norplant spat: 'Game Of Thrones' Establishes Kid-Killing Trend

Yet another child lost his life on the latest episode of the HBO fantasy series.
By Josh Wigler

Maisie Williams in "Game of Thrones"
Photo: HBO

If three's a trend, then infanticide is definitely trending in Westeros.

The latest episode of "Game of Thrones" marks three hours in a row that have concluded with the death of a child. But poor Lommy Greenhands wasn't the only one to die this week, either, as another member of the Night's Watch fell to the sword — and he wasn't even with his fellow sworn brothers north of the Wall!

Get more on Lommy and Yoren's deaths in the latest episode of "Watching the Thrones," viewable below. And keep on reading for all the good, bad and ugly from this week's episode!

The Good
»Brienne of Tarth has arrived! Season two has already introduced many new key players to the Seven Kingdoms, but Brienne is easily one of the biggest of the newbies, both literally and figuratively. Gwendoline Christie brings the character to life perfectly as one of "King" Renly's most loyal servants. Her introduction via combat against Ser Loras is one of the highlights of "A Clash of Kings," and it was adapted fantastically for the small screen. Great work all around.

»Speaking of great work, one of my favorite Tyrion chapters in the entire series (wherein he tests Pycelle, Littlefinger and Varys' loyalties through their ability to keep a secret) premiered in this week's episode, and it was fantastic. That one-two-three fast one hinges entirely on Tyrion's thought process in the books, and even without his direct point of view, his mastery over the game of thrones shines through phenomenally in the show's rendition of the sequence thanks to Peter Dinklage and editing wizardry. Again, incredible job.

»My love for Theon Greyjoy knows no bounds. That's probably a hard concept to wrap your head around as you see the Stark turncoat's actions play out throughout the season, but his arc is perhaps my very favorite in George R.R. Martin's epic tale. Alfie Allen and the show's writers are doing a remarkable job with Theon and Pyke, and his torment over choosing a side — either the Starks or his biological family — comes through tremendously. Keep your eye on this one... it gets a whole lot darker before you'll see any light.

The Bad
»Would you look at that: not a single bad scene in the entire episode! I suppose it would have been nice to see Dany again, or gotten more progression with Dragonstone, but those are minor nitpicks that will be corrected next week. Of course, even if there was no bad, there was plenty of ugly. And on that note...

The Ugly
»Tyrion is one of few characters on the show you're pretty much always rooting for, but even he hit a low this week in how he handled arresting Pycelle. The maester deserved his punishment, but lopping off the poor old man's beard? That's just cruel!

»And yes, naturally, there was another child death. That's "Game of Thrones" for you. If the slaughter of the bastards and the sacrifice of Craster's son didn't do it for you, Lommy's death certainly should have sold you on the dangers of Westeros. Sad to see him go, but let's be honest — better him than Arya or Gendry!

»Finally, let's pour one out for Yoren. I hated losing him in the books, and it was even worse to see him go on the show. But if you have to go, go down swinging like Yoren, I suppose. If nothing else, his death gives Arya another reason to hate the Lannisters. That way lies many, many badass things.

Tell us what you think of this week's episode in the comments or or hit me up on Twitter @roundhoward!