Game of Thrones - Season Four: Oathkeeper

Bookreaders have always been able to enjoy a sense of smugness when it comes to knowing what’s going to happen next. Recently we had the Purple Wedding, and people who had read the books had their cameras at the ready to record the reactions of their unsuspecting friends. Well it seems that changes are now in motion, as this week’s episode made several significant deviations from the books, throwing a cloud of ambiguity over next week’s episode.

The last third of the episode, based at the Wall and beyond, are where the most significant deviations occurred. Some of them were smaller, and carry more weight in book-form anyway (such as Sam telling Jon that he met Bran, whereas in the books he keeps it a secret – at Bran’s request) but the sudden addition of Locke to the Night’s Watch, and the enhanced involvement of the Night’ Watch deserters, is entirely new. Not to mention the capture of Bran’s group.

I can entirely understand why these changes were made, it raises the stakes for Jon’s planned assault on Craster’s Keep and gives a bit more development to the villains. With that said, I didn’t exactly enjoy the lengthy scene of Karl, Rast and the rest of the deserters. The scene did its job of making me hate these characters and wanting to see them die, but they aren’t interesting or compelling villains; something the show otherwise thrives in.

I’m also really intrigued by what’s now going to happen with Bran and his group, now that various storylines are set to converge. Jon seems poised to be reunited with his younger half-brother, and Locke (clearly up to no good, as we last saw him set out to find the youngest Stark brothers) will be caught in the mix too. The stakes are high for the showdown at Craster’s Keep, and are raised even higher by the fact that this event is entirely manufactured for the show. I can make some fairly safe predictions about how this will all play out, but the fact that I don’t actually know what will happen is very intriguing. For the first time since I watched the first season, I actually don’t know what’s going to happen.

Elsewhere in this episode, we were given an answer to the mystery of who really killed Joffrey. Of course it wasn’t Tyrion, although it’s not the first time Tyrion has been framed for murder, for which he’s had to face a trial. And there was more than one perpetrator, both characters who have waited around the peripherals of the major storylines, avoiding suspicion while influencing the Game of Thrones. Littlefinger played a part, demonstrating the effectiveness of his methods (“I’m not going to fight them, I’m going to fuck them”) manipulation, persuasion and ruthlessness, as opposed to strength in battle. He also appears to have intentions for Sansa, as he was in love with her mother, and as Catelyn is now dead he will likely keep Sansa close. When he put his hand on her arm, after she asked him what he wanted was a very loaded moment.

But since Littlefinger was nowhere near the capital around the time of the Royal Wedding he can’t have been the only one involved in the death of the king. And as Littlefinger talks about his “new friends” the scene transitions to the gardens at King’s Landing, where Olenna reveals (without ever needing to state outright) that she played a part too. The dialogue between Margery and Olenna also set in motion a new phase in the Tyrell’s power-play: that Margery should get closer to Tommen, the boy king. There is nothing sexual about the relationship between Margery and Tommen – although the show could deviate from this – but she treats him very well, much to the ire of Cersei.

There was a significant backlash to the rape scene in last week’s episode, and the writers seem to have realised that it was an error. Nevertheless it happened, and we can’t pretend it didn’t; although it seems that the writers want to ignore it now. Jaime was at the core of many of the King’s Landing scenes this week, developing his left-handed swordplay, consoling one sibling, confronting the other, and then redeeming himself for his release by gifting Brienne with his Valyrian steel sword, and setting her the charge of seeking out Sansa Stark and defending her. This is something we’ve seen before, but now that the show is more established and we’ve spent more time with these characters we can appreciate the significance of certain actions more: in Season One Commander Mormont gave Jon Snow a Valyrian steel sword, now we see a similar gesture again with Jaime and Brienne. Jaime has changed from the man who pushed Bran from a tower, and attacked Ned Stark; now he’s giving up a part of his legacy to protect one of the remaining Starks. Perhaps the rape scene was one last gesture to demonstrate who the character used to be, further highlighting the man he has become. I can’t justify the action, but that’s my speculation.

