Written by Ryan Condal
Directed by Loni Peristere
Jacaerys: "If you die."
Rhaenyra: "Then you will at last be king."
Oh, those words didn't age well at all. I knew going into this episode that Jacaerys wasn't long for the world and of course this was going to be the infamous Battle Of The Gullet. It's just that I found his death a little underwhelming.
For an opening episode, it's probably the weakest we've had of the three so far but there was still plenty to mull over nonetheless. Circling back to Jace, he was absolutely right in being sceptical about Alicent wanting to help Rhaenyra reclaim King's Landing. I wouldn't trust Alicent as far as I could throw her but unfortunately for Jace, his mistrust of her was unfounded. Oh boy.
Jace locking Rhaenyra in her chambers might have spared her life but it put him and Vermax in danger as well as Baela and Moondancer. The presence of Rhaena and her newly acquired dragon, Sheepstealer also made the situation even more of a disaster than expected. I'm not as mad at Rhaena as everyone else online seems to be but talk about a terrible first outing for both Rhaena and Sheepstealer.
The Battle of the Gullet definitely felt like it should've been the previous season finale. It's well executed and provided an opportunity for Lohar and Corlys to do battle with one another. I did find it oddly humourous that Lohar was quick to abandon the Greens, her own shipmates just to get some petty revenge. It did not end well for her by the way.
Focusing on Team Green, what a splintered they've become. Both Aegon and Larys ended up being captured by supporters of Team Black. I laughed when Larys ratted out their identities. That man's survival instincts were on point. In that particular scenario, Larys made the right call.
Then there was Aemond. He quickly took over the throne and in a stomach churning scene, kissed his own mother. Alicent had the decency to at least look disgusted, while quietly undermining her psychotic son and keeping her treachery under wraps. Even when Alicent was doing the right thing, she still created more carnage in her wake.
Continuing with the Greens, there was a new player introduced in the form of Ormond Hightower (James Norton). He's like a more tactical and competent version of Ser Criston, leaving Gwaine yet again as the only decent Hightower in the mix. I'm rooting for Gwaine to come out of this mess unscathed. Unfortunately, I very much doubt he will.
Back to the Blacks though, at least Daemon was able to take out some enemies and even gained new allies with the Winter Wolves, who are led by Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan). The Blacks need all the help they can get and the Greens need to start losing some players.
- The title sequence has been updated with new aspects of the tapestry and new cast members of course.
- Alys had little screen time but she managed to make her presence known to the likes of Addam, Hugh and Ulf. We also saw a Green Man very briefly.
- Benjamin Evan Ainsworth appeared but is his playing the real Daeron Targaryan or a fake? His hair is more Hightower though.
- The circumstances behind Jack's death in the book are different from what the episode did. I don't mind the change too much.
- Are both Lannister twins dead now? Good on Gwaine for opposing the knight assaulting women. Typical that Criston didn't care.
- Chronology: Not long from the events of the previous season.
Salt And Sea, Fire And Blood felt like it was absolutely meant to be the finale to the previous season rather than the opening to this one. It plodded a little in the first half before it blew up big time during the actual battle itself. On reflection, I did like it a bit more than when I first watched it.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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