Last night, I was thinking about making Friday a special post day. In which you guys would look forward to something recurring – either a continuing story, or a movie review, or a book review, or…something. I’m a big foodie, maybe I’ll post a picture of my lunch or something. (You think I jest? Just wait. 😉 )
So, what would you like to see every Friday?
Here’s some ideas…feel free to chime in with your own of course:
A recurring story, each Friday we will see a new chapter, or new piece of that story. (I’m thinking short story length when it is done, not novel length. Maybe 20 pages or so.)
A poem.
Book review.
Movie review.
TV Show review
Pictures…of something pretty?
Writing prompts/ story inspiration
Food; either something new I’ve tried, or some of my favorites
 A list of anything; probably in article format. Like 10 favorite places in the world, etc…
**Did you know: Charles Dickens Great Expectations was published first in serial form in Dickens’s weekly periodical All Year Round, from December 1860 to August 1861. (Wikipedia).
Well what do you guys think? Here’s your chance to weigh in!
I do like the idea of a continuing story…but let me know what you want to see, though, and I hope everyone has a great weekend!
This week is a week of inspiration for me…and another inspiration is dreams. I get a lot of inspiration from dreams, as they are basically stories that the brain invents all by itself while you are sleeping.
This morning I woke up at 4am with the knowledge that I had the best dream EVER, and despite me writing down as much as I could, it still seemed like a whole lot of nothing. I could barely remember anything.
All I do remember is that I was at a friend’s house staying the night, I made out with one of my girlfriends, (we have been watching a lot of Orange is the New Black lately), we sang a song, there was food and candles lit, I went somewhere with my boyfriend. I was working out on an exercise machine, doing pull ups. Then the dream switches to me being on a slide with my friends, we were poling on a raft through a river of dead bodies, then there was this waterfall drop, I was too scared to go so I jumped off the raft to the side.
Just as I’m about to go down the shoot, some arms and legs emerge from a grate and a man appears with a gun and a bunch of soggy money clutched in his hand, he tries to shoot me and the dream changes again…I remember a story within a story, a love story I eventually tell to someone and my amazing heroics. (Apparently I could control water.) I remember a large grassy hill and a yellow mansion on the hill. I remember writing names on a mirror in pink paint or lipstick; someone scoffing and saying they definitely weren’t the best couple ever. I remember I dreamed up a night’s worth of actions in two hours.
Although I couldn’t remember everything, what IS clear is the emotions. I felt hopeful, triumphant, amazing and invincible. Like justice was really served or true love really triumphed in the end. I felt strong and confident and young. My heart was warm, and fuzzy, I was the happiest and the most excited about life that I have been in a while.
If I had a dream about my ex-boyfriend, I wouldn’t be warm and fuzzy. No, emotions like regret and longing sometimes resurface. But it is funny how sometimes a story has the ability to influence your emotions, changes the way you feel.
That’s what I want to do someday: I want to make someone feel happy because a character is happy, I want a reader to rejoice in their triumphs. I want to write something that changes a person’s perceptive about certain things. Words are powerful. I want to shape them, make them my own and be one of the triumphant ones.
Anyway, that’s enough from me…What are your goals and inspirations? Ever have a story that was inspired about a crazy dream of yours? I’d like to hear it!
I get a lot of my inspiration from great TV shows, and I think people sometimes forget that TV Shows are only as good as the writers behind them. It has to have all the pieces in the formula to make it complete: great characters, an interesting and believable world and a great story.
I get inspired by these great stories and characters and love them sometimes just as much as my favorite books. So I thought I’d share some of my favorites of the past several years and why I think they deserve a good watch.
(It all depends on what you are into, too.) Me, I love science fiction/fantasy and alternate realities, but mostly I love great characters and these shows have all that and more:
One of my favorites, but clearly not up to par as a show like Game of Thrones. Chuck is about “Chuck,” a man who works at a Buy More (think Best Buy) whose life changes when he has a super computer downloaded into his head. Mostly I love this show because of Chuck played by Zachary Levi. Others might know him as the voice of Flynn on Disney’s Tangled. He’s that awkward, yet handsome nerd that everyone has in their lives and knows and loves. He’s relate-able, there’s action, there’s chemistry, and instead of becoming repetitive, the show and the characters continue to grow throughout the seasons.
