The first two episodes of Game of Thrones’ latest season moved at a wonderful pace. However, “The Queen’s Justice” doesn’t quite match up. The episode contains more repetitive dialogue than action or plot advancement. The interesting and exciting elements took too long to get to. Too many characters in “The Queen’s Justice” have monologues, stating the feelings the audience already knows they have. This wasn’t a bad episode of Game of Thrones – but it did seem to go on forever.
The meeting of Daenerys and Jon met expectations – but nothing more. Certainly, seeing two of the show’s protagonists interact is exciting. Their meeting heralds in an exciting conclusion for Game of Thrones. The problem is that they spent too much time on overly long speeches. Jon and Dany simply rehashed their general characteristics, providing nothing new. Tyrion’s manipulation of the two was fun, to be sure. However, the episode felt a bit bland, restating what we already knew, without providing anything new. Other than a prophesy that Varys may die, that is.
Cersei Lannister got the biggest piece of this episode. The convenient rise of Euron Greyjoy has given Cersei a newfound leg up on Daenerys’ forces. Seeing Cersei kill the final Sand Snake certainly gives her vengeance and closure on her daughter’s death. However, Game of Thrones gives Cersei an overly long monologue about the matter. Following that, it focuses on Cersei talking to the Iron Bank for longer than needed. Cersei’s more vindictive actions were diluted with unnecessary chatter.
The death of Lady Olenna Tyrell was also dragged out for too long. Olenna definitely deserved a big death scene, and this mostly delivers. The way she drops Joffrey’s death on Jaime is intensely powerful. However, the scene is bogged down by death tropes. A lot of Olenna’s speech feels cliche, and too on the nose for the situation. The Joffrey dig was the only moment of true ferocity we see. Olenna’s big death scene is well-deserved, but it could’ve been better.
Sansa and Bran’s reunion was profoundly odd. Bran meeting his sister to discuss her awful marriage seems like a huge misstep. It makes sense that Bran would lose some of his social graces once becoming the Three-Eyed Raven. However, if he can see everything, he knows that Sansa’s marriage to Ramsay was hardly wonderful. The callback seems uncharacteristic, and only serves to bring Sansa back down a peg. It’s very strange that Game of Thrones would want fans to remember a scene almost no one liked.
Game of Thrones has never shied away from speeches or dialogue. Often times, it’s just a treat to see our favorite characters outwit each other. However, it doesn’t work in “The Queen’s Justice” because it’s noticeably slower. With so much action packed into earlier episodes this season, we know what we’re missing. Many moments in “The Queen’s Justice” could have been expedited, leaving room for more. An otherwise great episode is oversaturated with speeches.
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