GOT 4.06: Part I "The Law of Gods and Men"

This episode's dedication will be to:

Tyrion Lannister

I demand trial by combat.

Tyrion succeeded in doing four important things:

• Telling King Tywin to f-off
• Ruining Cersei's master plan
• Making Oberyn's year
• Throwing away a chance to save his life

On that note let's get into it: 

Braavos

The Titan of Braavos

Stannis, Davos and The Iron Bank

The Iron Bank

We are the Iron Bank and NUMBERS NEVER LIE

The Iron Bank is slowly becoming the Master of the Universe, as they are owed money by some big players in Westeros.  It has been put into play much sooner than in the books, as Littlefinger made sure that the Crown would owe them a ton of cash. Jon will also need their money, but that takes place in ADWD, so perhaps it will be this season.

They follow the "You always pay YOUR debts" mantra, or the Faceless Men will take it for us. It is in direct opposition to  the Lannister's "We always pay OUR debts".

Stannis & Davos 

Stannis and Davos are on their way to Braavos to get some cash for sellswords, and ships.  Stannis is not a happy camper, because The One True King of Westeros, is really The One True Pauper King of Westeros, and has to beg for money.

Damn you Davos, we'd better get our money.

I think he means, "Damn you Melisandre", because all that purifying, left Stannis with an even smaller army, than before the Blackwater.

Stannis & Davos vs.The Iron Bank

The Master's of the Universe finally give them an audience after two hours have passed. We know that when you are kept waiting, it is a power move, and an insult to a man who thinks he is a King.

The Iron Bank: We are rejecting your request for a loan. We don't care if  you are King by right, because numbers never lie.  King Tommen, ie. King Tywin, rules Westeros, and they owe us a ton of cash. You have 4000 men, and 32 ships, which is not enough collateral for us to give you a loan. If the Crown can't pay their debt, how will you?

Stannis gives Davos the death stare, and because he's way to cool to beg for it, Davos does it for them.

Davos: Let's review: King Tywin will be dead in the near future, and Tommen, is a bastard child born of twincest. So when he dies, the crown will never repay their debt. Stannis will repay all of it, as he WILL sit on The Iron Throne.

The Iron Bank: Yet, we still don't care.

Davos: Stannis is an honorable man and seasoned battle commander. Check out my hand:

I'm a smuggler who saved his life,
but I still broke the law.

Davos:  That man? He is the One True King:

We will win the war, and repay the debts.

The Iron Bank: It's a convincing argument, so you will get your gold. Remember "YOU will always pay your debts", and we have The Faceless Men on retainer.

We are then treated to some gratuitous nudity, as Sallador Saan recounts some pirate lore to two prostitutes in the baths. Davos, who has solidified his badass status, dumps some gold on the edge of the bath.

Davos: See you at 5:00 AM, we're meeting at Dragonstone and heading for the Wall.

......and Stannis has his army.

Asha/Yara Greyjoy 
I have heard the news of the changes of S5, and sadly, calling Asha, Yara, might be a good thing, because she is completely different in the book. So, she will remain Asha, until I can bring myself to call her Yara.

The Dreadfort
Asha has arrived at the Dreadfort to save Theon, who is living in a cage with the dogs. She and her crew hear screams, get in, and she unlocks the cage. Theon has been broken by the Sadist Ramsay, has stockholm syndrome, and does not recognize his sister.  He fights her, and wants to remain in the cage. Asha realizes what has happened to her brother, when the Sadist Ramsay shows up.

Asha realizing this was all for nothing 

The Sadist Ramsay thought killing people was more exciting than sex, (unless he killed his lover ) and has run down to the dungeons. He opens up the dog cages, and Asha and her crew end up running for the ship. The crew is yelling and asking about her brother, and she says, "My brother is dead".

We are then treated to another special moment between the Sadist Ramsay and Theon. He continues to manipulate Theon, and not only rewards him with a bath, but washes him. It is so vile, and you can see how he delights in this nightmare. He tells Theon, who thinks that he is Reek, that he has an important job for him. What is that job? He will pretend to be Theon Greyjoy, so they can take Deepwood Motte.

This is much worse in the book, but it still takes up time that should have been given to other characters.

