Game of Thrones: Episode Five - A Nest of Vipers
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Critic Reviews for Game of Thrones: Episode Five - A Nest of Vipers
The penultimate episode of the first Game of Thrones season takes gamers on an emotional rollercoaster with devastating choices, exciting combat, and a pleasing plotline.
Game of Thrones Episode 5 takes a turn south with some out-of-character portrayals and lack of forward momentum.
Game of Thrones' fifth episode is a return to what we expect from something attached to the HBO series: bloodshed, intrigue, and bitter heartbreak.
It's strange. Detailing all of A Nest of Vipers' parts makes it sound about average, if not even a little disappointing compared to the previous episode. But this one ends up working well as a cohesive unit, even if some pieces fall flat. This episode has its highs and its lows, but it still leaves an unforgettable impression.
It's hard to say whether this episode of Telltale's Game of Thrones series is a genuine standout piece of work amongst their other stuff, or is simply elevated due to some of the other episodes in this series being far less exciting. Nevertheless, it's still a thrilling experience, and looks to be working towards a superb finale for the series.
The technical problems of episodes past — the variable frame rate, incessant hitching, visual glitches, etc — persist here, but at this point, we're so used to them that it hardly feels worthy of a callout here. Mostly it's just a bummer that A Nest of Vipers doesn't continue the steady uptick in quality we saw over the previous two episodes, but Episode Five nonetheless proves itself a necessary step in the lead-up to the season's conclusion next episode.
