Game of Thrones continues its valiant march, but its diversion from the books continues to frustrate...

[Spoilers]

After last week’s debut, Game of Thrones continues to be a paradoxical show; half the slow burn, half a hurried race rushing from one narrative point to another. There is a continued sense of merely passing through rather than being immersed in the Seven Kingdoms or across the Narrow Sea. The second episode in this ten-part season feels very much like a middling episode, one in which events are set up for the future rather than unveiled before our eyes.  That said, the episode does a good job of detaching characters from Winterfell, which has so far been the hub of the show.

As Jon and Tyrion head north for the Wall, Ned, Sansa and Arya go south for King’s Landing - accompanied by King Robert and the Lannisters - traversing along the Kingsroad. Meanwhile, Catelyn spends every waking moment by Bran’s bedside at Winterfell, leaving Robb to pick up the pieces and oversee the keep’s maintenance in his father’s stead. And across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys turns the tables on Khal Drogo by way of asserting sexuality.

Another interesting aspect of the episode is that it takes a noticeable step back from following Ned as our chief protagonist, focusing more on the escapades of Catelyn and dwarf genius Tyrion; as well as introducing some new characters. One of the early scenes of the episode saw Tyrion dealing out some much deserved familial rebuke to his nephew, Joffrey, a callous, entitled little turd played by the perfectly cast Jack Gleeson. We are also treated to a brief - but nevertheless intriguing - introduction to Joff’s bodyguard Sandor “The Hound” Clegane, a favourite of fans of the books with a substantial increase in importance to come.

A few of the supporting actors got a chance to shine this week, in particular Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont and Maisie Williams as Arya, who both consistently steal the scenes they feature in. Yet the same cannot be said for Sophie Turner, who delivers a somewhat lackluster and misguided portrayal of Sansa. Unfortunately the TV show sorely lacks (or perhaps fails to convey) the naivety of Sansa’s character, and instead of an innocent, misguided girl she simply comes across as a stupid, selfish bitch with few redeeming qualities. As if that wasn’t enough, she pronounces Arya wrong. Sigh.

The episode’s climax - with Joffrey demanding a duel from Arya’s friend - felt a little rushed though, and certainly the consequences felt a little sudden. It has to be said that the action sequence wasn’t particularly strong either, with lots of jump cuts and shots of Sansa blithely standing there and shouting “Arya!” at the camera. Arya sending her wolf Nymeria away also lacked the pathos it should have held and, unlike in the books, felt extremely hurried – only two episodes in and as many of the direwolves the Starks found just last week are already dispatched one way or another. Yes, that’s accurate with the book’s narrative, but the handling of the wolves, and their involvement in the show (or lack of) meant that Lady was killed by Ned and Nymeria sent away by Arya; there was no real emotional loss.

"Once again, I’m left with the feeling that Game of Thrones has greatness within its grasp,but it continues to walk past it. I can’t shake the feeling that HBO should have ordered 13 episodes for season one rather than 10, a decision that is undoubtedly forcing the events of the narrative along at a pace that means compromise"

By far my favourite scene of the episode is between the Lannister family as they eat breakfast. Not only does it stay true to the books down to even the finer details (I was particularly pleased by the inclusion of Tyrion’s preference for bacon burnt black), but it has perhaps the best acting in the episode as well. I was also very happy to see Tyrion playfully pick up his nephew, Tommen, and put on a theatrical storytelling voice and smile when talking about the Wall. The politics and inner-workings of the Lannister family are extremely complex, but the love Tyrion has for his nephew, niece and in particular his brother Jaime always shines through in the books, as did it here. Furthermore, I have been pleasantly surprised by Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, who plays her character with an appropriate level of calculation and detachment.

And again, I cannot praise Nikolaj Coster-Waldau enough. He is Jaime Lannister to his very bones, and I cannot wait to see how he carries Jaime’s incredible character arc across the future seasons of the show. The look Cersei and Jaime share when Tyrion tells them that Bran may yet live makes an excellent case for the argument that, for some things, dialogue will always fall short. Peter Dinklage is great to the point where saying so would be akin to reporting that the sky is blue, but nonetheless, it is worth stating that he is considered by many to be the heart of the books...and he may well become the heart of the show.

There were also a couple of new scenes thrown into the mix, including the long-promised and much discussed exchange between Jaime Lannister and Jon Snow. In this moment, Jaime shows us his sneering condescension that is such a staple of his character, while Jon continues to play the whiney bastard. Meanwhile, Cersei made an unexpected visit to Catelyn as she sat by Bran’s bedside, and even more unexpectedly opened up about her firstborn child that she lost, referencing a time in her marriage to Robert when there may have been some fire, unlike the cold embers that remain.

My biggest issue with not just the episode, but with the series as a whole, is the portrayal of Drogo. In the books, Khal Drogo is a master warlord with a soft heart, and the relationship between he and Daenerys is something that unexpectedly blossoms into a true love. In the show, Drogo is plain and simply a savage barbarian who routinely rapes Dany without a moment’s hesitation.  This is the biggest discrepancy from the books so far, and I sincerely hope nothing else takes its place.

Once again, I’m left with the feeling that Game of Thrones has greatness within its grasp, but it continues to walk past it. I can’t shake the feeling that HBO should have ordered 13 episodes for season one rather than 10, a decision that is undoubtedly forcing the events of the narrative along at a pace that means compromise. As it stands, it’s difficult to bond with the characters because of its breakneck speed. That said, I am extremely eager for the show to get to King’s Landing where the true political intrigue begins and with it the Game of Thrones.

See also:

Game of Thrones S1E2 recap

Game Of Thrones s1e1 review

Game of Thrones s1e1 recap

Game of Thrones: Winter is coming

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