Game of Thrones - Mockingbird - Review : "The Perfect Place"

    Game of Thrones, “Mockingbird,” was written by the team of David Benioff and DB Weiss, who have written all of the remaining episodes this season, and was directed by Alik Sakharov who did such a wonderful job with the previous episode. Once again, the episode contains some amazing performances and some truly shocking moments.

    Almost every scene involves either children, childhood, or the importance of siblings. In the opening scene Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is chastising Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) for throwing away the deal Jaime made to save him. It’s a wonderful scene. Tyrion tries to deflect with humor that falls completely flat between them. Tyrion reveals the depth of his love for Shae and how much her apparent betrayal has hurt him.

    It’s also clear, however, that Tyrion isn’t sorry to have taken away Tywin’s (Charles Dance) chance at finally getting everything he wanted. Tyrion doesn’t want to be responsible for ruining his brother’s life – or getting him killed. Jaime tells Tyrion that he can’t be his champion because he can no longer defeat the Mountain – Gregor Clegane (Haspor Julius Bjornsson) with only one hand. Tyrion is bitter that their father would sacrifice him even knowing he is innocent. Jaime insists that Tywin would sacrifice any of them. Tyrion disputes that calling Jaime the golden son who “can kill a King, lose a hand, fuck your sister.” Jaime objects to the last, telling Tyrion “Careful.” Jaime’s fault may be that he loves both his siblings too well, disappointing both of them in the process. Of course, we have seen that Tywin really doesn’t seem to favor any of his children and is brutal with all of them and their feelings.

    Tyrion does take some comfort in having gotten “to tell them what they really are.” To which Jaime responds, “I thought you were a realist. Didn’t realize you’d die for pride.” Jaime is clearly distressed that he can’t fight for and save his brother – his attempt at making a deal failed miserably. Underscoring Jaime’s helplessness without his ability to fight physically. This scene – and the others in the dungeon – is beautifully shot, keeping the lighting soft and dark. The blocking and camera angles emphasize the pillars to make it seem more claustrophobic and we frequently see Tyrion shot through the bars.

    His next visitor is the long awaited Bronn (Jerome Flynn). This scene, perhaps more than any, made me very sad as it seems to be the end of Tyrion and Bronn’s relationship, and I wonder if we will see much of Bronn going forward. Cersei (Lena Headey) has arranged a marriage for Bronn with the daughter of a wealthy landowner. It’s not a perfect situation, of course, and Bronn will have to kill his fiance’s older sister in order to inherit. Cersei has a built in insurance policy as she will no doubt be privy to the future murder, thus keeping Bronn firmly under her control.

    It is a painful scene to watch, but it’s also a brutally honest one. Bronn’s only reason for coming to Tyrion at all is to give him a chance to live up to his promise to double any offer that Bronn receives to betray him. Unfortunately, Tyrion is in no position to do so. When gold, gratitude and promises based on an uncertain future don’t sway Bronn, Tyrion attempts to rely on their friendship. But Bronn’s response is telling: “Aye. Because I’m your friend. And when have you ever risked your life for me?” Tyrion suddenly realizes just how unequal their “friendship” has been. In fact, this is almost the same kind of stripping away as Tyrion experienced with Shae. Are those closest to him only loyal because he’s paid them to be so? Is there no one, other than Jaime, who value him for himself? It’s a bitter pill to swallow.

    However, Bronn does apologize, telling Tyrion that he does like him, he just likes himself better. And really, even Tyrion can’t fault that logic. He tells Bronn, “Why are you sorry? Because you’re an evil bastard with no conscience and no heart? That’s what I liked about you in the first place.” It’s the sort of reputation that Tyrion has fostered for himself after all. Tyrion absolves his friend and offers his hand. Bronn whole heartedly takes it and embraces it with both hands. He tells Tyrion, “we had some good days together” and asks what Tyrion will do. Typically, Tyrion jokes, “I guess I’ll have to kill the Mountain myself. Won’t that make for a good song?” Bronn leaves, telling Tyrion that he hopes to hear the song one day.

