Damn you, leaked episodes, for having no leaked previews to go with you after that evil cliffhanger ending. The spoiled among us have had to pay for our sneak peeks with nearly four long weeks before any new episodes. Everything has a price.
Major episode spoilers ahead.
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Barristan Selmy?! Noooooooo! He was one of my favorites and I loved his chapter “The Queensguard” in A Dance with Dragons and he only just got to tell Dany a little bit of sweet Targaeryn history and then you just knew he was doomed, like a damned Joss Whedon cliché.
Do. Not. Approve.
Okay, so we don’t know for sure that Selmy is dead, but I think it’s a safe bet. There was a lot of blood and telegraphing (see above re: telling Dany a nice Rhaeger story.) I can understand why D&D might’ve wanted to deviate from the books here — with no war to deal with in Yunkai, Selmy’s got no official purpose on the show. And his death at the hands of the Sons of the Harpy arguably gives that story more weight and opens up a spot on Dany’s council for a certain little drunken advisor. Whom Selmy probably would warn Dany against if he were alive, being that he’s dealt with Lannisters firsthand his whole life.
But it still sucks to see Selmy go.
Grey Worm, I think, is safe. He still has to have awkward eunuch sex with Missandei. Again: damn you, leaked episodes, for having no leaked previews to go with you! I’ve had 3 weeks to ponder what’s next after that ending.
This will surely speed up Dany’s ultimate decision on re-opening the fighting pits in a bid to calm the tension overrunning Meereen. In a way, I kind of agree that Hizdahr zo Loraq is right about the fighting pits having a purpose. But, then I think about all the Spartacus I watched and, no, gladiators are still slaves and Dany shouldn’t endorse that. I guess if the fighters were really, unequivocally free, it’d be okay. But how many people in this world (or any) are?
The big fight with the Sons of the Harpy wasn’t the only thing that happened tonight, but it was the most exciting.
A lot of stuff happened by cover of night, with little boats and murky blue cinematography. Ser Jorah and Tyrion aren’t the road trip buddies that Jaime and Bronn are, and their scene was, like Jorah himself, treading water. Ho-hum. Trying not to be impatient. But four episodes in and it’s taking too long to get Tyrion to Dany. Still less time than in the books though, so I can’t complain, really.
Bronn talks up how fuck-mad and fight-happy Dornish people are — we have met Prince Pantydropper Oberyn and Ellaria in happier times — but I am sad to report that these aren’t the Dornish people we’re meeting this episode.
Sand Snakes. Big meh.
That intro scene was… just not good. It felt really shoehorned in and the three newcomers seemed really out of sync, which is tremendously bad for a group of women who are famed for fighting as one. They all had totally different accents, for starters. Most egregious was Kiesha Castle-Hughes’ Obara, whom I was most excited for. Maybe it’s because I know she was the star of Whale Rider, but I still hear distinct Kiwi under her “Dornish” accent, mixed with some… Michelle Rodriguez? Hope I warm up to them since they’ll be gunning for Jaime this season and thus they’ll be around a fair bit.
I’m okay with Ellaria not being Book-Ellaria, but she’s so focused on revenge right now, I’m finding her really flat. She should’ve saved some of her chopped hair to glue under her nose and twirl.
The other, more understandably off-putting scene in tonight’s episode was the continued weirdness of Sansa back at Winterfell. I’m okay with Sansa’s marriage to Ramsay, terrible as he is, but it’s so not right that Littlefinger is already leaving his prized possession in a nest of Boltons as Stannis approaches. As Littlefinger says, Stannis needs Sansa, too, so as long as she’s not, I dunno, raped and murdered by some soldiers in the siege (we remember what Cersei said happens to women in a siege in season two’s “Blackwater;” also this is GRRM we’re talking about here) she should be safe.
