Game of Thrones "Kill the Boy" (Season 5, Ep. 5) [TV Review]

Every week I sit down with friends to watch the latest parade of deaths and poor choices that is the tapestry of Game of Thrones. I have a definite love / hate relationship with the series. There are some excellent excellent things about the series (show and books), and some downright depressingly awful things too... and no, I'm not talking about the parade of deaths. That is actually kind of cool for a book / tv series to be willing to just off and kill characters. I'll give props to GRRM for that. 

I'm still kinda pissed that killed Ser Bariston. And how they killed him.
I'm sorry but he was a bad-ass, and so were the Unsullied. No way
that freaking scrubs such as Sons of the Harpy would have taken
him out like that. It was a travesty.

No my complaints are of another variety. They have to do more with character motivations, and character intelligence, than anything else.

3.5 out of 5 stars

This episode might be one of the most important but weakest episodes of the season. We are lacking any major action in either Kingslanding or in Dorn. We spend far too long at the Wall, and we are once again back in Meereen... and there are few places I enjoy less than Meereen. 

Maester Aemon is one of my favorite characters.
And so it Sam... this was a very telling scene.

At least Meereen is not so bad this time. We get to see Rhaegal and Viserion play with their food... the head of an old Meereenese family. Fun times for all. Who does not like a good old bar-b-que? I lied. Meereen still sucks, and Daenerys keeps making questionable decisions. Tyrion cannot arrive soon enough...

Everyone has that Crazy Uncle who is all into conspiracy
theories or lunatic notions. The real nut-job of the family.
Well, imagine having to marry into a family of Crazy Uncles.
Poor Sansa... and just when she seems to be getting smart.

Tyrion's expression says 'do not want to go' to me.

But still... Dragons. Those are cool.


Then we head off to the Wall, where Sam and Maester Aemon are discussing Daenerys. Maester Aemon utters a foreboding phase, "A Targaryen alone in the world, it's a terrible thing." And then Jon Snow walks in. Now this makes a lot of sense for anyone who follows the R+L=J theory. Which if you do not know, I'm not telling for you. Look it up on your own if you want.

Maester Aemon utters another powerful phrase to Jon Snow, "Kill the boy and let the man be born." This seems like a heavy bit of foreshadowing.

So, now we're conflating Old Valyria with Volantis, are we?

In the last episode, Sons of the Harpy, Jon was perhaps the person in power who did the least stupid thing. He only declined have sex with a sexy red priestess. Foolish perhaps, but not stupid. However, he now makes a decision that is both correct, somewhat ethical, and extremely stupid all at the same time. The plan to let the Wildings live south of the Wall makes good sense, is an ethical choice (save those alive, do not let the armies of the White Walkers swell with fresh dead), but a the same time it is so unpopular that even Jon's supporters think he is an idiot for suggesting it.

Best thing from this scene? We learn that Stannis is a stickler for grammar. I loved that bit.

There is a tiny short scene with Brienee of Tarth and Pod. It is short, and sweet... and I have a small feeling that we're setting up something in the not too far future.

I cannot tell if Ramsay likes his new situation or not... he is a bastard, and I'm not talking about being fathered outside of wedlock. He's also a psycho, and a manipulative asshole. He's evil. Which means that for a while he's going to win... evil wins in the world of GoT, for the most part. (This will come back up when I get to my real complaints about the overall series.)

Sansa at least meets Reek, I mean Theon Greyjoy, for the first time, again. This has to be one of the stupidest things Sansa has done in this season actually. Let the creepy kennel masters daughter to take you to a long dark hallway filled with caged angry barking dogs and then walk down it? That just screams 'I'm being an absolute idiot!' I was not expecting her to die, be attacked, etc... but it was still stupid. Of course, we as the audience know more than the characters, so we are privy to the kennel master's daughter's jealousy. I'm honestly surprised that after Reek told Ramsay, the kennel master's daughter wasn't killed by Ramsay. (I keep calling her the kennel master's daughter because the show seemed to want us to really know that...)

I guess next week we'll be seeing Sansa marry Ramsay... or at least have the ceremony.
I think. I could be wrong, but that seems to be the lead up here.

Back at the Wall, there is a scene between Gilly and Sam that seemed like just more set-up. Then Stannis talks to Sam about the White Walkers. After that discussion Stannis tells Ser Davos to prepare to march, they are leaving Winterfell. On the way out Queen Selyes proves that she hates her daughter, perhaps she will end up on the list of dead sometime soon... not a good or useful character.

In Meereen, once again (sigh), we see Daenerys get questionable advice from Missandei. Very questionable... after getting such advice she then goes to Hizdahr zo Loraq, who is in prison, and tells him that she will reopen the fighting pits to free men only (really after dozens or hundreds dead, and countless bad decision, now you cave?) and that she will marry a Meereenese noble house... namely Hizdahr. Here we see one good choice she should have made episodes ago, and one terribly bad choice.

And do we really need a love side story between Missandei and Grey Worm? No. But it looks like we might be getting one.

Finally at last, and at the end, we come to Jorah and Tyrion sailing towards Valyria. Wait. What? No one goes to Valyria, the doom is there. No serisouly, in the books the city is super mysterious, and instead of Valyria they should be sailing through Volantis. It is there that they sail under the Bridge of Dreams and the Stone Men leap off at them...
Not Valyria.

Whatever... it is a battle, and a really cool use of darkness.


This weeks Death list is really short. Just a single person died.

- Some Head of an Old Meereenese House. No idea what his name was, don't really care.  

Best scene in the episode, and it happens so early.

Previous Game of Thrones reviews:

Season 5:
- The Wars to Come (Ep1)
- The House of Black and White (Ep2)
- High Sparrow (Ep3)
- Sons of the Harpy (Ep4)

Season 4:
- Two Swords (Ep1)
- The Lion and the Rose (Ep2)
- Breaker of Chains (Ep3)
- Oathkeeper (Ep4)
- The First of His Name (Ep5)
- The Laws of Gods and Men (Ep6) 
- Mockingbird (Ep7)
- The Mountain and the Viper (Ep8)
- The Watchers on the Wall (Ep9)
- The Children (Ep10)