GAME OF THRONES Review: ‘Breaker of Chains’ – Controversy Strikes!

Previously On Game Of Thrones:

Roose Bolton returns to Dreadfort with his new wife Walda Frey to regroup and strategize against the Ironborn. There, he discovers that his bastard son Ramsay Snow has taken hold of Theon Greyjoy(now called Reek) as his personal slave, much to Roose’s dismay. He also plans to retake Moat Cailin by using Reek as ransom, with the condition of legitimizing Ramsay as a Bolton. Meanwhile, beyond The Wall, Bran Stark and his party discover their supposed path by communing with a Heart Tree. At Dragonstone, Melissandre continues sacrificing men in the cause of The Lord Of Light, which brings suspicions to Stannis’ daughter, Shireen. Lastly, at King’s Landing, the much awaited Royal Wedding unfolds, but ends not as anyone had expected: Joffrey gets poisoned, and dies shortly. Cersei then orders the Kingsguard to arrest Tyrion for her son’s death.

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Like I pointed out in our last GOT’ review, whenever a big wedding happens in the world of Song of Ice And Fire, tragedy follows. This week’s episode on the other hand, dealt directly with its aftermath, and the repercussions it brought to Westeros and to our beloved cast. It also advances the story forward, springing forth the boost needed for the plot to progress.

Another thing that makes Breaker of Chains noteworthy is the controversy it entails. Sure, we’re used with Thrones delivering shock moments and what not, but this one ignited flames in the interwebs, which fueled discussions involving Jaime’s relationship with Cersei. I’ll discuss more of that in a bit. Let’s take a quick trip at the events that happened last Sunday, shall we?

At King’s Landing, everyone is left in shock at the grisly image of Joffrey’s abrupt demise. Cersei orders her men to arrest Tyrion for charges of her son’s murder. Dontos Hollard takes the opportunity by aiding Sansa to escape from the Capital, which prompts Tywin to block all passages and actuate an immediate investigation until the crime is resolved in its entirety. Meanwhile, at Dragonstone, the news of the king’s death reaches Stannis Baratheon, who assumes it is caused by the leeching of Gendry’s blood. He then chastises Davos for failing to form an army for their cause, which gives the latter an idea to acquire one. Arya and The Hound continue their journey to the Vale, but takes a quick stop for shelter.

The Wildling crisis intensifies as they attack a village and slay everyone in it, save for a little boy whom the Magnar of Thenn uses to inform the Night’s Watch of their threat. All of the Watch agrees to remain inside The Wall and fortify their defenses instead, as an offensive strategy will give them more losses. However, two members of the Watch return from Craster’s Keep, and brings them to speed at the things that occurred after the mutiny. Jon Snow soon realizes that a squad of rangers need to head out and eliminate the mutineers, before any information about their real strength could be revealed to the enemy. Lastly, Daenerys Targaryen and her forces arrive at the gates of Meereen, with the intention of liberating its slaves. The city sends their champion to stop them, but Daario Naharis slays him quickly. Dany then sends them a strong message, which brings fear to its inhabitants.

Breaker of Chains is a long episode. It spends most of its duration with lengthy scenes, which is good, since it further expounds some of the events in the story. It might be a bad thing too though, since it could leave people disgust at the sight of watching sequences which aren’t really fascinating. It also has its moments. Tyrion’s final dialogue with his squire Podrick Payne struck multiple chords to my heart. It defines just how deep their relationship is, and how it means to our favorite imp. Daenerys’ arrival at Meereen also ends at a strong note(but not as impactul as her previous exploits). It may not involve Dragons burning walls, or armies sacking a city, but this shows just how efficient she is as an invader by letting the city’s slaves decide for their fate rather than force them to take a path. And don’t get me started at how Daario finished off their champion quite easily. It was a great sequence for my end.

And then there’s this scene involving twins Cersei and Jaime Lannister. The one-handed Kingslayer seemingly consoles his beloved in the Sept after all the events that unfolded. Shortly, we witness him raping her in front of Joffrey’s corpse, much to the disgust of some viewers. This ellicits mixed opinions regarding this segment, and the way it should have been handled. It differed drastically from A Storm of Swords, wherein this particular moment was treated as consentual and intimate. To be honest, this further complicates how their twisted relationship should be conceived, more especially now that the status quo has changed after his return.

Here’s my take, and I’ll try to be as neutral as it gets: This rape scene is a double edged sword. Sure, it is a shocker. Sure, it may depict just how hungry Jaime is for Cersei and how strong his affection would be. But nothing changes the fact that whenever someone resists – either verbally or physically – someone from making love, it could be perceived as rape. Sure, Cersei might have spoken differently while showing otherwise with her movements. Sure, there were slight changes with the words delivered during that scene. But still, nothing could adorn the meaning of the said crime, no matter how its intensity goes. Another thing I’d like to point out is that it could wreck out two seasons worth of character development for Jaime, now that everyone has began rooting for him. But then, we’ll never know its repercussions until the next few episodes, and we’re yet to find out if they can redeem the Kingslayer out of this predicament.

One of our contributors, Patti Dizon also shared her take regarding this episode and the infamous rape scene:

I just hate how they did the unnecessary changes. They have done so well with Jaime’s character development, partly because of Brienne. People were starting to overlook the fact that he has regular sex with his sister and the fact that he threw a child(Bran) out of the window – which made him a cripple in the process. He’s on the road to redeem himself after losing his sword hand, and now what? Only to drop the bomb that he’ll rape the one person he loves the most – in a strange way. Rape is rape. Apparently, that’s the line that even a fan isn’t willing to cross for a character. It makes me wonder as to how they’ll get Jaime out of this. Also, I find Daenerys’ plot running in a slow pace. 

In conclusion, Breaker of Chains had its moments(some, a bit unneccessary). It might by lengthy in terms of prose, but it still delivers a push for the story to go on.

7.5 catapults out of 10.

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Catch us next week as we review another episode of Game of Thrones. Click here for a preview of the next episode, ‘Oathkeeper.’ Enjoy!