But what’s to keep Sansa from getting raped and tortured by her new husband? Or harmed by her father-in-law, who’s busy preparing for Stannis’ army and is dangerous in a different way? I am still not buying Sansa as “strong” now. Littlefinger keeps telling us she is, but we’re not seeing it. I’ll believe Sansa is maneuverable when she pushes Ramsay’s nasty girlfriend down a flight of stairs Showgirls-style before What’s-Her-Name can do it to Sansa first. It’d be a start.
Let’s not even get into that kiss or the way Sansa’s kind of looking at Littlefinger as if she’s got a crush.
In other Bad Ideas, we got more time with the High Sparrow and his followers that Cersei has so, so stupidly given free reign to in King’s Landing. That was a great montage of buzzkilling. A slow clap for Cersei, really, who has validated this religious fringe group so much that they won’t even listen to King Tommen. It’s not like he’s Joffrey; he can’t just execute a bunch of priests in the streets. But if his case of royal blue balls continues for much longer, who knows?
Free Loras! Free Loras! Though, really, even in prison he’s still ahead of where he was in the books. For now at least. Maybe Margaery’s regretting some of last week’s hubris?
The only warm n’ fuzzy scene in tonight’s episode was from a very surprising corner: Stannis really does love his daughter Shireen. I think this was the first time I’ve ever liked Stannis. So the doll he gave his daughter in turn gave her grayscale? His guilt must be immense.
However, being Game of Thrones, I wonder if this scene is doing double-duty to point out that 1) Shireen has king’s blood as good as any son and 2) Stannis does value his daughter’s life. Might we get to see Sam, Gilly and the ailing Maester Aemon on a southbound journey with Shireen, to keep her safe from Melisandre’s Red God? Having gotten a taste of this pairing in the second episode of this season, I hope so.
Final Thoughts:
- Line of the night (tie): “What a waste of a good kidnapping.” –Tyrion, or “Not small enough.” –Cersei. Ha! GTFO, Pycelle.
- So long, Mace Tyrell. He looks like a puffed-up walrus. Love his awkward comedic timing.
- Loved Jaime’s face when he looked at Brienne’s home, Tarth. I miss shipping them. (I know, so not canon, but the actors had good chemistry.)
- The scene in front of Lyanna Stark’s statue was interesting, no? It seems Littlefinger might subscribe to the “R+L= J” subreddit, too.
- It’s bizarre seeing Tyrion getting slapped for a change.
- Oof. Jon Snow having to ask Roose Bolton for some men for the Wall was tough. I really do like this new, more dedicated Jon Snow.
- P.S.: Get a new tactic, Melisandre. Taking your tits out and making shadow babies is your answer to everything. God.
- P.P.S.: Your third Gendry’s blood-leech was defective. Stannis shouldn’t trust you.
Next week: No idea. But the episode is called “Kill the Boy.” Which boy?
Game of Thrones airs Sunday nights at 9PM E/PT on HBO.
Theresa DeLucci is a regular contributor to Tor.com covering TV, book reviews and sometimes games. She’s also gotten enthusiastic about television for Boing Boing. Send her a raven through Twitter.
In the opening scene and the Selmy / Dany talk, they got very close to some truths about the Rhaeger/ Lyanna Stark affair.
I hated the Harpy battle scene (not just because they killed off a great character). A squad of unsullied – armed with shield and spear – would have run through a pack of knife-wielding assassins without a casualty. Selmy would have finished off a few running away and they would have all laughed about it later.
Dani really should be disappointed with the Unsullied. I mean, these were supposed to be the ultimate warriors, each one worth a hundred men, and how many of them get slaughtered by a bunch of (presumably) slaveowners in sight-concealing masks?
She should really ask for her money back. If, you know, she had gotten them that way.
“P.S.: Get a new tactic, Melisandre. Taking your tits out and making shadow babies is your answer to everything. God.” – bwahahaha. Seriously, stop with the sexual assault already. Not to mention that…her actions were not exactly a logical follow up to what she was trying to convince him of…that whole scene was kind of weird.
