Game of Thronesdelivered some of the most spectacular and satisfying war sequences ever seen on TV. There was the terrifying battle between walkers and humans in the “Long Night”,Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) plunge into madnessin “The Iron Throne,” and of course, the gritty and gruesome “Battle of the Bastards,” which is often cited as the best battle of the series. But surprisingly, the show’s very first battle is often unfairly omitted from discussions surrounding great wars. And it’s a shame because it was the Battle of the Blackwater that truly set the tone and foundation for all future battles. It’s an almost perfect hour of television, representing the pinnacle of strategic warfare and unparalleled storytelling. And such brilliance is to be expected since the episode was written byGeorge RR Martinhimself.
RELATED:This ‘Game of Thrones’ Episode Reigns as the Greatest Hour of TV Ever
The Battle of the Blackwater Is a Spectacle To Behold
The first season of Game of Thrones teased the audience with expectations of grand medieval battles, but it never really delivered on those promises. The tease wasn’t meant as a cruel joke on the audience though.The creators had a limited budgetto work with and having a grand-scale war would have left creators with little resources to develop dragons and direwolves. Today, it’s odd to think that a show as commercially successful asGame of Throneswould ever be deprived of budget, but during the first season, the show’s success remained doubtful as dragons, wolves, and ice-zombies didn’t make for a successful TV in the early 2010s. But after establishing its burgeoning potential in Season 1 through critical acclaim and commercial success, the creators landed a higher budget for Season 2 and convinced HBO to finally approve an expensive battle sequence. And ultimately, the stage was set for what would become one ofGame of Thrones’ highest rated episodes.
The Battle of Blackwater was the very first large-scale war offered by the show, and more than a decade later it still remains highly impressive on a rewatch. The war’s very beginning is explosive. Literally. Stannis’ (Stephen Dillane) massive fleet is sailing towards King’s Landing, but to their surprise, they’re not met with any naval resistance. After a while, a solitary boat sails towards them and when it gets close enough, it turns out that the boat is completely empty, and it seems to be pouring a green fluid into the sea. Before Davos (Liam Cunningham) can figure out what’s happening, a flaming arrow comes in contact with the wildfire-fueled sea. Instantly, chaos ensues. Dozens of boats are taken down by the dazzling green explosion. Men trapped in burning boats jump into the sea only to get burned by the water too. Screams and roaring fire cover the sea. Still, Stannis decides to continue with the attack, and soon it’s time for close combat. The previous wide shots are now substituted for claustrophobic cinematography.The violence is delightfully brutalwith chopping limbs and blood splatters, and it’s this tone of violence that would go on to inform the show’s future wars.
The Battle of Blackwater Came With High Stakes
The battle of Blackwater comes fromGame of Thrones’ golden yearswhen the series had established itself to be merciless and unpredictable. Exactly 10 episodes prior to “Blackwater” viewers had witnessedthe shocking beheading of Ned Stark, and needless to say, they had developed certain trust issues with the series. So, unlike the wars from the latter seasons, like ‘The Battle of the Bastards’ where the viewer just knew it in their guts that Jon Snow (Kit Harington) would prevail, the fate of the battle remained mostly unpredictable. Even though the war was largely shown from King’s Landing’s perspective, the viewer could never really be sure of the battle’s outcome and its survivors because of how the episode was set up. There was genuine panic and fear within King’s Landing, and Cersei (Lena Headey) had even prepared a poison pill for herself and her youngest son. On the other hand, Stannis’ was cool as ever and his army confident. Their men outnumbered the King’s Landing’s army by five to one and ships by 10 to one.
Not only that but the viewer couldn’t even be sure whom to root for. Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) had more than proven himself to be an absolutely despicable human being who didn’t deserve to be a king for a day longer. Stannis’ attack would bring an end to his reign, avenge Ned Stark, and even set Sansa free. But at the same time, Stannis wasn’t a very likable character either and his obsession with Lord of Light was pretty disturbing. And though Joffrey’s loss would have freed Sansa, it would have come at the cost of beloved characters like Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), Bronn (Jerome Flynn), and Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann). By setting up these certainties regarding outcome and morality, the episode put the characters and the audience in a state of utter chaos.
Scenes Surrounding The Battle
“Blackwater” is one of the few episodes whereGame of Thronesfocuses on a single scenario throughout. The episode refuses to divert its attention from the pressing matter and largely ignores the characters outside of Kings Landing. Instead, it jumps around to check how the characters are doing and feeling before and during the war. Since every scene plays out with the implied knowledge of a looming threat the importance of every interaction feels heightened. Conversations feel sincere, honest, and almost entirely devoid of mind games as the war recalibrates their priorities.
Within the context of the war, the episode took its time to lay down some fascinating character beats. There is a brief conversation between Davos and his son Matthos (Kerr Logan) that showed how shrewd and pragmatic the onion knight was by contrasting him with his young and naive son. There is a heated moment between Clegane and Bronn, boiling with tension and ready to erupt, which was avoided thanks to tolling bells. But during the war, Bronn saves Clegane who finds himself paralyzed by his pyrophobia. This later leads up to him leaving the Lannisters' side with an absolutely badass quote. Tyrion finds the courage to lead the battle after Joffrey chickened out. He gives a brutally honest and a compelling speech to raise the morale of his men, and to those reluctant to fight, he says, “They say I’m half-man. But what does that make the lot of you?” Tyrion manages to lead a successful counter-attack and by the end, he becomes a small-time hero with the crowd chanting “half-man!” in admiration and respect.
But it’s sinister Cersei who steals the show with her drunken rants and wisdoms. She goes on to advise Sansa (Sophie Turner) on how to rule, about the apathy of gods, and where women’s most dangerous weapons are located. Headey is unhinged in her performance and though she’s utterly toxic, she is also extremely magnetic and impossible to take your eyes off of. The polar opposite to Cersei is Sansa, who makes efforts to calm the noble ladies down, even if it takes lying to do so. And this scene really establishesSansa’s natural instinct to rule. Towards the end of the war, Sansa is visited by Clegane, now disenchanted by the lies of kings and kingdoms, who offers to take her back to Winterfell. Though Sansa declines, it brings out Clegane’s softer side which gets amplified during his interactions with Arya.
Towards the end of the episode, Cersei is sitting on the Iron Throne with Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), narrating to him a story about a lion and his cub over the montage of Tywin coming to King’s Landings’ rescue. She is about to have Tommen drink the poison when the doors flung open for Tywin to enter and announce their victory. Cersei drops the poison veil and credits roll to the somber sounds of “Rains of Castamere.”
