The Kingsroad

Everybody’s on the road! I mean, by the end of the episode a lot of people are on the road, and the episode’s called ‘The Kingsroad’…am I reaching? Maybe. Anyways, let’s dive in.

We start in Essos with Dany and Ser Jorah, and I have to admit, with how lovesick he gets in the latter seasons I kind of forgot some of who Jorah was before that. It’s also nice to get a reminder that he’s a Northerner, he flees Westeros because his liege lord, Ned Stark, had condemned his to death for selling poachers to a slaver (to fund his wife’s lavish lifestyle, but that’s left out of the show) , not only that but he’s the only son of Jeor Mormont, Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. He’s got some seriously strong ties to the North, and I’m curious to see how that will play out in the final season when Dany and Sansa inevitably start butting heads.
As mentioned in my last post, Dany and Drogo were my main focus in the first season, so for her to learn how to be a better lover, and therefore more in control of what happened in the tent made me really happy to see. It also kind of proves to me that even though she spent so long living with Viserys and his instance that he’s a king, etc, she recognizes the true power that Drogo has, and how through him she can gain independence from her brother’s awfulness. That kind of smarts makes it really easy to root for Dany especially in this first season.

In the first season, while I liked the Starks more than any other of the Westerosi houses, I also found them a bit frustrating. Overly noble, too bound to duty, etc. Now, I just want those poor remaining Starks to make it through the winter. Catelyn is the most frustrating for me, I can see that she loves her children, and now she’s been left alone in the North with her sick child, but it literally takes an assassin to remind her that life is happening outside the room where Bran’s recovering. She’s also SO terrible to Jon. Who, while sometimes frustrated with his ‘bastard’ title, is never anything but courteous to his ‘father’s’. wife. Even after she’s so awful to him while Jon’s saying goodbye to the comatose Bran, Robb asks about his mother’s conduct, and Jon lies and says ‘she was very kind’. UM. NO SHE WASN’T. She was outwardly hostile to you.

We also get the promise from Ned to Jon, that Ned will tell Jon about his mother when he sees him next. Poor Jon. I know that L+R=J was one of the biggest theories (now proven correct) in GoT, but I sometimes wonder why it had to be such a huge secret. I mean, I know it’s a lot of what forms Jon’s character, but still. Considering how much Ned trusts and loves his wife, would it have really been so much to tell her that Jon wasn’t the walking embodiment of his shame, but his nephew? I can appreciate that perhaps Cat not being outwardly hostile to Jon might have been a give away for some, but how often does anyone of consequence visit them? Robert’s been on the throne for seven years, and this is the first time. Another thought, all Targaryens are known for how crazy blonde they are, so that Northern blood must be VERY strong for Jon to be so very dark, without a hint of the telltale Targaryen blonde.

A few thoughts about Lannisters. Tyrion disabusing Jon of his belief in what the Night’s Watch is, but also expressing his doubts about all the things that lurk beyond the wall. Thinking about when Jon proves him wrong by bringing a White Walker to King’s Landing is a nice ‘I told you so’.
Cersei can occasionally be genuinely sympathetic. When she tells you about her first son, Robert (and her only child by her husband) and how he died, you feel for her. I think this is due, in great part, to Lena Headey’s great skill as an actor. However, that being said, she is also the worst (like her son), using Sansa to get back at Arya is such a horrible hint at all the things that are to come, both for Sansa and Cersei.
Finally Joffrey. I know I said that Cersei was the worst, but it’s actually Joffrey. From the top of the episode when Tyrion slaps (Slap Counter: 3) him for being petulant about showing deference to the Starks, his hosts, in their time of grief. If you wanted an indication of character...Then when he and Arya get into it, you can see in his crazy eyes that he really and truly wanted to kill the girl, for so little a slight as her defending her friend.

Finally Sansa. Like most, I found her really annoying the first time through, but in this episode my heart breaks for her when her actions condemn Lady. Sadly, it’s the first of many horrible lessons she has to learn before becoming the badass Lady Stark she is today. Speaking of direwolves, I wonder if we’ll ever see Nymeria again? I think other than Ghost, she’s the only Stark direwolf that, as far as we know, is still alive.

Assassin killed by Summer (Bran’s direwolf)
Lady (Sansa’s direwolf), killed by Ned Stark, but only because Cersei’s terrible
Mycah, killed by the Hound (as depicted in this post’s Beautiful Death)

image created by Robert Ball for HBO’s Beautiful Death series