The best film of my childhood has definitely stood the test of time, it is still a delight to watch it after all these years and immerse in Avonlea's atmosphere again.
Very moving and emotional episode, even more than the first one.
For me, it was much better than the last week's episode, more emotional and concentrating on the relationships between characters. The return to the theme of loss and grief which is recurrent in this season worked out quite well. I guess that every person who lost a loved one can relate to the dilemma Graham faced in this episode. It is really thought-provoking and moving episode which makes you ask yourself the question what would you do in Graham's shoes if given the chance to reconnect with a lost loved one, even if it were only a copy of the person you loved. There are no easy answers to this.
The flashbacks about Claire's bond with the patient whom she lost due to anaphylactic shock were quite moving, particularly the scenes in church with Claire taking part in perpetual adoration in Graham's stead. It is uplifting to see religion depicted in a positive light in the show, Claire is not a church-goer but she does not ridicule faith and does not laugh at it, this is rather rare in contemporary TV shows. In a way, as Claire notices, her patient Graham brought her and Jamie together again, as his death prompted Claire to reflect on the past and her life as well as initiating her journey to Britain thanks to which she got back to Jamie.
The whole plot with Claire's finding out penicillin after all and the operation on the twins, with Marsali as her assistant, was interesting too, though the operation itself was a bit repulsive ;)
Roger and Brianna's quarrel was not the best thing in the episode, though this time - thanks to Claire - they can mend their differences and it seems that Roger is a bit more mature in his relationship with Bree, he is making some small progress.
The entire part with Knox discovering the connection between Jamie and Murtagh was a suspenseful sequence, I feel bad about Jamie killing him and then causing fire to hide his crime, perhaps he had to do it to protect his family and himself, but it is still murder.
Bringing a cat as a present for Claire was quite sweet of Jamie :) a nice ending to the episode after dramatic events with Knox. I also liked Claire's voiceovers and her meditation on the nature of God and time.
Great episode, visually impressive but also with fine plot and more character development for the Two Rivers folks. Quite a lot happens in the episode and it starts with a bang showing a fighting pregnant Aiel woman, obviously this is Rand's biological mother, and the story of how Tam found and rescued baby Rand. Rand's mum was a real badass to defeat so many armoured knights, even when she was about to give birth.
The Ways turn out to be the real "Mines of Moria" of the series, not the ruins of Shadar Logoth as I previously thought. There is even a call-back to the scene when Gandalf cannot remember the right way to go when Loial wonders how to read the guide stone. The whole sequence in the Ways is very emotional and also visually stunning. I also liked the city of Fal Dara and its culture, though it seems that Loial was totally forgotten once they enter the city? It isn't shown what he does next. Padan Fain also enters the city, I thought maybe he would attact some of the characters, but I guess he didn't penetrate the citadel.
The characters quarrel and make up, and the relationship between Lan and Nynaeve develops quickly, he invites her to a dinner with what seems like his family, though as he later tells her the story of Malkier it turns out these are his father's soldiers who saved him when his family was slaughtered by the dark side. In a way, Lan's story mirrors that of Rand as both were saved from certain death as they were babies.
Min is introduced, at first she talks only with Moiraine and initially I was a bit disappointed that she didn't have any interaction with Rand as she is going to be his future love, but they do talk later in the episode, after Rand realises he is the Dragon Reborn and hopes that she would not confirm that conclusion. In the end of the episode, Moiraine and Rand leave alone for the Blight after Rand confesses to her that he is the one. I wonder how are they going to survive there without any other help. From what Lan was telling Nynaeve, the area of the Blight used to be his kingdom of Malkier? I really cannot recall from the book who went to the Eye of the World, I was under the impression they all went together but I may misremember it.
I only wonder about Moiraine asking the Fal Daran woman to send a message to the Red Ajah so that they would find Mat, knowing Liandrin she would probably hurt him so it felt a bit like a betrayal from Moiraine? This was a bit puzzling. Otherwise an engrossing episode, I guess one of the best in the show so far.
At first it felt a bit strange to watch Jesus living alone in a tent in the woods, though the scenes when He teaches Abigail and her friends the Lord's Prayer and to forgive their enemies is quite moving. It is good to see an episode centered on Jesus, as He has been a background character so far. Anyway, watching the show always makes me feel calm and comforted.
