Episode 25 – Kissed By Fire – Newbie Recap

Our newbie recapper Oz of Thrones gives his take on last night’s episode, after the break. New viewers are encouraged to discuss the episode at length in the comments! Book readers, enjoy the read but please don’t spoil the upcoming surprises.

Spoiler note: The discussion in this post is primarily for non-book readers (book fans can discuss the show here). We ask all the series veterans to refrain from posting spoilers in the comments here, veiled or otherwise. This show is best viewed without knowing all the surprises beforehand, so please be respectful of your fellow fans. Thank you!

Oz of Thrones: Your weary traveling, self-proclaimed leader of the Unsullied returned to House Oz in time to view Episode 25 via DVR after getting the Ozlings to sleep after an exciting, yet short trip to see the shores and building some Westeros-esque sand castles. Fun indeed, although they were quite confused when I started tearing one down while trying to explain to them that it was Harrenhall. Harren what, daddy? Why does hair in a hall tear down a castle?

What a fantastic episode. You know you should be in a for some great things when Ned shows up in the “Previously on” segment. So many games, and only fifty-something minutes to play. Let’s recap and discuss…..

Game of Swords: Beric and the Hound proceed with their duel, with The Lord of Light flaming sword in action. The Hound gets the best of Beric, nearly chopping his complete right side off of his body. But the one true God apparently does have some amazing power, as Beric is spared. Ozzette quickly remembered when the Red Woman told Davos that she could have saved Stannis’ men at Blackwater had she been allowed to go. Maybe that wasn’t BS after all.

Game of Chase: Orell and Tormund question the loyalty of Jon Snow and ask him about the security at the Wall and how many men are ready to fight at Castle Black. I really liked seeing Jon finally stand up for himself after being called a liar. Then, Ygritte questions his loyalty to his vows by stealing his sword and luring him into the Cave of Love. Apparently, Jon Snow does know something, after all. And Ygritte apparently has real feelings for Jon.

Game of Hygiene: After seeing one bath with Jon and Ygritte, we get treated to another after Jamie is brought back to Harrenhall by Locke. James Bond Bolton gets Jamie’s wound treated by a guy named Qyburn (i think) in a nasty looking scene that made Ozzette cringe. And then another, unlikely bath takes place between Jaime and Brienne, where we are treated to the powerful backstory of the mad king and why Jaime did what he did. I thought this scene was brilliant, and we are really getting to know who Jaime Lannister is.

Game of Treason: I understand that Karstark was highly perturbed by his son being killed by Jaime, only to be set free by Catelyn. But murdering the Lannister kids? After being begged to not kill Karstark in fear of losing the support of his men, Robb does so anyway. And Karstarks’ men leave. But Robb comes up with a new plan involving Walder Frey and his men. I’m not sure exactly how he expects to get Frey’s support after being promised to one of his daughters only to marry another, but we shall see.

A Different Side of Stannis: We meet Stannis’ wife and daughter, which shows the man in a different light than we viewers-only have been exposed to. Stannis wants to come clean with his wife about his sins, but she already knows as the Red Woman has spilled the beans before she left for the Red Woman Workshop. We then learn the love his daughter has for Davos. The Onion Knight never responded to my letter last week, possibly because he can’t read. Maybe Shireen will read it to him and I will get a response. A man will keep you informed. BTW, were the jar of fetuses necessary? And what happened to Shireen’s face? (No spoilers please).

Game of Pride: Great scene between Barristen Selmy and Jorah Mormont exchanging old battle stories. But you already get a sense of tension here between them. I wonder if this will escalate and turn into a bigger issue, or if we are just seeing these two interact as a story line filler as Dany gets more accustomed to her new army. I like Barristen, but he better not mess with Jorah.

Game of Asses: After seeing the buttocks of many of the main characters I never expected to see (Ygritte, Jon, Jamie, and Brienne), we see the back side of an unknown man working to get info for Littlefinger while engaging in some passionate sword fighting of a different kind with Loras. Which leads to…..

Game of Matrimony: Upon finding out that the Tyrells plan on marrying Sansa off to Loras, thus holding control of the North, Tywin comes up with his own version of match maker by wedding Tyrion to Sansa. What? Cersei seems thrilled, until daddy drops the bomb on her that she will be marrying Loras. Ohhhh….. a Cersei buzzkill. This could quickly morph into an epic episode of Bridezillas of Westeros.

Episode 305 Personal Awards
Favorite Scene: The bath with Jaime and Brienne
Ow, That Shit Hurts Award: The treatment of Jaime’s wound. I sincerely hope it gets better now.
New Series Record: Most individual butt cheeks in a single episode (I do not know if you can actually check the statistics on this, but I think we can all agree that there was plenty of booty to go around).
New Jackass Award: If only for one episode, Stannis is relieved of his post as he actually showed he might have somewhat of a heart and a tiny bit of a conscious. The new crown goes to Karstark for killing innocent Lannister children. Loser. While it was probably a bad strategic move by Robb to remove Karstark’s head, I am glad he did.

Final Thoughts: Solid. I was nervous about the follow-up to last weeks epic episode, but it seems I had nothing to fear. GoT rarely disappoints, although I am concerned that with so many plots and schemes (dammit, I did it again) that there will be many unanswered questions as we are already halfway through the season. And for the love of all that is sacred, can we please get a better understanding of the Theon debacle next week?(#tiredofbeatingthedeadkracken)

Until Friday with a Looking Forward Ep. 26, have a great week, and may there be peace in your realm. -Oz

• Published on 04/29/2013 at 10:32 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:02 PM CDT