As an avid watcher of Game of Thrones, I can’t help but notice the vast differences in episode structure in this season compared to previous seasons. While we’ve usually gotten a glimpse of what everyone has been up to in almost every episode, this season has two or three characters at a time in one episode. And, quite frankly, I’m starting to like new routine, especially in Sunday’s episode, “The Laws of Gods and Men”. The sixth episode of the season was a big episode for character development in Daenerys, Theon , Stannis and Tyrion and it makes sense to just focus on these four characters because with what’s happening to them, I couldn’t care less about what’s happening in Bran or Arya’s plot line at the moment.
Stannis (Stephen Dilliane) and Davos (Liam Cunningham) are on their way to Braavos to ask for money at the Iron Bank. Even though we have heard countless tales regarding Braavos, this is the first time that it is seen on television and it is beautiful so far: Giant statues overlooking the bay and an Iron Bank that looks like a medieval version of Gringotts. Davos would make a great PR agent in the present day. When rejected for a loan, Davos simply shows them his fingerless hand to illustrate how much of a threat Stannis Is and then magically money appears.
But while Stannis has Davos to brag about how threatening he is, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is having a harder time adjusting to her new job as ruler. Her dragons have burned a citizen’s goat herd and a man wants to be able to have a proper burial for his father that she crucified. She had no problem giving the goat herder three times the amount of money for damage but as for the burial, she was more stubborn on that request but eventually let him go through with it. Even with two happy subjects, she has 212 more ears to hear and it looks like she’s not having the easiest time ruling these people. It’s a good thing that she delayed her trip to Westeros for a bit because she has the opportunity to learn how to actually rule over a kingdom or possibly learn that she might not be fit to rule. But Daenerys is too stubborn to give up!
While that woman is trying not giving up on trying to rule over her people, another woman is not giving up on trying to save her brother. Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan) , after finally getting screen-time since the second season, is aboard her ship heading for the Dreadfort to rescue her brother, Theon (Alfie Allen) from the sadistic Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon). After easily getting past all of the guards, she gets to Theon’s cell and sees that he is a completely changed person. After repeatedly saying his name, he kept yelling back, “I’m Reek! My name is Reek!”. This whole segment was incredibly disturbed because it shows what Theon has truly become ever since he was kidnapped and tortured. He has become a classic case of a Stockholm Syndrome victim and it’s interesting to see how he is pulling it off. What did it for me was shortly after Yara abandoned the mission because her brother is “dead”, he brought Theon to a room and started bathing him like a mother would a child. “Do you love me, Reek?” he creepily asks him. Yikes. There is nothing creepier than seeing a man who once fought with the Stark family, and actually had a personality, being reduced to literally a puppet who doesn’t talk. But it looks like Ramsay has something else up his sleeve besides castration and dog hunts. It’s not known to us yet what exactly he has in mind but his last line- “I need you to be someone you’re not. Theon Greyjoy”- suggests that he’s going to see how his beloved toy works in action. Well seeing how he refused to escape with his own sister, I’m very anxious to see how many other people he will be betraying –or killing- just because he’s brainwashed into thinking he’s a completely different person.
But while Theon is stuck in a cell giving into his fate, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) is stuck in his cell fighting for his life. Today is the big day when the trial for Joffery’s (Jack Gleeson) murder takes place. The only ally that Tyrion seems to have is his brother Jaime (Nicolaj Coster Waldau). “This isn’t a trial. It’s a farce,” he says to Tywin (Charles Dance) during a recess. But what would happen to the Lannister dynasty if Tywin decides to not convict his grandson’s killer? Jaime and Tywin both agree upon the compromise of sending Tyrion to the Night’s Watch for the rest of his days. This seems to be a better option with all of the “witnesses” coming up with evidence to frame Tyrion such as Pycelle saying that Sansa’s (Sophie Turner) necklace had the poison in it to Cersei (Lena Headey) making up a sob story of how Tyrion threatened her and Joffery. But the usual ganger uppers were nothing compared to the last witness: Tyrion’s former mistress, Shae (Sibel Kekilli). “I know he’s guilty,” she falsely claims to the court, saying that Tyrion killed Joffery for Sansa, who wanted revenge for her the death of her family. And then Tyrion’s Emmy winning moment approaches. This complete act of betrayal sends Tyrion off the edge and whatever anger he has suppressed finally comes out. “I saved this city and all your worthless lives,” Tyrion growls. “I should have let Stannis kill you all!”
Everyone knows and loves the sarcastic and witty Tyrion, but I loved seeing this side of him. Tyrion had always been able to take the hatred his family had toward him but seeing him explode was both relieving and awesome to see. You can only be calm around a horrible family like that for so long. His final line to close off the show was “I demand a trial by combat”. As soon as the credits rolled, I had to take in what had happened and what is going to happen next episode. We already know Tyrion’s history with trials by combat. It’s how he managed to avoid the infamous Moon Door at the Eyrie and also how he met his trusty sidekick Bronn; But Bronn doesn’t seem to be anywhere in sight. So, if it’s going to go the same way as the books have, then we are in for one hell of a seventh episode.
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