Firstly, I want to point out that the vast majority of this episode is true to form and expertly crafted. The acting is superb, the scenery is mesmerizing, and the balance of plot advancement and character development is (as usual) spot on. My issue, however, is with the scene that everyone else is talking about.
Don't get me wrong. It's one of the best 1-on-1 fight scenes I've seen in a looooong time, with incredible setting and emotion, and perfect timing and choreography. So what's wrong with it that I would only give the entire episode only 6 stars? Two things:
1. THE MOUNTAIN TAKES A SPEAR THROUGH THE CHEST. Now this may sound a bit like nitpicking, but bear with me. This is a show that, although it has a fantastical setting, is deeply grounded in reality. Particularly in regards to anatomy and biology. Throughout the series, we see with gritty realism just how fragile the human body is. Kahl Drogo was one of the few characters who, in my mind, could conceivably best The Mountain in a straight fight, and he died from an infected "scratch." The inconsistency of watching people die from infection, then watching a man use his bare hands to cave a guy's skull in AFTER he'd been impaled in the sternum does something to the paradigm of the viewer that could potentially ruin the show for them.
Before, people were dying like flies. And that makes sense. Because this world is a cold and brutal world that preys on the week. Nobody is ever safe. However good they might have it, just the smallest slip could lead to a tragic fall. This led to a sustained suspense for the characters that defy the odds and live long enough for us to emotionally attach to them. When Sir Gregor Clegane crumples to the ground after being stabbed in the chest by Oberyn Martell's spear, I was excited for sure (I was rooting for Martell), but not at all surprised by the fall of The Mountain.
I was, however, completely shocked that Clegane not only didn't die in short order, but then mustered the strength to savagely kill the Prince. In that moment, Clegane wasn't defying any odds. He went "Jesus" and resurrected himself from something that could/would/should kill anything that isn't already dead. In that moment, we saw that the circumstances and the odds don't really mean anything with regards to a character's survival. It's the arbitrary will of the writers that decides who lives and who dies. The "4th wall" is broken.
2. THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE OF DORNE. It's not that he dies that bothers me (although I am sad to see the character go). Or even what leads to his death. His own overconfidence and anger were displayed so astoundingly well... It's what we see on screen when he dies. Game of Thrones has never shied away from blood and guts, but those displays of gore rarely - if ever - felt gratuitous. There was always a purpose. Whether to remind us of the brutality of life in Westoros, or to impart an opinion about a character or a culture.
In this scene, it's only there for the shock value. It's a cheap tactic used by low-rent horror movies that can't rely on substance. Game of Thrones, however, can rely on substance. There's a real fear of loss here. The fate of multiple characters that we know and love hangs in the balance. We know the stakes. We know what The Mountain is capable of. Why the writers/director felt the need to put the 3 seconds of Martell's brains spilling out on the screen is beyond me.
Suffice it to say, the emotional impact of the trial could easily have topped that of Ned Stark's execution or the Red Wedding, if it hadn't been so cheapened by having to watch a man's head squish.
So there it is. 6 out of 10. I hope that in future episodes, the writers will stay away from inconsistencies and cheap shock tactics and remind themselves of the quality of show that they're trying to make.
Don't get me wrong. It's one of the best 1-on-1 fight scenes I've seen in a looooong time, with incredible setting and emotion, and perfect timing and choreography. So what's wrong with it that I would only give the entire episode only 6 stars? Two things:
1. THE MOUNTAIN TAKES A SPEAR THROUGH THE CHEST. Now this may sound a bit like nitpicking, but bear with me. This is a show that, although it has a fantastical setting, is deeply grounded in reality. Particularly in regards to anatomy and biology. Throughout the series, we see with gritty realism just how fragile the human body is. Kahl Drogo was one of the few characters who, in my mind, could conceivably best The Mountain in a straight fight, and he died from an infected "scratch." The inconsistency of watching people die from infection, then watching a man use his bare hands to cave a guy's skull in AFTER he'd been impaled in the sternum does something to the paradigm of the viewer that could potentially ruin the show for them.
Before, people were dying like flies. And that makes sense. Because this world is a cold and brutal world that preys on the week. Nobody is ever safe. However good they might have it, just the smallest slip could lead to a tragic fall. This led to a sustained suspense for the characters that defy the odds and live long enough for us to emotionally attach to them. When Sir Gregor Clegane crumples to the ground after being stabbed in the chest by Oberyn Martell's spear, I was excited for sure (I was rooting for Martell), but not at all surprised by the fall of The Mountain.
I was, however, completely shocked that Clegane not only didn't die in short order, but then mustered the strength to savagely kill the Prince. In that moment, Clegane wasn't defying any odds. He went "Jesus" and resurrected himself from something that could/would/should kill anything that isn't already dead. In that moment, we saw that the circumstances and the odds don't really mean anything with regards to a character's survival. It's the arbitrary will of the writers that decides who lives and who dies. The "4th wall" is broken.
2. THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE OF DORNE. It's not that he dies that bothers me (although I am sad to see the character go). Or even what leads to his death. His own overconfidence and anger were displayed so astoundingly well... It's what we see on screen when he dies. Game of Thrones has never shied away from blood and guts, but those displays of gore rarely - if ever - felt gratuitous. There was always a purpose. Whether to remind us of the brutality of life in Westoros, or to impart an opinion about a character or a culture.
In this scene, it's only there for the shock value. It's a cheap tactic used by low-rent horror movies that can't rely on substance. Game of Thrones, however, can rely on substance. There's a real fear of loss here. The fate of multiple characters that we know and love hangs in the balance. We know the stakes. We know what The Mountain is capable of. Why the writers/director felt the need to put the 3 seconds of Martell's brains spilling out on the screen is beyond me.
Suffice it to say, the emotional impact of the trial could easily have topped that of Ned Stark's execution or the Red Wedding, if it hadn't been so cheapened by having to watch a man's head squish.
So there it is. 6 out of 10. I hope that in future episodes, the writers will stay away from inconsistencies and cheap shock tactics and remind themselves of the quality of show that they're trying to make.