Game of Thrones - The Gift - Review

Game of Thrones, “The Gift,” was written by the team of David Benioff and DB Weiss, who will be writing all the remaining episodes of the season, and was directed by Miguel Sapochnik, whose other credits include House, Fringe, and Mind Games. Once again the title resonated throughout the episode as many characters received gifts – some pleasant and some not so much – but almost all surprised the recipient.

In the north, the snow is falling more heavily now, but events are heating up. Jon (Kit Harington) leaves Castle Black with Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) to seek an alliance with the Wildings. Jon leaves First Ranger Alliser (Owen Teale) in charge, and Alliser has no qualms about telling his Lord Commander that the mission is “reckless, foolhardy, and an insult to all the brothers who have died fighting the wildlings.” Jon mildly thanks him for his honesty and turns his attention to Sam (John Bradley) to say goodbye. And here the first gift of the episode changes hands as Sam gives Jon the dagger made of Dragon glass to keep Jon safe against the White Walkers.

Also at Castle Black, Maester Aemon’s (Peter Vaughan) life is coming to a close. Vaughan will be very much missed by this viewer, just as Aemon’s counsel will be missed by many. We’re reminded not only that Aemon was a Targaryen but that he was also the older brother of Aegon V and could have been King. As he slides closer to death, baby Sam reminds Aemon of his baby brother “Egg.” Gilly (Hannah Murray) and Sam stay with Aemon until the end, and before he dies he ominously warns Gilly to flee south with the baby before it’s too late. His last words are, “Egg? I dreamed that I was old…”

Sam’s words over the body were a fitting tribute: “His name was Aemon Targaryen. He came to us from King’s Landing. A Maester of the Citadel, chained and sworn, and a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, ever faithful. No man was wiser or gentler or kinder. At the Wall, a dozen Lord Commanders came and went during his years of service, but he was always there to counsel them. He was the blood of the dragon but now his fire has gone out. And now his watch has ended.”

        Bradley is terrific in this scene as his feelings for Aemon come through in the speech. It also takes a certain kind of courage to speak in front of this group – something we’ve seen him do for Jon many times now. It’s clear that Sam is really the only one qualified – even though not a Maester of the Citadel – to try to fill Aemon’s role. Jon’s departure and Aemon’s death force Sam once again to step up in a way he might not have on his own. Alliser leans over at the end of the ceremony as Aemon’s body burns to menacingly point out that “You’re losing all your friends, Tarly.”

Alliser isn’t the only one to realize this and the protection that Sam enjoyed extended to Gilly. When Derek (Ian Lloyd Anderson) and Brant (Jonathan Byrne) come upon Gilly alone doing the laundry, they decide to try to take advantage of her. Sam arrives just in time to attempt to stop them. His natural cowardice seems to be firmly in place and they mock him for his shaking sword. Sam tries to get Gilly to flee to her room and protect herself, but she’s determined not to leave him. Sam doesn’t back down and even after they’ve beaten him, he manages to wobble to his feet. Bradley is excellent in this scene as we see true bravery settle on his face as he tells them to get off her: “I killed a White Walker. I killed a Fen. I’ll take my chances with you.” It’s a brilliant moment when they advance on Sam, determined to finish what they’ve started and Ghost suddenly appears, snarling, from the shadows. Clearly, Jon was not going to leave Sam completely unprotected!

The appearance of Ghost has Derek and Brant running away like the cowards they are. Gilly immediately goes to Sam, who insists he’s alright – maybe a little woozy – right before he passes out. Gilly tends to Sam and tells him “Next time you see something like that, you leave it alone.” After all, it wouldn’t be the first time Gilly was raped. But Sam is having none of it – proving once again, that like Jon, he has a greater sense of honor than most of his brothers.

        But Gilly insists that Sam isn’t a fighter – something he himself stressed when she suggested earlier in the season that he should be sparring with the other men. And of course, Maester Aemon was also not a fighter. Sam’s greatest weapon is his brain. However, Gilly also wants him to promise to keep baby Sam safe, and the only way he can do that is to keep himself out of harm’s way. Sam promises to keep both Gilly and little Sam safe. And then Sam receives a gift as Gilly and he make love. I wonder if the two will head south because Sam will be accused of breaking his vows or because they will need to leave to keep Gilly and the baby safe.

