Knee-jerk reaction to “Blood of my Blood:” five best and worst moments
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN (WORST) MOMENTS
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN FIVE: Dany gets all the ‘Alexander the Great’ scenes. The big tacked-on episode capper with Dany flying in on Drogon and wowing the Dothraki provided a weird mix of exhilaration and emptiness for me. It was a great story moment and there wasn’t anything wrong with it, but it all seemed so big and easy and the ‘queen on the flying dragon’ thing does flirt with the feared el-cheesy fantasy sensibility, but I’m still good with it. You do find this series on the fantasy shelf at the bookstore, after all, don’t you?
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN FOUR: Arya did what? There was a lot of good mixed with some confusion for me in this episode, and Arya’s storyline lands on both lists because of that. Is Jaqen H’ghar, master of everything, really that incapable of seeing through her charade, or is it all a test, and the poison she drank from the well mere water? The Waif was on hand to witness the success or failure of Arya’s assassination attempt, wasn’t she? I guess the Faceless Men should have spent more time on brainwashing Arya than putting her through ninja workouts.
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN THREE: Who let the hen into the fox house again? Speaking of brainwashing, why the heck was Tommen off on his own getting schooled by the High Sparrow AGAIN? I mean, come on. Jaime and Cersei have enough experience and clout to prevent that, don’t they? And I’m also confused by the lengths of time involved in this storyline, because it seems like both Tommen and Magaery got sucked into the Faith Militant’s cult awfully fast. Tommen might be weak-minded, but Margaery sure as hell isn’t. Maybe Margaery is playing the angles in an attempt to save Loras.
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN TWO: Giveth me the necessary exposition, sons of Frey. Walder Frey and his sons did an admirable job describing to us the evolving situation in the Riverlands with the Blackfish and his army and the opposing alliances, but it felt like the thing they do in plays when the battle occurs offstage and the minstrel limps in bloody and battered to tell us what happened. It’s also a lot less expensive to produce. (does anyone still care about Edmure? I guess the Blackfish does, maybe?) This also segues into…
FLEA BOTTOM BROWN ONE: Now Jaime is finally going to chop up the damned Faith Militant! What? Checkmate? (Sound of balloon popping). Look, I think the scene where the High Sparrow brings out Tommen and Margaery and completely screws Jaime and the Tyrells is a great twist. I really do. But you’ve seen my problem with how fast it seemed the royal youngsters were brainwashed, even if it’s only Tommen for certain. And I was jazzed as the Tyrell army brandished their wall of weapons and Jaime rode up the staircase on that white charger, and I’ve been seeing elements of that scene in trailers forever, and what I wanted, what my truly violent Game of Thrones heart wanted, was a knockdown drag-out brawl of epic proportions that left the steps of the Sept flowing with blood. I didn’t get it, and, as much as I appreciated the unexpected (and less expensive to shoot) result, I was emotionally and viscerally disappointed. I know there’s no way we get a Hardhome-scale battle every week, but, well, perhaps it’s just gore-thirsty me.
BONUS MOMENT: I thought the final scene between Cersei and Jaime Lannister was powerful. About to be separated, these two will be scheming to the very end. Yes. they’re mostly villains, but their incestuous love affair is so strong it seems able to outlast anything the dark fortunes throw at it.
WRAP IT UP AND PUT A BLOODY BOW ON IT: I had a lot of fun in the Flea Bottom Brown sewer this week, but I hope my ranting doesn’t obscure my overall highly positive take on the episode. What did you think?