Game of Thrones - Season Four: The Watchers On The Wall

Ah, episode nine! Always the ‘big’ episode of any season of Game of Thrones, and this season makes no exception. Akin to Season Two’s Blackwater, The Watchers On The Wall takes place in a single location, and the narrative unfolds during a single night. This big battle at the Wall has been building up for most of the season (as well as throughout Season Three) and although the build hasn’t been perfectly handled – the attack on Craster’s Keep was entertaining, but it was a sign that the writers were playing for time – this episode delivers in a big way.

Mance Rayder’s army have arrived at the Wall, and Tormund’s scouting party are ready to attack Castle Black from the south, and once the signal goes up: “the biggest fire the North has ever seen” it’s time for an all-out assault on the already greatly-weakened Castle Black.

The episode feels very similar to Blackwater (unsurprisingly, as it has the same director) and makes use of the ‘calm-before-the-storm’ moments, to give focus to all the significant characters who are to be involved in the approaching conflict. Although many characters at the Wall aren’t major characters – as the heavily abridged opening credits will attest – they have been long-standing presences on the show since the first season. Jon Snow and Sam are significant characters, but there’s also Grenn, Pyp, Edd, Alliser Thorne, Maester Aemon and Janos Slynt based at Castle Black. We also check in with the Wildling raiders, and although we may not be as invested in their plight, the show deserves credit for developing characters such as Tormund and Ygritte, as well as establishing the threat of characters like Styr the cannibalistic Thenn. We spend time with all these characters before the fighting starts, and it is well paced and well distributed amongst them.

Interestingly the character who received the most focus during this section was Sam. From a tense conversation with Jon Snow at the top of the Wall, about the women they love/have loved; to learning some wise counsel from Maester Aemon (Targaryen), and then reuniting with Gilly. John Bradley does an excellent job with each of these scenes; he’s always played a big part in making Sam such a likeable character, but here he takes the character much further. He’s not a hero, nor a great fighter, but he knows his duty – and even though he’s terrified of the prospect of what’s to come, he’s found a different form of courage as he’s got something to stay alive for. “Love is the death of duty” Maester Aemon tells him, but in Sam’s case it’s not entirely true – as he remains loyal to both Gilly and his duties to the Wall.

One of my favourite inclusions in this episode was the enhanced involvement of Ser Alliser Thorne. I’ve always enjoyed his character in the show – thanks largely to Owen Teale’s portrayal – because he’s a necessary evil for the Night’s Watch. He’s not meant to be likeable, but he’s a seasoned fighter and not a coward. The sort of man the Night’s Watch need on their side if they’re going to survive. This is mentioned by Commander Mormont back when the character was introduced, but here we finally get a demonstration of Thorne’s worth. The moment when he admits to Jon that he was right about wanting to seal off the tunnel, is handled brilliantly, as Thorne remains true to character all the time; begrudgingly conceding that he was wrong, and making it clear that he still doesn’t like Jon and likely never will.

Thorne is an effective battle commander, who’s able to whip the undisciplined young men of the Night’s Watch into shape – and then is right in the thick of the conflict when the raiders make their appearance. This is juxtaposed by Janos Slynt’s useless and ineffective command, denying the existence of giants despite the fact that they’re standing in plain sight, and revealing his cowardly nature for all to see (he’d previously played a part in stabbing Ned Stark’s men in the back, and murdering a defenceless baby). Fortunately Grenn was able to lure Slynt away from the top of the Wall, allowing Jon to take command.

The rest of the episode is devoted to the fighting, and yet never seems to become repetitive or dull. Neil Marshall deserves praise for being able to stage such a lengthy battle sequence, and yet keep it varied and engaging throughout. Plenty of small stories are told, and interspersed with moments of pure spectacle.

I felt genuinely tense during the fight between Ser Alliser and Tormund, because I like both characters yet I felt that the show could very easily kill one (or both) of them off. I’m glad that they didn’t go that route, and managed to find a way to keep both characters alive, without making either look weak. As Thorne was being dragged away, with a deep cut in his side, he continued to shout orders to his men.

Pyp was killed off in a moment reminiscent of so many war films, abruptly shot through the neck after raising his head above cover, having just successfully killed a Wildling. Grenn was also killed off, although he was granted a much more heroic last stand. With a small group of his sworn brothers around him, he faced off against a Wildling giant, who was threatening to break down the gate. This death goes to a different character in the books, but in the show it makes more sense to have Grenn take the fall. Still, of all the Game of Thrones deaths, to die whilst killing a giant is a pretty impressive way to bow out. Even though these characters don't die in the books, such casualties were necessary to get the seriousness of the situation across.

Jon also gets his moments to shine, after proving his capabilities as a commander at the top of the Wall, he makes his way down into the courtyard after Ser Alliser falls. He fights his way through multiple raiders, before facing off with Styr, who swings his giant axe around in a frightening manner. Someone is going to have to make a tally of the number of times Jon Snow gets disarmed in this show, because he seems to lose his sword all the time – but a forceful blow with a hammer, smashes through the skull of the sinister cannibal.

Jon then turns to see Ygritte, and everything slows down. It’s very rare for Game of Thrones to use slow motion, but here it works. Time is taken to see the expressions on their faces; Jon, unarmed, looks almost resigned to his fate, as Ygritte has an arrow pointed at him, while she – having shot down numerous crows throughout the night – hesitates, unable to loose the arrow. She is then shot by the young boy whose family were killed by the raiders (actually, wasn’t it Ygritte who shot his dad?) who then – hilariously – give Jon ‘the nod’. She then dies in his arms, but not before saying her catchphrase on last time. Even if you don’t like the character, you have to admit that this moment was well done.

The Wildlings retreat after suffering heavy losses, but still outnumber the Night’s Watch by a great deal and will likely regroup and attack again. The raiders are completely routed, yet Tormund refuses to yield and continues to fight as he’s dragged to a cell. It’s an ending of sorts, but unlike Blackwater there are still things to be resolved in the Season Finale. Jon Snow has gone to parlay with Mance Rayder, or attempt to assassinate him. I’m a little disappointed that this whole storyline wasn’t concluded here, but at the same time it means that there is a lot of momentum going into the finale. Consequently my only real concern is that there is so much to wrap up in just one episode, will the finale be able to address it all? I guess I’ll have to find out next week.