Rise (Game of Thrones)

At Royal Harbor

Lord Tywin Lannister ( Charles Dance ) meets with Lady Olennaya Tyrell ( Diana Rigg ) to discuss the marriage of Syrah Loras ( Finn Jones ) and Cersei ( Lena Hedi ). They exchange taunts about Cersei's age and rumors about her incest with Jaime, as well as about all of Loras's well-known homosexuality. Tywin threatens to appoint Loras the knight of the Royal Guard, according to the charter of which he will waive the rights to inheritance and marriage. Deer softens and agrees to the wedding of Loras and Cersei.

Sansa ( Sophie Turner ) communicates with Loras, who are closely watched by Cersei and Tirion ( Peter Dinklage ). They compare their upcoming marriages, then Tyrion accuses his sister of trying to kill him during the Battle of Blackwater. Tyrion concludes that it was Joffrey ( Jack Gleason ) who ordered Sir Mandon Moore to kill him. Cersei tells him that Joffrey is no longer a threat to his life, because now Tywin is the King’s right hand. Tyrion later goes to Sansa's chambers, where he reveals to her and Shae ( Sibel Kekilli ) that she will marry him and not Loras. At the same time, Varis ( Conlet Hill ) finds Lord Baelish ( Aidan Gyllen ) in the throne room. Baelish tells Varis that he knows about Varis’s agreement with Ros ( Esme Bianco ), and that he gave it to Joffrey to kill her for pleasure. Sansa watches Bailish sail away on a ship, realizing that her chances of leaving the capital are gone.

In Riverlands

While Engai (Philip McGinley) gives Arye ( Macy Williams ) archery tips, she notices Melisandra ( Caris van Houten ) and a small group of Stannis's people. The Priestess speaks with Toros ( Paul Kay ) before he leads her inside the Brotherhood refuge. Melisandra is shocked to learn about the six deaths of Berik Dondarrion ( Richard Dormer ), who asks her about the reasons for her coming to them. She replies that the Brotherhood has a man whom the Lord of the Light needs and orders its people to take Jendry ( Joe Dempsey ) under her guardianship. Arya is outraged that the Brotherhood turned its back on Jendry because of Melisandra’s money. Arya encounters Melisandra and calls her a witch, to which she predicts to Arya that she will take lives, and one day they will meet again.

King of the North Robb Stark ( Richard Madden ) and his advisers meet with Lame Lothar Frey ( Tom Brook ) and Black Walder Rivers ( Tim Plester ) to discuss the terms of an alliance for attacking Cliff Casterly. The Frey brought the demands of their Lord, wishing for an official apology from Robb, to Harrenhol Castle and the lands lying nearby, and that Edmoor ( Tobias Menzies ) should marry Roslyn, one of Lord Frey's daughters. Edmoor at first refuses to marry a woman whom he has never met, but in the end agrees.

In Harrenhol, Lord Rousse Bolton ( Michael McElhatton ) dines with Jaime ( Nikolai Coster-Waldau ) and Brienna ( Gwendoline Christie ). Bolton tells Jaime that he will be sent to King's Landing if he tells his father that Bolton is not involved in his mutilation. Jaime suggests that Brienne will accompany him, but Bolton intends to keep her at her place, arresting her for aiding treason.

In the North

Tension is growing in the camp between Osha ( Natalia Tena ) and Mira Reid ( Ellie Kendrick ), but Bran ( Isaac Hampstead-Wright ) relieves the situation. During a dream, Joyen ( Thomas Brody Sangster ) has a seizure and Mira explains that they are caused by visions. Then Joyen tells Bran that in his visions he saw John Snow with the wild.

Meanwhile, the kidnapper of Theon ( Ivan Reon ) wakes him ( Alfie Allen ) to continue the torture. The guy threatens Theon to cut off his little finger, if he does not guess who he is and where they are now. With several attempts, Theon unraveled that he was Karstark. For a moment, the tormentor behaves as if Theon had guessed correctly, but then begins to peel the skin from Theon's finger, saying that he had deceived him. Theon surrenders and begs his tormentor to cut off his finger.

Behind the Wall

Samwell Tarley ( John Bradley ) and Lilly ( Hannah Murray ) decide to halt along the escape route from Craster Castle. Sam shows Lilly the dragon-glass dagger he found on the Fist of the First Men and tells her about Black Castle.

In the camp at the foot of the Wall, a group of wilds led by Tormund the Great Death ( Christopher Heavier ) prepares to climb the Wall. John ( Keith Harington ) and Igritt ( Rose Leslie ) talk about their upcoming rise and their relationship. Igritt reveals to him that she knows about his loyalty to the Night Watch, but their loyalty to each other is more important, implying that she joined the Mans case out of self-interest rather than out of trust in him. During the ascent, the Igritt ice ax hit the Wall causing a huge crack that causes an avalanche, An avalanche descends burying several members of the wild group, and Igritt and John are hanging over the abyss on the safety rope. So that John and Igritt do not pull everyone along, Orell ( Mackenzie Crook ) cuts off the cable, but John manages to gain a foothold at the Wall, saving Igritt, and they get to the top of the Wall along with everyone. Looking at the landscape of the Seven Kingdoms, John and Igritt hug and kiss.

Script

The script for The Ascent was written by the show runners of the series David Benioff and D. B. Weiss , which was based on George R. R. Martin’s novel Storm of Swords, chapters 30, 35, 37 and 48 (John IV, Katileen IV, Jaime V and Samwell III). ^[one]

Casting

Toddler Lilly, who appeared in the fourth episode and in the opening scene of The Ascent, was played by the 10-month-old Arya Hasson - named after Arya Stark - from Waterside, Derry . ^[2]

Ratings

Rise set a new record for Game of Thrones rankings, becoming the fourth episode to set a new high rating in a row after the previous ones. 5.5 million viewers watched the premiere, along with 1.27 million viewers who watched the replay. The episode also set a new high mark for the series with viewers from 19 to 49 years old, with a rating of 2.9. ^[3]

Critical Reaction

Rise received positive reviews from critics. On the Rotten Tomatoes website, the episode received a rating of 90% positive reviews, based on 21 reviews, and the site's consensus reads: “Tywin Lannister and Olenna Tyrell steal the show with their exquisite negotiations, while Rise is focused on the Wild climb the Wall. " ^[4] Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a rating of 8.8 / 10, writing:" This week's Game of Thrones started slowly, but then lined up for the fireworks. ” ^[5] The AV Club published two reviews. David Sims gave the episode a “B” rating for newcomers to the series, ^[6] while Todd Vanderverff gave the episode a “B +” rating for people who read novels. ^[7]

Awards and nominations

• Rise on HBO.com
• Rise on the Internet Movie Database
• Rise on TV.com