6. BonesBones is about forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan, and how her partnership with the FBI helps them solve murders. I love the chemistry between Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI agent, Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). It is a relationship that definitely has more depth to it than just physical chemistry. You begin to understand that at the end of the day, these two are best friends, and can overcome any odds together. Plus, there’s a great cast and a humor that evens out the gruesome deaths and murders that the crew solves on each episode. Without the chemistry between all the characters, this show would have died a quick death a long time ago.
5. Downton Abbey
A period drama that focuses on the lives of the people who live and work in a large house, “Downton Abbey” that functions in the early 1900s and into the 1920s. Each character faces trials and tribulations, and the characters downstairs, (the kitchen, maids, footmen, etc.) are just as important as the lords and ladies of the manor in all their finery. Maggie Smith delivers great one liners, and the costumes, colors and dialogue transports you to a world that is very different from the one we live in now. I have a hard time writing after watching this show, merely because the character’s accents and mannerisms get in my head and it is sometimes hard to switch it off! It is a great show if you need to escape for a while.
4. Breaking Bad
It is fourth, merely because there are other TV shows that I love more, however, this one takes the cake when it comes to great writing. The show is about high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who is diagnosed with lung cancer. He decides to make and sell crystal meth to leave a legacy for his family. I love the bro-mance between Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston’s characters, and each season amps up the suspense as you’re taken along with Walter White on his journey of self discovery. It challenges the idea of right and wrong and each episode feels like a movie – there’s a lot of cinematic moments, great landscapes; Vince Gilligan is a pro when it comes to the awkward conversation.
3. Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin’s books come to life on the screen, the phrase “Winter is coming,” should be heard throughout the realm – this show airs on HBO on Sunday nights, although now we have to wait a whole year for the new season! The show follows several characters, (more than several actually) as they make their way through the seven kingdoms; some with desires for the throne, some with dragons, some with destinations of their own. There’s gruesome deaths, sex, love, fights, dragons, and epic fantasy. If you love all that…then this show is for you. The show doesn’t skimp on the special effects either…it is HBO after-all. Not for the faint of heart, but that’s what makes it so great.
2. LOST
And yes, I wrote it in great big capital letters, like it appeared on the show. (Writing it in lowercase just seems an insult to the show really.) LOST follows the lives of several survivors of a plane crash on an island somewhere in the south pacific. Unbeknownst to them, there is a greater purpose at work here as we learn how these characters lives are interconnected. There are so many themes in here for the starving English major: Death/Life, Science/Religion, Heaven/Hell, Right/Wrong, Retribution/Rebirth; it is a conspiracy theorist’s paradise and the skies the limit on what may or may not happen here. I fell in love with this show, and it is definitely worth it to see great actors, Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, and of course Josh Holloway’s dimples.
1. Firefly
I don’t know if you have heard the story: Firefly, the almost was. It aired for 14 episodes, when producers cancelled the show, not realizing (apparently) that it was starting to grow a fan-base; a fan-base so large that they were able to make a movie to conclude the show! I don’t know if there is a producer somewhere kicking himself for the mistake (there should be!) but had this continued on for five or more seasons it would have been a huge hit. Like every Firefly fan, it bugs me to no end that there weren’t more episodes to this show…ANYWAY…
Firefly follows Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his crew on Serenity as they ‘keep on flying,’ in the black; taking jobs when they can, either legal or illegally all while trying to exist under the empire of the Alliance, which tries its best to make the little man feel very small and insignificant. It touches on the idea of freedom and what it truly means; as well as friendship, loyalty and love. But mostly what draws you in is the great characters – a testament to Joss Whedon’s writing skills, of course. Viewers are usually hooked after the first episode. (I know I was!)
Well, that’s that! If you have other great TV shows that deserve a good watch, let me know! I’ve also recently started watching Orange is the New Black – and that one has got me hooked as well!
