Raw Data: The Climb

Thoughts and observations for Game of Thrones episode 3-06 "The Climb". Written for television by showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and directed by Alik Sakhararov, oft-director of photography for this show and the Sopranos, as well as director of Season Two's "What is Dead May Never Die"

• Title refers both to the obvious climb over The Wall by the Wildlings, and is namechecked in Littlefinger's end-of-episode monologue, perhaps even referencing his own climb from humble beginnings to becoming Lord of Harrenhal, and through his upcoming marriage, gaining control of the Vale.
• "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention."  I thought they only broke the fourth wall on the fake documentary sitcoms an House of Cards... 
• Joffrey has graduated to a whole new level of sadism
• If you thought Jon Snow getting a girlfriend would make him less angsty...sucker!  He manages to make climbing up 700 feet of solid ice into a WB show.  Actually, can we just spin off Jon Snow to a whole separate show on WB, and do crossover episodes as needed?
•  For the amount of time they focus on Jon Snow, it's hard to imagine an end game scenario where he doesn't wind up on the Iron Throne that would justify it all.
• This episode was very much concentrated on the North or activities relating to the North.  Even the King's Landing scenes were entirely focused on procuring the North, specifically Winterfell.  
• Multiple scenes of the Wildings/Snow scaling The Wall
• The Starks and Reeds heading toward The Wall
• Sam and Gilly returning to the Wall
• Robb making his way back north to make peace with Lord Frey
• Roose Bolton is hedging bets.  And speaking of Bolton...
• Is Theon not held prisoner by Bolton's men?  Is it supposed to be ambiguous or we being misled?  They were the ones marching to Winterfell at the end of season two.  Roose specifically talked Robb into it.  And their favored method of torture seem to mirror Bolton's sigil which has been prominently displayed throughout the season.
• The Dowager Countess of Highgarden steals the show again.  Not only does she coin the medieval euphemism for gay person (sword swallower), but says tells Tywin "BFD" and says you shouldn't throw stones if your House is full of incest.  While Tywin won the battle at scene's end, perchance the war between these heavyweights is not done.  And though Tywin won, he was sincerely rattled and may well be living in denial about his children.  Also, "buggery." 
• Meera and Osha debate the finer points of the number of methods to remove skin from small mammals.  How many methods are there?  Bran motions for cloture before debate can escalate too far by telling both girls they are pretty.
• Twice this episode characters chose to forgo wine as it was poured to the table (Bolton, Dowager Countess).  Unsure what this means.
• Robb is obviously not in a good position to order Edmure to marry the Frey daughter so they can make peace with the Freys, without sounding like a hypocrite and Edmure is, incredibly, balking.  Good thing Blackfish is there to tell Edmure "You'll do it, and you'll like it.  In fact, you'll marry all one thousand of the ugly Frey girls if Robb wants you to" in an old man strength sort of way.
• Orell cutting people loose on the Wall, only to have them survive and face him at the top was less awkward than the awkwardness that would follow on Mad Men this evening.
• Someone should tell the red priestess it's rude to have a private conversation in a language no one understands. 

Varys' and Littlefinger's conversation about the tales people tell themselves and each other to comfort or rationalize brought to mind Deadwood for the first of two times for Sunday night shows that evening*.  One, two or perhaps all three seasons of Deadwood focus on the idea of "a lie agreed upon" meaning bits we tell ourselves to be true in order for society to function.  For example, gold is as arbitrary a substance as the next mineral but because we all agree it has value and therefore can be exchanged for goods and services, and is also protected and sought after.  If everyone in the camp of Deadwood simultaneously agreed gold had no value (possible, considering they were outside the United States) the society would collapse. 

Season Three started with two episodes reintroducing all the different threads, followed by three episodes loaded with payoffs.  Episode six, with only four more after this week, is moving pieces into place and getting characters on track for (if previous seasons are any indication) what we would expect is the season's big payoff in episode nine followed by rapidly falling action and some set up for next season in episode ten. 

Hodor!

* The other was in Mad Men

Raw Data: And Now His Watch is Ended

These are the unprocessed thoughts and observations for Game of Thrones episode 3-04 "And Now His Watch is Ended". Written by  Benioff & Weiss (under the interesting credit of "Written for television by"), series creators and executive producers.  Directed by Alex Graves, executive producer and oft-director of The West Wing