Also in the north, we see the aftermath of Sansa’s (Sophie Turner) wedding night – and subsequent days/nights. Theon (Alfie Allen) unlocks the door to her room to bring her food. She is huddled on the bed, covered in hand shaped bruises, with her back to the door and the windows open, letting in the snow. We’ve seen Sansa dodge these consequences in the past – with Joffrey, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), and even the Hound, so this feels like something that has been following her for some time. Yet, seeing Sansa like this now, after having watched her dodge it and watching her grow, especially in the last season, gives this even more weight.

Turner is excellent in this episode. She reaches out to the one person she thinks she knows – Theon. But Theon insists he’s not Theon, he’s Reek and tells her “You’re his wife now. Do as he says or he’ll hurt you.” He’s clearly terrified for both himself and her. Allen continues to impress as Theon/Reek, clearly demonstrating throughout the episode the inner turmoil that he’s going through – his terror and his self-loathing for continuing to betray those around him, especially Sansa who he owes a fealty to. Sansa insists she’s already getting hurt every night and wonders whether it could be worse – Theon tells her, “It can always be worse.”

Sansa keeps insisting that he’s Theon as she seems to convince him that she still has friends in the North. She pulls the guilt card and tell him he owes her because he betrayed her family. She finally gets him to promise to put the candle in the ruined tower window – and we see Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) tirelessly watching and waiting for the signal. I can’t wait for her to get her hands on Ramsey (Iwan Rheon)! When Theon finally looks up and meets Sansa’s eyes, I was sure she’d managed to get through to him, but we should never underestimate the damage Ramsey’s extended torture and brainwashing have done to Theon.

This scene is nicely played out as we follow Theon seemingly going directly to the tower, but when he opens the door, he’s in Ramsey’s study. At first, I thought Ramsey had put his office in the tower, but then a light would have already shone from it – but it was a nice sleight of hand by the writers/director. Naturally, Reek tells Ramsey everything, and we see that he’s currently satisfied with demonstrating his depravity through others to Sansa, making her feel guilty for causing others pain.

The scene between Ramsey and Sansa on the ramparts is also nicely played out to build the tension. Why has he called her to the ramparts? And we see that she is accompanied everywhere while out by guards. Ramsey begins by telling her how happy she’s made him and telling her that when he’d first heard they were to be married he worried she’d be some fat, bearded beast. Shades of his step-mother? Instead, Sansa is beautiful. Anybody looking at them would think they were the picture of happy newlyweds. As they walk along the ramparts, Sansa discreetly picks up a corkscrew she sees lying on a barrel. Will she use this to try to defend herself? To pick the lock on her chamber door? Either seems likely to tip Ramsey’s insanity over into doing her more damage than a few bruises.

As they continue to walk, Ramsey tells her that Stannis (Stephane Dillane) is marching on Winterfell, but the current storm has been a stroke of luck for them as northerners are much more adept at fighting in the frost. Interestingly, Sansa is still bold enough to spar with Ramsey. She reminds him that his step-mother is pregnant and should she have a boy, that son would have a better claim to being Roose’s (Michael McElhatton) heir. Ramsey insists that he’s been naturalized by none other than Tommen Baratheon (Dean-Charles Chapman), but Sansa points out that Tommen is also a bastard and therefore an illegitimate source.

        Ramsey is clearly pissed that she’s scored a hit in their sparring and reveals that her own half brother, a bastard, has done well for himself. He reveals that Jon is Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Sansa is clearly floored, but it also makes Jon a very clear possible source for help.