    Tyrion’s final visitor results in one of the most powerful and surprising scenes – certainly for those of us who haven’t read the books! Oberyn (Pedro Pascal) comes to see Tyrion. Oberyn tells Tyrion about his meeting with Cersei and how they talked about how much she was worried about her daughter. Oberyn realizes that she was trying to sway him against Tyrion. Tyrion remarks that “Making honest feelings do dishonest work is one of her many gifts.” Like her father and other parents in the episode, her child is a pawn, but mothers tend to come off as more protective. Oberyn responds that she wants her brother dead. Tyrion tells Oberyn that she might have saved herself the trouble as he’s pretty much sealed his own fate: “the joy she will feel when my head leaves my neck. She’s wanted this for a long time.”

    Oberyn then reveals that he knows this and that he met Tyrion once a long time ago – when Tyrion was still a baby. Peter Dinklage is simply outstanding once again in this scene and Pedro Pascal is his equal. It seems that every week this show is determined to top itself. The pain on Dinklage’s face as Pascal relates the story of their first meeting is raw and palpable. Oberyn tells Tyrion that this was his first time away from Doorn and that he hated everything about Casterly Rock. But they’d heard about this monster and they wanted to see it. Cersei kept promising to take them to see the monster, but when she finally revealed the monster, all Oberyn and his sister saw was a baby. Tyrion was not a monster to them but a person.

    Oberyn reveals that he told Cersei as much, but she insisted that Tyrion was a monster because he’d killed their mother in child birth. It’s clear that Tyrion feels guilty over that. But Cersei’s hatred extended to physical abuse, and Oberyn tells Tyrion that she pinched “your little cock so hard, I thought she might pull it off until your brother made her stop.” Even then Jaime was trying to protect him. Cersei told Oberyn that it didn’t matter because the baby would be dead soon anyway. Tyrion replies that sooner or later Cersei gets what she wants. Both Dinklage and Pascal had tears in their eyes by this point in the scene.

    Oberyn demands, “What about what I want? Justice. For my sister and her children.” It’s why he’s come to King’s Landing after all. Tyrion tells him, “If you want justice, you’ve come to the wrong place.” However, Oberyn has clearly given this a lot of thought and tells Tyrion, “I’ve come to the perfect place. I want to bring those who’ve wronged me to justice and all those who’ve wronged me are right here.” He tells the horrific tale of what Clegane did to his sister and her children and then he tells Tyrion he will be his champion. My hope is that Oberyn doesn’t blame Tyrion for what befell his sister and her children and that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! Oberyn and Tryion have a great deal in common after all. I’m not sure it’s possible to be more excited about the fight between the Mountain and the Viper that is surely coming up in the next episode.

    Elsewhere we are given even more reason to hate the Mountain and to sympathize with his sibling, the Hound (Rory McCann), who, like Tyrion, was also tortured by his sibling under the uncaring eye of his father. Arya (Maisie Williams) and the Hound come across a dying man (Barry McGovern). Arya tells him he shouldn’t be out in the open, and the Hound tells him what he already knows – he’s dying and there’s no hope. Arya wants to know why he goes on – this question is clearly meant in a larger context. Why fight against impossible odds? The man tells her “Habit.” Arya points out that nothing can be worse than his current situation, but the man points out that the unknown could be worse – death could be worse. Arya’s cynicism and nihilism are reflected again as she repeats the phrase that “nothing isn’t better or worse than anything. Nothing is just nothing.” When he asks who she is, she tells him. She’s finished hiding, she’s no longer afraid but completely focused on her mission.

    The man asks if the Hound is her father, and he tells her he is her captor and is going to exchange her for ransom. Increasingly, of course, the Hound is sliding more towards the role of teacher and protector and away from captor.The dying man somewhat surprisingly agrees with this. He says it’s a fair exchange. He can appreciate the balance in the deal – something he sees as lacking in the rest of the world. No doubt, his own death is hardly a fair exchange for the hardships of his life.