It is raining here in upstate New York, coming down like it means some business. We’ve had a flash flood warning, have been threatened with 3 or 4 inches of some good rain, but I’m not afraid.
Julianne Hough as Sherrie in Rock of Ages. I thought the whole Tom Cruise rock star thing was a little freaky at first. But you can barely recognize that its him in the movie.
Instead, I’m in that writer-like dream mode. The rain reminds me of sad stories, lost loves, that sad aching feeling of something once remembered, something cherished.
Just finished watching Rock of Ages while doing some much-needed dishes, and near the end of the movie is the song, “Every Rose Has its Thorn.” I don’t know why, but it inspires me…So I’ll use that as my inspiration for my next 15 minute journal session.
My 15 Minute Jouraling posts are something that I started as a warm-up for myself, so as to keep myself writing and the creative thoughts flowing. It’s something we used to do in my creative writing classes with a prompt given from the teacher. Anything can inspire me and I thought I’d give it a share.
I’ve done some other entries too, if you are curious, you can view them here, and here.
Also, it helps if I have that song playing in the background…I’m a sucker for covers and I really like the version on the Rock of Ages.
Here’s where I’ll put 15 minutes on the clock and do that thing that I do, GO!
>>>>She stared out the window at the rain, watched it come down in sheets and sheets of water that fell so hard it looked almost white. Her mother told her not to do it. Told her not to move away and live with a boy she’d just met.
The town they had moved to was in the middle of no-where. Except for the nuclear power plant a mile away, there was nothing there – except for a few dusty stores and cows that bellowed in the fields nearby. Her mother told her once that she hated the sound, that bellow. It was empty, mournful, made her think of her father that had up and left them. Angel said that the cows bellowing gave her stomach ache. It sounded like they were going to be sick and she’d rather steer clear of them.
Except there wasn’t anywhere to go in the empty town. She liked the look of the green grass and the trees that waved in the wind in the summertime, but come winter all she felt was loneliness. It was the kind that bites. That seeped into the cracks of their trailer and left a chill in her heart, an edgy-ness. Everywhere she went in that small town she could feel them watching.
And Angel knew that she wasn’t meant to stay.
It didn’t matter that she had no money. She wasn’t going to ask her mother for any either. She’d pack her bag and leave and feel the sun on her face once more. It was time she did something for herself rather than others.
She didn’t know how much that her boyfriend would put up a fight.
She’d told Andrew on a Tuesday that things weren’t right. He’d crush the beer can he’d held in his hands. Yes, he was the typical red-neck…complete with wife beater and ratty faded blue jeans. She’d like the grease on his hands at first. She liked the way he swaggered.
Now, she felt afraid.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he said as he lit his cigarette. She’d told him not to smoke in the house.
Angel fumbled with the dishes that she was drying and nearly dropped it on the floor. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, nothing,” he said, and laughed and got up and kissed her bare shoulder, traced his hand along the edge of her tank top. “You won’t go anywhere without me.”
“May…maybe I’m meant to be,” she stuttered, and followed him into the next room, her hands still soapy. “You once told me I could do anything.”
He sat in front of the TV. “Yeah, that what I said?”
“Well, I’m going to do it,” she said with one hand on her hip. “I’m going. And you won’t hold me back.”
He laughed a laugh that had no emotion. She wondered if when he said that he loved her, if he really meant it. “Do what you want, Angel,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me.”
If it didn’t matter, why was she so afraid?
By the next week, she had her bags all packed. She’d filled her car full of gas.
ANNND…that’s all the time I have. I used online stopwatch and the alarm just rang, scared me, lol. If I were to end this story, it’d probably go something like this:
She left him standing in the driveway, mouth wide open, his eyes finally open and lonely. The coldness had dropped from his face, and his shoulders drooped in that ratty wife-beater. It reminded her why she had loved him. He was so tall, and broad-shouldered, his eyes dark and beautiful. When she’d first met him, she thought he was so strong and steady. That he’d protect her, make the monsters of the world go away.