When we watched it last night, there was a preview showing Barristan on what looked to be a funeral pyre/bed so he’s probably dead :(
I liked the scene in the crypts. When Littlefinger led Sansa away from the statue after she mentioned that R had kidnapped and raped Lyanna, I got a distinct impression he knew something he wasn’t telling (I suppose that’s always the case with LF…). Although – given some of the discussions that have been on the spoiler thread lately, the idea that that is specifically what started the war was perhaps an exaggeration (if it is to be believed that there was already some discord going down). But perhaps it was the big flashpoint…
I love show!Stannis, but I think Mel definitely has her eye on Shireen.
I’m really meh on the Sand Snakes stuff so far – in the books they were so much cooler, with distint personalities and looks. I can’t really tell who is who and I don’t really care. And Ellaria’s obsession with revenge is still bothering me in a niggling kind of way.
The Faith Militant…bleh. I can certainly understand wanting to defend their septs or whatever if people are ransacking and attacking them, but…these guys kind of suck. Interesting that Cersei’s aim here seems specifically to arm them so they can take out (I assume) Margaery, where, if I recall in the books, it was more about settling their debt. Maybe the Margaery thing was also something she was thinking about. But it boggles my mind in both cases that she doesn’t think they’re boing to be discriminate in whom they target and that her own sins are going to go unnoticed/unpunished. Or perhaps she just thinks they are like other politicians and willl be loyal to her.
@1 and 2 – I had the same thought actually. The Sons of the Harpy are basically just a bunch of rabble and/or rich slaveowners, not trained in defense. The fact that they could beat the ultimate army (who are supposed to be able to deal with superior numbers) and Barristan effing Selmy is kind of ridiculous.
It also seemed a little strange that there were so many of them out in the open and organized…I get the impression they operate more by stealth.
@3 – I have problems with show Ellaria too. She’s commoner (which is why she was Oberyn’s paramour, not wife) – so mouthing off to Prince Doran would have gotten her tossed in a dungeon. And, she never showed any martial interests in the past, now she’s suddenly a badass who wants to kill a kid. And aren’t there supposed to be more Sand Snakes? Meh.
Yeah, I was watching the episode again last night and Dany should go back to Yunkai and burn it to the ground again when she’s denied a refund for her crappy Unsullied fighters. How can they keep getting cut down like this?
I even wondered if TV-Sons of the Harpy are paid gladiators from the fighting pits doing their masters’ dirty work because no way could all of those pampered slaveowners all be so good at combat.
Gotta disagree with the folks thinking the Unsullied would make quick work of the SotH group. The Unsullied are fighting in extremely close quarters that limits the use of their weapons and formation. They ran into a prepared ambush. People are making a huge assumption about the lack of skill and ability of the SotH. Finally, the Unsullied did manage to exact a heavy toll on the SotH fighters.
I was expecting them to form a shield-wall 3-abreast in that alley and charge. The could have killed them all without getting a scratch.
“Free Loras! Free Loras!”
Getcha free Loras here! Free with the purchase of a squad of defective Unsullied!
I typed “Free Loras t-shirt” into Google to se if anyone Photoshopped one Winona-style and found this instead. Not… what i was looking for, yet I think Loras would still like it.
I totally read that kiss different, with her pointed line that when he returns she’ll be a married woman(indicating he’ll have to keep his hands to himself)
Wow, that episode pretty much just confirmed R+L=J, huh? With LF’s knowing look after she says Rhaegar kidnapped and raped Lyanna, Selmy’s Rhaegar story that paints an entirely different picture of Rhaegar, and Stannis and Mel’s note that Jon has a power of his own, and that bastards weren’t Ned’s style.
I didn’t like the Faith Militant descending into bloodthirsty slaughter like that, and I TOTALLY didn’t buy that a group of untrained noble born Meereenese upstarts could take out a squadron of Unsullied(close quarters or not) in a fight 2-1. BULLSHIT, I say.
