Game Of Thrones Season 5, episode 5 Review: Calm before the storm?

As we finally hit the mid-season mark, Game of Thrones continues to position its characters, slowly winding them tight until they are ready to spring at exactly the right moment in the coming episodes. 'Kill the boy' has some revelatory moments, without any actual killing of boys. Surely, a milestone for the show!

Let's begin with Meereen, where we learn that Ser Barristan did not survive the alley fight with the 'Sons of Harpy' from the last episode. Grey Worm, however, lives and finally puts an end to the will-they-won't-they situation between him and Missandei. 

Daenerys is now running short of people on her council and good counsel. As she looks to device a solution to take care of the 'Sons of Harpy', Daario puts forward the suggestion of letting the Unsullied systematically weed out the masters from Meereen. A wrathful Daenerys has other ideas. She decides to feed the masters to her dragons, one at a time. 

Heeding Missandei's advice pushes Daenerys to look for a more stable solution, something outside of what her council would offer. Daenerys agrees to open the fighting pits, but only to free men. Seems wise. Then, she proposes marriage to her captive, Hizdahr zo Loraq. Wait, what?

Loraq is from one of the old families of Meereen and Daenerys means to solidify her place in the city through this alliance. But this move seems almost rash on Daenerys' part.  After over three seasons of seeing Daenerys play the solo crusader, it's hard to imagine how this marriage will work.

At Castle Black, another alliance is being forged. As expected Jon Snow's soft corner for the wildlings comes to the fore as he enlists Tormund Giantsbane to help convince the 'Free Folk' to ally with the Night's Watch. The decision leads to a lot of disgruntlement among the men of the Night's Watch, who are still seething over the men they lost to the wildings in the Battle of Castle Black from season 4. 

Tense discussions ensue among the men, nerdy Stannis quietly corrects a misused 'less' to fewer. Nice touch. This season we've been seeing a more interesting, humane side of Stannis, beyond his righteous demeanour and religious zeal. There is a wonderful scene where Stannis meets Sam Tarly. Sam's father was the only man to whom the late king Robert Baratheon lost a battle. Blunt as he is, Stannis sees Sam is no soldier but also realises that he is the only person to have killed a White Walker. Stannis understands the importance of Sam's research and reading, becoming the only person with an eye on the Iron Throne to take the war brewing beyond The Wall seriously and acknowledge the threat of White Walkers to the realm. It is funny how the most hardened character on the show places faith in the unlikeliest of people, whether it is the former smuggler, Ser Davos; the priestess of the Lord of Light, Melisandre; or dear old Sam Tarly.

Melisandre is of course present at Stannis' side this episode but all we get from her are the meaningful looks she throws Jon Snow and Ser Davos. Not sure what to decipher from the look, but it's safe to say there is always something up those red sleeves.

At Winterfell, Sansa is finding her feet at her home that is now filled with strangers, as she reminds the Boltons. The Bolton family dynamics has enough intrigue and drama to deserve it's own spin-off, albeit a terrifying one. Jealous of Ramsay's betrothal to Sansa, his lover Myranda leads Sansa to Theon (Reek). The heart stopping scene where Ramsay comes to know that Reek met Sansa, shows how well Iwan Rhon plays Ramsay. All he does is ask for Reek's hand to cover it in his, and he manages to make the simple gesture as terrifying as skinning a person alive.

(Image Credit - HBO India)

Of course, Ramsay has a weird way of wooing his betrothed. He torments her with Reeks's presence, makes Reek apologise for killing her brothers, before announcing that he will give her away at the wedding. Roose, however, is quick to cut his son down to size with the announcement of his wife's pregnancy and a new heir. The maesters say it'll be a boy. No better put down in Game of Thrones than having your status as the heir threatened. As Roose continues to guage his son's competence, we hear of the gruesome circumstances under which Ramsay was born. Roose raped Ramsay's mother under the tree where he hung her husband.

Meanwhile, despite Sansa's rejection, Brienne's quest to protect Catelyn Stark's daughter gets a new lease of life. Brienne manages to get an anonymous message across to Sansa, asking her to light a candle at the window of the 'Broken Tower' in case of any trouble.

Tyrion continues to be a captive of Jorah Mormont. (Where is Varys?) Mormont has taken a detour, on the way to Meereen. Here, we get our first look at the breathtaking ruins of ancient Valyria, a city which at the height of its glory was the best at everything in the world. Sceptical Tyrion gets his first look of Drogon. His awe is short-lived as the Stone Men start dropping from the sky, lest we forget that the ruins of Valyria is also where those afflicted with greyscale are sent. Though they escape the clutches of the Stone Men, Jorah doesn't come away unscathed. 

(Image Credit - HBO India)

There was no news from King's Landing, Dorne or Braavos in this episode, and while there was several interesting developments, the episode still remained underwhelming.

The show has habituated its audience to bloodshed, intrigue and high drama and cast interviews have hinted at a scene that will possibly surpass the Red Wedding. Is this the calm before the storm?

Game of Thrones Season 5 airs on HBO Defined every Monday at 6:30 am IST with a repeat telecast on the same day at 10 pm.