The Pointy End

Well, here we are. Heading into a series of battles. There appear to be few good guys. The queen and her smug son, who has ignored what the king wrote, and made himself the new king, is now feeling his oats. One problem is that he is antagonizing some that would be allies. These people are being laughed at and that may come back to bite him in the butt. Ned Stark rots in the dungeon while his daughter is being used as a pawn. She is naive and inexperienced, but she has the courage to ask the boy king for mercy for her father. Meanwhile, Tyrion is back in the presence of his father. Of course, there is no love for him other than his being a blood relative and demanding respect. He is by far the most intriguing of characters, many dimensional, devious and self centered, and as slippery as one can be. But, the big deal now is that all the forces are in place, and their collision will make up the last two episodes of the first season.

"The Pointy End" is another astonishing episode of Game of Thrones. There are many plot points to digest, but they are important to the final two episodes to close out the season. This episode was penned by no other than the GOT expert himself, George R.R. Martin. This was his first screenplay he wrote in over 15 years, and he certainly did a great job moving pieces around and getting everything in place. Great acting dominates the scene as usual. It's nice to have Peter Dinklage back as he was sorely missed last episode. His interactions with his father and while in danger with some hill tribes are fantastic! At least we learn how he intends to die. At the age of 80, drinking wine and bedding girls. Nice, Tyrion!

This episode has the Lannisters asserting their power over the Starks. Ned Stark is rotting away in the dungeons, with the eunuch Varys as his only visitor. As least Varys keeps Ned in the loop and brings him bread and water in the process. It's not much better for the Stark girls. Arya is practicing with Sylvio when the Red Keep comes for her, but Sylvio forces her to run. Sansa is placed under arrest. Her engagement for Joffrey is still on and she still claims she loves him. However, she pleads for the release of his father. Joffrey promises her that he will not be killed if he admits he is the true king, and Cersei forces her to write a letter to her brother Robb to declare fealty of the new king.

This episode is the first time we really see Robb in action. Robb gathers a huge army and sits at the head with the goal to attack the Lannisters. Robb sets free a Lannister guard and tells him to go to Tywin to say that they are coming. Catelyn reunites with Robb, but she loses Tyrion in the process.

Speaking of which, Tyrion and Bronn escape from her clutches and ends up meeting a hill tribe bent on killing them. Through his sharp words, Tyrion manages to get the hill tribe to fight for the Lannister army. When arriving in Tywin's camp, Tywin looks less than pleased. But he may have a spot for the hill tribe after all.

In order to pay for the war against the Seven Kingdoms, Drogo and the rest of the Dothraki plunders and rapes a village while selling their people into slavery. Daenerys wants them to end their practices, and Drogo agrees. But one Dothraki is not happy and challenges Drogo. Drogo ends up wounded, but can a witch work her wonders on Daenerys's husband?

Finally, let's go to the North. Jon Snow is still not happy about his job assignment. Something has to make him spring into action, right? Maybe that thing could be.....a zombie! Yup, zombies (known as White Walkers) are "alive" and well beyond the wall. In a world without guns, it would be interesting to see how they adapt to killing these zombies. Luckily, Jon was able to save Commander Mormont from a gruesome death.

Overall, this is another amazing episode thanks to the screenplay by Martin and the skillful direction of Daniel Minahan. It is somewhat of a talkative episode, but everything moves at a fast pace. No heavy or long monologues. Most of the dialogue is short and straight to the point. And of course, Tyrion adds the humor that we all so desperately love. Also, props must be given to Jack Gleeson. I absolutely loathe his character and wish all the bad luck in the world on him, but he plays his character with gusto and I applaud him for that!

My Grade: A

This is the eighth episode of the first season of Game of Thrones. If you ask me, this is another excellent episode to put forth in this series. This episode is all about the Lannisters asserting their power over the Starks, and it is very interesting to watch. I particularly liked the addition of Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister. It's clear he hates his youngest son, but their conversations are very clever and engaging. Also, Richard Madden stands out in this episode as Robb Stark. He finally gets to be front and center, and he does it quite well.

In this episode, "The Pointy End," Ned is betrayed by the Lannisters and is set to rot away in a cell. Joffrey who now claims the title of king commands Robb Stark to commit fealty towards him. He agrees to come to Kings Landing, but this time with an army. The Night's Watch realizes that the White Walkers have returned. Finally, a disagreement ensues between Khal Drogo and one of his men over the issue of slavery.

Overall, this is a great episode. It may not be the greatest episode to date, but it sure packs a punch. I thought the Night's Watch scenes could be tidied up a little bit more, but other than that this is a very fine episode.

My Grade: A

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.

'Game of Thrones' first season continues to keep going from strength to strength. There is not a bad episode in the season and to me "The Pointy End" is one of its best. Not sure about it being THE best though, for such a lot going on and being so rich in story and character occasionally it was a little too busy and could have had more time to breathe. A couple of the side characters are given short shrift somewhat too. Otherwise, "The Pointy End" is a wonderful episode.

Already great characters like Tyrion and Arya are given plenty to do and have all of what makes them such good characters in the first place. Seeing Robb get the spotlight and mature was also a great strength, and any episode that makes Sansa interesting and sympathetic is deserving of a medal. The ending is a nail-biter and makes one want to see how the season ends, Syrio Forel's confrontation with the Lannisters is another highlight. Author George R. R. Martin's involvement is a large part to "The Ponty End's" success, before this episode he hadn't written a teleplay in a decade but he writes as if this big gap didn't happen.

Visually, "The Pointy End" looks amazing. 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. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.

One cannot talk about "The Pointy End" 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.

It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions such as suspenseful tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. As well as being one of the most thematically rich ones of Season 1, the story is paced beautifully, structured with such nuance and attention to coherence, a high emotional level and is done with intelligence, passion and sensitivity.

Helped by the superb character and multi-layered writing throughout (some of the richest of Season 1 in fact), the acting is hard to find fault. Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner and Richard Madden are particularly strong, Dinklage has always been a high-point of 'Game of Thrones' while the other two really allow their respective characters to grow.

In short, an on point episode with almost everything executed wonderfully. 9/10 Bethany Cox

In Episode 8 of Game Of Thrones things get very serious indeed for the Starks. Robb learns of his father's arrest and makes a decision from which there will be no turning back.

My favourite scene of the season so far is in this episode, (Tyrions confession previously held it, with Arya's first 'dancing class before it) and it is one of the first, a pivotal moment featuring Arya and Syrio. Sansa's also has a significant role to play in this episode, Sophie Turner really shines in her scenes.

Tyrion is back, and again he gets the best lines (when asked how he wants to die, his reply his hilarious) and he is forming a great double act with Bronn.

We see Jon Snow and Khal Drogo in combat and both impress. Though Daenerys compassion (her "gentle heart" as Ser Jorah calls it) could cause her problems, but with Drogo by her side nobody will dare cross her.

For my money this is the best episode to date.