Game of Thrones - Season Four: First Of His Name

For the most part a much more slow-paced episode, which provided further exposition and solidified the changes in direction (or new settings) for certain characters. Events from the show’s past were re-visited for the first time in since they occurred. And then, to thank viewers for their patience we got a very gratifying finale, which rectified some of the uneasy viewing of last week – and got a lot of the characters right back where they need to be. And most importantly, Hodor finally got in on the glory!

The episode began with the coronation of Tommen Baratheon, the gentle-minded younger brother of Joffrey. The courtroom erupted into loud applause as he was pronounced King, which is probably very different to the atmosphere when Joffrey was crowned. The main purpose of this scene though, was to show the relationship between Cersei and Margery, both of whom have strong connections with the boy-King. Their conversation was very slowly paced, with deliberate phrasing from both characters, creating the impression that they have decided to make peace. Considering all that we know about these characters I highly doubt that either of them are being genuine, and this scene will be an interesting one to re-watch and analyse once the story has progressed a little further.

Cersei also shared a scene with Oberyn, another enemy, where she gave a rare show of vulnerability. In spite of all that she has done to get herself into a position of power, she has been ultimately powerless to help her children: Joffrey died at his own wedding (a crime for which Cersei refuses to hear any argument other than that Tyrion did it) and her daughter Myrcella is far away in Dorne. Oberyn seemed genuinely surprised that Cersei made no threats, and instead asked for a message to be sent to her daughter at Dorne.

With the war – effectively – over, and a new King on the throne, the most powerful house in Westeros have a cause to let their petty disputes slide. Tywin revealed that the crown owes a significant debt to the Iron Bank of Braavos, and so it would be for the best if the Lannisters and the Tyrells remain on the same side. Now that the tyrannical Joffrey is gone, it will be much easier to keep the rest of the country unified.

Indeed, across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys contemplates an attack on King’s Landing – especially given the chaotic state of the realm in the aftermath of a royal death – but then learns that the cities she has liberated have since fallen under tyranny after her departure. Her claim to the Iron Throne will not feel justified if she is unable to rule. So she resolves to remain in Meereen, and rule the city. This may annoy viewers of the show, as the majority of Dany’s journey thus-far has been to reclaim the Iron Throne, so to have her supposedly abandon that conquest is questionable – and yet as far as her character is concerned it makes sense. She has proven her abilities as a conqueror, but has never truly ruled over people.

Sansa arrived at the Eerie – a place we’ve not seen since Tyrion’s last trial – under the protection of Littlefinger, and the master-manipulator used the impenetrable fortress as a metaphor for his own accomplishments; if he makes the most effective and tactical use of his resources “one man can be worth ten-thousand”. Sansa was then introduced to her Aunt Lysa, and her cousin Robin. Lysa appeared pleased to see Sansa at first, but very quickly revealed a dislike for her – brought about by a lifetime of resentment of her older sister Catelyn. It seems that poor Sansa is unlikely to find any sort of happiness – she finally escapes from King’s Landing, only to find herself at the Eerie with her bitter Aunt Lysa.

In a private moment between Lysa and Littlefinger, she revealed that under his orders it was in fact she who poisoned Jon Arryn, and wrote to Catelyn that the Lannister’s were to blame. This is a pretty huge deal, as devotees will remember that these were events that occurred right at the start of the series (episode one of season one) and eventually sparked off a war. Littlefinger truly is a dangerous man, knowing how to manipulate people and pray upon their weaknesses, all for personal gain. Knowledge is power indeed. However, he was clearly not as thrilled about marrying Lysa, as she was about marrying him.

Arya now has a longer list of names than ever before – not yet aware that she can remove Joffrey from it – and it’s a shame that she feels the need to add Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr to the list. When she said she had just one more name to say, it was clear it was going to be The Hound. The following morning she returned to practicing the Water Dance that she learned from Syrio Forel. The Hound sneered at this technique, and was given even further cause for scorn when Arya revealed that Syrio was killed by Ser Meryn of the Kingsguard (supposedly – we never saw it happen). Bronn remarked in last week’s episode “do you want to fight pretty, or do you want to win?” and it seems that The Hound shares that view. Syrio was a great swordsman, but since his opponent had full armour and a “big fucking sword” it made no difference in the end.

Someone who can boast killing a Kingsguard Knight is Podrick, who spent a long time proving his ineptitude as a squire (incapable of riding a horse, or skinning a rabbit) but was able to earn Brienne’s respect when he revealed the main reason Tyrion held him in such esteem: having saved his life. It also seems that Brienne is heading for The Wall, as nobody (other than Littlefinger and Lysa) know where Sansa truly is.

And finally, the reason for the extended focus on the Night’s Watch deserters in last week’s episode was made clear – to give us more of a build for the fight, and a more satisfying payoff with the deaths of Karl, Rast and the other deserters. The fight between the Watch and the deserters was an interesting one as they were all dressed in black, making it hard to tell who was on whose side (unless they were established characters). I was very eager to see the face-off between Jon and Karl, but I was a little disappointed that Karl had the upper hand for the majority of the fight. All his bravado about his legendary status as a hired killer, had me hoping that Jon would put him in his place, but this wasn’t entirely the case. However, Karl found himself on the receiving end of one of the most gruesome deaths in the show’s history: taking a sword right through the back of the head, and out through his mouth (it was a little bit like a scene from The Walking Dead).

Locke’s involvement also became resolved, and served to ensure that Bran and Jon remained separate. Locke’s goal was to locate Bran and Rickon Stark (to his credit he actually did pretty well on this) but it was clear that his intentions weren’t good – he does serve Roose Bolton after all, the same man who put a knife through Robb Stark’s heart. Unfortunately for Locke he didn’t count on Bran’s abilities as a warg, or the simple-minded Hodor who Bran can control. Hodor is a gentle giant, who would never willingly hurt anyone, but under Bran’s control his strength was proven, as he snapped Locke’s neck with ease. I can already see the meme’s that will emerge from this: “I have an army; we have a Hodor!”

It would seem that none of the Stark children are ever going to be reunited, but they will always come agonisingly close. The alterations made from the books allowed for the sadness of Bran’s choice to really shine through, as he has to pursue his quest rather than reunite with his family.

This was a very strong episode, which brought things back on track after a couple of uneven episodes (don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of good moments in them too). We’re now halfway through the season, and we’re set to have some big events in the second half. The changes from the books maintain a sense of uncertainty about what’s to come, but everything they keep will be worth getting excited about.