Game Of Thrones Series Blog – Kissed By Fire

Things are heating up in Westeros this week, with ‘Kissed by Fire’ truly living up to its name. The fiery blade of Beric Dondarrion leaves it’s mark in the trial of Sandor Clegane. The Lord of Light and Melisandre set the precedent for  the rather awkward reunion of Stannis and his wife, and Jaime tells Brienne the harrowing tale of the Mad King’s plan to raze King’s Landing with wildfire.

Jon seems to have finally cut all ties to the Night’s Watch, as he and Ygritte spend an uncharacteristically romantic night together in a cave near the wildling camp. He tries to prove his loyalty to Orell by telling him about the defences of the Night’s Watch, but the warg finds it hard to believe that the Crow has changed his colours. Perhaps Jon’s relationship with a wildling woman will cause the group to accept the traitor as one of their own, as they did with Mance.

Robb Stark is faced with a rather difficult dilemma, as he executes Lord Karstark as punishment for leading the attack on the Lannister hostages. As a result, he loses the Karstark men and is left with a torn army. The adoration in Talisa’s eyes is crushed as Robb points her towards Winterfell, realising that the only way to rebuild his forces is to realign with the Freys. Considering that Robb was engaged to one of Walder Frey’s daughters, it seems that his marriage to Talisa may be in jeopardy.

Sandor Clegane’s trial was a huge highlight of the episode, and we bear witness to the god-like powers of Beric Dondarrion. The battle is incredibly intense, and you can almost hear the audience gasp as Clegane’s wooden shield catches fire. The dark, damp cave provides a dramatic backdrop for fiery combat. Viewers are shown the truth behind the Lord of Light’s power, as Thoros resurrects the fallen Beric Dondarrion.

In a brilliantly performed scene by Maisie Williams, Arya questions how Beric came back to life, and he talks through the multiple run-ins he’s had with death. Arya turns to Thoros, and says: ‘Could you bring back a man without a head? Not six times. Just once.’ We are reminded just how young Arya really is – something that’s difficult to remember as she’s traipsing through the woods with a sword at her side.

We finally get to see the smug smirk wiped from Cersei’s face as Tywin drops a bombshell on the two Lannister siblings. It seems that Tywin has a plan for every pawn in King’s Landing, as he reveals that Loras is the key to the Reach, and Sansa (considering Robb’s imminent downfall) is the key to the North.

Many other moments in ‘Kissed by Fire’ deserve a mention – Shireen Baratheon’s kindness to the Onion knight is one of the few heartwarming moments in Westeros this week. Jorah and Barristan’s back and forth jabs may become a much bigger problem as Danaerys attempts to move into the Seven Kingdoms. Finally, Olenna is just as forward as ever, insulting Tyrion and Pod before eventually agreeing to their terms.

Next week in Westeros, the wildlings will be making their attack on the wall, we will meet once again with poor, poor Theon Greyjoy, and Robb Stark will put his plan of uniting with the Freys into action. There’s a feeling of mounting pressure in the seven kingdoms, and it’s bound to erupt soon.