The penultimate episode reminds us of just how brutal Westeros can be…
SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT PLAYED PREVIOUS EPISODES OR ARE CAUGHT UP ON THE HBO SHOW. THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE.
The last episode left us wondering just where they might go with this, to have Ramsay Bolton return to House Forrester after killing poor Ethan. As fans will know, Ramsay is a monster…capable of murder, mutilation, torture and rape. Rodrik arrives to his dining hall to find Ramsay at the table with young Talia, you can only imagine that he’d do any of those dreadful things to her…then he tells them to follow him and we see the cost of disobeying the Boltons.
Then just as soon as he appears, he goes. Saying that he’ll let the last house standing survive. So it’s Forrester versus Whitehill for survival. Bad news is that the only leverage we had has been let out of his cage by the revealed traitor, I’m not sure if your choices decide who it becomes or if it was always going to be this particular character, but I did see it coming…I actually never trusted the man anyway, even as far back as Episode 1.
In King’s Landing, Mira is approached by Cersei after her confrontation with Lord Andros at Tommen’s coronation and tasked with questioning Tyrion on who he will bring forward as his witness to the trial against him for the murder of King Joffrey. I’ve always loved the banter between Mira and Tyrion, it will probably be the last time we see him in the game, unless he makes it to Meereen very soon after, but anyway he sees through the ruse immediately…even plied with wine, I don’t think it was possible to deceive him and I’d rather not anyway, who can’t help but love the imp?
Asher returns to Dany after his successful mission in order to get the Second Sons, unfortunately she backs out of the deal and gives you gold instead. With the fighting pits closed, Asher heads there to recruit the fighters for the Forresters and is challenged in the arena to show he can be trusted. After either killing or sparing the fighter, those who choose to come head to the dock and they set sail for Westeros.
We finally catch our first glimpse at White Walkers as Gared heads further north to find the North Grove. It doesn’t seem that he’ll get help getting there, but after being ambushed by the blue-eyed undead they have no choice but to head there. One thing about this episode is that we are never in one area for too long, it goes back and forth incredibly quickly and before you know it, the credits start rolling and you’re left reeling for the finale.
Speaking of which, you are tasked with making the toughest choice yet at the end of the episode. It’s hard to weigh up such different things so quickly and it was damn mean of Telltale to do, but they prove they can just be as brutal as GRRM himself with this choice. After which, the scene plays out and the credit roll….no “preview” of the next episode to be seen either, so we have no idea what to expect for the season finale.
The Verdict
A Nest of Vipers is short, but damn it is brutal. I would have thought the Red Viper would have showed up, given the name of the episode…but maybe we’ll see him in the finale, who knows? All I know is that House Forrester is in serious trouble here and I’m struggling to see a way out for them and with the sting in the tail at the end, it seems even bleaker for them. I’m not sure how they are going to tie things up with just one episode left, but it will definitely be one worth waiting for.