And Now His Watch Is Ended
| "And Now His Watch Is Ended" | |
|---|---|
| Game of Thrones episode | |
 Daenerys Targaryen tricks Kraznys and orders her new army, the Unsullied, to slay the masters and orders Drogon to scorch Kraznys. Many praised the scene, and highlighted Emilia Clarke's acting. | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Alex Graves |
| Written by | David Benioff D. B. Weiss |
| Featured music | Ramin Djawadi |
| Cinematography by | Anette Haellmigk |
| Editing by | Katie Weiland |
| Original air date | April 21, 2013 |
| Running time | 54 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"And Now His Watch Is Ended" is the fourth episode of the third season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 24th episode of the series. It was written by showrunners and executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by Alex Graves, his directorial debut for the series.
The episode's title comes from a chant made by the Night's Watch at the funeral of a fallen brother while at Craster's Keep.
Plot
In King's Landing
Tyrion Lannister asks Lord Varys, laboring to open a large crate, for proof that Queen Regent Cersei Lannister tried to have him killed during the Battle of the Blackwater. Varys replies that he has none, but advises that revenge requires patience and tells the story of being made a eunuch decades earlier by a sorcerer in Myr. Once his story concludes, Varys opens the crate to reveal the whimpering sorcerer inside. Later, Varys gathers information from Ros, who reveals that Lord Petyr Baelish may take Sansa Stark with him when he leaves for the Eyrie to wed Lysa Arryn. Varys also meets with Lady Olenna Tyrell, asking about her interest in Sansa. He warns her that Baelish could become dangerous if he could obtain more power by controlling the heir to the North.
King Joffrey Baratheon takes Lady Margaery Tyrell on a tour of the Great Sept of Baelor, where Cersei and Lady Olenna are discussing the wedding. Margaery encourages Joffrey to give love to the people, urging him to open the doors to the balcony to wave to the crowd, which angers Cersei. Later, Cersei meets with her father, Tywin, to discuss the importance of getting Jaime back, as well as the Tyrell presence in King's Landing. Cersei distrusts Margaery for her ability to manipulate Joffrey. Margaery and Sansa get to know one another when Margaery finds Sansa at prayer in the godswood. Margaery expresses her hope that Sansa will come to see the Tyrell seat of Highgarden, but Sansa says Cersei will not allow her to leave King's Landing. Margaery replies that once she is queen, she would see Sansa wed to her brother, Ser Loras.
In the North
Bran dreams he is running through the woods with Jojen Reed, chasing the three-eyed raven. Bran climbs a tree in pursuit of the raven, but falls when his mother, Catelyn, appears, commanding him not to climb.
Theon Greyjoy and the boy who freed him ride for Deepwood Motte, where the boy claims Theon's sister Yara is waiting. While in the castle's underground entrance tunnel, Theon explains that he never found or killed the Stark boys, instead having Dagmer Cleftjaw kill and burn two orphans as substitutes. He also reveals his remorse for his actions and claims that Eddard Stark was his true father all along. When they enter the castle, the boy lights a torch to reveal that he has taken Theon back to the dungeon from which he'd helped him escape. Guards subdue Theon while the boy watches in delight.
In the Riverlands
Locke and his men taunt Ser Jaime Lannister for their removal of his sword hand. When Jaime falls from his horse, he steals a sword from one of Locke's men and attacks them, but, due to his weakened condition and having to use his left hand, he is quickly beaten. At camp, Brienne of Tarth talks with Jaime, who refuses to eat, saying he wants to die. She chastises him for quitting and tells him to live so that he can take revenge on Locke.
Arya Stark, Gendry, and Sandor "the Hound" Clegane are transported to the hideout of the Brotherhood Without Banners by Thoros of Myr and his men. They are introduced to the Brotherhood's leader, Lord Beric Dondarrion, who calls Clegane a murderer, which Clegane rejects on the grounds that all his killings were duty-bound protection of the king. Arya tells the Brotherhood about Mycah, the butcher's boy Clegane killed, but Clegane defends the execution as justified by Mycah having attacked the king, which Arya protests is untrue. Dondarrion sentences Clegane to fight him in a trial by combat.