And strangely I conclude my synopsis with the beginning of the episode. Grey Worm received an impressive moment of glory, rallying the slaves of Meereen to join Dany’s cause, and just like Drogo before him, proving that a made up language can be surprisingly effective. There was also a scene between Grey Worm and Missandei where they gave a brief insight into their pasts; lives of slavery and oppression. One thing that I found unusual about this scene was how suspicious Missandei looked when Dany entered, just after repeating the phrase “kill the masters”.

Daenery’s won another impressive victory, without needing to lose any of her army, liberating more slaves and winning more support. Everything is going pretty well for the mother of dragons, but she is running the risk of becoming more like the people she hates, which I think is the reason Ser Barristan offered her the counsel to be merciful (be the bigger person, don’t become the thing you hate), after all he knew her father: the Mad King, which legitimizes his concerns.

Another strong episode that really emphasised the ways in which the show is changing, characters are finding themselves in new surroundings, or amongst new companions. The show once again succeeds in making me feel impatient to see the next episode already!

Oh, and we received another reminder that the White Walkers are still out there, and are still a threat! 

Embrace (Album) - Embrace

Eight years is a very long time. Popular culture is an impatient medium, and so it is likely that a significant majority of people will have forgotten about Embrace, since the release of their 2006 album This New Day. I was a latecomer to the music of Embrace, and it seemed to me that I had arrived on the scene around a time when they truly had vanished without a trace (it was incredibly rare to find copies of their albums in music stores – especially Drawn From Memory and If You’ve Never Been). Nevertheless, this downtime allowed me to acquire copies of all five of their albums, and I eagerly awaited the release of their next album. This was around 2008, so I had a long wait ahead of me!

The band’s website was practically non-existant, the Twitter accounts of the band members never seemed to have any news where the band were, and any news articles floating around tended to be from 2006. The band had truly vanished, which is an impressive feat in the digital age of social media.

But then, out of nothing (!) news and rumours began to emerge, Danny McNamara stated in an interview that the band had not split up, but were “champing at the bit” to get back out there. He also mentioned that the reason they had been away for so long was because they wanted their next album to be the best it could be – the band’s best album since their 1998 debut The Good Will Out. Nevertheless, loyal and dedicated fans of the group would have to continue to be patient, now that a new album was confirmed, the wait seemed to get longer. People wanted a release date, an album title, the track listings, some new artwork, anything…

And when it finally came, fans of the band were elated; the new album would be called Embrace, it would be released on April 28^th, the band would be touring again following the release, and two singles were made available ahead of the album’s release. Patience is a virtue, and patience was rewarded!

So, onto the album itself.

The band promised that the new album would raw-er and darker than anything that had preceded it, and this becomes clear right from the start, as soon as the opening track ‘Protection’ begins. A bass-y electronic buzz underscores the track, and some urgent lead-guitar riffs cut right through it, before Danny’s vocals emerge – sounding more confident than ever. The track builds momentum nicely, before a commanding drum beat signals the arrival of the chorus, which is every bit as energised and anthemic as the band’s greatest tracks. It’s a strong way to kick things off, and the energy runs right into the next track: ‘In The End’ a song destined for stadiums and festivals. The guitars and drums are in a frantic race with one another right from the start, and a synthesiser carries the song into the stratosphere.

Up next is the first single ‘Refugees’ which I’ve had more time to process, having now heard it many times. It’s a song that has a definite staying power, as I actually like it even more than I did when I first heard it. Richard McNamara takes the lead vocals on this track, demonstrating a natural ability for singing in a higher register. The song perfectly showcases the band’s newfound energy and rekindled fire, a natural choice for the lead single: ‘Refugees’ gives a really strong sense of what kind of album to expect.

I was very excited to hear ‘I Run’ as Danny had posted on the group’s facebook page several months ago when he’d just written it, expressing his excitement about this new song. The song is less electronically charged than the majority of the album, and the musical arrangement is more straightforward, allowing the lyrics to shine through. The fact that there is another towering chorus should really go without saying at this point. It is definitely one of the tracks that will get stuck in your head, and is one of my favourites from the album. Second single ‘Follow You Home’ then marks the halfway point of the album with an exclamation point, a catchy tune with a pounding drum-beat offsetting the sinister lyrical content about someone stalking his ex-girlfriend online.

