3.5 "Kissed by Fire" - SPOILERS

Summary from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kissed_by_Fire

In King’s Landing
Queen Cersei (Lena Headey) asks Lord Baelish (Aiden Gillen) for assistance in ridding King’s Landing of the Tyrells, who she claims do not hold the Crown’s best interests at heart. Later, Lady Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Lady Margaery (Natalie Dormer) watch Ser Loras (Finn Jones) practicing his swordplay. Loras and his squire, Olyvar, have sex, and unbeknownst to Loras, Olyvar is a spy for Lord Baelish. Baelish then meets with Sansa to discuss their journey to the Vale, but she tells him that she wants to stay in King’s Landing.

Elsewhere, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) has a meeting with Lady Olenna (Diana Rigg) regarding the rising cost of the royal wedding. She agrees to pay for half of the wedding, which Tyrion takes to his father, Lord Tywin (Charles Dance) later. Tywin tells Tyrion that he has learned of the Tyrell plot to marry Sansa to Loras, and that he intends to act first by having Tyrion wed Sansa. Tyrion objects, but to no avail. Cersei is pleased by her brother’s discomfort at the notion of marrying Sansa, until Tywin tells her that she will be wed to Ser Loras.

At Dragonstone
Queen Selyse Baratheon (Tara Fitzgerald) is visited by her husband, King Stannis (Stephen Dillane), who admits his infidelity to her. He is surprised when she tells him that Melisandre has told her everything, and that she not only has no issue with it, but encourages it, as service to the Lord of Light. Stannis then visits with his daughter, Princess Shireen Baratheon (Kerry Ingram). When she asks about the battle and Ser Davos (Liam Cunningham), Stannis tells her that Davos has been imprisoned for treason. Later, Shireen sneaks down to the dungeons to visit Davos and bring him a book, but Davos admits to her that he is illiterate. She begins teaching to read, using a book on Aegon I’s conquest of Westeros.

In the Riverlands
Thoros (Paul Kaye) leads the Brotherhood in prayer before Lord Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) and the Hound Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann) begin their trial by combat. Dondarrion lights his sword on fire, frightening the Hound, due to his pyrophobia. The Hound soon overpowers Dondarrion, forcing him to his knees. Dondrarrion tries to block the Hound’s strike with his sword, but the blade breaks, and the Hound kills him. When Arya (Maisie Williams) moves to kill the Hound, she is stopped by Gendry (Joe Dempsie). The three are then astounded to find that Dondarrion has been resurrected by Thoros, who frees the Hound. Later, Arya finds Gendry repairing Dondarrion’s armor, and he tells her that he intends to stay with the Brotherhood and work for them as a smith. After leaving Gendry, Arya talks with Thoros about taking her to Riverrun, before Dondarrion joins them. Thoros tells Arya that the Lord of Light has resurrected Dondarrion six times.

At Riverrun, the captive Lannister boys are slain by Lord Rickard Karstark (John Stahl) and his men. King Robb (Richard Madden) confronts the now captive Lord Karstark, and then orders he be locked in the dungeon, and his men who assisted him be hanged. When he orders Karstark be killed for his treason, Queen Talisa (Oona Chaplin), Lady Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), and Lord Edmure (Tobias Menzies) beg him to hold Karstark as a prisoner, to keep the Karstark men loyal to their cause. However, Robb denies them, and personally executes Karstark. Later, Robb tries to plan a strategy for continuing the war against the Lannisters, now that the Karstark men have left. He then tells Talisa that his new plan is to attack Casterly Rock, the home of the Lannisters, and to make up for the lost Karstark forces, he intends to forge an alliance with Lord Walder Frey; the man who controls the Twins, and whose daughter he was to marry in exchange for letting his army cross on their way to rescue Robb’s Father, Eddard.

At Harrenhal, Locke (Noah Taylor) delivers his prisoners, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), to Lord Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton). Bolton, furious that his men have maimed a valuable hostage, frees Brienne and orders his men to take Jaime to see Qyburn (Anton Lesser), a maester who was stripped of his chain, who treats what remains of Jaime’s right forearm. Later, Jaime is taken to the baths, where Brienne is already bathing. Jaime then tells her of Robert’s Rebellion, the “Mad King” Aerys Targaryen, the atrocities he committed with wildfire, and how he cannot understand the people’s hatred towards himself for killing Aerys, before losing consciousness.

Beyond the Wall
Orell (Mackenzie Crook) pries information about the Wall patrols from Jon (Kit Harington). Jon says there is a thousand men left guarding the Wall and Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) threatens to kill him if he lies. Shortly afterward, Ygritte (Rose Leslie) steals Jon’s sword and has him chase her into a cave, where she convinces him to break his vows and have sex with her.

Across the Narrow Sea
Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) and Ser Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney) discuss the siege of Pyke during Balon Greyjoy’s rebellion against the throne. Jorah pries into Barristan’s motives for joining Daenerys’s cause, trying to discover if Barristan is aware that when he joined Daenerys he was working for Robert Baratheon and his Small Council.

Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) assembles the officers for her Unsullied army. The officers have selected Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) as their leader. She tells them that they are free to choose their own names, but Grey Worm tells her that he will keep his current name, as it is the one he had when she liberated the Unsullied.

Discuss

This episode is made out of awesome.

Brienne & Jaime, obviously.

But what’s more amazing is how Lena Heady can sit there and be a smug, beaming shit who you hate. And then, suddenly, she’s vulnerable and you empathize with her. Oh, it’s a more than a little funny to see her get some comeuppance. But still…

Can’t Arya just have her own show?

