'Game of Thrones' Did 'SNL' Comedy This Week and I Graded All the Sketches

This week ’s episode ofGame of Throneswasa total secret plan - changer . After weeks of patientlywaiting for clues , interpretingthe small detail for hints , andmadly hypothecate about potential consequence , we eventually mother the long - awaited response to the show ’s most urgent interrogation : does Braavos have a robust sketch - comedy fit ? The answer is a trashy " yes ! " And , like Grand Maester Pycelle , it ’s got farts .

If you ’re a realGoT"comedy swot , " this episode gave you everything you ever dreamed of . The burgeon alt - comedy scene of the show has been highlighted before . Who could leave the experimental solo fictitious character body of work ofdrunken fool Dontos Hollardor thosezany jousting dwarvesduring Joffrey ’s wedding ceremony in Season 4 ? But until now , we ’ve never been give such a lengthy ( and self - referential ) look at the inner works of this yuks - filled world that combines commedia dell’arte , outright clowning , witty songs , and needless nudity to harbor the masses .

Not only did we get a close - up on Braavos ' bubbling comedy scene , we also were privy to the drama backstage – think of it asStudio 60 on the Essos Strip . It ’s a cutthroat world . The doer are all competing for stage time and attempt to make names for themselves , presumably so they can get a call from theGoT - equivalent of Lorne Michaels to do on a bigger microscope stage . Let ’s take a closer look at the sketch from this week ’s show .

Game of Thrones, Comedy Troupe, The Door

HBO

“The Boaring of Robert Baratheon”

Sketch clowning in Westeros and Essos is very political and relies a lot on knowledge of recent history . This sketch starts off with a somewhat smashed premise : we ’ve pay off a big , dull big businessman , and there ’s a big , scary boar . classical comedy setup ! What really takes this cartoon to the next grade , heighten the legal proceeding into a masterclass of comedic timing , is the fart sound result that materialise when the boar pip the king in the ass . That ’s what people in the game call a reversal because your expectation was probably that the king was not going to fart ; instead , he fart . Take it from a literal funniness geek like me , this is strong cloth . It even gets a laugh out of Arya . ground level : B+

“The Rise of Joffrey”

Again , this survey is dependent on a deep knowledge of the political moral force of King ’s Landing – this is not a viewer - favorable , John Oliver - style info - wasteyard . This Joffrey - skewering vignette should ’ve work because it follows an important formula of comedy : always punch up . But maybe the poke are n’t landing hard enough ? He gets aThree Stooges - esque slap from his father , but most of the time he just seems like a wimp . Send this one back to the author ' room!Grade : C

“The Beheading of Ned Stark”

Arya was not feeling this sketch . Perhaps the Faceless Men should ’ve taken a break from stupefy her with stick and teach her some clowning 101 . Like Alan Alda said inCrimes and Misdemeanors , " clowning is disaster plus fourth dimension . " It ’s unclear precisely how much time has passed since she saw her dad get viciously murdered , but , like , get over it , Arya . Braavosi dramatic art is n’t afraid togo thereand speak Sojourner Truth to power . At the very least , she should give credit to the actor who plays Ned , a comic whiz that we should really call the Many - Faced God . Seriously , look at that cartilaginous fount .

Get this guy a situation comedy deal ASAP . He ’s gon na be a star topology . If there were endowment agents in the audience , they were probably taking note .

alas , I ’m not as sold onBianca , who undersells and botches Sansa ’s prominent excited minute , or the player who plays Tyrion as a one - dimensional skeezy horn - dog . They ’re not quite quick for primetime . Grade : A-

The backstage shenanigans

Now we get to the stuff unwritten histories are made of ! If Arya decides to get out of the ninja - assassinator business , she would make a unanimous entertainment journalist , blending effortlessly into the backcloth and letting the natural endowment reveal all sorts of juicy choice morsel to her . At the very least , she would make for a enough podcast guest at some point in time in the future . She ’s got anecdotes now .

What exactly did Arya learn wing ? The guy who play Joffrey has two warts on his junk , which we were shown in a skillful number of meta - nudity . Bianca wants more tune , too . AndLady Crane , the performer Arya has been assigned to down , seems kind - hearted and shudder . She ’s boozing rummy backstage , romance with the other performer , and she ’s played by the excellent Australian actress Essie Davis fromThe Babadook , so she ’ll likely stick around for a piece . We ’ll also plausibly get a few more moments with Izembaro , the tippy leader of the dramatic art troupe , roleplay by Richard E. Grant .

There are a few directions this story could go in . Arya could carry out the orders of the Faceless Men and kill Lady Crane by poisoning her rum . Or , if she was charmed by the performance she saw , she could end up joining the company , and the next few season ofGame of Throneswould take us even deeper into the underbody of the comedy world in Westeros and Essos . Stranger things , like clip travel , have happened . As Jaqen H’ghar , tells Arya in the episode , " A fille must decide if she want to serve the Many - Faced God . " He could ’ve just as easily added , " A girl must decide if she wants to sign up for improv grade . "

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