CliqueClackGame of Thrones employs humor to counter the more horrific storylines
Each week, readers Bob and Ivey discuss ‘Game of Thrones’ from the perspective of those who have read the books. This week we discuss this episode’s odd use of humor. Spoilerphobes beware!
There have been some criticism that Game of Thrones’ third season has started a little slower than in previous years. This week’s installment, “Walk of Punishment,” should quiet all of the doubters. The third episode kicked off what is going to be an exciting, eventful ride that will last all season long. As Bob and Ivey look back at this episode, the one thing that we can promise you is that there will be no Jaime/hand puns found in this week’s Beyond the Wall.
Instead of the horror and tragedy that ended the episode, we’re going to look at the opposite elements in this week’s installment. In the context of the series as a whole, “Walk of Punishment” was FUNNY. There were several scenes — none of which were directly lifted from the original text — that added a touch of humor usually not found in Game of Thrones. This week, we’ll take a look at those scenes, and how they added to the episode as a whole.
Bob: Game of Thrones manages to be lots of things at different times: suspenseful, dramatic, exciting; rarely, however, is the show as funny as it was this week. In a series filled with so much death, tragedy, and heavy drama, a bit of levity is almost a necessity to give balance to the proceedings. Jaime and Tyrion always seem to be ready with a well placed quip, but I felt like a couple of scenes stood out in “Walk of Punishment” as more funny than usual.
The first one is Tywin’s first small council meeting. At the beginning, a lot was accomplished with not even a single word. It was a riot watching all those in attendance jockeying for position around the table, Cersei even going so far as to move a chair to the other side to get closer to her dear old dad. I think my favorite part, though, was Tyrion giving the figurative finger to the meeting and moving his seat to the foot of the table to show the others just how little he cared about it.
Ivey: I loved that scene. The image — and sound — of Tyrion dragging his seat across the room was hilarious. Cersei’s move to Tywin’s right hand was also funny. The bickering between Varys and Littlefinger and the outright gloating coming from Cersei and Pycelle about Tyrion’s new post as Master of Coin certainly added to the humor.
But you spoke above about how Game of Thrones manages to be a lot of things, and in this particular case, I think was able to be several things at once. While the scene’s intent was to be overtly funny, you’ll not find a better representation of the political landscape in King’s Landing in the series (On a side note, it was one of several examples of how the show manages to convey in small moments what the book rightly takes chapters at a time to communicate). The jockeying for position was childish; Tyrion’s deft move to stay above the fight while still managing to win it proves how much more of a complete “player” in this game of thrones he is than his competitors, even if he’s getting a late start compared to Varys and Littlefinger.
Bob: Yes, I loved the back and forth between Littlefinger and Varys. It reminded me of some of those fantastic scenes between the two in the first season. I was beginning to miss the Spider, so I was glad to see him back, needling the new “Lord of Harrenhal” about how his title has very little meaning when someone else is occupying the ruined castle.
The other scene that I wanted to talk about was Podrick’s “gift” from Tyrion for his service (and saving his life). The scene in the whore house was a bit amusing, but I thought the really funny part came after, when Podrick returned Tyrion’s sack of gold because the ladies refused payment. Whether Podrick was just playing with Tyrion and Bronn or he had the most incredible bought of beginner’s luck is sort of beside the point. Podrick has barely spoken on the series and I thought it was a fun scene. It’s always nice to see Tyrion and Bronn together, and now it looks like they may have another person to join their odd little friendship.
Ivey: Yeah, I loved that sequence. Even the scene before Tyrion’s gift, where Pod was a little distracted by Ros, was enough to give me the giggles. And the scene with Bronn and Tyrion was great as well: Peter Dinklage and Jerome Flynn both played their reaction so straight which was an absolutely perfect acting decision.
Bob: Yeah, I think it’s great that the writers are putting little winks in the scripts for the book readers. We deserve special attention. And let me tell you: If Martin were dealing with the type of Meereenese Knot that we saw on screen this week, it would be hard to blame him for taking so long to finish A Dance with Dragons.
The comedy from this week makes me a little nervous, though. I feel like it represents a calm before the storm. Yes, we got some smiles, but I don’t think they’re going to last. Even in this episode there was a lot of horrible events: a funeral, a couple near rapes and the loss of one of the more famed limbs in all of Westeros. As you said, with the amount of stuff jam packed into A Storm of Swords, we’re in for a great ride as the season continues.
One Comment on “Game of Thrones employs humor to counter the more horrific storylines”
That small council scene was among my favorites of the series. They were playing a literal game of thrones! Without the touches of humor, this show would be too bleak to enjoy.