The tone then shifts dramatically, not just as far as the album is concerned, but from anything we’ve ever heard from Embrace up until now. ‘Quarters’ really catches the listener off-guard, a track that wouldn’t feel out of place in an eighties disco. I think it’s something I’m going to have to hear more before I decide whether I like it or not. ‘At Once’ then restores a sense of familiarity once again, before we get this album’s equivalent of ‘Yeah You’ in the form of ‘Self Attack Mechanism’ an unrelenting attack on the senses, a track that races along at break-neck speed from start to finish.

‘The Devil Looks After His Own’ continues along a similar path to that set by its predecessor, albeit with slightly less frenzied vocals. With the album drawing to a close the energy shows no signs of letting up, a fitting indication of the band’s desire to get themselves out there once again.

Embrace have often excelled when it comes to album closers, and ‘Thief On My Island’ doesn’t disappoint. As a change of pace from the majority of the album the track takes its time, slowly building and creating a strong dramatic atmosphere. The energy and sense of urgency that pulsated through the whole album is as palpable as ever. Dancing piano scales interspersed with colossal blasts of distortion close out the album in a major way – similar, but entirely distinct from the final moments of Out Of Nothing.

Something that I should emphasise is that, although a lot of the tracks follow a similar formula when it comes to building up a grand and anthemic chorus, the album as a whole never feels formulaic. Every song feels distinct and new, never feeling like a rehashing of older ideas. I guess that the band can really be taken at their word when they said they wanted this album to be the best that it could be.

Another admirable trait is the band’s ability to create accessible tunes that are laced with darker content, and with more of an edge than before. It is still unmistakeably Embrace, huge choruses and stadium-destined anthems, but below the surface there is a lot more at work, which I really think will allow the album to hold up as time passes.

Embrace is an album that delivers what the band promised, and it is gratifying to see that the band were willing to work hard at their craft – even though it meant disappearing for a while – rather than go through the motions and churn out content of a lower quality. It is an album that positively crackles with electricity and energy right the way through.

However, I do have one final thought: now that Embrace are back – re-energised and ready to be rediscovered (and re-embraced) – what will they do next? How will they follow up this album? Now that is something I’d be very interested to see. 

Game of Thrones - Season Four: Breaker Of Chains

This episode picks up in the immediate aftermath of the Purple Wedding, commencing with a shot of Joffrey’s purple face. Cersei screams for Tyrion to be arrested and Tywin orders a lockdown of the city – “nobody leaves the Capital!” It would seem that there is a new Kingslayer on the loose… but who did it?

Alongside Tyrion, one of the prime suspects is Sansa, who we see being hastily spirited away by Ser Dontos. Clearly Dontos is connected to the murder, as he was ready to help Sansa escape the moment Joffrey started choking, but he’s not the actual perpetrator. Having been a captive for the best part of three seasons, Sansa finally escapes from King’s Landing. She then comes face to face with her true rescuer, Littlefinger (or Petyr, as he insists she call him). It’s been a while since we last saw Littlefinger, but the episode wastes very little time in reminding everyone of how cold and ruthless he can be. Dontos’ payment for delivering Sansa is a couple of crossbow bolts (one of which catches him right in the face – nasty!) which will certainly keep him silent. Littlefinger then reveals that the necklace Dontos gave to Sansa was a worthless trinket he’d recently had made.

Charles Dance was on top form (as ever) in this episode as fans were introduced to Tommen Baratheon – the character has appeared before but has since been recast, and he was in last week’s episode but didn’t do much – who is now set to become the new king. While Cersei looked on with grief and annoyance Tywin gave Tommen a lecture on what makes a good king. This was a very interesting and well-acted scene, and it certainly sets up a more beneficial role for Tywin going forward, as he will effectively be the king in all but name. Tommen is a much kinder child than Joffrey, and several characters remarked about how he will be much easier to handle.

