You Win or You Die
Encyclopedia
"You Win or You Die" is the seventh episode of the HBO medieval fantasy
television series Game of Thrones
, written by David Benioff
and D. B. Weiss
and directed by Daniel Minahan. The episode, set to air May 29, 2011, was released in advance immediately following the conclusion of "A Golden Crown
" to HBO customers able to access the HBO Go service.
The episode furthers the story line of deterioration of the political balance of the Seven Kingdoms, with Eddard Stark revealing what he has discovered to Cersei Lannister while King Robert is still away on a hunt.
The title of the episode is part of a quote Cersei Lannister says during the final confrontation with Eddard: "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." The catchphrase has been frequently used during the promotion of both the books and the TV series.
) has a talk with his son, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) while the former is skinning a stag (also the sigil of the current ruling family, House Baratheon). While Tywin chastises his children for causing the recent troubles with the Starks, he nevertheless believes this war is the perfect opportunity for the Lannisters to set up a dynasty as the new rulers of the Seven Kingdoms and gives half of his forces to Jaime to attack Riverrun, an area ruled by House Tully and Lady Catelyn's childhood home, in retaliation for Catelyn's seizure of Tyrion Lannister.
), now a servant of the Starks, is harassed by Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) who warns her that if she had been arrested in his homeland the Iron Islands she would have suffered a worse fate. As Maester Luwin (Donald Sumpter
) tells Theon to leave her alone, he asks Osha why she and other wildlings are coming south from the Wall. She reveals they were fleeing from the threat of the White Walkers, who have returned after millenia of slumber, and that every army in the Seven Kingdoms should be marching north to confront that threat.
). The new members of the Night's Watch are finally given their assignments on the Wall and take their oaths; however, much to Jon's disappointment and anger, he has been assigned as a steward to the Lord Commander instead of a ranger, like Benjen. Jon suspects Ser Alliser Thorne's involvement, as revenge for Jon defying him; however, his friend Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) assures Jon that being the Lord Commander's steward might mean being groomed to be the next Lord Commander. As Jon and Sam take their vows near a tree dedicated to the Old Gods north of the Wall, Jon's direwolf Ghost brings him a dismembered hand.
) tries to convince Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa
) to return to her homeland and reclaim the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, but he is not interested. While Daenerys and her entourage go sightseeing at a market, Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen
) receives a pardon for him to return to the Seven Kingdoms from an informant of Lord Varys (Conleth Hill
). Jorah realizes this means the order to assassinate Danaerys has been officially issued and quickly saves her from a wine merchant who tries to poison her. His plot discovered, the merchant tries to escape only to be caught by Daenerys' bodyguards. Drogo, angered by the attempt on his wife's life, vows to his followers that he will lead his horde to cross the Narrow Sea to invade the Seven Kingdoms as revenge and reclaim the Iron Throne for his unborn son.
) confronts Queen Cersei (Lena Headey
) over her children, as he knows the truth: that Prince Joffrey and his siblings are not King Robert's (Mark Addy
) children but Jaime's as a result of an incestuous affair. It was this secret that caused John Arryn to be killed, and the attempted murder of Ned's son Bran. Cersei defends her affair with Jaime, saying she tried to love Robert but he refused to love her as he was still in love with his late fiance, Ned's sister Lyanna Stark. Despite what they have done, Ned shows Cersei mercy and tells her to leave the capital with her children and get as far away as they can before he tells Robert the truth.
However, Lord Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony) returns and informs Ned that Robert suffered a mortal wound by a boar on his hunt. On his deathbed, Robert dictates his will to Ned, in which Robert makes Ned the Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm until Joffrey comes of age. Ned writes down Robert's words, but instead of using "Joffrey", Ned writes "my rightful heir", eliminating Joffrey from the line of succession and making it ambiguous over who is next in line. Robert signs the will without reading this change in wording and begs Ned to make Joffrey a better man.
