Game of Thrones: "Mockingbird"

 Spoilers Follow:

I don’t have time to do a full review tonight, but I wanted to put out some preliminary thoughts on the episode “Mockingbird”.

While not nearly as satisfying or fully realized as “First of His Name” or “The Laws of God and Men”, “Mockingbird” moved forward a number of storylines in necessary and meaningful ways. 

The main point of interest involved Tyrion trying to find someone to champion him, and failing to get the two people who still hold any interest in him, Bronn and Jaimie. Eventually Oberyn responds in hopes of killing the Mountain, who he holds partly responsible for the death of his sister and her sons. 

Tyrion is contending, like many people in this episode, with being part of a family that’s more than a little screwed up. Game of Thrones can be multiple things in any given week, a chamber drama, a comedy of manners, an action epic, and this week fell back on that fundamental center of family drama. 

Tyrion has been left out in the cold by his family, seemingly in the twisted name of his family. Tywin has crafted a situation that will supposedly better the Lannister name by placing Jaimie as heir to Tywin. 

Oberyn is obsessed with avenging his family, much like Arya is fixated on vengeance for hers (And it's both frightening and heartwarming to see the Hound and Arya bond over adding and then immediately crossing off a name on her death list). Brienne’s storyline tied in nicely here as she is also seeking justice for the Stark family (And we get a very warm, entertaining return of Hot Pie providing information on Arya’s whereabouts). 

In another branch of the Stark family, the Arryns, up in the Eyrie, Sansa is dealing with her crazed aunt and nephew, as well as the advances of Littlefinger, who has never gotten over his love for Catelynn. In the episode’s shocking conclusion Littlefinger uses Chekhov’s moon door and sends Lyssa plummeting below. 

Even poor Sandor Clegane, aka the Hound, opens up to Arya, in a great monologue for Rory McCann, about old wounds (some quite literal). The Hound has some of his own family baggage (which is a polite way of describing your sibling burning half your face off), which ties into the connection of Cersei using the Hound’s brother Gregor “the Mountain” Clegane as the champion against Tyrion in trial by combat. 

And what is Selyse Baratheon accepting Melisandre as her husband’s mistress amount to? A very misguided, deluded hope for the betterment of her family and family name’s future.  

To paraphrase Jaimie: the things we do for family.

Grade: B+