adds value to Lysa’s claim that the Vale’s cells can break people, hee.

It’s a shame we’re not in Tyrion’s head, as per his POVs, watching his wheels spin, but man does Peter Dinklage pull this character off. He tries twice to goad Mord with the promise of gold, but Mord doesn’t believe him since it’s not on him. Tyrion has to school the guard in “abstract concepts,” lol. Luckily, he’s able to convince Mord that he’s a Lannister, and everyone knows how filthy, stinking rich the Lannisters are. He gets a message to the Tully sisters that he’s ready to stand trial.

Back in the Vale’s creepy audience chamber, he confesses to all manner of adolescent perversions. :P I laughed aloud when Robin said eagerly, “go on!” (OMG, the way kids are treated on this show! My modern sensibilities. :P) Catelyn, of course, wants to get down to business about Attempt Two on Bran’s life and the murder of Jon Arryn. Tyrion still claims he knows nothing about these things. When Lysa orders him back to the dungeons, he challenges this idea of justice. Given the option of having the sadly demented Robin hear his case (major kudos to the young actor for this excellent portrayal), or having a champion fight it to death, Tyrion makes the right decision, methinks.

I’m starting to get a little confused about the idea of justice in GoT. I know in the books, Cat is upset that Tyrion weaseled his way into a trial by fight, which led to him being freed (though in later books, I think she reminisces about how useful it would be to have a Lannister hostage at this point. :P). I guess the trial option is honorable…if you have a man like Ned Stark sitting judgment. When she made the decision on the road to take Tyrion to Lysa, I imagine she thought her sister was just and honorable as well. We do have problems when it comes to seeing those we love clearly. :P

(Minor issue…after seeing the Moon Door…it is rather impressive, but the wall door to shove people out of still makes more sense. I mean where are they, on the floating islands of Pandora? :P …actually, I’m pretty sure an Avatar visual effects guy was involved in creating the look of the Eyrie, lol. Least I called it!)

Tyrion’s champion, Bronn, is denounced for being “dishonorable,” for deliberately tiring the knight out before he killed him, rather than fighting the entire time. The issue of “doing the right thing” vs “doing the wrong thing” is a complicated one in Westeros. In King’s Landing, Ned tackles his Hand duties with honor. But they, too, don’t always turn out well. :/

(I also kinda love how the Lannister heir is so honestly and searingly happy with this turn of events. He doesn’t shy from the truth—yay, I get to live! :P)

The Imp is freed (leaving by the non death-inducing door), and he wisely pays Mord off as promised. Always good to not burn bridges (or as the Lannisters would say, “pay your debts.”) How great it would be if the bad blood between Houses Stark and Lannister had finally cooled. Unfortunately, this is not the case. :-/

King’s Landing

Ned wakes up to the blurry sight of Cersei and Robert, which must be somewhat akin to finding yourself in front of the Manson Family. :P Cersei is upset by the abduction of her brothers, and dude, I know she’s the evil queen (who only cares about one of them,) but I really felt for her for a second! :P Ned continues to defend Cat’s actions (perhaps how Sansa learned how married people interact with each other.) Robert hits Cersei for insulting him (perhaps how Joffrey learned how married people interact with each other. :-/) I love how they kept the line about “I'll wear it like a badge of honor/wear it quietly or I'll honor you again” from the book.

Robert basically treats this kerfluffle the way he treated the kids and their “argument” in episode two. There’s no drinking or whoring, so he wants it to go away. :P In fact, he wants to go hunting! Meaning he needs to make amends with Ned so he can rule in his stead. (Though I don’t think his speech was entirely un-genuine. He does view Ned like the brother he never had. And a Lannister/Stark war of the roses brings…complications. Then again, so does killing Daenerys and child, but I digress.)