The farewell scene of Brienne and Jaime was great and quite moving.
Now I am a bit worried about Bran and his friends, I don't recall these events from the book so I have no idea how it would end.
Great episode, stunning visuals as usual and beautiful music, especially at the beginning of the episode, when there is silence before the storm before the king's death is know. It was suspenseful and engrossing from the very first moment to the surprising ending. Alicent believes that Viserys wanted her son Aegon to become king and intends to have him crowned, but in spite of this, even she is a bit shocked that the rest of the council under the leadership of her lord father has been plotting to supplant Aegon as heir for some time already. One of the lords who are against this gets killed by Ser Criston. Alicent wants her son to be king but doesn't approve of the violent means her father wants to use, and is against having Rhaenyra killed as the Hand wishes.
Prince Aegon is found missing and so a compeition ensues, a sort of race who gets to him first, the Kingsguard sent by Otto or Ser Criston and Aemond acting on Alicent's orders. Apparently the woman who used to be Daemon's whore at the beginning of the season is now an influential person in the underworld, nicknamed the White Worm, and knows where the prince is. The Hand's party get him first but he escapes them and in the end the Queen's party get him, so Alicent announces her father now everything would be as she wants it. Aegon doesn't want to be king and his younger brother believes he would be more suited to rule, but in the end he brings his brother to his mother.
Alicent is an interesting character in this episode, as she takes part in the plotting but opts for a more peaceful version of the power grab that her father would prefer, hence the conflict between them. She even tries to talk Rheanys to support her in the name of peace and less bloodshed in the kingdom. Her father accuses her that she doesn't want to have Rhaenrya killed more out of liking for her as her childhood friend than because her late husband wouldn't like to have his daughter killed. Rhaenys tells her that Alicent really doesn't want the power for herself, but always for the men around her and it seems to make Alicent think a bit on this matter, though in the end she goes on with the coronation of Aegon all the same. On the other hand, she seems to be moved by her husband's death since she cries when she is alone so that it is not for show. Though she might be afraid about her position now as well. Larys offers her to kill her ladies-in-waiting and other people who may be spying for her father and it is not clear whether she agreed, though the fire in one of the buildings suggests she did.
The coronation is really visually stunning, though I am not sure whether Aegon would be a good king and wouldn't have the people who helped him get the throne killed if he has the mood, as one of the Kingsguard noticed that when he was a prince he had a proclivity for violence. Alicent asks him not to have Rhaenyra killed but I don't think he would follow his mother's advice.
The ending was surprising as one of the Kingsguard helped Rhaenys to escape from the palace where she was imprisoned, and she witnessed the coronation of Aegon dressed as one of the smallfolk, though at the end she slipped out and returned on the back of her dragon. However, instead of dracarysing everyone present, she just flew away. This was a bit disappointing as she only showed them she could have killed them but now they are alive they may have their revenge on her and her family and she may regret not using her chance to get rid of them.
I really missed Rhaenyra and Daemon, I wonder what they are up to? Hope we'll find out next episode.
I have read the first book in the series, "The Eye of the World", and I can see there are significant changes from the source material but somehow it isn't a problem for me like it was in the case of "The Witcher", maybe because I am not a great fan of the books so I don't mind the changes. It is a bit disappointing that they do not show the Green Man who helps them with fighting the servants of the dark one, he was a bit similar to Tolkien's Ents so I would like to see that. From what I recall from the book, the eponymous Eye was a pool full of pure saidin which has not been touched by the dark one and Rand uses it to defeat the baddie, I'm not sure if it is Ishamael or some of his servants, the duel between them is also much longer, with both of them creating long weaves of the power. I really hated the dark demonic vision of Ishamael which Rand has in the novels, so I rather liked the idyllic family scene he presented to Rand in the show, of his dream life with Egwene and their baby which Rand can make true if he follows Ishamael's teachings of the black magic and embraces his power, for a time it seems that Rand's going to succumb, but he manages to overcome the temptation and in this way defeat the main baddie. He then leaves - I think in the direction of Dragonmount - and tells Moiraine to lie to others that he had died.
