THE FOLLOWING IS A REVIEW FOR SEASON 7, EPISODE 3 FOR GAME OF THRONES. THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.
And so it begins…
There are only ten episodes left in Game of Thrones. Just ten more hours, less hours than half of a day, and the biggest show in television history shall come to an end. And with this destination clear on the horizon, the ticking of the clock grows more and more urgent and the show begins to hold back fewer punches. Some monumental things are happening, lots of them, further muddying the waters as to how much time passes within each episode. ‘The Queen’s Justice’ had to have covered about two months, right?
Regardless of whether months passed or weeks passed, ‘The Queen’s Justice’ certainly flew by – strange, as this was the longest episode of the season to date, clocking in at 63 minutes. Perhaps this can be chalked up to how satisfying, shocking, and just watchable most parts of the episode were. The first 15 minutes of ‘The Queen’s Justice’ alone are enough to make one episode worthwhile, but the plethora of great scenes that followed afterward make this episode just spectacular.
While we’re on the subject, I should probably open this review by addressing those first 15 minutes with one giant ‘WOW’. This show had two decades worth of anticipation leading up to that first meeting between Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, and boy, did it deliver. Davos, Tyrion, Daenerys, Missandei, Jon – everything about how those characters interacted just felt so right, so logical. And not only were we treated with some incredible writing and some fantastic dialogue, but those ten minutes in the throne room painted the perspectives of both leaders very well. These leaders are living, breathing human beings with opinions and points of view that are completely understandable when you consider where they are coming from – and they play off of each other fantastically in what is probably the standout scene of the entire season thus far.
And it is truly a testament to the quality of the show when there are many scenes scattered throughout the hour that easily rival the meeting of Jon and Daenerys. Cersei exacting her revenge on Ellaria and the Sand Snakes is a harrowing bit of television which puts the acting abilities of Lena Headey and Indira Varma on display – especially Varma, who stole the scene with her pained, terrified expressions without a single line of dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, the scene is hard to stomach. Concocting a plan in which a mother is forced to watch her daughter die and decay in helplessness is one of the cruelest plans one could possibly concoct, but it all fits into Cersei’s character and serves as a poetic sort of justice(?) for Myrcella’s death. Dorne was never one of the show’s strengths. Something about that plot just didn’t pan out at all. But this last scene, our final glimpse of House Martell and the Sands, is without a doubt it’s greatest. That shot of Ellaria and Tyene struggling to reach for one another through their manacles will stick with me for a long time.
Alas, the victories of Cersei Lannister do not stop there. With the complete backing of Euron Greyjoy, who continues to light up any scene he is in, the Lannisters have the power to be an actual force to be reckoned with. Though the Targaryens scored a victory in taking Casterly Rock, the Unsullied forces find themselves under siege by Euron while Highgarden and House Tyrell have fallen to the military might of Jaime Lannister and Randyll Tarly. But while Tyrion’s master-plan may have been one-upped, it was still a great plan that was an utter joy to play out. The way in which that whole siege was constructed and executed was another sterling example of how creative and inventive this show really is getting with their editing techniques. It’s a quick ‘wham-bam thank you ma’am’ battle sequence that finally gives the Unsullied a chance to show their true military powers as they sneak through the sewers of Casterly Rock – all while Tyrion gives a stirring, fist-pumpingly awesome narration. He even gives a shoutout to Bronn: “Give me ten good men, and I’ll impregnate the bitch.”
But no amount of fist-pumping speeches can ease the loss we all felt this episode – the loss of Olenna Tyrell. I had fooled myself into somehow thinking that Olenna Tyrell was one of those characters who could and would make it to the end. A character who would outlive any danger thrust upon her, but in retrospect what purpose would she really serve in the War for the Dawn? She certainly can’t talk down the White Walkers the same way she talked down all those Westerosi lords. Still, it was tough to see her go, but it’s comforting that she went out like a true badass. That last scene with Jaime and Olenna was powerful enough, but those last 30 seconds elevated the exchange to something more. The way in which Olenna relishes in revealing her role in Joffrey’s death is magnificent. It’s not a sinister, arrogant sort of relishing. No, it’s the relishing of an old woman who is just satisfied that she managed to have the last word – that she went out on top despite being dealt a crappy hand in her final hours.
Yet Olenna’s last scene isn’t there to strictly serve Olenna herself. I feel like this will be a true turning point for Jaime, causing him to legitimately question why he’s even staying at Cersei’s side. Deep down, he knows Cersei is a monster. He knows she is a vile, vengeful shell of a human being who only exists now to commit vile, vengeful acts. You can see his flickering doubt plain as day when he watches Cersei sleeping – just before she wakes up to open the door for her unsuspecting handmaiden. And you can definitely that doubt resurface when Olenna gives the most accurate approximation of Cersei’s character: “She’s a disease.” And in all honesty, Cersei really is a disease. Whenever Jaime is around his sister, he reverts to that snide, haughty man he was in the first two seasons. And yet whenever he is away from his loving partner, Jaime presents himself as a far more reasonable sort of man – even in this episode’s last scene, where he’s practically euthanizing an elderly woman. Much as he would like to deny it, that description of Cersei resonated with Jaime. So consider this the beginning of the end for her. She might be the one on top now, but what comes up must go down… and there is no way Jaime isn’t going to be the one who brings her down.
I’ve talked at great length about what this episode did right, but now comes the time to focus on what the episode did wrong. Disappointingly, the reunion of Sansa and Bran was fairly underwhelming. Part of this could be attributed to the fact that Bran is the Stark with the least amount of emotional attachment coming from the audience. And that’s a fair, accurate assessment, but I think the root cause of this is just the way that Bran is acting. His cold, calculating, distant personality is really over the top, and this abrupt character transition will probably be an even bigger flaw if someone binge watches the series a decade from now. I don’t know who to place blame in this. It could be the actor himself, it could be the director (who has a history of executing things poorly), or just the showrunners themselves. Whoever is responsible should know that this wasn’t the best decision – it dramatically undercut what should have been an emotional reunion of two siblings who haven’t seen each other in years. And don’t even get me started on how casually Bran mentioned Sansa’s rape. Does he have Aspergers now or something?
But besides creepy Bran and the seeming irrelevance of Jorah’s seasons-long plotline (something better happen with that shit, or that was all for nothing), this was a stellar episode for Game of Thrones – definitely the best of the season so far. The tangled webs are beginning to weave into one another, dangling plotlines are being resolved (welcome back, Iron Bank!), and the setting sun that is Game of Thrones has never shone brighter.
FINAL SCORE: 9.2/10
Other Thoughts
– The cinematography of this show just keeps getting better and better – this is truly one of the most beautifully-shot shows of all time.
– Yara didn’t speak a word this episode… could Euron have removed her tongue? That would be a shocking fucking turn of events.
– I know Littlefinger is going to have to play a big part of these last couple episodes, but he feels really unnecessary right now. Still… he does give some pretty epic speeches.
– Jon: I’m not a Stark. *cue dragon soaring past Jon’s head*
Film Shmilm 