lifestyle WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2014

Music & Movies ‘Game of Thrones’: Battle for Castle Black could determine fate of all of Westeros t was a bold decision on the part of the creative mammoth on the wildling side, and we know they Less hope I’d like to say that I am hopeful they can come minds behind HBO’s “Game of Thrones” to take a full have many more they can pull in for a larger offensive. If The Wall falls and “Winter” comes roaring forth together in their darkest hour and rise up against the Ihour of one of the most sprawling shows on televi- While this was an epic battle, featuring some beau- from the North, will this game of thrones matter one surging forces of evil, but this is George R.R. Martin, sion and narrow its focus to just one location. And yet, tiful fight scenes, it was nevertheless a small battle. iota? Will it matter who sits upon the Iron Throne when and he’s proven he believes more in the worst that it also proved very effective. Castle Black at The Wall Larger shots showed how small the wildling forces such magical forces of evil are set to wipe out all of humanity has to offer than the best. Those who rise hasn’t been home to the most compelling political looked against The Wall, and yet they still nearly took machinations thus far, but it may well prove to be the it. “The Watchers on the Wall,” as this episode was most important battleground of the entire saga. named, are ill-prepared for what’s out there. We’ve been anticipating the battle between the There were some awesome wall defense sequences Night’s Watch and the wildlings for weeks now, and in this episode, and a stunning continuous camera there was a very personal stake for Jon Snow and shot of the battle inside the castle itself. The fighting Ygritte. The two became lovers while Jon was effec- was ugly and nasty and unpredictable, as it should be tively spying on her and her people, trying to assess between these two forces. The hour flew by, and you’d their threat level to the Night’s Watch. scarcely realized that we still hadn’t checked in on To say that Ygritte was a lover scorned would be a Tyrion’s guilty verdict when the credits started to roll. massive understatement. The entire battle was under- scored by the tension rising before their inevitable Unwanted peoples confrontation. Would she shoot him again, as she did Usually you wouldn’t want a director to stand out the last time they were together? Would he have to kill on a serialized show like this, when many different her? As we’ve learned many times on “Game of ones are used throughout each season to try and cre- Thrones,” oftentimes such decisions are out of our ate a cohesive narrative, but Neil Marshall stood out hands. Ygritte and Jon did come face-to-face, but for all the right reasons with his second “GoT” episode. before either could decide how to proceed, an arrow It’s appropriate that they went with him here, as he pierced her chest. At least they got to have one final, gave us the penultimate episode of Season 2, which tender exchange, with Jon telling her they’d go back also focused entirely on a single battle. to their cave. She reminding him: “You know nothing, What’s so effective about this episode is that it real- Jon Snow.” ly put everything about the show into perspective. The On the opposite side, Sam’s innocence and bravery Lannisters and Targaryens and Starks and Baratheons continue to be a winning combination for him, as he may be playing at this game of thrones in Westeros, managed to kill another dire threat and his own love but it really is a game compared to what’s coming safe. And there’s the bitter irony that it was Ygritte who from the North. It is the Watchers on The Wall who are spared Gilly’s life at the inn, while it was a Night’s the most important players. And yet, their numbers Watch Boy ordered by Sam to take up his weapon and are made up of the cast-offs and undesirables of fight who ultimately killed Ygritte. Westeros. To think that the fate of all humanity may lay in the hands of those unwanted peoples. Two giants and a single mammoth Worse, the Night’s Watch has dwindled in numbers Westeros is a bleak place filled with little hope. so much over the centuries, that it is grossly outnum- Perhaps it is because “Winter is coming,” as the Starks bered in its defense of Westeros. Every loss among the say, but it is filled with such darkness and despair that Night’s Watch - it took six men to take down a single we’ve come to expect the worst even when there are giant at the gate - will be felt tenfold when the full moments of true joy. Who expected both Sam and forces of the wildlings amass. This is why it’s so impor- humanity? Mankind needs to do is put aside its differ- above are often pulled down, or beheaded, for their Gilly to come out of this first battle unscathed? I was tant than Jon Snow defeat the wildings’ leader, Mance. ences, as the men of the Night’s Watch are forced to do trouble. looking for the coward who hid out with Gilly to kill Without him to unify them, the wildlings might fall as they take their oath, and unite against a common I’m very worried for Sam, Gilly, Jon, Arya, Bran and her, just because she saw him sneak in. back to infighting and break up. enemy. Hodor, Tyrion, and even poor Sansa, as well as the few Of course, as Jon was quick to point out, just “Winter is coming” is more than just a statement Will they? Oh, probably not. These are vain, ambi- other characters who’ve proven to have redeeming because this battle is over, the larger war is not over about the weather. “Winter” also refers to the denizens tious and petty people. And they’ve grown compla- qualities. This does not seem to be a world for them. yet. This was just a fraction of what the wildlings are of the North, kept away from humanity for so long that cent, thinking the biggest dangers in the world are the There is little joy, and even less hope. Winter is coming. able to accomplish, with the smallest portion of their they’ve been forgotten: The White Walkers and giants political maneuverings of their enemies and relatives. Can The Wall hold it back?