Fearing Cersei and the Lannisters will use this time to their advantage, Renly tries to convince Eddard they should raise an army and launch a coup d'état
. However, Ned refuses to dishonor Robert in his final hours and wants to assure the crown passes to the rightful heir Stannis Baratheon, Robert's younger and Renly's older brother. Ignoring Renly's advice saying that they need a better leader to rule the Seven Kingdoms, Ned writes a letter to Stannis informing him of the situation, dispatching it to Dragonstone, Stannis's island fortress. Ned also reveals to Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish (Aidan Gillen
) the truth of Joffrey's heritage, to which Littlefinger suggests they allow Joffrey and the Lannisters to take the throne, and if Joffrey proves to be an unfit ruler, they can use the truth to overthrow him and make Renly the King instead. Ned refuses, as such an act would be treasonous, but he manages to get Littlefinger to secure the support of the City Watch to overpower Cersei's men-at-arms if they attempt to seize the throne.
By the time Robert finally dies, Renly has fled the capital with his men and Joffrey has ordered his coronation take place within a fortnight. As Ned, his men, Littlefinger and the City Watch enter the throne room, Ned gives Ser Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney) of the Kingsguard Robert's will to read out aloud. However, Cersei refuses to follow Robert's will and tears it up, ordering Barristan to seize Ned. Ned orders his army to arrest Cersei and Joffrey, and not to harm Barristan. As both sides prepare to fight, the City Watch suddenly betrays Ned and slaughter his men while Littlefinger holds Ned at knife point, telling him he should have listened to his warning of not trusting him.
and D. B. Weiss
, based on the original book
by George R. R. Martin
. The chapters included in "You Win or You Die" are 46, 48 to 50, and 55 (Eddard XII, Eddard XIII, Jon VI, Eddard XIV, and Daenerys VI), making it the episode that includes fewest chapters in the entire first season.
Among the scenes created specifically for the show were a meeting between Tywin and Jaime Lannister (as Lord Tywin is field dressing a stag) and a "training" session between Littlefinger and two new female recruits for one of his brothels.
as Lord Tywin, the patriarch of the Lannister household. Dance, cast in the role shortly after the production began, had been the first choice of the producers and one of the fan favorites for the role. Author George R. R. Martin commented that "his commanding screen presence and steely charisma should make him the perfect Lord Tywin." The deer that is field dressed by Tywin in the opening scene was an actual dead stag.
, in Malta.
's Maureen Ryan found it an excellent outing that "saw the stakes raised in satisfying and suspenseful ways", and HitFix
's Alan Sepinwall called it a terrific episode and commended how "it turned the spotlight on the characters who are villains in Ned Stark's version of the story".
Poniewozik continues: "We knew this would be a significant episode if for no other reason than that it contains the scene--alluded to in the episode's title--that gives the series its name", a sentiment Sepinwall agrees with. Myles McNutt, writing for Cultural Learnings, also considered "You Win or You Die" a climatic moment in the series. IGN
's Matt Fowler noted that this was the episode that saw Ned Stark "unfortunately thwarted by his own honorable intentions" but that his "stubborn nobility is what makes Ned such a great character."
The final showdown with the Lannisters seizing control out of Eddard's hands was much discussed, with many commentators criticizing Ned's ingenuity and his actions during the episode. In The Atlantic, Scott Meslow wrote that Eddard could never win the "game of thrones" because he is dedicated to play by the rules. In his opinion, "one can't afford to play fair" when the only outcomes are "win" or "die". McNutt felt that the climax at the episode's end "was really well handled by both the cast and the director (Dan Minahan)".
Besides the final confrontation between Eddard and Cersei, other scenes were praised by the critics. The scene introducing of Charles Dance
as Lord Tywin Lannister was considered "a beauty" by Todd VanDerWerff from the A.V. Club
, admiring how a single scene depicted not only the relationship between Tywin and Jaime, but also all the dynamics of the Lannister clan. He also praises the work of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the scene, that despite having very few lines transmitted very well how much Jaime is cowed by his father. Maureen Ryan agreed with that sentiment, and also lauded Natalia Tena
's short apparition. David Sims (a second reviewer for the A.V. Club) highlighted to work of Mark Addy in his final scene, extending the praise to the work done by the actor during all the scenes.
