Game of Thrones: Season 3

Watching with partner who had never seen it and they love it too. Shame having to pay more for this and next one’s. Would like reduced fee for incentive to buy all seasons in one go.

What can I say about this? It’s Game of Thrones, so you’ll know immediately if this is up your street or not.
Audio and image quality remain extremely high, although there are moments where some subtitles are missing. I’m not sure if this was an issue in the transfer, or was apparent on the episodes on TV.
The set is a Steelbook containing a Sigil magnet, but the discs are rather difficult to get out. They’re stacks one on another and you’ll need to get used to removing them properly. Not a giant issue, but be aware of it.
On the price point, I’d recommend this if you intend to collect all the Steelbooks, otherwise you might want to invest in a Blu Ray Boxset.

Cancel your social life, quit your job and never answer the phone again. It’s worth it – this is television at it’s finest. And that’s a bold claim coming from someone who doesn’t own a television.

If you’ve never watched or read Game Of Thrones before, I can tell you that it starts off intriguing, gets good, gets very good, turns shocking, gets more shocking and from then on every episode becomes, “wasn’t I supposed to pick the kids up from school?” By the way, if you have kids, do not let them watch Game Of Thrones because it has prostitution, nudity, violence, gore, regicide, decapitation, poisoning, skull-crushing, rape, incest, murder, attempted child-murder, unborn baby stabbing, throat-slitting, swearing, flaying, torture, castration… makes for one hell of a drinking game.

On Season 3 in particular – well, the cast of characters is now vast it’s a credit to all the actors and writers involved that there isn’t a single dull one, although inevitably some are better than others. The production of the show is near-flawless: whether it’s Kings Landing or the cities of Slavers Bay, no expense is spared on the locations, costumes, cinematography, props and visual effects required to bring the world of Westeros to life. In one sense the show is formulaic, with most scenes given over to two characters having a chat at any given time, and yet this is where the characters and the chemistry between them come to life. What’s magical is that the most opposite characters you can think of go on to have the strongest relationships – Arya Stark and Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane are a fine example.

By investing so heavily in the characters and relationships of the show, and by having them all expend so much energy in scheming, politicking and earning millions of Tesco Clubcard points in sheer duplicity, the creators of the show always ensure that the aforementioned scheming and plotting often results in a spectacular and unexpected disaster that invariably results in the death and destruction of said characters. I believe this is what gives the show it’s addictive quality. There is one episode in particular on this boxset that demonstrates the full effect of this formula, and it’s so notorious that there are videos all over YouTube made by friends of first-time watchers simply filming their reactions, which are just astounding to watch.

So, just buy it. It’s worth it.

Season 3 of Game of Thrones seals the series place among the pantheon of US television. It is a continuation of the excellence from the first two seasons with the layers of plot, character, and intrigue adding even more richness to what was already something special. The DVD box set is the ten episodes with a small number of extras included.

Perhaps what makes season 3 so impressive is that very little actually happens. It feels so much more real despite the fantasy setting that there are not huge set-pieces, and time is given to character above all else. The characters are fascinating. In season 2 it was Tyrion Lannister to the fore. In season 3 it would be hard to consider him having top billing because his character has fallen back into the pack having lost the position of Hand of the King. Indeed, Tyrion does not appear in every episode, none of the characters are present in all ten.

The force at the capital, King’s Landing is now Lannister patriach Tywin. Played by Charles Dance he is an imposing figure. He is not especially large or intimidating but he is forceful, determined, and most importantly successful. Dance brings such stature to the role simply by his personal presence. When he demands things to be done he never needs to raise his voice, he just demands things to be done and they happen. He is the power in season 3. At a meeting of the Small Council, King Joffrey complains that he has to visit Tywin rather than the other way around. The scene concludes with Tyrion incredulous that Tywin has sent the king to bed. Tywin does it simply by dominating personality and that is largely because Charles Dance exudes the impression of his being in charge.

Leadership qualities seem to be the theme of this season, they are tested sorely. Tywin is tested by new arrival Lady Olenna Tyrell. Played by the legendary Diana Rigg, Olenna seems to be Tywin’s match. She is a wise and intelligent older lady with a knack for getting what she wants. The pace of her speech is brilliant, the beats are much faster than with any other character on show. It is a clever trick to show her as faster witted than those around her. Even when in the company of Tywin she outpaces him, intellectually she tests his ability to win. The schemes Olenna comes up with are excellent, she is ambitious and clearly aiming to move from being the incumbent second family of Westeros into taking top spot. As de facto head of her household it is a real pleasure to see Olenna and Tywin match wits and to see the limitations of what they can achieve exposed by the other. The scene in which Dance and Rigg cross intellectual swords is magnificent television highlighting two of the great actors of their generations.

