NOTE: Join us every MONDAY as we review the latest episode…
EPISODE 4: And Now His Watch is Ended
THE PLOT : The long summer is at an end, winter truly is coming and with it the cold winds of war as five self proclaimed Kings claim dominance over Westeros, but there can be only one winner when you play the game of thrones.
THE LOWDOWN: (The following column contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so I don’t recommend reading this if you haven’t watched this episode). Jaime’s certainly seen better days. Having your hand cut off is bad enough, I wouldn’t want the stinking dead thing hanging under my nose. The show doesn’t let us see how rich the relationship between Jamie and Brienne got before this point, but she calls him out on the “help” and you can tell she feels for him. I loved how she put him in his place over loss. We get a short clip of Bran dreaming about his mom…who pushes him out of a tree. Talk about tough love. I also very much enjoyed Tywin’s condescending talk with Cercei. Her plotting knows no bounds and you can tell she’s starting to feel desperate. Watch out Tyrells.
As the title of tonight’s episode implies, it’s not a very good time for the Night’s Watch. I hated that little weasel that stabs Mormont from the first time I laid eyes on him when Jon and Tyrion were first headed to the wall. Jon should have let Ghost rip his throat out. All hell breaks loose in Craster’s camp. I’ll admit, I don’t feel for Craster one bit, as far as I’m concerned he got off a little too easy. Tonight was the first time I actually felt for Theon, as he breaks down and we genuinely see that he regrets turning on the Starks, sure it’s a little late, but it’s nice to see him admit he was wrong. Poor bastard can’t seem to catch a break. Speaking of emotions, that was the biggest smile I’ve seen on Sansa’s face in nearly two seasons. She’s probably gotten the shaft more than anyone. It was nice to see her happy for a change.
I enjoy the friendship Varys and Tyrion share. There isn’t one hundred percent trust between them, it’s fragile ground, but that’s what makes it so fun. The story of Varys manhood was interesting, as is his thesis on revenge—cue the sorcerer. Well played. Now on to Varys and Granny Tyrell, who continues to steal the show—I just can’t get enough of her wisecracks. I genuinely loved her shout out to how awesome the Starks’ words are. “Winter is Coming” does have a sweet ring to it. The leader of the Brotherhood, Baric Dondarrion has an interesting exchange with the Hound, promising a ridiculously cool battle to come. Sad thing is, I’d hate to see the Hound die. There’s honor in him, he’s just always been on the wrong side.
GAME OF THRONES SEASON 3’s fourth episode is a full can of badass with lots of WTF and OMG moments to have you falling out of your damn seat. And they saved the best for last. Daenarys shines tonight like the true goddess of death and destruction she is. The look she gives that jackass when he insults her yet again after giving her the whip was priceless. The fact that she understood him the entire time is just too epic for words. I couldn’t remember how it all went down in the book, but I knew it would end badly for him because she’d never give away a dragon. What a gorgeously impressive scene. The unsullied army looked phenomenal as do the dragons. Mad props to the effects team. Truly. And that final bit (see final photo) is a sight to behold in itself. Tonight they raised the bar. Tonight, we got a taste of blockbuster calibre television. The stuff of legend. Well f*cking done HBO.
SEX/NUDITY: Varys and Roz talk about Podrick’s legendary spear, but that’s about it.
VIOLENCE: Daenerys and her army of unsullied and dragons lay waste to a city. And Crater has a hell of a night with the Night’s Watch.
SHARPEST QUIP: Tonight isn’t about being clever, it’s heartfelt as Theon breaks down about his sins against the Stark family. Theon: “I paid the iron price for Winterfell. My real father lost his head in Kings Landing.” There may be hope for you yet, Theon.
MOST EPIC SCENE: The second you see Daenerys until the credits roll. I watched it three times. One right after the other.
FINAL VERDICT :
TELL US WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS EPISODE BELOW!