by Grace Crawford

All Game of Thrones images courtesy of HBO.

4×07: “Mockingbird”

So this was an interesting episode that I’ve been looking forward to for a while. Again, it was sort of a filler episode in some ways, but it sets up the next episode, “The Mountain and the Viper,” which I think will be absolutely insane.

Let’s go in order of things I liked, starting with the things I didn’t. Up north at the Wall, Jon Snow is sulking because nobody’s listening to him about the wilding attack and Castle Black’s defences. He has this good idea to fill their big tunnel to the north with rocks and ice, effectively blocking it against the wildlings. But as per usual, Ser Alliser Thorne starts making fun of him.

Obviously the master builder thinks this is a pretty decent idea, even if it means their main supply channel is blocked, but even though he’s a grown-ass man with opinions of his own, he won’t speak up against Thorne. I’m getting pretty tired of Thorne and his attitude, so I’m gonna be glad when they finally get around to electing a new Lord Commander.

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by Grace Crawford

All Game of Thrones images courtesy of HBO.

4×06: “The Laws of Gods and Men”

So this episode was about a few different things, but let’s be realistic here: nobody cares about anything that’s not Tyrion’s trial. That being said, I have a certain responsibility to tell you what happened, so I’m gonna do that before I get all up in the trial’s business.

Let’s start with Daenerys, because she’s my favourite. She’s holding court, listening to over 200 people airing out their grievances and asking for stuff, when a shepherd comes in. Apparently her biggest dragon, Drogon, decided that this shepherd’s flock was lunch, flambéed the lot of them, and ate them. And because Dany is a wise and kind leader, she pays the shepherd three times the value of his sheep.

Then comes Hizdahr zo Loraq, a young Meereenese nobleman whose father was crucified as justice for the slaves who met the same end. He asks permission to bury his father’s bones. And after some deliberation, Dany agrees, even though the slaves who the slavemasters killed had no such consideration.

But here’s the interesting thing: as a reader (spoilers ahead), I know that Hizdahr has a larger role to play in Dany’s story. This is going to become a slippery slope that results in enormous changes for everyone, not to mention a fair amount of carnage before it’s all through. And it all started here, with a single act of familial loyalty and a corresponding act of compassion. But I’ll circle back around to that.

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by Grace Crawford

All Game of Thrones images courtesy of HBO.

4×05: “First of His Name”

So when I was first watching this episode, I thought it was about resignation. Then I thought it was about the decisions that people make. And then I figured, maybe it’s not anything that complicated. Maybe it’s just some really good action setting the stage for the events of the rest of the season. And that’s the theory I’m gonna go with when I break it down for you.

Daenerys receives word that her cities, the ones she freed from slavery, are back under the thumbs of slavers. This causes a crisis of confidence, because how can the people of Westeros trust her to be their queen when she can’t even hold onto Slavers’ Bay? So Dany decides to stay in the Bay and rule as queen there. And I think that’s pretty big of her, given how much she’s lost in the course of her young life. She’s placing the needs of her people above her own needs, and that’s one of the qualities that’ll make her an awesome queen of the Seven Kingdoms, assuming she ever gets that far.

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by Grace Crawford

All Game of Thrones images courtesy of HBO.

4×04: “Oathkeeper”

Ah, here we are: the mid-season slump. Of course that’s completely expected, especially given the fact that this is about three-quarters of the way through A Storm of Swords and very little in the way of excitement happens between the Purple Wedding and the attack on the Wall (oh, please, they’ve only been leading up to it since Jon and Ygritte’s messy breakup).

But one thing I wasn’t expecting when I sat down to watch this episode was to keep cocking my head to the side and repeatedly whisper to myself, “I have no memory of this place.” Maybe it’s just a long time since I read the books, or maybe the writers added new stuff that I forgot about, but I tremendously dislike being one of you Muggles and not knowing what’s happening now or what’s going to happen next.

How do you people cope?

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by Grace Crawford

All Game of Thrones images courtesy of HBO.

4×03: “Breaker of Chains”

This week’s episode picks up right where last week’s left off: with a beautiful shot of Joffrey’s horribly distorted dead face. And it’s a good place to begin, because most of the episode is about the aftermath of the Purple Wedding–and the rest is about relationships.

While Cersei is screaming for blood, her dead son in her arms, Sansa is whisked away by Ser Dontos, who is in the employ of–this shouldn’t surprise anyone, given how low profile he’s been lately–Lord Petyr Baelish. He’s busy hanging out on his creepy murder ship, and after Ser Dontos is filled full of crossbow bolts, he turns his charms onto Sansa. Gross.

Baelish tells her that Dontos only saved her because he was paid to, that the only person left in the world who cares about her is himself. Sansa is in a pretty awful situation, because after everything she’s been through lately, she’s gotta be inclined to believe him now that she’s safely (maybe) out of King’s Landing. So it’s pretty creepy to see him leering all over her, poised to take advantage of that trust simply because she’s her mother’s daughter and some people can’t get over failed childhood romances.

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