Oliver Davis reviews the second episode of Game of Thrones Season Two…
I’m unsure what it was about Episode 1, but it left me pretty underwhelmed. Here was I, expecting to be screwed over and played with by the giant, tormenting cat HBO embodies, yet, overall, we were mollycoddled. That first episode opened on Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) celebrating his birthday (in typical petulant fashion), for Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) to waddle in and make everything oh so light-hearted. As season opening’s go, it’s about as safe as cotton wool wrapped in bubble bath. Well, at HBO it is. Anything less than ADORED MAJOR CHARACTER DYING feels rather easy going.
The ‘HBO’ branding has become synonymous with risk. The Wire opened its second season with a completely new host of characters – a feat Game of Thrones could’ve easily mustered on the newly introduced Dragonstone, with King Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) and Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham). But one can’t be too hard on first episodes. They’re usually bogged down with reintroductions and recaps and future story setting. No wonder they played it safe like… wait – did they just murder a baby?
The Night Lands
Directed by Alan Taylor
Written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss
The impact of The North Remembers’ closing massacre is felt throughout Episode Two. Spurred on by Stannis claiming Joffrey is the product of incest, the boy has all of his father’s bastards murdered in King’s Landing. One of these bastards is Gendry (Joe Dempsie), an apprentice smith on his way to the Wall.
Arya
…(Maisie Williams), or ‘Arry’, which she calls herself when under the guise of a boy, travels with Gendry up to the Wall, along with a host of orphan boys, murderers and rapists off to find a home with the Night’s Watch.
For the first time, we are introduced to three characters who will presumably play a large part in Arya’s future – Rorge (Andy Beckwith), Biter (Gerard Jordan) and the heavily accented Jaqen H’ghar (Tom Wlaschiha). The other men trekking north are allowed to walk freely, yet these three remain locked in a cell carried on a cart. Biter and Rorge are rude, the latter threatening ‘Arry’ that he’ll “shove that sword up your bunghole and fuck you bloody”, but Jaqen apologises for their behaviour. Although the other two are far viler, Jaqen’s calm politeness makes him seem the most dangerous. With his non-Westeros accent, and collected manner, he could be Syrio Forel’s (Arya’s ‘dancing master’ from Season One) younger brother.
Arya panics as two of the King’s men approach the Night’s Watch encampment. She thinks they search for her, but they call out Gendry’s name. Despite offering a full pardon for any of the men there to hand him in, none step forward. In a world as sodden with treachery and malice as Westeros, this display of brotherhood is executed with a quiet poignancy. Gendry is a bastard son of Robert Baratheon, and thus hunted by Joffrey’s cull. He’s the one Eddard Stark visited before he met his own demise.
Tyrion
…is understandably furious with Joffrey’s bastard eradication – after all, he harbours an empathy for such men, as he once told Jon Snow. The Lannisters are losing the support of King’s Landing. There’s nothing like slaughtering babies in the streets to rile the peasants.
He says as much to Cersei (Lena Headey), to which she reveals the command came not from her. The television series continues its development of Joffrey as a source of unbridled evil. Whereas the books position Cersei as master puppeteer, with her son the figurehead, Joffrey here is more hands on. It’s a welcome change. The television show captured something truly abhorrent when Joffrey changed his mind last minute about sparing Ned Stark’s head. He’s arguably the most repugnant of the entire cast, and that’s saying something when sharing an episode with Craster (Robert Pugh), the man who greedily marries his own daughters.
Tyrion is finally finding his undersized feet in the world. After being led up, down and around mountains, at best reluctantly, at worst as captive, he can now settle in one place and begin using the most effective weapon at his disposal – his mind.
Ned was never one for the political games of the court, and that’s why he died, but Tyrion is not even closely as wed to his honour. As a dwarf, he is afforded no such luxury. In one scene with Lord Varys (Conleth Hill), the man they call the ‘Spider’ for the webs of information he spins, they manage a wicked skirmish of words between one another. Varys subtly threatens Tyrion over housing Shae (Sibel Kekilli) in King’s Landing against his Lord father’s wishes. Tyrion parries with talk of Shae’s fish pie (a sly reference to her vagina) and how he can make a fisherman of Varys yet (a jab at Varys’ childhood castration).
Despite their threats being veiled, Varys and Tyrion reach a mutual appreciation of one another over the verbal joust. Tyrion will need as many of the Counsel in his pocket if he wants to keep Shae close, and continue exerting influence over the workings of the Court.
In one of the last scenes, he banishes Janos Slynt (Dominic Carter), the baby-murdering commander of the City Watch and beheader of Ned Stark, to the Wall, appointing Bronn (Jerome Flynn) in his place. For a moment, Tyrion seems at ease, safe. But his curiosity gets the better of him. “Would you murder a baby without question?” he asks of Bronn, already knowing the answer – Tyrion is far too clever to not. “Not without question,” replies Bronn. “I’d ask how much.”
Tyrion can surround himself with his own men, make them guard the doors and keep his secrets, but they’ll only ever be men that he has bought. And men who have been bought can be bought again with a higher price. There’s no loyalty in Westeros for an Imp.
Stannis
…continues to be influenced by the Red Lady, Melisandre (Carice van Houten), further isolating his loyal knight, Ser Davos. Here on Dragonstone, religion is being centred as one of the focal motifs of Season Two. Melisandre worships the Lord of the Light; those in the South of Westeros pray to the Seven; and the North retreat to their weirwood’s for solace – three warring faiths, and five claims to the throne.
The characters and events on Dragonstone, much like Theon’s (Alfie Allen) journey to the Iron Islands, are the most engaging parts of Episode 2 on account of their unfamiliarity. This is the first time we’ve seen the Iron Islands, ruled over by Balon Greyjoy (Patrick Malahide), Theon’s father, and Dragonstone was introduced but a week prior.
It’s revealed here that Stannis’ wife is ill, unloved and is unable to bare him a child. Melisandre, slipping naked out of her red gown, promises that she can give him a son. Oh boy, he has no idea…
Jon
…and speaking of sons, what’s happening to all of Craster’s? Nearly the entire Night’s Watch rest at his during their venture north of the Wall, their largest excursion in generations. They march because of the talk of wildings amassing under a Mance Ryder, a wildling who claims himself the King Beyond the Wall (“What does that make it now? I’ve lost count,” jests Cersei when that news reaches King’s Landing).
But Jon (Kit Harington) and Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) can only see Craster’s daughters. Well, Sam does enjoy a good leer – but Jon’s curiosity is more suspicious.
At the episode’s close, he chases someone entering the forest surrounding Craster’s keep late at night. A baby is crying, and he can see something in the woods taking it away. Is it…could it be…an Other..?
Jeez, the babies have been getting a pretty hard time of it as of late…
Oliver Davis
Originally published April 9, 2012. Updated April 10, 2018.