The first scene with the flashback to Lews Therin, the original Dragon, seems interesting as it looks like the showrunners invented a new language for it (since from what I remember the language Jordan uses in his novels is not really complete and there are only phrases strewn here and there), though it seems to me that the conversation lacks some emotion, it feels dry and formal while the fate of the world is at stake. The steampunk-life world outside Lews Therin's window gives us a glimpse of the technology which was lost due to the breaking of the world which he caused.
There are many emotional scenes in the episode, but I liked the conversation between Lan and Nynaeve the best, it feels quite intimate and heart-felt, Lan confesses his love for her but they have to part as he intends to track Moiraine using the hints Nynaeve gave him, and they believe they would never see each other again (in the novels they are supposed to get married as I know from spoilers so I wonder whether it would be changed in the show since they've already changed a lot).
The battle is impressive, with some call-backs to "The Lord of the Rings" as the trollocs attacking the wall of Tarwin’s Gap bring to mind the orcs climbing on the walls of Helm's Deep in "The Two Towers." The defenders have some advantage as they can attack the enemy from overhead but they are quickly outnumbered. The ruling family of Fal Dara dies, both the brother and the sister, he is killed by the trolloc and she channels linked to other women (including Egewene and Nynaeve) and is overwhelmed by too much power, two other women are also burned to their deaths with the power, only the Two Rivers women remain. It is unclear whether Nynaeve is also killed and Egwene resurrects her with her channelling or whether she was only severely wounded but not actually dead. From Nynaeve's channelling in the episode when she saves Lan and others from the false Dragon it seems that in the show you can resurrect a person who hasn't been dead for very long yet, and it is not clear how long Nynaeve was dead as there is a cut to other scene. It is nice she's back since I liked her character in the show but the fact she's alive seems a bit too plot-armoury to me.
Perrin sees as some men from Fal Dara dig out the Horn of Valere which was hidden under the throne (this is the subject of the second volume so I have no idea what has been changed here), however, Padan Fain comes with some fades and slays the women guarding the passage, the men and even Loial, then he talks to Perrin and names all five Two River folks ta’veren, which is a significant difference from the novel as there only Rand, Perrin and Mat are ta’veren, here Egwene and Nynaeve are also included. Fain suggests that some of the ta’veren would turn to the darkness and there is a cut to Mat going back to Shadar Logoth, suggesting it would be him, though I think in the books none of the ta’veren does turn to evil (at least in "The Eye of the World"), so it is another serious divergence from the source material. I was not a big fan of Mat but it is sad they seem to change him into a negative character?
The episode ends badly for Moiraine as she loses all her power in the confrontation with Ishamael and she cannot channel anymore or feel the one power. Lan find her sitting on the site of the Eye of the World and she confides in him that she cannot re-establish their bond since she cannot channel anymore; however, it is clear that they still have a strong emotional bond as Lan consoles and supports her. I guess this was not the case in the novels either, and it seems like a worrying trend of showrunners depriving enchantresses of their magic, as the same thing happened to Yennefer in "The Witcher", with disastrous results concerning her character arc.
The end of the episode shows a girl playing on the beach who sees upcoming ships, containing what must be the enslaved channellers called damane (I've read that in book spoilers too), which suggests Seanchan will be shown next season.
The episode was defintely emotional as the show draws to a close and we know that these are the last days of Arthur. Good that he finally appreciates Merlin for his courage, better late than never, even though in the next line he accuses him of cowardice of leaving him just now before the battle. But Merlin is only taking the Paths of the Dead (I could not resist from a Tolkien reference, which is particularly pervasive in an episode about the battle between good and evil). It is hard not to think about how happy Gimli son of Gloin would have been in the Crystal Cave. There are Tolkien references everywhere, even in the clothing of Morgana's army which resembles the dress code of the orcs and Easterlings. Before the main attack, an outpost falls to the enemy just like Osgiliath next to Minas Tirith in LotR.
Mordred is a sort of Grima Wormtongue to Morgana's Saruman, especially as he does have his doubts about joining her at the beginning of the episode when Morgana tries out the magic-eating slug on one of her followers (a bit like Grima crying when he sees the enormous army Saruman sends against Rohan). Though on the whole, Mordred seems to enjoy working together with Morgana, particularly as he is the one to get the magic sword forged in dragon's fire. He is definitely her right-hand man and the most important person in her army. They look really impressive when they make magic together. It may be that Morgana has something akin to a genuine affection for Mordred, though it may be that she uses him as a very effective tool which would be thrown away when he outlives his usefulness.
