"Valar Dohaeris" is the third season premiere episode of the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
television series ''
Game of Thrones
''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
''. Written by executive producers
David Benioff
David Friedman (; born September 25, 1970), known professionally as David Benioff (), is an American writer, director and producer. Along with his collaborator D. B. Weiss, he is best known as co-creator and showrunner of '' Game of Thrones'' (2 ...
and
D. B. Weiss
Daniel Brett Weiss (; born April 23, 1971) is an American television writer, director, and producer. Along with his collaborator David Benioff, he is best-known as co-creator of ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), the HBO adaptation of George R. ...
, and directed by
Daniel Minahan
Daniel Minahan (born 1962) is an American television and film director and writer.
Minahan has directed several episodes of the HBO original series '' Six Feet Under'', '' Deadwood'', ''True Blood'', '' The Newsroom'' and '' Game of Thrones ...
, it aired on March 31, 2013.
The premiere continued where the second season left off, with the Lannisters consolidating their power at King's Landing in the aftermath of the Battle of the Blackwater. Meanwhile, Jon Snow meets the "King beyond the Wall," and Daenerys leaves Qarth for Slaver's Bay.
The episode's title translates to "all men must serve" in the High Valyrian language in
George R. R. Martin
George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...
's ''
A Song of Ice and Fire
''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. He began the first volume of the series, ''A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and it was published in 1996. Martin, who init ...
'' novels, which the series adapts. The title mirrors that of season 2's finale, "
Valar Morghulis
"Valar Morghulis" is the tenth and final episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series '' Game of Thrones''. The 20th episode of the series overall, the episode was directed by Alan Taylor, his sixth directing credit ...
" – "all men must die” with this episode title meaning “all men must serve.”
The episode received mostly positive reviews, set a new ratings record for the series, and was one of the most torrented episodes for an HBO series.
Plot
Beyond the Wall
The White Walkers’ attack leaves few Night's Watch survivors. Samwell Tarly is saved by the direwolf Ghost and Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, who reprimands Sam for failing to warn of the approaching army and orders the survivors back to the Wall.
At the wildling camp, Jon Snow mistakes Tormund Giantsbane for the King-beyond-the-Wall, but Mance Rayder reveals himself and questions Jon's motives for deserting the Night's Watch. Jon earns Mance's approval, declaring that he wants "to fight for the side that fights for the living".
In King's Landing
Newly knighted Ser Bronn returns to the service of Tyrion Lannister, whose father Tywin, new Hand of the King, agrees to recognize Tyrion's accomplishments during the Battle of Blackwater but refuses to name him heir to Casterly Rock and viciously insults him.
Petyr Baelish offers to smuggle Sansa Stark out of King's Landing. Ros tells Shae to look out for Sansa, especially when dealing with Baelish.
King Joffrey Baratheon and his betrothed Lady Margaery Tyrell travel through Flea Bottom, when Margaery exits her
litter
Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. Litter can also be used as a verb; to litter means to drop and leave objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups, ...
to visit an orphanage as Joffrey hides. At dinner, Joffrey trades insults with his mother, in contrast to the harmonious Tyrells.
In Blackwater Bay
Stranded
Davos Seaworth
Davos Seaworth, also known as the Onion Knight or Davos Shorthand, is a fictional character from the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American writer George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones' ...
is rescued by the pirate Salladhor Saan, and recounts seeing his son Matthos die. Salladhor reveals he is leaving the service of Stannis, who is in seclusion at Dragonstone and will only speak with Melisandre, who is burning people alive because they are “servants of darkness.” Davos, intending to kill Melisandre, persuades Salladhor to bring him to Stannis.
At Dragonstone
Discovering Stannis is indifferent to his survival and that Melisandre believes him responsible for Stannis’ defeat, Davos tries to attack Melisandre but is thrown in the dungeons.
At Harrenhal
Robb Stark and his forces discover Gregor Clegane has abandoned Harrenhal and slaughtered the prisoners. Lord Roose Bolton sympathizes with Lord Rickard Karstark's frustration that Catelyn Stark let Jaime Lannister go, assuring Karstark that his best hunter is after Jaime. Robb finds a survivor, Qyburn.
In Astapor
Reaching Astapor in Slaver's Bay with her fast-growing dragons, Daenerys Targaryen considers buying an army of the "Unsullied", renowned eunuch soldiers. A warlock masked as a young girl attempts to assassinate Daenerys with a scorpion-like creature, but is thwarted by Ser Barristan Selmy, Kingsguard to Daenerys' father, who swears his allegiance to her.
Production
Writing
The episode was written by
showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
s
David Benioff
David Friedman (; born September 25, 1970), known professionally as David Benioff (), is an American writer, director and producer. Along with his collaborator D. B. Weiss, he is best known as co-creator and showrunner of '' Game of Thrones'' (2 ...
and
D. B. Weiss
Daniel Brett Weiss (; born April 23, 1971) is an American television writer, director, and producer. Along with his collaborator David Benioff, he is best-known as co-creator of ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), the HBO adaptation of George R. ...