A very strong scene then transitioned into a highly uncomfortable one, all in the same setting, at Joffrey’s death-bed. There is something rather tragic about the fact that nobody (apart from Cersei) mourned the death of the king – but then again, this is Joffrey we’re talking about. Anyway, Jaime arrived and had the priests exit the chamber so that he could be alone with Cersei. She ordered him to kill Tyrion, which he refused to do (this is a little reminiscent of Much Ado About Nothing – “Kill Claudio” “Not for the wide world”). The two of them seemed poised to share a tender moment – or as tender as it can be considering their relationship – but then Cersei shuddered at the touch of his artificial hand. This angered Jaime to the point that he forced himself upon her, an uncomfortable scene in any setting, but made even more so due to the location (next to the recently deceased corpse of their illegitimate son). Just as fans were coming around to start liking Jaime, something like this happens.

This motif was also present in a sequence involving Arya and The Hound. Here we have another character whom audiences have warmed to as time has gone by, but this episode delivers harsh reminders that they are not good people, though they may be capable of good deeds. Arya managed to persuade a kindly farmer to provide them with food and shelter, only to have The Hound knock the man out and steal his silver. It’s a harsh world, and it would seem that the only way to get by is to be just as harsh. Arya has done bad things herself, but this scene revealed that she still has a conscience, and there is a line that she won’t cross. The scene around the dinner table was so awkward it was almost comical, but highly uncomfortable as well. That said it did serve a decent purpose, pointing out the sorry state of Westeros ever since the Red Wedding and the falls of House Stark and House Tully.

Something I had previously complained about was remedied somewhat in this episode, as Stannis was able to demonstrate his knowledge and strategic mind to an extent – berating Davos for his well-meaning, yet largely ineffective support. I’m still looking forward to seeing more of Stannis as a hard, but just commander – something that is needed in Westeros right now, considering the elevated statuses of men like Roose Bolton and Walder Frey. Davos then had a brainwave and decided to appeal to the Iron Bank of Braavos for assistance towards Stannis’ cause.

Further north the Wildlings massacred a small village, cutting short a rather corny dialogue between a father and a son, and managing to make me transition between feeling bemused and feeling sympathetic in a matter of seconds. Styr, the cannibalistic Thenn tribesman allowed the young boy to go free so that he could deliver a warning message to Castle Black. The Night’s Watch then receive the warning, and the sorry state of their forces is revealed as Maester Aemon states that there’s barely one hundred men at The Wall, and a lot of them aren’t fighting men either. Things aren’t looking too good for the Night’s Watch, and they’re made even worse when Grenn and (Dolorous) Edd return from Craster’s Keep to reveal the treachery of some of their other brothers. Curiously nobody mentioned the fact that Commander Mormont was killed – do the characters at The Wall already know that?

Oberyn and Eliria were seen in yet another brothel scene, but were interrupted by Tywin, who was able to demonstrate impressive powers of diplomacy and persuasion, supposedly coercing a potential enemy into being an ally. Alongside Tywin and Mace Tyrell, Oberyn will act as a judge for Tyrion’s trial.

Tyrion was then visited by Pod in his cell and learned of the grim state of his current predicament. Tyrion is poised to face a trial on the charge of poisoning the king, and it doesn’t seem as though he has many people to speak on his behalf. Sansa has fled the Capital, Varys is already speaking for the prosecution, Shae was sent away on Tyrion’s own (reluctant) request, and Jaime is caught in between both his siblings in this instance. Tyrion then relieved Pod of his duty as a squire, not wanting any harm to come to one of his few truly loyal friends. The scene between the two was surprisingly moving.

The new Daario Naharis received a chance to prove himself as Daenerys’ chosen champion, to fight against the champion of Meereen. In a highly unusual face-off, Daario casually brought down the Meereenese champion in a matter of seconds. Maybe this will help audiences to take more of a shine to the new actor. Dany then launched a barrage of wooden barrels into the city, containing broken chains. The slaves will be freed once again, it would seem.

This episode had plenty of development, but did not quite match the one that preceded it. It was still a very entertaining episode, but was let down by the rape scene and also the charming-yet-clunky relationship between Sam and Gilly. John Bradley is an immensely likeable actor, and he brings a lot of warmth to the role of Sam, but these scenes did drag on a bit too long. Nevertheless, the tyrannical boy-king is dead, and a much more mild-mannered boy-king is set to take his place, Tyrion is set to face a trial on a very high charge, Sansa has escaped King’s Landing – but has ended up in the protection of someone very dangerous indeed, the Night’s Watch is in serious danger, and Dany is set to conquer another city. In the wake of a huge event various plot-lines continue to move forward. This was a transitional episode, but as transitional episodes go it had plenty of engaging content. 