We got two pep talks: Balinor to Merlin making him believe in himself and his magic, and Arthur to his knights at Camlann. Sorry Arthur but as pep talks before a battle go, nothing beats Aragorn's speech at the Black Gate. Arthur is trying hard to say the speech and motivate his people, but it is clear that he is afraid of the outcome of the battle. Good that he has Gwen with him to console him and strengthen his spirit and self-confidence, as Gwen also has her own pep talk to Arthur before they go to bed. I really hope that Gwen would be with child as it would allow her to continue the Pendragon dynasty and strengthen her claim to the throne which would be tenuous as she was raised to royalty by the marriage to Arthur. If Morgana survives the battle, her claim to Camelot may be stronger than that of Guinevere, unless Gwen carries Arthur's child. It will give her right to rule that would not be easily undermined.
The scene with Morgana imprisoning Merlin in the cave is a callback to the story of Merlin from Arthurian legends, in which he is defeated in this way by Nimue, after she learns everything she wanted of his magic and has enough of his amorous advances. In the legends Merlin never leaves the cave and probably dies there, and the whole story happens long time before Camlann, but the time of which Merlin has already been dead for quite some time, so he can have no influence on the battle whatsoever. In the show, Merlin survives to the very end, as he is both the main protagonist and the point-of-view character.
The story of Rufus was very tragic and heart-breaking, I was still crying some time after watching this episode. Claire and Jamie had to face a really terrible choice in this story, it was particularly terrifying to Claire who saved the boy's life only to have to poison him to give him a less painful death that the mob intended for him. I fear she would have to face many such dilemmas if she and Jamie are going to stay in America. What began as a more peaceful part in the life of the Frasers, turned out to be one of the most devastating tales.
The episode was really moving, it is great that Anne and Gilbert confessed their love to each other and that Diana's parents allowed her to study with Anne, and the scene when the Cutberths bring Anne her mother's book was also quite touching. I would say it was a perfect ending to the show but for the Indian girl whose plot was left unresolved. It is hard to believe that Anne cared about Ka'kwet so much and then totally forgot her. When you introduce new characters at least have the decency to finish their character arch and do not leave their fate unexplained. It is good that Matthew is alive, though, from what I recall from the books, he died before Anne went to college, so that is a positive change, as a child I cried rivers as I read about Matthew's death.
Amazing episode, the battle was breath-taking, and there were also quite moving scenes, such as the ones with Sam and Gilly (one of my favourite characters) and Jon's goodbye to Ygritte was really tear-jerking.
The highest concentration of the most emotional scenes from the novel.
Epic finale to the show, most of the plot points are solved, and there are some sad endings as from among the Foundation characters, Hober and Salvor are dead, they both sacrificed their lives for the people they loved, so there is some parallel between them as Hober gives the only escape pod to Constant before the ship explodes, and Salvor saves Gaal's life when she is attacked by a boy possessed by Tellem.
At the beginning, it is explained how Gaal saved Hari using some telepathical link between them and then transforming the guard's body into Hari's so that Tellem would think he was dead. The telepaths claim that Hari and the girls freed them since they were forced to do Tellem's will and not their own. They are in friendship but on the other hand if Hari and the girls had flown away in the Beggar, Salvor would still be alive. I do not really get the idea behind both Hari and Gaal going into cryo sleep, since they would not teach the mentalics anything now they are asleep and they were supposed to prepare for the Mule.
The best positive thing is that as Constant floats through the universe, she comes upon the Vault floting in space as well, and it turns out that the thing is bigger on the inside like Doctor Who's blue box and Hari managed to save all the people from Terminus and transfered them into the Vault so that they are all alive now.
It was really fun when it turned out that Bel used Hober's device to switch bodies with Day and the Empire was thrown out of the spaceship to the destroyed planet. Though it is a pity they both died on the spaceship and I feel sorry for Constant for losing her boyfriend. Bel's partner was saved by the Vault so he is alive as well as people from Terminus.
