The bloodiest Season 5 episode yet, “Sons of the Harpy” was packed full of important happenings, especially showcasing chaotic power plays from two of the seasons newest threats. The dark, sinful corners of King’s Landing weren’t safe from the uprising the pious Sparrows brought with them, letting loose the Faith Militant (knights/warriors committed to enforcing the Faith) with encouragement from the increasingly manipulative Cersei Lannister, who is upping her game now that the Tyrell’s are moving into positions of power. On the same side of the coin you have the Sons of the Harpy; masked rebels running around making ruling all the more difficult for our young Mother of Dragons; they too wreak havoc in this episode, and their brutality is a bit more heartbreaking.
Let’s jump ahead to the cliffhanger ending first. The Sons of the Harpy ambush and kill many unsullied and almost do away with Grey Worm. The scene uses our love for Grey Worm to fill the sequence with a thick tension as the odds switch a few times, with Worm clearly on the wrong end of a handicap. The triumphant appearance of Ser Barristan adds hope to the scene and then quickly slides us back into despair as he is outnumbered and cut down, almost getting his throat slit, but being saved by an injured Grey Worm at the very last second. It’s nice to FINALLY see Barristan, who is constantly referred to as one of the most feared and respected knights in the Seven Kingdoms, show us why he is so highly regarded. Is Ser Barristan dead though? The question is vague at the end; he is gravely injured and will require a lot of recovering if alive.
Things are moving very quickly in Dorne with Jamie and Bronn on a mission. The Kingslayer and The Sellsword are discovered in their sandy surrounds by a bunch of Dornishman and we find out just how willing to listen these locals area. Bronn’s sly dishonourable fighting style makes quicks work of them and reminds us just how much of a capable character he is; though I still think his time is coming to an end this season.
The other Dorne scene, with Ellaria meeting the Sand Snakes out the dessert, was rushed and felt a bit awkward; wedged in even. Tyene, Nym, and Obara being introduced for the first time on the show was largely wasted with hammy exposition – Obara’s speech was poorly over-acted. I thought the show would wait until it had a bit more time to allocate to these anticipated characters to introduce them, but being episode 4 we obviously needed to catch up with them and piece together the conflicting reactions to Prince Obryn’s death. We now know – if we didn’t already – that Ellaria wants war, and she wants to use Myrcella as a type of hostage to leverage Dorne against the Lannisters. The Sand Snakes – capable and fearsome warriors, each with a weapon of choice – are on board.
Now let’s discuss the Faith Militant. Cersei using them essentially as a power move against the Tyrell’s is understandable, taking away those closest to Queen Margaery. What isn’t understandable is why the Faith Militant are so happily violent. There’s one particular man in the brothel in Flea Bottom who looks like he enjoys beating people very, very much. My approach to this may come from the presumption that religion is “supposed” to promote peace and shun violence though; in the world of Game of Thrones, even the High Sparrow could probably condone sadism as long as it’s against those deemed unnatural or sinful. One such man considered sinful is Loras Tyrell, and it’s in-line with all the focus the show has placed on his sexuality, to have Cersei use this to her advantage. Having The Knight of Flowers locked up as a big blow to the Queen, more so that he is locked up outside of the King’s grasp.
Cerse is winning this not-so-secret conflict so far, and it’s going to be interesting to see how far she can take it with her Boy King so madly in love, and lust, with the Queen.
Sansa and Littlefinger down in the crypts of Winterfell made for such a brilliant scene. Them thumbing through the past, present, and future of the Seven Kingdoms all while standing in the area where our understanding of the story all began, was just beautiful. Littlefinger once again brings out the survivor in Sansa; while Arya is off training to be overtly dangerous, her older sister is learning the power of manipulation and cunning from the best in the business. As I wrote last week, her being thrown into the marriage storyline with Ramsay Bolton was a very smart move by the showrunners, possibly setting up a Stark reunion (if Jon marches with Stannis) or at least an opening for Theon to redeem himself (possibly by saving Sansa from Ramsay at the last minute).
The final scene I want to discuss is the episode’s stand-out as far as dialogue goes. Stannis and his Greyscale-inflicted, adorable daughter, Shireen, had a heart-warming moment that humanised Stannis more than any moment with him has done before. Having him tell the long, interesting story of the controversy surrounding Shireen’s birth and her staved-off sickness was a very involving piece of dialogue with clever writing made even better by a brilliant performance from Stephen Dillane. His time on The Wall has made Stannis an even more likeable character, giving us a clear cut good guy to root for along with Jon should they march against House Bolton.
More screen time should have been allocated to both the introduction of the Sand Snakes and the end battle with Sons of the Harpy and Ser Barristan’s likely death. Though, aside from a few pacing issues, “Sons of the Harpy” was a brilliant episode and one which edges us into the rest of the season quite nicely. I fear how quick Jamie and Bronn’s quest is moving, so sometime within the next two episodes I expect something really big, and sad, to go down.
Review Score: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights:
– Stannis’ story
– Littlefinger and Sansa
– Faith Militant show their strength
– Ser Barristan in action
Lowlights:
– Pacing a bit off
– Awkward acting/dialogue from the Sand Snakes
SPOILER ALERT: If you don’t want to know what comes of the cliffhanger at the end of “Sons of the Harpy”, do not watch this trailer
Game of Thrones airs in Australia on Showcase, Foxtel every Monday at 11am with a second screening at 7:30pm
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