Meereen
Surprise, surprise, Drogon has gone rogue, and decides he would like grilled goat for dinner. So, he burns a poor goat herders flock, including his daughter. It is the first supplicant who shows up at Dany's place, begging for help.

Dany
The Pyramid Throne Room

Team Dany holding court

Missandei will say Dany's eight titles every time someone walks into the pyramid throne room. I will not be listing her eight titles on a regular basis, so here they are:

1. Daenerys Stormborn of The House Targaryen
2. The First of Her Name
3. The Unburnt
4. Queen of Meereen
5. Queen of the Andals and The First Men
6. Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea
7. Breaker of Chains  
8. Mother of Dragons

And you wonder why each season we see a little more of the Targaryen crazy showing up.

The first person that she will see, is the poor goat herder, who has the bones of his burnt little girl.

I am a generous, benevolent Queen

Dany: This is so exciting! I can show Meereen that I am a just ruler. Who's life can I change first?

The Goat Herder: Your dragon burnt my goats, and killed my daughter. My family is starving and we are going to die.

Dany: My apologies that my largest and most dangerous dragon has gone rogue. My thoughts and prayers are with your family. I will repay you three times the worth of your herd, so that you may take care of your family.

The Goat Herder: Thank-you my Queen.

Next up: Hizdahr zo Loraq. Remember that name because a new Game of Thrones has begun in Meereen.

Hizdahr zo Loraq: Beautiful Queen, I am from one of the most honored and powerful houses of Meereen. My father deserves a proper burial, and one of our great traditions is to honor him at The Temple of the Graces.

Dany: Your father has been punished for owning slaves and crucifying children. Those children will never have the honor of a proper burial.

Hizdahr zo Loraq: My beloved father, was against that vile use of children, and was outvoted by the other Masters.

Dany: I had no idea that there were people like your father! Ser Barristan was right, so yes, you may bury your father.

Kings Landing
We know it's going to be a busy week because Tyrion's "trial" will be taking place, and that has to be a grand spectacle.

The Council of Vipers and Weasels
This is the best one ever because not only is the band back together, but there is an actual viper on it. The Red Viper has been given a seat by King Tywin.

The Red Viper lounging and
planning new ways to kill The Mountain

Oberyn:  I am already bored, and we haven't even started the meeting. Can someone give me a title or something? I need to return to the brothel, and grab a nap.

King Tywin shows up, Oberyn continues to lounge, and waits for the meeting to begin.

King Tywin: We have the trial coming up, and the Targaryen girl, who is supposed to be dead, has declared herself Queen of Meereen. I have also heard that she has three dragons?

Varys: I hear whispers of a "Free all of the slaves and start  Civil Wars Tour", that has  plunged Essos into a series of civil wars.  Yes, she is presently Queen of Meereen, has Ser Jorah, who knows Essos well, and Ser Barristan, as her confidants. The Army of the Unsullied is by her side, the Second Sons, and her three growing dragons. She is going to be a HUGE problem.

Cersei: The dragons are babies, and where is Essos again?

Oberyn: I toured Essos for five years! It is a wondrous place, where I learned more about poison, and new ways to fight and kill people.  Everyone knows that The Army of the Unsullied is unstoppable.

Varys: Ser Barristan is one of the most honored Knights of the Kingsuard, who knows everything about our laws and strategies. He is a huge asset to her cause.

King Tywin: Cersei, by doing yet another stupid thing, you have helped the Targaryen girl.  It's time to write another letter! Wasn't Ser Jorah our Targaryen spy?

Varys: He's gone dark, but give me the letter, I will get it to Meereen.

King Tywin: Perfect. I expect everyone has prepared their lies for the trial? They had better be good, otherwise I can't kill Tyrion. See you there.

We know that when King Tywin writes a letter, nothing good comes of it.

Varys vs. Oberyn
Oberyn, needs some intel about Varys, and finds him staring at The Iron Throne.

Oberyn: Here you are ! Gazing lovingly at The Iron Throne. I noticed earlier that your accent is from  Lys?

Varys: I no longer have an accent, and why do you care?