    The Hound, somewhat surprisingly, shows mercy to the man, giving him a drink of water and then killing him quickly before he sees it coming. He uses the death to instruct Arya on where the heart is and the quickest way to dispatch an enemy. They are immediately set upon by the Biter (Gerard Jordan) who bites the Hound and Rorge (Andy Beckwith) who Arya remembers as having threatened to fuck her bloody with a stick. The Hound asks if he’s on her list. Arya says he can’t be as she doesn’t know his name. The Hound then asks his name. As soon as he responds, Arya puts her latest lesson to work and stabs him in the heart. Williams is terrific in this scene as she simply matter of factly lunges forward, dispatches him, and wipes her sword clean. The Hound approves her dispassionate killing and tells her she’s learning.

    The Hound attempts to stitch up his own wound. Arya, not understanding the depth of his terror, insists that he needs to cauterize the wound with just a little bit of fire. It’s blackly funny that she tells him it will only hurt a little bit when he’s the one who’s had half his face burned and is a much better position to know just how much it will hurt! As she approaches him with a flaming stick, he recoils and bolts away from her. He’s ashamed of his weakness, but with his head turned away, he tells the story of how he got the burns. His brother accused him of stealing a toy, which he insists he’d only borrowed to play with – as children do. His brother held his face to the fire. He tells Arya that the pain was bad but the smell was worse. The worst part was that it was his brother who maimed him and his father protected his brother by telling everyone that his bedding had caught fire. The Hound says to Arya, “You think you’re on your own.” The Hound has no family that cares about him at all. Tyrion at least has Jaime. It’s a nice moment when the Hound concedes to letting Arya clean and stitch the wound for him – for once he’s not alone.

    Another quasi-parent/child relationship occurs between Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and her subjects and between Daenerys and Ser Jorah (Iain Glen). Daario (Michiel Huisman) presses Daenerys to let him use his talents – for women or for battle. Daenerys takes advantage of his visit to satisfy her own urges and allows him to sway her into a bloodthirsty response to the Masters revolting against her rule in Yunkai. There’s a nice moment when Jorah runs into Daario leaving Daenerys’s apartments. Daenerys doesn’t clearly recognize the torch that Jorah carries for her, but Daario clearly does, and he takes some satisfaction in making sure Jorah knows he spent the night.

    Just as both Jorah and Barristan (Ian McElhinney) cautioned Daenerys against showing no mercy to the masters of Meereen, he cautions her against her plan to have the old masters slaughtered. He tells her “if you want the slaves to know more than brutality, you must show them.” To illustrate his point, Jorah points out that he wouldn’t be there if Ned Stark had followed the same path as Daenerys and showed no mercy. Daenerys must act as parent to her subjects, but she is also instructed by Jorah. Not only does she concede to Jorah’s suggestion, she also says that she will send Hizdahr zo Loraq to act as her ambassador to bring the masters under control. Jorah’s victory is complete, however, when Daenerys tells him to tell Daario that Jorah has changed her mind about the mission to Yunkai.

    The scene between Melisandre (Carice van Houten) and Selyse (Tara Fitzgerald) feels almost sisterly, except that Melisandre is also clearly, instructing Selyse. Many of the story lines deal with the dissembling in some way – a reflection perhaps of the title of the episode, “Mockingbird,” as they are known for mimicking others. Melisandre tells Selyse that most of her powers and potions are simply illusion – lies that lead to the truth. Selyse is disturbed and asks if lies aren’t best avoided. She also wants to know if Melisandre had to use her powders to seduce Stannis (Stephen Dillane). Melisandre tells her she didn’t but that it’s just flesh that needs what it needs. This is an interesting reflection on Daenerys’ night with Daario – which follows in the next scene.

    Selyse’s main motive in coming to Melisandre is to seek her support against Stannis to keep him from taking Shireen (Kerry Ingram) with them. Selyse’s abhorrence for her daughter is now well established. Melisandre flatters Selyse, and tells her that she can see the truth without the need for lies. She suggest that Shireen must come with them and that the lord needs her. Melisandre seems to be suggesting that Shireen may end as some sort of sacrifice, but that may be a way to get Selyse to agree to her coming.