She imagined someone tough and blond-haired would marry him. She’d probably be a girl who grew up in camo and went hunting with her brothers on a regular basis. She wouldn’t be beautiful, but she wasn’t ugly either. She’d swear like a sailor and be stubborn. She wouldn’t take Andrews crap, and eventually he’d turn to alcohol anyway.
Angel felt her stomach twist as she turned onto the highway. Felt the tires run on the open road and breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, she felt a jolt in her heart as she felt the pressure on her abdomen and she pulled over to the side of the road and threw up in the ditch.
Bile clogged her throat and bits of her breakfast went back down as she swallowed. And she ached all over, felt a kind of dread that defeats tiredness, it brings on its own kind of weary. Tears ran down her cheeks and she snuffed loudly as she tore around in her backseat for a tissue. Her fourways blinked and clicked obnoxiously as a semi bellowed past.
It was too late. She wasn’t in this alone anymore. She’d never be alone again.
Whoa. That took a different turn, geez. I didn’t really do any editing, except to fix spelling errors and I think I’m going to keep to that. I might use this as inspiration for something else someday.
Anywho, thanks for reading and now perhaps I can run to the store now that its not raining buckets and get eggs so I can make cupcakes!
This review is based purely on what I have seen on the TV series. Beware, spoilers ahead!
Ygritte dies a tragic death in Jon Snow’s arms.
Jon Snow and his fellow comrades on the night watch are hell-bent on defending the wall and Castle Black against the attack from Mance and his army. Finally we have an episode based purely on just a few characters, and I don’t know where to begin!
First with a little romance perhaps? Sam wants to know from Jon what it was like to love a woman, to be with someone. Jon tries to describe it, but blusters out that he’s no poet. According to Ygritte, though, he’s a great lover and any episode dedicated to the adorable Jon Snow, is one I’m sure to enjoy!
Gilly and her baby manage to make it to castle black safely, just in time for the attack on the castle. It is the first time I have ever heard Sam Tully swear when he orders the guard to open up the gate for her. He promises that wherever she goes he will go with her, and he manages to stow her away safely in the castle.
Meanwhile, Jon is on top of the wall, but Janos Slynt hides in the castle and inadvertently leaves Jon in charge. While heroic and sweet in his treatment of Gilly, Sam manages to live another day as he is never directly in any of the fighting. He helps another comrade load a crossbow, he runs errands for Jon and lets out Ghost. He does kill one of the cannibals though.
Jon is everywhere at once. He is shouting orders, he is on the top of the wall, then he is at the castle gate, fighting several foes at once. After an exhausting fight with one of the cannibals, Jon finally comes face to face with Ygritte. After shouting to the rest of the Wildings in a previous scene that Jon Snow was hers, she still hesitates when it comes to shoot him.
In a bit of irony, she is then shot with an arrow from the boy whose family was murdered by Wildings. Moments before, the boy was huddled in a corner away from the fight, that was until Sam encouraged him to fight back. Ygritte then dies tragically in Jon’s arms and he is left stunned. “Remember the cave?” she asks him. “We should have stayed there,” she says. Jon tries to sooth her and says that they’ll go back there someday, to which she replies:
“You know nothing, Jon Snow.”
(As I write this my pandora station just started playing “A Drop in the Ocean” by Ron Pope! I’ll let this be my farewell to Jon Snow and Ygritte’s love…aww…lol)
Anyway, how stunning were those giants and wooly mammoths? This is why we love Game of Thrones so much – they don’t skimp on anything and that includes the special effects!
“Light those fuckers up!”
At the top of the wall, the night’s watch throws everything they can at the Wildings trying to scale the wall. Including arrows, exploding barrels and a giant hook that swings and scrapes off all those trying to climb up its side. And we get an amazing line from the top of the wall: “Light those fuckers up!”
Alliser Thorne gets injured during the fight, and we don’t know if he is dead yet. Bummer. Tormund is captured, and at the end of the episode Sam discovers that Janos Slynt has found his hiding place for Gilly.
