Game of Thrones Episode 4.08: “The Lion and the Viper”

[chavalah.livejournal.com]

In many ways, this is the penultimate episode for most of our characters, as eppy 9 will only be set in one place. /zips lips So of course, the real nail-biting dramatic issue that the audience wanted to see handled was that SANSA AND ARYA ARE FINALLY IN THE SAME PLACE. :O (Aka, Arya and the Hound finally wandered into the Vale. ;D)

OK, so that’s probably not what most people were invested in. :P In keeping with their medieval, fight-obsessed superhero names, “the Mountain” is Gregor Clegane and “The Viper” is Oberynn Martell. Ostensibly, they are acting out either Tyrion’s guilt or innocence in Joffrey’s murder. More personally for Oberyn, he is trying to avenge his sister. I won’t say much, save that Pedro Pascal outdoes himself with his dramatic performance. The rest of the King's Landing actors are basically pushed to the side for this; it's his moment alone.

Other character situations also come to a head, for example with Arya and Sansa being in the same place. :P The wildlings bring their fight even closer to the Wall, leading to confrontations between folks on opposing sides. Missandei and Grey Worm continue their relationship from a couple of episodes ago. Daenerys is slightly involved, but then she has her own old issues to confront. Sansa and Littlefinger must explain themselves to the bannermen of the Vale in the wake of Lysa’s demise. Arya and the Hound deal with some repercussions from their time with Biter and Rorge. The former prince of the Iron Islands confronts his biggest test yet over whether he’s Theon or “Reek,” and Roose is back in the house (or on the fields, more accurately,) to treat with his bastard son. The Lannisters are deep into their own issues, I mean whatever, because did I mention Sansa and Arya being in the same place?? :P

I had my quibbles with the episode—even with one of the interpersonal character scenes, which usually they do so well. It was kind of a pendulum swing sometimes, with some stuff I was “meeeeeh, no” about, but other scenes I was quite pleased with. In fact, I’ve chosen my new favorite scene of the show thus far from this episode (click if you don’t mind spoilers,) though for as much as I enjoy it, there’s a legitimate eyebrow archy component that I’ll get to under the cut.

Overall there was so much hype for this episode, and it covered such significant events from the books, that it was bound to disappoint some from the fandom. I’d personally still call it above average.


Summary
The Night’s Watch
Well, technically we start at Molestown where drinking and frivolity are to be had at the tavern, with the bitchy woman Sam and Gilly met awhile back belching “The Bear and the Maiden Fair”. She gets up to bully Craster’s daughter with her anti-wildling BS….until the real wildlings attack! Gilly recognizes their reconnaissance signs and is able to hide with little Sam, but everyone else is slaughtered. After Ygritte kills the bitchy woman she stumbles upon Gilly with her baby…but after some thought she just warns them to be quiet and leaves them be.

In the morning, word of the Molestown slaughter has reached the Wall, leaving Sam distraught and the rest of his friends angry. He blames himself for Gilly’s probable demise, to which the others remind him of everything else she’s faced; maybe she got out. They’re upset about their derelict brothers killed when they snuck off to Molestown, and the impending doom from Mance’s advancing army…our brothers are ridiculously outnumbered. We end the scene with Edd suggesting that the last man standing should burn the rest, because it seems their fate is either ashes or wights.

Meereen
The Unsullied and some women, including Missandei, are bathing in the river. The women are, of course, naked, and the men are not. Grey Worm, slinking into the water, takes a long, hard look at Missendei, which makes her indignant enough to stand up and then to cover herself. Alone with Daenerys as the Mother of Dragons braids her hair, Missandei admits that Grey Worm feels attraction for her. Later, Grey Worm comes to apologize, and they talk more about the past. Grey Worm can’t bring himself to regret his Unsullied slavery, because it ultimately brought him to her. Missandei is now glad that he “saw” her.

More time passes, and a random urchin boy presents Barristan with a letter bearing the Hand of the King seal from Tywin. Inside is Jorah’s royal pardon from season one. :O He confronts the other man first, mostly to let him know that Dany is totally going to know about this. Jorah is unable to convince his queen to meet with him in private, so in front of her, Barristan, Grey Worm and Missandei, he admits to spying for Robert Baratheon, even letting her nemesis know of her pregnancy. Of course he’s switched sides now, and implores her not to let Tywin’s ploy divide them, but she’s too incensed by his betrayal. She orders him out of the city on pain of death, and Jorah goes.

