Game of Thrones Series Blog – The Walk of Punishment

The Walk of Punishment was the third episode season 3 of Game of Thrones, and we can feel the tension rising as the five would-be monarchs put more gears into motion, setting the stage for the battles to come. There were many goodbyes in this particular episode – Catelyn attended her father’s funeral in Riverrun; Arya said a touching farewell to Hot Pie as she leaves with the Brotherhood; and a rather different sort of goodbye as Pod loses his, erm, boyhood.

Ahh, the Lannisters. The childish one-upmanship of Tyrion and Cersei is always fabulous to watch, and the mild irritation on Tywin’s face just makes it all the more fun. There aren’t many actors who could convey such disdain for another simply by dragging a chair a few feet across the room. As with all of Tywin’s discussion of his children, conversation centers on Jaime, and he demands to know why none of Varys’ or Littlefinger’s spies have been able to find him yet. Tyrion is also appointed as the new Master of Coin, as Littlefinger will be sent to marry Lysa, Catelyn’s widowed sister. Tyrion protests that can only spend money, not manage it, but he takes the job all the same.

In a shocking twist, Danaerys agrees to sell one of her dragons in return for all 8000 Unsullied soldiers, including those that aren’t yet trained, along with Missandei, Kraznys’ slave girl. Clarke pulls off the wonderful contrast between the compassionate girl who wants to help those enslaved in Astapor, and the dragon that cuts Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan down for daring to question her authority. The way she speaks makes it perfectly clear that she did not take the decision to give up Drogon lightly, and she may even have an ulterior motive hidden away. Her complete confidence is encapsulated in the final quote of the scene as she speaks to Missandei: ‘Yes, all men must die. But we are not men.”

Jamie and Brienne have been captured by unknown assailants, but the Lannister knight still manages to use his influence to save Brienne. By telling the leader of the gang a tale of the Sapphire Isle (True? Probably not…) and Brienne’s apparent worth as a maiden, Jaime convinces his captor that her safety is worth as much as his. Jaime pushes his luck too far though, and his charm and charisma appear to be less appealing to the gang than they are in King’s Landing. The Kingslayer ends up losing a hand for all his pretty words, a trophy that will almost certainly be set to Tywin for ransom. It’s hard to see how there is any way out of these dire straits for the pair.

There were plenty of other great moments in this episode, with Theon escaping prison, Talisa’s half-joking description of Robb to the Lannister children, and of course, the chilling pattern of gore left in the snow at the Fist of the First Men. A sneak preview of next week’s episode on ‘Thronecast’ reveals that Cersei sees the Tyrells as a threat, Ser Gregor Clegane’s days may be numbered and that the Night’s watch are perhaps not as safe with Craster as they thought. The Game of Thrones is becoming a deadly pastime, and danger looms on the horizon. Tune in next week to see what the next moves will be.