Game of Thrones

Season 2 Episode 4

Garden of Bones

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FAN RECAP

TV.com Episode Review

  • Game of Thrones: Congratulations! It's a... Whatever That Is! 200

    Game of Thrones: Congratulations! It's a... Whatever That Is!

    This season's best episode yet gave us so many talking points, we barely know where to start.

    By Tim Surette, Apr 23, 2012

    • Fan Episode Reviews (9)

    SUBMIT REVIEW

    • this show is so amzaing

      9.0
      By TimeToParty, Yesterday
      wow just wow, the way joffery treats his lady sansa isnt right, the whole stark family is down in the dumps, i hope they get back on there feet soon,

    • Garden of Bones

      9.0
      By AJLane-TCP, May 03, 2012
      The Good:

      -"The high road's very pretty, but you'll have a hard time marching your army down it."

      -"If war were arithmetic, the mathematicians would rule the world."

      -"A man without friends is a man without power."

      -"Shadows cannot live in the dark."

      The Bad:

      -As opposed to "What is Dead May Never Die," "Garden of Bones" feels a bit slow.

    • A vicious treat

      8.5
      By Shane747, Apr 26, 2012
      So this is the second good game of thrones episode in a row, and I feel like last year, the show is getting stronger after a slow build up. That said, I didn't like Garden of Bones as much as the previous episode, although that might be entirely because of the lack of Tyrion here.



      Where this episode excelled was in how it shocked the viewers, including me, with how dark and bloody it was. There were 3 scenes which were just plain sadistic and reminded us how insane the world of GoT is.



      But in terms of plot development, not too much happened in this episode. Two new locations were unlocked, Harenhal and Qarth. The former is just awesome, a city melted by dragonfire and now a lannister prison or fortress of sorts. I wish we get more backstory about this place. And I'm also beginning to see why Arya's story might be a little relevant. Now that she's cupbearer to Tywin, we might see more of what the Lannister's are doing in the war, cause right now we only know that Rob is whooping them. As for Qarth, its a giant desert city that Dany has managed to come to, and after a rather long and drawn out scene, is allowed to enter.



      Also, I'm really liking Renly this season, as he does seem very.. Kingly. Most unlike Stannis. Still, I'm not sure why Catelyn and Renly STILL haven't talked. Has Renly agreed to an allaince? We simply skip all that and go to Renly and Stannis suddenly talking on a field. Wasn't stannis on an island far away just last episode? And how did Renly get all the men that are Stannis' (since he's second in line)? The show needs to explain these things better.



      As for that final scene, I can't decide whether I liked it or not. It was a great WTF moment, but I hope the magic doesn't get too widespread. Its great when its in little touches like this and with Dany's dragons, but I sure hope mages and elves don't start popping in everywhere.moreless

    • Best episode yet in Season 2!

      9.0
      By Nickylucas, Apr 24, 2012
      Game of Thrones Season 2 has gotten off to a bit of a..well, rough start. Sure, it was still of great quality, of course, but no where on the level of season one. I blame this partially because of the fact that A Clash of Kings is a lot slower paced than A Game of Thrones, and only gets really good at the half way mark (with Arya and Tyrion being the only saving grace in the first half). But now things have picked up now that season 2 is almost half done.



      This episode brought us back to Robb, who we haven't seen in a couple of weeks. He is continuing his invasion of Lannister territory, and having a lot of fun running down farting guardsmen. (I LOL'd so hard in that scene)



      We also got to see Catelyn and Littlefinger and Renly's war camp, where a situation has developed: King Stannis, Renly's older brother, has sailed from Dragonstone to confront his brother, rather than going right for King's Landing. This ends with a rather creepy scene involving Melisandre and her..umm...newborn child.



      Meanwhile, in King's Landing, Tyrion makes a deal with Ser Whatever is name is (Despite reading the books the names do confuse me at times) to keep an eye on Cersei for Tyrion. Tyrion blackmailed him with information to bring to Joffery, and I remember loving that chapter in the book, so the show including this was a treat to me.



      Meanwhile, in King's Landing, Joffery gets word of Robb's new victories and decides to take it out on Sansa by having her disrobed (or shall I say, disROBBed). In response, Tyrion figures Joffery is "at that age" and arranges for a couple of whores to entertain him. Well, they did entertain him alright, because violence is the only thing that really entertains this guy. So he manages to find a bunch of sharp objects to hit them with in the @ss. And no, I am not talking about his little d***. I mean actual sharp objects, such as a belt or a gigantic stick thingy.



      This wasn't in the books...but I'm glad it was here, because as usual, the show does a GREAT job of making us hate Joffery to the point where we want to see him, a 13 year old boy who is probably really nice in real life, get hit in the @$$ in a similar manner. Oh Joffery...



      Arya also has fun watching guys get tortured in Harrenhall. Oh yeah, and she's started her "prayer" just like Yoren. Now she wants a bunch of people dead, and understandably.



      This episode is arguably the best yet in season 2. So why only a 9? Well, simply because I know better stuff is coming. This is only the beginning, and things will continue to develop. Like I said, things pick up at the second half. From now on, the episodes should be getting better and better.



