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!

The Walking Dead - Season Four: Us

The numerous storylines finally start to merge together as the season finale approaches. After a number of isolated episodes, ‘Us’ sees the return to a pacier format, juggling multiple stories, as opposed to just one.

Glenn and Tara, still accompanied by Abraham, Rosita and Eugene (who both received a bit more character development this week) discovered one of Maggie’s messages telling him to go to Terminus. Glenn is no longer aimlessly wandering out of a vague hope that he will find Maggie again, instead he now has something more solid to go on, and it shows on his face as the opening credits roll.

It seems like ever such a long time since we last saw Rick, and even though he appears in this episode, it is only for one rather short scene. Seeing a smile on his face was something of a rarity, as he took some enjoyment from Carl and Michonne’s “bet”. It’s very nice of The Walking Dead to give us these acorns of light relief every now and then to fortify us, particularly as the season overall continually threatens to venture into darker (and darker) territory.

Daryl underwent an initiation process as Joe, the leader of this gang, seemed intent to take him under his wing. Daryl found himself caught up in a rivalry with Len: who fittingly is also a bowman. Daryl’s lack of understanding concerning “the rules” lead to a couple of confrontations between the two. Ultimately it seemed as though Daryl had been chosen to replace Len, as Joe administered a severe beating to Len (severe in this circumstance meaning ‘fatal’) and continued to offer counsel and advice. Daryl even began following the group’s protocol by the end of the episode. Perhaps Stockholm syndrome will come into place here…

Clearly this group are not good people, but in the grand scheme of things does that really matter? This is a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested world after all. As harsh as their way of life is, there is an undeniable logic to it. They have certain codes and rules in place to keep their group united; they adhere to their codes and rules; and they work as a unit when it comes to dealing with Walkers. Since survival is the name of the game now in the world of The Walking Dead this group seems to have things worked out – and in this episode they showed how they deal with potential trouble-makers (in this case Len).

Glenn was determined to continue along the tracks until he was reunited with Maggie, even if it meant not resting, but Abraham and his group were not entirely of the same mind-set. When they reached an ominous tunnel – from which the sound of Walkers could be heard – Abraham was unwilling to go through, for fear that he wouldn’t be able to get Eugene out the other end alive. In the brief time that they’ve been together it seems that all that Glenn and Abraham do is come to disagreements, and then agree to part ways.

Eugene was able to come through on this occasion, stubbornly insisting that he be allowed to navigate, and then leading Abraham and Rosita to the other end of the tunnel. There is something very odd about Eugene, he seems endearingly clueless about how to talk to people, never seems to smile (or really to show much emotion of any sort) and he speaks with a constant monotone. It’s very difficult to figure him out, but his actions in this episode lead to positive results.

Glenn and Tara ventured into the tunnel, and found evidence of a collapsed roof, under which numerous Walkers had become buried. Once they got past the rubble, however, they realised that there were still quite a few Walkers still roaming freely in the tunnel, too many for them to get past at any rate. Using some clever ingenuity they distracted the Walkers by planting a flashlight next to one of the trapped zombies, causing its shadow to attract the attention of the others. Unfortunately Tara got her foot trapped underneath some heavy rock, and the two of them lost their advantage, as their resultant shouting drew the attention of the Walkers. Glenn emptied his handgun (scoring several headshots along the way, nice going there!) but the ammo shortage really came into play. Luckily it is not yet time to say goodbye to these characters, and a timely intervention from Abraham’s group, unified with Maggie’s group, was enough to save the day. This was the first unifying since the attack on the prison, and I can only assume that the season finale will bring the rest of the groups together. Supposedly…

Glenn and Maggie had their emotional reunion, while some Lost-style music played. Having fought to get themselves back together again, Maggie convinced Glenn to burn his photo of her, as he now has the real thing.

The larger group made their way to Terminus, and the sanctuary was finally revealed. The main building looks rather like a warehouse, surrounded by chain-link fences, and with gardens growing vegetables within its confines. The group were greeted by a woman named Mary, who addressed them politely and offered to “fix [them] a plate”.

Now, if this was the last season, then this would be a reasonable way to close out the proceedings, the weary travellers are reunited, and at long last arrive at a safe haven. However, this isn’t the last season (the fifth season has already been commissioned) and there is another episode still to come. There must be more to this sanctuary than meets the eye, everything seems a bit too idyllic right now. Something has to be amiss.

This season has been the first that I have watched on a week-by-week basis, and I am firmly of the belief that The Walking Dead makes for much better viewing when one can watch episodes back-to-back. I am eager to find out what will happen next, and in some ways wish that I’d waited two weeks and just watched this episode and the finale together.

Season finales always have a certain level of expectation hanging over them, and this season in particular has a lot to deliver. We need to unify all of these separate storylines, we need to find out more about Terminus, and we need to set events in motion for season five. The finale episode has a lot to deliver, so what’s going to happen?

The Walking Dead - Season Four: The Grove

This could possibly be the bleakest episode of The Walking Dead to date (or if not, it’s certainly a strong contender). ‘The Grove’ is yet another isolated episode, which is surprising considering that the season finale is rapidly approaching, and yet it is one that has significant plot developments within its isolated confines. Even by the standards of The Walking Dead there is some pretty horrific stuff in this episode.

Carol, Tyreese, Lizzie, Mika and baby Judith, continue on their way to ‘Terminus’ but their progress is temporarily halted when they discover an isolated grove with a house at the centre. They decide to rest there for a couple of days, and this shows signs of developing into a more permanent arrangement when suggestions were made that they abandon the trek towards the almost mythical sanctuary, and instead settle down and make this house a home.

