*** Editor’s Note *** This is a 6-part recap of Telltale’s Game of Thrones series. It will be followed by an entire series review. Link to Episode 2 coverage!
Making decisions is difficult, but it’s even more difficult to change your mind afterwards. Once they’ve been set in their ways most people are resistant to change. The characters in Telltale’s Game of Thrones series are no different; the choices they make are just more treacherous.
Asher’s choice is the simplest and, at least for now, has the lowest stakes. As they continue journeying through the desert in search of an army of mercenaries, tensions rise between Asher’s uncle Malcolm and his longtime friend and compatriot Beska. A lot of the conflict feels arbitrary and Beska in particular just seems to be looking for an excuse to start a fight. Ultimately Asher’s storyline in this episode does little more than reinforce the overall theme present in the other characters’ narratives: you can’t stay friends with everyone (oh, and dragons).
At the other end of the temperature spectrum from the deserts of Essos, Gared and the other new recruits prepare to take their oaths as members of the Night’s Watch. As they tromp hatless through the frozen wastes north of the wall it becomes clear that sometime very soon Gared will have to choose, not only between his friend Cotter and his frenemy Finn, but between upholding the oath he’s about to take and honoring the promise he made to his uncle. Duncan makes a surprise visit to the wall, ostensibly to deliver a shipment of ironwood (who knew it was so useful?!), but in reality to set in motion his mysterious plan to find “The North Grove.” Gared is ready to help in any way he can, until Duncan explains that he’ll have to abandon his post and betray his oath to the Night’s Watch.
Given that Gared’s placement into the Night’s Watch was not exactly voluntary or without at least some amount of borderline diabolical scheming on the part of his uncle Duncan, our humble protagonist has sufficient reason to feel no particular attachment to the Watch. At the same time, however, since the beginning of Gared’s storyline he has been in search of a calling, of something solid to hold on to, something to give his life purpose and meaning. At the beginning of Iron from Ice it was his service to Lord Forrester, and the promise of promotion, that drove him, but since then it’s all crumbled away. His lord, his family, and his old life are all gone. Now all he has is the Night’s Watch, and his newfound brothers. He may not want to give it all up so easily, even if his uncle wants him to. An oath is an oath.
From our perspective as fans of the series, and of having seen the television show (and maybe having read the books) there’s another layer complicating the decisions we make by proxy for Gared. We know quite well that a certain other new recruit, obsessed with honor and family and reluctant to give up his past, betrayed his oath to the Watch and he ended up in charge of the whole thing! So when Duncan tells us that we’ll have to break some rules we, from the privileged position of knowing that we/Gared are a main character and that main characters can break rules and get away with it, aren’t too concerned. Gared as person-in-the-world doesn’t know that he’s special and gets to do things others can’t, but we do. Whatever happens, Telltale has already written it. Unlike Jon Snow, Gared can make decisions (with our help) based on that information.
Gared’s hand is forced by the arrival of Britt, the bowl-cut soldier who murdered his family back in episode one. No matter how detached and honorable Gared tries to be, Britt picks a fight and loses. Whether he wants to or not Gared is likely to be forced once again down a path not of his own making. Caught between the poles of family and duty, he can’t stay true to everyone. Someone, like Britt, is going to be cast aside.
Things aren’t going much better back at Ironrath. The Whitehill goons, now reinvigorated by the leadership of Gryff Whitehill, have pushed their way even further into Ironrath’s daily proceedings, even going so far as to “occupy” the keep. Rodrik is presented with a difficult choice: stand tall and resist or put on the appearance of submission. While the more prudent move is probably to let the Whitehills feel like they’ve won so as to lull them into a false sense of security, Rodrik can’t very well go and tell everyone that’s what he’s doing or it wouldn’t work. So despite the fact that he would know he’s doing the right thing, everyone else — the soldiers, common folk, and even Talia — might think he’s given up and they might lose hope.
Talia says as much, but by the end of the episode she realizes it’s the only plan that will work and pledges herself to the cause. She says that she “asked Ethan not to change,” but now she is ready to change. She says, in fact, that she’ll do “anything” for her house, an ominous portent of things to come. As always in Game of Thrones the characters struggle with maintaining their core values and beliefs in the face of numerous opportunities to sacrifice some seemingly small piece of their honor or “soul” or purity for a seemingly worthwhile cause. It may even be a worthwhile cause, and it may be the only way to save House Forrester. But there will be casualties, and there will be loss. Change is necessary, but it’s not always good.
In King’s Landing a change, which everyone should have seen coming from miles away (assuming you’ve seen the television series), has unintended repercussions for Mira. Throughout the past two episodes the wedding between Margaery and Joffrey has been looming, and as dutiful fans of the series we know quite well that Joffrey will not end the day with a pulse. What we (or maybe just I) may have forgotten is that the occasion also does not end well for Tyrion and, by extension, those who have associated themselves with him. Even though she, through us, knows the future Mira has unwittingly allied herself with the soon-to-be most wanted man in Westeros.
Mira’s stubbornness to abandon her ties with Tyrion has left her with only Tom the coal boy as an ally, a character that still doesn’t really make sense. He’s quite adept at crawling around windowsills though, and he helps Mira retrieve the evidence that ties her to Tyrion. Then, as the episode draws to a close, she’s presented with a final choice: burn the letter or keep it? It’s a strange decision point after such an arduous struggle to swipe the letter from under the noses of a pair of King’s Guard (including a fittingly tense moment fumbling with Tyrion’s keyring). It suggests that Tyrion’s influence may be strong enough to support Mira despite his recent fall from grace, but it’s doubtful that Mira would really have a reason to keep the letter. Nevertheless, it’s an appealing choice if only to see where the story goes from here.
Throughout the episode characters must reconcile their entrenched positions with the challenges they face. In many cases they have very good reasons for their opinions. The Whitehills are evil, Britt killed Gared’s family, Mira needs to help her family, and Asher has been through a lot with Beska (one assumes). They’d rather not be forced to choose between their familial loyalty and their short-term goals. But as battle lines are drawn the space for flexibility diminishes. None of them can be on both sides anymore
My choices:
- Asher saved Malcolm
- Mira defied Margaery and spoke to Tyrion
- Gared walked away from Britt
- Rodrik submitted to Gryff Whitehill
- Mira kept the Ironwood Decree
Tune in over the next week or so for yet another recap as we play through Ep. 4.