Agreed. I admit to having a crush on Arya. No, don’t be gross, she has such a strong will and spirit, I admire her. Onto business.

Overall
A good ep, but I feel like we are back in building mode which is fine. We advanced the plot, had some fine character moments and put together a fine show which by itself wont be memorable, but they all can’t be, can they?

In King’s Landing
I feel like we could rename this show “Game of Sansa.” It is interesting to watch various parties manuever to obtain larger goals. I’m not sure if it was an intentional joke to have Lady Margaery’s brother having a sword fight and then smash cut to him having sex with Lord Baelish’s spy, but I found it funny. I like how this show treats sexuality. It simply is. Straight or gay, it is all good. With your sister tho is still out of bounds.

I’m not sure how it works to force Tyrion to marry Sansa. How do you force a marriage? Cersei being forced to marry again…oh Cersei. We love you and hate you.

At Dragonstone
ANOTHER CHARACTER? REALLY! Seriously, the little girl was adorable. Her immediate embrace of her Father, her running down to visit her friend the traitor, this is the first pure and good person we have met methinks. I missed why his wife and daughter are locked up, it can’t be because of the daughter’s skin ailment can it? The unborn children in vats? Yeah, that was disturbing.

In the Riverlands
FIRESWORD! RESSURECTIONS! These men have honor, I’ll give them that. The Hound won and they let him go. That ressurection trick? Yeah, that is going to play in a future episode. Old drama rule, if you show the audience a gun in act 1 someone is getting shot in act 3.

The Jamie monologue clearly is the center of this episode. Beautifully delivered. Heartfelt. You get your first glance of the world through his eyes and you actually pity him a little.

Beyond the Wall
So in this sequence the fire motif is the chick? Really? I’m not complaining. Maybe we could rename this episode “Game of Baths”

Across the Narrow Sea
I found the moment where Lady D gives all the men the choice to choose their own names touching, especially when they say no…this is the name I had when I was freed.

I will post more extensively about it later, just some initial thoughts,

Firstly the kissed by fire reference is to her red hair, I was somewhat disappointed that we didn’t get to see if the actress is a natural redhead (or went to extremes with a down under dye job) oh well, a man can dream.

Excellent Arya as always, in fact I’d have to say thus far this episode is the one which stuck closest to the books, some of the scenes I could see were lifted almost word for word, some timelines have, admittedly been acellerated and while Loras’s homosexuality is hinted at, there’s nothing as blatant as him sleeping with another bloke (at least, not that memory can recall).

Enjoyable but not quite as good as the previous weeks ep, which stands out as the best so far, including all of season 1 and 2.

This post may be edited later to include more details… watch this space.
Phaze
on the “I return to work tomorrow, I’ve been out since November 22nd, a tad nervous” ID

I thot the best scene was between Jaime and Brienne. Nikolaj was wonderful and portrayed the full measure of remorse and disdain.

A solid episode, we’re definitely moving into the downhill for the season. Lot’s of set up for episodes 9 & 10.

Arya broke my heart when she was speaking to Dondarrion.

The sword play in this show is amazing! No Three Muskateers swash buckling sword play. This is brutal & it’s for keeps! Dondarrion is both awesome & fucking CREEPY!

Sansa: The maneuvering for her is definitely interesting to watch. I’m liking how they are writing her becoming more politicallys avvy without doing a drastic change. She’s still a small fish swinning with sharks, but she’s no longer a guppy, maybe a small bass now.

Yet another Jon chases Ygritte through the snow scene yawn as for speculating on her pubic regions, not necessary to the story, she’s not there for that & it’s not owed to you. There’s a serious lack of quid pro quo in that department & I’d rather they not widen it.

Robb is becoming the man I wish Ned had been.

FINALLY we get Shireen! I hope they do her justice.

Dany loved it, loved seeing both hers & the unseelie perspectives on their choices.

Jaime & Brienne so much awesome! This is the Jaime I’ve been waiting for. We’re finally getting his perspective. I still find it alarming how much he relies on his father still when his father is the reason he’s the “King Slayer” That last “call me Jaime”? We’re starting to see that personal armor of his drop.

As for Loras, this si definitely new territory, in the books at this point, he’s part of the King’s Guard, he’s also taken a vow of chstity because of Renly’s death.

As for forcing them to marry? It’s very simple. Sansa is currently a ward of the King. Tywin is the King’s hand, it’s very simple for thim to arrange a political wedding. All marriages in this world are politically motivated.

I think the Jon Snow storyline execution is the weakest in the adaptation. There are few if any sparks in it. I don’t blame the actors.

I absolutely agree! One of my favorite storylines in the book and it gets no teeth!

I agree, but then I wasn’t that enamored with that whole thing in the first place. Bran & Jon Snow were the ones I found least interesting.

Funny, I thot the Jon Snow story was pretty compelling. Of course I am not comparing it anything as I haven’t read the book.

gasp

GET THEE TO A LIBRARY!!

I’m curious, as a non book reader, how do you feel about the Jon Snow arc thus far in the show?

I’m curious, as a non book reader, how do you feel about the Jon Snow arc thus far in the show?

I too am a non book reader, and I like it but I am not finding it less emotional then the other parts of the story. Jon may be my favorite character though. I’m mostly curious about what will happen when Jon really has to choose loyalties.

I’m not sure if it’s the writing or the acting, but I found myself being underwhelmed by the Jon scenes (well, save for the lord’s kiss lolololol that was a pretty good scene :D) for now in the season, which is why I’m curious how non book readers are reading his arc in the show thus far. (I also liked his scenes in last night’s episode too, so it seems like they’re doing a better job as the season goes on).