• Currently on page 528 of A Storm of Swords
• Episode title refers to the words said at the funeral of a Night's Watch brother.  Effectively his "End of Watch" or EOW
• Nothing new in the credits, but is there another opening credits a viewer watches so diligently?
• Doctors agree, episodes without Jon Snow are 98 percent less angst-y
• A viewer is not surprised a group of murderers and thieves turns to murder and thievery.  Less a mutiny by the Night's Watch and more of a riot.
• Old man strength transcends realms and Mormont has it in spades.  He's like one of those giants on PCP you see on police dash cameras.
• Deadwood often was described as a 'mud and blood' western.  Game of Thrones is a 'mud and blood' medieval epic.
• A viewer is confounded by the Theon storyline.  Tortured without being asked questions, then broken out and returned the same day?
• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime) spoke on Conan recently of all the mud they threw him around in in this episode.  Basically one guy's job was to water the mud, non-stop.
• Nothings puts a smile on Joffrey's face like talking about people's violent deaths.  He and Todd Bowden would get along swimmingly
• The Dowager Countess of Highgarden's contempt for her own family, their words and their sigil continues, this time even coupled with some admiration for the departed King Robert.  Tired of roses, she reminds me of someone who got a gift once and people continued to give her such a gift assuming she found them pleasant, when in reality it's only inertia.  A lady at a place I once worked had several dozen toy cows on her desk due to such inertia
• An old trope present in Game of Thrones is obscuring the faces of bad guys while showing the good ones.  The Lannister guards, Daenerys' army and even the Ironmen all wear helmets that partially or totally keep their faces hidden.  Think Imperial stormtroopers versus rebel soldiers.
• The Night's Watch brother who observed it's mostly about shoveling...hilarious
• Varys' view of Littlefinger in the past has been of a worthy adversary, but presently he seems more alarmed than intrigued by Littlefinger's growing power

Speaking of worthy adversaries, much of the focus this week was on the Tyrells and their (Margaery's) growing influence in King's Landing, providing a foil to Cersei and the Lannisters.  But mainly Cersei.  Her influence has a half life each day between now and the royal wedding, and she needs to make a play.

• Margaery has almost fully asserted control of Joffrey from his mother.  The fickle masses not long ago threw a cow pie at Joffrey and now cheer for him and his wife-to-be on the balcony, albeit mainly for Margaery.  They like Margaery and may grow to tolerate/like Joffrey by association.
• The approach she took last week, when Joff explained the crossbow more closely resembled how a babysitter may ask a child to show his toys than a lady showing interest in her betrothed
• As the Northman pointed out to Jaime, Tywin and his wealth are very much a crutch for his children.  In this episode, Cersei runs to her father with her concerns about Margaery controlling Joffrey, but is only greeted with scorn for her own inability to control her son
• In the same conversation, Tywin pointedly told her she is not as smart as she believes herself to be.  The second time Cersei's been told this in Season Three.
• The more the Tyrells want to be friends and share trust, the less one should befriend and trust them.  Margery knows full well her own brother's, er, preferences, and chose not to share them with Sansa when she proposed their betrothal.  Then again, anything is better than having any association with the psychopath-in-chief.  
• The "porridge plague" seemed like test to gauge Sansa's gullibility.
• Margaery is protected in ways Sansa never was
• The Tyrells are schemers who know how to position themselves.  They are willing and able to play a game the Starks did not like nor understand
• Physically, Loras is there too.  Doubtful Margaery is going to be stripped and have a crossbow pointed at her in the throne room.
• Love of the people.  The Lady Di of Westeros has all the common people behind her and they already would not stand for any shabby treatment directed toward her

Raw Data: Dark Wings, Dark Words

These are the unprocessed thoughts and observations for Game of Thrones episode 3-02 "Dark Wings, Dark Words".

• For reference for you book readers, I'm on page 199 of A Storm of Swords
• A rare seemingly superfluous scene involved Tyrion and Shae, which no doubt means it will come into play in a major way down the line
• Of Robb's lieutenant bannermen, if Umber and Karstark are Pacino, then Bolton is Deniro. 
• It is only Tuesday but congrats to Theon Greyjoy for wining "Schadenfreude of the Week"
• How does one spell 'schadenfreude' correctly, while butchering 'lieutentant'?
• Joffrey had a beat when he was talking about Renley and making his "perversion" punishable by death.  The beat made me think there's a possibility he has a Larry Craig thing going.  I can't imagine the little psychopath is able to feel love or attraction beyond basic mating instinct
• Speaking of psychopathy, I wonder if there is a way to play psychologist and apply the Hare Psychopathy Test, the PCL-R, to Joffrey [notes idea for future post]
• My guess is Cersei would test higher as a psychopath.  Joffrey is "merely" anti-social
• It was so nice to introduce us to the Dowager Countess of the Tyrells
• In the same vein, we met the Katniss Everdeen of the Reeds
• Jamie showed a moment of sincerity when he said "we don't choose who we love"
• No heads chopped off?  Not even a limb?  And complete lack of nudity.  This is, without a doubt and with zero hyperbole, the most shocking thing that has happened in the show's entire run to date.

All in all, everyone raised a lot of money for Relay for Life because they spent the whole episode walking (minus Bran!).  To Riverrun. To the Wall.  To the Fist. To an undoubtedly miserable marriage to the king...