WARNING: THERE WILL BE SOME MAJOR SPOILERS HERE!
Released: 2013
Distributor: HBO
Cast:
Peter Dinklage: Tyrion Lannister
Lena Heady: Cersei Lannister
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Charles Dance: Tywin Lannister
Jack Gleeson: Joffrey Boratheon
Liam Cunningham: Ser Davos Seaworth
Emilia Clarke: Daenerys Targeryan
Kit Harington: Jon Snow
Richard Madden: Robb Stark
Iain Glen: Ser Jorah Mormont
Wild card: A determining or important person or thing whose qualities are unknown, indeterminate, or unpredictable. A wild card is brought into a story to shake things up, and make them more interesting. Usually, a wild card is generally a person. It’s someone that you might think to be a good guy but ends up being a villain and vice versa. When it’s done well, a wild card will throw the audience for a fucking loop. That is the intention of a wild card. Game of Thrones is littered with such people.
By the end of Season 2, we witnessed the full brunt of Joffrey’s cruelty. We’ve also seen Robb Stark take the Lannisters head on and win multiple battles. Stannis Boratheon has gathered a fleet and attacked King’s Landing with only Tyrion Lannister and his men to stand between Stannis and the fall of the kingdom. Jamie Lannister has been taken prisoner by Robb Stark, while The Night’s Watch finally encounter the darkness beyond the wall: White Walkers. Season 3 picks up the pieces from Season 2 with Tyrion Lannister, scarred in battle, no longer the Hand of the King. His father, Tywin, has taken that position and continues to consolidate the Lannisters’ power in King’s Landing. At this point, it is NOT Joffrey who is in power. He may wear the crown, but it is Tywin Lannister that orchestrates everything. Disobeying Robb Stark’s order to keep Jamie prisoner, Catelyn Stark attempts to have him exchanged for her daughters by sending him back to King’s Landing with Brienne of Tarth. North of The Wall, Jon Snow has fallen in with Mance Rayder and his army of wildlings. Daenarys has begun building an army by recruiting a large number of slaves. While there is definitely large amounts of treachery in Season 3, the story definitely picks up the pace and doesn’t hold back.
As is custom in a new season, new characters are introduced while some older characters are RE-introduced. If you guys thought that Joffrey was a sadistic twerp, wait until you meet Ramsay Snow, Roose Bolton’s bastard. This guy is absolutely MEAN, considering the amount of torture that he inflicts on Theon Greyjoy. We also get to meet Mance Rayder for the first time. As always, the acting is superb. Peter Dinklage simply owns his character of Tyrion Lannister, as does Charles Dance with Tywin. Emilia Clarke is just fantastic as Daenerys. She’s come from being a meek, scared little girl, to the city-conquering mother of dragons. The dragons themselves are extraordinary. They’re growing fast, and they burn shit up really quickly. This season is definitely action-packed. There’s plenty of sword-play to go around, and magic is definitely having an impact here. Bran Stark, who was pushed out of a window in the first season, has discovered that he has the power to enter the minds of animals and people and control them. That is what I call a wild card moment. That’s going to play an important role in the seasons to come.
This being Game of Thrones, you would expect there to some pretty shocking moments, right? Oh, boy, do we have something in store for you: Episode 9: “The Rains Of Castamere.” This has to be one of the most shocking and brutal episodes in the entire show. It’s an episode that will linger on for quite some time, and changes everything for the entire show. There’s a reason this show is not for children, and Episode 9 is a perfect example. It’s brutally depressing while being utterly spectacular at the same time. I’m not going to spoil this one for you, because it has to be seen to be believed.
As with everything Game of Thrones-related, the shots in the show are absolutely breathtaking, even in the scenes that take place beyond The Wall. There’s a scene in which Jon Snow and a group of wildlings climb up the wall and we see what its like looking to the south and it’s gorgeous. CGI for sure, but it’s definitely spectacular. Overall, Season 3 of Game of Thrones is an even bigger success than Season 2. Taking some well-established characters and throwing a curve-ball to the audience at various points in the story, help keep things interesting and the audience at the edge of their seats. This is about a perfect season as you can get.
Score for Season 3: 10/10