Still stunned at Ygritte’s death, the episode ends with Jon heading out into the snow to kill Mance. “You’re not a lord commander,” Sam tries to reason with him, but Jon returns with: “Whose left?” And asks Sam if he has a better plan. Jon walks out into the snow and the screen fades to white and the episode ends.
My heart is still pounding at all the excitement in this episode. And I drank a whole glass of wine in about two minutes during the episode, too, I was so nervous about what was going to happen and who was going to die next. I was so certain Sam was going to die, and I hope Alliser Thorne eventually does.
There’s a lot that happened in the finale, after I re-watch the episode, I’ll finally post my thoughts on that one!
What I do know though: I don’t want to wait a whole year to watch the new season! Thoughts below if you got ’em!
Me and my boyfriend are broke, broke, broke. I’ve stayed home all weekend all with the intent to save money on gas…I’ve missed birthday parties, festivals, and good times with old friends. I’ve been bummed, I’ve been frustrated, but I push through all with the knowledge that hard times are there to teach you to learn from your mistakes, to push harder, to be tough in the times of great stress.
Even though it seems like life sucks, I remind myself that it is not the end of the world, that I have a place to live, people to love me and food in my belly. I mean, that’s all a person needs, really.
And lotsa, lotsa, pizza! (Just kidding, tehe)
But enough of the drama, we might be poor but we can appreciate the little things and that includes spending time together, enjoying pizza and watching the World Cup – here we Americans call it Soccer, of course.
I, personally, like the term “football,” really, as I’m not a great fan of American football (I know, I’m a traitor to everything American, whatevers,) but we are both thoroughly enjoying this great opportunity to view something that we don’t normally get to see. And who said that Americans never watch Soccer? Pssh.
I’m starting to notice the different styles between the countries. The Japanese are fast, quick. Ghana has great footwork. Greece, great defense. And the US? They play differently than EVERYONE.
USA vs Portugal, FIFA World cup
Their passes are long, their dribbling not as intricate… (well, maybe right now is not a good time to judge, we are down by 1 – AH, never mind, they just scored! WOOO!
I am falling in love with “football.” We never get to watch it here in the US, a sport that is more popular everywhere in the world but here, and most of the time, we Americans don’t get a chance to watch it. There’s so much drama, strategy and excitement.
Every game is just one big stress-ball, next minute one big party. I’m ready to jump in line with all the other soccer hooligans, I’m ready!
Well, just thought I’d say a quick hello, and hope everyone in the blogging world is doing just grand and had a great weekend! I’m enjoying this warmer weather here in upstate New York and love that there is blue sky and green on the trees. Enjoying the simple things…whatever they may be.
Happy Writing people!
(FYI my final reviews for GOTs to come soon.)
Have you been keeping up with the World cup? Who do you want to win?
I stopped at a KFC on my way home from work and there was a long line. I figured hey, I’m hungry I’ll wait a few extra minutes. It took a while for some customers to receive their food; as the workers were scurrying around the kitchen, they inform some customers of the wait, as they had to make some new batches of sides.
As you can imagine, one customer put up a fit. “This isn’t fast-food,” he says loud enough so the whole dining room can hear him. “We’ve been waiting for several minutes and you don’t have any food. You have to make everything, this is ridiculous. This is the last time I’m coming here!”
The manager was called out to console him, and while the man complains, I can just feel the atmosphere in the room drop: it’s so heavy, full of implications, irritation and impatience.
I roll my eyes and cross my arms. I am irritated because I am hungry and tired, but I know better than to take it out on the poor teenagers making minimum wage. I fantasize taking a big stick and whopping it on the back of the man’s head. I think about confronting him and being like, “Let it go. What is your problem?” But I don’t.
The rude man who is being difficult is asked by the manager, “how can I make this better? What can I do for you? You are our guest, we want to make you happy.”
I’m thinking: What about the rest of us who has to listen to HIM? Who’s going to console us?
Somewhere in this predicament of bad customer service, I think that somethings gone terribly wrong. It makes me think:
How there are two sides to freedom of speech
How social mores sometimes hinder society
And how we need more heroes to stand up to the A-holes of the world
Just something to think about. It was a long wait, lol.
