The Starks arrive in King’s Landing where Ned immediately assumes his new job as Hand of the King and has his first meeting amongst the Small Council, where the will of the King is made real. One of the council is known to Ned, the Master of Coin for the kingdom is Petyr Baelish, also known as Littlefinger, who is a childhood friend of Lady Stark. Meanwhile, Joffrey is recovering from his wolf bite and we see a side of him that will become important later in the season. Jon Snow is discovering just how tough life on the Wall can be while discovering soe unlikely allies, one of them, surprisingly, being Tyrion Lannister. Catelyn comes south with the would-be assassin’s blade, Viserys begins to see how beloved his sister is becoming amongst the Dothraki and Arya begins swordfighting lessons.
I thought the first two episodes were pretty fantastic, but almost feel that the series has really found its footing with this third episode. There was a lot of character introductions and setting in motion of storylines previously, but the momentum really kicks into full swing here. Once again, the story is very faithful to the book, while remaining dynamically entertaining for a visual medium. As having read the book, there are a lot of things I wish I could point out to you or bring to your attention as plot points that will pay off in a big way later. However, that would be decidedly unfair to those experiencing this tale for the first time. Suffice it to say, we have only scratched the surface. Watch how all the characters interact and really pay attention to what they each say to the other. There are bits of dialogue spoken in this episode that give clues as to what will happen in a few episodes’ time, so those that watch closely may start to see what all is happening.
The performances this week are outstanding, most notably Peter Dinklage, Sean Bean and Aidan Gillen. Dinklage continues to show many facets of Tyrion and when you really think about it, it isn’t all that surprising that he and Snow have formed a bond. The scene between the two when they say their goodbyes on the Wall is particularly well played. Bean shows us a Ned Stark who is becoming more and more embroiled in things he would rather keep himself out of. Not only does Bean play very well at being a reluctant servant of an absent King, but he’s also terrific as a father who wonders if he may have brought his daughters into the lion’s den. All I’ll say about Gillen’s performance as Littlefinger is that he plays him exactly as the character needs to be played. Maisie Williams continues to impress as Arya and Kit Harrington is superbly perfect as Jon Snow. And then there is the surprising appearance of Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle. Somehow I missed that Glover was going to be in this, but I’m very glad he is, especially in that role.
Another fantastic episode that should be as wonderful to die hard fans of the books series as it is to newcomers. Knowing what’s to come only increases the excitement about seeing certain scenes played out, but also carries a sense of dread for other scenes. I can’t recommend this show highly enough!