And then, Ramsey presents his gift to Sansa – the flayed corpse of the servant who had sworn to be a friend to the Starks. Her one contact and hope. Sansa is clearly horrified – as was I! Ramsey reveals Theon’s treachery as he looks on in misery. Ramsey’s real breaking of Sansa has clearly just begun, and it’s not clear even yet if she realizes just how dangerous he is. Rheon continues to impress as Ramsey is pretty clearly insane. Of course, he’s crazy enough and blood-thristy enough to be a real asset in war. However, I wonder at what point Ramsey might be prepared to turn on Roose or simply ensure that he remains his only heir…

Stannis’ march has been stalled by the weather. Davos (Liam Cunningham) reports that forty horses have died in the night, they’re running out of food and can’t open the supply chains, and they’ve lost 500 men when the Storm Crows rode off. Davos suggests that “this is not our time,” but Stannis is adamant. He doesn’t want to become known as the “king who ran.” He’s also not wrong in worrying that if they go back to Castle Black, they could be trapped there for years if the winter settles in. Stannis tells Davos, “We march to victory of we march to defeat, but we go forward. Only forward.”

It’s nice to see Dillane finally getting to flesh this character out and give us a sense of what he’s really about. His wife makes his attraction to Melisandre (Clarice Van Houten) a lot more understandable. He turns to Melisandre again here for reassurance. She is steadfast in her belief in her visions of herself on the walls of King’s Landing watching the Flayed Man banners being lowered. But she also suggests that “sometimes sacrifices must be made to ensure victory.” Stannis points out that they don’t have access to King’s blood, but she points out that they do. It’s interesting that she suddenly seems willing to sacrifice Shireen when she seemed to be taking her under her wing. Does she fear the power that Shireen has? Does she see her as a rival for Stannis? Melisandre certainly underestimates Stannis’ love for Shireen, and I loved the surprised look on her face when he pulls away from her, telling her to find another way.

In King’s Landing, Lady Olenna (Diana Rigg) meets with the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) to plead for her grandchildren – or at least to try to get them free by any means necessary. As expected Rigg and Pryce are fantastic together. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the High Sparrow is a religious zealot. This makes him even more dangerous than if he were simply power-hungry. Rigg is wonderful as this begins to dawn on her as the two face off.

      She tells him he should stand when he speaks to a Lady and he tells her she should kneel before the gods. She tells him “Don’t spar with me little fellow.” I loved the contrast between these two. He tells her – as one aging person to another, that for him it’s the knees – clearly because he has been kneeling before the gods. Lady Olenna says that for her it’s her hips – child bearing? Or the only way for a woman to gain power?

Lady Olenna tries to negotiate as she would with anyone, but the High Sparrow is adamant that “If you break his laws, you will be punished.” Lady Olenna threatens to stop sending food to the capital, to let the people starve and to let them know it’s the High Sparrow’s fault. He is not intimidated and threatens her right back, telling her that the many, the people, have always done all the work – dirty in every sense of the word – and without them to do the work, the few will be in trouble. And there is a veiled threat that the many can simply take what they want from the few – especially after the few are made to answer for their transgressions.

As she leaves the Sept, Lady Olenna receives a message from Baelish (Aidan Gillen) and goes to meet him in the ruins of his brothel. And once again, gifts are involved. It’s confirmed and we are reminded that the two of them conspired to kill Joffrey. Baelish confesses his part in Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and Lorus’ arrests. But he has a gift for Lady Olenna of a handsome young man – just like he gave Cersei (Lena Headey). Clearly, Olyvar was Baelish’s gift to Cersei and Lancel (Eugene Smith) is his gift to Lady Olenna. As Olyvar worked for Baelish, it’s clear how he got information on him and Lorus. It’s less clear how he knew about Cersei and Lancel, however.

Cersei tries to both contain and comfort Tommen. He is determined to try to save Margaery, but Cersei convinces him his hands are tied. She also prevents him from talking to the High Sparrow himself, offering to spare him by doing it herself. There’s no doubt that Cersei loves her children, but does she love them more than power? More than herself? Headey, as usual, is wonderful, and it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for her as she tells Tommen, “No matter who you are, mo matter how strong you are, sooner or later, you’ll face circumstances beyond your control. Events you couldn’t’ possibly have anticipated or prevented even if you had. You cannot blame yourself for fate.”

