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Gratuitous sex, brutal slaughter and a disembowled deer brighten up an episode in which trouble looms for King Robert
Spoiler alert: Don't read on unless you have watched the first seven episodes of Game of Thrones on Sky Atlantic. For the purposes of this blog we are also going to (hopefully) avoid book spoilers as well.
Sarah Hughes' episode six blog
"At least they can say I did this one thing right"
It's not much of an epitaph but at least it's an honest one. King Robert Baratheon expired much as he'd lived, not entirely sober and with one last earthy quip ("murdered by a pig"). It was a sad yet strangely fitting end and a compelling performance from Mark Addy. There was always something in Robert of the fading middle-aged former athlete run to fat and seeking solace in drink. In the real world he would probably have ended up in midlife crisis and divorce, but this is Westeros and thus, despite his belated attempts to make amends, Robert's untimely demise looks set to plunge the realm into chaos.
"All the power is yours, you need only to reach out and take it"
If Robert's death was inevitable, so too was Ned's downfall. By the end of the episode the situation was as follows: stubbornly adhering to his moral code in the face of all survival instincts Ned has sent word to Stannis, Robert's oldest brother, to come and claim the throne. Meanwhile, Renly has headed south with Loras Tyrell presumably to use the Tyrell gold to back his claim, the Lannisters are hanging around with an army that they will use to back Joffrey ("Anyone who isn't us is our enemy") and Dany has convinced Khal Drogo to get on a boat which means we have four possible claimants to the throne and one isolated former Hand of the King. It couldn't really get much worse.
"He knows he's better than other men, he's always known it deep down inside"
Of all those at court no one moved quicker to secure their position than Petyr Littlefinger. I love Aidan Gillen's portrayal of the weaselly brothel owner but feel that Benioff and Weiss over-played their hand here. While the scene in which he confessed his true feelings was clever (despite the entirely gratuitous girl-on-girl sex) and I enjoyed having his personality peeled back to reveal the rodent within, it also robbed the final moments of some of their power. Ultimately I wasn't surprised Littlefinger betrayed Ned because he'd all but said he was going to do so 15 minutes in.
"I want you to become the man you were always meant to be"
We finally met Tywin Lannister, father to Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion this week, and it was some introduction. Whether skinning and disembowelling a deer (another heavy-handed bit of symbolism given the deer is the sign of House Baratheon) or adeptly carving up Jaime's character ("go on say something clever"), Tywin (wonderfully played by Charles Dance) made cruelty seem almost reasonable while making me feel slightly sorry for his children.
"I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls… I pledge my life and honour to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come"
In an all-action episode the most powerful moment was, however, a quiet one as Sam and Jon said their vows and in doing so sent a shiver up my spine. I've loved all the scenes at The Wall and this was no different. You really believe in Jon and Sam's relationship (I all but cheered when Sam pointed out that Jon was basically being an arse about being passed over for the Rangers), and root for them to succeed, even though the sense of foreboding about what lurks beyond The Wall gets stronger with each passing week.
Additional thoughts
I loved this episode despite the absence of Tyrion and a couple of clunky moments. The plot is rolling unstoppably forward and it's hard not to spend most of the time on the edge of the sofa yelling "Noooo".
The scenes across the Narrow Sea continue to improve, particularly the moment where Jorah decided whether to save Dany or not, weighing his love for his lost homeland against the death of a girl. It was perfectly calibrated and all the more compelling for the fact that you genuinely weren't sure which way he would go.
Following the killing of Viserys last week it was good to see Jason Momoa continue to do more than strip, glower and have sex. His impassioned speech about the kingdom he would gift his unborn son certainly got the horde on side although it's worth noting that Dany looked somewhat less convinced at the idea of reclaiming the Seven Kingdoms only to raze it to the ground and enslave its people.
There were shades of Caligula about Joffrey's performance on the Iron Throne. It's clear he's going to need a firm hand but how likely is it that he will get one? Also what will happen to Sansa's proposed marriage now that her father has been arrested?
Violence count
One bloody deer disembowelling, one wine merchant beaten and forced to walk naked while tied to Dany's horse, one death of a king, one severed hand discovered by a rarely spotted Direwolf and the brutal slaughter of the last men left in the capital foolish enough to be loyal to Ned Stark.
Nudity count
One use of girl-on-girl sex as apparent metaphor for Petyr Littlefinger's philosophy of life, one attempt at a "special" master/servant relationship from Theon and one full-frontal shot of a naked and bloody wine merchant forced to walk behind Dany's horse.
Random Brit of the week
This week's award goes to the great character actor Peter Vaughan (or as my husband excitedly shouted "that bloke out of Porridge"). We had already met him briefly as Maester Aemon but this week he came into his own while rebuking Jon.
So did you miss Tyrion? What did you make of Tywin? Will Ned find a way through this mess? Given that she grabbed Tyrion because of Bran, how will Catelyn react now? What about Arya and Sansa? Finally who will be the next resident of Westeros to explain themselves to the accompaniment of two whores moaning? As ever, wade in below.
Game of ThronesTelevisionDramaFantasySarah Hughesguardian.co.uk
F1′s red-flag rules need tune-up after robbing Monaco of feisty finish | Giles Richards
Monaco could have had the finale it deserved if tyre changes were restricted to rainy conditions during race stoppages
Without doubt Sebastian Vettel is a fine driver and will have taken huge pleasure from his win in the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, yet there is a sense, through no fault of his own, that the victory ought to be marked with an asterisk in the record books because of an air of what might have been hanging over the race.
A tiny doubt was cast by the tyre change allowed when the race was red-flagged six laps from the end. It was perfectly within the rules and applicable to all the teams, but robbed fans of a potentially spectacular finish and Vettel of the chance to pull off a victory that would have made the history, as well as the record books.
By lap 72 the race, which had already eclipsed the usual Monaco procession with incident, intrigue and overtaking, was deliciously poised. Vettel led Fernando Alonso by just over a second with Jenson Button immediately behind them. Vettel had gambled on making only one stop, asking more of his tyres than anyone had expected. Alonso, who was two-stopping, had reeled the leader in and was quicker on newer tyres, while Button, on a three-stop strategy, had the freshest boots of all and was challenging them both.
Just before the race was stopped the BBC had reported McLaren engineers as predicting Vettel's tyres were about to "fall off the cliff". A fight to the finish involving Vettel trying to stay on track and ahead was guaranteed and, had his tyres given up the ghost and he with them, would have left Alonso and Button vying for the win – a mouth-watering prospect whichever scenario had ensued.
But it was not to be. With the cars parked on the grid, the tyres were changed and, with performance equalised by fresh rubber for all, the finish was a straight five-lap sprint ending, predictably, with the positions unchanged.
The rule allowing work on the cars, and specifically to change tyres under red-flag conditions, has its origins in concerns for safety. Red flags most often occur because of the onset of very heavy rain, which requires competitors to take on grooved tyres. It's an essential rule but one that now seems ripe for some fine tuning according to circumstance. It would not be too much to expect the race director to decide, given specific race conditions, whether a tyre change is necessary for safety purposes or not.
If, as was the case at Monaco, work on the cars or tyre changes are not needed for safety then surely they could, and should, be left alone, with engineers or mechanics unable to take advantage of an unexpected situation that may then have a direct impact on how the race plays out. As it did here, where we were denied a mighty climax – in contrast to the finale of a gripping Indy