Recap: Season 4 Episode 1 of ‘Game of Thrones’

This is a recap therefore there are ALL THE SPOILERS

Please note that I recap from the point of view of not having read most of the books.

Sunday night’s premiere episode of season four of Game of Thrones got the season off to a promising start. The episode opened with heavy-handed symbolism with Tywin Lannister having Ned Stark’s great sword melted down and re-worked into two smaller swords. The scene ends with him tossing the wolf skin scabbard onto the fire to be consumed by flame. The message is clear; the destruction of the Starks is complete.

Next up, we are introduced to a new player in the politics of the realm, the Martells from Dorne. Tyrion is sent to greet the Dornish lords, and it is pretty clear that 1) they don’t like the Lannisters and 2) Tyrion’s position is still very precarious.

We find that the missing Martell, Prince Oberyn, has made his way to Littlefinger’s brothel where he was happily picking out sex workers with his lover (another chance for totally gratuitous female nudity) until he happened to hear some Lannisters singing “The Rains of Castamere”. Oberyn stabs one in the wrist after he insults him, but Tyrion arrives and manages to somewhat defuse the situation, allowing the Lannisters to leave with their lives and most of their limbs intact.

Oberyn’s introduction serves to educate us on a number of levels. In all of five minutes, we learn that the prince is forthright to a fault, a man who takes his pleasures seriously while also not being someone to trifle with. His introduction also provides us with much useful plot exposition when Tyrion asks him why he has come to King’s Landing. Oberyn happily provides a long-winded explanation that can perhaps be summarized as “you  bastards killed my sister, now you’re going to get what’s coming to you.” His particular grudge seems to be focused on Gregor, ‘The Mountain’ Clegane and Tywin Lannister, but I presume he will happily exterminate anyone who gets in his way. One thing is clear, Prince Oberyn is definitely a character to watch. He also happens to fill the void left by the Starks when it comes to man candy.

Catching up with Daenerys, we are introduced to a hinted-at love triangle between her, (a newly re-cast) Daario Noharis and Grey Worm. They keep her waiting because they are playing a game to settle who gets to ride with her, and she punishes them by banishing them both to the back of the Unsullied train. As is often the case, Daenerys is able to show good judgement in balancing their affection for her with maintaining her authority as their Queen. However there are definite hints that things are going to turn ugly between Daario and Grey Worm before long. I really hope the show doesn’t get bogged down in that particular storyline. Daenerys has struggled so much to come into her own as both a Queen and a person. It would be tragic for her aspirations to be upended by a juvenile love triangle storyline. That said, it could be interesting for her to develop a romance with someone who respects her for who she is and is willing to be a real partner to her. Later on in the episode it seems as though Daario is coming out ahead when he presents Daenerys a bouquet of flowers that she initially reacts bemusedly scornfully to until he tells her the uses of each plant and pontificates on the fact that in order to rule a land one must first know it/understand it. Daenerys takes the lesson with good grace.

Lest a single episode pass without a reminder that Daenerys is the white savior to save them all, we are treated to the gory sight of a dead slave girl hammered to a mile marker pointing the direction to Meereen. Apparently there are 163 of these grisly things in case you might happen to think Meereen was a town worth visiting. Daenerys specifically requests to see each of the dead girls before they are buried. I like Daenerys, but it is really hard to get the terrible, terrible final scene of last season out of my head. She really needs to go save some people who aren’t brown already. To be fair, the slaves of Meereen could be white, but I doubt it.

Back at King’s Landing, things are still not going so great for Tyrian. Sansa is in mourning for her family and won’t eat or talk much to her Lannister husband. Tyrion does his best to comfort her and show that he’s not a bad guy and that she must do the best she can to keep on keeping on. Sansa, with her characteristic diplomacy, tells him to shut up in the most roundabout way possible – by saying that she is going to the Godswood because it is the only place where no one tries to talk to her. Generally, I think that Sansa is not really given enough credit for her ability to manage the terrifying intrigue and uncertainty and King’s Landing. We might not like how she does things, but you have to give her credit for how she has conducted herself in what are truly horrible circumstances. Shae is unhappy with what she perceives to be growing affection from Tyrion towards Sansa and takes the risk of going to his rooms to seduce him. It looks like the risk is going to end badly for one or both of them because Shae was snapped leaving his rooms by one of Cersei’s little spies.

Elsewhere in King’s Landing, Jaimie is surprised to find things have changed more than he ever could have thought while he was away. Cersei rejects his advances with a chilling “You took too long.” She may also have developed a drinking problem and has had mysterious symptoms that Qyburn has treated her for. Could the cooling in Cersei’s affections for Jamie signal that she is no longer interested in playing the games of court? Has Tywin’s indifference and Joffrey’s sociopathic tendencies finally broken her? It is difficult to reconcile this Cersei who drinks and lurks in the shadows with the Cersei who in season two smacked down Littlfinger by displaying her control of the King’s Guard, rebuffing his claims that knowledge is power with the line “Power is power.” Jamie continues to wonder what it was exactly he came back for when he is ridiculed by Joffrey and harassed by Brienne to remember his promise to Catelyn Stark to keep her daughters safe.

At The Wall, we learn that the Wildling alliance is perhaps a little tense and some of them (the Thenns) like to eat people. It also appears that Ygritte is a better shot than anyone ever thought and has let Jon Snow live on purpose. Jon on the other hand is facing an inquisition for his questionable decision in killing Qhorin Halfhand and joining the invading army. There is a lot of silly posturing. Reason wins the day, and Maester Aemon clears him to return to the watch.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the episode was Arya. She clearly lost her innocence a long time ago, but now we seem to be witnessing her lose her humanity as she becomes a creature of vengeance. The Hound tells her that he plans to sell her to her aunt Lysa in The Vale as she complains to him about not having a horse. They come across an inn, and Arya manages to instigate a brawl after she recognizes Polliver, one of Gregor Clegane’s men who murdered her friend Lommy with her own sword, Needle. What follows is quite chilling as Arya recites word for word what Polliver said as he killed Lommy. The look on her face after she stabs Polliver in the throat can only be described as glee.

Overall the episode got me very excited for the coming season; the episode was paced excellently and opened up a lot of intrigue. I would be really happy if they could stop beating us over the head with how awesome and savior-y Daenerys is. This episode has a comparatively low female nudity rating, but it was still there and completely gratuitous. It is interesting how the guys only seem to get naked for really important moments, but we are treated to bare breasts at every opportunity possible. Oh well, I live in hope that the show grows up from its initial TITS AND BLOOD!!!!!!! style of catching people’s attention.

Gaayathri Nair is currently living and writing in Auckland, New Zealand. You can find more of her work at her blog A Human Story and tweet her @A_Gaayathri.