Page 2: Our 10 favorite moments from “Two Swords”
Aside from being a convenient production work-a-round (poor Nikojal must have got tired of having his arm in a sling for the better part of a season), Jaime’s golden hand led to one of the funniest visual gags in the show’s history. As the expert craftsmen who Cersei spent days with (well, the better part of an afternoon) leaves her and her twin, he gives a sarcastic and clumsy wave with his new metal hand.
“A one handed man with no family needs all the help he can get.”
We’re sure this will only be the first in a stream of hand-related jokes to come in the future, but it was a hilarious way to kick them all off. So good, in fact, that we’d like to meet whoever thought of it and, well, shake their hand. – Harri Sargeant
Jon Snow, apparently no worse for wear having been shot full of arrows last season, unflinchingly stands before the council at Castle Black to explain what he’s been doing with Mance Rayder and the Wildlings. As he faces down his old nemesis, Alliser Thorne, it’s clear that the Jon Snow who was Ned Stark’s unsure and insecure bastard is no more.
“And now you’re here. You must not have been very good at your job.”
Jon Snow, showing no fear and a barely concealed contempt for Thorne, succinctly states why he had no choice in his actions, what the Night’s Watch needs to do next, and the cost of disregarding his information and doing nothing. While he clearly antagonized Thorne, he won the respect of the rest of the council including Maester Aemon Targaryen. – Laura Byrne-Cristiano
One could argue that if Jamie Lannister expected a warm and fuzzy family reunion upon his return to Kings Landing, he’d clearly forgotten who his family was. Tywin demands he leave the King’s Guard because one-handed at age 40, he’s apparently all washed up. Cersei is ungrateful, petulant, and cold. Last, but not least, Joffrey echoes the taunts of Tywin with a malicious glee, and goes one step farther by stating that Jamie is not so much as a footnote in all the annals of the King’s Guard. Perhaps it’s not so much that Jamie has forgotten who his family is, but that Jamie Lannister has changed. Whether he has changed for the better is a matter of point-of-view.
“My bloody honor’s beyond repair, but my answer is still ‘no.'”
Months as the prisoner of the Starks and Brienne have given Jamie time to reflect on his life’s choices, and the public’s perception of those choices. He’s had a chance to regain something of his honor by defending Brienne, and by swearing to help the Stark girls. Is it possible that in the months away from his corrupt family Jamie Lannister has started to care about more than selfish ends? – Laura Byrne-Cristiano
Dianna Rigg’s hilarious and commanding performance as the Queen of Thorns is always a treat, as is Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth. So it was a nice surprise to see the two come face to face – cue some now trademark witty banter from the Tyrell senior. It was a quick moment, but it’s another entry in the surprisingly long list of funny scenes in “Two Swords.”
“My word. We’ve heard all about you, but hearing is one thing… aren’t you just marvellous? Absolutely singular.”
It’ll be interesting too to see how Brienne reacts to other characters in King’s Landing, and of course, how they react to her. Having spent most of her time on the road with Jaime fighting with swords, pushing her out of her comfort zone could make for some very interesting television. – Harri Sargeant
Heartbreaking. There simply was no other word for the moment when viewers witnessed Ned Stark’s sword, Ice, being melted down into two, smaller blades. It was a grim reminder that House Stark is rapidly being broken apart as was its ancestral, Valarian steel sword.
“It was a big sword.”
The only thing more heartbreaking than the reforging of the great-sword, was the fact that the Lannisters now have possession of its newly-formed, smaller blades. Jamie Lannister, who initiated much of the chaos by tossing Bran Stark from a window, now wields the long-sword, Oathkeeper. What becomes of the other blade, and its new name, has yet to be revealed. – Laura Byrne-Cristiano
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