Kissed by Fire
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"Kissed by Fire" is the fifth episode of the third season of
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 ...
's
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 ...
'', and the 25th episode of the series. Directed by
Alex Graves Alexander John Graves (born July 23, 1965) is an American film director, television director, television producer and screenwriter. Early life Alex Graves was born in Kansas City, Missouri. His father, William Graves, was a reporter for ''Th ...
and written by
Bryan Cogman Robert Bryan Cogman (born July 25, 1979) is an American television writer and producer. He wrote eleven episodes of the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. He is also the author of the book ''Inside HBO's Game of Thrones'' which features a preface ...
, it aired on April 28, 2013. The title of the episode refers to the red-haired Wildlings, like
Ygritte George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' saga features a large cast of characters. The series follows three interwoven plotlines: a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families; the rising threat of the superhuman Others (A So ...
, who are said to be "kissed by fire". Fire is also a key element in other storylines, with
Sandor Clegane Sandor Clegane, nicknamed the Hound, 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 o ...
's fear of fire being shown, as well as the Mad King's obsession with Wildfire, as told by
Jaime Lannister Ser Jaime Lannister is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and someti ...
. The episode won the
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for Outstanding Make-up for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) at the
65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards The 65th Annual Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony was held on September 15, 2013, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the annual Primetime Emmy Awards and is presented in recognition ...
.


Plot


At Dragonstone

Stannis is surprised when his wife, Queen Selyse, encourages his infidelity as service to the Lord of Light. His daughter, Princess Shireen, visits Davos in the dungeons with a book; he admits he is illiterate, and she begins teaching him to read.


In the Riverlands

In trial by combat, the Hound is offput by Beric's flaming sword, but overcomes his
pyrophobia Pyrophobia is a fear of fire, which can be considered irrational if beyond what is considered normal. This phobia is ancient and primordial, perhaps since mankind's discovery of fire. Usually pertaining to man's comprehendable reaction of fire i ...
and kills Beric. Gendry stops Arya from attacking the Hound, and Beric is resurrected for a sixth time by Thoros, who then frees the Hound. Later, Gendry tells Arya he intends to stay with the Brotherhood as a smith. Arya talks with Thoros about taking her to Riverrun to claim a reward from Robb Stark.


At Riverrun

Captives Martyn and Willem Lannister are murdered by Lord Karstark and his men. Despite Talisa, Catelyn, and Edmure entreating Robb to hold Karstark prisoner, he personally executes Karstark. Soon, the Karstark forces abandon the Northern army, and Robb tells Talisa his new plan to attack Casterly Rock, the Lannister ancestral home, and forge an alliance for troops with Lord Frey, whose daughter he was to marry.


At Harrenhal

Locke delivers Jaime and Brienne to Lord Roose Bolton, who frees Brienne and sends Jaime to Qyburn, a former maester who was thrown out of the Citadel for human experimentation, treats Jaime's amputation. At the baths, Jaime tells Brienne of Robert's Rebellion, and the "Mad King" Aerys Targaryen's plot to burn King's Landing with caches of wildfire. Jaime reveals that he killed the Mad King and broke his oath to save the city, its people, and his own father after the King ordered him to bring him his fathers head. Brienne asks why he didn’t tell Eddard Stark the truth but Jaime believes he didn’t have to explain himself.


Beyond the Wall

Jon reveals which forts are manned but lies to Orell and Tormund that a thousand men are stationed at Castle Black. Ygritte steals Jon's sword and he chases her into a cave, where she has him break his Night's Watch vows and make love with her.


In Slaver's Bay

Daenerys’s Unsullied officers select Grey Worm as their leader. On the march, Jorah probes Barristan's motives for joining Daenerys, but he appears unaware Jorah was originally a spy for Varys under King Robert.


In King's Landing

Cersei asks for Baelish's assistance in ridding King's Landing of the Tyrells. Loras’ squire and new lover Olyvar reports to Baelish the Tyrells' plan to marry Sansa. Baelish meets with Sansa to discuss their journey to the Vale, but she decides to stay in King's Landing. Later, Tywin tells Tyrion and Cersei his plan to ruin the Tyrell's plot by wedding Tyrion to Sansa and Cersei to Loras, tersely overruling their objections.