Game of Thrones - Season Four: The Lion and The Rose

Last year the Red Wedding sent the viewers of Game of Thrones into a frenzy, as several beloved main characters were all hideously butchered in one of the most infamous moments from the book series “A Song of Ice and Fire”. I had deliberately not spoiled the Red Wedding for all of my friends who watch the show, but haven’t read the books. Ever since that time I have avoided spoiling the Purple Wedding, and now it has arrived – and the celebrations can begin!

But before we get to the major talking point (and it is a major one) there are other plot details to explore first. There are no scenes with either Jon Snow or Daenerys in this episode, but we do catch up with Theon, Bran, Stannis and Melissandre before the festivities commence.

The episode begins with a reintroduction to Ramsay Snow, indulging in one of his sadistic pursuits – game hunting, except with a human quarry. Ramsay is in a playful mood at the start of his scene, with Iwan Rheon looking and sounding like a demented Harry Enfield as he declares “If you make it out of the woods, you win!” Aside from demonstrating Ramsay’s psychopathic tendencies, the main purpose of this scene is to show how much of a broken man Theon has become. He limps and staggers around, agreeing to everything that Ramsay says, and allowing himself to be insulted and called by his ‘new name’ Reek.

Roose Bolton then arrives and is able to put Ramsay in his place without ever needing to raise his voice (Michael McElhatton is doing a great job). But Ramsay was able to show off his power over Theon – presenting his own throat, along with a sharpened razor, and tormenting him with the news of Robb Stark’s death. Theon/Reek is so beaten down by this stage he was unable to even attempt to cut Ramsay’s throat. Theon also confessed that he didn’t really kill Bran and Rickon, which set Roose Bolton to order a manhunt.

Tyrion and Jaime shared a scene together for the first time since the first season (and really early on in the first season too – I think it was episode 2) and Tyrion seemed a lot more like the Tyrion of old. Now that Jaime is a crippled man, Tyrion has less to feel intimidated by – and he even playfully lauds it over him. Jaime reveals in confidence that he can’t fight anymore, and so Tyrion offers a discreet swordsman to help him train in secret. In the books Jaime trains with Ilyn Payne, the King’s Justice, because Ilyn’s tongue was removed, and so he is unable to tell anyone. However, due to Wilco Johnson’s throat cancer, I can see why this change was made. Consequently we now have a pairing of Jaime and Bronn – which is no bad thing.

Beyond the Wall, Bran has a really odd-looking dream; I can’t help but think that this could have been made to look a little less… silly. Especially the dead deer opening its mouth and saying “Hodor”. Things then continue to get strange as Bran touches a heart tree and sees a trailer for Game of Thrones – or at least, that’s what it looked like. It was nice to see a few glimpses of Ned Stark again (I wonder if Sean Bean got any royalties).

There is also a scene on Dragonstone with Stannis continuing to be sullen and distant. I really like the character of Stannis in the books – even though he is a stern and humourless man – and I think that Steven Dillane is playing the part well, but I can’t help feeling that the writers of the show aren’t giving the character much credit. There is more to him than simply being cold – he is a very intelligent man, who knows how to command and strategize, but in the show he often comes across as ineffectual. There’s always time to change this though.

Varys makes his first appearance this season – albeit a brief one – warning Tyrion about the danger that Shae is in, especially now that Cersei knows about her. This provokes Tyrion to take drastic measures and have Shae smuggled out of the capital; for which he had to act as if he didn’t care about her, that their relationship meant nothing to him.

But the bulk of the episode is given over to the wedding ceremony – this episode was written by George R.R. Martin, a clear indication that it will be a significant one. Tyrion presented Joffrey with a rare book as a wedding present; in a rare moment of (surprisingly convincing) false sincerity Joffrey pretended to be grateful, only to slice to book to pieces with his new Valyrian steel sword: Widow’s Wail, and even threw in a reminder about the fact that he ordered Ned Stark’s execution.