Oberyn: Yes, well I am amazing, and I can also hear an accent that is being covered up. Why don't you come to the brothel? I know that Ellaria always wants to learn more about Lys. (It's important to note that the blood of the dragon still runs strong in Lys, ie. Targaryen blood, aka.Dany. The Valyrians spent spring break in Lys, which resulted in many bastards over hundreds of years. So, many of their people, have their light hair, and purple/blue eyes.)

Varys: I am a eunuch, and have absolutely no interest in sex or a brothel. I find the lack of a sex drive, has allowed me to focus on important things; like planning for a new king.

Oberyn: Ellaria will be very disappointed, as am I. The brothel would have been a great place to share secrets about King Tywin.

Good Chat.
Now I know that we both want to kill King Tywin

That completes Part I, and see Part II for the Trial.

*All images and quotes are owned by HBO, Game of Thrones 4.06

GOT 4.09: "The Watchers at The Wall"

I am behind in writing recaps, and will most likely merge 4.6-4.8, in a way that will still work. This is supposed to be Jon's episode, and it was not, which is a big deal to me. So, it has taken me a long time to figure out how to write the recap because I am going way into Jon's character, which is not for this post. I will save all of my complaining and explaining about my HBO Jon and Book Jon for another day. Okay...

This week's dedication:
Jon Snow

with an honorable mention to GHOST!

Let's get into it:

The Battle
Before we begin, did anyone see that little Wildling Spy, the Owl? I thought Jon might notice him, and kill him before he gave the Wildlings any intel.

The Owl: Master Spy for the Wildlings

I am not that into the big battle scenes in any book, but I try to understand the sequence of the events, every time. This was very different in the book, as not only had Sam and Gilly not returned to the Wall, there were different characters manning the Wall, and it's Jon who is running the show. Jon also had a leg injury, courtesy of Ygritte, that was not even close to being healed.  But he fought hard, while in massive pain for the entire battle (three days?). They also had people, untrained, fighting with them against the Wildlings.

Mance's: "The greatest fire the north has ever seen!"

Look there's a mammoth! It's the Wildlings Army!

The day has finally arrived, and the Wildlings army that Kassandra, aka Jon Snow, had been warning  the NW Council of Vipers and Weasals about has come to fruition. There are mammoths, giants, Thenn's and many, many others. The slaughter inside those stairs? The landings? They are not in the book, but necessary to film the battle, and the brutality of the Wildings was front and center. I loved the giants, the mammoths, and the use of the Scythe. The Scythe was really scary for the obvious reasons, like that bloody arm on the Wall, ick. But since they have been doing all this crazy stuff with things that should not be changed, I thought that they were going to put a hole in the Wall. The Wall is magical, as it is woven together with spells, so it is more than just a big icy wall protecting the south from the Others and the Wildlings. It would have been well, I have no words.

The camera continues panning around, from person to person, ie. Tormund, ploughing through the Brothers in an effort to take the castle. We also saw Ygritte, shooting through people with her bow and arrow, and also seemed to kill a few who looked like Jon.

There was also the battle on the ground, where we saw Alliser Thorne get injured by Tormund. I'm confused, Alliser is now a fighting man, who inspires men? I'll get into that later. Anyway per Sam's intel, Jon gave the Wall to Dolores Ed and goes down to the ground, with some of the men on the Wall. 

Jon says to Sam on the way down to the ground, "I need him, more than I need you", and gives Sam the keys, to free Ghost! This is small, but huge as it is telling us that Ghost is more than just his wolf, he is part of Jon. How? These words are those used when speaking of a person. Sam frees Ghost, & we see through Ghost's eyes, as we see through Summer's eyes, when Bran is in Summer. He attacks the Wildling using the direwolf preferred method of killing: ripping out his throat. I will live in hope that this means we will finally learn that yes, Jon is a warg, and an extremely powerful one, at that. 

Back to the battle: Jon is the first man out of the gate, throwing himself into the battle, and proved that he has become a killing machine. (those Pompeii guys trained him well). Oh, and being the first man out of the gate is also what inspires men to follow you, as a battle commander and leader. His fight with Styr Magnar of Thenn, was well choreographed as they were fighting and then he threw Jon over some fiery mess,and almost beat him. Jon's not dying anytime soon, so at the last minute, Jon stuck an axe in his head. 