This feeling of contentment doesn’t last – of course – as Lizzie’s unstable mental state comes to the forefront. Throughout the season she has been exhibiting unusual attitudes and behaviours concerning Walkers, and this episode brought all of that to fruition. Her naming of the Walkers outside the prison gates (and getting upset when one of her favourites was killed), feeding rats to the Walkers causing their numbers to build up and eventually overwhelm the fences, trying to control one of them when the cells were attacked, etc. This is something that had been building up throughout the season, and the payoff was both surprising and unsettling.

It became apparent that Lizzie’s unstable state was something that pre-dated the outbreak, as Mika used calming techniques on her, after she reacted badly to the death of a Walker. Then it was revealed that from Lizzie’s perspective, the Walkers don’t kill people: they just want people to be like them.

Insert my usual gripe about: ‘how has she survived this long?’ here.

In spite of this Lizzie rescues her sister, and partakes in a mass Walker-shootout when a group of severely burned Walkers emerge from the trees. The burned Walkers was a creative way to make a shooting scene a bit more memorable (and their designs reminded me of the Uruk-Hai). The scene didn’t really make a lot of sense though considering what happened next.

Carol and Tyreese shared a very tense scene, in which Tyreese talked about his nightmares – and how much he misses Karen. The dramatic-irony was very clear throughout this scene (and also beforehand, ever since Carol was reunited with – of all people – Tyreese) and Melissa McBride did some great facial acting as the camera lingered on her throughout Tyreese’s speech. There were several moments during the episode when she looked ready to confess, but she held back.

As the two of them returned to the house they happened upon a very distressing scene: Lizzie standing over the body of her sister, with a bloody knife in her hand, and a strangely positive look on her face. She had murdered her sister, and was convinced that it was okay because she would come back (as a Walker). I really didn’t expect this, particularly since Lizzie had just rescued her sister from being bitten. She then revealed to Carol and Tyreese that she had planned to do the same thing to Judith next.

The Walking Dead is already a very dark show, that challenges and raises questions about the nature of humanity under extreme circumstances, but this episode moved into even darker territory because it placed young children – and mental illness – at the centre.

After such a horrific event, it was clear that Lizzie was not a safe person to keep around, and in a scene reminiscent of the ending to Of Mice and Men it was up to Carol to put her surrogate daughter down, releasing her from her torment.

After this Carol didn’t seem to care what happened to her, she had already lost her own daughter, and now in quick succession she lost both her surrogate daughters as well. She finally confessed to Tyreese that she killed Karen and David, and offered him a gun with which to finish her off. Tyreese has always been an amiable character, who tries to do what’s right, and retain as much of his humanity as possible, but something in his expression during Carol’s confession leads me to believe that he might not be quite the same again after this. He forgave Carol, because he could tell that she was sorry for what she had done, and also because she will have to live with her actions. The pair of them then left the house and continued on their way to ‘Terminus’ except with fewer in their party than before.

I don’t know if the acting from the young girls was of the highest standard, but I can’t really complain about it too much – it is a very big ask for any actor to convincingly pull off such disturbed characters, let alone actors who are so young. Both adult actors did a fine job, playing tortured characters who were encountering wildly unpredictable situations with the two girls.

The reason for this isolated episode occurring so close to the season finale is now clear, as it resolved a number of ongoing plotlines, and also saw the deaths of two characters. I felt particularly bad for Mika, who just seemed too young to cope with this harsh and unforgiving world. It will be hard not to have a heavy heart upon re-watching this episode, particularly considering how excited she was to discover a doll (although I’m not sure that this particular episode will be one I’m likely to re-watch in a hurry). 

Follow You Home (Single) - Embrace

Since the release of ‘Refugees’ Embrace have been gathering a significant head-of-steam in anticipation of their upcoming album Embrace (due out at the end of April). The band have got themselves booked for a number of summer festivals – including ‘V Festival’ and ‘T In The Park’ – in addition to their first UK tour in nearly eight years (I’m very excited to have a ticket to see them live in Bristol). They are set to make a big impression with their comeback, and their latest single ‘Follow You Home’ seems to have been written with chart success in mind.

In a contrast to the much darker sounding ‘Refugees’, ‘Follow You Home’ begins with a much livelier sound: a commanding drum beat, and a heavily guitar-driven melody. Then the layered lead vocals from both McNamara brothers come into play, and despite the mainstream aspirations of the song’s sound there is something inherently charming about Danny’s unmistakeable Northern accent breaking through.

The chorus is certainly one that was composed with stadium performances in mind, and while it is instantly catchy, it does start to lose a bit of the identity of being an Embrace song – this chorus sounds as though it could be coming from any number of mainstream artists. Fortunately the song has enough merits to counterbalance this: first of all the upbeat nature of the chorus is offset by the darker nature of the lyrics. The song is about the distraught (and obsessive) state of the narrator following a break-up, which certainly makes the title seem a lot more sinister than at first glance. The narrator seems to be seeking validation – “I’m not your stalker, it’s just my need / I said it to see it you’d follow me” – both from himself and his ex.

The song really gathers momentum during the middle-8 where the arrangements and the vocals take on a sense of urgency, and it really elevates the quality of the overall song leading into the third chorus. Then the song closes out in a similar manner to ‘Refugees’, with Danny completely taking over the lead vocals in more of a spoken word manner.

For me this song has improved with repeated listens, when I first heard the chorus I was afraid it sounded a little too generic – or anonymous – but the lyrics really allow the song to quell those early doubts. Also the second half of the song really ups the ante – I’m already looking forward to hearing it live.