TV: Game of Thrones, Season 3

It is with sorrow that I say goodbye to Game of Thrones for another year, beginning the long wait until season 4 begins in 2014. After three years, some fans may have feared the show would have lost its drive but it didn’t disappoint. Season 3 provided us with some great drama, superb action and a few surprisingly comical moments. 

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion is once again the star of the show, his new position as Master of Coin not stopping him from doling out the witty remarks. With his father Tywin (Charles Dance) now established as the Hand of the King, they get to have many great scenes discussing the ruling of the realm. In the first episode, Tyrion raises the question of whether he will inherit his father’s lands causing Tywin to show how truly cruel he can be. He does at times feel like Dinklage is shoved into episodes just for the sake of it, getting spare scenes that serve little purpose, but you can’t blame the creators for recognising the popularity of the show’s breakout character. 

Another favourite character of mine, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) thankfully gets a lot more to do this year. Her storyline sees her seeking to obtain an army that will allow her to invade Westeros, reclaiming the throne that is hers by birthright. During negotiation scenes, Clarke is truly able to show how strong Daenerys has become, a far cry from the scared little girl we met in the first season. I’m very curious to see where her storyline goes from here, with her now having obtained an army and a crowd of loyal followers. 

Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) gets a surprising turn this season, going from the total bastard he was in season 1 to a sympathetic, likeable character through his pairing with Brienne (Gwendoline Christie). A scene in which he confesses the story surrounding how he received the name The Kingslayer, is particularly heart-wrenching and sure to bring a tear to anyone’s eyes. After a season of being a dick, and another trapped in a cage it’s great to see Nikolaj getting to fully show his acting ability.

Carrying on from the revelation of White Walkers, essentially zombies, walking towards The Wall; the season opens with the Night’s Watch facing off against the seemingly unstoppable foe. Their storyline this year is a bit small, mostly focusing around the slow walk to escape the far north, eventually reuniting Sam (John Bradley) with his love interest Gilly, so that she too can slowly head south. Similarly, Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) has another story that just involves long travels, except he is going in the opposite direction - heading over The Wall to discover his destiny.

Jon Snow (Kit Harington) gets a lot more to do, having faked switching sides and travelling with the Wildlings, developing feelings for Ygritte (Rose Leslie) who sways him to betray the vow of chastity he took upon joining the Night’s Watch. It’s an interesting storyline that questions just how far Jon is willing to go to carry out his mission and making the audience wonder if he will join the Wildlings for real. The Wildling’s leader Mance Rayder is portrayed wonderfully by Ciarán Hinds, so it’s slightly disappointing that he only appears in a scant few episodes before disappearing into the background.

The stories of Robb Stark (Richard Madden) and his mother Catelyn (Michelle Fairly) take an interesting turn this year, as they have to make amends for the mistakes they made in the past. Robb seems to be losing his army from under him, his failure to even protect his home of Winterfell causing his soldiers to now dub him ‘the king who lost the north’ behind his back. This all leads to the most shocking scene of the season, and the show by far, which I will not spoil for you in any detail here.

Maisie Williams proves once again how strong a talent she is, a true rising star. Her portrayal of Arya is incredibly chilling, almost making you forget that she is just a young girl. You can truly sense that there are dark things in her future. This year she meets the Brotherhood Without Banners, lead by the knight-turned-outlaw Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) who all worship the Lord of Light. Her story also thrusts her in the path of The Hound (Rory McCann) who has left Joffrey’s service and now wants nothing but money. 

Theon Greyjoy’s (Alfie Allen) plot this year feels very dragged out, as he is tortured by an unknown individual. While at first it starts out suitably horrific, the disgusting crimes that Theon committed last year make it hard to care about his suffering. While one such torture will definitely affect the men in the audience, this story just plods along to its conclusion - which will hopefully come next year. 

With it’s intriguing plots and intense dialogue as well as it’s full compliment of intriguing characters, Game of Thrones once again proves how remarkable a series it is, securing its place as the greatest TV show on Earth.