In amongst all the celebrations there were some enjoyable exchanges, in particular between Lady Olenna and Tywin Lannister (a great moment between Diana Rigg and Charles Dance), a tense hushed conversation between Jaime and Loras Tyrell, and also a moment between Cersei and Brienne.

Oberyn got another moment to shine, standing up to Tywin and Cersei at the same time (a rare feat) calling them both out for the fact that his sister was raped and murdered by Lannister men. There are a lot of feuds subtly building up once again – the War of Five Kings may be over, but the killing is not.

The hatred for Joffrey took centre stage in the episode, and many characters were given a motive to wish him harm. During the wedding celebrations he was able to annoy, upset and antagonise a large number of the guests, including Loras, Sansa and most specifically Tyrion. Joffrey seemed to make it his priority to torment his uncle above all others, publically humiliating him, laughing hysterically at the dwarf-led performance representing The War of Five Kings, and then ordering Tyrion to join in, and pouring wine over his head.

Finally, the episode came to a much anticipated climax as Joffrey suddenly began to choke after drinking poisoned wine. The poison took effect very swiftly causing his face to turn purple, and blood to pour from his eyes and nose. There are many people who had a motive for wanting to kill Joffrey (fans of the show included) but the man who has been accused is Tyrion, as Joffrey’s final act was to point to figure of blame directly at him, provoking Cersei to command the Kingsguard to seize him.

The tyrannical boy-king is dead: murdered at his own wedding in front of hundreds of witnesses. This will certainly change the complexion of the show going forward. There are plenty more big events still to come, but this is a pretty major one – and one that a lot of people have been looking forward to for a very long time. 

Game of Thrones - Season Four: Two Swords

The much anticipated fourth season of Game of Thrones has arrived, and is out to make an impact right from the start.

A pre-credits scene sees a close-up of Ned Stark’s greatsword: Ice – which was last seen being used to behead the former Lord of Winterfell back in Season one – sheathed in a wolf pelt. A hand, belonging to none other than Tywin Lannister, then draws out the blade and hands it to a smith, who promptly goes about re-forging the Valyrian steel into two separate blades. Tywin then carries the wolf’s pelt and drops it into the fire, then watches on as it burns. It is a very symbolic moment, re-forging the ancestral sword of House Stark, and then removing all traces of the wolf. “The Rains of Castamere” plays throughout this scene, and as it crescendos the familiar sound of the opening theme is heard. Now that is how you start a new season!

Jaime was presented with one of the new swords by Tywin, and the significance of a Valyrian steel sword was discussed in more detail. Despite his growth in the previous season, Jaime was sounding a lot more like his old self, at least to begin with. Tywin had decided to have Jaime relieved of his post as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard (an unprecedented move, unless you count Ser Barristan) and sent back to Casterly Rock, but Jaime refused this and chose to stay in King’s Landing.

Tyrion’s fall from grace was highlighted as he waited to greet the Martells of Dorne, a task not befitting someone of high status. It definitely appears as though Tyrion will have a much more tragic role in this season. His scenes with Sansa and with Shae prove that he cannot find any comfort anywhere anymore, and he listed the number of people who want him dead.

A couple of lengthy scenes are then given to new arrival, Oberyn Martell (‘The Red Viper’), establishing his character as a charismatic, yet highly dangerous man. In his first scene he shows of his skills in the art of seduction, and his bi-sexual nature, managing to convince the proprietor of a whorehouse to join him and his paramour: Eliria Sand. They are then interrupted by a couple of armed Lannister men, yet Oberyn is calmly able to get the better of them by impaling one through the wrist. Bronn very quickly takes a liking to him.

Oberyn then shares some exposition with Tyrion, explaining the reason for the bad blood between the Lannisters and the Martells: during the sack of King’s Landing Gregor Clegane ‘The Mountain’ butchered the Targaryen children, before raping and slaughtering their mother Elia Martell (Oberyn’s sister). Pedro Pascal certainly made a mark on this episode, and the amount of attention given to his character clearly indicates that he’ll have a significant role to play this season. I really wish that certain other characters had received the same treatment (non-book readers probably didn’t know the significance of Qhorin Halfhand).

