Writers: David Benioff, D. B Wiess.
Director: Alex Graves.
Cast: Kit Harington, John Bradley, Hannah Murray, Liam Cunnigham, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey, Charles Dance, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gwendoline Christie, Maise Williams, Carice Van Houten, Rory McCann, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Stephen Dillane.
Synopsis: The Night’s Watch get help from an unexpected source. Daenerys takes drastic action with her dragons and Bran makes it to the Three-Eyed Raven.
And breathe. After a year away, Game Of Thrones is finally back on our TV screens. After last years Red Wedding debacle we at THN decided that this show should not be watched without a support network, so this year we will be here to hold your hand through the fourth series of the show with our very own Blog of Thrones.
It’s over. After ten (technically eleven thanks to the break) hard weeks of television we have reached the conclusion of Game of Thrones season four. We’ve been put through the wringer more than in past seasons, gone is the slow build-up to something big before it eases down again; this year we have lost more members of the more promienant cast members than in The Walking Dead which is no mean feat. So before we move onto tonight’s show lets take a moment to remember all of those that have fallen up to now – Joffrey, Lysa, Ygritte, Oberyn.
Picking up straight after the conclusion to last week’s episode Jon Snow went marching directly into Mance Raydar’s camp in a bid to broker a truce. Before their chat began the two shared a drink in honour of Ygritte, and their fallen comrades. The Wildling’s are just as afraid of the White Walkers, stating that all they want is sanctuary. Just as they were about to discuss things further the Night’s Watch got some unexpected help from an unlikely source, Stannis. Stannis’ men quickly saw Mance’s army reduced to next to nothing as they surrendered. Jon and Stannis then bonded over their respect for Ned. Can the team of Stannis and Snow take on the Walkers? And what was with that look between Jon and Melissandre through the flames? He clearly has a thing for red-heads.
The Mountain may have killed Oberyn but he is still suffering as it was revealed that the Viper’s blade was doused with poison. Cersei is standing by her champion and has advised that whatever can be done should be done. Elsewhere she is still not happy about marrying Ser Loras, and finally stood up against her father. He of course demanded that she fall in line, but in a rather bold move she threatened to reveal the true lineage of her children. The sibling lovers then made peace as Cersei proclaimed her allegiance and love to Jamie. Looks like the Lannister house in going down in a blazing inferno.
Daenerys’ dragons have really gotten out of hand. They’ve upgraded from goats to toddlers. As she learned the horror of what her largest dragon, the black one known as Drago, had done, Daenerys made the tough decision to lock her babies away. With the alpha dragon nowhere to be seen she made a start with the smaller more docile pair, and in a emotion laden scene, chained them up. Their cries of anguish were awful to hear. Has the breaker of chains now become one of those that she has sought to vanquish? What’s going to happen when Drago finds out?
In an episode entitled The Children it was only right that we caught up with Bran and co. They have reached the final part of their trek as they have found the tree from Bran’s vision, and it wasn’t quite as straight forwards as walking up to the tree. They first had to defeat a skeletal army, last seen in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. Jojen didn’t survive the attack, but Bran battled through via Hodor to meet with the three-eyed raven. It wasn’t so much a three-eyed raven but more a magical old man who has promised that Bran will fly.
Arya and The Hound decided that if Lysa was dead then it was a waste of time stepping a toe into the veil, and were once more off on their merry way. If only they had ventured in, the Stark sisters could have been reunited – that’s if they recognised each other as, let’s face it, it has been a while since the pair shared the same space. Then they bumped into Pod and Brienne who are still bickering; this time Pod didn’t tie the horses up correctly. Arya and Brienne bonded instantly over their swords, but that was before they realised who each other was. Turns out that The Hound may have become quite paternal towards the young Stark girl and a battle between the statuesque pair began.
What a fight it was, it started majestic and noble before descending into something truly gladiatorial and brutal. The Hound was’t afraid of hurting a woman and Brienne went a little Mike Tyson, biting off his ear before throwing The Hound off of a cliff.
Arya doesn’t trust the look of all that Lannister gold and hid herself. She couldn’t bring herself to leave The Hound and sat and waited with him. As much as she has gone on about killing him it would appear that she has grown attached. Appearances turned out to be deceptive, as although The Hound has grown to see himself as a father figure to the girl she has not forgotten his past. The Hound couldn’t do anything to get her to kill him – he begged and begged but she just sauntered off into the hills. She was taught (by The Hound) that killing is a kindness and The Hound isn’t worthy of kindness. I’m guessing all that talking about how he should have ‘fucked’ her sister ’till she bled’ didn’t do anything to help change her mind either.
Tyrion will live – hooray (for now at least) as Jamie orchestrated a prison break. After a brief goodbye Tyrion was on his way to freedom, but he had one more task to complete first – to murder his father. It wasn’t Tywin that he found in his father’s bed chamber, but Shae. How long has that been going on?! A fight ensued and poor Tyrion had no choice but to kill the only woman he had ever truly loved. He then went on the prowl, armed with a crossbow, to find Tywin, who was sat upon his throne (not the iron one). After an exchange of words Tyrion shot his father through the heart before finally getting back on with his escape bid. Cersei may hate her brother, or the creature who killed her mother as she refers to him, but thanks to his archery skills she really doesn’t have to marry Laurel now. I doubt Tyrion will get any thanks from her.
We then finally ended the series with the lonely Arya aboard a ship headed to Bravos. Valar Morghulis.
An unexpected ending to a shock series (see our feature for our favourite twists), did you see any of that coming? Of course if you’ve read the books it doesn’t count, but if you hadn’t read the book and guessed it then you should clearly be Melissandre’s apprentice as only sorcery could have seen this coming.
An episode of goodbyes and endings which is fitting for a series finale, none of the loose ends were really tied-up, however they were left unravelled in such a way that it wasn’t unbearably frustrating. Superb acting from all as usual but the scenes that really resonate have to be: Daenerys and her dragons, Jon burning Ygritte, The Hound and Arya’s goodbye, and of course the stunning sequence with Tyrion and Tywin.
[usr=5] That’s it from our Blog of Thrones for this year but rest assured we’ll be back next year to see how the fallout from all of this plays out.
