We thought it could only happen once. After the execution of Ned Stark, we didn’t think it was possible to ever be that shocked or hurt again by anything that happened in the world of Game of Thrones. After Ned died, our understanding of the story shifted, and we adapted and hardened along with the characters.
Until “The Rains of Castamere” played, blades were drawn, and we realized it was happening all over again. Then we were left adapting to the new shape of Game of Thrones once more.
“Mhysa,” the season 3 finale written by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss and directed by David Nutter, plunges us into the immediate aftermath of the Red Wedding. With Robb Stark’s desecrated corpse on display, as his little sister Arya looks on, there’s no hope: we’ve lost Robb, Catelyn and Talisa, and the ramifications will loom large throughout the season finale, and the rest of the series.
The Freys emphasize their takedown of the King in the North by ghoulishly attaching Grey Wind’s head to Robb’s body, and finish off butchering the Stark army while Roose Bolton watches on from above. The Hound manages to rescue Arya from the madness, flinching from the flames, but she sees Robb’s body: one more scar on her young soul.
As is expected in every GoT season finale, practical business is sorted out for the viewers’ clarity. Bolton is appointed Warden of the North, and Walder Frey wins Riverrun, formerly the Tully seat. In their convenient exposition-laden chat, the men confirm that the Blackfish escaped the Red Wedding slaughter during his incredibly well-timed piss break.
Roose also solves a season-long mystery in the conversation: he offers a connection between himself and the young man who has been menacing and torturing Theon Greyjoy all season long. If the X-shaped crosses and flaying didn’t make it obvious, the “Boy” who captured Theon is Ramsay Snow, Bolton’s bastard who had been sent to retake Winterfell from the Ironborn. Being the Ramsay we’ve come to know and swear at, he somehow burned Winterfell out instead of simply taking it but he flayed a lot of Ironborn, and took control of Balon Greyjoy’s son so Daddy Bolton isn’t too displeased.
Ramsay taunts Theon about his de-penising, and decides on a new name for his prisoner. After more beating and pain, the man finally breaks and accept his new name: Reek (rhymes with weak). Ramsay celebrates the occasion by sending Balon Greyjoy a dick in a box, and not the fun kind. Balon writes off the son he’s cast aside before, but Yara resolves to save her little brother and sets sail for the North. (She should’ve planned for dogs.)
Meanwhile, Arya and the Hound have ridden away from the Twins, and the night has passed. They come across a group of Frey soldiers bragging about their crimes the night before, and Arya decides to act out her feelings in a knifey way that is probably unhealthy but was very satisfying for viewers.
Afterward, she touches the iron coin gifted to her by Jaqen H’ghar and intones, “Valar Morghulis.”
We check in briefly with Sansa and Tyrion as newlyweds. They may not be in love, but it does seem like they could develop cautious friendship and respect. Oops- not going to happen. Their walk is interrupted when Tyrion’s called away for a meeting with major news: the King’s Landing crew has just received word that the Starks have been murdered en masse at the Tully-Frey wedding.
Tyrion understands the long-ranging effects of this act- and the more immediate fact that this will devastate his young wife- but Joffrey is simply reveling in it. He is straight up getting his life from the carnage, and wants to serve Sansa her brother’s head on a plate. Everyone is appropriately horrified and Tywin sends the teenage king to bed.
Discussing the matter with Tyrion, Tywin admits he helped set up the Red Wedding. He presents his own ruthless logic about it saving more lives than a messy war but in the end, all his actions serve himself. Tyrion points this out, so Tywin takes the opportunity to say more terrible things to his son about the day he was born, because well, Tywin gotta Tywin.
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss offer their insight into Tywin and Tyrion’s intense discussion in the “Inside the Episode” video for the week, along with their comments on other scenes:
In “Mhysa,” we don’t see Sansa notified of her family’s death- we only see her tears afterward through Tyrion’s persective, and frankly it feels like a bit of a cheat. Overall, the scene feels like it’s more about Tyrion having to deal with her pushing him away, after they’d tentatively been getting along, which dovetails with the feeling that this is no longer a show centered around the Starks.
The Lannisters and the Boltons take the forefront much of the time in “Mhysa,” and that is fitting because they’ve decimated the Starks, taken over the North, and solidified their position in Westeros. But how long will that remain true?
“Mhysa” sets the stage for season four in other ways: Varys attemps to send Shae away with a bag of diamonds. She refuses, believing in her and Tyrion’s love. Elsewhere in the city, Jaime and Brienne return from their journey as two completely changed people. Cersei barely recognizes Jaime when he walks in the room and calls her name. There’s so much space between them now, they’re no longer twins.