WOW SPOILERS Rot13 to read
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Could the SotH be using pit fighters? That would explain their skill and easy in dispatching a small unit of Unsullied. If Barristan Selmy is dead this will be one change fromt he books that will seriously disappoint me. I adore that old knight.
@12 That’s my theory — mercenary pit fighters hired by the real Harpies. Also, I’m so sad about Selmy. I loved his good character and his voice in “The Queensguard” chapter of ADWD. I can objectively see why he could die at this part of the story, but I don’t like it one bit. It felt a bit like a cheap way to make Dany’s story more eventful.
@Lisamarie, it was definitely the flashpoint, Brandon Stark went South to pretty much demand that Lyanna come home and marry who she was told to, called Rhaegar out to a duel, which Aerys interpreted as a threat, and called Rickard down to address the matter, leading to both their deaths and for Aerys to call for Ned and Robert’s heads as well.
Agree about the Faith Militant, in the books Cersei is careful to conceal her hand in the events that lead to Margaery’s prosecution, but here she’s the one blatantly telling the High Sparrow about Loras.
I actually thought that the whole point if the episode was R+L. Practically every character/location was given a piece of the puzzle. It was almost heavy-handed. I think that Dorne the tomatoes notable case of exception.
This whole season feels off. There is at least one beat missed per episode. It just feels weird. And I am not ssure how I feel about the pace; it feels both too slow and too fast. I am hoping for some sort of pay off a few episodes down the road.
They really went out of their way to make Mance Tyrell look like the Munchkin Mayor here. Imagine if this had gone down in the books. The Highgarden army would have the heads of every member of the Faith Militant on spikes.
As it was, they decided real quick to parole Margaery when Tarly showed up with an army.
I will ship Brienne and Jaime forever. Still rooting for it in the books, even though I’m sure one or both of them will probably be dead before all is done. :(
I’m wondering if Jamie is replacing Arys Oakheart in all things – including the recieving end of Areo Hotah’s poleaxe.
Barristan Selmy is the ONE CHARACTER my partner has kept track of through the entire show, pretty much because of how he reacts to getting fired from the Kingsguard. He’s still holding out some hope, the poor lamb.
“Kill the boy” has to refer to Jon. I thought you read the books Theresa?
Isn’t “Kill the boy and let the man be born” something somebody says to Jon in aDwD?
@17 – hah, me too. I forgot to mention that – the fact that they go out of their way to be all THERE’S TARTH!!!! and show Jaime looking longingly at it…yeah.
As for what will happen in the books…I’m still holding out a tiny bit of hope, becuase apparently I haven’t had enough of GRRM masochism yet. (And why am I semi rooting for a former child-defenestrator, anyway…?).
@14 – yup, a lot of that discussion is coming back now, although there was still some debate as to whether or not Rhaegar was already planning something or of Jon Arryn already had some secret plants or what have you. I hope by the end of things we get a clearer picture of what went down – what Rhaegar and Lyanna’s intentions both were, and who actually knew what really happened (assuming that the kidnapping story isn’t actually what really happened).
@20, yeah, it’s Aemon.
Maester Aemon tells Jon to “Kill the Boy…” when he leaves with Sam & Gilly. I believe he also says that that is the advice Aemon gave Egg when he became king…
@20 I read the books (once each), but I didn’t memorize them!
This is a great point, spear and shield units fight as a group and should have no trouble in this “trap”. Little knifes would have never have penetrated a defense built and trained into the Unsullied even greatly outnumbered. They would have been better off doing a montage of killing off the Unsullied in the night by stealth. I could see using this tactic to overwhelm Selmy, since clearly, even as good as he is, there is no way one fighter could take out 30+ armed men coming at him at once. I dont think it really took away from the show any but was a bit unbelievable in my eyes. Maybe that was how they can justify Selmy and Grey Worm living throught this, idk.
Melisandre just wants some of that kings blood, can’t blame her. I think this episode confirms that R+L=J. There is no other reason for Melisandre to want to sleep with John. That with the addition of the little finger, Sansa scene really drives the nail home for me.
Great episode!
