by Grace Crawford

All Game of Thrones images courtesy of HBO.

4×08: “The Mountain and the Viper”

Welcome back after the (well after) mid-season break! This week’s episode started out with the wildlings sacking Mole’s Town. And when the blood started dripping through the floorboards, that’s when I knew this was gonna be a bloody episode.

The attack on Mole’s Town is a big deal since it’s just a stone’s throw from Castle Black, reminding us yet again that a wildling force 100,000 strong is advancing on the Wall. (Like we needed reminding.) A major battle is coming, and I have a feeling that that’s going to be the main focus of the next couple of episodes (or the season finale at the very least).

But it’s also a big deal because Gilly was there in Mole’s Town with her son. And when the baby started crying, Ygritte found them — and spared them. And that seems strange to me, given what we know of her. She’s cold and hard, and she was like that even before Jon left her, although of course him leaving made her way worse. So why would she spare Gilly and Sam?

I have two theories on that. One, she recognized a fellow wildling — I’m sure she’d been Craster’s way before — and didn’t want to kill one of her own kind. Or two, even though she’s seething with anger at Jon and the rest of the crows, she has enough compassion inside her to save a young mother and her infant son. Either way, Ygritte has some standards, and I really like that about her. (Also, she axes people real good.)

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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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