As he's recovering from what happened, he looks up and sees Ygritte.

Ygritte staring at Jon, & you see a small light inside

Jon, happy to see Ygritte, even with an arrow pointed at him

Jon's horror at seeing Ygritte shot w/an arrow to the heart.

The scene with Ygritte dying in his arms is the same in the book, as are their last words...and I cried again. You no longer hear the battle around them, because he shut out the world, and yet.... still some people didn't care, but I did.

Jon Snow
It has been no secret that I find it profoundly disappointing how the series has managed Jon's character, and I am getting close to calling it character assassination. But I have been waiting for this battle since Season 2, because it is a major turning point for Jon. Yet, what a surprise! Jon's story jumped ship, and it became Sam's episode.

I would have accepted Jon taking a backseat to Sam, yet still manning the Wall, if his character had been fully fleshed out by this point in the series. Many people have still not connected with Jon, because he does not have a cohesive story. The writers took some key moments for Jon in the books, did not change the dialogue, strung them together with a string, mixed them with the scenes they either made up or changed for no reason, and we ended up with a story that made no sense.  If I had not read the books, I would not have invested too much into him either, because seriously, who is HBO Jon Snow?

The result was that people liked this episode mostly for the cool battles, and the fight scenes. But this was a game changing episode not only because of the battle, but for Jon. As I mentioned, he proved his mettle as a smart battle commander, and he lost Ygritte. These two things marked him forever, and a non book reader will never get that. They threw the scene in between Jon & Sam regarding sex  because apparently they knew viewers might not remember that Jon and Ygritte were in love. And you know what? With all the happenings in Kings Landing, and the amazing Oberyn Martell who eclipsed, well everyone, and Jon having not been written properly, the Battle for the Wall, was not seen as huge game changing event.

The Aftermath
Jon is not suicidal, yet at the end of this episode he is going on a suicide mission. It implies that losing Ygritte, and his need to maintain his last shred of  honor ( Jaime Lannister, anyone?), and save the Wall, is by killing Mance. This quote from Tormund to Jon reinforces it:

Tormund: "I should have thrown you from the top of the Wall, boy.
Jon: "Aye, you should have."
Also, not in the book.

In the book, Ser Alliser and Janos Slynt sent him out to treat with Mance, hoping that he would kill him. In fact, Jon always thinks that he is going to die, because he thought the Wildlings would discover the truth, and the NW believe that he's a traitor, so sending him out there to die, was not a revelation for him.  So when Ser Alliser  suddenly acts like a great leader,  giving some rousing speech, and conceding to Jon that he had been right about the tunnel, and then even worse, actually giving him some lame speech about being a leader, I pretended that he wasn't even there. In fact, neither he nor Janos were really there in the books. However, I was afraid that Janos Slynt would die on his way to hide ( much like King Sociopath's cowardice at the Blackwater, right?) because he has an awesome scene with Jon in ADWD.

Finally, we lost Grenn, who died a brutal death at the hand of the king of the giants. He had come so far from the boy in Seasons 1&2.  Grenn became a strong man, respected Ranger, and a leader who gave six boys the courage to keep the gate, by reciting their vows. Fantastic. Who will fill his role as part of Team Jon? I have no idea.

 RIP Team Grenn

"Love is the death of duty", Maester Aemon to Sam Tarly

I will end with Sam and how loving Gilly gave him the strength to believe in himself. Loving Ygritte gave Jon the chance to love someone, and in return, feel deeply loved for being himself, not the  bastard son of Ned Stark, not a traitor, just Jon Snow.

Now, although I was upset that this was Sam's episode, I understand that they were setting him up (he has POV's at the end of ASOS and FOC) for a larger role in Season 5. And I did like how he came to terms with his feelings for Gilly, and went for it, like a man.

Although this is a beautiful moment, I kept wondering where the hell is Jon? Why aren't we watching him shouting orders and shooting arrows? Irregardless, the scene when Sam is explaining to Pyp that he killed the wight to save Gilly and the baby, was why, to my chagrin, this became Sam's episode.