. It was based mainly on the first chapters of ''
A Storm of Swords
''A Storm of Swords'' is the third of seven planned novels in ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 8, 2000, in the United Kingdom, with a United States edition fol ...
'', the third novel in
George R. R. Martin
George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...
's ''
A Song of Ice and Fire
''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. He began the first volume of the series, ''A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and it was published in 1996. Martin, who init ...
'' series. Specifically, it adapts material from chapters Samwell I, Jon I, Davos I, Davos II, Tyrion I, Daenerys I, Davos III, and Daenerys II from ''A Storm of Swords'' and chapter Daenerys V of ''A Clash of Kings''.
Some of the twists that open the third book were used in the previous season's finale (mainly Robb's marriage and the White Walkers attacking the Night's Watch). Conversely, Barristan Selmy saving Daenerys from the manticore was borrowed from her last chapter in the second book ''
A Clash of Kings
''A Clash of Kings'' is the second of seven planned novels in ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on November 16, 1998 in the United Kingdom; the first United States e ...
''.
Casting
"Valar Dohaeris" introduces the Irish actor
Ciarán Hinds
Ciarán Hinds (; born 9 February 1953) is an Irish actor. Born in Belfast, Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including '' The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover'' (1989), ''Persuasion'' (19 ...
as the Wildling leader and Night's Watch deserter Mance Rayder, one of the latest Season 3 roles to be cast. The producers explained that casting Mance was a great challenge because he was someone who had become "King beyond the Wall" not by birthright but by convincing all the tribes to unite under his leadership. They had to find an actor with the charisma required to portray this. Unusual for a production such as ''Game of Thrones'', the first scene Hinds filmed was the first one where his character appears: the meeting with Jon Snow at his tent.
The season premiere also marks the first appearance of guest stars
Kristofer Hivju
Kristofer Hivju (; born 7 December 1978) is a Norwegian actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Tormund Giantsbane in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' and Connor Rhodes in ''The Fate of the Furious''.
Early life
Hivju was b ...
as the Wildling Tormund Giantsbane,
Nathalie Emmanuel
Nathalie Joanne Emmanuel (born 2 March 1989) is an English actress. Emmanuel began her acting career appearing in theatre in the late 1990s, acquiring roles in various West End productions such as the musical ''The Lion King''. In 2006, she be ...
as the slave Missandei, and
Anton Lesser
Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is an English actor. He is well known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series '' Game of Thrones'', as Thomas More in ''Wolf Hall'', as Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in ''The Crown'', as Prime Ministe ...
as the wounded prisoner Qyburn. The three castings were announced at
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
in July 2012.
With this episode, Rose Leslie (Ygritte) and Oona Chaplin (Talisa) are promoted to series regulars, after guest starring in the second season. After being absent for the entire second season,
Ian McElhinney
Ian McElhinney (born 19 August 1948) is a Northern Irish actor and director. He has appeared in many television series in a career spanning more than forty years; notable appearances include ''Taggart'', '' Hornblower'', '' Cold Feet'', and '' ...
returns as Ser Barristan Selmy. Actor Ian Whyte, previously cast as a White Walker in the first season, was recast as the huge Ser Gregor Clegane in the second and appears in the episode as the giant seen in the wildlings camp.
Valyrian
David J. Peterson, who created the
Dothraki language
The Dothraki language is a constructed fictional language in George R. R. Martin's fantasy novel series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. It is spoken by the Dothraki, a nomadic people in the serie ...
for the first season of the show, was entrusted by the producers to design a new
constructed language
A constructed language (sometimes called a conlang) is a language whose phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, instead of having developed naturally, are consciously devised for some purpose, which may include being devised for a work of fiction. ...
to depict
Valyrian
The Valyrian languages are a fictional language family in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, and in their television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'' and later ''House of the Dragon''.
In the novels, H ...
, the tongue of the fallen Valyrian Empire. After immersing himself in the fictional background, Peterson ended devising two languages: High Valyrian, the oldest form that was spoken at the height of the Empire and that in its purest form still exists as a language of scholarship and refinement, and the Slaver's Bay variety of Low Valyrian, a creolized version that is spoken in local dialects around the Slaver's Bay. The relationship between the two languages would be similar to the one between
Classical Latin
Classical Latin is the form of Literary Latin recognized as a literary standard by writers of the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. It was used from 75 BC to the 3rd century AD, when it developed into Late Latin. In some later periods ...
and
Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin, also known as Popular or Colloquial Latin, is the range of non-formal Register (sociolinguistics), registers of Latin spoken from the Crisis of the Roman Republic, Late Roman Republic onward. Through time, Vulgar Latin would evolve ...
.
To translate sentences in Low Valyrian such as the ones spoken by Kraznys mo Nakloz and Missandei during the episode, Peterson would first write them into High Valyrian, and then apply a series of phonological, semantic and grammatical changes to the text.
