Episode: The Watchers on the Wall While this episode is not quite as solidly written as Blackwater (unfortunately, it has to happen in the corner of Westeros where the least interesting characters reside), the siege on the Wall solves the few shortcomings of the Battle of Blackwater to create the most jaw-dropping action sequence in the entire series (thus far). Unlike Blackwater, the Attack on the Wall goes down with a substantial number of developed characters on each side, increasing the stakes as much as possible before the giants and mammoths arrive. Neil Marshall seemed to have learned much since he cut his teeth on Blackwater two years ago, approaching this siege with as much visual clarity as possible - sweeping CGI establishing shots and extended tracking shots of the important characters keep the geography of Castle Black as clear as it has ever been - deftly sidestepping the geographic ambiguity that plagued Blackwater. This battle blends strategy, character, and action so seamlessly that it looks ready to fit right in with a full-blooded medieval epic on the big screen. Another area in which this scene trumps its spiritual predecessor is in the casualty count. While character deaths are not necessary to determine a show's quality, if no one died this battle would have felt slight compared to Blackwater. But as it is, major and minor characters alike fall during this siege, reminding us that this does indeed take place in the same world as The Red Wedding. Have a favourite fight or battle we didn't include? Be sure to mention it in the comments section below!
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
