Embedded Files
The sixth episode marks the beginning of the second half of the season, introducing the new cast for some of the main characters, now grown up, since there has been a 10 year time jump.
The episode is slower and more reflective than previous ones, but the cast and Sapochnik's brilliant direction manage to make it griping and exciting. It's a grat transitional episode since it reintroduces the characters we know, and tells us where they are, and what has become of them in the last 10 years, and starts to plant some seeds to some important conflicts coming down the line!
SHORT DISCLAIMER: The transcriptions are not always in the same key as the pieces I put as example, and sometimes they are simplified to make it clearer and more concise
The episode doesn't have a lot of music, and its mostly subdued and laid back, but even so, there are a couple of standout moments worth mentioning, the first of all being the development of Rhaenyra's theme. So far, we've had a couple of different ideas associated with Rhaenyra, the most memorable one the chant that plays when she returns to camp in episode 3, or during her night escapes in episode 4. This was a theme for her rebellious side, but she had a more setady melody, with a similar melodic structure, that was used for some moments relating to her and her duties, so both could be seen as a sort of counter-theme to each other, where with a similar basis, one represents her role as princess and heir, and the other one her desire to explore and discover the world.
Rhaenyra's Theme
The theme used for her role as a princess gets presented a couple of times during the episode. One of them is when Sir Harwin leaves at the end of the episode, but the moment that makes the most impact is at the beginning, when she is walking through the castle to the Queen's room. Here the theme is stated in cello, and it's both noble and a bit tragic. This scene also presents another theme which I think can finally be associated with Rhaenyra, after having been played in a couple of scenes in previous episodes.
The melody I'm referring to played in full during Rhaenyra's conversation with Rhaenys about the "order of things" in episode 2, and then was reprised in episode 3, when they arrive at the camp and Rhaenyra enters the tent. In this episode, plays while she walks through the castle with her newborn, and gets used in a lot of subsequent scenes, like when she leaves the Queen's room, after Sir Harwin beats Criston Cole, or right after Sir Harwin leaves. I think we can now confirm that this is a theme used to represent a different side of Rhaenyra, in this case, representing her when she feels lost and lonely, since in all the scenes used it relates to her feeling of not being understood by the people around her.
Daemon started with a sound motif associated with him, a menacing, rumbling drone, associated with his unpredictable and violent side. Then in episode 3, for his bad-ass surrender sequence, Djawadi introduced a full developed theme, associated with his sacrifice, which has been only briefly referenced after that. In that very same episode, Djawadi also presented a melody, which really made a greater impact in later episodes. It was menacing when he killed his wife in episode 5, noble and imponent when he entered the Red Keep, both in episodes 4 and 5, and in this episode, gets a heroic rendition, when Caraxes and Vaghar soar through the sky, Daemon and Laena sharing a beautiful moment together. It then underscores a couple of scenes with the two of them, in warm, emotional renditions, which show a more tender side to his character. It's interesting to note that some of this variations of Daemon's theme are played with the Velaryon's characteristic wooden instrumentation, showcasing their bond.
Sadly, this story will soon take a tragic turn, when Laena goes into labor. Djawadi plays a variation of what I called the Betrayal Theme on my analysis of episode 5, but more tragic and unstable. When Laena realizes what is about to happen, she decides to end her life herself, going out like a true dragon rider. The theme develops into a mournful lament, which strongly recalls the music that played over Aemma's funeral in episode 1, and Djawadi lets the music grow with sorrow becoming a powerful orchestral piece that offers a sad farewell to Laena Velaryon.
The theme is developed extensively (with some hints of Daemon's theme), and now it makes me think it could be a sort of overarching "difficult decision" theme, used for moments where characters have to face a life-changing decision, like Rhaenyra going out at night to meet Daemon or Alicent talking to Larys Strong at Godswood in episode 5.
And I want to stop here and analyze a couple of scenes with Larys Strong, since I think Djawadi did some truly wonderful job underscoring the ending sequence of the episode, with Strong's twist of the narrative. The scene where he visits the prisoners at jail, and orders their tongues to be cut off, is underscored with dark ambiences and unnerving string passages, with a building tension underneath that grows and grows, until it culminates in that crazy "accident" at Harrenhal.
Daemon's Theme
Betrayal Theme
When Lyonel and Harwin Strong arrive at Harrenhal, while being spyed by a group of hooded characters, Djawadi starts to introduce a rythmic figure, which starts to introduce the Larys Strong theme, an insidious string idea, which ondulates and sneaks around, never really establishing itself in a proper key, reflecting Larys cunning and unnerving personality.
After the fire, when he is talking to Alicent about what has happened, Djawadi allows the theme to be played in full on a cello, together with the nervous strings and the menacing sound ambiences that surround the theme, making it more oppresive and imposing.
This theme is really clever in its execution and construction, and closes the episode with a stroke of genius on Djawadi's side, who manages to reflects this character's complex personality in a couple of notes.
And this is it for the sixth episode. It was a really good episode to get the narrative going, placing every character where they need to be, paving the ground for the last 4 episodes, which I'm sure will deliver a lot of emotions, unexpected twists, and a great development of the characters we already love so much!
I hope you enjoyed this analysis, and definitely feel free to check out the ones I did for previous episodes. Be sure to stay tuned for the upcoming episodes, and feel free to share it with anyone you think might enjoy it. See you next time!
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