TV Review: Game of Thrones: S03E02

TV Review: Game of Thrones

Season 3, Episode 2: Dark Wings, Dark Words

Air Date: April 7th 2013

Game of Thrones adds yet more characters to its ever-expanding world this week with Season 3's second outing Dark Wings, Dark Words. 

Following on from last week's entertaining season opener, Dark Wings, Dark Words picks up the pace by not only revisiting some favourites who were sadly missing in the last episode but also adding in a wealth of interesting new ones. Around every corner in Westeros there's a new personality waiting to burst on to the screen to provide either crisis or aid to the players in the Game of Thrones.

For fans of the show who felt that episode one was missing several of the key personalities, they certainly won't be disappointed this week. From the touching opening with Bran to the climactic sword fight between Jaime Lannister and Brienne, Dark Wings, Dark Words ensures that no stone is left unturned. 

Yet the most interesting plot development so far has to be the unclear motivations of the Tyrell family - are they trying to get rid of Joffrey or simply wiggle their way into a position of power? Or are they truly trying to help Sansa? All of this gives way to what can only be described as one of the creepiest scenes in Thrones so far, as Margaery delves deeper into Joffrey's sick, almost sexual desire to kill. It's tense and it clouds the air in King's Landing, easily making it the more mysterious aspect of the narrative at the moment.

Still, that's not to say that the other characters are left without scene-stealing moments. Jaime "Kingslayer" Lannister passes the time during his captivity by trying to unsettle Brienne on their journey to King's Landing, while Bran and Arya finally return. Bran (having undergone some kind of Harry Potter-esque transformation into maturity) finds himself troubled further by his dreams, leading to a nice flashback in which he sees his brothers Jon Snow and Robb beside him - that is until two new interesting characters barge into his life, one of which possesses a strange power.

As for Arya, her journey back to Winterfell is interrupted by the arrival of a group of freedom fighters, The Brothers Without Banners, an event which has the potential to blow her cover as the daughter of Ned Stark. Meanwhile, Robb and Catelyn Stark also make their way back North to attend the funeral of Catelyn's father. Their storyline has become a little frustrating recently (are they ever going to get to King's Landing to fight the Lannisters?) but this event opens up a nice monologue for the widely despised Catelyn as she describes her guilt over her treatment of Jon Snow.

He of course is still in Wildling territory above the wall, and it soon becomes clear that his enemies are preparing an assault upon the wall in order to escape the White Walkers. With Ciaran Hinds leading the fray as Mance Rayder, we're also introduced to Mackenzie Crook's character; a "warg" with the ability to possess the body of an animal and see through their eyes. 

Last but not least, Theon Greyjoy finally reappears in quite a predicament, bound and tortured for his actions at Winterfell. His captors remain a mystery, but in their midst comes yet another new character in the form of Iwan Rheon (who most will recognize as Simon from Misfits). 

Perhaps the most enticing thing about Game of Thrones is the fact that there are so many characters unconnected all over the world. All of their stories are hugely exciting, but something about Dark Wings, Dark Words feels a little scrambled. The episode jumps around far too much with no link from the last character to the next and while it is always exciting to see Tyrion Lannister, his particular appearance in this outing feels completely unnecessary - HBO are probably just desperate to include the series' staple character in every episode. 

Still, what it lacks in connectivity it makes up for with large mixtures of tension and settlement. The show manages to make us feel at ease one second, then nervous the next. Take for example Tyrion's humorous scene with Shae which is immediately followed by the aforementioned disturbing moments with Joffrey; the boy-king is clearly becoming more paranoid yet more determined by the second. 

Summary

Dark Wings, Dark Words is certainly better than last week's episode thanks to its sharp script - it really feels as though the narrative is gathering more momentum after last season's climax. All in all, it's clear that there are big things to come from Game of Thrones this year and despite some minor muddling with regards to the character jumps, the introduction of new ones should keep its audience enticed. This is storytelling at its finest.

8/10 - Great

Next episode: "Walk Of Punishment"

Air date: April 14th