Game of Thrones - Season Three: Second Sons

There were no Robb, Bran or Jon Snow scenes this week, which allowed the storylines that were present to get more focus and attention. This made for a very satisfying episode overall.

The episode began with a short scene involving Arya and The Hound, wherein she contemplates killing him – he is after all one of the men whose name she recites every night – but decides against doing so, even though he made no physical attempt to stop her. He then reveals to her that he is no longer working for Joffrey through a short, sharp reminder of his resignation speech last season: “Fuck Joffrey!” before they head towards The Twins for Edmure’s wedding. 

There was a lot more from Daenerys’ storyline this week, as she was introduced to the sellsword (mercenary) army The Second Sons. Their leader Mero: The Titan’s Bastard managed to endear himself to audiences during his first scene, coming across as a vastly complex and likeable figure. Ultimately though he wasn’t really the important new character to be introduced in this episode; that honour went to Daario Naharis, supposedly Mero’s subordinate. There were some nice little moments from all of Dany’s advisers during the negotiation scene, although I do hope at some point we’ll get to see Jorah or Barristan or even the Unsullied army in action. 

Daario then proved his skill by easily sneaking into Daenerys’ tent, where he could have very easily killed her. But that was not his intention. Instead he presented her with the heads of the other captains of the Second Sons. I suppose that the average audience member can only take in so many new characters at such a late stage, killing off two new characters in the same episode in which they were introduced seems as good a method as any I suppose. I appreciated the use of the term “lovely girl” spoken by Daario, as it was somewhat reminiscent of Jaqen H’Ghar from last season. He then pledged his allegiance to Danaerys’ offering her the Second Sons as well. As much as I’ve enjoyed Dany’s storyline this season, she is starting to show such little emotion in her scenes, it may become difficult to invest in her character. Maybe all she needs is a new love interest...  

After what felt like a lengthy absence there was a decent development for Stannis in this episode, and also the return of Davos. I really like the relationship between these two, and have been looking forward to seeing them share more dialogue. I think it has literally been the length of a whole season since they last had a proper exchange, as it was during the eighth episode of season two when Stannis talked with Davos about his involvement in Robert’s Rebellion, and also promised to name him ‘Hand of the King’. This scene proved that there is still a friendship between these two characters, even though Stannis had Davos imprisoned. Stannis also values Davos’ counsel, and visits him to be the voice of reason concerning the issue of sacrificing Gendry to R’Hollor (The Red God) as a part of his cause. Stannis also revealed what he saw in the flames during the finale of the second season: a great battle in the snow. Winter is coming, it would seem.

Also, in case people are curious or perplexed, there is a reason why Davos is learning how to read, it’s not simply a way to make the character more sympathetic.

Gendry shared a scene with Melisandre, during which he was seduced. I’m sure at the start of the season people wouldn’t have predicted this being where his character would end up. Perhaps an awkward romance angle with the much younger Arya would have been a prediction, but not being seduced by an older woman as part of her religious practice. Gendry was not killed – proving that Davos’ influence was put into effect – instead he had some of his royal blood sucked out by three leeches. While gross, this is infinitely preferable to being dead. Stannis then threw the leeches into the flames one by one, naming each ‘false king’ as he did so: Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy (Theon’s father in case anyone has forgotten, as he has not appeared in a long time) and Joffrey Baratheon.

The majority of this week’s episode was placed onto the wedding between Tyrion and Sansa, during which there was a return to form for both Joffrey and Tyrion. Joffrey has always been horrible, but there have been several satisfying moments during this season when he has been put in his place, or shown to be weak. During the wedding though, he was more malicious and reprehensible than ever. Also, I have felt that Tyrion has been somewhat muzzled as a character, having to take on more of a serious role (which Peter Dinklage has done very well) but during the wedding, he was allowed to show off more of the ‘awesomeness’ (for want of a better word) that people love about his character. I really enjoyed his drunkenness during the wedding feast, especially the grin on his face as he filled his cup right up to the brim. Then the power of his threat to Joffrey was delivered with such conviction, I reckon that people watching may have thought for a moment that he would actually follow through on it. 

