Warning-TV Spoilers Ahead!
Dougal was back with his two men Rupert and Angus, I have missed these two funny, crude Scots. This episode was mostly training these farmers, labours and craftsman's into soldiers, with Dougal not agreeing with Jamie's strategy. Yet I didn't find it at all boring as the creators, writers and producers made it much more than that. Bear McCreary's arrangement and use of music was spot on and the montages of the men training with the beautiful Celtic singing made me patriotic of my own Irish heritage!
What I thought really added to the episode and story was showing Claire deal with her PTSD from World War Two. It showed us some of the Claire we haven't seen before the Claire before the time jump. We know Claire was a nurse during World War Two but nothing much else other than that, showing us that she was traumatised by what she witnessed and had to doing during the war, showed us that she more than anyone else there knows the horrors of war.
Jamie wants her to be safe and knowing what she is going through wants her to go back to Lallybrock, but Claire being the strong bad ass woman she is tells him no. She can't just go back waiting to hear news, not being able to do anything, feeling like being a dragonfly in amber.
This episode was also the making of Jamie, it showed us how much he has come since the first season. He is not the young men with scars on his back being used for his Uncle's cause, he is a man using his Uncle for his own cause! He is a leader now and thinks as a leader knowing his men are not ready, unlike Dougal who wants to rush in all guns blazing to get on Prince Charles good side.
The strong relationship of Claire and Jamie came across so well in this episode. Claire having Jamie's back when Dougal doubted him telling Dougal "My husband and I share everything" and Jamie knowing straight away there was something wrong with Claire as she was trying to hide her PTSD. It's wonderful to watch these two so strong together as they both seemed a little lost in there relationship in France.
Claire's quick thinking saved Jamie and the camp from the hands of the redcoats as a young English boy finds there camp. The boy will not give up any information until Claire pretends she is a captive and will let Jamie have his way with her if he lets the boy live. The boy spills about how many red coats there are and Jamie lets him go. He tells Jamie his name is William Grey and that he regards Jamie letting him go as a debt of honour. This episode reminded me of the first series how I felt when I watched it transported and that is when you know you have watched a good piece of storytelling.
Eva Green and Rory Kinnear are amazing in this show but in this episode Eva was yet again brilliant.
Lily and Dorian recruit more women for there cause but its increasing looking more like Lily's cause as Dorian is starting to feel outnumbered. Justine is starting to hate Dorian as she tries to take his place in Lily's affections. She is starting to overstep her place where he is concerned and her blood lust is worrying him. When Frankenstein tries to kidnap Lily which goes terribly it shows us how outnumbered and isolated Dorian really is, and by the look on his face afterwards he now knows it.
The Jekyll and Frankenstein storyline is dragging on a little too long now, and needs to pick up the pace to match the rest of the storylines. John Clare manages to have a moment with his sick son before the child opens his eyes, and sees a pale, scared version of his Father before him and screams blue murder!
In the Wild West there is just about to be a show down! Ethan is becoming more and more bewitched by Hecate and her dark powers. Just as he is about to tell her to bring forth the dark powers of the night there is a shoot out, with Hecate shot and killed. Sir Malcolm and Kaeteny, Ethan's two father like figures who love him more than his own father, saving him from death.
In London Vanessa finds herself more and more alone and isolated, her final friend Lyle is being moved to Cairo, wouldn't it be great if this was a set up for a plot for next season! He gives her another name who might help her while he is gone, I was glad to see another strong woman Catriona Hartdegen who looks like she might be another ally for Vanessa. She is going to need it! As her friends are scattered around the globe she goes to the only friend she think she has Dr Sweet. He tells her he will be there for her and he doesn't think her mad, its the words she needs to hear and she gives into the seduction Dracula has been planing for a long time. The scene itself was done beautifully, the music and the over head shot of Vanessa's dress draped over them both like the wings of a bat is everything we have come to love about Penny Dreadful
The hound was rampaging through the woods seeking revenge for his friends when he bumps into Beric (remember him from the third season) and his Brotherhood Without Banners they ask the hound to join them in going North. The hound isn't too sure, these scenes where very well done and as usual the hound got all the best lines of the episode!
It was great to see Pod actually get some lines in this episode. The scenes with Bronn and Pod have been whats missing from this season. The reunion of Jamie and Brienne was a good one. I feel like there is love and admiration there, Jamie sees Brienne for what he could of been a loyal and fearless Knight, instead of Cersei's pawn. While I loved the scenes with Jamie and Brienne, and also the scene with Jamie and Edmure (Tobais Menzies really stood out, again showing what good an actor he is) I feel Jamie's story arc is terrible. He seems to be right back where he started even reusing the line "the things we do for love" from the pilot episode and for me it felt sloppy. Jamie did take Brienne's advice and got the castle back without blood, while besides the death of Blackfish, but he choose death over running.
For me the highlights of these episode was in Kings Landing where Cersei choose violent over going peacefully to the High Sparrow. Her Mountain quickly took the head off one of the Faith Milant, but we knew the High Sparrow is clever and there would be repercussions. Tommen the puppet king announced the date of Cersi's trial and then dropped the bomb shell that trial by combat is no longer allowed. Giving the High Sparrow the upper hand as Cersei can no longer relay on her Mountain to save her.
The Meereen storyline drags on, Varys leaves Tyrion as he sails to Westeros to meet someone. Tyrion is in a great mood as he thinks his plan to work with the masters has worked. We soon find out otherwise as hundreds of ships start to fire apon the city. Just in time Daenerys arrives with her dragon! IMO Tyrion is another character this season who seems a little lost and not sure what to do with himself. Hopefully by the end of the season Daenerys and her crew will have left Meereen and there storylines will pick up.
Back to Ayra and after a good kip she is ready to run and jump for her life with the Waif hot on her heels. There was times watching it I was a little frightened for Ayra, but then I got the feeling she was leading the Waif justs where she wanted her. So after almost two seasons of training she rejects The Many Faced God and kills the Waif. She confronts Jaquen and tells him she is not no one she is Ayra Stark and she is going home, with a sly grin Jaquen makes us think that was his plan all along!
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This was aired on BBC earlier this year, but with so many different TV shows on at that time we never got around to watching it. I knew there was hype around it so I set it to SKY Plus and forgot about it. It has been on our TV planner ever since so with alot of our shows finishing up for the Summer we finally had time to watch it.
It is amazing, the casting spot on, the scripts, acting and locations are fanatics. I now understand the hype around Tom Hiddleston as Bond!
We have two episodes left but so far this has been Delicious to watch and I am not just talking about Tom Hiddleston in swimming shorts! The plot is basely good versus evil, with Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine a hotel night manager who gets embroiled with arms dealer Richard Roper played brilliantly by Hugh Laurie.
Throw in a list of fabulous actors Oliva Coleman, Tom Hollander, Douglas Hyde, and of course the big name in TV shows this year Tobais Menzies! The story telling is great and easy to follow, its filmed like a slick Hollywood movie which of course adds to the comparison to Bond. It was definitely a winner in our house as the hour long show went so quickly that we binged watched the first three episodes! It can be re-watched on BBC iPlayer and shown in the States on AMC