Olenna’s efforts are backed up by a sense of humour not present in many others. She is laugh out loud funny, taking over from Tyrion as the show’s humour. Her one-liners and deprecating sensibilities work so well when accompanied by the ultra professional Lady Margaery Tyrell played by Natalie Dormer. Margaery is one of the few characters who seems to have a rock solid understanding of the environment she operates in. She says all the right things even when provoked by the ever unpleasant Cercei Lannister. Somehow amidst the chaos and intrigue of Game of Thrones, Margaery seems calm at all times. Her knowledge of self is explicitly referenced when she refers to her own pig nose. So brilliant for the writing team to identify Natalie Dormer’s main physical weakness and use it so perfectly to portray the character’s appreciation of her own place in life.

Not quite all of the casting works so perfectly. Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark seems a bit of a stretch purely because Sansa is described by others as being so very beautiful. The wardrobe and make-up work for Sansa is excellent giving her a rich deep red hue but beautiful Sophie Turner is not. She turns in a perfectly fine performance but as she grows into a woman from the girl we saw in earlier series the description of her from others becomes less believable.

Sansa does appear in the funniest scene of the entire season when stood next to Tyrion. Seeing the dwarf humiliated by his nephew Joffrey to exacerbate the height disparity between Sansa and Tyrion is hilarious. It is also so uncomfortable. Tyrion remains the best depiction of a dwarf ever seen on screen and arguably the best depiction of a person with disabilities, seeing him humbled is a reminder that he is really just another person with his own limitations who can be taken down by others.

The scheming and intrigue at King’s Landing is always helped by the presence of the oozing Lord Verys played by Conleth Hill. Alongside seeming nemesis Petry Baelish the two represented the scheming danger of the capital in the previous season. Here they get less screen time which is a shame for Baelish in particular who is an excellent character. Verys though does have one incredible scene where he explains the origin of his eunuch status and what he has done all these years to seek revenge.

The Verys backstory is chilling and adds layers to his previous actions. It seems to pale when compared to the backstory for the Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. The backstory is almost a revelation, casting Jaime in a completely different light and perhaps flipping him from funny bad guy to unrecognised hero. Jaime is fascinating to watch because he is such a presence behind his floppy hair and bushy beard. The banter between him and Brienne of Tarth is consistenty genious. The performance by Coster-Waldau is particularly impressive because he has such a perfectly suited voice, he has a well fitting accent that seems just a little bit Americanised to give him ever such a slight touch of the matinee hero. In reality it turns out Coster-Waldau has a really scratchy speaking voice in English so it is amazing to hear him so excellently as Jaime.

The sword fight between Jaime and Brienne is outstanding choreography. It is one of the few fight sequences on display and is done so well because it defies expectations. It really does look as though Jaime is using his fast brain to outwit the more powerful Brienne, levering himself into a position to escape.

What makes Jaime so much more this season is his revelation about the decision making and leadership he had to show and the personal consequences he has suffered for it. The burden of those decisions weighs on several of the characters including the rival claimants to the throne who are all tested. Claimaint Stannis Baratheon is tested because he lost the battle towards the end of season 2. Whether he is able to come back from that defeat is questioned all through season 3. He seems to be a puppet under the control of Melisandre, a belief held by his loyal number two Davos Seaworth. The Stannis style of leadership is hard and direct, it is not subtle or intelligent which makes him vulnerable to Melisandre. Ultimately it is clear that she is the leader rather than he.

The relationship between Stannis and Davos remains one of the most intriguing, Davos continues to demonstrate loyalty beyond anyone else despite the personal peril it puts him in at the hands of Stannis. It is also fascinating to see a bit of Stannis backstory with his family brought into the show for the first time. The hold Melisandre has over all things Baratheon is breathtaking when Stannis addresses his wife about his relationship with the red witch and she tells him how happy she is about it.

Melisandre’s leadership stretches beyond Stannis. She makes a trip into the heart of Westeros to intersect with the Brotherhood Without Banners. They are a merry bunch of highwaymen in the Robin Hood style. As an unknown force in season 2 it was not clear the Brotherhood actually existed but when they do turn up they’re a band of adventurers with a look and set of skills that could easily make them the core focus of an entire story by themselves. Most amusing of the Brotherhood is Thoros of Myr played by Paul Kaye who has something so reminiscent about Mick Fleetwood in Running Man about him. The Brotherhood is perhaps most interesting because of who they actually are rather than what they seem to be at first.

Perhaps the best line in the entire season crops up at the end of Melisandre and the Brotherhood’s interaction when Arya Stark questions why anyone could like Melisandre and in response is told she couldn’t understand because she’s a girl. There is something about Carice van Houten that makes her so alluring.

Arya herself grows a little during the season, finding herself combined with The Hound. the two are as unlikely a pair as Brienne and Jaime. There are so many great looks in this show but perhaps best of all is The Hound. Rory McCann is a huge guy, the armour he wears and the make-up/wig work is absolutely first rate.

