Jon and the wildlings travel south of the Wall. Talisa tells Robb that she's pregnant. Arya runs away from the Brotherhood. Daenerys arrives at Yunkai. Jaime leaves Brienne behind at Harrenh... Read allJon and the wildlings travel south of the Wall. Talisa tells Robb that she's pregnant. Arya runs away from the Brotherhood. Daenerys arrives at Yunkai. Jaime leaves Brienne behind at Harrenhal.Jon and the wildlings travel south of the Wall. Talisa tells Robb that she's pregnant. Arya runs away from the Brotherhood. Daenerys arrives at Yunkai. Jaime leaves Brienne behind at Harrenhal.
- Melisandre
- (as Carice Van Houten)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the only episode of the series to film scenes in the United States. The scenes in the bear pit were filmed in Los Angeles, because they involve a live bear (named Bart the Bear), and there are various legal restrictions on international transport of large animals such as bears. Only the bear pit was partially built on a parking lot in LA, and Gwendoline Christie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and the bear were the only actors present; the rest of the cast filmed their scenes on top of a full bear pit set in Northern Ireland. Shots from both sets were then digitally combined in post-production.
- GoofsTywin tells Joffrey that the dragon skulls that once lined the throne room were arranged largest to smallest, with the smallest next to the Iron Throne. In Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things (2011), Viserys tells Doreah the opposite, that the largest skull was next to the throne.
- Quotes
Tyrion Lannister: [talks about Sansa] She's a child.
Bronn: She's a foot taller than you.
Tyrion Lannister: A tall child.
Bronn: What's the youngest you've ever had?
Tyrion Lannister: Not that young.
Bronn: How much older?
Tyrion Lannister: Older.
Bronn: You're a lord, she's a lady, and a beauty at that. I don't see the problem.
Tyrion Lannister: Shae's not going to like it.
Bronn: Shae is a whore! Are you going to marry her? Eh? How did marrying a whore work out for you the first time?
Tyrion Lannister: I should never have told you about that.
Bronn: You want Shae, keep her. Wed one and bed the other. All you have to do is get a son in the Stark girl. He'll be lord of Winterfell one day; you can rule the North in his name. You'll have two women and a whole kingdom of your own.
Tyrion Lannister: Two women to despise me and a whole kingdom to join them.
Bronn: You waste time trying to get people to love you. You'll end up the most popular dead man in town.
[Bronn chuckles]
Bronn: You want to fuck that Stark girl. You just don't want to admit it.
Tyrion Lannister: I don't pay you to put evil notions in my head. The ones already there don't need company.
Bronn: You pay me to kill people who bother you. Evil notions come free.
- Crazy creditsThe main song of House Lannister, "The Rains of Castamere", plays over the closing credits, to commemorate the upcoming Lannister wedding.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Game of Thrones: The Children (2014)
"The Bear and the Maiden Fair" may be one of the weaker episodes of Season 3, one that has divided critics and fans (more mixed to favourable), and one of my least favourites of the show up to this point. That it is still a very good episode, from personal opinion anyhow, is indicative of how amazing a show 'Game of Thrones' is.
It is more of a set-up episode of what is about to come, and is not the most exciting 'Game of Thrones' has been. It's far from dull though and the story made perfect sense to me. It's not action-heavy and focuses more on the characters, their interactions and dialogue, this is not a problem because actually 'Game of Thrones' have proven many times that they do this kind of episode very well, brilliantly for some, just as much as when they do episodes that are heavier in action.
Not everything works. The pacing could have been tightened, and this could have been achieved by in particular by shortening Theon's torture sequences which do go on forever. Wouldn't have said no even to them being excised because they didn't add very much and felt very extreme even for torture.
Flaws aside, there are scenes that work extremely well. The final scene is particularly wonderful, tense, thrilling and just spectacular and one of the season's better endings. The Daenerys and slaver scene and the Tywin and Joffrey confrontation are just as brilliant.
Visually, "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" looks amazing. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.
One cannot talk about "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions such as suspenseful tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. The story is paced beautifully, structured with such nuance and attention to coherence, a high emotional level and is done with intelligence, passion and sensitivity.
Direction especially shines in the final scene and the Tywin and Joffrey confrontation, while the acting is uniformly superb.
Summing up, very good episode but not the best one of the best shows in recent years has to offer. 8/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jan 15, 2018
Details
- Runtime58 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1