Game Of Thrones: Walk Of Punishment Review

Our verdict on last week's sensational third episode of Season Three.
Although the opening two instalments of Game Of Thrones Season Three were a little more low-key than many fans might have expected, the latest instalment, Walk Of Punishment, capitalised on the series' trademark action and romances in new and daring ways. With a variety of exciting character arc developments clearly present throughout the episode, it should be interesting to see how the show develops in the seven instalments remaining this season.

First and foremost, it was brilliant to have the action over in King's Landing placed at the centre of the viewer's attention once again. Peter Dinklage continues to dominate the screen with ease in any scene in which Tyrion Lannister features in, boasting equally impressive chemistry with Charles Dance's Tywin that should be fascinating to watch continue to develop in the near future. Better yet, those two characters' plans and dialogues should begin to interweave soon with those of Joffrey, Margery and Diana Rigg's Olanna, ensuing in meetings and verbal sparring which this reviewer cannot wait to see play out.

Another unexpected surprise hit was the role of Jaime Lannister and Brienne in the episode's storyline. The implied near-miss of a situation of rape was just as dark a moment for the show as a similar scene involving Sansa was handled in Season Two, made all the more tense and disturbing by the viewer being unable to see whether Brienne was actually still safe amongst Jaime hearing her screams. It appears that there's a fierce friendship breeding between those two past adversaries, again something which will bear intriguing investigation in the weeks ahead with Jaime needing more of an, ahem, hand in adventures to come.

Naturally, much of the appeal of this week's episode was the potential it raised for adventures to come. That inevitably did provide the sense that a standalone piece it wasn't quite the next full-on Game Of Thrones masterpiece fans are waiting for from Season Three's earlier episodes, but it's as close as the show's come to Blackwater's quality in some time. With this in mind, our excitement for the days ahead for Game Of Thrones can be enhanced considerably, especially if Walk Of Punishment provides even a hint of the kind of episode quality we can expect in the near future!
4.5/5