This is actually a more streamlined hour than some of the previous ones. The series comes up with some incredibly fun ways to adapt portions of the book that might have been a little ponderous if adapted as written. My favorite here is the scene where Tyrion tells Pycelle, Varys, and Littlefinger three different stories, to figure out which of them is leaking information to the queen. (It’s old Pycelle, who gets his beard chopped off for his troubles.) In the books, this was presented in essentially straightforward fashion. You could follow what Tyrion was doing, but the story spent a lot more time setting up the trap than it needed. Here, the episode cuts this all together as one big montage. Tyrion tells Pycelle one thing, then we see the next deception, and then the final one. It’s done in a matter of minutes, and it masterfully shows off Tyrion’s plan with economy and plenty of entertaining moments. It’s just terrific adaptation, and it shows that the series isn’t afraid to take what’s on the page and tweak it just enough to make it more cinematic. (This episode also has a fair amount of embellishment, about which more in the spoilers section.)