Breaker of Chains Episode Guide

[Westeros]

Our episode guide for Breaker of Chains is now live! Featuring the usual detailed recap, review, and book-to-screen breakdown, we cover all the bases.

One note, though: Youtube’s taking abnormally long to process our video (which was more in-depth than our previous episode-focused videos, in a try at a new format), so it’s not available at the moment. Apologies about that! We’ll try to include as soon as possible… which may be after we wake up, as it’s rather late here and I don’t think we’ll be staying up much longer.

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[Stan the Man Baratheon]

Elyo first sword of Braavos.

Sounds like a nod to someone who developed this community. ;)

[ebevan91]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who notices the chemistry between Liam and Kerry. I think their scenes are great.

[EricStargaryen]

Does anybody else feel weird about the cersei Jaime rape scene?

[Cold Hands warm heart]

No.

[EricStargaryen]

I

No.

U would be the first. In the books, cersei wanted Jaime to have sex with her

[Nordeast]

"Someone loves potatoes on the writing staff". D and D met while studying Irish Literature in Ireland. That is my guess where the love of potatoes comes from.

[Beric175]

I always thought that in the books Cersei would also hit him on the chest and say "stop it" at the same time during one of their sex scenes, which I remember making me feel confused about the scene. if I'm misremembering it, please let me know.

Now, there could be reasons for why they changed the way the scene plays out for the episode.

A) the scene had originally a different intent than was portrayed in the episode, which I remember they had a problem with the Drogo/Dany scene in season 1 as well and got called out on it. In this case this would be a case of horrible execution because if they intended it to be consensual, as Alex Graves seems to suggest, then he did not know how to make the audience see that. if they had gotten in a line at the end such as "oh yes I feel whole now" from her or something like that, it would have at least indicated more consent than actually ended up being shown....which is weird because in the middle of it all Cersei sharts kissing him while saying "it's not right". This is a complicated scene to film and they missed the mark by a mile if they intended to show him having consensual sex with her.

B ) The scene is in fact a rape scene on the show to make the audience remember that jaime is still a scumbag who at the vry least tried to kill a kid and murdered his cousin on the show to escape and so this might be meant to showcase that he is not suddenly the most likeable guy, just because he lost his hand. It will really test the audience's tolerance for bad behavior but if they manage to keep the audience invested despite all that in jaime as a character, he could potentially become the most complex character in the whole history of the show. it's just sad that it would have to be for this.

C) The scene was meant to introduce Cersei's problems with sexual abuse into the show without having flashbacks as an aid, hence Robert could not be the one to rape her on the show, seeing as we never got that sense from him in season 1 (we knew he was physically abusive because he hit her in the face but nothing indicated that extreme in his portrayal on the show) but since Cersei only ever thinks about the rapey behavior of her dead husband in AFFC without sharing it with others, there is no way to introduce that element, as the show has never done flashbacks and does not have the luxury of inner monologue that finally got people around to understanding her behavior once Cersei became a POV. the only way to introduce that element would be to give it to a character who has sex with her and lancel has not shown up in a while so that leaves noone but....Jaime Lannister unfortunately but it can then also lay the stones for their falling out, her mimicking that sort of behavior with others later on, etc. In that sense she's a victim who later becomes offender herself and it's important that these elements be kept in the show but for them to be there at all, sadly one needs to introduce them and here is where the absence of flashbacks really becomes visible as a problem.

D) The scene is shown to be very unpleasant because they might not want to suggest that incestual sex is appealing in any way. if that's the case, they succeeded.

I guess we'll have to wait and see what the characters' interaction will be from this point forward.

[boojam]

A good analysis.

I don't know of any other around the net that is so perceptive (seems there was some guy who wrote long essays about the show that were very serious and very good, but I have lost total track of that person).

Wish some of this forum's members were as perceptive, readers and non-readers alike.

Seems , after season one, Dave and Dan now have a template , I sure would like to hear them elaborate on it someday.

One thing, since season 2 each episode , for want of a better phrase, ends on a 'rising inflection' (This year, E1, the tavern fight, E2 PW, E3, the 'first' siege of Meereen). We will see what Bryan Cogman does next month.

All you say about events at KL are right, indeed the exchange between Margaery-Olenna should have included Mace, and better elaboration, many seconds could have been clipped from other sequences for use in this conversation.

The Thenns re-invention is a terrible mis step , way under thought hype, put that stuff in a '300' type of movie not here!

