User reviews

Game of Thrones is all about momentum, and that's what this episode stays true to: it builds up momentum. Without giving anything away, let me just say that viewers who found this season's previous episodes sluggish will be really pleased.

There's a lot going on in this episode. All the varied elements that we've come to expect from Game of Thrones at its best are here: emotion, action, humour, cliffhanger.

Highlights - Ciarán Hinds makes his first move; I couldn't wait to see him get into the action. Meanwhile it's heartening to see another actor from the cast of HBO's Rome introduced: Tobias Menzies as Catelyn's brother, Edmure Tully.

There are also some powerful emotional scenes, spectacularly acted and directed.

I especially loved Tyrion and Pod's antics in this episode. In a TV show all about war and death, the lightheartedness is a welcome relief.

Altogether a great episode. Can't wait for the next one!

Another good episode, making this the best start of any Game of Thrones season (up until now, anyway). Watch out for the amusing chair positioning scene - or what you might call a mini "game of thrones" - in the small council.

Came to 'Game of Thrones' fairly late in the game and due to being so busy the binge-watching was gradual. Have found myself truly loving the show, very quickly becoming one of my favourites. It totally lives up to the hype and not only does it do the brilliant source material justice (a rarity in television) it is on its own merits one of the finest, most addictive and consistently compelling shows in recent years and quality-wise it puts a lot of films in recent years to shame.

Loved the previous two episodes, loved "Walk of Punishment" even more. There may be bigger and more epic episodes, but it is nonetheless as thrilling as the episodes that are those things and there is some boldness in "Walk of Punishment". Especially in the truly shocking final moments. Even when you know it's coming when it's spoiled for you before watching the episode, it is one of the most harrowing endings of the earlier seasons.

My only real issue with "Walk of Punishment" is that the Arya and Hot Pie didn't interest me as much as everything else in the episode, some of it felt somewhat clumsy and didn't add very much.

However, all the acting is great with the top honours going to the ever brilliant Peter Dinklage (who has yet to put a foot wrong) and a searingly intense Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. For a first-time directing job, this is a seriously impressive effort, what is so good about 'Game of Thrones' is a long way from diminished here.

Visually, "Walk of Punishment" looks amazing. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.

One cannot talk about "Walk of Punishment" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.

It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions such as suspenseful tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. The story is paced beautifully, structured with such nuance and attention to coherence, a high emotional level and is done with intelligence, passion and sensitivity.

All in all, great episode if not quite a masterpiece. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Lots of plot elements. One king is dead. Dany is still trying to raise an army and must deal with a slave trader who is despicable. She is willing to part with one of her dragons to get what she wants. The thing is she is the mother of dragons. Can she even strike such a bargain (if you get my drift). We will see. Lots of stuff in the woods as Arya goes on and the Pie Guy stays behind to be a baker. Theon is nearly killed but seems to have a guardian angel. This series is filled with near misses and last minute rescues. Jaime, his confidence overflowing, plays too much of his hand (so to speak) and pays dearly for it. His sliminess knows no bounds, but he should realize that he is playing fast and loose with a pack of barbarians. This is a fast moving, well constructed episode. Tyrion is there for comic relief this time. He is made "Master of the Coin," which appears to be the treasurer. He says he doesn't know finance because he just spent money; he never kept track of it.

Season 3, episode 3. Robb and Catelyn arrive for the funeral of Lord Hoster Tully (Catelyn's father, Robb's grandfather). Arya and Gendry say goodbye to Hot Pie, the Hound is still held captive. Tywin makes Tyrion the Master of Coins. The Night's Watch is back at Craster's. Brienne and Jamie are taken hostage with a surprise ending to the episode.

9/10

I'm rewatching GoT in lieu of bothering with the boring House of the Dragon and this episode just reminds me why GoT is so much better. It's all the little character moments, stuff I've totally forgotten in the years since I first watched.

In the council chamber, Tywin has arranged the chairs oddly, all on one side of the table, as if challenging anyone to move them.

Littlefinger pushes forward aggressively, takes the closest chair to Tywin, while Varys gives him a disgusted look and Pycelle just plops his tired bones down anywhere.

Smugly, Cersei picks up a chair and places it on Tywin's right hand side.

Last into the room, due to his short legs, Tyrion doesn't let any of it faze him. He grabs the final chair and noisily scrapes it across the floor to the opposite head of the table, as though he's on par with Tywin now. Even Cersei wouldn't have dared do that although she seems peeved that she didn't think of it.

And there's a lot of other good character building, especially with the evolving relationship between Brienne and Jamie, with each trying to defend the other despite their mutual antipathy.

The directing and editing is still excellent, the performances are still great, the scenery/music score's still gorgeous

Great episode, and distinctly different from the previous ones, with significantly more humor.

Walk of Punishment and the first two episodes are great, albeit not excellent and so far, it's been off to a solid start. The story/script continues to be very well-written, the directing and editing is still excellent, the performances are still great, the scenery/music score's still gorgeous, and the relationships continue to be compelling.

My only quibble is that the story-arcs for the new characters weren't used a bit and it would've been better to see them have a relationship with the Stark family and the Lannister family as well. But it doesn't matter. Everything else turned out fine. So, overall, another great episode for Season 3.

I really love this episode a lot, specifically for the scenes in the North. I could watch a full show just in the North with those characters and actors.

Tyrion shoulders new responsibilities, Jon arrives at the Fist of the First Men, Daenerys meets with the slavers, and Jaime strikes a deal with his captors.

What I Liked:

As usual, it's impossible not to be impressed by the high-quality production value. Again, acting all around is solid.

While there are many characters and arcs to establish, it's remarkable how this show balances them all, with no scene or storyline feeling dragged out or unnecessary.

Locke chopping off Jamie's hand is a terrific way to end this episode, leaving the viewer wanting more as soon as the credits roll.

What I Disliked:

The brothel scene and subsequent scene with Tyrion, Podrick, and Bronn were jarring and unnecessary. It seemed like padding compared to the rest of this one.

Overall:

Game of Thrones delivers its best episode so far this season. One can only surmise this season will remain engaging and enthralling.

9/10

King Cadmium.

Ouch. Did you find yourself clutching your wrist at the end of this week like we did? Game Of Thrones has never exactly been a slouch in delivering shock endings, but this week will take some beating.