[Re-Watch Project 5x06] Unbowed Unbent Unbroken Discussion

This is gonna be hard. It was an uneven episode. The maligned Sansa's wedding scene was beautiful shot and very well acted, so I really don't have any complains there. The problems for this episodes are mostly, as we all know, as south as south gets...

Yea, this is my least favorite of the season, and maybe of the series. I did enjoy Jorah and Tyrion's scenes. Felt bad when Jorah learned of his fathers death. Sansa's wedding was hard as well, but it could have been much worse, as Jaynes real wedding was in the book. Dorne, ugh, don't get me started. Littlefinger's ambition is on full display.

Iain Glen does some of his best work as Jorah yet in this first scene of his here. Firstly he reads the line "Do you ever shut up", a line which could be delivered in any number of obvious ways, interestingly somehow. A good comic beat from him. And then we get his reaction to his dad dying, in which how he died is more important to him than the fact that he did die.

I really like the Tyrion-Jorah dynamic in s5. They're both being self-serving, self-pitying and bitter assholes in their own ways and each wants to betray the other upon meeting Dany..but they still develop a kind of respect for one another despite everything. And when you have actors like Iain and Peter, that instantly makes for good TV. It's that Midnight Run riff that the show used in s3 with Jaime and Brienne and in s4 with Arya and the Hound. That grudging respect between a conflicted captor and their hostage as they spar verbally and then grow to like one another begrudgingly, all the while being put through the ringer and being tempted to betray one another and give one another up again and again. And somehow it worked three seasons in a row. Credit where it's due. 

One of the most intriguing parts of the series for me is the relationship between Arya and the Hound. When Jaqen/Kindly Man came into Arya's room that night, beating her each time she told a lie, he beat her repeatedly, and hard, when she said she hated Sandor (i.e., konradsmith 's comment 2nd post up). I never rewatched S5 or S6 before this, and one of the things I missed before was noticing the tenderness with which Arya washed the dead bodies. There was also the tenderness to the young girl but with a difference - she'd learned to lie, and to lie well in the service of the Multi-faced God, which is when Jaqen saw her and practically nodded his head in approval. It could be read that she had just 'checked out', disassociated, but I think this is a time when Arya was free enough of immediate danger that she could slow down just a bit and process her losses and the turn her life had taken, emphasized in this episode by her reaction when she saw Septa Mordane's face. IIRC this is also the track her thinking was taking at this point in the books. Wish they had been able to work all of the Stark warging into the TV series.

Sad when Jorah found out about his father, "killed by his own men".

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was wonderful as the Slaver. Loved him so much as Mr. Eko in Lost.

Reminded about LF's deal with Cersei - "Name me Warden of the North" - "When you bring me Sansa Stark's head on a spike." Had forgotten the specifics of this exchange, gives me a clearer slant on LF at WF when Jon was declared King in the North.

Always love those "I am the Queen" lines from Margaery.

Cersei and Olenna are always priceless. "The famously tart-tongued Queen of Thrones." "The famous tart, Queen Cersei."

Miranda gets wonderfully creepy, last episode and this, but Sansa's "I am Sansa Stark of Winterfell.  This is my home, and you can't frighten me" is applause worthy. Not Ramsey, though. So awful, the ending. Even when the wedding was taking place, though beautiful in the Godswood, I kept hoping the giant weir wood would somehow intervene. It was just wrong for it to take place there. Naive, I know.

Alfie Allen - so, so good.  

Oh, Dorne.  Wherefore art thou Dorne?

this is an episode of high highs and low lows.

Highs:
KL. Cersei was at her scheming best and that's a great thing. Loras's interrogation was well done. Cersei vs Olenna was magnificent.

Tyrion and Jorah were solid as ever. Glen's acting was awesome when he learned of his father's death.

Sansa's wedding. Yes, I know, I know. Controversial. But that scene was visually stunning, and I am ok with the story of it as well, so I have no complaints. That dress, the snow, the lamps, ugh. So pretty.

Bronn singing.

Lows:
Dorne.

"cock merchant"

I re-watched 5x06 and 5x07 before I went on a trip this past week but didn't have time to comment. Sadly, I won't be doing my gif review for these either. No time, need to catch up on the re-watch!

So anyways, I think this episode gets a little too heavy criticism to be honest. As alcasinoroyale said in the rating thread:



Totally agree. Arya's scenes in this season are top notch. The building adversarial relationship with the waif and the mystery of the house of black and white are very well done, very dark and contrasting to the color and life taking place elsewhere in the story. The music Ramin wrote for the House of Black and White theme is really well done and really makes the viewer feel how ominous and strange this place is that Arya's slowly becoming indoctrinated within. The music and Hall of Faces reveal scene remains one of the most iconic and beautiful moments in the season and I'm glad they chose it as the centerpiece for the posters and Season 5 theme.

It's not until Season 6 and a few of the scenes that pushed believability (and felt rushed) that I felt Arya's arc fell a few notches in quality. Still, overall, she remains my favorite storyline from the books and favorite character from the books even though the show has not done her story the justice it deserves I feel they've done a fairly good job with what time and material they had. Her story is very complicated and strange even in the books so I knew it was going to be a challenge to make it right on the show.

The only scenes that brought this episode down were the Dorne/Sandsnakes scenes and they took up only a brief part of the entire episode. So many amazing scenes that made this episode beautiful it's unfair to use Dorne as the only reason to vote it lower.

• Arya, The Waif, Jaqen, all great scenes (The game of lies, the little girl's death, the hall of faces)
  
• Jorah/Tyrion travelling and captured by slavers (the cock merchant bit was great)
  
• Littlefinger confronted by Lancel and his lackeys: "we both peddle fantasies brother Lancel, mine just happen to be entertaining"
  
• Littlefinger and Cersei "One's choice of companions is a curious thing" and Cersei's hand clenching ever so slightly ...
  

• The testimony from Olyvar against Ser Loras was well done too. 

By the way ... LF tells Cersei Sansa is at Winterfell with the Boltons which pisses Cersei off a lot ... LF advises waiting and letting Stannis and Roose fight each other. LF is very clever to turn this around and play Cersei like a fiddle... saying he'll send the Vale to take back Winterfell and if he succeeds "I'll not rest until the lion sigil flies over Winterfell"

**We should pay attention to that lie Littlefinger told Cersei btw as I think it will come back into play in Season 7. As far as Queen Cersei knows, Littlefinger has done exactly what he said he would do. He took the Vale there and took back Winterfell. Of course, there's that small detail of doing it FOR Sansa (and Jon) and not against them. But I have to wonder if the lie he then told Sansa about how he's declared for Winterfell will not be getting back to Cersei at all and he'll tell her an entirely different story.


Even the Doran, Trystane, Myrcella, Jaime and Bronn scenes were good in Dorne so really the only complaint I feel was warranted was the Sandsnakes and the Water Gardens fight scene to be honest.

Sansa's wedding to Ramsay was amazingly beautiful outdoors in the Godswood at night. Also, the scene with Myranda (washing the dark color out of her hair symbolically returning her to her 'roots' at Winterfell) was one of the best. "I'm Sansa Stark of Winterfell. This is my home, and you can't frighten me."

I do understand why a lot of fans really hated the direction they took Sansa (in place of fArya from the books) but I feel they did it perfectly and the rape scene was handled with as much dignity as possible. Especially how they paired it with Theon for impact without going the really over-the-top way GRRM had it go in the books (which was one area I disliked his writing).

Also, we get that awesome scene between the Queen of Thorns and Queen Cersei... which is pure gold.