There was no Jon Snow this week, but there was a highly significant moment for Sam, as he was required to overcome his cowardly nature to rescue Gilly’s baby. While the two of them discussed different names, a glimpse into Sam’s past was offered, as he revealed his fear of his own father Randyll Tarly. There was an eerie tension to this scene, as a large flock of crows (I think the collective term is ‘murder of crows’) gathered and made increasing amounts of noise. Then suddenly the noise stopped, and a White Walker emerged. Sam attempted to do the honourable thing and put himself between the Walker and Gilly, but it was revealed that normal weapons are completely useless against White Walkers, as it shattered Sam’s sword as if it were made of glass. Then the true purpose of the obsidian dagger Sam had found, was revealed, and ‘Sam the coward’ became ‘Sam the Slayer’ being the unlikely first person to kill a White Walker so far this season. Unfortunately he rather stupidly left the invaluable and rare obsidian dagger on the ground as he and Gilly ran off into the credit sequence.

This was a very good episode, delivering the first wedding that has been built up so far. There were a lot of nice little interactions between other characters during the King’s Landing scenes. Cersei decided that she is no longer going to pretend to get on with Margaery and the Tyrells, openly threatening Margaery after telling her the full story behind the “Rains of Castamere” song. Another highlight of the episode was the look on Bronn’s face as he gave Sansa a courteous nod as she made her way up to the altar. I don’t know why, but that moment really made me laugh!

Normally I try to end my entries by briefly summing up, and then looking ahead to the next episode, but I’ll say nothing more for now. The next episode should speak for itself.

Recovery (Single) - Frank Turner

I only recently came to discover Frank Turner, about a year and a half ago. I discovered the song ‘Isabel’ from his third album “Poetry Of The Deed” which was enough to spark my curiosity, and shortly after I bought that selfsame album. There was a lot of good tracks on there, and because of my ‘late arrival’ to the Frank Turner bandwagon, the rest of his albums were inexpensive and easy to get hold of. I have to say that “Love, Ire and Song” is the best of his albums to date, and although he has released consistently solid material since then, he set himself the difficult task of surpassing that one (something I don’t think he’ll be able to do).

I am currently on the fence as to whether to buy his latest album “Tape Deck Heart” or not, because I am currently very short on money and even simple joys such as purchasing an album make me think twice. I’m sure the album is a good one – indeed the response from fans and critics has been almost universally positive – but I think I’ll have to wait until the album goes down in price before I add it to my collection. If someone can convince me that the album is an essential purchase, then by all means do so, and I’ll stop meandering.

In the meantime there is the lead single, ‘Recovery’ which is also the opening track from “Tape Deck Heart” which sets the tone for a ‘break-up’ album. Frank’s lyrical touch is unmistakable right from the start, telling the story from a first person perspective, detailing the depressive states of a break up and the regret-laden memories of simpler times. The backing group – The Sleeping Souls – add plenty of bombast to the track with pounding drums and fast guitars, all conjoining to give this song the lively, sing-a-long tone that is a mainstay of all Frank’s albums. It is a fun and enjoyable track, offsetting the darker lyrical content, one that I’ve listened to a bunch of times.

I'll write a review of the album eventually, if someone can convince me that it is worth the money.

Game of Thrones - Season Three: The Bear and The Maiden Fair

For the most part this episode seemed more like a transitional one, developing storylines and character arcs, as opposed to providing action. However the final scene should certainly allow this episode to remain a memorable one.

It turns out that I was wrong in my review of last week’s episode ‘The Climb’, when I said that all of the expendable wildlings were killed when part of The Wall broke away, as a fairly sizeable group made their way through Westeros amongst less snowy terrain. There were tensions between Jon and Orell concerning the Warg’s attempt to cut him loose during the climb. Orell then had a scene with Ygritte when he revealed that he has feelings for her, and so has even more reason to dislike Jon Snow (in addition to not trusting his allegiance). 

This lead to several scenes between Jon and Ygritte; where the woman who supposedly ‘knows everything’ mistook a windmill for a palace. Unfortunately Jon Snow lacked the sass to pay her back for all the many times she has told him that he ‘knows nothing’, with a catchphrase of his own. Then again, I don’t think that sassiness would suit his character very much. After some playful dialogue between the two, Jon told her that the Wildlings will fail, revealing his concern for her wellbeing. She reminded him that they have to remain loyal to one another no matter what happens, and that if they are both going to die, then they should live first.