Beyond the wall leadership is of a completely different form. King Beyond The Wall Mance Rayder offers a glimpse of something different. Mance Rayder’s leadership is based on a deeper, more fundamental philosophy – for there to be a ‘we’ there must be a ‘them’. Absolutely fascinting as the White Walkers are the driving force behind Mance’s leadership. The scene in which Jon Snow offers fealty to the imposing barbarian he thinks is Mance Rayder is really very subtle because it strips away the viewers preconceptions at exactly the same time as Snow’s. Leadership is not always about force.

Outside of the main plot line remains Daenerys Targaryen. The leadership challenge she faces is very different, she fought herself up from nothing to take on Qarth in season 2. In season 3 she is leading from the front, her character growing into a major threat. Her morality is a bit too pure to be easy to engage with but her interactions with the slavers of Astapol is excellent. Her interaction with slaver Kraznys mo Nakloz is spectacular. He is so very insulting, it is really quite impressive. Dan Hildebrand is well cast. He looks like a Berber in this show and could credibly pass for one of the North African slavers. The venom with which he spits his insult is beautiful. It helps that his words are translated by the dazzling Nathalie Emmanuel as the character Missandei. As in season 2, Daenerys is accompanied by a vastly more beautiful woman who happened to be played by an actor from Hollyoaks. Interesting that when Missandei leaves the service of Kraznys to join Daenerys she is dressed in much less attractive attire, perhaps a nod to the idea that the viewer is supposed to be looking at Daenerys.

Leadership elsewhere is less successful. The leader beyond the wall is up against a terror greater than any other. It is a shame not to actually see the battle at the Fist of the First Men. Understandably character trumps action but for such a pivotal fight to just gain passing mention feels a bit of a missed opportunity. The story arc for the Night Watch is good but would have been better had it been seen more fully.

More effective is the arc for Robb Stark, King in the North. The episode commonly known as the Red Wedding is absolutely shocking. It might well be the very best episode US television has produced. The performance by Michelle Fairley is specactular, the rawness of her emotion absolutely visceral when she takes what little action she can. It is an incredible part of the arc which is foreshadowed through the season as Robb’s leadership fails him. It fails him largely because of his terrible choice of wife. His choice with the Karstarks is wrong. A good man Robb might be but he is not suited for Kingship. Tywin Lannister utters the words which reveal what is going on with the Starks – those who put the family first will win. Stark does not and Red Wedding is the result.

Red Wedding is a real jolt, it seems to change the direction of the show. There are some clues of course but only seen in retrospect, not the least is that anyone with any knowledge of British history and geography would have known Lord Bolton’s true allegiance while those who did not should have guessed from his accent.

Red Wedding is not the only shocker. The fate of Theon Greyjoy is hard to watch. Leaving him in season 2 having been dumped in Winterfell, the mystery of why he is being tortured and by whom is only revealed right at the end of season 3. Game of Thrones spares very little for the viewer in seeing quite how savagely Theon is treated. Tough watching.

With such a huge array of people it could easily be difficult to follow the action but it flows so well. This is a testament to the writing and directing. The pacing is so right, things go slowly rather and focus on character rather than action. Dialogue is king. The sets are lavish and utterly believable. The music is pretty good with one exception with the poor choice of a jarring modern rendition of a folk song following the ending to episode 3.

The settings are again superb. The scene with the wall climb is particularly visually impressive. New for this season is Morocco which is instantly recognisable and the perfect place to film scenes set culturally in North Africa.

For such a high quality show the DVD extras are a letdown. There is hardly anything at all on the DVD set. The only notable extra is a short discussion of the importance of marriage as a political tool. Nothing new of course to anyone even vaguely aware of Monarchist systems. However, it is pretty helpful in that it solidifies why Walder Frey took the actions he did – not just revenge but perhaps more importantly to protect himself from the risks resulting from the failure of his use of marriage as a tool. There is an extra about the folk beyond the wall but is not especially enlightening except to highlight the more nuanced backgrounds of those people to incorporate a wider range of accents including Nordic which helps a bit to rectify a problem with accent blending between the North and Beyond the Wall from previous seasons.

The packaging is also a letdown. Compared to the two previous seasons the box is ugly. It comes with a tacky piece of material, is an uninteresting off-white colour, and has a boring shadow of a dragon as the motif. It does not look right sat next to the other two seasons on a shelf.

The accessories aside, Game of Thrones season 3 is magnficent if slightly too short at ten episodes. The show is perhaps the best thing US television has ever produced with now three excellent seasons behind it. The range and depth of characters is breathtaking, the interest in seeing what happens to them built over a period of time and with so many possibilities still left. It is the rare series a viewer might wish could last forever.