Daenerys shares a tender moment with Drogon – the black and red dragon, named after her dead husband – before coming the realisation that she doesn’t have complete control over her dragons; “They can’t be tamed” Ser Jorah points out, “Not even by their mother.” The dragons are getting big, and it was certainly nice of the effects department to give us an extended look at them.

Oh, and in case you were unaware, Daario Naharis has been re-cast this season. For the benefit of those who struggle to remember so many unusual names, this man with a beard and dark hair is not a new character! The new guy seems like a better actor, although I was surprised by how humble Daario now appears to be – especially for a character renowned for his arrogance. Maybe this remains to be seen.

Ygritte is then seen preparing arrows ready to attack Castle Black, before Tormund points out that she must still have feelings for Jon, otherwise she would have killed him. Kristofer Kivju has been elevated to the main cast this season, which means that we’ll be seeing more of Tormund Giantsbane. The wildlings meet with the Thenns in a scene that is somewhat reminiscent of the scene in The Two Towers when the Uruk Hai meet with the Orcs, and it turns out that meat is very much back on the menu, as the Thenns cannibalistic tendencies are revealed: a severed arm is seen being roasted over a fire.

Jon dealt with the news of the Red Wedding, declaring that he was always envious of Robb; his brother who was better than him at everything. Sam then mentioned that he had a similar relationship with Jon, someone he looks upon as better than him at everything. Jon then faced judgement for all of his broken vows: killing a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, having sex with a wildling woman, etc. He was able to justify his actions and avoid execution, after stressing the urgency of the threat posed by the approaching Wildling army. The Night’s Watch were in bad shape as it already stood, they lost a lot of men beyond the Wall (including their Lord Commander), they’re going to need every man they can get.

Alliser Thorne made his return in this episode, acting as Lord Commander, and supported by Janos Slynt (last seen in season two, being sent to the Wall by Tyrion). Thorne never liked Jon, and appeared to be very much in favour of having “the bastard” executed, but blind Master Aemon had the final say in the matter. I really liked seeing all of these characters – many of whom have been absent for a long while.

Sansa was inconsolable in the wake of the Red Wedding, refusing food and unable to sleep at night. She no longer has any real hope, having lost so much. She decided that the best thing would be to spend some time alone, and yet she was approached by another unfortunate soul: Dontos Hollard, the knight-turned-fool. He shared a clumsily sweet moment with Sansa, lamenting the collapse of his house, and presenting her with a necklace – all that’s left of his family’s legacy. This scene may have seemed unusual, but much like Davos learning how to read, it will have a greater significance in time.

The episode then ended in a great way, with a lengthy sequence based around Arya and The Hound (some people may have been wondering if there would be any deaths in this episode). I really liked that the episode gave certain storylines more time to play out – making use of the longer running time – and this was a great resolution to one of Arya’s sub-plots. George R.R. Martin recently released a chapter from The Winds of Winter which concluded in a similar manner (Arya’s prayer in the books has a longer list of names, and it wasn’t Poliver who killed Lommy there). I thought that the tension in the scene was given enough time to build before things escalated, and I really enjoyed the fight scene between the Hound and the Mountain’s men. Things got messy, the Hound was in danger at times, and Arya managed to steal the scene with a really great parallel dialogue – mirroring Lommy’s death at Poliver’s hands.

This episode touched on a lot of different storylines – I haven’t even covered everything here – bringing us up to date with where everyone is right now. The introduction of Oberyn Martell should allow fans to relax about losing their favourite characters, because there are plenty more great characters still waiting to be introduced. The show and its characters are so well established by now, and this episode felt really cinematic – the soundtrack was used brilliantly, particularly at the beginning and the end. Scenes were given more time to play out, which really allowed for the significance of their events to sink in. This season has go off to a great start, and I’m already waiting for the next episode – it’s going to be a big one!

The Walking Dead - Season Four: A (Season Finale)

The fourth season finale didn’t quite play out the way that I had expected it to. I thought that the majority of the episode would take place at ‘Terminus’, and that we would find out more about the mysterious sanctuary. I figured that Carol and Tyreese (along with baby Judith) would make an appearance, and that there would be a hint concerning what happened to Beth – supposedly that her abductors were somehow connected to ‘Terminus’. These assumptions didn’t really come to fruition, and now there is a long wait to find out what will happen next.

