Well, that was ballsy, wasn’t it?

Not just the death of would-be King Renly Baratheon – to which the balls must be attributed to author George R. R. Martin – but the decision to place such a shocking and unexpected event at the very opening of this fifth episode.

The moment itself doesn’t play out with quite the sense of mystery and intrigue that it does in the books, but that’s largely due to the necessities of the medium and it’s still a hugely significant moment.

Renly’s untimely demise has serious ramifications for a lot of the characters featured in The Ghost of Harrenhal.

Catelyn and Brienne, being present when Melisandre’s creepy shadow-baby commits its regicide, are immediately the prime suspects, and forced to flee for the safety of Robb’s camp. Brienne, the strong but awkward warrior woman who grew up without a mother and Catelyn, the grieving mother separated from her children – strong with “woman’s courage”, rather than physical strength – strike up an unlikely bond. With their combined forms of strength pooled, it’d be a brave man who went up against them.

And while Brienne swears a vow to kill Stannis in vengeance for Renly’s death, Stephen Dillane’s Stannis struggles with the weight of the murder he himself sanctioned. While he tries to convince himself that his actions were justified – given that Renly’s forces have now fallen under Stannis’ own banner – honest smuggler Ser Davos is on hand with some hard truths. Stannis’ reluctance to talk about it implies he dislikes Melisandre’s method as much as anyone, and Dillane and Liam Cunningham convey both their inner and outer turmoils and conflictions marvellously.

Renly’s calculating wife Margaery – back in that dress that makes her look like a Cornetto – shows a total lack of grief over his death, but her ambition is impressive, and when she tells Littlefinger she doesn’t want to be a queen – but THE queen – Lord Baelish seems to have found someone as narcissistic and determined as himself.

Elsewhere in the world Tyrion comes to realise a hard truth of his own. While still plugging away in King’s Landing, trying to prepare the city for war and do some good in spite of Joffrey’s despotic rule, he finds bitter, blinkered Cersei standing stubbornly in his way, while his ignorance is exposed for arguably the first time, as he gets a first-hand view of what the city’s smallfolk actually think of him. Being the one “good” Lannister, he might have expected the people to appreciate his efforts, but the “twisted monkey-demon” has unknowingly become a pariah for them all.

Over on the Iron Islands, Theon Greyjoy prepares to depart on his lightweight mission to harry fishermen along the shore, but finds his crew of salt-and-steel locals don’t take kindly to being bossed by a rich kid who spent a decade in Winterfell.

Alfie Allen continues to impress, and as Theon attempts to emulate his once-brother Robb’s natural sense of command and authority over his men, it’s clear that he’s not cut from the same cloth.

This sequence also highlights what might be the show’s first miscast role. In the books, Dagmer is a fierce, old warrior nicknamed ‘Cleftjaw’, due to a hideous scar across his face. Here, as played by Ralph Ineson, he is younger, weedier, and lacks the face-wound, going from near legendary warrior simply to Theon’s first-mate. Other characters have been changed from the books and impressed, but this one falls sadly flat on first impression.

Masie Williams, meanwhile, continues to astonish as young Arya. Children are so often problematic on screen, but Williams’ performance is assured and mature, no more so than in the moment when she looks Tywin Lannister in the eye and tells him – in a barely concealed threat – that “anyone can be killed”.

For such a young, inexperienced actor to go head-to-head and hold her own against Charles Dance is remarkable, and the moment at the end when Arya realises that her new ally Jaqen will kill anyone she names, Arya’s face lights up – not in delight at the death – but in the knowledge that for the first time in a long time, she has some agency over her own life.

Jon Snow and the Night’s Watch, meanwhile, reach the Fist of the First Men, far north of The Wall, and meet up with hero of the Night’s Watch Qhorin Halfhand. The location is within the forest in the books, but given the astonishing Icelandic landscapes the show has found, nobody could argue with this change.

The mountain vistas are stunning and the actors look so genuinely frozen, that you begin to get a sense of why these people put a wall up between them and this desolate wasteland, and we can’t wait to see what else is up there!

Aired at 9pm on Monday 30th April 2012 on Sky Atlantic.

> Buy the Season 1 boxset on Amazon.

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