'Game of Thrones' Recap: The Battle of the Blackwater Lives Up to All the Hype!

 

This is the second to last episode of the second season of Game of Thrones -- I know, can you believe it? And this episode is the one to watch. Plenty of action is expected, as Stannis Baratheon's forces finally march on King's Landing to take on the Lannisters. Ever since reading A Clash of Kings, I was so looking forward to seeing this battle on my television screen. And the author of the series, George R. R. Martin, wrote the script for this episode! So let's get to the discussion/spoilers for "Blackwater," which are below ... don't click if you haven't watched the episode! And I'm keeping the book/show comparisons to a miminum, mmmk? Whew, this episode was quite a rush! It starts out peaceful enough: As all the key players like Ser Davos, Tyrion, Cersei, Sandor Clegane (the Hound), Bronn, and Joffrey get ready for the battle, Cersei, Sansa, Shae, and some other high-borns can do nothing but hide and wait for the outcome. I'd probably do exactly the same thing Cersei does -- get drunk. Tyrion has masterminded the whole defense plan, as the Lannister fleet is nowhere in sight to defend the gates -- not a good omen for Baratheon, wouldn't you say? Only one ship approaches Baratheon's massive fleet, and no one is on board. Soon enough we see that the ship is oozing wildfire, and Tyrion gives the signal to ignite it. The gigantic, green flames engulf everything and everyone, and screams of dying men pierce the night.  But it's not over yet. Baratheon's armies are coming ashore. It seems no expenses were spared as a shower of flaming arrows rains down on them. (Side note: Is there any way I can watch big medieval battle scenes without being reminded of The Lord of the Rings? Does anyone else feel that way?)  As Cersei learns about what's going on outside, she demands that Joffrey be taken out of the battle. The Hound's old fears of fire come back to haunt him, so he fleets, and with their leadership seemingly falling apart, Tyrion takes charge. In the middle of the most intense of the fighting, he gets terribly wounded by a man in his own army (in the book it was Ser Mandon Moore), and his fate is TBD. But, when all seemed lost, Tywin Lannister and his army swoop in to win the day!  In all, I was super impressed with this episode and felt that the battle scene was as epic as any movie's. Cersei and Tyrion were even given some classic one-liners to provide some comedic relief among all the violence -- and boy was there plenty of violence. Kudos to HBO to giving this battle the attention (and funding) this story deserves. Whew, I need to go do some yoga now, so see you all next week for the final episode of this amazing season!