Game of Thrones (Season 3)

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

All hail the season of Tywin! My goodness does he absolutely steal the show in this season. This is Charles Dance at the absolute height of his power. He is perfect in every scene, and as the power structure gets some clarity in this season, it is very clear who the king of Westeros is. He is also king of my heart ❤️

However, he is not the main character nor even the good guy, so about 90% of this show happens without him. Most of the arcs are really good here. Stannis is going deeper down his path, Arya and the Hound find some chemistry, Dany makes meaningful steps towards her goals, Tyrion becomes a better person. I'm trying to not spoil this show too much, but man reviewing a middle season is kinda tough, especially this show, because just naming people is a spoiler in a way...

Anyways, rewatching was nice because we did not suffer a single second of Ramsey Snow. The second he showed up we hit that fast forward button. I actually think it's ridiculous to subject the audience to one character getting tortured that much, especially because it doesn't reeeeally have a payoff at any point, and you lose almost nothing overall by skipping it. Season 3 is much improved without.

Speaking of evil people, Geoffrey continues to be an absolutely captivating menace. I used to hate him too much where I never wanted to see him, but now I just have a big smile across my face any time Jack Gleeson is doing his diabolical thang.

I think my favorite non-Tywin arc is the Jon stuff, and this season is the best in that regard. I love the dynamic with Ygritte, and I will say my heart felt sad when she gave the whole speech about nobody caring for them, so why not care for each other? I actually wish much more time could've been spent on that dynamic. The Sam and Gilly stuff is similar, but more wholesome, and I love both of those characters a lot.

The main thing about this season though is the Red Wedding. I still hate it. I actually think this was a poor decision by George, because although the shock factor is maybe unmatched in pop culture, I just think it does so much irreparable damage to the overall narrative. Okay screw it, I'm spoiling:

I just think getting rid of all the good guys is a bad decision, and I think the later seasons bear that out. I know the show has 100 problems and maybe Robb being gone isn't the main one, but I just found there to be a lack of compelling storylines after season 3. It starts to rely too heavily on infighting, and I'm sorry but I just don't need that many Lannisters in my life. This was a show of good vs evil, but soon becomes evil vs evil while the few remaining good characters are worlds away. It loses its focus a bit as a result, and ultimately can never be truly satisfying. Also Robb and Talisa were sexy and deserved to live.

Anyways, this season here is still phenomenal, and maybe the best one, but I can't give it a ten when I had to skip ten minutes of each episode, and disliked the climax.