Food for thought…as it were. 😉 Happy Thursday everyone!
A few weekends ago, I went and saw Godzilla in I-Max at the theater in Syracuse, NY and thought I’d give my thoughts on the remake. I almost forgot to post this, and am kicking myself for the mistake. Here’s some thoughts that I had.Spoilers ahead, people!
After disaster strikes at a nuclear power plant in Tokyo, Japan, fifteen years later, Joe Brody, (Bryan Cranston) is still trying to find out what happened to his wife. What he and his son, Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) learn is that the Japanese government, led by Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) have pulled a massive cover up: a monster larva has burrowed deep in the ground over the remains of the nuclear power plant.
When the monster hatches, it attracts a mate, another monster bug, or Muto, that wreaks havoc over the Pacific and in Hawaii – Oh, and this Muto can fly. Meanwhile, the U.S. government, under Operation Monarch, have hidden the discovery of another monster: Godzilla.
Attracted by the calls of the other giant beasts, Godzilla begins hunting the Mutos, or as Dr. Ichiro Serizawa says, “to restore the balance.” But the U.S. Government believes that now isn’t the time for more “cover-ups” and instead plans to attract the Mutos and Godzilla with a large nuclear missile and then destroy them all in a massive explosion.
Naturally this doesn’t work, and the rest of the movie pits Lieutenant Ford Brody, who just happens to be a bomb specialist, against all odds as he tries to get back to his family and save the rest of the world against a bomb that could have the potential to destroy a good portion of the human race.
The compassion and the strength that is shown in Lieutenant Brody’s character and in the other soldiers that fight around him is comforting and inspiring. Where Lieutenant Ford Brody gets his strength or his drive, it is hard to fathom, but it was refreshing to see a character who goes above and beyond for the sake of others. He saves a young kid who isn’t even his own, and takes it upon himself to return the kid when he gets separated from his parents.
The Mutos mate and the female Muto gives birth to more larvae. At the risk of his own life, Brody destroys the larvae, knowing that there will be some kind of retaliation. When he and his fellow comrades are trying to get the armed missile away from the general public, Brody, who is the last survivor, just manages to drag himself onto a boat and sends himself away offshore. He knows it’s a one way stop, but he keeps going anyway. He’s doing it for the greater good.
But there is also more than one hero in this movie.
After Lieutenant Brody kills the larvae, there is a time shortly after where he is face-to-face with Godzilla. The monster has a chance to gobble him up, but instead Godzilla bows his head slightly and closes his eyes as if to say, ‘thank you,’ and then retreats back into the fog. This suggests that the Godzilla in this movie is intelligent, and aware of his surroundings, not just a monster intent on destroying his prey. It was a refreshing take on the character, and exciting even. The potential for such a character…it would be interesting to see many sequels with this Godzilla at the helm.
He destroys the Mutos and we get some epic fight scenes pitting monster against monster and earth-shattering roars and crumbling buildings. At one point, Godzilla has one of the Mutos in his clutches and pries open their mouth and with a roar, blasts his atomic fire down the throat of the monster and rips its head clear off. It was a moment where everyone in the theater cheered – something that doesn’t always happen very often when viewing a movie – that’s how much this movie picks you up and takes you for a ride.
You’ve got giant monsters destroying each other and most of the architecture around them, but you also have strong, compassionate soldiers, epic fight scenes, gigantic monsters, and a story-line that keeps moving, never lets you get bored from one scene to the next.
The movie is exciting, well written, and satisfying!
(Oh, and In I-max, the sounds cannot compare and if you have a chance to see the movie in I-Max…I say go for it! It was awesome!)
I tried to think of something that I didn’t like about the movie, and I really couldn’t – the only thing really, was that I wanted to see more of the movie, more monsters and more fight scenes. I really enjoyed that they gave this Godzilla more of a character, instead of just a mindless killing machine. I thought it gave more meaning to the movie.
Were you able to see Godzilla? What did you think? Thoughts below if you got them!
Photo credit: HBO. Sansa appreciates the snow in the Eyrie.
