Game Of Thrones Season 4 Episode 8
It’s not easy being a Stark.
What They Say:
The Mountain and the Viper – Unexpected visitors arrive in Mole’s Town; Littlefinger’s motives are questioned; Ramsay tries to prove himself to his father; Tyrion’s fate is decided.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With some definitely interesting turns in the previous episode and the season overall with the way the big pieces are moving, there continues to be a lot to like here. It may not be quite the big action piece that the season was promised to be, but that has never been the truly big appeal for me. I’ve been far more invested in the politics, the intrigue and the kinds of little verbal duels that go on as the cast plays against each other. Particularly this season with the introduction of Oberyn and the way he spars with seemingly everyone, but most especially his bits with Tyrion in the last episode. The show really does do some very fun stuff with the two even as it reworks it from the books but it does it in a way that works better for this medium and ties it to the scenes in a very engaging way.
As we get closer to the end of the season though, just two more episodes after this, the arcs start to hit some of their bigger moments or at least set up for them. With the way that we’ve seen some of those from beyond the Wall having made its way south of it and causing some trouble there, there’s just that sense of dread about what’s going to happen out there. And that dread is playing out in Mole’s Town first as Gilly knows the sounds and signals from beyond the Wall and realizes what’s happening ahead of everyone else just before the killing starts. And a brutal bit of killing it is as they wildlings make their way through it since nobody is ready for anything and there’s just a casualness about them as the chaos suddenly appears. It also doesn’t hurt that the wildlings are pretty much stone cold killers at this point as they go through it with no emotion and lay waste to the town.
The reverberations of that fight are pretty well felt out there as the Watch realizes that while there was nothing that they could have done, the fight is coming closer to them. And Castle Black is down to just over a hundred people while there are over a hundred thousand of Mance’s people out there ready to roll through the Wall at the first chance. The despair is certainly there, and a certain resigned nature to the few that we see such as Dolorious Edd, but Sam is caught up in the loss of Gilly as he understands it while Jon is just taking it all in. It’s nicely done in making it clear just how bad the odds are and leaving those who haven’t read the books wonder just how they’ll manage against it. The odds are stacked badly and there’s a certain thrill in seeing the kind of inevitability about it falling into place.
Ramsay’s story continues to be a surprising one in a lot of ways as he manipulates and works Theon to his own goals. Ramsay’s obviously lived as many bastards have in trying to prove something to his father, Roose Bolton, and he goes about it by any means necessary. Those means are pretty disturbing in general but he’s truly done on a number on Theon with the torture he put him through, convincing him that he’s Reek and then having him play the role of Theon in order to take a holding by some of the Iron Isle’s keeps on the land. With Greyjoy’s people there, Ramsay uses him well to try and get his people to surrender while playing the role in order to take the place for himself. It’s certainly what Ramsay needs in order to cement his position but also to prove things to his father. Theon’s really fun to watch with this as he tries to play the part but the whole ordeal is so close to the surface more often than not that watching him nearly snap is just thoroughly engaging to watch.
The events in the Vale have left me wondering which approach they’d take here since Littlefinger tossed his “wife” through the Moon Door. With the council there questioning him and laying clear the reputation he’s had over the years that they’re aware of, it looks pretty bad for him as they know that it can’t be a suicide, even as screwed up as Lysa was. So when events hinge on what Sansa tells the group, it’s amusing to see that she reveals the truth of who she is, not Alayne but actually Sansa Stark, she cements a bit of help there considering the closeness her father had with the Vale. But she also puts things in an interesting position when she basically confirms that it was a suicide and comes up with an amusing point of view of how events play out. It’s right in many ways but like the classic line goes, it’s all a matter of perspective. You can practically see Littlefinger grinning in his mind as Sansa tells that tale ever so convincingly since it helps him in so many ways. He likely realizes what it does for Sansa as well, but that also gives him an advantage as well since you can tell he wants manipulate and use her as long as he can.
Jorah’s storyline is one that has had its issues along the way but he’s been a good, conflicted character for a good part of the series, though we saw him turn away from his job as a spy quite awhile ago. That doesn’t mean much though as a royal pardon that Robert had signed years ago has made its way to Meereen and to Dany herself, which leads to a particularly tense and unfortunate sequence between her and Jorah. She has no interest in hearing what he has to say, realizing that he’s betrayed her from the start, and that’s something that she simply cannot deal with it, no matter what his feelings are. It’s obvious that his feelings for her had turned him from the job he took on, but that’s simply not to be. With these two side by side for so long, complications and all, it’s rough to see it end in this way and to have him riding off in the end. It’s such an unfortunate turn of events for an already complicated relationship that you can’t help but to have the feels over it.
The Hound and Arya continue to be engaging to watch with their relationship and banter, especially with how they talk about Joffrey’s death as they get closer to the Bloody Gate at the Vale. When they do get there and they’re honest about who they are, it takes a great moment when they find out about Lysa’s death and all Arya can do is laugh. Everywhere she goes, those she needs to be with end up dying and it just gets to be hilarious at that point when you’re down to your last ones. And distant relations at that in a way, with people that you’ve never even met. Arya’s reaction is just so spot on that the surreal nature of it leaves you giggling just as much.
Tyrion’s arc since the Purple Wedding has been fantastic to be sure, but just like previous episodes, it’s seeing him and Jaime together that just delights as the two have some great banter. This episode is no exception as they talk about cousin Orson ahead of the event that will determine Tyrion’s fate and there’s a lot to like with the way they provide some laughter between them as they deal with the seriousness of the situation. It gets into Tyrion’s mindset a bit from when the two brothers were younger and it certainly makes sense. It may be about beetles in the mildest of senses, but it shows a lot about Tyrion as we understand how he dealt with viewing the world through such simple matters and his own place in it, but also the way to deal with others. Understanding death and the need to kill in its most base form is a question to be asked to be sure and the way it impacted Tyrion’s life certainly is laid bare with this dialogue.
While it’s taken awhile to get here, the fight between Oberyn and the Mountain has been anticipated to be sure. With Tyrion’s fate in the balance and Oberyn being the only one would take to blade to fight for him, particularly since it allows him a way to pursue his own goal of revenge for what was done to their family, there’s a lot riding on this. Oberyn’s dialogue isn’t a surprise as he wants the Mountain to know, but obviously he doesn’t care much as he just intends to kill the man. It’s a well done fight overall, though of course Oberyn is just far too chatty, but he has some serious issues to get out there and does it in the light but serious style that works so well for his character. Especially in contrast to the simple, grunting nature of the Mountain. Oberyn’s anger makes for some great flashes here as they go at it, particularly as he demands answers from him about why he did what he did to Elia. But the twist it takes is disturbingly beautiful for its brutality while reinforcing just what kind of monster the Mountain is. And because it sets Tyrion’s fate once more towards death.
In Summary:
No surprisingly as we get down to the final episodes of the season, things start to get real. While this episode doesn’t feel quite as big as some of the same episodes at this point for previous seasons, it’s not a surprise as we’ve had bigger moments earlier and we’re going for a bigger final two episodes. This episode works a lot of different things as is the norm, but it has some fantastic bits that really strike big. Arya’s moment is fantastic and I loved seeing Sansa playing the game, something that she should know how to do after all the time spent in King’s Landing. Seeing her coming into her own now, to be a player rather than just a pawn, is highly enticing. Add in some really great time with Ramsay and what he does with Theon, the Lannister brothers and then the final act, the show just hits all its marks well and really keeps you guessing and wondering where it’ll go next and just how bad it’ll get. While there are moments of brightness, it’s contrasted by lots of darkness and danger.
Grade: A-