“There is only one war: life against death.” – Melisandre
“”…. we have met Prince Pantydropper[/s] Oberyn… ”
Most accurate description yet, lol
I’m SO glad I’m not the only one who was wondering what Michelle Rodriguez was doing in Game of Thrones…
I’m sure show runners Dan Weiss and David Benioff are familiar with the R+L = J fan theory, so maybe they put all of those hints about it into the story as a red herring to throw off those (like me) who have long believed it to be true. They are, after all, looking for ways to surprise the readers of the books.
And Entertainment Weekly has already published an interview with Ian McElhinney that confirms whether or not Ser Barristan Selmy died in the episode (answer whited out): He’s dead.
Puntificator – Your white-out is black, which made me laugh for some reason.
The R+L=J stuff in the episode made me much more suspicious that the ‘big twist’ GRRM mentioned he recently thought of, has to do with that. To be that blatant in the show (or even bring it up again), the show must’ve been pretty sure of it, and I bet it’s going to be different in the books now.
I like the way the pace of the show has picked up. We aren’t getting a quarter of a book with Tyrion traveling to Mereen, instead that one boat scene with Jorah may be it, and that is a big improvement. On the other hand, we went from first mention of the Faith Militant to them running amuck in about 30 seconds, which is way too fast. (Here is your gun, Chekov, now fire it as quick as you can–don’t even wait for the next act!)
I liked Jamie and Bronn, but Jamie is about as dumb as a post when it comes to strategy. No wonder he joined the Kingsguard instead of went into the family scheming business.
Sand Snakes are definitely not as cool as in the book. Hopefully, they will get better as they go along. There was some foreshadowing there, as Jamie almost got bit by a real sand snake.
And good for Jon Targeryn (I mean Snow) for pushing away that creepy Mel–who outcreepied herself when she echoed Ygritte. That was spooky!
I am not feeling very confident about Littlefinger’s ability to put together a good plan at this point, and fear for Sansa. Poor lass has been through enough, without being abandoned to the ‘tender mercies’ of the Bolton family.
But finally, the highest praise for Stannis, and his love of his daughter, which I hope will become pivotal in future episodes (love can be a gun, too, Chekov). It is difficult to fault the man’s intentions or motives, even if you rightfully object to his means.
Oh, and I loved Selmy’s last stand. Charging in against overwhelming odds to save a comrade. As true a knight as ever there was. If he dies, it is with honor.
I don’t fault the Unsullied for not doing better. If you want a worse venue for a unit trained to fight en masse with shield and spear, it is with small numbers, in a small corridor, dotted with doorways. And there were a lot more Harpies dead than Unsullied at the end of it.
Although, it would have been nice to see our heroes go down in a blaze of glory, atop heaps of their enemy’s bodies. But that requires a lot of extras and a lot of costumes. GoT has a big budget for TV, but it still is not a movie budget.
@32, Shield Wall. A common tactic, one the Unsullied were surely trained in, and that corridor was at least two spear lengths wide, more than enough room if they’d just converged into a circle, shield and spears facing out. Anytime an SoH got close, open the wall and stab him. It would have been unpenetrable, and as Vikings has shown, can make for one hell of an exciting fight scene.
And it still allows for the same ending, Barristan rushing into save them, and getting mobbed by the remaining SoH until the Unsullied can arrive.
But no, HBO had to make the Unsullied stupid ignorant fools who have forgotten the most basic of small unit tactics, for the purposes of manufactured drama.
For me, the highlight of this episode is that Sir Meryn Trant is being sent to Bravos. If I’m not mistaken, his is one of the names on a A Girl’s list.
@34 – oh, I hadn’t thought of that. I was just laughing over the fact that Tyrell was going to get the heck out of dodge until he realized he was going to have a KG escort.
@31 – You know nothing AlanBrown!
I loved Tyrion’s drunken trip! Sarcasm, history, and a far deeper understanding of what’s happening.
@35, Interesting to note she gets Mace out of town before pulling her shit on Loras.