Sam: "I didn't know, I was going to kill it. If someone had asked me my name right then, I wouldn't know I wasn't Samwell Tarly anymore, I wasn't a steward in the Nights Watch, or son of Randall Tarly or any of that, I was nothing at all. And when you're nothing at all, there's no reason to be afraid."

Pyp: "But you're afraid now?"

Sam: "Well, I'm not nothing anymore."**

Although I was disappointed by this episode,  it doesn't take away that this:

be it good or bad, will change your life forever.

See you in the finale!


*All images and quotes are owned by HBO, "Game of Thrones" 4.9

GOT 4.05: "First of His Name"

I am so far behind, I hope to write less than usual, but we'll see, as I want to get through 4.8 sooner rather than later.

Okay, moving on let's jam through this episode, so I can catch up!

This week's dedication:
Jon Snow
Why? HBO Jon has finally become like Book Jon and my favorite character. 

The Real Jon Snow

My boy Jon Snow, who is not only becoming a strong leader, but a dangerous man. And most importantly, HE REUNITED WITH GHOST!! However, HBO still forgets that Ghost is the size of a pony, and no one would have been able to put him in a cage. If you ever read my recaps, I have been whining about the lack of Ghost, as he is essential to the character of Jon. But we will wait to visit with Jon, until the end of the recap.

But first, let's go to Meereen, and see how the "Let's free the slaves, and start Civil Wars" tour is going.

Meereen

The Queen's Council 

Well word has travelled quickly across the Narrow Sea, and Dany has just found out that King Sociopath, is dead, and purple. This is all very exciting, and everyone is trying to decide next steps.

Luckily, sexy Daario stops by, because he has great news:

Hey, I got you 93 ships, well me, and the Second Sons
But, this meeting is super boring, 
so I am going to go patrol the walls and maybe kill some people too. 

 Dany: No one told you to find ships! I am the one who gives the orders, even though I have been looking for ships.

Daario: "I heard you like ships"**, so we swung by the Meereenise Navy, grabbed some ships, and now you can go to Westeros.

Ser Barristan: This is fantastic news! I have been waiting for payback, since King Sociopath and Crazy Cersei fired me. We can bring 9300 soldiers to Westeros, and take Kings Landing. We have 8000 Unsullied, 2000 Second Sons, and you are a Targaryen, so everyone will rally to your cause.

Ser Jorah: Sounds good, except we want Westeros, not just Kings Landing. Yes, you are a Targaryen, and are the rightful heir to the throne, but, I have bad news: the civil wars part of the tour has begun.

Dany: How can that be? I have freed the slaves, killed the evil Masters and put strong, puppet governments in their place!

Ser Jorah:  Well, the Masters took control of Yunkai, and enslaved more people. Some guy named Cleon "The Butcher" deposed the government in Astapor, so war will begin there a well.

Dany:  Everyone leave, I need to speak with Jorah.

Dany gets her crazy on: " I will do what Queens do, Rule"**

Dany: I must stop this before I go to Westeros! I am going to have to prove that I am a strong leader, and Queen. I will free the slaves again! Start more wars! And end the wars that I began, when I freed the slaves the first time.

Good work Dany, just keep that civil wars part of the tour alive and kicking, because it's all downhill from here.

The Eyrie

The Bloody Gates

Littlefinger and Sansa have arrived at the Bloody Gates, and he give Sansa a brief history lesson about why no one has conquered the Eyrie in over 1000 years. It is all about location, location, location, between the gates and the mountain, it's virtually impregnable. He gives her some excellent advice:

"Know your strengths, use them wisely and one man can be worth 10,000". **

And tells the gatekeepers that Sansa, who is now Alayne, is his niece, and they go through the gates.

Sansa, seeing the Bloody Gates, and the Castle for the first time

They somehow get to the castle very quickly, and who do we see? Aunt Lysa with Robyn sitting on her lap. He is so excited to see Uncle Petyr! He gives him a glass bird! Robyn throws it through the Moon Door, you know, to see if it can fly.

