Game of Thrones – “First of His Name”: The man who started it all

“The Man Who Started it All,” perhaps that should have been the name of this episode. Lord Petyr Baelish, “Littlefinger,” is a self made man. He is the master weaver of secrets and schemes and by manipulating Lysa Tully – he managed to set the world on fire with his own brand of chaos. If you’re a fan of House of Cards, you will understand when I say that Baelish reminds me of Frank Underwood, constantly maneuvering and climbing is way into the ultimate position of power.

This revealed scheme dates back to the initial catalyst for Robert Baratheon visiting Ned Stark to ask him to become the Hand of the King and replace their dead mentor John Arryn of the Vale, poisoned by his wife. The cryptic message sent by Lysa to her sister Catelyn incriminating the Lannisters to start an inevitable war – all of it was orchestrated by Lord Baelish.

In this world, people wait a long time for revenge. I wonder if the gods in this world behave on a similar level. As for mortals, just in play right now we have Oberyn Martell in King’s Landing with a grudge dating back decades for the death of his sister. Arya Stark says the name of every individual she intends to one day slay, their names motivate her every action. Daenerys Stormborn is determined to reclaim her birth-right and punish all those who betrayed her and her family. Cersei has a grudge against Tyrion and is thus plotting his demise under the guise of a trial. And Petyr Baelish was a lower born boy in love with Catelyn Stark, humiliated and scarred by Brandon Stark in a battle for her affection. True, Baelish wants more than just revenge, he got that when Ned Stark chose the wrong side, no, Baelish wants power.

His whole speech leading up to the Bloody Gate about how the Vale could never be invaded gives you an idea of where his thinking is at – he is the Lord of Harrenhal uniting in marriage with the Vale and the heir of Winterfell is in his hands. Yeah, man, I’d be hiding in the mountains too. He has betrayed everyone, and I do not see his path of carnage getting any clearer as we move along.

And we do move along, quite nicely in this episode, I might add. The episode seemed to flow organically from one scene to the next and the stories were the right ones to focus on. I always seem to prefer episodes written by the show creators; they’re grasp on the story is just so right, and even though there are variances from the books, the story gets where it needs to go.

Is Cersei on Pills?

Cersei in the books remained irrational and paranoid, and her relationship with Maegery is deranged and contrived. However, in the show, Cersei is composed and thoughtful and well, she seems like she’s on valium. Her son was just murdered and she is psychotically convinced that her other brother killed him, she was raped by her twin, and her father is making her marry a gay man from a family she despises. Judging from her prior rashness I would expect her to be threatening Margaery, but instead she comes to her in a calm offering of…friendship? It was nice to see some humanity dealing with her concern for Myrcella, but Cersei is surprisingly contained in this episode. Or perhaps Cersei is just playing the game smarter.

When Lannisters Can’t Pay Their Debts

And just as smart and politically conniving is Margaery Tyrell, who is highly skeptical of this change in Cersei’s demeanor. Come to find out, the Tyrells are needed by the Lannisters for very political reasons involving money, because, go on, guess it – the Lannisters cannot pay their debts. The throne is indebted to the Iron Bank of Braavos; the mysterious Iron Bank that peaked the interest of Stannis Baratheon has Tywin Lannister shaking in his boots. The political world is beginning to expand, or at least our viewer knowledge of it – the Iron Bank looms over the Lannisters and Kings Landing, and so we will see how the formerly most wealthy House invests in a careful alliance with the wealthy Tyrells. I’m excited to learn more about the Iron Bank and what kind of layer of game playing that will add to everything already going on in Westeros. And what I find interesting is that there is a Queen out there who owes the Iron Bank of Braavos nothing; a Queen with a giant army and three dragons – she doesn’t need their money, she is an independent conqueror, she is the game players’ biggest threat.

Stormborn Style

Another first of her kind, Daenerys Targaryen has found out that Daario has helped secure a mass of ships that could take her and a chunk of her army to King’s Landing. And then it’s like her massive ass kicking tour catches up with her and she realizes that while she has been conquering, she hasn’t been ruling. The slave cities are worse off than she left them and besides…she has that really awesome view in Meereen. I mean, who would want to give that up to sail into the uncertainty of ruling the Seven Kingdoms, it’s only YOUR ENTIRE MOTIVATION FOR EVERYTHING. But, Dany must be taking the same chill pills as Cersei because she pulls back and plays it safe, staying in Meereen to learn how to be a ruler before invading Westeros and demanding House allegiance. Let it be known: I hate this decision.

Crazy Aunt Lysa

In what must have been a play of desperation for Lord Baelish, the major plot reveal secret of Lysa and Petyr’s scheme rests in the very unstable hands of loud and lusty Lysa. She’s obsessed with Lord Baelish and threatened by Sansa, sensing that Baelish is overly invested in Sansa’s well being. Lysa insists upon an immediate marriage which is consummated for all the Vale to hear.

Poor Sansa, she’s been rescued from Cersei and now is in her crazy jealous Aunt’s claws. Lysa threatens Sansa, and in Sansa’s plea for her Aunt to believe that she is still a virgin and in no way involved with Baelish – something happens. Or maybe I just rewound the DVR too many times to observe this conversation. Sansa pulls upon her own innocence and virtue as a means by which to survive, calling herself stupid and a bad liar, these are claims she attributes to Baelish, but it is Sansa who sees those things now. And she sees that she is once again the pawn in another person’s play for power, swayed by lemon cakes. When Tyrion is executed for Joffrey’s murder she is to marry her cousin Robin. Oh joy. Another marriage.

North of the Wall

I really wasn’t sure of my feelings about this massive departure from the book when it began last week, but now – I totally dig it. I like it as a plot point for Bran to have more story to be involved in, and for Jon to exhibit leadership skills, and for us to feel that aggravating excitement of two Stark children being so close to each other, but again, a reunion is narrowly missed.

However, Bran’s warg into Hodor was by far my favorite part of the episode. When Bran had Hodor break Locke’s neck, I actually cheered. Bran killed a man (and a good thing too since that guy was going to stab Jon in the back under the orders of the Boltons). This is big for him, emotionally, and so is choosing to let Jon go own with killing the mutineers while he slips away in the night. Jojen knows that if Jon and Bran unite that Jon will take Bran back to the wall, but Bran is on some mystical mission to a giant Weirwood tree. And great effects HBO, I liked the imposition of Jojen’s green-dreams in the actual scene. It made the whole thing much more relatable and easy to understand, and I think with this particular storyline we need that as an audience, so as not to become bored by stagnant dream sequences.

Other awesome stuff I will mention from this episode …

• The Hound still has Arya and they are still on their way to sell her off to her Aunt Lysa, here comes another possible Stark reunion. Who wants to place bets on whether Sansa and Arya are reunited?

• Brienne and Podrick are adorable, but unless something happens soon – I will lose interest in their travels. Bigger things are happening, so something needs to connect for me with these two in order to keep their journey alive.

• “What good is power if we cannot protect the ones we love?” Cersei asks Oberyn Martell. “We can avenge them,” he says. This seems to be the general code of everything done in the name of revenge on this show. Like a cycle of abuse, this scenario plays out over and over again. When will it ever end? Or is this supposed to be some kind of message to humanity about the legacy we leave our children?

Amanda Lowery lives, writes and studies in Baltimore where she is held hostage by potholes, stray cats and rats that make her watch way too much TV and rhyme unnecessarily. You can find her book reviews and pop culture thoughts at amandasthinkingoutloud.blogspot.com.