The Lannisters press their advantage over the Starks; Robb rallies his father's northern allies and heads south to war; The White Walkers attack the Wall; Tyrion returns to his father with s... Read allThe Lannisters press their advantage over the Starks; Robb rallies his father's northern allies and heads south to war; The White Walkers attack the Wall; Tyrion returns to his father with some new friends.The Lannisters press their advantage over the Starks; Robb rallies his father's northern allies and heads south to war; The White Walkers attack the Wall; Tyrion returns to his father with some new friends.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the first episode in the series written by George R.R. Martin, and the first screenplay which Martin has written in almost a decade and a half (although the "Not today" lines and Drogo's fight scene were inserted by showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss). On the commentary track, Martin relates that prior to Game of Thrones, he was never allowed to adapt his own work to the screen, since original authors are supposedly too close to their own material.
- GoofsWhen defending Arya from the Lannister henchmen, Syrio Forell handily dispatched the first attacker while the others were all several steps away. This gave him an opportunity to take the first henchman's sword to defend himself with steel, instead of ridiculously using wood. The First Sword of Bravvos would certainly have thought of this. Even though he knew he was a better swordsman than the Lannister men, he was greatly outnumbered and would never fall into the trap of arrogance by choosing to fight with a wooden sword in a contest of life and death.
- Quotes
Shagga: How would you like to die, Tyrion, son of Tywin?
[a pause]
Tyrion Lannister: In my own bed, at the age of 80, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my cock.
[Shagga bursts out laughing. Tyrion and Bronn smile]
- Crazy creditsThe sun tells an important part of the series back story, on its panels. It does so in three segments. First, as the credits start up, the sun depicts how the Targaryens and their dragons conquered Westeros. The second time the sun is shown, a dragon is depicted in a mortal struggle with 3 other animals: The Stag, the Lion and the Wolf. It is a very literal way to show how Robert Beratheon and Ned Stark rebelled, with Tywin Lannister reluctantly supporting them, in the end. Finally, the third time the sun is shown, before the series title enter the scene, a lion (among other animals) is shown "kneeling" to a triumphant Stag. Just as Robert was crowned King after winning the war.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Game of Thrones Quotes (2016)
'Game of Thrones' first season continues to keep going from strength to strength. There is not a bad episode in the season and to me "The Pointy End" is one of its best. Not sure about it being THE best though, for such a lot going on and being so rich in story and character occasionally it was a little too busy and could have had more time to breathe. A couple of the side characters are given short shrift somewhat too. Otherwise, "The Pointy End" is a wonderful episode.
Already great characters like Tyrion and Arya are given plenty to do and have all of what makes them such good characters in the first place. Seeing Robb get the spotlight and mature was also a great strength, and any episode that makes Sansa interesting and sympathetic is deserving of a medal. The ending is a nail-biter and makes one want to see how the season ends, Syrio Forel's confrontation with the Lannisters is another highlight. Author George R. R. Martin's involvement is a large part to "The Ponty End's" success, before this episode he hadn't written a teleplay in a decade but he writes as if this big gap didn't happen.
Visually, "The Pointy End" 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 Pointy End" 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. As well as being one of the most thematically rich ones of Season 1, 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.
Helped by the superb character and multi-layered writing throughout (some of the richest of Season 1 in fact), the acting is hard to find fault. Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner and Richard Madden are particularly strong, Dinklage has always been a high-point of 'Game of Thrones' while the other two really allow their respective characters to grow.
In short, an on point episode with almost everything executed wonderfully. 9/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Nov 28, 2017
Details
- Runtime59 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1