—AP full might. The forces on either side of the wall were and mammoths and direwolves. “Winter” is all the They’re not prepared for what’s to come, just as Jon modest at best, while the defense on the inside wasn’t night-time stories come to life. Every dangerous thing Snow had to admit that the Night’s Watch is not pre- much better. There were only two giants and a single that most have chosen to forget. pared for the full might of the wildling armies. ‘Arduous’ recovery ahead for funny man Tracy Morgan

S actor Tracy Morgan, known for his auto and four counts of assault by auto, accord- Emmy-nominated turn on television ing to a statement from state prosecutors, cited Ucomedy “30 Rock,” is facing an “arduous” by local media. Apparently he had not slept in recovery after a car crash, his agent said Monday. 24 hours. Morgan was critically injured Saturday in a six- Roper’s truck allegedly caused the accident car accident in New Jersey that killed one of his on the New Jersey Turnpike near the state capi- friends. Agent Lewis Kay said the actor and tal Trenton, which involved Morgan’s limo bus, comedian still was in critical but stable condi- another truck, two cars and and an SUV. tion. “His fiancee Megan (Wollover) is by his Morgan-who performed Friday night at Dover side,” Kay said. “Rumors about amputating his Downs Hotel & Casino in Delaware-was nomi- leg are completely fabricated. As we shared yes- nated for an Emmy in 2009 for his role on “30 Turkish imam given go terday, Tracy had surgery on his broken leg,” the Rock,” which also starred Tina Fey and Alec agent explained. “This recovery will be arduous Baldwin. On “30 Rock,” a show about the cast and and we hope that you can be patient during this writers of a sketch comedy show resembling ahead to make rock ‘n’ roll difficult time,” he added, mentioning a possible “Saturday Night Live,” he played Tracy Jordan, a recovery period of several weeks. caricature of himself. The program ended its sev- Turkish imam has been allowed to rock formed for the first time in public at a local fes- The incident occurred as the 45-year-old en-season run in early 2013. Morgan appeared on after the country’s powerful reli- tival in his home town to hundreds of curious Morgan, a former star of “Saturday Night Live,” on “Saturday Night Live” from 1996 to 2003. — Agious authorities gave him the green onlookers. was heading home from a stand-up perform- AFP light to continue playing in his band after a He is gearing up for his next concert in the ance in the East Coast state of Delaware. A 35- nine-month investigation. Ahmet Muhsin Fenike town of Antalya on June 22, during year-old Georgia truck driver-identified as Kevin Tuzer, a Muslim religious leader from a tiny which “the authorities will keep a close eye on Roper-was charged with one count of death by hamlet on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast was me”. “Before, I wasn’t able to act like myself investigated by the Diyanet, the state body in because of pressures. But this time, you will charge of the country’s mosques. They had to see a different imam, both in terms of looks decide whether his brand of music was com- and the repertoire,” he said, saying at least patible with Islam or his playing created a con- 50,000 people are expected to attend the free flict with his role as an imam, which is a gov- concert. “I’ll be a real rock star!” he exclaimed. ernment-funded post. The Islamic-rooted government of Prime In the end, they decided to let him contin- Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in power for ue as a member of Firock, which blends rock 11 years, has long been under fire for what with mystical Sufi music, and only reprimand- critics say are creeping efforts to force Islamic ed him for his negative remarks about the values on the predominantly Muslim but investigation. “I am very happy that the staunchly secular country. Erdogan stoked Diyanet has shown to the whole world that controversy over calls for a ban on mixed-sex our religion is indeed a tolerant one, not the accommodation for university students and one that only bans beautiful things,” Tuzer told has angered secularists with a crackdown on AFP by phone from Pinarkoy, a tiny communi- alcohol sales and advertising. — AFP ty near the Mediterranean beach resort of Kas. The 43-year-old imam made headlines in Traffic moves pass the scene of a serious accident at mile- August last year when he and Firock per- post 71 on the northbound lanes of New Jersey Turnpike on Saturday, June 7, 2014 near Cranbury, N.J.