    The benefits of telling the truth versus being circumspect also plays a role in Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Podrick’s (Daniel Portman) scenes. While a Knight – which Brienne again points out she isn’t – is in the role of parent or at least instructor for their Squire, Podrick proves he can also teach Brienne. Brienne simply tells Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey) who they are looking for. Hot Pie, himself, has the foresight not to simply blurt out what he knows. I loved the look of horror on Brienne’s face when Hot Pie just sits down with them and starts discussing the best way to cook a steak and kidney pie. No doubt, he just assumed that Brienne, being a woman, would be interested!

    It would seem that Brienne’s honesty worked in their favor. But Podrick puts to good use what he learned from his former master, Tyrion, and deduces that Arya and likely Sansa (Sophie Turner) are at the Eyrie with their aunt. We also don’t know if anyone else was listening in the pub. It’s possible that there may yet be negative consequences to Brienne’s openness. It’s also not clear if Brienne has decided to go to the Aerie or continue to the wall when they choose their fork in the road.

    At the wall, Jon (Kit Harrington) returns from his victory only to be put firmly back in his place by Ser Alliser (Owen Teale). He makes Jon lock up Ghost, insisting “this is no place for wild animals.” Jon urges caution and that they seal the tunnel. Alliser and the first builder refuse to listen. The master will not be taught by the younger.

    Finally, at the Eyrie, Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Robin (Lino Facioli) discuss Winterfell. Robin is shocked that there was no Moon Door at Winterfell through which to dispose of the bad people. He proudly tells Sansa that when he is older, as Lord of the Vale he’ll send the bad people, the scary people, and finally the people he simply doesn’t like through the Moon Door. Clearly if Robin makes it to adulthood, he’s going to be just as scary as his mother. Sansa is really not that much older than Robin, so their ensuing fight is a bit childish, but when Robin’s tantrum gets out of control, Sansa slaps him. She’s immediately contrite – and it was both shocking and satisfying to see Sansa  who’s been so stifled at King’s Landing actually stand up to someone. Baelish (Aidan Gillen) immediately tells her not to worry about it, that he’ll take care of it and that his mother should have done it long ago.

    This may be Turner’s best performance to date and Gillen is wonderful in these scenes as we finally get to see the veil pulled back. Baelish is really the Mockingbird of the title – he’s worn a mockingbird pin for a long time, just as he’s dissembled for so long. Sansa laments that she’ll probably never see Winterfell again, to which Baelish responds that a lot can happen between now and never. He goes on to say “If you want to build a better home, first, you must demolish the old one.” I had to wonder how much Sansa really understands what’s going on. She’s never struck me as terribly bright – who would have wanted to marry Joffrey?? But her next question is telling because she asks why Baelish killed Joffrey. Whose home is Baelish demolishing in order to build his own new one?

    Baelish tells her that he loved her mother more than she could ever know and then asks if given the opportunity, what do we do to those who have hurt the ones we love? Turner is terrific here as she smiles ever so slightly. It’s not completely clear if she’s savoring what she might do to those who have hurt her family or whether she is simply smiling as this seems to be a sign of how much Baelish loved her mother. Of course, it seems pretty clear that Baelish has now transferred his love to her. The kiss between them is an interesting length. Does Sansa not push him away more quickly because she’s surprised or because she welcomes it/ Does she push him away because she’s repulsed or because she fears her Aunt?

    Lysa (Kate Dickie) proves that Sansa should have been afraid as she calls Sansa to the throne room and is on the verge of tossing her out the Moon Door when Baelish appears in the nick of time. Baelish is finally honest with Lysa, telling her that he only ever loved one woman – her sister. He then pushes her out the Moon Door. Dickie was terrific playing the insane aunt, but it wasn’t without satisfaction to see the look on her face as she flew away!

    This was another terrific episode with superb performances by Gillen, Dinklage, Pascal, McCann, Williams, and Turner, in particular. Really, it’s hard not to simply list the entire cast every week! There were some good surprises in the episode as well as the stunning cinematography, costumes, and sets that we’ve simply come to expect. What did you think of the episode? What was your favorite scene? Were you happy to see Lysa go out the Moon Door? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!