The boats and horses on “Game of Thrones” are moving faster than ever. On Sunday night’s episode, Daenerys dispatched Tyrion and Davos to King’s Landing and, moments later, the men were rowing to its shores. But that was just the start of Davos pinballing around Westeros. During the same episode, he wandered around Flea Bottom, returned to Dragonstone and, most preposterously, made it all the way north to Eastwatch and beyond.
“Game
of Thrones” has always taken liberties with the passage of time, but
the itinerary Davos followed was still laughably efficient. This kind of
voyage used to take characters a season or two to complete, and the
journeys were harrowing, riddled with enemies and obstacles. Now Jon
Snow can snap his fingers in Dragonstone and end up next to his old pal
Tormund at the Wall moments later. (The White Walkers, meanwhile, are
total lollygaggers, in no apparent hurry to annihilate mankind.)
In
past seasons, journeys facilitated disarmingly funny or poignant
moments. For every Battle of the Blackwater, there was a lot of aimless
meandering that led unexpectedly to exciting adventures or meaningful
alliances: Arya and Gendry bonding while sneaking away from King’s
Landing or Jon Snow searching for Benjen but meeting a spunky redhead
named Ygritte instead.
During the final episodes
of any action-packed series, the pace inevitably quickens. But we lose
something when the story becomes entirely goal-oriented. This season,
journeys have been interrupted only to introduce more action — the
battle of the Greyjoys, the Loot Train rout — or throw in a prominent
stunt cameo.
But
in past seasons, the wandering has delivered much more. Here’s a look
at some of the standout trips and what they added to the show.
Arya and the Hound hit the road
The
foul-mouthed fighter and his impish captive/sidekick were on the road
together for multiple seasons. First they were headed to the Twins so
the Hound could ransom Arya to her brother, Robb. But, after stumbling
onto the Red Wedding, the Hound had to rethink his plan. So it was off
to the Eyrie to unload the girl on her aunt. But the pair’s timing was
never very good: Lysa Arryn had just died, too. After everything, Arya’s
response to the news of the death was understandable.
The
Arya-and-Hound Show became like a buddy comedy within the larger drama.
It wasn’t moving the plot forward much, but it did add layers, making
Joffrey’s former bodyguard more sympathetic while showing Arya’s growing
thirst for vengeance. The companions found action along the way,
killing some of the king’s men — and giving Arya the chance to cross a
name off her list — but mostly they supplied entertainment, as they
debated the merits of sword naming and water dancing, and the Hound came
up with more and more inventive ways to employ the mother of all bad
words.
Their journey ended in an unexpectedly
poignant moment when the Hound, horribly wounded by Brienne of Tarth,
begged Arya to put him out of his misery and kill him. Instead, she
walked away. Was her decision cold-hearted or kind? It’s hard to say,
though her intentions might become clearer if the two ever meet again.
(And, considering Arya can now best Brienne in a sword fight, he might
want to watch his back.)
Brienne and Jaime become hostages — and friends
Going
into season two, Jaime didn’t have a great reputation. As far as the
audience knew, he was just an incestuous kingslayer who tried to kill a
little boy. But his travels in season two, when he and Brienne were
captured by Locke and Bolton’s men, changed that. If you didn’t feel bad
for him after Locke chopped off his hand — just after saving Brienne
from getting gang-raped — then you at least had to admit he became more
likable once he explained why he murdered King Aerys. He did it to save
not just his father, but the whole city, which the Mad King wanted to
set ablaze with wildfire.
Jaime further redeemed
himself by rescuing Brienne from certain death in the bear pit at
Harrenhal. It was always clear that Brienne was an honorable person who
kept her promises, but it wasn’t until she and Jaime were tied up
together on a single horse that his sense of moral duty came into focus.
Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne and Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Foto de: Helen Sloan/HBO
Brienne and Podrick search for the Stark girls
Brienne
and Podrick’s relationship is like a less foul-mouthed version of the
Arya-Hound bond: There’s a lot of great one-liners, a bit of killing and
the occasional heart-to-heart — but with fewer four-letter words. In
such a dark universe, where characters will stop at nothing for a bit of
power, the Lady and her squire are a glimmer of light. Their mission is
clear and, although Brienne gives Podrick a hard time, they have a
sweet bond that’s evolved over time. Podrick started out as the hapless
helper of an ice queen, but she’s taught him to be a better fighter and
even opened up about her vulnerabilities along the way. The pair have
also stumbled onto some major action, first when they caught up with
Arya and the Hound, and then when they rescued Sansa and Theon from
Ramsay Bolton’s men and dogs.
Ned and Robert head to King’s Landing
The
first big journey of the show took place at the beginning of the first
season when King Robert persuaded Ned Stark to leave Winterfell and
become Hand of the King. On the way to King’s Landing, the men took a
break so Robert could have a feast, and the old friends had a lengthy
conversation that not only set the stage for many plot points to come
but also gave the audience a sense of what an upstanding guy Ned was.
When Robert brought up the identity of Jon Snow’s mother, Ned’s jovial demeanor suddenly shifted.
“She
must have been a rare wench to make Lord Eddard Stark forget his
honor,” Robert said. “You never told me what she looked like.”
“Nor will I,” Ned responded.
Of
course, now we know Jon Snow isn’t really Ned’s at all, but the son of
his sister and Rhaegar Targaryen. Ned would never forget his honor.
When
Robert shifts the conversation to doing away with Daenerys Targaryen,
who has just wed Khal Drogo, Ned says, “Tell me we’re not speaking of
this.” But Robert is still set on revenge against whatever Targaryens he
can find ever since Rhaegar supposedly stole away his betrothed, Lyanna
Stark.
The scene ends on an ominous note that predicts the inevitable darkness to come.
“There’s a war coming, Ned,” Robert says. “I don’t know when. I don’t know who we’ll be fighting, but it’s coming.”
Sam and Gilly escape the North
Sometimes
a journey — especially one north of the Wall — means crossing paths
with a White Walker. That’s what happened to Sam, who defended Gilly
with a dragonglass dagger. As it turned out, Sam’s a pretty heroic guy.
But more importantly: Dragonglass kills White Walkers? Well, that’s
useful information.
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