Game of Thrones Series Blog 3.5: Kissed By Fire (Contains Spoilers)

Written By: Bryan Cogman

Directed By: Alex Graves

Synopsis: Robb must deal with a traitor within his ranks; The Hound faces the justice of the Brotherhood; Tywin and the Tyrells continue to plot against each other, resulting in a shock for both Tyrion and Cersei.

The Verdict: OK, right, we’re done! That’s it, everyone out!! It’s official! Jaime Lannister is the best character in GAME OF THRONES!! Yes, he’s a arrogant, incestuous, child murdering bastard, but listen to the excellent speech he gives regarding what really happened way back during the original rebellion, on the day he became the King Slayer!! If that doesn’t make you at least respect him as a character, then clearly you weren’t listening. It’s a great revelation that’s just the perfect mix of solid writing, a heartbreaking and intimate performance from Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and some superb music from Ramin Djawadi.

It’s not another top class episode just because of Jaime though. The scenes with Jon Snow breaking his vows are sweet, whilst the reveal of Stannis’ daughter Shireen Baratheon and her friendship with Davos is equally a joy to watch.  And at last, the writers have seen sense and put Tyrion and Olenna Tyrell in a room together! It’s a breath of fresh air to see Tyrion out-bantered by someone, and who better then the Queen of Thorns, eh?!

It’s not all squeaky-clean fun though. Robb’s story grows ever darker, and having him execute one of his own men (in this case, one of his closest allies, Lord Karstark) is extremely dark. Kudos though to Richard Madden, who gets some great moments as Robb this week. And equal kudos to Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey, who really get to shine in this week’s more restrained yet wonderful cliffhanger!

It doesn’t end with dragons and vast armies marching to war like last week, but KISSED BY FIRE is still one of the better GAME OF THRONES episodes we’ve had this series, down to some great character development and more of a heavy focus on the political backstabbing then the actual backstabbing.

Best Bit: The excellent sword fight at the beginning this week between the Hound and Dondarrion was excellent, well choreographed, and complemented by a real shock moment, what with Dondarrion’s death and his resurrection at the hands of Thoros. The real highlight of the scene though is Maisie Williams as Arya, when she attempts to kill the Hound!

Titles: Astapor is gone, replaced by Yunkai (even though Daenerys and co. didn’t quite reach there this week).

Nitpicks: This week’s episode ventured a bit too far into THE WALKING DEAD territory this week, what with the reveal that Stannis and Selyse’s stillborn fetuses all lined up in jars. It was a major step away from the Books and a bit too creepy, even for cold-hearted Stannis! Selyse is meant to be a cold, crazy b***h, but not this crazy!

Best Line(s):

Tyrion: “She’s a lovely girl. Missing some of Sir Loras’ favorite bits, but I’m sure they’ll make do.”

OR

Jaime: “If I faint, pull me out. I don’t intend to be the first Lannister to die in a bathtub.”

Game of Thrones returns next Monday on Sky Atlantic, as does THN’s Game of Thrones Blog!