[Re-Watch Project 10/12] - Season 3 Episode 5 Discussion

"Is this a rescue?"

Idk why that scene made me laugh. I blame future Tommen's delivery.

I woke up this morning all ready to do my more in-depth recap/review of the best themes and moments of 3x05 and 3x06 only to find my notepad app crashed and I lost them all. Ah well, it's definitely a Monday and I just recovered from a nasty cold so this week's re-watch was a wash. I'm glad I stayed up late last night to watch them though, these middle episodes of Season 3 are actually really well done.

I can't decide if I liked this scene with Tywin better or the one in the next episode with Lady Olenna - they are both so epic. I loved Tywin and his two 'disappointing children' meeting to discuss family matters. What starts out with Cersei being the smug bitch to Tyrion because she knows Tywin is going to force him to marry Sansa quickly gets turned on her when Tywin informs her SHE is going to marry Loras Tyrell too. She rages at him for all the good it would do. Tywin Lannister is a rock... the stone lion of Casterly Rock!

The trial by combat fight between Sandor and Beric was really well done and with that flaming sword reminded me of a good lighstaber duel. Like day dreamer mentioned, the raw emotion in Arya is so great here too, showing what an amazing actor Maisie is with a range of emotions. She can be near tears one moment ("I could be your family") and in a rage the next ("Burn in Hell!") ... love that girl to bits!

But of course the MVP of this episode has to be NCW and his amazing performance as a broken Jaime in the bath scene with Brienne. For probably the first time in 17 years, he lets his arrogant outer armor go and confesses the real truth of what happened and why he killed the mad king. We see the change of attitude in Brienne as she realizes this man, so seemingly un-redeemable actually has morals and cares beyond the labels he's been given. It took both of them getting naked in a bath ... symbolically stripping away their pretenses, to view one another not as adversaries but as human beings they can trust and identify with. Brienne has spent her whole life deflecting insults about herself and so has Jaime. They probably never imagined how much they have in common. It's one of the most beautiful moments in the series and I hope we'll finally get to see Jaime's full redemption in Season 7.

Though cutting to Orell and Jon's Wall trivia isn't exactly the best way to continue that momentum...

And then we get the moment we REALLY meet Roose Bolton. And then Qyburn. We'd seen both before of course, Qyburn only briefly. But not their true, lovely natures.