13 Arya chapters in SoS , season 3 pretty much used up all of her travel-log , pulled a switcher-roo on us this episode with the Hound. I could do with more subtlety even if Sandor is not a subtle person.

Can't figure where this Arya - Hound story is going for 7 more episodes... I hope the invention plays out well.

Well, I did not see Dany as an Alexander the Great, but in the books she was decisive , she did plan the strategy at Yunkai and combined advice and a bit of a risky plan at Meereen. All this was done straight forwardly and with calm, as has been done on the show. Dave and Dan even trumped George with Dracarys! and the end of S3E4, with that surprise language revel.

The shows Daenerys , in my eye, has tracked George's book Daenerys with only little tweaks around the edges.

Some things from the book are forced condensation due to adaptation time constraint.

So no I don't see Dany as a juggernaut in the HBO show.

We seem to have difference is aesthetic interpretation about that.

One thing, Emilia has sure been better, so far, not had any 'flat' delivery as she will do sometimes, we shall see.

Maybe it's the challenge, but Emilia's projection and body language , even expressive delivery of High Valyrian always seems spot on , even if David Peterson notices she does some small slips now and then.

That long oration in HV was really spot on... as I have said before , maybe Emilia should speak High Valyrian all the time!

[Beric175]

I think talking Valyrian actually is more of a challenge for Emilia and so she really has to act. Maybe they should just have her speak Valyrian the whole time now.

[BlackFyre2015]

episode 3 was truly great

i must say that 2 of the 3 episode of season 4 so far are amazing

episode 2 was little bit of disappointment, i except a little more because of the purple wedding

but still season 4 is going very very good

im pleased

that fucking petry (LF) is creepy as hell

lol

[The Dragon has three heads]

Some sloppy editing and cheese/cringe factor let this one down for me.

Mainly in the Sam/gilly scenes.

The cersei/Jamie scene was tame I thought.

[Nordeast]

Some sloppy editing and cheese/cringe factor let this one down for me.

Mainly in the Sam/gilly scenes.

The cersei/Jamie scene was tame I thought.

Does it seem like in the first season they were more likely to take dialog straight out of the books, and in this season even in scenes that are straight out of the books they change up the words?

[The Dragon has three heads]

Perhaps.

They still use GRRMs dialogue sometimes but it's getting rarer.

It's a consolidation episode, allow the audience to catch up before the plot moves further forward.

Lots of dialogue used to keep unsullied on the ball and explain character motivations for the slow people haha

[Woofless]

Does anybody else feel weird about the cersei Jaime rape scene?

Certainly do! They spent a season redeeming Jaime's character for this director to knock it for a loop. Where his arc will go from here is anyone's guess. But most of all I find it really disturbing that the director says that it would've become consensual eventually! One has to wonder about his private life!

This re-imagining of the scene is just the icing on the cake of a long list of missteps the show has made.

[Woofless]

All you say about events at KL are right, indeed the exchange between Margaery-Olenna should have included Mace, and better elaboration, many seconds could have been clipped from other sequences for use in this conversation.

Some things from the book are forced condensation due to adaptation time constraint.

If they cut out only half of the gratuitous sex scenes, there would be a lot more time for the actual story. Do we really need about 10 minutes per show devoted to them to keep our interest?

[King Tommen]

If they cut out only half of the gratuitous sex scenes, there would be a lot more time for the actual story. Do we really need about 10 minutes per show devoted to them to keep our interest?

No we don't, which is why there isn't. There was a 2 and a half minute sex scene in this episode and about 30 seconds of nudity (not even sex) combined in the first 2 episodes.

So thankfully, your concerns are unwarranted. When you have something legitimate to complain about, come on back and we'll talk again.

[Darth Pipes]

We did have several minutes dedicated to Pod the Sex God last season.

[King Tommen]

We did have several minutes dedicated to Pod the Sex God last season.

They weren't even sex scenes. There was about 30 seconds of actual nudity and another couple minute long scenes in 2 subsequent episodes where it was humorously discussed in dialogue between other characters.

If you would like me to take any other show on television and cherry pick short scenes that aren't absolutely integral to the plot, I can do it.

[The Dragon has three heads]

Certainly do! They spent a season redeeming Jaime's character for this director to knock it for a loop. Where his arc will go from here is anyone's guess. But most of all I find it really disturbing that the director says that it would've become consensual eventually! One has to wonder about his private life!

This re-imagining of the scene is just the icing on the cake of a long list of missteps the show has made.

There's already been waaaay too much made of cersei's "rape" and this scene wasn't that bad or confronting, she mounted him, sorry, to me, that's consensual.