Beyond the Wall
Grenn, Edd Tollett and Rast have been forced to work at Craster's Keep, caring for the pigs; Rast declares that they cannot trust Craster. Samwell Tarly and Gilly discuss her newborn son and his likely murder by Craster. The men of the Night's Watch hold a funeral for a fallen brother and soon return to Craster's Keep for dinner. Brother Karl Tanner challenges Craster, complaining about the poor food they have been given. Rast then enrages Craster by mentioning his bastard parentage. Craster grabs his hatchet and orders the Night's Watch out of his keep, threatening to mutilate the next one who calls him a bastard. After a moment of silence, Karl calls Craster a list of vulgar insults including the word "bastard"; Craster lunges at Karl, who stabs Craster in the throat. When Lord Commander Jeor Mormont attempts to fight Karl, Rast stabs him in the back, and, after the commander falls, stabs him repeatedly. As a fight breaks out amongst the Night's Watch brothers, Sam flees with Gilly and her infant son.
In Astapor
Daenerys Targaryen and her followers arrive to complete the trade of one of her dragons to the slaver Kraznys for the 8,000-strong Unsullied army. During the exchange, Kraznys repeatedly insults her in Valyrian yet again. After completing the exchange, Daenerys – in fluent Valyrian, claiming it as her mother tongue due to her Targaryen ancestry – orders her new army of Unsullied to sack Astapor, kill all the slavers and free every slave they find. When a horrified Kraznys tries to order the Unsullied to turn on their new mistress, Daenerys reclaims her dragon by ordering it to kill Kraznys. After the battle ends, she frees the Unsullied and tells them they may remain with her as free men or leave if they choose. None choose to leave her, showing their support by pounding their spears in unison. Daenerys and her army depart Astapor.
Production
Writing
"And Now His Watch Is Ended" was written by showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It was based on George Martin's novels, chapters Tyrion X from A Clash of Kings and Jaime IV, Tyrion II, Samwell II, the first part of Arya VI, and the second half of Daenerys III from A Storm of Swords.[1]
Benioff and Weiss considered this episode one of the "big ones" and a turning point of the series. Weiss said that when he was reading the books he was swept away by Daenerys' final scene, and remembered thinking how he'd be able to put it on screen if he could ever get to film it.[2]
This final scene includes the first instance of the High Valyrian language in the series, apart from short stock phrases, spoken by Daenerys.[3] Up to this point only the Astapori dialect of Low Valyrian, a creolized form of the ancient language of the old Valyrian Empire, had been heard, spoken by the slaver Kraznys. David J. Peterson, the language creator hired by the series, designed both versions of the tongue.[3]
Casting
The episode reintroduces Lord Beric Dondarrion, now played by Richard Dormer. Dondarrion had previously been portrayed by David Michael Scott in his brief appearance in the first season episode "A Golden Crown", where he was entrusted by Lord Eddard Stark with the task of capturing Ser Gregor Clegane. This episode also marks James Cosmo's last appearance in the series, as his character Jeor Mormont is killed by his own men.
Directing
The episode was helmed by director Alex Graves, a newcomer to the production. The producers praised his work, in particular in the handling of the final scene at Astapor: "He took a scene that had us quite nervous – the number of people on set, the size of the action, the amount of the effects work – and had it all done in a few days. A scene that might take a feature eight days; for us it was two or three."[2]
Filming locations
The interiors of the episode were shot at Belfast's The Paint Hall, including a new set representing the colossal Great Sept of Baelor at King's Landing. For the exteriors, the episode filmed extensively at the forests of Clandeboye Estate, where the sets of Craster's Keep and the encampment of Locke's band were built.[4] The gardens where Olenna and Varys plot are parts of the Trsteno Arboretum, in Croatia.
