“Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things” is certainly the best episode of Game of Thrones so far and it didn’t take a lot to move this series from very good to great. Upping the humour quotient certainly helped but, more importantly, this episode leveraged much of the painstaking set up we’ve seen thus far. This world’s rich history has certainly been fun to hear about, and it’s clearly relevant to the characters, but this is the first time that it’s really become relevant to the narrative. What’s happening now is really about what’s happened in the past and we’re finally starting to see our understanding of the story shaped by our understanding of the world.
This is the first time we’ve seen Viserys without his sister and his sex-scene with Doreah is a fine contrast between his mythic legacy and his contemptible character. The handmaiden is satisfying both their desires in asking him about his family; he gets to be “The Last Dragon” while she gets to sleep with him. It’s certainly a romantic image of might and magic, with the Targaryen kings riding dragons and forging thrones from the swords of their fallen foes, but it’s also one that Viserys can’t live up to. He becomes defensive and cruel when the story gets to recent history and his family’s ouster. He’s unable to deal with the past like an adult; the dragons and conquest are lots of fun, but the failures that might actually teach him something are best ignored. This disconnect between the past and present is what makes Viserys incapable of ever retaking his throne and it’s nice to see Daenerys realize that at the same time we do.
Ned also seems to be failing a history lesson this week. The investigation of Jon Arryn’s death is, by its nature, a look at the past but it’s become a look much farther back as Ned finds himself pouring over dusty tombs, researching the lineage of the great houses. Retracing his predecessor’s steps is certainly a good way to learn what got him killed, but Lord Stark seems unaware of the fact that following this path may lead to his own murder, blithely declaring that he doesn’t care who sees him visit the smith’s apprentice. It’s a refreshing bit of openness amidst all the intrigue at King’s Landing, but it’s also not the smartest move. An allegedly clandestine conversation with Sir Hugh gets the knight killed and one has to wonder what Ned’s lack of caution will mean for himself and Robert’s bastard.
Catelyn seems to the only one able to leverage the past rather than ignore or be trapped by it. She calls on shared history and past alliances in order to quickly gain allies against Tyrion. This scene is superb in that it not only draws upon the myriad alliances that define this series for its action, but manages to test the audience’s own loyalties. Cat and Ned are clearly the “good guys” in this story, but Tyrion is its most likeable character. Much as we’ve been longing to see the Starks get one up on the Lannisters, this isn’t the turn we wanted. The intrigues of Westeros have crept up on us and we’re now as caught up in this tangled web as any of the characters.
Final Thoughts
As I said, the humour in this episode is kicked up a notch and it’s nice to see the big laughs getting spread beyond Tyrion. Sam is a welcome addition to the Night’s Watch and had me chuckling anytime he was on screen.
Jaime’s hatred of Robert is both understandable and hypocritical as the series follows the books’ path of not letting us completely hate this character.
Aidan Gillen continues to kick ass. The cast on this show really is delightfully deep.
The wolves are much less of a presence on screen than they were on the page, which I suppose is due to the realities of TV budgets. Still, it’s nice to see them being used when they’re needed.
Hodar!
Critical Viewing 