Not only does Cat not want to give up Tyrion…Ned isn’t in the mood to forgive Jaime. Seems like Theon was onto something about Stark honor…the loss of Jory and his men is too much for Ned to take. He wants to track Jaime to Casterly Rock and bring him back to justice, but he can’t, and eesh does that cane look painful. :-/ I had sympathy pains during Sean Bean’s walking scenes, I did. *massages knee cap*

Arya and Syrio continue to train. A short, wonderful scene. We get to see that Arya is improving. :D We’re also let into her distraction and fear for her father (aww.) Syrio is right to lecture her, though—after all, battles usually come when times are “troubling.” A lesson Arya needs to learn, for more reasons than she can be aware of right now. *zips lips* An interesting philosophical lesson from Syrio as well—the only god is death, and the only answer you can give him is “not today.” I actually prefer the line/matra he gives her in the books—“fear cuts deeper than swords,” but all this talk about the god of death kind of reminds me of Arya’s book series story arc thus far. *zips liiiips!* :P

Robert and one of the brothers he doesn’t love are off hunting. This scene makes me laugh so hard…the men traipsing desperately through the woods so the king can get an ego stroke, Robert’s constant goading of Renly, Lancel just around to offer the king wine, lolol. (It’s also the one scene GRRM admits to being disappointed in, because it lacks the pomp and ceremony; horses, retainers, tents and etc. of an actual hunting expedition. But oh well. :P) Robert and Renly remind me of how I treated my own sister in the past… “back when I was your age (last year)…” There’s a bit more of a gap between Robert and Renly, that’s true.

Renly grows annoyed with Robert’s ranting, and has a little whine of his own. :P I think book fans would say this is a bit of a liberty with his character, and nudging his story arc along a bit faster. It seems to me that they’re trying to build on the Renly/Loras scene from before…Renly is trying to talk himself into being king. Surely he can do a better job than his idiot brother who spends the majority of his reign hunting boars and fucking whores, to steal Jaime’s line. :P

(And I love the brotherly scene, I do. No matter what siblings think about each other…I’m always fascinated by the dynamics, yup.)

Lancel rushing forth with the wine to appease Robert made me laugh as well…though that scene will gain more importance in episodes to come, methinks. *zips lips*

While Robert is off hiding from his responsibilities, Ned faces them. As I stated before, his whole idea of sitting in judgment is to act with honor. He hears a case from some men in the Riverlands (Tully territory) who’ve had their village pillaged, wives raped, children murdered, horrible stuff (glad we don't have to see it, OMG.) The perps haven’t stolen anything, but they’ve left mutilated fish (the Tully sidgil) behind. It’s pretty obvious that The Mountain is behind it. The rest, Littlefinger sorta feeds to Ned (and the audience…) The Mountain is a Lannister bannerman. Perhaps what he’s doing has to do with Catelyn taking Tyrion hostage. :-/

Ned calls for Beric Dondarion (an unknown now, but his story will get complicated later) to bring The Mountain to justice. He strips him of all lands and titles and sentences him to death for what wrongs he’s done. Furthermore, he commands that Tywin be summoned to court to answer for The Mountain’s crimes, on pain of being labeled a traitor to the crown. Heavy, heavy stuff. Pycelle (and Littlefinger, though his motives are more murky) call for more tentative behavior, but Ned rules like he does in the north. Justice for misdeeds, no matter how deep the pockets of the people in question. (And the game continues.)

Now to the Sansa scene…I have major beef. Meaning no offense to Sophie Turner, as usual, but this is definitely my least favorite scene in the series thus far.

Sansa (and Septa Mordane) are doing their usual needlework. Sansa is now dressed/made up in southern attire. Okay, I can buy that. Don’t remember it from the book, but. She always wanted to be more of a southern girl, and she’s still betrothed to Joffrey and all. King’s Landing is more her home than Winterfell, or so she thinks. :-/

But Sansa is being needlessly bitchy. At one point she asks the Septa where she comes from, and then she interrupts her to say, “oh wait, I don’t care.” >.<

I don’t contest that Sansa is naïve about Joffrey and bratty with her sister. But one of the things that is inherent about her character is that she has good graces. She’s nice and polite. It plays a huge part in how people compare her to Arya, and how she ultimately survives in upcoming books/seasons.

