Surfing Drama: Game of Thrones – “The Kingsroad”
In Winterfell, young Bran Stark lies unconscious and Tyrion orders his nephew Prince Joffrey to offer his condolences and prayers to Lord and Lady Stark. When Joffrey refuses, Tyrion smacks him several times until the prince complies. Joffrey’s body guard warns Tyrion that the prince will remember the insult and Tyrion tells him to be a good dog and remind his master should he ever forget. He then joins his siblings for breakfast and tells them the boy will live and he’s very interested in hearing what he has to say.
Jon Snow prepares to join the Night’s Watch, the men who guard the Wall at the northern edge of the kingdoms. He gives his little sister Arya a long pointy dagger that she names Needle. He then goes to bid his goodbyes to Bran, much to Lady Stark’s displeasure. When he lingers, she orders him to leave. Jon and Ned, along with his two daughters ride off with the king’s company. When Jon and his father part company, Jon asks Ned about his mother and Ned promises the next time they meet they’ll talk about her.
Jon then heads north with Tyrion. Along the way, Tyrion points out to Jon that most of the Night’s Watch consists of rapers and murderers who were given a choice, castration or execution, or duty at the Wall and most choose the blade. The company finally reaches the immense wall and the decrepit Castle Black.
To the south along the Kindsroad, King Robert tells Ned about Daenerys’s marriage to the Dothraki horselord Khal Drogo and tells him that war is coming. Ned dismisses it saying that if the Dothrakis cross the Narrow Sea they will simply send them back the way they came. King Robert tells him he will not rest until every last Targaryen is dead.
Back in Winterfell, an assassin shows up in Bran’s chamber intending to kill the boy, but Lady Stark fights him off, seriously wounding her hands in the process. The assassin is killed by Bran’s direwolf and Lady Stark later investigates the tower where Bran fell, finding a long golden hair. She tells her sons and trusted advisors she believes Bran was pushed from the tower because she saw something he shouldn’t have and that it involves the Lannisters. She departs Winterfell for King’s Landing to warn Ned with Ser Rodrik Cassel, leaving her son Robb in charge.
Across the sea in Essos, Daenerys is having a hard time adjusting to the Dothraki way of life. One of her slave girls advises her on how to make love to a man and Daenerys says she doesn’t think Khal Drogo would want her to be on top. The slave points out that if the Khal wanted the Dothraki way, then why did he marry Daenerys. That night, Daenerys takes charge and finally connects with her husband.
In King’s Port, Prince Joffrey and Ned’s daughter Sansa are out for a walk along the river when they come across Arya and a butcher’s son mock sword fighting with sticks. Joffrey draws his own sword and cuts the boy in the face. Arya then smacks the prince with the stick. When Joffrey savagely attacks Arya, her direwolf leaps in, biting the prince on the forearm. Arya picks up Joffrey’s sword and he begs her not to hurt him. Disgusted, she throws his sword in the river, then flees. Knowing her wolf’s life is in danger, she sends her away and then hides in the forest.
Sean Bean as Eddard "Ned" Stark and Maisie Williams as his youngest daughter Arya Stark.
Later, searching for his daughter, Ned learns she was found by the Lannisters and taken before the king. There, Joffrey claims that Arya and the butcher’s son attacked him without provocation. Arya calls him a liar and a coward. The queen summons Sansa who lies and says she can’t remember what happened. Disgusted that his son allowed a little girl to unarm him, King Robert orders Ned to discipline his daughter and he’ll do the same with his son. Not satisfied, the queen demands the death of Arya’s direwolf, but the guards say she cannot be found. Cersei then demands the death of Sansa’s wolf. Ned is shocked at the injustice and asks Robert if he’ll allow it and Robert just walks away. Ned then tells the queen, he’ll do it since the wolf is of the north and deserves better. On the way to where the wolf is, he encounters Joffrey’s bodyguard returning with the corpse of the butcher’s son.
As Ned slays his daughter’s wolf, Bran awakens.
The Highs:
Once again, character is the key element in this series. Tyrion the dwarf brother of the evil Lannister twins is played to perfection by the very talented Peter Dinklage and Sean Bean excels as Lord Stark, torn between his loyalty to the king and his growing awareness that all is not well with the Iron Throne.
Lady Catelyn Stark also shows complexity. One moment, a caring mother nursing her injured son, the next a jealous wife forced to endure the presence of her husband’s bastard son.
Daenerys Targaryen in the first episode a meek and mild young woman who submits to her brother’s wishes, finally shows a little backbone as she finds a way to connect with her new husband. Something tells me this is just the start of her transformation and nothing excites me more than a character who changes over the course of a story.
Too busy trying to figure out what was going on in the first episode, I finally took note of the opening credits and they are – in a word – awesome. If you haven’t had a chance to see them yet, check it out HERE.
The Lows:
Um, really can’t think of anything. After last week’s introduction I’m much more comfortable with the characters and plots and I’m more convinced than ever that this is one big medieval soap opera. Only thing now is I so want to read the novels, but I don’t think I want to be spoiled.
See you next week!
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Kels
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