Game Of Thrones: 5 Winners And 5 Losers In 'Mockingbird'

By Emile Lewis / May 20, 2014

This article contains SPOILERS, and some bonus trivia! Game of Thrones threw us right back into the thick of the drama this week after the exciting cliffhanger ending to €˜The Laws of Gods and Men€™. €˜Mockingbird€™ resumes moments later in Tyrion€™s cell, where Jaime can€™t understand why his foolish brother didn€™t take the deal he had negotiated with their father. Tyrion has his reasons, and the plot for the episode centres on who will represent the crown and who will represent in the accused in the fatal trial by combat. Thankfully, we don€™t have to wait another episode to find out, as most of this week€™s offering is focused around this crucial juncture in the story, with a spine tingling scene towards the end revealing Tyrion€™s candidate. Our interest in Tyrion€™s case perhaps steals some of the focus away from the other plot lines, which actually have some really engaging developments as well this week. Ayra and the Hound continue to journey together and their relationship continues to grow and engage us. Elsewhere, Brienne and Pod discover a surprising lead in their quest to find Sansa Stark, and Emilia Clarke continues to impress as Daenerys navigates her way through the murky depths of true power. Meanwhile, the creepy is amped up to 11 at the Eyrie with dramatic consequences€ but onto this week€™s winners, where first an honourable mention goes to the unexpected but welcome return of the clueless yet loveable Hot Pie!

The Winners:

5. A Pair Of Killers

Arya and the Hound continue on the road to the Eyrie, and Arya ticks off another name on her list, albeit one she adds just as she strikes it off. This character pairing is one of the most enjoyable on the show, and certainly of this season. Though the Hound himself is one of Arya€™s names, he has become something of a mentor to her as she learns more about killing, and their unlikely friendship is gently fostered by their shared passion for ending the lives of others.

In Season 2, Jaqen H€™ghar showed Arya the artistry of wetwork, revealing to her what she could one day become. He offered to teach her his craft, but at the time, Arya still had other priorities tying her to the living. Jaqen represents a romantic ideal; something for Arya to aspire to, like a budding musician or actor with their respective acclaimed idols €“ but the Hound is her true mentor, the real-deal, so to speak; taking her in at ground level and showing her the realities of how the €œindustry€ works.

Arya has come a long way from the little girl who didn€™t want to be a lady. She has a certain wisdom beyond her years, a darker, colder streak, and a strong sense of purpose. Her desire to deal death is not motivated by wickedness or evil however, but by a child€™s black and white understanding of justice. Ayra is one of the most well-developed characters in the story, particularly because she breaks many of the traditional molds for female characters in genre fiction. The Hound is also much more layered then he would like us to believe, and Arya€™s atypical character challenges his pessimistically close-minded view of how the world works.