shipperx | GOT: The Ghost of Harrenhal

Hey, no sexposition this week! Plus, shirtless Gendry (who did not look that way in the book. I approve ;)

Poor Renly, of course buys it quite quickly in this episode. I always was sad about that because he actually didn't die for his own mistakes so much as the fact that his brother cheated (and his brother is a self-righteous hypocrite because Stannis always claims he plays fair, but assasinating your brother by black magic is not playing fair.)

Poor Brienne. Her sobs over having Renly die on her watch was heartwrenching. Though she was impressively badass dispensing with the soldiers who came after her. Catelyn convinced Brienne it was best to live another day if she wants vengeance, so they left post haste with Brienne swearing loyalty to Lady Stark. Wonderful scene on both actress's part.

Also wonderful was Arya's scene with Tywin. "Anyone can die," says Arya in a line laden with multiple meanings as the question is whether she thinks her brother can be killed. She can't convince herself that he is invincible. After all she 'watched' her father die. She knows with depressing certainty that anyone can die. Plus, there's a threat under there. When she says "Anyone", I'm thinking it features "And that means you, Lord Tywin."

I also don't blame Arya a bit for watching Gendry. Girl is growing up and it isn't often in this awful world that she has such a nice view.

Elsewhere, Jaquen has apparently snagged a suit of Lannister armor and walked into Harrenhal to tell Arya he owes her a debt. Three lives for the three lives that she saved. I think, Arya was understandably doubtful, hence her choosing the Tickler as a test case, not that the Tickler didn't need to die. And he was on her list of "People who need to become ex-people". Anyway, the 'mysterious deaths" that Jaquen deals in the books lead to rumors of ghosts in Harrenhal, hence the title.

Speaking of... the lady in the mask at Dany's garden party. Was she there in the books? I don't remember. My first thought was "She's a Faceless Man!" but then I wasn't sure. On-rewatch, though, she definitely drops a Faceless Man catchphrase, so I'm going with the thought that the woman is a Faceless Man. Still can't remember whether she was in the book, though. As a Faceless Man, I wonder... what (or rather who) she is there for. And I wonder whether we will ever know or whether her showing up at the party is just sort of an easter egg for book readers. Don't know (or remember).

Bran's dream seemed very foreboding. Drowned men in the yard? Yeah, that sounds like a bad omen. And I feel for poor Bran. He was being such a good little lord and doing the honorable thing... just as Theon anticipated a Stark would. (I'm also thinking they may need to keep Bran's horse around, because I don't think that the actor playing Hodor can convincingly carry the ever-growing actor playing Bran all the time. )

Rickon is certainly turning into a little wildling. (Why does no one ever raise that child? Bran has good advisors (of one sort or another) in both Luwen and Osha, but no one seems to think Rickon needs a babysitter. He's what? Six years old? Eight?

Finally, I had thought that there had been a change from the book and that it had been Tyrion who thought up the idea to use the wildfyre. But looking at TWOP, no it was Cersei's. However, from Bronn's running commentary about accidentally setting the city on fire, I'm thinking the Cersei/Joffrey plan was to lob wildfyre like missiles to the standing army's attacking the city walls. I"m thinking Tyrion's plan is to go the more traditional route as used in ancient times with Greek Fire , which was employed in naval battles (and thus slightly less likely to burn the city down).

One change in the book to screen is that we haven't seen much of the fact that Tyrion was actually concerned with the citizens of King's Landing being fed. I remember that because it was part of what was so deflating in Tyrion discovering that the populace blamed him for Joffrey's actions as Tyrion had been the ONLY one concerned with whether the populace was fed. Cersei and Joffrey were very much in the 'let them eat cake... or... y'know... starve to death" school of thought.

Heh at the pyromancer responding to Tyrion's discussion of what he'd heard about peeing on wildfyre. (Paraphrased) "I haven't tested that theory." Hee!

All in all, a good follow up to last week. They needed something not nearly as dour as last. And only on this show could Arya giving a slight smile at the sight of a murdered man be called 'less dour."" :)