One interesting thing that occurred after the airing of “The Rains of Castamere” in fan discussions is that many complained that the seriousness of “guest right” was never conveyed on Game of Thrones. Within the Red Wedding episode, Robb Stark and company are shown eating bread and salt in a ceremonial fashion as they’re welcomed by Walder Frey, but the full weight of the gesture isn’t thoroughly explained.
Behold, in the next episode, we have Bran sharing the story of the Rat Cook while hunkered down at the Nightfort with his traveling companions. The strange tale of cannibalism and violated guest right shows the seriousness of harming those you’ve taken into your home and fed. The eerie story Bran tells offers a promise that there will be retribution for the Red Wedding from the gods.
One of the pleasures of “Mhysa” is that we get to see storylines crossing- Samwell and Gilly pop up into the Nightfort and meet Bran and his friends. They spend a small amount of time together before Sam and Gilly return to Castle Black, with a warning of White Walkers to share. Aemon has Sam send warning to the kings and lords down south.
Another brother is headed back to the Wall as well: Jon Snow is on the move after abandoning the wildlings and his lover. Chasing him down, Ygritte fills Jon up with arrows, because hell hath no fury like a fiery-haired wildling scorned. He tells her he loves her, and she shoots him anyway, with tears in her eyes. Good for her. He makes it back to Castle Black to be greeted by his black brothers, Sam and Pyp.
At Dragonstone, Davos saves Gendry from being sacrificed for his king’s blood. Thus begins the Boat Trip That Never Ends (Though It Goes On and On, My Friends.)
Davos’s Hooked on Phonics lessons with Shireen pay off, and he uses the Night’s Watch letter asking for help to convince Stannis to act like a king, and to aid the realm rather than simply claim it. Surprisingly, Melisandre is on board with the idea; the true war is in the North, she has seen and her often-enemy Davos is meant to be there, too.
Now, let’s talk about the episode’s big finish. Which some don’t particularly see as a big finish.
In the episode’s final scene, Daenerys is greeted as “Mhysa”- which means “Mother” in the Ghiscari language – by the newly freed slaves of Yunkai. She’s uncertain how they’ll react to her, but when she steps out, the people call for her and embrace her, lifting her high over them in joy and adoration.
The writers were apparently looking to create some sort of uplifting emotional catharsis for Dany, but unfortunately it looked more like Emilia Clarke was crowd-surfing at Coachella. And…that was it, that was the final scene. For some it worked. For me and many others- no, it didn’t. Even setting aside the racial discussion and the debate that followed on the internet (which I won’t bother rehashing because everyone’s already made up their minds), the moment itself just didn’t carry enough weight to leave a mark on me, to haunt me in some way until the next season with curiosity and excitement like the birth of dragons in season 1 or the advance of the White Walkers in season 2. Even Arya’s finale-ending scene for season 4, while less dramatic than the first two seasons, still left viewers wondering where she was headed.
There was one other thing hanging over book-readers’ heads at the time we originally watched this episode. A good portion of the ASOIAF readership had convinced themselves that a character would be appearing in the finale, presumably at the very end. People convinced themselves that the episode title had multiple meanings (it didn’t) and scoured the soundtrack for clues. We listened to every bar, every dark ending note for a sign- but alas, no dice. The music and the finale simply was what it was. (You think people would learn but the same thing happened during seasons 4 and 5. We’re nothing if not consistent and hopeful fans.)
The Mhysa music that bore the most scrutiny:
One last note: Bran’s story of the Rat Cook teased vengeance against those who broke the sacred protection of guest right, and the powerful architect of the Red Wedding, Tywin Lannister, died within a season. Joffrey, who cheered on the deaths, died sooner. How long before the Boltons and the Freys face retribution from the gods?
MIA: Gendry: This was the last we’ve seen of Joe Dempsie as Gendry, the lovable bastard. He’s still rowin,’ we hope.
We haven’t seen the wicked Walder Frey since “Mhysa,” but he’ll be back in season 6.
Patrick Malahide as Balon Greyjoy was last seen in this episode. I think we’ll see him in season 6 also. There’s some unsettled business between him and a leech.
Ed Skrein made his final appearance as Daario Naharis in “Mhysa,” before departing the show.
Mhysa, Beautiful Death:
Creative Fandom:
Because Ghiscari isn’t the easiest language to understand.
“It wasn’t for the murder that the Gods cursed the Rat Cook, or for serving the King’s son in a pie. He killed a guest beneath his roof. That’s something the Gods can’t forgive.” Bran Stark by VarshaVijayan
Robb’s post-death condition inspired many artists- here’s a couple:
The Red King in the North by lefthandedginger
Here Comes the King of the North by LindseyBurcar
The post Game of Thrones Memory Lane 310: Mhysa appeared first on Watchers on the Wall.
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