The North
Ramsay fits “Reek” into his old Theon garb as an emissary to take back Moat Cailin from the Ironborn, though he makes sure his pet knows his true identity. Theon rides to treat with his sickly former kin. The commander, though barely standing due to his infections, views surrender as something only a whipped dog, or a woman would take part in, and meanwhile Theon can barely keep his cool anyway. He’s muttering something about being “Reek” when another Ironborn axes the commander in the head for a chance to go home. Unfortunately Ramsay has other plans for the enemy, and the next time we see them, they are reduced to bloody, flayed body parts. Ramsay promises his pet that they will now go to their “new home.”

But first, they have to present Moat Cailin to Roose! Retinues of father and son meet in the field, and Ramsay presents Lord Bolton with the Greyjoy flag hanging from the Moat. Roose looks a little irritated, but asks his son to walk with him. They discuss that there’s been no word from Locke, or anything about the Stark boys…they’re most likely dead. Roose then escorts Ramsay to the top of the hill where they look over the vast terrain…the son doesn’t get the significance at first until Roose brings home that it’s all the north, the largest kingdom of Westeros, which he controls. As a final action, he presents Ramsay “Snow” with a paper that legitimizes him as Ramsay Bolton! The music swells as the son falls to his knees and promises to uphold family traditions and not disappoint his dad. Back on horseback, the Boltons, “Reek” and the rest of the men make their way to the façade of Winterfell.

The Vale
OMG OMG OMG SANSA AND ARYA ARE IN THE SAME PLACE I AM LITERALLY WIGGING OUT HERE. HEART POUNDING AND EYES STINGING; IT’S LIKE THE ONLY TIME EVER I CAN WRITE A REVIEW LIKE THIS, OMG I’M ALL A-FLUTTER WITH FEEEEEELS, OH THE FEELS. :/ Um, moving on here. :P

The Eyrie
Three of the Arryn bannermen, who in the books will become known as the Lords Declarant, sit in judgment of Lysa’s death. Things don’t look too good for Littlefinger; they don’t like him and his reputation enough to just by his story of suicide. So they decide to call in another witness, someone Littlefinger had apparently not considered…Sansa! (Or his niece, “Alayne,” as they know her.) A guard opens the doors and there she is.

Sansa approaches the lords, and after playing herself off as scared and mouselike, she reveals her true identity. :O She claims that Littlefinger has been her only friend since King’s Landing, and that he brought her here to keep her safe, but her paranoid aunt interpreted a kiss on the cheek as some lust-filled snogging. Ergo, because of her obsession with Littlefinger, which is well documented, she jumped out of the moon door while Littlefinger tried to stop her. This whole time Sansa is mixing truth and embellishments while breaking down; it’s obviously a very gripping performance for the assembled folks. As Lady Waynwood gets up to hug the girl, Sansa meets Littlefinger’s gaze.

After Sansa leaves, Littlefinger discusses the future of the Vale with the other lords, about how Robin needs to meet with his people and not live such a sheltered life. The noble houses of the Vale need to assert themselves somehow and not live in the shadow of larger Westerosi events. Sometime later, Littlefinger meets with Sansa privately in her room, asking the girl why she helped him. Sansa, demurely sewing the whole time, says she had no idea what the Lords Declarant would do with her if Littlefinger was executed, but she can trust Littlefinger, because she knows what he wants. “Do you?” he challenges. They share another gaze. And their gazing isn’t over, either, because even later, when “Uncle Petyr” is prepping Robin for his travels, Sansa appears with dyed hair, a black dress with lots of feathers, a huge necklace and a confident swagger as she asks “Shall we go?” Whoah.

Arya and the Hound
Finally within sights of the bloody gate, Arya and the Hound discuss Joffrey’s death; the girl wishes she could be there to see it. The Hound isn’t impressed by the poison aspect, aka a woman's weapon. Arya scoffs at this—a great killer would kill with anything. Meanwhile, thanks to his own infectious wounds, the Hound is staggering a bit. And when a man of the Vale asks who would cross and the Hound introduces them, they’re told that Lysa is dead! The Hound stands in stunned silence; Arya bursts into hysterical laughter.

