There are four Starks left, and they are scattered over Westeros, haunted by the violence done to their family and friends. Winterfell has fallen and burned. Daenerys Targaryen is still a continent away from making her move on the Iron Throne, The Lannisters rule in King’s Landing, and there seems to be no more obstacles to keep the lions from the lambs. The war may be over for now, but no one is safe. All in all, the season four opener paints a bleak picture for our heroes, where friend and foe alike struggle with honor and diplomacy.
The episode opens with a devastating reminder of the fall of the Starks—the destruction of Ice, the greatsword once wielded by Eddard Stark. Made of valuable Valyrian steel, Tywin Lannister watches triumphantly as it is melted down to make two new blades before throwing the wolf skin scabbard into the fire. Ned Stark believed that the one who passed the sentence should swing the blade. Tywin has no such qualms.
For all their deceits, the Lannisters are not entirely devoid of honor. After receiving one of the new blades, Jaime, who has broken most of the oaths taken by members of the Kingsguard, refuses to leave his post to take over Casterly Rock in place of his father. Maybe that’s not as honorable as it sounds when you consider that he really wants to stay close enough to fuck Cersei. Tywin doesn’t let him go without letting Jaime know that he is no longer his father’s golden boy. Handless, disobedient, and attached to a position which does not suit his father’s needs, Jaime has fallen to a position in his father’s eyes that is probably just slightly above his dwarf brother. And it seems his small rebellion was for naught, because Cersei doesn’t want to sleep with a one-handed man anyway, even though he’s mega-hot with short hair.
Upon meeting the Dornish* delegation on their arrival in King’s Landing in preparation for the wedding of King Fuckface and Margaery Tyrell, the “accomplished diplomat” Tyrion discovers that Prince Oberyn has been sent instead of his milder brother and Dornish ruler Prince Doran. If Tyrion looks nervous, that’s because the man known as The Red Viper has long held a grudge against the Lannisters and their men, specifically Gregor Clegane. It was Oberyn’s sister Elia who was raped and murdered by the Mountain at the end of the rebellion that brought Robert Baratheon to the Iron Throne, and his niece and nephew who were brutally murdered in front of their mother, wrapped in Lannister cloaks and presented to the new king. Oberyn is also known for having a temper, and Tyrion is told he is already in King’s Landing wandering unattended. You’ll understand why Tyrion is anxious to get him in hand.
Meanwhile, in Littlefinger’s brothel. After choosing a male and female prostitute with his lover—a bastard, who is sure to be welcomed with open arms at the Lannister dinner table—Prince Oberyn (Michael Huisman, Treme) are nowhere to be seen when the Unsullied are assembled. This is because they are seeing who can hold their sword in their outstretched arms the longest. As they march on the city of Mereen, which has made their opinion of her known by nailing a slave pointing towards the city every mile outside the city, she needs more than ever to pull her people together.
Jon Snow is now fighting for his life with his own brothers. Unswayed by his account of what happened beyond the Wall, Alliser Thorne wants Jon’s head, which is nothing new. Jon is only concerned with convincing Thorne and the other leaders at Castle Black about the threat of the coming wildings.
And now my favorite part: Arya and Sandor.This about sums it up:
If you had any doubts about the actors cast to play the two, Maisie Williams and Rory McCann should have put those doubts to rest last night. They could spin these two off into their own comedy, Westeros Road Trip. The two join forces to take down Polliver, the asshole former employee of Gregor Clegane who killed Arry’s friend Lommy, and four of his friends when they come upon the group wreaking havoc in a roadside inn (“What the fuck’s a Lommy?”). Arya gets her own horse, and it seems the two have finally come to a sort of agreement of mutual trust, if a murderous one.
Not seen this episode: Bran, Rickon, and company. When we left them last season they were headed beyond the Wall. Where have they gotten to?
*Dorne is one of the Seven Kingdoms. Located in the South and separated from the rest of Westeros by mountains, the combination of geographical isolation and the historical mass migration of the Rhoynar from Essos has resulted in a culture that is significantly different from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms.
People who have read the books, please wait until replies collapse to start a discussion.