Oh yeah, I noticed that too. Sneaky, sneaky.
Have to disagree with all the folks bashing the Unsullied. Here’s why:
1. The SoH were obviously skilled pit fighters, perhaps some of the deadliest opponents one could face in a free for all melee in the dark
2. The Unsullied had foes coming from all sides, in the dark, in terrain they did not know, hand-picked by their enemies. Ambushes are very effective against the best troops
3. Even with those disadvantages they dispatched way more pit fighters than they lost in spearmen
Just my opinion, but I did hate losing Selmy as he is a rich character, especially if you know his whole backstory. Dear GOT he could have used Strong Belwas at his side!
So it seems GOT will make the L+R storyline easier for viewers to understand while at the same time validating the book readers’ theory about Jon Snow. Makes sense to me.
At this point I’m trying to just enjoy the show for what it is, and not obsess over differences between it and the book (but it’s difficult!).
I don’t agree with the general complaints about the Unsullied’s prowess. Being attacked by surprise by forces which outnumber and surround you is generally death. The Unsullied managed to take some folks with them, which is sublimely impressive. Most forces would have still been frozen with surprise while they were killed.
Being skilled at combat doesn’t make you murderproof.
So many things to say with this episode. I agree with the many above that, while I am enjoying the season, I do feel the pacing is off in places. The Sparrows bit is the worst offender–Cersei basically instating him and the faith militant, and them going bonkers, all within what seems like a couple minutes. It’s just… bad.
Re: Selmy: I really hate to see him go, but he was top of my list if I had to guess who was dying this season. I wish they’d kill Greyworm instead–one unsullied is the same as any other unsillied, or so they say. I still feel Selmy could have been important, but I guess if they’re shaving Meereen down so much, meh. But kudos to the actor (not going to Google him) I really loved him as Selmy.
Re: Sansa: I agree with the article completely, I don’t think they have shown her to be strong, even though LF keeps saying it over and over. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves in any form of entertainment. And I would love for Sansa to step up to the plate and put Ramsey in his place, but at this point I think if she did it would feel like it’s coming completely out of left field since her character hasn’t grown at all. It’ll be completely jarring.
I did however LOVE the look LF gave her after she said the bit about Rhaegar kidnapping and raping Lyanna. It was definitely a “aw honey, if you believe everything people tell you…” Perfect.
Re: Cersei and the sparrows: what I did like about this scene though, despite the pacing, was how well it showcased what a godawful terrible job Cersei is doing as “Queen Regent”. By being snarky with Tommen and sending him to face the High Sparrow she completely undermined her own son, the King. I mean, it was good he went there, but she would know that Tommen was too timid and would back down. So she’s basically rotting away her own power by immasculating Tommen. Damn, Cersei so dumb.
I do like the new plotline with the sparrows taking Loras. Since they aged Tommen up and he and Margery have already, um, consumated the marriage, the book plot of Cersei trying to get Margery on infidelity wouldn’t really fit. So making Margery want revenge for Loras fits here nicely. I’m really looking forward to Margery winning this one.
And finally, I too hate the Sand Snakes GoT Edition. I agree their introduction was godawful. None of them even seemed like they knew each other, and I definitely didn’t get a “danger, deadly person” vibe from any of them. And while I also am okay with the show-Ellaria-sortof-Arianne, I do think her insane revenge obsession is getting annoying. Even Arianne in the books didn’t want to risk war over Oberyn, she wanted to risk it over crowning Myrcella, not killing her. I can only hope Doran locks these girls away like he did in the book.
Aw, I heart Grey Worm. I’m a bit worried on his behalf too, although if I had to guess, I’d say he lived.
And I think at least part of the point is that they are not interchangeable, replacable objects.
“Kill the boy” is indeed advice that Maester Aemon gives Jon on how to be a ruler – but this show often likes its episode titles to have double meanings, so I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of another boy’s death being plotted or actually happening. (The Faith talking about a death sentence for Loras? Dany being out for revenge and only having a young boy as a proven SotH? KL smallfolk shouting that abomination Tommen must die? Tyrion and Jorah facing a Stone Boy?)
