The Climb (Game of Thrones)

Last updated
"The Climb"
Game of Thrones episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 6
Directed by Alik Sakharov
Written by David Benioff
D. B. Weiss
Featured music Ramin Djawadi
Cinematography byDavid Katznelson
Editing byOral Norrie Ottey
Original air dateMay 5, 2013 (2013-05-05)
Running time53 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Kissed by Fire"
Next 
"The Bear and the Maiden Fair"
Game of Thrones season 3
List of episodes

"The Climb" is the sixth episode of the third season of the HBO medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 26th episode of the series overall, it was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Alik Sakharov. It first aired on HBO on May 5, 2013.

Contents

The episode's title comes from climbing of the wall by Jon Snow and Ygritte, and also the references from dialogue between Lord Petyr Baelish and Lord Varys.

The episode marks the final appearance of Esmé Bianco (Ros). It received positive reviews, with critics mainly praising the performances of Charles Dance and Diana Rigg.

Plot

In King's Landing

Meeting with Olenna, Tywin threatens to appoint Loras to the Kingsguard, thereby renouncing his right to inheritance and marriage and leaving House Tyrell without a male heir, and reluctantly she consents to Loras and Cersei's marriage.

Tyrion accuses Cersei of trying to have him killed during the Battle of the Blackwater, but deduces it was Joffrey who ordered his death and Cersei tells him he is not in danger now that Tywin is the Hand. In private, Tyrion informs Sansa of his father's plans for them, with Shae present.

Baelish tells Varys he has given Ros to a friend (revealed to be Joffrey) to kill for his pleasure. Sansa watches tearfully as Baelish departs by ship, losing her chance at leaving the capital.

In the Riverlands

Arriving at the Brotherhood's hideout, Melisandre is shocked to learn of Beric's six resurrections, and buys Gendry for her blood magic spell involving kings blood. Arya declares Melisandre is a witch but Melisandre says that there is a darkness inside Arya, seeing eyes she will “shut forever” and declares they will meet again.

At Riverrun, Robb and his advisors discuss an alliance with Lame Lothar Frey and Black Walder Rivers. Lord Walder Frey's demands include a formal apology from Robb, the Harrenhal, and for Edmure to marry one of his daughters.

At Harrenhal, Roose Bolton agrees to send Jaime to King's Landing if Jaime assures Tywin that Bolton had nothing to do with his maiming, and keeps Brienne under arrest for abetting treason.

In the North

Bran defuses tensions between Osha and Meera, and Jojen tells Bran his vision of Jon being on the other side of the wall and surrounded by enemies.

Torturing Theon, the boy threatens to sever his finger if he cannot guess the boy's identity and their location. After his finger is flayed for several wrong guesses, Theon guesses the boy is a Karstark and he is being tortured at Karhold for betraying Robb. The boy pretends Theon was correct before admitting his torture is solely for his amusement.

Beyond the Wall

En route to the Wall, Sam shows Gilly the dragonglass dagger he found and tells her about Castle Black.

Ygritte reveals she is aware Jon remains loyal to the Night's Watch, but tells him their loyalty to each other is greater. As Tormund's party climbs the wall, Ygritte inadvertently causes an avalanche that kills some wildlings and leaves her and Jon hanging by their rope. Before Orell cuts the rope, Jon secures himself to the Wall and reaches the top with Ygritte, where they embrace.

Production

The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. D. B. Weiss and David Benioff.jpg
The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.

"The Climb" is the sixth episode of the season written by showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and 18th overall. It is based upon George R. R. Martin's novel A Storm of Swords, namely, chapters 30, 35, 37, and 48 (Jon IV, Catelyn IV, Jaime V, and Samwell III). [1]

Gilly's baby, appearing in the fourth episode and in "The Climb"'s first scene, was played by ten months-old Arya Hasson – named after Arya Stark – from the Waterside in Derry. [2]

Reception

Ratings

"The Climb" set a new record for Game of Thrones in ratings, the fourth consecutive episode to establish a new series high. 5.5 million viewers watched the premiere airing, with 1.27 million additional viewers watching the second airing. The episode also set a new series high in viewers aged 18–49, with a rating of 2.9. [3] In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 0.926 million viewers on Sky Atlantic, being the channel's highest-rated broadcast that week. [4]

Critical reception

"The Climb" was met with positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 21 reviews of the episode and judged 90% of them to be positive with an average score of 7.9 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads "Tywin Lannister and Olenna Tyrell steal the show with their exquisite negotiation as 'The Climb' builds towards the Wildlings' death-defying scaling of The Wall." [5] Writing for IGN, Matt Fowler gave the episode an 8.8/10, writing "This week's Game of Thrones started off slow, but then built to a roaring crescendo." [6] Two reviews were published by The A.V. Club. David Sims gave the episode a "B" rating for people new to the series, [7] while Emily VanDerWerff rated the episode a "B+" for people who have read the novels. [8]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)Result
2013 Hollywood Post Alliance Awards Outstanding Sound – TelevisionPaula Fairfield, Brad Katona, Jed Dodge, Onnalee Blank and Mathew WatersWon
2014 Visual Effects Society Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast ProgramKirk Brillon, Steve Gordon, Geoff Sayer, Winston LeeWon
Outstanding Created Environment in a Broadcast ProgramPatrick Zentis, Mayur Patel, Nitin Singh, Tim AlexanderWon

