"Tyrion Battlecry" by ~Kanish, on deviantART

To all who lament television’s sharp descent into unscripted hell, “Blackwater” reminded us of what the television medium can do. This was epic storytelling at its finest. Any deficiencies in settings or backdrop, such as the facts that the magnificent city of Qarth appears to be little more than a series of rooms, and Jon Snow’s trek in beyond the Wall seems to involve walking back and forth across a single span of glacier, have led to the spectacle of the Battle of the Blackwater.

Who is the “good guy” in this battle? The lack of an easy answer to that question is at the heart of the story’s genius. We like Tyrion and want him to succeed, but his success most likely means the Lannisters’ success. We don’t much care for Stannis Baratheon, but we like Davos Seaworth. Same problem. The closest thing to a “protagonist” army that we have are those of Robb Stark and Daenerys Targaryen, and we’re beginning to see that they aren’t much better than anyone else.

This episode focused exclusively on the events of a single night in King’s Landing, so we got to see much more development of individual characters than usual. Tyrion got one of the best Braveheart speeches in television history, and finally served as a heroic character rather than a comic one (see last season’s battle fought while Tyrion was unconscious, the only time the show has ever overtly resorted to “dwarf humor.”)

Sansa demonstrated her own strength and leadership when Cersei fled their hiding place with Tommen. Unfortunately, she may have lost the only two people who ever truly protected her in King’s Landing: Tyrion, who is now wounded, and the Hound, who is running away. Cersei at least understands the importance of keeping Sansa alive, but we know that she will not step up to protect Sansa if Joffrey threatens her.

Cersei has once again assumed a powerless position in the shadow of a man. This time, it’s her son instead of her husband. The only man with whom she has ever enjoyed something close to equal footing is Jaime, and that turned out scandalously. We got to see more of the depth of Cersei’s despair and self-loathing, and again we find that it is possible to simultaneously hate and feel sorry for a character.

We saw more dimensions to Joffrey, too, except in his case it made him even more despicable. When ordered back to the castle by his mother, Joffrey did not return there out of obedience to her, but out of opportunism in finding a convenient cover for his cowardice.

Tyrion is the one person who can stand up to Joffrey, exposing Joffrey’s impotence as a leader. We saw how much he hated what he had to do with the wildfire, contrasted with how much Joffrey loved it. Joffrey loves violence and killing as long as he is never at risk. (Speaking of impotence, was Joffrey’s treatment of the women Tyrion sent for his birthday a metaphor? Meaning, did he abuse them because he wanted to, or because he couldn’t do anything else? A dictator motivated by impotence is a major cliché, but still.)

We finally got to see the human side of the Hound. He is a remarkable character, in the sense that we can feel some amount of compassion for him, even cheering him on, while still being rightfully horrified at his crimes. He may be a ruthless killer, but he tells the truth. This is exceedingly rare in Westeros.

Davos has become the “voice of reason in the darkness” character. He is unfailingly loyal to Stannis, but is remarkably open about his doubts regarding Melisandre’s religion.

My only complaint about this episode was an odd reliance on “saved by the bell” moments. Early on, we saw a confrontation brewing between Bronn and the Hound. Both are men who kill for a living and quite enjoy it, but they represent polar opposites in how they live their own lives. Bronn is endearingly joyful, and the Hound is not. I never quite understood why they were about to come to blows, but then they were literally saved by a bell calling them to battle.

The second instance involved an inevitable confrontation between Cersei and Shae. Cersei figured out that, not only was Shae not from Westeros, but was not at all who she claimed to be. This scene also stopped abruptly when someone interrupted them. Here we had two characters who both believe they can fuck their way out of almost anything, but there is no way that would work on Cersei. I would have loved to see Shae talk her way out of that confrontation.

One other note: Tyrion is getting way too cozy with both Shae and Bronn. For perhaps the most sympathetic character on the whole show, Tyrion is entirely dependent on his wealth for allies, and he should never believe that friends he initially bought will stay friends should the money run out. Remember how I said almost no one in Westeros is honest? The Hound told Tyrion in the very first episode of the show that it’s not real love if you pay for it (I may be misstating the quote slightly).

At this point, I would be okay if the show just stuck to King’s Landing. The stories of Daenerys, Robb Stark, and Jon Snow have been kind of dull anyway.

Photo credits: “Tyrion Battlecry” by ~Kanish on deviantART; Wildfire on the Blackwater [Fair use], via nanarie.tumblr.com.