Critics agreed that the scenes with the Dothraki were very strong, with the storyline having improved significantly in relation to the first episodes. Poniewozik stated that "this was the first week for me that the Dothraki scenes were not just absorbing but felt like the characters were as well-imagined as those in Westeros", and McNutt felt the episode "finally allows Khal Drogo to become an actual character." Drogo's rant vowing to give his unborn son the Iron Throne lead to compliments to Jason Momoa
's intensity and Emilia Clarke
's calm and loving facial expressions.
However, the scene where Littlefinger exposes his motivations while hiring two whores for his brothel was largely criticized. The scene was considered an example of the show's perceived abuse to the use of conversations with whores as an expository device, a situation for which Myles McNutt coined the term "sexposition". Littlefinger's monologue was consistently praised and the comparison between Littlefinger's actions and faking an orgasm was considered apt, but many agreed with Meslow's statement that it had been "annoyingly overshadowed by the series' most gratuitous sex scene to date". Among the criticisms were its excessive length, the repetition of the dramatic approach and the assumption that viewers were not going to pay attention when presented with a long exposition without including sex.
Medieval fantasy
Medieval fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that encompasses medieval era high fantasy and sometimes simply represents fictitious versions of historic events. This subgenre is common among role-playing games, text-based roleplaying, and high-fantasy literature....
television series Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones (TV series)
Game of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones, the television series debuted in...
, written by David Benioff
David Benioff
-Early life:Born David Friedman in New York City, he changed his name to David Benioff, his mother's maiden name. He is the youngest of three children....
and D. B. Weiss
D. B. Weiss
Daniel B. Weiss is an American author. His debut novel Lucky Wander Boy was themed around video games and has since been linked with the screen adaptations of various science-fiction and fantasy stories...
and directed by Daniel Minahan. The episode, set to air May 29, 2011, was released in advance immediately following the conclusion of "A Golden Crown
A Golden Crown
"A Golden Crown" is the sixth episode of the HBO medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, first aired on May 22, 2011. The teleplay was written by Jane Espenson, David Benioff and D.B...
" to HBO customers able to access the HBO Go service.
The episode furthers the story line of deterioration of the political balance of the Seven Kingdoms, with Eddard Stark revealing what he has discovered to Cersei Lannister while King Robert is still away on a hunt.
The title of the episode is part of a quote Cersei Lannister says during the final confrontation with Eddard: "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." The catchphrase has been frequently used during the promotion of both the books and the TV series.
At the Lannister Camp
Lord Tywin Lannister (Charles DanceCharles Dance
Walter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,...
) has a talk with his son, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) while the former is skinning a stag (also the sigil of the current ruling family, House Baratheon). While Tywin chastises his children for causing the recent troubles with the Starks, he nevertheless believes this war is the perfect opportunity for the Lannisters to set up a dynasty as the new rulers of the Seven Kingdoms and gives half of his forces to Jaime to attack Riverrun, an area ruled by House Tully and Lady Catelyn's childhood home, in retaliation for Catelyn's seizure of Tyrion Lannister.
At Winterfell
The captured wildling Osha (Natalia TenaNatalia Tena
Natalia Gastiain Tena is a British actress and musician. She sings and plays the accordion in the band Molotov Jukebox. In her acting career, Tena is best known for playing Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter film series, and Ellie in the movie About a Boy.-Life and career:Tena was born in...
), now a servant of the Starks, is harassed by Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) who warns her that if she had been arrested in his homeland the Iron Islands she would have suffered a worse fate. As Maester Luwin (Donald Sumpter
Donald Sumpter
Donald Sumpter is a British actor. He has appeared in film and television since the mid 1960s.-Life and work:One of his early television appearances was the 1968 Doctor Who serial The Wheel in Space with Patrick Troughton as the Doctor. He appeared in Doctor Who again in the 1972 serial The Sea...