Littlefinger, is being his manipulative self, and tells Lysa, that Alayne, is his niece. But Lysa knows immediately, this is Sansa! Do not be afraid! Robyn, who is a kind child says "oh, didn't the Lannisters cut your dad and your brother's heads off? ".  Naturally Sansa is thrilled, and Littlefinger sends Robyn off to show Sansa her new room.

And then we get the big moment; which when I first read it, I thought Littlefinger was full of crap, because he is a liar,  But when I saw it on the show, I remembered that no, he's truly a master of manipulation. So, poor, pathetic Lysa, who is actually overweight in the book, and also delusional and crazy, wants to be married immediately, because she has been waiting forever and ever, and she is going to scream all night long. Why? Well a long time ago, when Brandon Stark was at Riverrun to marry Cat, Petyr challenged him to a duel. Brandon cut him down his chest, and was going to kill him, until Cat asked him to spare his life. Think back to Season 1, when he reminds Ned at the Council of Vipers and Weasels that he still had the scar.  Well Lysa, was in love with him, and after he recovered, they slept together, and she got pregnant. Petyr was sent away, and Lord Hoster made Lysa have an abortion. She was forced to marry Jon Arryn, who needed an heir, and thus a young wife.

Lysa & Petyr: The Happy Couple

Lysa, who insists they get married immediately, tells us all, who really began The War of the Five Kings: Petyr Baelish. She has done everything he wanted, and now she wants him both literally and figuratively: "...you gave me those drops to pour into Jon's wine, my husband, and told me to write a letter to Cat telling her it was the Lannisters..."**, you know that letter we saw Cat read to Ned in Season 1? I miss Ned......

Petyr has to make out with her to shut her up, and says that she should never speak of what they had done.  I am still coming to terms with how massive this reveal was in the book, let alone on the show. But I believe that it was a lucky coincidence that Jon and then Ned, had figured out that the the royal children were bastards. Remember when Petyr brought the trunk of Ned's bones to Cat, and said that now they could be together? and she slapped him? His love for Cat was definitely a large part of his motivation. Tyrion also remarks, as Master of Coin, that Petyr had been borrowing from the Iron Bank, and the Faceless Men might be stopping by and slitting his throat. Well, it is no accident that Petyr has been destroying Kings Landing, and the Lannisters by borrowing from the Braavos version of the mob. But I still don't think that he wants the throne...mmm, I need to reread those parts and think about this some more.

Sansa

Well, she has to spend her first night listening to Lysa screaming with joy, as apparently Petyr Baelish is the best lover in the world. But the next morning, we see her eating lemon cakes and listening to her Aunt tell her all about how her mother used to be fat. Oh, and Lord Baelish is so kind, as he brought crates and crates of lemon cakes for Sansa. It was all so lovely....

Until.... "I know that you are sleeping with Petyr, why else would he care for you so much? I won't let you take everything from me! You are just like your mother."**

"Cat always went for the sweetest things.
Your Uncle Brandon, handsome, cruel, Uncle Brandon,
who Cat loved anyway."**

Lysa:   But I always loved Petyr, and I took care of him, when Brandon nearly killed him!  She always got everything she wanted, and I got nothing. And you look just like her, so I want to know if you are sleeping with my beloved.

Sansa: He loves you Aunt Lysa! He is going to marry you! I swear that I'm a virgin and I never had sex with the Imp or Lord Baelish!

Sansa, use the words or some of the words, that she used to keep Joffrey from killing her, on Aunt Lysa. Clever girl, right?

"I'm a stupid little girl, with stupid dreams, who never learns. I'm a terrible liar who should always tell the truth.." **and Aunt Lysa hugs poor crying Sansa, who also learns that she is going to marry her cousin.

"At least this time, I know what to say...."

Brienne and Pod

We see poor Pod and annoyed Brienne, because Pod can't ride a horse, and how could he be a squire?
We see him cook a rabbit, with the fur on, and try to help Brienne with her armor. But she lets him do it, after she learns that he killed a member of the KingsGuard to save Tyrion.

Arya and the Hound

The last name on my list: THE HOUND

I know everyone love the Arya and the Hound show, but it's going on too long, and I just want her to leave him, and get to Braavos already!

The Hound wakes to find Arya gone! He wants his money, and he knows that he is on her kill list, so she should not be far away.