I’m with those saying the Unsullied were not disappointing at all. This is not a hero’s tale, where one man kills a hundred with only a scratch to show for it. These people don’t have superpowers. They’re good fighters, but they’re trained for battlefields, not for narrow alleyways, and there’s no reason to assume their opponents were untrained rabble. Anyone can be killed, as Arya told us.
So much good silent acting going on yet again. Stannis’s face when he realizes he’s going to have to talk to Shireen about feelings. Jaime’s face when he sees Tarth. Selyse’s face when she and Melisandre stare each other down. Jorah’s face as Tyrion keeps talking, showing off what he knows, unspooling more and more about Jorah’s life. Mace’s face when Cersei says they need someone of importance to go to Braavos and talk to the Iron Bank.Qyburn’s face when Ser Meryn is sent with Mace. This cast, I swear.
I thought it was brilliant for Sansa to respond to LF’s tale about Rhaegar choosing Lyanna with “And then he kidnapped and raped her.” Given Sansa’s history, she would focus on what happened to Lyanna, rather than the grand political scene LF was focused on. She knows what it’s like to be at the mercy of a prince/king’s whim, to have no say in your own fate, so she’d empathize with her aunt. When she was younger she’d have been happy to picture it as a grand romance with a secret elopement, but this older Sansa is more cynical.
@naupathia, Grey Worm has that sweet love story Missandei, HOW DARE YOU!
In re The Unsullied, as I’ve pointed out elsewhere, it doesn’t matter if they were mainly deployed in a phalanx in a large unit formation, anyone who’s ever done time in the military will tell you, first you learn small unit tactics. First, they train in a squad, then they train in a platoon, THEN they train as a division. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS, or your recruits just end up killing each other trying to walk in a straight line. When Grey Worm’s company saw they were surrounded, they would have immediately known to close ranks, shields facing outward 360 degrees, with the outer ring’s spears set into pike position, while the inner ring prepared for the shield wall to open to allow for quick strikes whenever the ambushers came into range.
If the Sons had been able to split the company, you’d have a point. But they didn’t, they boxed them in, which is a situation the Unsullied would have prepared for. Again, this is the show making the characters deliberately stupid to set up a paltry action scene.
@Aeryl, I realize trying to convince you of anything is futile, so we can agree to disagree! But don’t discount being outnumbered 3-1 by professional pit fighters who have immense expertise and experience in taking the lives of other dangerous men.
I still don’t get LF’s plan here. Why sacrifice the last Stark to a conflict between the Bolton’s and Stannis? Why not consolidate power in the Vale and then present Sansa to the victor of that battle? That way you don’t risk losing your alliance to the Crown, nor do you risk Sansa being killed by Roose, Ramsey, or a random soldier in the coming conflict. Am I missing something on screen or off that makes this current plan a good one?
One last thought re Selmy, if he was in full plate I doubt he would have been killed. He is used to fighting as an armored knight, and would likely have survived the dagger strikes that pierced his leather armor. Just a thought for those who were surprised he didn’t take down 10 warriors by himself (likely pit-fighters).
@46, I don’t discount being outnumbered 3-1. If they’d gotten into the proper formation that common sense dictates they must have drilled at, they could have been outnumbered 10-1 and still won that fight with minor losses.
And yes, Selmy absolutely should have been wearing plate, but Dany DID want him to go out amongst the people as he did with Rhaegar, and in full plate he would have intimidated those around him and been unable to truly SEE what the people of Meereen were doing. So that I can let go.
I peronally was disappointed in the Unsullied. They’re supposed to be the best trained fighters in the world yet in that scene a lot of them seemed to just stand there while their throats were cut. They just looked inept. Yeah fine, they could have fallen to the Harpies, but at the least they could have looked like competent fighters being overwhelmed. The scene just didn’t give that impression at all.