) tells Theon to leave her alone, he asks Osha why she and other wildlings are coming south from the Wall. She reveals they were fleeing from the threat of the White Walkers, who have returned after millenia of slumber, and that every army in the Seven Kingdoms should be marching north to confront that threat.
At The Wall
Benjen Stark's horse returns from north of the Wall without him much to the worry of his nephew, Jon Snow (Kit HaringtonKit Harington
Christopher "Kit" Harington is an English film, television and theatre actor.-Early life and education:Harington attended Southfield Primary School between 1992 and 1998. Harington then went on to attend the Chantry High School, in Martley between 1998 and 2003...
). The new members of the Night's Watch are finally given their assignments on the Wall and take their oaths; however, much to Jon's disappointment and anger, he has been assigned as a steward to the Lord Commander instead of a ranger, like Benjen. Jon suspects Ser Alliser Thorne's involvement, as revenge for Jon defying him; however, his friend Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) assures Jon that being the Lord Commander's steward might mean being groomed to be the next Lord Commander. As Jon and Sam take their vows near a tree dedicated to the Old Gods north of the Wall, Jon's direwolf Ghost brings him a dismembered hand.
Across the Narrow Sea
Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia ClarkeEmilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke is an English actress best known for the role of Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO medieval-fantasy series Game of Thrones.-Biography:...
) tries to convince Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa is an American actor and model.He is known for his role as Ronon Dex on military science fiction television series Stargate: Atlantis . Most recently, he became recognized for his role as the title character in the sword and sorcery film Conan the Barbarian...
) to return to her homeland and reclaim the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, but he is not interested. While Daenerys and her entourage go sightseeing at a market, Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen
Iain Glen
Iain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
) receives a pardon for him to return to the Seven Kingdoms from an informant of Lord Varys (Conleth Hill
Conleth Hill
Conleth Hill is a Northern Irish film, stage and television actor.Born in Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Hill made his Broadway debut in Marie Jones' Stones in His Pockets....
). Jorah realizes this means the order to assassinate Danaerys has been officially issued and quickly saves her from a wine merchant who tries to poison her. His plot discovered, the merchant tries to escape only to be caught by Daenerys' bodyguards. Drogo, angered by the attempt on his wife's life, vows to his followers that he will lead his horde to cross the Narrow Sea to invade the Seven Kingdoms as revenge and reclaim the Iron Throne for his unborn son.
At King's Landing
Ned (Sean BeanSean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
) confronts Queen Cersei (Lena Headey
Lena Headey
Lena Headey is an English actress. Headey's performance in a one-off show when she was 17 caught the attention of a casting agent, who took a photo and asked her to audition and eventually she got a supporting role alongside Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke in the 1992 British drama film Waterland and...
) over her children, as he knows the truth: that Prince Joffrey and his siblings are not King Robert's (Mark Addy
Mark Addy
Mark Addy Johnson is an English actor, best known for his roles as Detective Constable Gary Boyle in the UK sitcom The Thin Blue Line, Dave in the British film The Full Monty, father Bill Miller in the U.S...
) children but Jaime's as a result of an incestuous affair. It was this secret that caused John Arryn to be killed, and the attempted murder of Ned's son Bran. Cersei defends her affair with Jaime, saying she tried to love Robert but he refused to love her as he was still in love with his late fiance, Ned's sister Lyanna Stark. Despite what they have done, Ned shows Cersei mercy and tells her to leave the capital with her children and get as far away as they can before he tells Robert the truth.
However, Lord Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony) returns and informs Ned that Robert suffered a mortal wound by a boar on his hunt. On his deathbed, Robert dictates his will to Ned, in which Robert makes Ned the Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm until Joffrey comes of age. Ned writes down Robert's words, but instead of using "Joffrey", Ned writes "my rightful heir", eliminating Joffrey from the line of succession and making it ambiguous over who is next in line. Robert signs the will without reading this change in wording and begs Ned to make Joffrey a better man.