Granted…I guess the Septa is kind of like family, too. And my theory about tv Sansa is that she reacts to fear with teenage bitchiness. Remember in episode four when the Septa brought up Lady’s death and Sansa said “please, shut up about it.” Now she’s facing all sorts of troubles between her birth family and her soon-to-be married family, plus her father’s wounded and her mother’s treading the line. She’s not able to deal with the emotions, so she lashes out. Definitely more stereotypical, teenage behavior, but oh how I miss her optimism and bubbly nature from the books. :-/

Maybe the writers maybe didn’t mean anything by it (unless, perhaps, they’re hinting at Joffrey’s subconscious influence over her), except to make Sansa more shallow now so that her fall later will be more severe. But I prefer my own theory (especially since she seemed relatively normal these last few episodes.) The girl already has enough faults that fans blow waaay out of proportion. Let’s not add on more.

Joffrey picks a perfect time to come in and fuck things up. >.< Following his mother’s advice from a few episodes back, he does “something nice for the Stark girl” to “avoid further troubles down the road.” He pins a necklace on her and gives her a chaste kiss. Then he goes into a standard speech from any Lifetime spousal abuse movie about how he’s sorry for past behavior and he’ll never hurt her again. ~~desire to strangle~~ He peppers it with niceties about how she’ll be a queen who’s loved and adored by all of Westeros, and she’ll always be his lady ‘til the day he dies. Granted, it’s a horrible Bella Swan moment. But Sansa is naïve. And who doesn’t want to be loved and adored? Actually, that’s an interesting conversation that Sansa and Cersei will have in the next book. :P /spoilers!

Of course, this is the time when Ned has a sitdown with his daughters about sending them back to Winterfell. Both of them are upset about this (and yes, Sansa is less mature, true to the book this time.) She’s gung ho for marrying Joffrey again, but Ned breaks off the engagement. “I’ll make you a match with someone who’s worthy of you, someone brave and gentle and strong,” Ned promises. Aww /feklempt. Sansa claims she doesn’t want any of that ~~sweetheart, be careful what you wish for. :-/~~

But then she helps clear the mystery for Ned! :D My Sansa! (True to the book…and just as naively stated.) She mentions giving Joffrey children with “yellow hair” and how “he’s nothing like that drunken king.” Ned sends his girls away and takes another look into the book of lineages. Going through the list of Baratheons… “brown hair, brown hair, brown hair, brown hair…Joffrey Baratheon…golden.” :-O *click* I think we should all get it now, so I feel no shame in saying with glee--Joffrey Baratheon is a bastard. Literally as well as figuratively. :P

It’s a strange mindset GRRM has, honestly. After hundreds of years, there’s no Baratheon who’s ever had different hair? I mean hell, just look at one generation of (book) Starks, where Jon and Arya are dark like Ned, and all the others have Catelyn’s auburn locks. (The tv show is already completely different.) But oh well. The theory works, I guess. The question now is…what’s Ned gonna do with it? (Dum dum DUUUUUUM.)

Vaes Dothrak

Dany is playing with her dragon eggs, dropping them into a pit of burning coals, then bending to pick them up with bare hands. When Irri sees her do it, she shoves her out of the way. We see that Irri’s hands are burnt but Dany’s are not. :-O An added scene, but brings depth to stuff coming up.

As per the books, Dany has to eat a raw heart as part of Dothraki pregnancy lore (yummy.) Viserys, Jorah, Drogo and everyone else watch her slowly wolf it down. The Dothraki religious woman proclaims that Dany’s boy child will be a khal of khals to rule over all peoples. When it’s done and she hasn’t regurgitated anything, Dany speaks in Dothraki, naming her child Rhaego after her brother, Rhaegar. Drogo and the other Dothraki carry her away, lauding her.

