Game of Thrones Episode 4.01: “Two Swords”

[chavalah.livejournal.com]

It’s that time of year again, when I count down the weeks to a new season of “Game of Thrones” by releasing my reviews here of the immediately previous one. These reviews will contain book spoilers, and hoo boy are David Benioff and Dan Weiss going further and further “off script” as we reach the end of Martin’s published canon—quicker in some storylines than in others.

The season also wasn’t without its controversy, both intentional and unintentional. The unintentional issues inspired a media backlash to rival Daenerys’s “white savior” scene that capped off season three, but more on the specifics in due time. For now, we open on the Lannisters’ terse reunion after winning their war against the Starks (but new!old enemies wait in the wings…) Jon returning to the Night’s Watch to tell the others all he learned from his study abroad with the wildlings, and Daenerys & co marching on a new city. Arya and the Hound are left to the war-ravaged Riverlands, but our re-intros to Stannis, the remains of the northerners and some others will have to be postponed.

( Episode Summary and Spoilers )