Well, what can be said about last night’s episode? What can’t be said?? For an episode that was said to be a ‘filler’ episode by my boyfriend, an awful lot happened.
The episode starts out with Jaime berating Tyrion about turning down the deal with Tywin to take the black. Jaime claims that he has “thrown his life away.” They exchange words about their father, how he wants to see Tyrion dead and Jaime back at his rightful place at Casterly Rock, yada yada…the thought is that Bronn will fight for him.
Bronn is sent for, and comes to explain to Tyrion that he has a chance to marry, and he has gold, (as arranged by Cersei.) He says that he is Tyrion’s friend, but likes his life more. The conversation ends, and they shake hands and the meeting ends on a good note…I think.
Later on in the episode, Prince Oberyn comes to visit Tyrion in his cell. It’s odd…a place so dirty and (presumably) smelly, yet Prince Oberyn seems right at home. He seems the type that can slip into any place and look like he belongs. The man is that comfortable in his own skin. It is refreshing for us, but must be terrifying for the rest of the characters on Game of Thrones, because who’s to know what the man will do next?
Like, decide to be Tyrion’s champion? Prince Oberyn is there at King’s Landing to get revenge, and he wants revenge against Gregor Clegane, or ‘The Mountain,” for raping and killing his sister. Gregor Clegane is the champion that Cersei has chosen, (A.K.A killing machine and The Hound’s brother.)
Meanwhile, somewhere not so close to King’s Landing, Arya and the Hound pass an old man on the road who is dying from a stomach wound. He goes on and on and says a lot of things that aren’t particularly important. Arya says that “nothing is just nothing,” the Hound puts him out of his misery and teaches Arya where the heart is all in one stroke of his knife.
The next time we see them, the Hound and Arya get attacked by those trying to get the price put on the Hound’s head. Arya remembers one of the attackers as someone who has insulted her but she doesn’t know his name. The Hound asks the guy his name, he gets on Arya’s list, she stabs him in the heart. The scene ends with the Hound saying, “you’re learning.”
It’s an amusing scene, and fitting of Arya’s character, but should I be worried that I find such scenes somewhat amusing?
Later on in the episode, we see that the Hound is hurt by their attackers. He asks Arya about the sword she got from her brother, then he tells Arya the story of what his brother gave him. The scar on his face. Touched by the story, Arya offers to help clean his wound and stitch it up.
On Dragonstone, Melisandre convinces Lady Selyse to bring her daughter Shireen with them on the long journey. I’m guessing to King’s Landing? Melisandre claims it’s because the lord of light will need her. More blood sacrifices, perhaps?
Meanwhile, in Jon Snow’s world, Alliser Thorne is continuing to give him trouble; insisting he lock up Ghost, won’t listen to Jon’s suggestions about fortifying the wall and overall just being a regular pain in the ass. Here’s hoping he gets what’s coming to him soon…something that will probably happen because he doesn’t listen. Personally, I think Thorne is such an ass because Jon has the ability to lead, his friends are also loyal to him and Thorne is threatened by it.
In Meereen, Dany has her own version of trouble. Daario claims that he is only good at two things: women and killing men. She makes good use of one of those things. She tells Daario to strip. Something I thought that was a little out of character for Dany, but as she is growing into her role, I could see why she would make use of what she has…but it seemed odd. This is no longer the frightened little sister of Viserys that we saw in season one of this series.
While it is obvious that Daario desires her, there is no softness in Dany’s expression. She is still Queen. Ser Jorah doesn’t approve, of course. However, Dany does listen to him when he advises her not to kill all the slavers in Yunkai, where she sent Daario and the second sons to reclaim the city. She changes her mind and says that they will have a choice to follow the rules in her world, or die.
We also see a bit of Pod and Brienne in this episode. While not main characters, I love these two as there never seems to be anything bad in them. While stopping at an Inn to catch a decent meal, they meet Hot Pie who tells them that Arya is still alive, and that she was traveling with the Hound. Pod deducts that they would be heading towards the Eyrie, where the girl’s aunt lives. Sansa might be there too.
