TV Review: Game Of Thrones: S03E03

TV Review: Game of Thrones

Season 3, Episode 3: Walk Of Punishment

Air date: 14th April 2013

Finally! Some comedy in this bleak, dark world!

For Game of Thrones, Walk Of Punishment feels like the first episode containing genuinely funny scenes to provide some much needed comic relief in this world of consistent death and darkness. Sure there have been amusing moments before, but these feel as though they have really been written for comedy - and why the hell not? 

On a show like Thrones, it's never quite clear what to expect in the next episode. Which characters will and won't appear - and which character will be the most important in the scene? Well, I bet that in a scene involving Tyrion, Bronn and Tyrion's squire Podrick, you'd never have guessed that Podrick would be the best character. Equally in a scene with Gendry, Arya and Hot Pie, the latter has never quite resonated to be emotionally affecting before - until now.

Anyway, it's interesting to see how the show is progressing as time goes on. Yes it's still frustrating that the initial quests which started way back in Season One have not been fulfilled yet, namely Robb attempting to have his revenge for the death of his father, but the introduction of some new characters in the form of his inept uncles still spice things up. North of the wall, Jon Snow is still maintaining his cover in the Wildling camp, however he is quickly finding his loyalties tested as Mance Rayder commands an all out assault on the Night's Watch. Jon's story, despite being one of the most prominent last season, is sort of taking a back seat this time around, but with Mance Rayder seemingly hell bent on escaping the terror of the White Walkers it might be time for him to regain the spotlight.

Across the sea, Dany (her real name is far too complicated to type) finds a way to build her own private army, while Theon Grayjoy takes part in the most exciting chase sequence known to Thrones so far. As this episode is directed by the show writers David Benioff and Daniel Weiss, they've made a fantastic debut. The narrative jumps around (as is the show's natural state) but it feels very fluent - unlike last week's episode, where everything felt a little disjointed, Walk Of Punishment is a straight line with a clear beginning, middle and end. Plus the horse chase looks fantastic, which is no mean feat for a pair of first-timers in the director's chair. 

In King's Landing, following a very awkward chair-switching scene that feels hilariously inspired by The Office, Tyrion shoulders some new responsibilities as the Coin Master of the Seven Kingdoms, while Tywin declares his final plans for tackling the rebellion in the North. There's no Joffrey to be found in this episode, which is good considering last week featured two or three scenes with the boy-king. 

Finally, Jaime Lannister and Brienne, having been captured in the last episode's climax, attempt to bargain their way out of their predicament. Obviously I won't spoil any major developments, but it's safe to say that Walk Of Punishment has the best, most shocking ending to an episode of Game of Thrones since last season's finale. 

Most excitingly of all, more and more new faces mean more and more new actors and some very recognisable casting has taken place. From Iwan Rheon (Simon from Misfits) jumping into the cast last week, we also have Burn Gorman (Owen from Torchwood) entering the fray as a member of the Night's Watch. With the likes of Mackenzie Crook, Diana Rigg, Thomas-Brodie Sangster and Ciaran Hinds already building up the cast significantly, it's clear that Game of Thrones has stepped up it's casting calls significantly - an exciting prospect for fans of television and movies in general. That said, it's not as though HBO and George R.R. Martin don't have the guts to kill off anyone just because of their famous face - A-listers Mark Addy and Sean Bean were eliminated in the very first season, so as always nobody is safe.

Summary

Much better than last week's episode and far more exciting than the season opener, Walk Of Punishment has all the right elements that makes Game of Thrones tick. The character jumps feel natural, the dialogue is of course sharp and witty, performed with pure skill and perfect comic/tragic/dramatic timing (delete as appropriate). With a superb, nail-biting finale and a brilliantly tongue-in-cheek end credits song, Walk Of Punishment further hammers home the fact that Game of Thrones is the best show on TV right now.

9/10 - Brilliant