Related Research Articles

<i>A Clash of Kings</i> 1998 novel by George R. R. Martin

A Clash of Kings is the second of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin, an epic fantasy series. It was first published in the United Kingdom on November 16, 1998; the first United States edition followed on February 2, 1999. Like its predecessor, A Game of Thrones, it won the Locus Award for Best Novel and was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel. In May 2005, Meisha Merlin released a limited edition of the novel, fully illustrated by John Howe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petyr Baelish</span> Fictional character

Petyr Baelish, nicknamed Littlefinger, is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones. Introduced in 1996's A Game of Thrones, Littlefinger is the master of coin on King Robert's small council. He is a childhood friend of Catelyn Stark, having grown up with her and her two siblings at Riverrun. He subsequently appeared in Martin's books A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), and A Feast for Crows (2005). He is set to appear in the forthcoming novel The Winds of Winter. Littlefinger's primary character attributes are his cunning and boundless ambition. Originally hailing from a minor family with little wealth or influence, Baelish used manipulation, bribery, and the connections he secured at Riverrun to gain power and prestige in King's Landing. His intrigues cause several major events that impact Westeros, including the framing of Tyrion Lannister for the attempt on Bran Stark's life, the downfall of Lord Eddard Stark, the deaths of Lord Jon Arryn and King Joffrey Baratheon, and the War of the Five Kings. He is one of the main antagonists in the series.

"The North Remembers" is the second season premiere episode of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones. First aired on April 1, 2012, it was written by the show creators and executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by returning director Alan Taylor.

"The Ghost of Harrenhal" is the fifth episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. It was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by David Petrarca, his second episode this season. It premiered on April 29, 2012.

"The Old Gods and the New" is the sixth episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 16th episode of the series overall, "The Old Gods and the New" was written by Vanessa Taylor and directed by David Nutter, his directorial debut for the series.

"A Man Without Honor" is the seventh episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 17th episode overall, "A Man Without Honor" was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by David Nutter. It first aired on HBO on May 13, 2012.

"The Prince of Winterfell" is the eighth episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 18th overall. The episode was directed by Alan Taylor and written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It first aired on May 20, 2012.

"Valar Morghulis" is the tenth and final episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 20th overall. The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by Alan Taylor. It first aired on June 3, 2012.

"Valar Dohaeris" is the third season premiere episode of the HBO fantasy television series Game of Thrones. Written by executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Daniel Minahan, it aired on March 31, 2013.

"Dark Wings, Dark Words" is the second episode of the third season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 22nd episode of the series overall, it was directed by Daniel Minahan and written by Vanessa Taylor. It first aired on HBO on April 7, 2013.

"Walk of Punishment" is the third episode of the third season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 23rd overall. The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Benioff. It first aired on HBO on April 14, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">And Now His Watch Is Ended</span> 4th episode of the 3rd season of Game of Thrones

"And Now His Watch Is Ended" is the fourth episode of the third season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 24th episode of the series. It was written by showrunners and executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and directed by Alex Graves, his directorial debut for the series. The episode's title comes from a chant made by the Night's Watch at the funeral of a fallen brother while at Craster's Keep.

"The Bear and the Maiden Fair" is the seventh episode of the third season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 27th episode of the series overall. The episode was written by George R. R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels on which the series is based, and was directed by Michelle MacLaren, her directorial debut for the series.

"Kissed by Fire" is the fifth episode of the third season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 25th episode of the whole series. Directed by Alex Graves and written by Bryan Cogman, it aired on April 28, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mhysa</span> 10th episode of the 3rd season of Game of Thrones

"Mhysa" is the third season finale of the American medieval epic fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and its 30th episode overall. Written by executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by David Nutter, it originally aired on June 9, 2013 on HBO in the United States.

"Mockingbird" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 37th episode of the series overall, "Mockingbird" was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Alik Sakharov. It first aired on HBO on May 18, 2014.

"High Sparrow" is the third episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones. The 43rd episode of the series overall, "High Sparrow" was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Mark Mylod, his directorial debut for the series. It first aired on HBO on April 26, 2015.

References

  1. Garcia, Elio; Antonsson, Linda (May 9, 2013). "EP306: The Climb". Westeros.org. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  2. "Game of Thrones role for baby Arya". Derry Journal . 7 May 2013. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  3. Kondolojy, Amanda (May 7, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Wins Night + 'Ax Men', 'Mad Men', 'Army Wives', 'The Client List' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  4. "Top 10 Ratings (6 - 12 May 2013)". BARB . Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  5. "The Climb". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  6. Fowler, Matt (May 5, 2013). "Game of Thrones: "The Climb" Review". IGN . Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  7. Sims, David (May 5, 2013). ""The Climb" (for newbies)". The A.V. Club . Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  8. VanDerWerff, Emily (May 5, 2013). ""The Climb" (for experts)". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.