Filming locations
The production continued to use the Paint Hall studios in Belfast for most interior shoots. The scene of Daenerys at sea was filmed at the Linen Mill Film & Television Studios at
Banbridge
Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road (Northern Ireland), A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the Civil parishes in Ireland, c ...
, using the same ship built for Theon's arrival in Pyke and used as Stannis' flagship in season 2. The beach of
Downhill Strand
Downhill Strand (better known as Benone Strand) is a beach in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
At long it is one of the longest in Northern Ireland, and recipient of the European Blue Flag and Seaside Award.
It is located next to the ...
returned as the island of Dragonstone.
The old city of
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...
was again used for the exterior shots of the capital, King's Landing. Tyrion and Bronn are seen walking on the famed
city walls
A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...
, and the scene where Lord Baelish visits Sansa at the docks was filmed in the old port between Fort
Lovrijenac
Fort Lovrijenac or St. Lawrence Fortress, often called "Dubrovnik's Gibraltar", is a fortress and theater outside the western wall of the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia, above sea level.Mývatn Lake region in the North, a few hours from the town of
Akureyri
Akureyri (, locally ) is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's fifth-largest municipality, after Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður, Reykjanesbær and Kópavogur, and the largest town outside Iceland's more populated southwest corner.
Nicknamed ...
. Building the camp took months of work from the art department and weeks of construction by the local crew. Although the scenes at the Icelandic exteriors were filmed at minus 11 degrees Celsius, the interior of Mance's tent was filmed on one of the soundstages at the Paint Hall. The fires burning inside the tent made the set very hot, and the actors suffered the heat wearing heavy furs designed for Arctic climates.
To depict the slaver city of Astapor, the production used the Moroccan city of
Essaouira
Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It ha ...
. The Unsullied are introduced in the city ramparts of ''Skala de la Ville'', the 18th-century sea bastion that runs along the northern cliffs, and during the closing scene when Barristan reveals himself, the Genoese-built citadel by the harbour can be clearly seen.
Dedication
The episode is dedicated to the memory of cinematographer
Martin Kenzie
Martin Kenzie (29 April 1956 – 16 July 2012) was a British second unit director and cinematographer whose works include feature films such as '' The Shining'' (1980), ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), '' Aliens'' (1986), ''The King's Speec ...
, who worked in the photography department and died of cancer while the third season was being filmed on July 16, 2012.
Reception
Ratings
"Valar Dohaeris"'s first airing was seen by 4.4 million viewers; the total rose to 6.7 million viewers once the two repeats of the night are taken into account. Both figures represented a viewership record for the show. In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 1.173 million viewers on
Sky Atlantic
Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group Limited broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is primarily dedicated to imported programmes from the United States, and holds the domestic rights to HBO ...
, being the channel's highest-rated broadcast that week.
Critical reception
The episode received critical acclaim.
Review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
surveyed 21 reviews of the episode and judged 100% of them to be positive with an average score of 7.5 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "'Valar Dohaeris' overextends itself trying to reintroduce a multitude of characters and plotlines, but is strengthened by its brilliantly acted two-person scenes (and three growing baby dragons)." In an advance review for ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'', Jace Lacob wrote that the season premiere lacks "energy and intensity, but provides a necessary foundation," and that the season, like the novel it is based on, "takes a little to get going." Matt Fowler, writing for ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'', gave the episode an 8.6/10, writing that "while understandably not showing us everyone, Game of Thrones returned in fine form with dragons, zombies and giants." Neela Dabnath of ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' felt that "Valar Dohaeris" was a strong start to Season 3 and "deftly picked up the various story strands from the last season ... even if it was just a series of brief check-in." She also praised the show for taking "creative liberties which always pay off in bucket loads," commenting on how this can "add to Martin’s world and flesh it out in new ways."
Forbes.com
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family (publishers), Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing ...
writer Erik Kain stated he felt "Valar Dohaeris" did "exactly what it needed to do," by bringing the viewers "back up to speed on the broader conflict and the various minor character conflicts and positioning for power. The ball hasn’t really been moved forward at all, but our feet are on sturdy ground to move forward." He did however express some disappointment over how some elements of the episode differed from its source material in regards to the reintroduction of the character Barristan Selmy and the apparent absence of the character Strong Belwas. Reviewing the episode for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Sarah Hughes felt that "Valar Dohaeris" "didn't really feel like a season opener," and that the opening scene was "a little disorientating." However she enjoyed the scenes in King's Landing and lauded Stephen Dillane's brief performance. Commenting on the Daenerys' plot, she felt her storyline was advancing quite quickly. She also felt that the Barristan Selmy reveal was handled well as; "there are certain conventions that work better on page than screen and the hidden identity trope is one of them. By getting the reveal out of the way early, Benioff and Weiss can concentrate on the potential rivalry between Barristan and Jorah."
HBO.com
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television, premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office busi ...