As the war continues, its various combatants must endure the consequences of their choices, some in more immediate ways than others.

After the breathless, adrenaline-soaked pace of last week, a respite would be welcome. But this is Westeros, and a relative lack of action in the traditional sense does not mean that the protagonists or the viewer can let their guard down, lest they miss something vital.

Indeed, there are but two, brief ‘action’ scenes in the entirety of this slightly longer-than-usual instalment of the show, that’s not to say that there isn’t plenty going on here, or that the tension is ratcheted down at all.

In keeping with the season to date, two main themes emerge throughout. The first is consequence – various characters are faced with the consequences of the choices that they have made to date. In some cases, these are simple and direct. In others, characters are forced to face up to the other side of otherwise noble actions. This is Westeros after all, and even if you really believe that you are on the ‘right’ side, that doesn’t necessarily mean you get to have a completely clean conscience. It also means that there is a certain amount of disillusionment for some characters, facing up to the fact that what they had thought – or perhaps hoped – of others isn’t necessarily the case.

The second theme is revelation, and to say much more about that would be to veer into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that many characters experience revelations of different types and magnitudes, some small, others less so. By the time the credits roll, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll be exhausted and you’ll have plenty to mull over – like earlier episodes, this is one that the fans are going to be dissecting among themselves for weeks to come.

It seems almost cliched these days to highlight Peter Dinklage’s qualities as Tyrion, but he does get plenty to do this week, and he does it all magnificently. Equally of note is Liam Cunningham’s Ser Davos, long one of my favourite characters and in full laconic form as always. Kudos too to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, whose Jaime Lannister is possibly the most conflicting character in the entire show – it’s testament to his portrayal that we can still veer between sympathy and disdain for a character who started out all those episodes ago trying to murder a defenceless young boy.

For those keeping score, it’s another episode where graphic violence is minimal and nudity is absent – it really is feeling like this is the ‘coming of age’ season of the show.

If there’s any critique to be made, it lies in the somewhat flexible attitude the show seems to be taking towards time and distance these days. With characters getting places by sailing boat and horseback, it does occasionally seem like events are unfolding at an unfeasible pace – a minor quibble, but then this is what the quality of the season to date forces one to!

Verdict: Luxuriating in intrigue and tension, this episode somehow manages to stay the right side of self-indulgence. While not as white-knuckle action-packed as last week, it still delivers shocks and surprises at a pace that leaves the viewer reeling by the closing credits. With two episodes left to the season, I can only hope this quality is maintained. 9/10

Greg D Smith