I loved Melisandre’s ‘you know nothing, Jon Snow’. It actually made me laugh.
And they better not flip R+L on us. I’ve been swearing it’s true for a long time now.
Stannis and Shireen were lovely. He certainly seems to love his daughter more than her batshit crazy mother does. She gives me the creeps.
I’ll join the ranks of those disappointed in the Sand Snakes. Hope they improve as it goes on.
Re: Unsullied. No matter what, the fight was poorly choreographed. In pretty much any kind of fight, you rely on training and muscle memory. For example, federal agents were trained on the range to shoot twice and then reholster their sidearm. They practiced so much that their muscle memory took over and did it in actual firefights as well.
If the Unsullied’s training were half as good as claimed, they should have immediately closed ranks and formed up upon seeing the enemy, not based on any assessment, but just based on training and muscle memory. Your brain doesn’t actually work that well when you’re under pressure and in danger. You have to train it. The Unsullied’s should have been, which makes the choreography and blocking a failure.
They still could have been defeated, of course. Either by sheer numbers or better tactics. What would have been far more interesting is if the SotH anticipated the turtle formation and based their attacks around it. The pit fighters (if they were) sometimes had those chains to trap feet. Easy to avoid one-on-one, not so much in a group. Or they could have thrown flaming torches or some other kind of explosive into the center of the formation. Had someone up higher in the windows firing arrows down.
The director still could have had the Unsullied slaughtered without causing so many problems with character and continuity.
@50, Exactly.
Yes, which convinced me even more strongly that poor Shireen is doomed.
@sophist Hehe, doomed. Yeah, it’s probable but I have a good feeling about her. I doubt that she’s there just to complete Stannis as a charater. I actually expect some big things from her.
As for the Unsullied – yes, the fight could’ve been choreographed better, but still they would’ve lost – it was too uneven and in close quarters those spears are a baaad weapon. Which brings another question – not only they should’ve formed a shield wall faster, but why the hell do they patrol the streets with spears and not swords?
@50 – Yes!
In the Marines we were trained over and over what to do when ambushed. It became an automatic instant reation. The Unsullied had far more / longer training than the average Marine. Standing around looking surprised wasn’t on the menu.
@BlackDread, as my partner said to me today, “Know what the SEALS call an ambush? A victory they don’t have to walk to, to get.”
@46. Daved Reemar – I completely agree with your comments about LF. He is putting one of his biggest assets (Sansa) at risk with no clear pay off. He said he was doing it to form an alliance with the Boltons but then says he expects Stannis to come through and conquer them. So what’s the point? Your alliance with the Boltons is now worthless, and Stannis isn’t going to thank you for giving Sansa to them. If he really thought Stannis was about to take Winterfell, he should have taken Sansa to Stannis. So confused!
@56, 46
This is such a good point, and does nothing but make me dread where this is going, because it’s looking more and more they showrunners are doing this because they want to have Ramsay, with Theon’s help, sexually torture Sansa.
Don’t the Unsullied also carry swords?
I don’t recall ever seeing an Unsullied on the show with a sword, which makes them somewhat different from any historical warriors. Generally, light infantry always carried some sort of short sword in addition to shield and spear/javelin.
Speaking of weapons, has Bronn always carried a Ghurka Kukri knife, with its distinctive heavy dropped point? I noticed it during the fight on the beach, but can’t remember seeing him use it before.
@59, I first noticed it in Blackwater, when he and Sandor are getting aggro before the battle starts, you see Bronn reach behind his back to pull it as the argument escalates, but then horn sounds for the attack.
@57 – hopefully it’s so Sansa can kick some Bolton ass instead. :-/
Theresa – I agree about Keisha’s accent – it was painful to listen to, and I’m a Kiwi. It slipped around a lot, and the rest of the Sand Snakes were no better. Dorian last week was much better – hopefully it was an early shot film and they worked out the kinks.
Wonder when Mycella will turn up in the show?