Meanwhile in the Eyrie, Robin…annoying, spoiled, stupid, whiny Robin, destroys Sansa’s snow Winterfell and throws a tantrum. Sansa slaps him and then immediately regrets it. Lord Baelish sees and says that it’s what his mother should have done a long time ago. (He makes a good point, you know.)
Sansa questions Lord Baelish about why he killed Joffrey and he confesses it is because he loved her mother, and says in a different world she could have been his daughter. Then he kisses Sansa. She pushes him away, but aunt Lysa sees.
Threatened by Sansa and jealous, and a trifle crazy, Lysa holds Sansa over the moon door and threatens her. Lord Baelish manages to calm her down, and then reveals to her: “there is only one woman I love,” he says,”and that was your sister.” He then pushes Lysa through the Moon Door and the episode ends.
-I thought this a great ending, as I was never a great fan of Lysa. What will happen next you think? Thought’s below if you got ’em!
This review is based purely on what I have seen on the TV Shows, also…
Spoilers ahead!
Photo source: HBO
Review of episode 6: The Laws of God and Men –
No Starks in this episode. Arya, Sansa, Bran or Jon Snow’s stories were nowhere to be found.
However, we do get to see a great deal of Theon Greyjoy…or what’s left of him. Theon’s sister, Yara, arrives with her ship of men only to discover that the brother she thought she was rescuing is no longer there. Ramsay Snow has completely broken him.
Meanwhile, Daenerys is learning what it means to rule and how time-consuming it is. She meets with subjects in Meereen and deals with the problems in turn. One in particular: her dragons ate someone’s goats. Whoops. She also confronts a man, whose father she crucified. The son now claims that his father was against slavery, and asks permission to bury him according to his customs. Daenerys concedes to the burial, but seems shaken by the confrontation. Perhaps ruling is not what it is cracked up to be?
And on another front, Lord Stannis is denied a loan by the Iron Bank, that is until Davos pleads his case to the committee that he is the real and rightful King.
Varys is confronted by Prince Oberyn in the throne room, and the Prince guesses correctly where Varys is from. It’s the first time I have ever really seen the spider on edge. Varys claims that he was never interested in men or women and says that without desire he is able to focus on more important things. He then looks meaningfully at the Iron Throne after saying this.
Lord Tyrion’s trial begins and we quickly see that the trial is a farce, as does Jaime. Jaime makes an arrangement with his father, Tywin, to pardon Tyrion and let him take the black, as long as Tyrion pleads guilty and has no more outbursts. In return, Jaime will take his place as heir at Casterly Rock.
Tyrion, of course, does not remain silent, as Shae is called to testify against him. She says that Tyrion killed Joffrey with poison to help his new wife, Sansa, get revenge against her slain relatives. I’m just going to come out and say it: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
The episode ends with Tyrion demanding a trial by combat.
My thoughts:
I’ve always liked Shae and could not believe that she would go to such measures to get back at Tyrion. Was she blackmailed? It doesn’t seem like it.
I hate what’s being done to Greyjoy, it’s just awful to watch.
Anything with Daenerys is fun – it’s always great to watch a woman kick ass, and she does it a lot. Compared to Daenerys, it makes me wonder why Stannis wastes his time? He’s never going to win. Stannis’ storyline just seems like a big waste to me.
Also, Prince Oberyn is supposed to be the enemy, but I am finding myself liking his character more and more.
Nothing much else to say about this week’s episode, only that I can’t wait for the next one. I’m a great fan of the Stark sisters, so looking forward to seeing them next Sunday!
What did you think of last night’s episode? Thoughts below if you got ’em!
So, what would you like to see every Friday?
Bones is about forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan, and how her partnership with the FBI helps them solve murders. I love the chemistry between Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI agent, Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). It is a relationship that definitely has more depth to it than just physical chemistry. You begin to understand that at the end of the day, these two are best friends, and can overcome any odds together. Plus, there’s a great cast and a humor that evens out the gruesome deaths and murders that the crew solves on each episode. Without the chemistry between all the characters, this show would have died a quick death a long time ago.
A. J. Morse 