Arya is put to the test. Tyrion and Jorah are captured by slavers. Loras Tyrell is judged by the Sparrows. Jaime and Bronn face the Sand Snakes. Sansa marries Ramsay Bolton.Arya is put to the test. Tyrion and Jorah are captured by slavers. Loras Tyrell is judged by the Sparrows. Jaime and Bronn face the Sand Snakes. Sansa marries Ramsay Bolton.Arya is put to the test. Tyrion and Jorah are captured by slavers. Loras Tyrell is judged by the Sparrows. Jaime and Bronn face the Sand Snakes. Sansa marries Ramsay Bolton.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMyranda reveals that Violet (Stephanie Blacker), the other girl who seduced Theon in The Bear and the Maiden Fair (2013) just before he was castrated, has been killed by Ramsey because she got pregnant. This may be an in-joke, referring to the fact that Violet was supposed to be the girl hunted and killed by Ramsey's dogs in The Lion and the Rose (2014), but Blacker could not reprise her role due to her real-life pregnancy. A new character called Tansy was written, played by Jazzy De Lisser; even though Myranda claims that Ramsay got bored with her, it was implied that Myranda herself requested Tansy's death because she got jealous of her presence. The third girl mentioned, Kyra the blacksmith's daughter, is mentioned in the book, but was killed just for sports, not because she talked too much. She never made an on-screen appearance.
- GoofsLoras is charged with sodomy on the strength of the testimony of Olyvar, his supposed squire, who bolsters his testimony by mentioning a birthmark on an intimate part of Loras' body. However, a squire's duties would include dressing and undressing his master, providing plenty of opportunities for him to see Loras naked in a non-sexual context.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Thronecast: Kill the Boy (2015)
Featured review
Strength amidst worsening fates
Came to 'Game of Thrones' fairly late in the game and due to being so busy the binge-watching was gradual. Have found myself truly loving the show, very quickly becoming one of my favourites. It totally lives up to the hype and not only does it do the brilliant source material justice (a rarity in television) it is on its own merits one of the finest, most addictive and consistently compelling shows in recent years and quality-wise it puts a lot of films in recent years to shame.
"Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is one of the most polarising 'Game of Thrones' episodes and is considered by some fans a lesser episode, also the one with the lowest Rotten Tomatoes rating. Can definitely see why "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is not liked by fans and understand the criticisms, but count me in as someone leaning towards the "liked it" camp. Won't passionately defend it, because it is not a perfect episode and one of the weaker ones of Season 5 and of the show up to this point for me, but it's better than given credit for and has a lot to like.
The very controversial final scene, in the top five perhaps of the most controversial scenes in 'Game of Thrones' history, has been much talked about, with some defending it and giving very passionate interpretations (feasible too) as to why it works and others finding it distasteful. Personally was not offended by it and that, while hard to watch and the shock value did veer towards being taken too far (even for 'Game of Thrones', no stranger to shocking violent scenes), the controversy to me has been blown out of proportion somewhat and it doesn't undermine the characters that much. Did feel though that it did feel out of place in the episode dramatically and tonally and didn't add very much other than to make Ramsay more despicable.
Actually though, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" was at its weakest in the stuff with the Sand Snakes, where some unusually sloppy writing can be found and the action is also uncharacteristically clumsy and lacking in tension and thrills.
It is a shame that that is the case, because everything else in "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is done really well. Some may find that nothing new is done with the characters and that things aren't moved forward. Personally while other episodes do these aspects better, Littlefinger (especially awesome here) and Arya's developments add a good deal. Furthermore, Sansa is the most interesting she's been all season up to this point and the episode actually did the impossible and made me see Theon in a different light at the end. The King's Landing scenes are intriguing and suspenseful, everything with Tyrion is very entertaining and it is hard not to relate to Arya. A lot happens in the episode and most of it has tension, fun and insight.
'Game of Thrones' always delivers on the acting, and Peter Dinklage and Aiden Gillen are especially good here, Dinklage has great timing and so much fun to watch while having a few moments of drama and Gillen embodies slimy creepiness.
Visually, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" looks amazing, as one would expect for 'Game of Thrones'. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.
One cannot talk about "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
Script-wise, the episode is inconsistent with the Sand Snakes writing badly messed up but the humour, mystery, wide emotional ranges and thought-provoking layers are present pretty much everywhere else. There is a lot of passion and sensitivity in most of the storytelling, and it's nicely paced.
Overall, a little disappointing but a polarising episode that mostly impressed me. 8/10 Bethany Cox
"Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is one of the most polarising 'Game of Thrones' episodes and is considered by some fans a lesser episode, also the one with the lowest Rotten Tomatoes rating. Can definitely see why "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is not liked by fans and understand the criticisms, but count me in as someone leaning towards the "liked it" camp. Won't passionately defend it, because it is not a perfect episode and one of the weaker ones of Season 5 and of the show up to this point for me, but it's better than given credit for and has a lot to like.
The very controversial final scene, in the top five perhaps of the most controversial scenes in 'Game of Thrones' history, has been much talked about, with some defending it and giving very passionate interpretations (feasible too) as to why it works and others finding it distasteful. Personally was not offended by it and that, while hard to watch and the shock value did veer towards being taken too far (even for 'Game of Thrones', no stranger to shocking violent scenes), the controversy to me has been blown out of proportion somewhat and it doesn't undermine the characters that much. Did feel though that it did feel out of place in the episode dramatically and tonally and didn't add very much other than to make Ramsay more despicable.
Actually though, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" was at its weakest in the stuff with the Sand Snakes, where some unusually sloppy writing can be found and the action is also uncharacteristically clumsy and lacking in tension and thrills.
It is a shame that that is the case, because everything else in "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" is done really well. Some may find that nothing new is done with the characters and that things aren't moved forward. Personally while other episodes do these aspects better, Littlefinger (especially awesome here) and Arya's developments add a good deal. Furthermore, Sansa is the most interesting she's been all season up to this point and the episode actually did the impossible and made me see Theon in a different light at the end. The King's Landing scenes are intriguing and suspenseful, everything with Tyrion is very entertaining and it is hard not to relate to Arya. A lot happens in the episode and most of it has tension, fun and insight.
'Game of Thrones' always delivers on the acting, and Peter Dinklage and Aiden Gillen are especially good here, Dinklage has great timing and so much fun to watch while having a few moments of drama and Gillen embodies slimy creepiness.
Visually, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" looks amazing, as one would expect for 'Game of Thrones'. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.
One cannot talk about "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
Script-wise, the episode is inconsistent with the Sand Snakes writing badly messed up but the humour, mystery, wide emotional ranges and thought-provoking layers are present pretty much everywhere else. There is a lot of passion and sensitivity in most of the storytelling, and it's nicely paced.
Overall, a little disappointing but a polarising episode that mostly impressed me. 8/10 Bethany Cox
helpful•46
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 27, 2018
Details
- Runtime54 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
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