Demerzel tells Dusk and Rue who are imprisoned in her previous quarters her story and declares her love for Cleon, though she has to kill them both to restore the status quo as she is slaved to serve the Empire. She also tries to eliminate Sareth by arresting her for high treason, but Dawn manages to escape with her. It is not clear whether Dawn and his pregnant lover finally escape or are remotely killed by Demerzel, but in the end she decants the new trio of Cleons, so that everything is back to square one.
The show was visually stunning and the characters rather interesting and complex. I know from some reviews lots of things were changed from the books but Asimov must have had a great imagination. I would definitely wait for next season. Lee Pace is absolutely great as Day, he was born for this role.
The episode starts a bit slow but gradually gains momentum until the confrontation between Rhaenyra and Daemon. The princess is a rather likeable character that you can root for, I hope she would not change into a monster like Dany did in GoT. She thinks a bit out of the box and is not afraid to take dangerous decisions as in choosing to confront Daemon against her father's wishes. The father-daughter relationship between Rhaenyra and her dad king Viserys is very interesting, because even though they seemed to have fallen out after Aemma's death, they have quite a normal and loving relation which is exceptional in Westerosi standards. The king also looks like a more "human" person and not someone bent on plots and intrigues, which perhaps makes others perceive him as weak. It looks like his interest in Rhaenrya's friend Alicent is genuine as he rejects a more advantageous match in favour of her (though it may be said that Velaryon's daughter is too young to bring him heirs anyway so there may be a practical reason behind it as well). Though I supposed he would marry them both as it was Targaryen custom to have more than one wife. This decision does complicate matters as the spurned Velaryon wants to convince Daemon to join his side. As for Daemon, it seems that Rhaenyra is the only one who can reach him and have some sort of influence over him. It looks like she might be a good ruler if she ever gets the throne.
I loved the visuals in this episode, I think the intro was not shown in the first one? but it is really impressive. The interiors of the court are so detailed with all the furniture and even food that they resemble real places and not some stage decorations like in "The Witcher". The costumes are also meticulously made. Dragonstone covered in mist was a feast for the eyes. Though I got the impression that Rhaenyra was risking quite a lot in confronting Daemon as his dragon seemed bigger than her Syrax, or the scene was shot in such a way.
Much more solemn in tone that "Pride and Prejudice" and with more broken hearts and love sufferings, but also a classic and great adaptation with wonderful acting.
The episode was very emotional and tense, and some parts such as the burial of the children and the hymn were really moving. I have never heard about the tragedy at Aberfan in spite of studying English history as part of my English studies, so I also learnt something new. The behaviour of the queen seemed a bit heartless, though, with prince Phillip and Tony doing more to show support to the common people. I wonder whether she was really moved by the tragedy and loss of the children's parents or the fact that she finally visited the site of the tragedy was only a political move on her side? The last scene suggests she was touched only she has problems expressing her emotions (maybe because of decades of surpressing them). Was it this imability to express emotions the reason why she initially decided not to come to the tragedy-struck town? perhaps...
The final episode of season 4 was very emotional, with Arthur finally getting back Camelot from Morgana and marrying Gwen. It also featured an interesting turn on the story of the sword Excalibur, which in traditional Arthurian legends is pulled by teenage Arthur before his reign begins, here it is used by Merlin to restore Arthur's faith in himself which he lost after Morgana captured Camelot. He makes up the legend about the sword in the stone so that Arthur can feel more self-confident (as we know from earlier episodes, Merlin himself placed the sword in the stone after the dragon told him to hide it), yet it would not be possible for Arthur to take the sword out of the stone had Merlin not wiggled it out of there with his magic.
Merlin does a lot of magic in this episode, some very powerful magic, as when he finally uses the dragon as a weapon, summoning him to burn Agravaine's people with dragonfire. Maybe the dragon could have been used in this way before to prevent other attacks on Camelot by Morgana? Merlin finally sees sense how to use the dragon in combat. Later on, his confrontation with Agravaine is breathtaking, Merlin firmly stands his ground and it is clear that you do not mess with angry Merlin who is defending Arthur. The scene with Arthur looking for Merlin and finally calling Merlin his friend is rather moving, and it is clear that Arthur means it even though he tries to make it a joke a moment later.