Fearing Cersei and the Lannisters will use this time to their advantage, Renly tries to convince Eddard they should raise an army and launch a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. However, Ned refuses to dishonor Robert in his final hours and wants to assure the crown passes to the rightful heir Stannis Baratheon, Robert's younger and Renly's older brother. Ignoring Renly's advice saying that they need a better leader to rule the Seven Kingdoms, Ned writes a letter to Stannis informing him of the situation, dispatching it to Dragonstone, Stannis's island fortress. Ned also reveals to Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish (Aidan Gillen
Aidan Gillen
Aidan Gillen is an Irish stage and screen actor and television presenter. He is known in Ireland for his role in Love/Hate, in the UK for his role in Queer as Folk and in the US for his role in HBO's television series The Wire in which he plays Tommy Carcetti and for his role in Game of Thrones as...
) the truth of Joffrey's heritage, to which Littlefinger suggests they allow Joffrey and the Lannisters to take the throne, and if Joffrey proves to be an unfit ruler, they can use the truth to overthrow him and make Renly the King instead. Ned refuses, as such an act would be treasonous, but he manages to get Littlefinger to secure the support of the City Watch to overpower Cersei's men-at-arms if they attempt to seize the throne.
By the time Robert finally dies, Renly has fled the capital with his men and Joffrey has ordered his coronation take place within a fortnight. As Ned, his men, Littlefinger and the City Watch enter the throne room, Ned gives Ser Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney) of the Kingsguard Robert's will to read out aloud. However, Cersei refuses to follow Robert's will and tears it up, ordering Barristan to seize Ned. Ned orders his army to arrest Cersei and Joffrey, and not to harm Barristan. As both sides prepare to fight, the City Watch suddenly betrays Ned and slaughter his men while Littlefinger holds Ned at knife point, telling him he should have listened to his warning of not trusting him.
Writing
The episode was written by the showrunners David BenioffDavid Benioff
-Early life:Born David Friedman in New York City, he changed his name to David Benioff, his mother's maiden name. He is the youngest of three children....
and D. B. Weiss
D. B. Weiss
Daniel B. Weiss is an American author. His debut novel Lucky Wander Boy was themed around video games and has since been linked with the screen adaptations of various science-fiction and fantasy stories...
, based on the original book
A Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 6 August 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award, and was nominated for both the 1998 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award...
by George R. R. Martin
George R. R. Martin
George Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...
. The chapters included in "You Win or You Die" are 46, 48 to 50, and 55 (Eddard XII, Eddard XIII, Jon VI, Eddard XIV, and Daenerys VI), making it the episode that includes fewest chapters in the entire first season.
Among the scenes created specifically for the show were a meeting between Tywin and Jaime Lannister (as Lord Tywin is field dressing a stag) and a "training" session between Littlefinger and two new female recruits for one of his brothels.
Casting
"You Win or You Die" marks the first appearance of Charles DanceCharles Dance
Walter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,...
as Lord Tywin, the patriarch of the Lannister household. Dance, cast in the role shortly after the production began, had been the first choice of the producers and one of the fan favorites for the role. Author George R. R. Martin commented that "his commanding screen presence and steely charisma should make him the perfect Lord Tywin." The deer that is field dressed by Tywin in the opening scene was an actual dead stag.
Filming locations
Most of the episode was shot on set at the Irish studios of The Paint Hall. The exteriors of the entrance of Vaes Dothrak were filmed in the Sandy Brae area, and for the confrontation between Eddard and Cersei taking place in the Red Keep's gardens (identified as a godswood in the novels) the production used the cloister of the St Dominic Monastery in RabatRabat, Malta
Rabat is a village just outside Mdina, Malta. The name of the village is derived from the Arabic word for 'suburb': الرباط, as it was the suburb of the old capital Mdina. Half of the present-day village core also formed part of the Roman city of Melita, before the latter was resized during the...
, in Malta.
