As opposed to last year, this year our Game of Thrones coverage will be separated into two posts. You can find David’s watch of the show for Show Watchers elsewhere, and here you will find the Book Reader version in which we get a little bit more in-depth. So if you have read the book, welcome! If you have not, I will spoil everything, and so will the comments. I assume, anyway.
With that little bit out of the way, lets talk about “Two Swords.”
1. Wait, What Book is This?
When the premiere ended, the first thing I did as the credits rolled was turn to my girlfriend and ask, “So, wait, is it just me, or was that 90% different than the book?”
And a quick Google search of chapter summaries showed me I was right: not only are things happening out of order (Arya’s scene in particular), but a lot of what we’re seeing never happened in the book, or perhaps happened off-screen or earlier. Characters are different (wait, the Thenns are cannibals? And Grey Worm is feeling something in his pants?), and things that should’ve happened by now are only just happening. There’s even a reference (I assume it’s a reference) to “The Winds of Winter,” which was a bit shocking to see.
David Benioff and Dan Weiss are getting very loose with their adaptation, and it shows. Being a show watcher at this point must be lovely, because being a book reader is confusing. I still have confidence that I (and you, if you’re reading this) know where all this is going, but I’m less confident in how we get there. Considering that the runners have stated they’re hoping for 8 seasons, I’m beginning to question: just how far will this season take us? Are we going to see more from “Feast” and “Dance,” or are we just going to get a lot of filler? The show has often dragged out certain sequences and it is understandable as to why, but I am very, very curious as to what is going to happen when.
Except for next week. I think we all know what is going to happen next week.
2. Foreshadowing Galore
One thing I noticed about this episode is that the show was going almost out of its way to plant seeds for eventual pay-offs. It was the least subtle thing about it: Oberyn recalling why he is in town, Dany and Jorah talking about the dragons, Tywin and Jamie talking. This is all stuff that had been seeded in the book, certainly, but it’s interesting to see how the show runners did it as opposed to Martin. It’s one thing I harp on the show a lot for, but it is certainly more interesting to see Martin plant seeds casually, almost to the point where you don’t even notice them. Jorah practically shouted into a bullhorn about the dangers of having dragons.
Of course, knowing what is coming probably makes it stand out. I’ll give them that. I can’t help but know what’s coming, so lines that are supposed to be clever just make me think of what I’ll see five, six episodes from now. It’s why I can’t rewatch the Matrix without groaning at that one part where the Oracle tells Neo he is really computer Jesus.
Still. I imagine many showwatchers will get a lot out of re-watching the earlier episodes, especially when Oberyn’s storyline pays off.
3. The Old Characters and the New
Well, this cast is certainly gargantuan, isn’t it?
First off, we of course have to talk about Pedro Pascal, who is pretty much perfect in the role of Oberyn. Again, different from the book in some ways, but what a commanding performance. Indira Varma’s Ellaria Sand a bit less so, certainly, but I am excited to see her role grow.
And then there’s the return of… well, SO many people. Janos Slynt is back, that rat, and I’m sure that was a bit of a head scratcher for some fans. And Dontos? Wow. I was honestly surprised. Bringing back Dontos at this point is a bit pointless as the connection between the viewer and the character will be non-existant for what happens, but at the same time it was nice to see someone be genuinely nice to Sansa. His role is a welcome one, if a brief one.
Continued belowIt does make you wonder, though. If the show brings back Dontos for his one-off performance, perhaps the show will be getting closer to the book and bringing back other long forgotten characters who still have things to do?
4. The Blue Flower
One thing that I would imagine most people haven’t thought a lot about is Daario offering Dany a blue flower, but to me this stuck out almost instantly — if only because such a big to-do is made about a blue flower growing in the Wall, something that Dany sees during her trip inside the (real) House of the Undying. It’s been a major point of speculation for fans, but many people seem to be of the belief that the flower growing in the wall is a reference to Lyanna, given Eddard Stark’s dream of lyanna at the Tower of Joy.
Does this have anything to do with that? I don’t know. I would guess not, as the show writers tend to remove all the poetry and metaphor from the show in favor of something you can see (see: Theon’s sausage). However, with the amount of aforementioned foreshadowing, you never know; Lyanna and Rhaegar’s roles might actually start having some meaning in the show now.
5. One Down, Four to Go
You may remember after Season 3 when I made a list of the Top 5 Things to Look Forward To in Game of Thrones Season 4, and Arya getting back Needle was #5.
It happened a bit differently in the book, almost in a jarring way. As book readers remember, the return of Needle was also Arya’s last chapter, which led directly to her leaving Westeros and the supposed death of the Hound. It also featured one of the most satisfying lines Arya ever utters, which was changed here in favor of a different reference (one which, like I alluded to earlier in the first section, is from a book that’s not even out; mercy, mercy, mercy!).
Still, it is satisfying to see Maisie Williams really coming into the role as she grows up, and with the absence of all the lines she would’ve needed to reference anyway, it was still pretty satisfying. The Hound’s line about eating all the chickens is also the quote of the season already.
Either way, join me next week when HBO Go crashes again, but this time people won’t stop cheering.