The conversation in which Arthur rejects Gwen and tells her that the kiss and hug from the previous episode means nothing to him seemed a bit out of the character for Arthur, especially as we know that he does love Gwen. It takes Isolde's death to make him finally understand how much he cares for Gwen. Gwen's coronation was one of the most moving scenes in the episode, another one was Isolde's death, I never thought I would be crying because of a character who was so short on the show but it was truly touching how she sacrificed herself to save Arthur's life even though she knew him only for a couple of days. Her death was very sad but necessary for Arthur to discover what it means to lose someone you love and that he should not push his feelings for Gwen away, as he would be as devastated as Tristan was, had something happened to Guinevere. I wonder what happens to Tristan now, would he become one of the Knights of the Round Table as it is the case in the Arthurian legends? It is a pity Isolde will not be in the show anymore but maybe Tristan will become a fixture?
Seriously wounded Morgana escapes from Camelot without any allies or supporters, yet she is saved by the white dragon which Merlin had rescued. It is quite ironic that the cute little dragon that owes his life to Merlin helps Morgana, as without this dragon she would have probably died. So in this way Merlin indirectly made it possible for her to survive and probably cause Arthur and Camelot further trouble.
It was all very emotional, and it seems that the showrunners had more money for all the CGI and the creation of creepy castles and other locations. Morgana turned into the very archetype of the witch/sorceress, and her magical abilities increased significantly, just as her evil tendencies, as she is willing to sacrifice her sister whom she seemed to have loved before in order to finally defeat Arthur. Though she is stupid to use her army of the dead to kill random people instead of going straight for Arthur. I guess this stupid mistake will cost her a lot and she will lose again. I am not sure why Morgana is often associated with the being Cailleach, since it was also the case in "Cursed."
I wonder how the blood sacrifice problem would be solved, because it is obvious that neither Arthur nor Merlin would be this sacrifice as they have to live to the end of the show. Maybe they are going to sacrifice Lancelot so that they can avoid problems in the future.
The scene with Arthur saying goodbye to his father is sort of moving as it reminds me of my Dad as he was dying and there was hardly any contact with him, and now Uther behaves almost as if he was already brain-dead.
It seems the most interesting and dense episode so far, with more mature issues than usually dealt with in the show. What happened to Gwen's dad is of course inexcusable, and definitely it shows Uther is a very negative light, as he hates magic so much he is unreasonably harsh towards everybody who has the slightest contact with it. I don't think this is a correct behaviour of a king to hunt real and imagined enemies of his country.
I enjoyed the courtly intrigue in this episode, which made it rather engrossing and more similar to other fantasy series. Morgana got a great character development arc, and the scene of her conversation with Uther was very emotional as it was not certain whether she would change her mind about him or go through with the assassination nevertheless.
Overall, the episode was generally dramatic, particularly if you have lost your dad recently, it really makes all the feelings come back.
A very emotional episode, with lots of sad events starting from Jamie being forced to wear the Redcoat uniform and Claire losing her medical equipment, followed by the saddest scene in the season so far. Murtagh's death scene was very moving, particularly Jamie's reaction to it and how devastated he was, since Murtagh was a father figure to him and now Jamie feels left on his own, without support of his family from Scotland, now he has to stand on his own feet. I guess Jamie had hoped to the last moment that he would somehow be able to save Murtagh's life, that is why he agreed to Roger's dangerous plan. Now he will perhaps blame himself for Roger's death as well. The whole episode emphasises the senselessness and cruelty of war, which is never a good solution to anything.
Until Brianna's opening up to Claire about the rape, it is a sunny and positive episode with many moving and beautiful scenes, such as Bree's first meeting with her biological father and her reunion with her Mum, also the meeting of the "extended" Fraser family together with Ian and Murtagh in the little house is almost idyllic, it is also great to watch Bree gradually bonding with Jamie as well as Jamie discovering love for his daughter.
Coming back to the final part of the episode, how did Bree manage to hide her trauma from her mother for so long? We know the reason she did it but it must have been really hard to pretend she is having a good time when she really suffered after all been through.
