Arya arrives in Braavos. Jaime takes on a secret mission. Ellaria Sand seeks revenge for Oberyn's death. Stannis makes Jon a generous offer as the Night's Watch elects a new Lord Commander. ... Read allArya arrives in Braavos. Jaime takes on a secret mission. Ellaria Sand seeks revenge for Oberyn's death. Stannis makes Jon a generous offer as the Night's Watch elects a new Lord Commander. Daenerys is faced with a difficult decision.Arya arrives in Braavos. Jaime takes on a secret mission. Ellaria Sand seeks revenge for Oberyn's death. Stannis makes Jon a generous offer as the Night's Watch elects a new Lord Commander. Daenerys is faced with a difficult decision.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaArya's death list was significantly longer in earlier seasons than the version she recites in this episode (Meryn Trant, Cersei, Walder Frey, and Gregor Clegane). The previous versions included Melisandre, Beric Dondarrion, and Thoros, who are all still alive. She had put them on the list in season 3 because they took Gendry away, but she has since focused on worse enemies. While Walder Frey is included in the show, he never appeared in Arya's list in the books, as she is unaware of which Freys were responsible for the Red Wedding. Ilyn Payne, who carried out her father's execution, was omitted by the show runners after Wilko Johnson, who portrays Payne, retired from acting after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (from which he later recovered).
- GoofsCersei states that there are only two lion pendants in the world, hers and Myrcella's; actually, Joffrey gave Sansa an identical pendant in A Golden Crown (2011), and Tyrion gave one to Ros in The Wolf and the Lion (2011).
- Quotes
Samwell Tarly: Whilst Lord Janos was hiding with the women and children, Jon Snow was leading. Ser Alliser fought bravely, this true. When he was wounded, it was Jon who saved us. He took charge of the Wall's defense, he killed the Magnar of Thenns, he went north to deal with Mance Rayder, knowing it would've almost certainly meant his own death. Before that, he lead the mission to avenge Lord Commander Mormont. Mormont, himself, chose Jon to be his steward. He saw something in Jon and now we've all seen it to. He may be young, but he's the commander we turned to when the night was darkest.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Thronecast: The Wars to Come (2015)
There are still signs of settling, understandably, with Season 5's second episode "The House of Black and White", but it is an improvement over the still very promising and well done season opener "The Wars to Come". It is a very daunting task living up to the consistently exceptionally high standard of Season 4 and this very early stage of Season 5 is doing a noble job on that front.
What makes "The House of Black and White" a superior episode is that there is a bigger and bolder approach to the storytelling, rather than the slower, quieter and reflective tone of "The Wars to Come". There are more and bigger character moments (especially with Jon Snow and Brienne), characters having moral complexities, intensity-building and there is more emotion and drama. A better job is done advancing the story and character progressions while building upon the events of "The Wars to Come". Loved that there was more of Arya and Bronn, neither wasted, and Dorne is a worthy addition.
All the acting is never less than very strong, can't think of a weak link here.
Visually, "The House of Black and White" looks amazing, as one would expect for 'Game of Thrones'. 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 House of Black and White" 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. The story is still riveting, with plenty of passion and sensitivity.
Summing up, the season has not quite settled yet but there is more than enough to make one convinced to keep watching. 9/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 16, 2018
Details
- Runtime56 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1