        This is a nice piece of foreshadowing, of course. Cersei tells Tommen as she holds him with a tear tracking down her face that “I would do anything for you to keep you from harm. I would burn cities to the ground.” And in fact, the events she’s put in motion, to remove Margaery from Tommen and to prevent herself from having to marry Lorus do have completely unanticipated consequences that may burn King’s Landing to the ground.

Cersei goes to see Margaery – clearly to rub in that she has won. She puts on a fake air of caring, but Margaery is having none of it. Cersei even brings her leftover dinner! Another gift! Cersei makes sure that Margaery knows she’s reclaimed Tommen, bringing him completely back under her influence. Margaery lets Cersei know that she knows Cersei is behind both her own and her brother’s incarceration.

        I loved the shot of Cersei walking back out of the dungeon with a smug smile on her face – it contrasts perfectly to her being dragged back down. Margaery’s disheveled appearance contrasts with Cersei’s and foreshadows what Cersei has to look forward to.

Cersei is brought to the High Sparrow in the original chapel around which Baelor’s Sept was built. The High Sparrow points out that there are no marks to indicate who built the alter or the chapel. Their humility had been complete. He tells her “their faith was clean.” It was “something simple, solid, and true.” The exact opposite of the Lannisters and Tyrells. He tells her that “The Tyrell’s finery will be stripped away, their lies knocked down, their true hearts laid bare for all to see and so it will be for all of us. What will we find when we strip away your finery?” It’s at that point that Cersei finally realizes that she’s given power to someone and has completely lost control. Her face is frozen.

It’s hard to believe that Cersei could be so blinded by her own need for revenge that she should fail to realize that she has too many skeletons in her own closet to be suggesting wholesale spring cleaning, yet that does seem to be the case. However, it does seem that the only evidence they have against her right now is Lancel. Cersei’s sleeping with her cousin doesn’t quite rise to the level of her incest with Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and it also doesn’t implicate any of her children. If Tommen is proved to be a bastard and the product of incest, the least that will happen is that he will lose the throne. Will Cersei do anything she has to to prevent that? To protect her children? It’s unlikely that Doran will have any interest in letting his son marry Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) if her lineage is exposed either. It’s hard not to enjoy Cersei being dragged off to the dungeons hoisted on her own petard though! For his own part, the High Sparrow looks less than unassuming as she is dragged off. I’m very much enjoying Pryce peel back his layers.

Meanwhile in Dorne, Myrcella tells Jaime, who is being held in a rather nice room, that she has no intention of going anywhere with him. She’s in love with her betrothed and plans to stay and marry him. I loved her rather awkward greeting of him, couching her discomfort over his missing hand by remarking on him having less hair then when she last saw him – I have to admit that I’ve been missing the Prince Charming hair too! She tells him he doesn’t know her before leaving, and of course, that’s the point. He doesn’t even really know his own children, but then it’s unlikely that they would want to know him if they knew he was their father. This scene is beautifully blocked with Jaime and Myrcella physically distant from each other throughout – there isn’t even a perfunctory, mandatory-relative-hug. The bars and lighting of the scene are also a bit reminiscent of the Tommen/Cersei scene.

Bronn (Jerome Flynn) is the one to receive a gift in Dorne. We see him, in typical Bronn fashion, singing an incredibly bawdy song for the Sand Snakes who are being held in a cell across from his. Their accommodations are not nearly as nice as Jaime’s. Tyene (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers) concedes that he has a very nice voice – and he does! Who knew? When he won’t concede that she is among the beautiful women of Dorne – or indeed is the most beautiful woman he’s seen, she begins to torment him by taking slowly and sensuously stripping for him.

        I thought it curious given the independent nature of the Sand Snakes that she would do so, but of course she is only taunting him until the poison that she’d put on the dagger she cut him with during their fight had a chance to work. Once Bronn realizes what the stakes are, he quickly concedes that she is the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen and she gifts him with the antidote. I have to say that I liked the Sand Snakes a lot more in this scene than previously, but it would be nice to have more of their characters “fleshed out” a little more.

Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is still enjoying Daario (Michael Huisman) as a lover and tells him her marriage to Hizdahr (Joel Fry) is merely political. Daario asks Daenerys to marry him and admits that he is jealous. It seems unlikely that this can end well. He also urges her to gather all the masters of the city for the great games and to slaughter them all. Daenerys is shocked and tells him she is a Queen not a butcher. Daario counters that all rulers are either butchers or meat and she needs to decide which she is. Daenerys has never been a lover of violence, however.

Tyrion and Jorah (Iain Glen), meanwhile, are sold to Yezzan (Enzo Cilenti). Glen is excellent, looking decidedly uncomfortable as tales of his flaming sword are used to increase his price. As soon as he’s sold, Tyrion appeals to Yezzan, telling him he has to buy him too because they are a package deal, a team. Tyrion maintains that he’s also a great fighter – which everyone finds funny.

        Tyrion pulls his captor over by the chain that he’s holding him by and proceeds to whip with the chain and then kick him in the head. Lest we forget, Tyrion is a good fighter, especially when cornered – it’s just not usually in hand to hand combat. Yezzan relents and buys Tyrion too, muttering he is funny. Tyrion pushes his luck to far by suggesting that Yezzan should free them because fighting slaves is unlikely to be looked on favorably. All this earns him is a punch in the mouth.

Jorah and Daenerys finally cross paths again. Hizdahr has brought Daenerys to the very lower pit that Jorah is about to fight at. Daenerys has no interest in watching more fighting than she has to, but Hizdahr insists that it’s tradition for the Queen to visit the lesser pits in the days leading up to the great games. The slaves have already been told that if they survive the lower pits, they will have the honor of fighting in front of the Queen at the great games. It’s a nice study in contrasts to watch the experienced Jorah calmly and methodically sharpening his sword while the others display their varying levels of discomfort. When the master sees Daenerys he’s clearly startled, but Jorah’s reaction in hearing him address the Queen is even greater and he rushes to confirm it’s her, it's his Khaleesi.

Jorah knows her, and he’s not in the first wave of fighters – who are pretty lame. He sees that she is not enjoying the brutality of the carnage before her and he knows she is about to leave. He disguises himself and marches out to join the fight, punching Yezzan in the mouth when he tries to stop him – it’s a nicely parallel moment to Yezzan punching Tyrion. Jorah quickly dispatches all the other fighters without have to gut or kill them. Tyrion is frantically trying to get loose – curiously, he’s the only slave who’s been chained up. He finally manages to get free with the help of one of the guards, just as Jorah reveals himself.

Daenerys has watched this new fighter with admiration, a small smile playing on her lips, but when Jorah reveals himself, she immediately wants him removed from her sight.

        Nothing is forgiven. He tells her that he’s brought her a gift. Yes. Another gift! Tyrion strides out and tells Daenerys that it’s true, Jorah has brought a gift. Daenerys demands to know who he is, and Tyrion replies, “I am the gift. It’s a pleasure to meet you, your grace. My name is Tyrion Lannister.”

        I loved how Tyrion slipped right back into sounding like the consummate courtier because of course at heart he really is a good politician. The look on Daenerys’ face is priceless and I can’t wait to see their first real conversation.

This was another wonderfully crafted episode. I loved how the title was woven throughout each of the stories. Each of the story threads is moving towards the season climax. It’s hard to believe that there are only three episodes left in the season! While I tend to be leaning more towards tightly written shorter seasons, I would love to see Game of Thrones on my television ever single week! What did you think of the episode? Will Daenerys relent? Will Jaime be able to convince Myrcella to leave? Should he? Is there any way for Cersei to escape the High Sparrow’s judgment? Will Tommen do more for her than he’s done for his wife? Will Lady Olenna be able to get the upper hand? I’m hoping we see a resolution to the Stannis/Bolton conflict, and I’d love to see Brienne get her hands on Ramsey… Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

About the Author - Lisa Macklem

I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.