The parts showing Brianna's bond with Frank were quite moving, and added new depths to both these characters. Brianna seems to be quite a courageous person to undertake the travel through time, she has a lot of resillience. Roger is also pretty determined to find Brianna, so it seems he really loves her and cares for her. He had really bad luck to get on the ship with Bonnet as a captain! Bree was also unlucky to stumble across Laoghaire, who was relatively nice until she went postal after discovering her true identity. Brianna making friends with Laoghaire's youngest daughter was also a really nice part of the episode. As I have lost my father some years ago, I found the plot of Frank and Brienne rather touching.
The part when Eleven reads Hopper's letter to her is really moving.
Very emotional and even moving. I'd never thought I may find an episode of GoT touching, but here it is.
Great epiosode, both visually with fantastic cinematography and as far as the plot is concerned. The most interesting character in this episode is the Welsh professor, forced to teach Charles Welsh against his republican beliefs, as with time a sort of friendship develops between the prince and his tutor, as Millward begins to feel sorry for the socially awkward and lonely prince. The final scene when Charles is rejected by his mother and told that nobody cares about his feelings or opinions is quite sad, it looks like the prince had better relationship with the tutor than with his own mother. The queen schools him about hiding one's own feelings but it looks like she had been doing this for so long that she stopped having any emotions altogether.
The first part of the episode with the olive business and Peter talking to the Roman guy as if he were his best friend were a bit of a filler, though as soon as Jesus appeared, everything started to take more speed and meaning as well. The healing of Veronica and Jairus' daughter were beautiful and very moving scenes, I guess it is the best episode this season.
The episode was very intensive and character-driven as it has been the case in this first season of the show. Rhaenyra and Daemon (who have two children together by this time) return to King's Landing as they got news that Corlys' brother wants to put a claim to Driftmark and declare her sons illegitimate. She seems distraught by that as she offers Rhaenys the marriage of her granddaughters to her sons, respectively, and pleads with her father, asking him whether the story of Aegon's dream was really true.
The political plots are interesting but the ailing king Viserys really steals the show, he suffers terribly from some kind of disease which leaves him covered in ulcers, and while he gets milk of the poppy for the pain, Alicent and her lord father are the real rulers of the kingdom. Alicent's became very religious and installed the stars of the Seven everywhere and introduced prayers before meals. She seems understanding towards a serving maid her son took advantage of, but I am not sure whether she didn't have the girl killed behind the scenes as she doesn't appear at work the next day.
As I said, the king is the biggest star of the episode, and the scene in which he surprises everyone by walking to the throne room and then sitting on the Iron Throne is really impressive. The king has shown some pluck and courage at last, as we can guess he suffers a lot doing that since he didn't take the milk of the poppy to keep his mind clear. It is sad to watch how he has to walk all this long way to the Iron Throne alone and nobody runs to help him, only Daemon aids him to climb the throne itself at the end. Rhaenrys seems to care about her father but does not help him walk to the throne, so she is just thhinking about what is there for her to gain. He declares that Rhaenys is the one who knows best Corlys's plans about succession and a bit suprisingly, Rhaenys supports Rhaenyra, with the result of the king declaring Lucerys the heir to the Dragonstone. Corlys' brother accuses Rhaenrya's children of being bastards and the king orders his tounge to be cut off, though Daemon slices his head so that the tounge remains whole. He is not punished for that in any way so I guess it was OK with the king.
The king also orders a dinner for all the members of his family, himself included, and makes a speech calling upon them to make peace among themselves to honour him, and initially they do so, starting with Rhaenyra praising Alicent for caring for the king, and Alicent reciprocates by praising Rhaenrya as a mother, and others follow, but the words are not sincere as when the king is too weak to stay any longer, Alicent's eldest son launches a verbal attack on Rhaenyra's boys and there is a short fight.
It looks like the king is dying, and in his last words he says that the story is true, and the listener is the prince that was promised, but it is nor Rhaenryra who is listening, but Alicent. She takes it that it is the king's will that their son Aegon is to be the next ruler of Westeros, so I guess the war will begin for real in the next episode. Though the old king was quite moving this episode, still supportive of his daughter and wanting his whole family to make peace. Also, the story of Aegon's dreams seemed to be very important to him and it was the thing he clung to in the last moments of his life.
