Game of Thrones S02E08 “The Prince of Winterfell”
By Bobot Fett
Warning! Spoilers for S02E08 and Book #2 (Minor ones for A Clash of Kings) included!
Season two hits the home stretch with the Starks divided. With Bran and Rickon dead, what is to become of the house that Ned built?
We begin in Winterfell. Episode seven closed with the harrowing image of Bran and Rickon burned to death after their escape. Now Theon welcomes his sister Yara to Winterfell expecting the respect he so desperately desires. What he receives is more mockery and a little heart. Yara’s lovely bedtime story and earnest plea that Theon not die so far from the sea might have been a bit more touching if she hadn’t let him give her a handy a few episodes ago. Theon’s tragedy continues its downward spiral as he offers gold for lives already lost, ignorant of their true value. With the Bastard of Bolton quickly approaching the gates of Winterfell, we may soon get a ‘peek’ into the true depths of Theon’s complex character.
North of the wall, Ygritte pays her life debt to Jon by saving him from newcomer, The Lord of Bones (played by Edward Dogliani). A cross between Skeletor and Grizzly Adams, the Lord of Bones is a fan favorite and his arrival sets the stage for an exciting season three. The chemistry between Jon and Ygritte continues to be strong, with Jon playing the innocent and honorable son of Stark perfectly. Ranger Halfhand’s suggestion that Jon infiltrate Mance Rayder’s ranks and Samwell’s discovery of a cache of Dragonglass both look to add to the action and intrigue of season three.
Far south on the front lines Robb fights to keep from losing his mind. His castle is captured, his siblings are captive, and now his mother has betrayed him. I enjoy the scene where Catelyn casually and callously dismisses Lord Karstark’s children as having the same value as hers. The Catelyn of the show is an older, darker shewolf than her literary counterpart and at times like these it works. Catelyn has of course given Jamie to Brienne and the repercussions will continue for seasons to come. Robb’s only option is to arrest his mother and bed his nurse. Nothing gets a bloody nurse hotter than a homeless King talking about his mother and his fiancé.
In Kings Landing the Lannister’s infighting continues to work out poorly for Ros. First it was Joffery, now it is Cersei’s turn to mistake Ros for something of value to Tyrion. Tyrion’s heart for whores has cost him before and I fear it will cost him even more. The scenes between Bronn and Tyrion were perhaps the most meaningless and wasted time in the series thus far. With the compact schedule and the continued editing and rewriting of the source material this time could have been better used to advance other stories or put back the green-seers or any number of nuances that the later seasons are going to sorely miss.
At Harrenhall, Tywin decides to ride on Robb Stark. Arya panics to find the Man but is too late to stop Tywin and is left in the care of The Mountain. When Jaqen does return Arya cons him into helping her escape and she and her friends walk out the front gate. This whole episode feels like set up for the season finale and season three but no segment more so than Arya. For such a charismatic character and intense situation, this season has underutilized her plight.
Dany makes a brief but emotional appearance alongside her bear in Qarth. If I were a newcomer to the series I might now be wondering if the Mother of Dragons suffers from the Targeryan’s incest caused madness. For multiple episodes Dany has been very off-putting toward Jorah but now a soft touch and sweet caress. This season has been very light on Dany after a Dany heavy season one, I hope HBO can get the balance right for season three.
The siege of King’s Landing is only days away and Stannis and Davos plan for the future. The siege looks to be the big set piece for the season finale and the ‘pig shit’ grenades will soon fly. It is nice to get Stannis’ and Davos’ backstory, the lack of back stories for other relationships is one of my primary complaints of the series. This episode was almost entirely expositional set up but as long as the conclusion is epic, plodding plot episodes like this are worth it.
…..and in the crypts of Winterfell the three eyed crow lives!