‘Penny Dreadful’: Dalton explains the shocking scene they shot two ways unday’s “Penny Dreadful” featured a scene in a garden TheWrap: Do you think Sir Malcolm’s affair with Vanessa’s ment and all the rest of it. It might be understandable psycho- great sort of entanglement. Because people so often, always maze that seems to be the source of much of the show’s mother was the original sin that unleashed all this evil? logically, but it obviously is a terrible thing to do to anybody. need to be blaming someone else for what they should be Smadness. We learned that as a young girl, Vanessa Ives Dalton: It’s part of it. But part is the operative word. There’s And it deeply wounds my daughter. So we’re both responsible taking responsibility for. So now we’re getting into this whole (Eva Green) caught her best friend Mina’s father, Sir Malcolm more. Of course you’ve got to understand Vanessa’s part. She for that, aren’t we? You’ve unsuspectingly led Vanessa into thing about guilt and the responsibility for guilt and what is (Timothy Dalton), having sex with her mother. Dalton tells has an affair out of spite, out of revenge, out of jealousy. It is your world, and it adds depth to all the interactions we’ve redemption? It’s fascinating. Vanessa clearly has a sexual TheWrap that the show shot the scene two different ways. those actions that set Mina off. It is my action that has sparked seen so far. attraction to your character, and we don’t know if it’s recipro- “We did do it so he was unaware, and we did do it so I saw the Vanessa’s action, coupled with her own jealousy and resent- He is also responsible for her actions against Mina, which is cated. I mean, she’s only what, 15, 16, 17? If that. If that. So no. I girl there and we actually locked eyes for a second,” he said. mean, he likes her. Because he sees in her all the things he In the version that aired, Sir Malcolm doesn’t realize would like in a daughter. Right, he’s clearly not attracted to her Vanessa saw him - so he never realizes the hell her discovery as a child. But when she’s older? Probably he still sees her like a unleashes. Vanessa, damaged by what she witnessed, grows daughter? Maybe yes, maybe no. We’ll just tease this one out. up to have an affair with Mina’s fiance. Mina believes her life is [Possible spoiler alert: At this point we asked a question that ruined, and in her despair falls under the control of a vampiric may point toward a spoiler. You may want to stop reading.] master. Vanessa, meanwhile, goes insane and possibly Is there any chance that Sir Malcolm is Vanessa’s father? becomes possessed. Eventually she seeks out Sir Malcolm, [Laughs. Laughs. Laughs more.] Oh my, oh my. I think the and tells him they must work together to find Mina. It all hap- phone is going down immediately. I’m not answering that pens in flashbacks, which change the color of everything question. There will be a lot of answers - no, I don’t know if we’ve seen in the previous four episodes of the Showtime dra- there will be a lot of answers. But there will be conclusions ma: It turns out the partnership between Vanessa and Sir coming. I’ve been a bit absent from episodes three and four. Malcolm is much more fragile than we realized, and filled with But you’ve seen five and six, seven, eight we get onto the last tension. lap. Malcolm’s story is much more present. I would just leave The question is what kind of tension. Dalton helped us your excellent question as an excellent question. — Reuters understand. At one point, we asked perhaps too pointed a question.