Where is she? Practicing water dancing, and doing some acrobatics along with it. I liked this because in the book she is a little scrappy thing, who can pretty much get in and out of everywhere without being noticed. So, by showing her agility, it has the effect of showing that she can get in and out of places, but not because she is scrappy and dirty.

Syrio Forel taught me well, and I will kill you.

The Hound makes fun of her, and insults Syrio Forel, who we know saved her life. It was Ser Meryn Trent who killed him, which is why he is on her list. He says some stuff about armor and killing, so Arya, takes him up on his offer, and tries to stab him with Needle.

Let's go to Kings Landing and watch the crowning of adorable, lovesick Tommen.

Cersei

Well, it's official: I hate Lena Heady's Cersei, as she has completely whitewashed the character. She is unevenly portrayed as they add this weird stuff, like when she and Tyrion had that bonding session in Season 2.  You can see here how she has always hated Tyrion, and I have no idea why they added some of those weird scenes w/Tyrion. Sometimes Book Cersei pops up, and it is usually when HBO Cersei is drunk, or she remembers that HBO Cersei is annoying, and should act like Book Cersei.

This confrontation with Margaery is a perfect example of how the character is a mess. The last time Cersei and Margaery spoke, prior to the wedding, she said "If you call me sister again, I will strangle you in your sleep". In this case when we see her head pop up between her and Tommen, we were waiting for a showdown. But it isn't, and that is because the viewer is supposed to view her low voice as lethal, dangerous, and manipulative. It doesn't work, not with any one in this episode, including her father.

Cersei and King Tywin

Cersei and King Tywin have a chat about the timing for mourning, coronation, and the upcoming weddings. It seems that everything will be wrapped up in about two months. King Tywin is very pleased, and Cersei, also throws in that Tyrion is very guilty of killing King Sociopath. Shockingly, Tywin says there must be a trial! He mentions nothing about how killing Tyrion is his secret wish, which Cersei would know, if she wasn't trying so hard to make everyone think that Tyrion was guilty of killing King Sociopath. 

We also find out something, which is news to everyone: The Lannister gold mines, have been dry for 3 years! No! It can't be true! Cersei, being her brilliant self, is like whatever, we're still rich anyway, right? Well, apparently not, because they need the Tyrell's to not only help pay the Iron Bank, but keep everyone eating. King Tywin knows, as Tyrion did, The Iron Bank gets their money, no matter what.


King Tommen

The most adorable, sweet, , boy to be King....

Margaery, you're really, really, pretty. And I'm King!

Tommen, you're King!
Remember that being friends, is our special secret.

Then it's Cersei trying to be manipulative, and not being any fun. Her chats with Margaery, and the Red Viper, are very entertaining.  Naturally, the one with the Red Viper is awesome, because, well, he's the Red Viper. 

Cersei and Margaery

Cersei: My beautiful baby boy, long may he reign. 

Margaery: Yes, long may he reign. 

Cersei: I see you are still mourning for Joffrey? You know, nothing compares to the love for your first born. 

Margaery: Well Joffrey was my husband, I miss him so...

Cersei: No you don't, he was a monster (this is why I hate this Cersei, Book Cersei doesn't go around telling people her son was a monster). I know that you still want to be Queen, don't deny it. 

Margaery: I am not sure, it is too early to tell. I admit, it would be such an honor, but I must speak w/my father. (Mace Tyrell has the reputation of being a "yes"man as we see in 4.7. )

Cersei: Of course you must, as I will speak with King Tywin as well.  

Margaery: Perfect. There will be many weddings in the coming weeks! I have no idea what I will call you! Sister, or Mother?! (even better, she laughs!)
( HBO Cersei forgot that she was going to strangle Margaery in her sleep, if she called her sister)

Cersei: 0
Margaery: 1

Cersei and The Red Viper

The non-book reader also learns, that amongst Oberyn's many talents, he is also a poet. I am loving him more and more every week...

Cersei: Prince Oberyn, let's go for a walk in the gardens, and I can lie to you about Tyrion, and how much I miss my darling daughter. 

The Red Viper: Lady Cersei! I was just writing a poem to my fifth daughter, Elia. She is named after my beautiful and beloved sister, you know the one King Tywin and the Mountain killed?