Jon Snow’s progress has had a significant effect on Bran’s journey, as he’s no longer heading for Castle Black, instead going beyond The Wall to find the mysterious Three-Eyed-Raven which has been appearing to him ever since his fall. Surely his visions and dreams must mean something, and if he is able to find the Three-Eyed-Raven then perhaps he can find out what it really means. Osha has her misgivings about this plan, however, and reveals that she loved a man once. Unfortunately she had to kill the man she loved when he became a wight. As a result of this she has no desire to journey beyond The Wall, because nothing good can come from travelling to a place where dead men come back to life.

Bran is not the only character to have notions of a higher purpose, as Melissandre revealed to Gendry who his real father was. This is a completely new scenario that doesn’t take place in the books, so I’ll be very interested to see where this is heading. This scene also showed the wreckage of Stannis’ fleet, which was destroyed by the wildfire during the Battle of the Blackwater.

Torrential rain slowed down Robb’s progress en route to The Twins for the wedding between Edmure and Walder Frey’s daughter. Blackfish revealed that he has no love for Lord Frey, eloquently comparing him to “wet shit”. There was then a scene between Robb and Talisa when Robb finally had something go right for him for the first time all season, when Talisa revealed that she was pregnant with his child. Robb has suffered a great deal this season, as his war effort has been slowed down by his grandfather’s funeral, the Karstark betrayal, and the news that Winterfell was burned down, so it’s about time he had something go right for him. He was even allowed to ‘leave the war for one night’ to spend time with his Queen.

In King’s Landing talk revolved around the upcoming marriages. Sansa revealed her displeasure at the idea of being married to Tyrion, although the counter-argument was posed by Margery, pointing out that she has to marry Joffrey, so who’s truly getting the worst deal? Tyrion meanwhile had a discussion with Bronn, who didn’t exactly offer his sympathies. Speaking of Bronn, where the hell has he been these last few weeks? Receiving no helpful advice from the sellsword, Tyrion attempted to make amends with Shae by giving her expensive jewellery (well, why not?) but this doesn’t work out so well either. Tyrion has allowed himself to grow too attached to Shae, but because she is a whore their relationship will always be complicated. 

The best scene in King’s Landing this week though, was between Joffrey and Tywin. I’ve been looking forward to this scene all season, and it did not disappoint. With barely any effort at all Tywin was able to make Joffrey look completely pathetic – which he obviously is! It’s high time someone was able to put Joffrey in his place, and this scene was truly satisfying. Jack Gleeson has done a great job of making Joffrey such a detestable character, but seeing him unable to look Tywin in the eye, and hearing the shakiness in his voice was a thing of wonder. Also, Joffrey has always been surrounded by guards which have given him confidence, but here he looked completely helpless and alone, and when Tywin climbed the steps towards the Throne and stood above him there was no doubt as to who is really ruling the Seven Kingdoms. Tywin’s casual formality at the end of the scene was such a great sign-off, I found it more satisfying than seeing Joffrey getting slapped!

Once again Theon had a scene which had me preparing to look away from the screen, knowing where it was eventually leading. At first it appeared that Theon was being offered some relief, and also HBO must have come to the conclusion that there hasn’t been enough nudity these past couple of weeks! But of course it was all just a trick, and after reminding Theon of how much he loved whores, his assailant – STILL unnamed – pulled out a very ugly looking blade and prepared to remove his ‘most precious body part’. Fortunately this wasn’t shown! 

Then we come to the final scene, where Jaime Lannister had a moment of heroism, revealing than in spite of himself he has grown attached to Brienne. Having been released by Roose Bolton – who is now heading to The Twins for Edmure’s wedding – Jaime left Harrenhal without his female companion. Qyburn revealed to Jaime that Locke had plans for Brienne, which were not going to be anything good, especially since his trick with the sapphires was revealed to be a lie. Jaime then returned to Harrenhal, claiming that he had left something behind, and discovered Brienne still wearing her pink dress and attempting to fend off a bear with a wooden sword. The last time someone was armed with a wooden sword on this show it was Syrio Forel, and he took down a group of Lannister soldiers with it, however a wooden sword is not so effective against a bear, nor is Brienne as fast as Syrio. This prompted Jaime to leap into the pit and make the save. I thought for a moment that Jaime was going to push Locke into the pit, but instead he simply signed off with the line “sorry about the sapphires”.

Syrio’s presence was also felt during a short scene between Arya and Beric, where she revealed that she believes in the God of Death, and not the Lord of Light. Feeling betrayed by the Brotherhood she ran away, only to be caught by The Hound. He may have had a soft spot for Sansa, but he doesn’t have the same affection for the younger Stark daughter.

