Game Of Thrones Season 5 : Review
Game Of Thrones Season 5 : Review
1. The Wars To Come
2 The House of Black and White
3. High Sparrow
4. Sons of the Harpy
5. Kill the Boy
6. Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken
7. The Gift
8. Hardhorne
9. The Dance of Dragons
10. Mother’s Mercy
After the dramatic events of last season, Game Of Thrones returns for its long-anticipated fifth season, and has a much more systematic pace with its narrative. The very slow moving, politically charged episodes are some of the best set pieces on the show. Hardhorn in particular is really the highlight of this season, resulting in an extreme fight that turns into chaos and leads to dire consequences.
Like the books, the direction of the season leans heavily toward three main narratives; Arya at Braavos, King's Landing and the growing power of Sparrow at Daenerys continued the struggle to keep the peace in the Narrow Sea. In the former story, Arya is accepted into The House of Black and White by Jacken H'Ghar, who begins her training to become a face-changing assassin. This eventually leads him to question everything he was previously taught, ending with his future in the House still being debated.
Meanwhile the continued presence of Sparrow's religion in King's Landing causes serious problems for the Lannisters. This results in several balances of power swinging in favor of the High Sparrow and Cult, increasing his dominance by imprisoning Margaery Tyrell and later imprisoning Cersei himself. Ultimately, this story serves its purpose of showing just how powerless Tomon is as ruler over the Seven Kingdoms, but admittedly it pulls off a little more than it should.
Up north, Stannis prepares his army after successfully sacking the Manse raider's camp. Seeing an opportunity to assert his dominance over the north, Stannis unsuccessfully tried to recruit Tormund and the Wildlings into his cause, promising them land south of the Wall until Jon Snow stepped in. This leads him on an expedition to Hardhorne to recruit the Wildlings gang and strengthen Stannis' army.
Unfortunately, Bolton has other ideas and after marrying Sansa, Ramsay heads north to sabotage Stannis' army. This leads him to make a harsh decision about the Lord of Light which actually acts as a catalyst for the end of his cause, as the Force abandons him, leaving him at the mercy of Bolton's army. .
The season ends with a final twist in the story, several episodes after Jon Snow is declared Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. On a midnight ambush, John sees that his brothers are betraying him. After repeatedly stabbing her and leaving her to die, Season 5 ends with big question marks hanging over the series and the growing threat of the White Walkers becoming a bigger threat than ever.
While this season doesn't have much in the way of exciting battles or action set pieces, it's ultimately the interesting visualization of the different religions of Westeros that really makes these 10 episodes so interesting. From a rise to power for the High Sparrow to an unwavering belief in the Lord of Light, here are some very interesting thematic works to help propel this season forward.
As in the earlier seasons, the visuals are spectacular, with the set design and visual effects really helping to bring Westeros to life. While the pacing is a bit slow this time and the weather is somewhat influenced by what has come before, it is still here enough to make for an engaging watch.
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