Cersei: How sweet! You are not only the most feared fighter in the realm, but you are a poet! How magnificent! How many daughters do you have?

The Red Viper: I have eight, beautiful, badass girls. (we will be meeting them in S5, they are awesome, and are called The Sand Snakes. The eldest four are by different women, and the youngest four are with w/Ellaria)

Cersei: Children are such a blessing, as you well know. I am tormented by the loss of my darling King Sociopath, and that I could not save him. I am Queen! How could this have happened to my innocent boy? My monstrous brother will pay for what he has done.

The Red Viper: I believe that we can avenge those we have lost, as I will for my beloved Elia. But how do you know Tyrion killed King Sociopath?

Unbelievable, you are so transparent.
 Let's wrap this up, so I can get back to writing my poem.

Cersei: He is definitely guilty, who else would have done such a thing? He sent my Marcella to Dorne, and I miss her more than life itself. I missed her name day, so I had a beautiful ship built for her. Please give it to my darling as a gift. Tell her that her mother misses her and loves her very much.

The Red Viper: I will have it sailed to Dorne right away. When I last saw Marcella, she was very happy, and swimming with the other children  in the pools at the palace. (He is telling her the truth. Marcella is very happy in Dorne, and she and the young Prince, her betrothed, are adorable, as you will see in S5). We don't hurt little girls in Dorne, you know, like King Tywin does?

Cersei: "Everywhere in the world they hurt little girls"**

Did that really just happen? Nice try Cersei. 

Let's head up the Craster's Keep, and see what Bran & Co. are up to. Oh, and watch Jon look totally hot, while he kills some mutineers, and saves Craster's women.

Cersei: 0 
Red Viper: 1

Bran & Co.  
None of this happened in the book, there are a few moments here and there, but let's get into it. 

Jojen seeing the same weirwood tree as Bran

Bran, Hodor, Jojen and Meera are tied up in the tent,waiting for Karl to return and decide their fate. Jojen, who is looking worse by the day, starts having visions, ie. the one above. Bran is happy that Jojen has seen the same vision as he had while at the tree. Jojen looks down to his right hand, and it is   consumed by flames. 

Karl returns and continues to brag about his amazing ability to use two knives. He picks up Meera, who is screaming and ties her up, and starts touching her. He is about to start raping her, when Jojen says, "I can help you. I have the sight, and I can see things in the future". Naturally, Karl thinks this is a load of  BS, and Jojen says "I have seen your death, and you will die tonight. I see your body burn as the snow falls and covers your bones."** Karl looks worried, but is about to go back to Meera, when he hears Team Jon. 

Team Jon
As I said this was not in the book, and it wasted time, as this show always does on events or characters that detract from the real story. The relationship between Jon and Bran is complicated because Jon is also a warg. Jon knows he is one, not only because of what he experiences in his dreams through Ghost, but the wildlings inform him of that fact. He realizes that he saw Bran somehow, in Summer's face when she saved him from the Wildlings. I will always have issue with, as I say all the time, with how this show has depicted my boy.  There is too much to explain and complain about, so I decided to highlight a few moments at Craster's Keep that taught us more about Jon. 

I really enjoyed watching Jon fight, through Bran's eyes. Why? Well I saw the difference in the boy we saw in S1, and the man we are seeing in Season 4. Remember the last time Bran saw Jon, they were at Winterfell, and they spoke of how he would come visit Jon at the Wall. Although it was not acknowledged, watching Jon, now a man, brutally killing men in battle, really showcased how much has changed. 

So, in the end, Bran wargs into Hodor, killed Locke, and Team Jon wins the day. Meera and Jojen tell Bran, who also agrees, that he should not contact Jon,  and that it was time to continue their journey. As I said in my dedication, Ghost found Jon!! Yeah!! So, I will leave you with the moment that I have yearned for: 

I fell behind in posting, but I did recap 4.09, as it is about my favorite boy, Jon Snow. 

Next up: 4.06 "The Laws of Gods and Men" Part I

*All images are owned by HBO, "Game of Thrones"

** All quotes from "Oathkeeper", by HBO "Game of Thrones"