I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about the
start of a new series. I think that almost as soon as the second series came to
an end, with the arrival of the White Walkers, I was already feeling the
anticipation for the next series. I kept up to date with any news concerning
casting, and which characters from the books would be debuting in the third
season. My excitement grew when I discovered that Ciaran Hinds had been cast as
Mance Rayder, enhancing the strength of an already outstanding cast. The last
couple of months have yielded up numerous trailers, which kept me in suspense
for the impending premiere date. Recently the titles for most of this season’s
episodes were made public, which clued me in as to which events from the third
book would be occurring this year. Basically, I’ve been excited about the third
series all year, and am even more excited now that it has arrived.
Now that the pre-amble is out of the way, let’s get on with
the episode!
The title ‘Valar Dohaeris’ is a clear connection to the
previous episode ‘Valar Morghulis’ and that connection carries over, as the
season opener begins where the last episode ended: beyond the wall. Fans of the
books may feel somewhat cheated here due to the lack of the Battle at the Fist
of the First Men, between the Night’s Watchmen and the White Walkers, but its
omission is understandable with the budget restraints (I’m aware that the show
had a substantial budget, but it does have to cover the entire season) but
mainly due to the location. I can’t imagine the logistical nightmare of filming
a full-scale battle sequence in Iceland. Anyway, the sound of the battle is
briefly heard before Sam makes his way back to the rest of his brothers – whose
numbers have noticeably diminished – before a bloodied Commander Mormont makes
the ominous declaration that people have to be warned, or they will all die.
All quite literally means ‘all’ in this instance. A great thing about the show
is the way that it is able to get its audience so invested in the war over the
Iron Throne, but throughout there is the underlying threat of the White
Walkers, and that if the Night’s Watch fails then nothing else really matters.
From here on out it is very much in the same vein as the
previous season’s opener, inasmuch as it is required to establish where everyone
is at this stage: Jon Snow is at the Wildling encampment; Tyrion is licking his
wounds from the Battle of the Blackwater; and Dany finally has a ship (which
took her about a season and a half to get!) and is now trying to get herself an
army. With such an expansive cast of characters the show manages to distribute
its running time very well, in order to touch upon as many storylines as it can,
and while there are no appearances from Arya, Bran or Jaime in this episode, it
doesn’t matter too much as they are sure to make appearances soon enough.
The scene with Jon Snow in Mance Rayder’s tent was a
highlight. First of all, the chicken that Tormund Giantsbane was eating looked
(and sounded) so good, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to watch that scene and
not crave chicken afterwards! Also Jon’s allegiance was tested, and the lines
were blurred between whether Jon is trying to infiltrate the Wildlings from
within, or if he actually believes he joined the right side in the Night’s
Watch. Ciaran Hinds was excellent in this scene, managing to use his stature,
and sinister eyes to an imposing effect. I also really like the look of
Kristofer Hivju as Tormund – although he’s yet to make reference to the size of
his ‘member’ which is something he frequently does in the books!
For the first time since season one, there was a scene
between Peter Dinklage and Charles Dance, which was superbly done. Tyrion is
such a popular character, that it was heartbreaking for him at the end of the
second season when he received no recognition for his efforts in the war. Even more
heartbreaking was to see the way his father continues to resent him, in spite
of all that he did for the family. Tywin Lannister has become a very popular
character, due mainly to the masterful performance of Charles Dance, audiences
may not have realised how cruel he can be. Until this scene, that is.
Elsewhere there was a really strong scene between Ser Davos
and Sallador Saan, where they were able to create the sense that these two
characters have been friends for years, even though we’ve hardly ever seen them
together. Davos is looking pretty worse for wear following the Wildfire blast
that destroyed his fleet, but continues to believe in Stannis. It would seem
that he is the only one who does, and his dedication is something I find very
moving, as there are very few honest characters in the series. Stannis shows
Davos about as much gratitude as Tywin showed to Tyrion, but I don’t think we’ve
seen all we’re going to see between these two. As a coda to that statement, I’d
love to see a scene between Tywin and Stannis. It won’t ever happen, but it
would be something special.
Dany’s storyline is moving at a much faster pace this
season: her dragons are growing, she was introduced to the Unsullied warriors
AND she was rescued from a Warlock trap by Ser Barristan Selmy. That could have
been three episodes worth of her story, condensed into one. I was so pleased
that they were able to bring back the same actor to play Barristan – I was
concerned that they’d re-cast following his absence in the second season, and
also because the re-casting of The Mountain last year was a disaster – as he is
such a good character. Again a sizeable change from the books, where Barristan
initially appears in disguise, pretending to be a squire for a fighting eunuch
named Strong Belwas (who appears to have been cut – pun only partially intended!).
The difference between the two mediums would mean that many viewers would
recognise Barristan too easily, so I don’t mind that he revealed his true
identity on arrival. I look forward to seeing more of this story.
There was a fun little scene between Bronn and the
Kingsguard Knights, notably Meryn Trant – who still seems to be the only one with a
name, or ever gets any lines. It’s not hugely important at this stage, but
quite a few members of the Kingsguard will have more to do a bit further down
the line, so maybe seeing their faces could be helpful. I was also surprised
that Loras Tyrell has not joined the Kingsguard yet, as some replacements were
required after Blackwater.
I really enjoyed this episode, and as is usually the case,
once it was over I wanted to see the next one.
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