TV Review: This Week on Game of Thrones (S4 Episode 10/ June 15, 2014)

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

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EPISODE 10: The Children

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). Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have been making bold promises that tonight’s finale would be one to top them all. Did it? Yes and no. There’s no fault whatsoever with what we got on screen—the performances were Oscar worthy, and the dramatic tension hit home like a lightning storm. If there’s anything to complain about, it will be voiced by fans of the books as many of the arcs we visited tonight felt more like fleeting moments due to the overlap of STORM OF SWORDS and FEAST FOR CROWS so all characters remain on the show. Don’t get me wrong, some major shit hit the fan (Bran had a big night), but some moments felt a little lacking (Daenerys makes a trip to the catacombs). And of course, that scene I was hinting at in last week’s Extra Tidbit, sadly didn’t happen. These are small complaints in light of what was truthfully a decent ending to the season. It wasn’t epic, it wasn’t spectacular, but it was still pretty damn good.

I loved Jon’s sit down with Mance. The King Beyond the Wall has honor, and I like that. They toast to Ygritte, and speak like men. Stannis’ entrance was fantastic, well shot and presented in a way that made you feel it in your blood when he, and Davos come riding out of the smoke. One grouping of characters I really enjoyed in the books was Jon Snow, Stannis and Melisandre. They’re an interesting mix that add some real intrigue to The Wall. Not sure what to make of The Mountain and Doctor Frankenstein, but I’m sure that’ll end up being fun down the road. Non-book readers must have lost their minds when Cersi began ranting to her father about family, and “the truth.” The look on Tywin’s face when she tell him his legacy is a lie was priceless. Almost as priceless as the “oh shit” look on Jamie’s face when she tells him what she’s done. Of course, he’s a little preoccupied by the fact that she’s now telling him everything he wants to hear and acting accordingly.

I remember the dead kid scene from the book, but I can’t remember is if it’s a trick to get Daenerys to doubt her dragons or not. Either way, she had to be on screen tonight, but didn’t have much to do unfortunately—that said, it was still a better scene for her than that in the finale “Mysa.” Bran’s arc goes into hyperdrive tonight once they reach the mysterious tree. I don’t remember any of that from the book, but it was cool. The skeletons, a little chick throwing fireballs, and the three eyed raven/old dude under the tree. Sure, it feels like they answered a question with five more (and I hated losing Jojen), but that was most excitement we’ve had with Bran…well, ever. Looking forward to seeing where that road leads. Brienne and Pod catching up with Arya and The Hound was a fantastic scene. Everything felt innocent at first, small talk and pleasantries until The Hound comes out and Pod recognizes him. Poor Brienne, you could see the frustration in her eyes as she tried to convince Arya she was on her side, yet everything The Hound pointed out was equally true. The fight was great, but I feel for him, he of all people would take getting beat down and killed by woman particularly hard. The parting moments between Arya and The Hound were heartbreaking. On the one hand, it became even clearer tonight that The Hound cared about Arya, whereas she saw him as a means to an end. Seeing her present the coin, speak the words (Valar Morghulis) and board that ship for Bravos put a huge smile on my face.

GAME OF THRONES SEASON FOUR’s finale covered a lot of ground, so much so, that I feel it would have been better stretched out over two episodes, but hey, you win some, and you lose some. And as the night came to a close, we were treated to the real moment everyone was waiting for: the fate of Tyrion Lannister. I knew it was coming, but I reveled in how well the scenario played out. The scene with Shae was perfect, as was his confrontation with his father. I wasn’t sure if they were actually going to do the whole “he’s sitting on the can” bit, but they did. I was sad to not hear him say the line about shitting gold though, but then again, a line like that could have easily killed the tension and ruined the moment. If memory serves, Tyrion had more than a little to say to Varys on his way out, so again, sucks we missed out on that, but all in all I’m pleased with the way they handled everything and look forward to seeing how things play out next season—especially considering, for most characters, we’ll be crossing into DANCE WITH DRAGONS territory now. See you next season folks.

SEX/NUDITY: No sexytime, but Shae’s murder was definitely a crime of passion. And I don’t want to think of Tywin on the can as a form of “nudity.”

VIOLENCE: There’s a rumble between Stannis’ men and the Wildlings, we get charred kid bones, crazy skeleton stabbings, fireballs, sword fights, a strangulation and Tywin has a rougher late night dump than he anticipated.

SHARPEST QUIP: : I loved hearing Arya say “Valar Morghulis,” as well as Tyrion’s “I’m sorry,” but my favorite was Mance telling Jon he wasn’t trying to poison him with a drink. Mance: “Of all the ways I’d kill you, poison would be the last.”

MOST EPIC SCENE: It’s a tough call really, the Stannis entrance was awesome, as was Bran’s adventure at the base of the tree, but as far as epic goes, I have to give it to Tyrion’s pre-escape journey to tie up “loose ends.” That you did, my friend. That you did.

FINAL VERDICT :

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