Production


Writing

"Kissed by Fire" is the third episode in the series written by the co-producer and executive story editor
Bryan Cogman Robert Bryan Cogman (born July 25, 1979) is an American television writer and producer. He wrote eleven episodes of the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. He is also the author of the book ''Inside HBO's Game of Thrones'' which features a preface ...
, after the first season's "
Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" is the fourth episode of the first season of the HBO medieval fantasy television series '' Game of Thrones'', which first aired on May 8, 2011. It was written by Bryan Cogman and directed by Brian Kirk. I ...
" and the second's "
What Is Dead May Never Die "What Is Dead May Never Die" is the third episode of the second season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series '' Game of Thrones'', first airing on April 15, 2012. The episode is written by Bryan Cogman and directed by Alik Sakharov, who wo ...
". Cogman is the member of the writing team entrusted with keeping the show's
bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
and mapping the story arcs with those of the original books for each season. The sections of
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 novel ''
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 ...
'' adapted in the episode include parts from chapters 20, 21, 27, 32, 35, 38 and 40 (Tyrion III, Catelyn III, Jon III, Jaime IV, Arya VI, Jaime V, and Arya VII). The scenes with Stannis' wife and daughter were written to present the characters, whose introduction had been delayed in the show since the beginning of season 2. The idea of Queen Selyse conserving the fetuses of her stillborn sons in glass, absent in the original novels, was a notion that Cogman came up with while writing the episode. Cogman enjoyed that the episode he was assigned to write included several fan-favorite scenes, and involved a lot of material with the child actors: "The kids are always my favorite characters to write... Maybe it’s because I’m so fond of the actors who play them, and I’ve watched them grow up for the past four years." He wrote all the Arya scenes before starting with the other storylines. Initially the episode did not include any scene with Daenerys, but early in pre-production some scenes originally written by
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'' (20 ...
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. R ...
for
the next episode "The Next Episode" is a single by American rapper-producer Dr. Dre, released on June 26, 2000 as the third single from his second studio album, '' 2001'' (1999). The track features Snoop Dogg, Kurupt and Nate Dogg, but only Snoop Dogg is cred ...
were moved into the script. The confrontation between Jon Snow and Orell was written and included by Benioff and Weiss later during production.


Casting

The episode introduces Stannis's family with actresses
Tara Fitzgerald Tara Anne Cassandra Fitzgerald (born 18 September 1967) is an English actress who has appeared in feature films, television, radio and the stage. She won the New York Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play in 1995 as Opheli ...
and
Kerry Ingram Kerry Danielle Ingram (born 26 May 1999) is an English actress, known for her roles as Shireen Baratheon in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' and Rebecca 'Becky' Sidebottom in the Netflix series ''Free Rein''. Career Before being cast in ''M ...
as queen Selyse Baratheon and princess Shireen Baratheon, respectively. Selyse had briefly appeared in the first season 2 episode during the burning of the gods at the Dragonstone beach, played by an uncredited extra.
Jacob Anderson Jacob Basil Anderson (born 18 June 1990) is a British actor and musician. As an actor, he is known for his roles as Grey Worm in '' Game of Thrones'' and Louis de Pointe du Lac in '' Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire'', and his recurri ...
also debuts playing Grey Worm, the commander of the Unsullied.


Filming locations

Most of the episode was shot in the sets built in The Paint Hall studios in Belfast. Also in Northern Ireland, the Pollnagollum cave in Belmore Forest was used to film parts of the hideout of the Brotherhood, and the gardens of
Gosford Castle Gosford Castle is a 19th-century country house situated in Gosford, a townland of Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It was built for Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford, and designed in the Norman revival style by London architect ...
served as the Riverrun exteriors where Lord Karstark was beheaded. The scenes with Daenerys were filmed in Morocco, and the ones with Jon in Iceland. The Wildlings camp was built by the shores of lake Mývatn, with its distinctive vertical lava formations clearly seen. The nearby grotto where Jon and Ygritte have sex is cave Grjótagjá; however, the cave was used mainly for establishing shot of Jon Snow and Ygritte in the cave, and most of this scene was filmed in the studio. The thermal water pool of the cave is actually used for bathing and is a popular tourist attraction. Finally, two Croatian exteriors appear in the episode: the conversation between Cersei and Littlefinger takes place at the inner terrace of
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.Trsteno Arboretum Trsteno Arboretum is a Mediterreanean arboretum located in Trsteno, southern Croatia. The arboretum was erected by the local noble family Gucetic - Gozze (''see'' House of Gozze) in the late 15th century, who requested ship captains to bring ...
.


Reception


Ratings

"Kissed by Fire" set a new ratings record for the series, with 5.35 million viewers for its first airing and a 2.8 share of adults aged 18 to 49. In the United Kingdom, the episode was seen by 0.959 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 second highest-rated broadcast that week.


Critical reception

"Kissed by Fire" received positive critical reviews after airing, with particular praise going to
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Nikolaj William Coster-Waldau (; born 27 July 1970) is a Danish actor and producer. He graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen in 1993, and had his breakthrough role in Denmark with the film '' Nightwatch'' (19 ...
for his performance.
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 8.8 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Despite lacking the big action reveals of the previous episode, 'Kissed by Fire' is anchored by a devastatingly intimate scene between Brienne and Jaime, and plenty of Lannister intrigue." ''
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 ...
''s Matt Fowler gave "Kissed by Fire" a 9.5/10, his highest rating of the season, writing "No dragons this week, but Game of Thrones still gave us some of its best material ever." Reviewing for ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'', David Sims gave the episode an "A−", commenting on how despite the lack of shocking moments like those of the last episode, the show delivers quality in its slower, dialogue-driven scenes. Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+". Sean T. Collins of the ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine also gave an overwhelmingly positive review, calling it a "nearly flawless" episode, praising especially
Maisie Williams Margaret Constance "Maisie" Williams (born 15 April 1997) is an English actress. Williams made her acting debut in 2011 as Arya Stark, a lead character in the HBO epic medieval fantasy television series '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019). She ...
' acting in the scenes with Arya and the Brotherhood.


Accolades


References


External links


"Kissed by Fire"
at
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 ...
* {{Game of Thrones episodes, 3 2013 American television episodes Game of Thrones (season 3) episodes