Dany’s other brother, Viserys, is jealous by the attention she is getting. :P “I’ve held the weight of the greatest dynasty on my shoulders since I was five years old, and I’ve never been treated with the love she was,” he tells Jorah. A smart man would find a way to align with Dany’s power, of course, not throw a hissy fit and attempt to steal her dragon eggs to start over. :P

But I feel for Viserys as well. First of all, that line…having the weight on your shoulders since you were five years old. Being the sole survivor of a dynasty, hunted and persecuted across continents, responsible for your baby sister. Viserys has more depth and pain than people give him credit for.

Viserys reminds me of Commodus from Gladiator, really…weak and cowardly, inappropriate hots for sister (though V at least has a cultural excuse :P), all he really wants is the love, respect and fear of his people. But he’s completely inept at getting it.

Jorah stops Viserys from stealing the dragon eggs (and he also tells us of the Dothraki rule that no one can carry swords in Vaes Dothrak.) “Does loyalty mean nothing to you?” Viserys challenges. “It means everything to me,” Jorah hisses.

Does it? Dude, you fled your lands because you broke the law and didn’t want to face the punishment. You’re feeding information about Dany, this woman you might have feelings for, to her enemies. Is Jorah the paragon of good and Viserys the paragon of evil here? I should be happy that answers aren’t that simple.

With no riches to barter off, Viserys stays in Vaes Dothrak. He gets drunk and stumbles into a feast for Dany, eliciting mocking disdain from the Dothraki, and Drogo delegating him to a place in the back. (Jason Mamoa finally gets about six words of English! :P) Nice to see this…in the book, there are many instances of them mocking him. But V’s ego ain’t taking that shit. He draws a blade, once again, forbidden in the city. Dany tries to stop him and he turns it on her.

“Tell him I want what I paid for,” he tells her in front of a controlled Drogo, “or I’m taking you back. I’ll cut the baby out and he can keep it.” You can tell V is jealous of that un-inbred Targaryen baby. :P

Viserys wants a “golden crown.” Drogo answers him, and Dany translates it as “a golden crown men will tremble upon.” By this point, I think, she is resigned to what will happen. Poor V is in the dark until two Dothraki grab him, and I think break his arms. They drag him down beside the fire as Drogo throws a golden belt into a pot. V pleads for mercy from his sister (first time he calls her “Dany,”) and Jorah tells her to turn away. She does neither.

When the gold is melted, Drogo pours the “crown” over Viserys Targaryen’s head. For me, this was one of the most gruesome scenes to watch. Maybe because the gold burnt away V’s hair and disfigured his face (I’m rather curious about that makeup job!) Maybe because Harry Lloyd, who plays Viserys (and did awesome with it), was born in 1983, and I have a thing about looking after my own. :P Maybe because…well, he was a cowardly tyrant who should never be allowed near a place of rulership (then again, the same can be said for most of these chars.) But we got to know him a bit, and his unfortunate history, and I, for one, felt a stirring of sympathy. (I prefer the tv show to the books in this instance, for giving us a little bit of Viserys as seen beyond Daenerys’s POVs. Well done.)

Dany’s final words, to end the episode, were to denounce her brother with “fire cannot kill a dragon.” Carries a lot more weight now that we’ve seen that fire can’t kill her, either. Frankly…I know I’m in the minority here, but again, I prefer the tv series to the books with the Targaryen story thus far. There were times, I think, when Dany (and Cersei) came out as too shallow on the page. Dany “grew up” too fast and Cersei was just…evil. :P Strange, really, cos I like how GRRM handles the Stark women--they come across as realistic in their POV chapters. Maybe he loves them as much as I do, hee.

Anyway, the series to me feels more drawn out and less Mary Sueish. Dany treads dangerously close to being a Mary Sue character, imho. But her portrayal on the screen has renewed my faith in her. Kudos to Emilia Clarke and her awesomeness! Amazing for such a new actress, too.

…RIP Viserys. And thus begins GRRM’s mission to kill off professed kings. *zips lips* :P OK, I’m really bad at that, aren’t I. :”>