The scenes with Daenerys were filmed in Morocco. While during the first three episodes the city of Astapor had been represented by the coastal ramparts of Essaouira, the plaza and the walls seen in this episode were sets from Atlas Studios, located 5 kilometres west of the city of Ouarzazate. The walls had been built to stand in for the city of Jerusalem in the 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven.[5]
Reception
Ratings
The ratings of the episode raised to a new record for the series, with a viewership of 4.87 million viewers and a 2.6 share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. The encore was watched by another 1.03 million, totaling 5.90 million viewers for the night.[6] In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 0.992 million viewers on Sky Atlantic, being the channel's second highest-rated broadcast that week.[7]
Critical reception
The episode received critical acclaim, being consistently rated as the best of the season at the time of its airing. Review aggregator surveyed 21 reviews of the episode and judged 100% of them to be positive with an average score of 9.2 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "'And Now His Watch is Ended' is an enthralling meditation on betrayal and revenge, bolstered by a mind-blowing surprise for those who would underestimate Daenerys Targarean [sic]."[8] IGN's Matt Fowler rated it with a 9.3/10, highlighting "shocking deaths, brutal double-crosses and a Kingslayer undone made for some mighty fine Thrones".[9] David Simms, writing for The A.V. Club, considered it "an insanely satisfying, shocking episode"[10] and gave it an "A" grade. His colleague Todd VanDerWerff agreed on the score.[11]
The final scene with Daenerys was unanimously praised. At Cultural Learnings, Myles McNutt found that the scene was one of the series' best sequences and considered it an impressive feat to have achieved a climax so satisfying for the viewer with only a relatively small number of scenes building up to it in the first three episodes.[12] VanDerWerff considered that Emilia Clarke's acting was Emmy worthy.[11] HitFix's Alan Sepinwall also praised her performance, remarking that "her big moment comes in a (fictional) foreign language, and the subtitles are barely necessary. That's how good she is."[13]
Accolades
Due to her nomination, Emilia Clarke submitted this episode for consideration for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. At the 65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Diana Rigg was nominated for the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in this episode, and the episode itself received two nominations for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series (One Hour).
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Emilia Clarke | Nominated | [14] |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Diana Rigg | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series | Peter Brown, Kira Roessler, Tim Hands, Paul Aulicino, Stephen P. Robinson, Vanessa Lapato, Brett Voss, James Moriana, Jeffrey Wilhoit, and David Klotz | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) | Matthew Waters, Onnalee Blank, Ronan Hill, and Mervyn Moore | Nominated |
References
- ^ Garcia, Elio; Antonsson, Linda (April 24, 2013). "EP304: And Now His Watch Is Ended". Westeros.org. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
- ^ a b O'Connell, Michael. "'Game of Thrones' Showrunners Talk About the Third Season's First 'Epic' Moment". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ a b Peterson, David. "Sesīr Urnēbion Zȳhon Keliton Issa". CNN. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ "Day 37: Filming at Clandeboye Estate". WinterIsComing.net. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- ^ Moon, Ra. "Where was Game of Thrones Season 3 filmed?". Atlas of Wonders. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (23 April 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Wins Night + NBA Playoffs, 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', 'Vikings' & More". TV by the numbers. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ "Top 10 Ratings (22 - 28 April 2013)". BARB. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "And Now His Watch Is Ended". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ^ Fowler, Matt (April 21, 2013). "Game of Thrones: "And Now His Watch is Ended" Review". IGN. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ Simms, David (April 21, 2013). ""And Now His Watch Iss Ended" (for newbies)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ a b VanDerWerff, Todd (April 21, 2013). ""And Now His Watch Is Ended" (for experts)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ McNutt, Myles (21 April 2013). "Game of Thrones – "And Now His Watch Is Ended"". Cultural Learnings. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (21 April 2013). "Review: 'Game of Thrones' - 'And Now His Watch Is Ended': How to trade your dragon". HitFix. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ "Game Of Thrones". Emmys.com. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
External links
