Thank the Old Gods and the New: Thrones is Back
After a heart-wrenching finale to Season Three, the groundbreaking HBO series Game of Thrones is back for a fourth season and is promising to be fiercer than ever. Season Four opened Sunday with Tywin Lannister, the master of the quills and ravens, using the remains of Robb Stark’s sword to conjure two new ones and disposed of Grey Wind’s severed body in the process. With the majority of the Starks out of the picture, will the show lose its attraction? I think not. With literally dozens of main characters, many of which will be new, the show leaves plenty of room for plot building and new favorites. Don’t take my word for it? Let me convince you with some reflections on the premiere:
As per usual, there was no lack of cynicism by our favorite imp, his cheap sidekick and an oversized dog. Every fantastical land needs its comic relief and snide remarks. The premiere did not disappoint, as it had plenty of the witty dialogues that keep us hopelessly attached, courtesy of Tyrion, Bronn, Podrick, the Hound and Arya.
If Jaime Lannister was technically disowned and is technically no longer a Lannister, then technically we can feel bad for him now right? Joffrey is being the opposite of sympathetic so someone has to be. I mean he did, strictly speaking, save King’s Landing by slaying the Mad King. And let’s face it; he’s fairly attractive for a 40-year-old man with one hand who’s desperately in love with his twin sister. We’ll just have to ignore those last three…
Brienne of Tarth may be bigger than most men, but chick has to watch her back. All of the Tyrell men think she killed their beloved King Renly. Luckily, it seems Margaery believes her to have been equally devoted to Renly as any of his other Rainbow Guard. Careful though, Brienne, we know Loras isn’t going to be quite as fond of you and Margaery isn’t exactly the most sincere of women.
Damnit, Sansa, eat girl! I don’t care how obnoxiously jealous Shae gets, poor Tyrion is trying so hard with Sansa, the least she could do is eat the damned lemon cake. It is her favorite after all. At this point, three Starks have died, a Hound abandoned his king and a Lannister lost his hand all trying to save her from King’s Landing and she’s whimpering in the Godswood, starving herself. Is it just me, or should it be her head on a bloody spike?
On that note, Cersei is acting like just as much of a teenager as Sansa. No surprises here, of course…she was never one for subtlety. But Jaime spent the past year or so as a hostage to the North, only to be disowned by Tywin so that he could be closer to Cersei. I mean really, Cersei, you slept with your less-than-ideal-looking cousin out of desperation in Jaime’s absence and you won’t jump at the chance to be with him because he “took too long?” High school doesn’t exist in Westeros so when did you get so stubborn?
Where the heck is the pretty-eyed boy they cast as Daario Naharis?! Remember the longhaired, blue-eyed beauty that killed the Second Sons and pledged his heart to Daenerys? Rumor has it the actor who played Daario in season three left when he was cast in the next Transporter film and was replaced by a new Daario. Luckily for Dany the new one’s not horrible to look at either, but if you ask me the old one would have made for some juicy scenes.
Enter Oberyn Martell, the Dornish Prince out to pay a debt of his own: the untimely death of his beloved sister Elia and his Targaryen niece and nephew. He wasn’t in this particular episode long enough to spark much of an opinion but don’t worry, there will be plenty of Prince Oberyn to go around over the next few episodes. We do know the Dornish have it out for the Lannisters, Tywin in particular, and that the Martells are no strangers to paying their own debts.
Then enter the Thenns, the Wildlings that really aren’t theoretically Wildlings. Ygritte, who has arguably a better shot with a bow and arrow than Katniss Everdeen, failed to kill Jon Snow with three separate arrows. In case that part went over your head, this means she let him go. Bad idea, Ygritte, ‘cause your “Jon Snow” knows a lot more than you thought and he’s not on your side of the Wall. Unfortunately for the Night’s Watch, those 100,000 Wildlings have the Thenns here to join their army against the South. They may not be under Mance Rayder’s instruction but they’re equally as upset with the “kneelers” south of the Wall.
Arya and Needle finally reunite at a fatal price. The show ended with the Hound riding away with Arya happily at his side with her own horse as well as the blade her bastard brother had made for her in Season One. But what does that mean for Arya here on out? The man she killed to get back her sword was a man named Polliver, one of the many Lannister men on her death-wish list. With her own sword, her own horse and no true family to run to, what’s her next move? Will she stick with the Hound and return to her crazy Aunt Lysa, or run off on her own mission to finish the list?
Like any great premiere, Game of Throne’s opener left us with so many unanswered questions. Will Dany grow afraid of her own dragons? Will Brienne be donned the next Kingslayer? Where are Bran and Stannis? When will someone finally shut Joffrey up? With so many new characters, it’s impossible to say what’s coming up this season. Up until now, the entire series led up to the infamous Red Wedding. With the Red Wedding well behind us, there’s no doubt that the producers will take us on a journey even more gruesome than the last.