After being absent from last week’s episode Danaerys revealed her newfound power, and that Jorah’s statement back in season one that “having a few dragons makes things easier” is certainly true!

This may not have been the most exciting episode of the season, but the scene between Joffrey and Tywin is worth the proverbial ‘price of admission’ alone! There was a lot of character development, as things continue to build towards the season finale.

Van Der Graaff (Single) - The Courteeners

The difficult second album wasn’t a difficulty at all for The Courteeners as “Falcon” was released to a positive response from critics and fans alike. Songs about unforgettable nights out, fleeting romances and ‘never forgetting where home is’ reigned supreme, and were showcased through rousing choruses and stadium designed anthems. I’ve come to the realisation that for many bands it is not always the second album that is the problem; instead the third album is usually more of an issue. If the first two albums followed a similar pattern to one another, then the band will find themselves having to decide whether to do more of the same or to try something different.

The Courteeners’ third album: “Anna” was released earlier this year to mixed reviews from critics, and mixed responses from fans. One of the issues with the new album, which seemed to earn the ire of fans, is the ‘new wave’ sound the band employed. However the familiar identity established by the previous albums is still very much a presence in the new material. I bought the album in spite of the lukewarm response, and actually found it to be a solid effort, with some real stand-out tracks. One such track has become the band’s choice for the second single: ‘Van Der Graaff’. 

 ‘Van Der Graaff’ is a track that marries the band’s new sound and Liam Fray’s salty phrases (Solitude is a place on earth/ and I’ve got a season ticket). The song opens on a twinkling synthesiser, emulating the sound of the electrical charge of a Van Der Graaff generator, before the drums and guitars kick in and a soaring ‘woah, woah’ vocal refrain hovers above the instruments. The instantly recognisable introduction to this track should act as a call-to-arms for fans at live gigs to lend their voices to this refrain. References to Van Der Graaff generators and rounder’s bats in the early verses provoke reminiscences to school days, which is surely the song’s intent.

This song is one of the band’s best to date, and the third album is certainly worth another listen for those who dismissed it out of hand. I wouldn’t be surprised if the third single – if there eventually is one – ends up being ‘Are You In Love With A Notion?’, or at least that is my prediction.

I'd Rather Be Dead (Than Be With You) (Single) - Glasvegas

Glasvegas are one of many bands who were heralded as the next big thing by the NME as part of the accompanying hype surrounding their debut album (see also The Fratellis). That album was a huge success, cementing the band’s identity amongst popular culture through hit singles such as ‘Daddy’s Gone’ and ‘Geraldine’, the latter of which was an anthem fit for football terraces and stadiums. The follow-up album: “Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\”, failed to live up to the success of its predecessor, perhaps due to the experimental nature and lack of really big hits. The album was considered a commercial failure, but it still had some solid tracks, including ‘The World Is Yours’ and ‘Euphoria, Take My Hand’.

Since the sophomore album was considered a failure, the upcoming third album – “Later... When The TV Turns To Static” – must surely take on a more commercially appealing sound. 

Surely?

Apparently not.

As the title would suggest ‘I’d Rather Be Dead (Than Be With You)’ is a very dark and brooding track. Musically it is very stripped down, just a piano accompaniment beneath James Allan’s vocals. The piano arrangement is gorgeous in this track, sad and regretful, and James Allan’s voice sounds more anguished and distraught than ever, especially when he screams out the chorus line and stretches his vocal chords to near breaking point. The experimental nature of the second album is still present, as the track transitions into spoken word section halfway through, which references ‘Casablanca’ and also continues the band’s lyrical trend of paraphrasing nursery rhymes (in this case ‘Little Red Riding Hood’). The track concludes with another spoken word piece, except this time there is no musical accompaniment beneath it. This rounds off a solid enough track, but it doesn't scream 'lead single' as loudly as it does it's chorus.

It would seem that the band is pursuing artistic merit as opposed to more commercially appealing third album, or at least that is what this lead single would suggest. I’d be surprised if this album is able to replicate the success of the band’s debut, but then again I might be wrong. After all the first album was also very dark lyrically, and contained the brooding piano-led track ‘Stabbed’ which had a similar feel to it. The album is due out later in the year, so I suppose time will tell whether or not it will be a hit. I’ve enjoyed their first two albums, but I may have to hear a bit more of this one before I decide whether it’s worth buying or not.