By: Robert Murphy
Let the winning finally commence. I know that this is a death sentence to be saying out loud when playing a Game of Thrones adaptation but I cannot help but feel happy at the events of Sons of Winter when my characters finally received some room to boast after being step on so many times. Much like any episode from the actual show, this latest episode has transferred to a more action heavy affair where people are likely to have an arrow pierce their skulls and diplomacy takes a bit of a back seat. While this may be true I still felt the increasing need to remain tactful and always be on my guard, this is still a dangerous game the Forresters are playing and with two episodes still left it's best not to count my chickens before they hatch.
The episode wastes no time in letting you know the events of the last episode will begin to shape this one. Players first start off at the Wall with Gared who finds himself in shackles after getting some much needed revenge for the death of his family at the hands of the Whitehill soldier that now found himself at the Wall with him. Despite having an eye witness to the battle that took place though it appears that there is no way to escape from being punished for what occurred. A brother is dead and you have to pay the price for it. At this point I wasn't too shocked by this as I knew it had to be shoehorned into the story, some of decisions end up being just that in any Telltale game and players have to accept it even though it is a choose your own story game. Again, I wasn't mad at what the events led to because Gared finds himself heading north beyond the Wall to hopefully find the North Grove and help his family.
His family may not be needing as much help as I once thought though once I delved into Rodrik's story again. Rodrik has had nothing but bad luck since his addition into the storyline, he has had to bend the knee and be a good obedient man no matter what horrors the Whitehills brought down on his people. The addition of Lord Whitehill's son Griff last episode was particularly the worst of it all, he isn't Ramsay Bolton bad but he is a cruel and vile sort that I wanted to beat the snot out of since I first met him. Well, as it so happens I would get my wish. Help arrives from an ally I did not expect to see coming this episode and their aid finally adds some man power and skill to the Forrester cause. It feels unbelievably good to finally have some leverage to work with and too finally have a leg to stand on, no pun intended on Rodriks part. There is an ultimate confrontation with Lord Whitehill that did leave me a bit uneasy in my new found strength but I was able to hold my head up high until the ominous conclusion however.
Mira perhaps receives the least amount of screen time in her entire time with the series. She has desperately tried to maneuver herself into a position of power where she can make a difference for her family. Having watched the show I should have been more aware of what was going to happen when I aligned myself with certain people but that all is in the past and the future seems to look bright. At King Tommen's coronation party you must move quickly to try and make your deal for the Forrester's ironwood and secure funds to help your family back home. It may be a den of snakes where everyone is a spy or some sort of enemy but Mira finally appears to be learning how things work in King's Landing and her choices seem to be more apt to the situation she finds herself in. You move from person to person like a detective and get information that will make or break your efforts here and while it appears a bit tedious, it was rather enjoyable making my own plans and gaining information to use for myself for a change. The biggest event for Mira though may not even be for your family as questions about your friend Sara may lead you down more dangerous paths for your future.
Finally, we have the obvious heavy hitter in the action department with Asher as he stands before Daenery's Targaryen on the eve of her entrance into Mereen. Daenery's character has come a long way since the first season of the show and it shows here as she stands confidentially before Asher as he makes his claims about see her dragon. Something feels somewhat off however about the way Daenery's behaves on screen that does not inspire the same sort of vindication that I have seen before now. Most of the characters that have been incorporated into the game have been frankly spot on up until this point but here it seems the writers may have missed a step.
I too missed a few steps though with how I maneuvered myself before Daenerys as it seemed Asher could not use his usual rugged charm to his advantage this time and that along with his fighting skills are the only powerful tools in his bag. Luckily I was able to make use of the latter skill by offering myself and Beskha to go in with the invasion team to free the slaves and the city of Mereen. I had to continue my long streak of betraying Beskha in order to get to that point however, her character may be a great one but the bridge between her and Asher has been the easiest one for me to continually burn and yet have it remain intact. I did start to feel better once I learned about her mysterious past and when the option to explore it came about I was happy to help her out even if it causes trouble later on. The rest of the mission into Mereen plays like a stealth shooter where you make your way through the streets to an outpost filled with guards. You move through the outpost stealthily taking out your enemies up until the climactic action scene that had my heart pounding out of my chest. It's quite possibly the shows best action scene so far and I haven't had something so exhilarating happen like this since the first episode at the Red Wedding and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
Finally! Some justice has come for House Forrester and while again it may be a bad omen to be so cheerful before the day is through I cannot help but feel good about finally striking back in Sons of Winter because it so rarely happens in anything Game of Thrones related. The heavy action was mixed well with the political intrigue for the story and everyone appears to be playing their part for the Forrester's future. Not everything ran so smoothly such as the Night's Watch lack of forgiveness for Gared or Daenery's none to convincing performance but for the most part things moved along rather well for the story this time around. I will move cautiously into the next episode however as you can never be pleased for too long when it comes to playing this dangerous game.
Good:
- Rodrik finally getting some leverage
- The phenomenal action in Mereen
- Clearing my guilty conscience with Beskha
Bad:
- Daenerys and her odd performance
- The Nights Watch and their vindication of Gared
Scully Rating: 8.5 out of 10
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