But I can’t dwell too much on what didn’t happen, and instead I will focus on what did.

The episode focussed predominantly on Rick’s character, and was interspersed with flashbacks to the group’s quiet days in the prison (it was nice to see Hershel again). Over the course of these scenes we saw Rick lay aside his gun, and take up a quieter farming lifestyle – which is how we were re-introduced to his character at the start of this season. The reason for these flashbacks was supposedly to show us that Rick still has it within himself to be a good man in spite of the savage nature of this world. Another reason for these scenes could have been to have reminded us who Rick was, because from hereon he will embrace the darker and more brutal nature of himself. The first of the flashbacks was followed up with a lingering shot of Rick covered in blood, with trembling hands, and with a haunted look in his eyes. I once again made an assumption that this shot would resolve at the end of the episode, but it reoccurred much sooner than that.

Although the ‘Terminus’ storyline wasn’t resolved, the fourth season finale did provide resolution to the story involving Joe and his gang of marauders. This occurred surprisingly early into the episode, and the scene escalated very quickly. The abrupt nature of Joe’s appearance was definitely surprising, and it really amped up the tension. Daryl stepped up, and was willing to sacrifice himself to rescue Rick, Carl and Michonne – but that didn’t work out too well. The group were very quickly overwhelmed, with Joe threatening to first have Daryl beaten to death, and then to let his men have their way with both Michonne and Carl, before putting a bullet in Rick’s head. The desperation of this situation saw something snap in Rick, but he still tried to be the hero (only to have it backfire) before he dug down deeper into his darker side.

This is where things got dark; as Rick overturned the advantage held by Joe and his group, by biting a chunk out of Joe’s throat. The shock of this allowed for Daryl and Michonne to overwhelm their aggressors, and it seriously alarmed the final member of Joe’s gang – who was freaked out by the animalistic look on Rick’s blood-stained face as he advanced on him. In the aftermath of this, Carl looked genuinely frightened of his father – which is unsurprising.

What is happening to Rick? Although his actions are justifiable – considering the position he was in, and the threats that were made towards his companions and his son – it is harder to connect with him. Characters like The Governor went to extreme lengths to protect their dominion, but we never saw him go full-on-Walker and bite a living man’s throat out. Rick is on a dark path, and the villains he is confronted with will likely continue to push him to even more violent extremes. He is likely going to have to become just as bad as characters like The Governor (or maybe even worse) if he is going to survive, as well as protect his own. The main difference is that we have seen his evolution right from the start, and all the events that have pushed him to such desperate measures.

The payoff to the Joe storyline was satisfying, although it felt quite abrupt, as Joe has only made a couple of appearances up until now – Joe and his group could have been built up even more since the mid-season finale, in order to make this payoff seem like a bigger deal.

After this the group arrived at ‘Terminus’, and they wasted very little time getting to the bottom of what’s really going on at the alleged “Sanctuary for all”. This is where things got frustrating, as we have spent so much time building up ‘Terminus’ only to spend a couple of minutes there – during which there isn’t much time to find out a great deal – before things turn ugly, without much explanation. Of course these discoveries are being left until next season, but right now all we know is that the people of ‘Terminus’ are bad. That’s all. We have yet to see much evidence of their villainous capabilities, apart from the fact that they threatened to kill Carl.

By now I have read other reviews that suggest what ‘Terminus’ really is, but this episode didn’t spend enough time there to get their villainy across. I guess we’ll have to wait. The episode then came to an end on a major cliff-hanger, which saw Rick boldly declare that he’s not worried because they (the people of ‘Terminus’) “[…] are screwing with the wrong people”.

We’ve now seen what Rick is capable of, and what he is willing to do – he is a dangerous man, even without a weapon in his hand – so this statement makes a lot of sense, but it’s just a shame that (for now) it’s all we’re getting. But, with that said, it definitely makes the Season Five premiere a Must Watch event. The majority of the group are now reunited (the revelation that Judith is still alive is clearly being saved until a later date) and they are ready to turn the tables on their oppressors. It will likely get messy, there will probably be a high body-count, and we may see other characters embrace their inner-monsters too. See you again in October!