      Excellent episode. Can't wait for next week!moreless

    • The Winning Side (Spoilers Ahead)

      9.0
      By Neksmater, Apr 24, 2012
      Robb continues his winning streak after crushing an upstart Lannister army with a surprise attack and he learns a thing or two from a Silent Sister (one of the sacred vow takers who deal with deceased people and who worship the Seven Gods of the realm.) We also met Roose Bolton who seems eager to live up the Flayed Man that is his House sigil and Robb's honor and unwillingness to deal out severe punishment to his enemies may cause his strife later on as he is starting to indeed be his father's son in that regard. Angry at Robb's victory Joffrey has Sansa humiliated in court but Tyrion intervenes and puts her in his protective custody. His trick to get Joffrey to be normal and just get laid was ruined by his sadistic side as he had one whore hurt another with increasing ferocity as a screw you to Tyrion. Lancel brings a message to Tyrion in regards to having Pycelle released from the Black Cells and returned to Cersei. Tyrion deduces Lancel's relationship with his sister and Lancel breaks down and Tyrion manipulates him into spying on Cersei for him. Meanwhile, in the Stormlands Renly is visited by Lord Baelish who is to take Tyrion's offer of Sansa and Arya for Jaime Lannister as a trade and pleads to her as a mother since Robb clearly won't do it. We also get to see Renly's relationship with Littlefinger be fleshed out and Renly describing why he doesn't like him and questioning his loyalty although Littlefinger's quip about being loyal to Robert's corpse is true enough. When Littlefinger tries to tell Catelyn how he feels she pulls a knife on him when he has Ned's bones brought before her as Tyrion's offer of good faith. Also the parley between Stannis and Renly truly showed the two brothers' strengths and weaknesses: Stannis's unwillingness to have friends and his moral absolutism, Renly and his naivete about war and how he's so sure that numbers win wars alone but indeed "if numbers were all there is to war the mathematicians would run the world" is indeed true from Littlefinger's own mouth. Also Arya continues on her captive adventure when she is taken to Harrenhal (which is reportedly haunted) and watches several people get gruesomely tortured while being asked about a Brotherhood of some sorts. Tywin Lannister arrives and sees Arya and sees through her guise. Liking her sass he says to his soldiers to release the prisoners and to have them turned into laborers (which is truly practical to be doing with them rather than just having them waiting around to die) and Arya is appointed as Tywin's cup-bearer. Hopefully he won't see through her guise and discover her true identity but this will be an interesting thread to go off of. No Theon this week or Bran or Jon Snow but hopefully that will be remedied next week. Daenerys recieves one of her rider's back from the great city of Qarth but when they reach the gates they want to see her dragons but she refuses but luckily one of the 13 of Qarth (13 merchants who presumably control the economy and the city itself) called Xaro Xhoan Daxos claims responsibility for her and welcomes her to Qarth which is stunningly beautiful as a set piece as well as Harrenhal which has the opposite effect of being haunting and depraved looking. While we didn't get to see the battle that Robb won it was good to at least see the aftermath of it. Melisandre played off as threatening and enticing as she is in the books and Stannis sends Davos to send a boat ashore when he realizes Renly won't yield to him and surrender his army. Davos rows Melisandre to the shore and through closed bars in a cave on the beach she gives birth to some shadow demon looking thing. I know right, this is some sick sorcery but I wonder if Stannis knows that this is his "son" that she promised him. Fantastic episode, and I am getting more attuned to the pace now with the several split storylines but next week looks surely to be awesome as well.moreless
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    Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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    • TRIVIA (0)

    • QUOTES (6)

      • Roose Bolton: In my family we say, "A naked man has few secrets, a flayed man none."
        Robb Stark: My father outlawed flaying in the North.
        Roose Bolton: We're not in the North.
        Robb Stark: We're not torturing them!
        Roose Bolton: The high road's very pretty, but you'll have a hard time marching your army down it.

      • Melisandre: You should kneel before your brother. He's the Lord's Chosen, born amidst salt and smoke.
        Renly Baratheon: Born amidst salt and smoke? Is he a ham?

      • Melisandre: Shadows cannot live in the dark.

      • Petyr Baelish: If war were arithmetic, the mathematicians would rule the world.

      • Robb Stark: You'd have us surrender? End all this bloodshed. I understand. The country would be at peace and life will be just under the righteous hand of good King Joffrey.
        Talisa: You're going to kill Joffrey?
        Robb Stark: If the gods give me strength.
        Talisa: And then what?
        Robb Stark: I don't know. We'll go back to Winterfell. I have no desire to sit on the Iron Throne.
        Talisa: So who will?
        Robb Stark: I don't know.
        Talisa: You're fighting to overthrow a king, and yet you have no plan for what comes after?
        Robb Stark: First we have to win the war.

      • Daenerys Targaryen: When my dragons are grown, we will take back what was stolen from me and destroy those who have wronged me. We will lay waste to armies and burn cities to the ground. Turn us away and we will burn you first.

    • NOTES (1)

      • Ian Whyte replaced Conan Stevens as Ser Gregor "The Mountain That Rides" Clegane for the second season. He appeared in three episodes starting with this one, the other two being A Man Without Honor and The Prince of Winterfell.

    • ALLUSIONS (0)

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