Ratings
"You Win or You Die"'s first airing was seen by 2.4 million viewers, stabilizing the show's ratings. These could be considered positive when taking into account that the episode had been offered in advance during all the preceding week in HBO's online service, and that it had been aired in a three-day holiday weekend which often results in lower viewership. When adding the results of the second airing, the total rating for the night amounted a total of 3.2 million viewers.Critical response
The episode had a very good reception among critics. Time's reviewer James Poniewozik called "You Win or You Die" the "most thrilling and thematically rich hour to date", AOL TVAOL TV
AOL TV was the name of both a thin client which uses a television for display , and the online service that supports it, both of which were launched in June 2000 to compete with WebTV....
's Maureen Ryan found it an excellent outing that "saw the stakes raised in satisfying and suspenseful ways", and HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
's Alan Sepinwall called it a terrific episode and commended how "it turned the spotlight on the characters who are villains in Ned Stark's version of the story".
Poniewozik continues: "We knew this would be a significant episode if for no other reason than that it contains the scene--alluded to in the episode's title--that gives the series its name", a sentiment Sepinwall agrees with. Myles McNutt, writing for Cultural Learnings, also considered "You Win or You Die" a climatic moment in the series. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Matt Fowler noted that this was the episode that saw Ned Stark "unfortunately thwarted by his own honorable intentions" but that his "stubborn nobility is what makes Ned such a great character."
The final showdown with the Lannisters seizing control out of Eddard's hands was much discussed, with many commentators criticizing Ned's ingenuity and his actions during the episode. In The Atlantic, Scott Meslow wrote that Eddard could never win the "game of thrones" because he is dedicated to play by the rules. In his opinion, "one can't afford to play fair" when the only outcomes are "win" or "die". McNutt felt that the climax at the episode's end "was really well handled by both the cast and the director (Dan Minahan)".
Besides the final confrontation between Eddard and Cersei, other scenes were praised by the critics. The scene introducing of Charles Dance
Charles Dance
Walter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,...
as Lord Tywin Lannister was considered "a beauty" by Todd VanDerWerff from the A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
, admiring how a single scene depicted not only the relationship between Tywin and Jaime, but also all the dynamics of the Lannister clan. He also praises the work of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the scene, that despite having very few lines transmitted very well how much Jaime is cowed by his father. Maureen Ryan agreed with that sentiment, and also lauded Natalia Tena
Natalia Tena
Natalia Gastiain Tena is a British actress and musician. She sings and plays the accordion in the band Molotov Jukebox. In her acting career, Tena is best known for playing Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter film series, and Ellie in the movie About a Boy.-Life and career:Tena was born in...
's short apparition. David Sims (a second reviewer for the A.V. Club) highlighted to work of Mark Addy in his final scene, extending the praise to the work done by the actor during all the scenes.
Critics agreed that the scenes with the Dothraki were very strong, with the storyline having improved significantly in relation to the first episodes. Poniewozik stated that "this was the first week for me that the Dothraki scenes were not just absorbing but felt like the characters were as well-imagined as those in Westeros", and McNutt felt the episode "finally allows Khal Drogo to become an actual character." Drogo's rant vowing to give his unborn son the Iron Throne lead to compliments to Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa is an American actor and model.He is known for his role as Ronon Dex on military science fiction television series Stargate: Atlantis . Most recently, he became recognized for his role as the title character in the sword and sorcery film Conan the Barbarian...
's intensity and Emilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke is an English actress best known for the role of Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO medieval-fantasy series Game of Thrones.-Biography:...
's calm and loving facial expressions.
However, the scene where Littlefinger exposes his motivations while hiring two whores for his brothel was largely criticized. The scene was considered an example of the show's perceived abuse to the use of conversations with whores as an expository device, a situation for which Myles McNutt coined the term "sexposition". Littlefinger's monologue was consistently praised and the comparison between Littlefinger's actions and faking an orgasm was considered apt, but many agreed with Meslow's statement that it had been "annoyingly overshadowed by the series' most gratuitous sex scene to date". Among the criticisms were its excessive length, the repetition of the dramatic approach and the assumption that viewers were not going to pay attention when presented with a long exposition without including sex.