King’s Landing
Jaime visits Tyrion one last time before the trial by combat. Tyrion recollects a time in childhood when he studied a dimwitted cousin who crushed beetles for a living, wondering, as he does now, of course, what the point of life and death is. He’s interrupted by the clanging of the bells announcing the fight, and now he turns his nervous energy to Oberyn, who is wearing very little armor and is drinking before his duel. Oberyn brushes all of this off; he’s cocky he’s going to kill the Mountain, even as Ellaria is indignant by the other man’s size. After some opening remarks by Pycelle, which Tywin quickly cuts off, the fight begins. It involves some heavy swings from the Mountain and some spinning and jabs from the Viper. Obreryn taunts the other man, wanting him to cop to Elia’s rape and murder. He’s able to spear him with his poisoned arrow; Gregor Clegane ends up on his back while the crowd cheers, and Ellaria, Jaime and Tyrion look elated. But Oberyn doesn’t kill him straight off; he wants to hear him confess, and to pin the larger blame on Tywin, for giving the order. He’s getting more and more worked up, screaming at the man on the ground who should be going still…but in a final burst of energy Gregor grabs Oberyn, backhands him to the ground, and smashes his head in while finally admitting to the crime. :O Then at least he keels over himself, but Ellaria is screaming, Cersei sits satisfied, and Tywin announces Tyrion’s death as his son blanches at the bloody scene.

Thoughts
You know, I’ve only been able to watch the head-crushing scene once, and I knew it was coming! (Tyrion’s blanche response kinda looks comic, but then again, how else does a sane person respond to such a display? Oy.) Unlike, say, the axe-to-head from earlier in the episode, or Jon shoving a sword through Karl’s mouth; I’m having less trouble with those. Perhaps it’s because Oberyn was the most fully formed character of the three. Perhaps because I really wanted to see him get his justice, for Tyrion, but even moreso for Elia. But if there’s one thing the fight between the Mountain and the Viper teaches us, and in a broader sense the whole establishment of trial by combat mishegas, is that violence never begets justice.

Some of the book purists were disappointed here, I believe. I think it’s because when you romanticize swordplay, as medievalists like GRRM do, you expect something more epic and detailed than tv can provide. I respect their personal connection to the broader story, but for me it worked fine because I was more interested in Oberyn’s mental state than anything else. Pedro exhibited the man’s passion, anger and self-confidence that ultimately led to his downfall. At other points on the show, his showmanship, for lack of a better term, seemed over the top, but it certainly fit well here. Of course it was also nice to check in on other characters reacting to the fight, but this was Oberyn’s show, and I think Pedro Pascal made quite the impression for his one season. People are going to miss him.

It’s worth pointing out that Oberyn wasn’t determined, in the books, for the Mountain to finger Tywin as much as himself, but the showrunners tweaked this character in that direction all season. It’s perhaps cathartic, in a way, for one of the people whom Tywin wronged to not back down from that point. That being said, publicly fingering Tywin wouldn’t bring Elia back. It would, however, send Oberyn to the grave with her. Vengeance…not all it’s cracked up to be.

This also runs true in Daenery’s story, imho, though more subtly. I can’t quite blame her for wanting to get rid of a man who betrayed her so deeply, but from a rational standpoint, he is her oldest ally and friend. Of course that’s what makes said betrayal even worse; how can you trust anyone, if not your oldest friend? A man who wouldn’t have come clean without proof of his crime? I do wish we’d gotten more emotion from Emilia in this scene…it somehow seems more appropriate that she’d respond with all of the dramatic venom that she showed Viserys in season one when she was learning to stand up for herself. This betrayal runs deep. (It’s also tied into a huge Dany prophecy from the books, but the show has long ignored that angle.) I loved Iain’s performance, and the beautiful Meereen skyline behind him as he left the city.

In the books, Dany is alerted to Jorah’s betrayal much earlier, basically when he recognizes Barristan for the first time. Barristan then outs Jorah as a spy himself, as he’d sat in on Robert’s small council meetings. Dany sent them both in to infiltrate Meereen, a possibly suicidal mission, then banished Jorah afterwards. I respect what the show is trying to do by bringing Tywin into this; a reminder that these characters inhabit the same universe and are vying for the same seat of power, even if they never see each other. They are still enemies.

Speaking of enemies, in a scene that doesn’t happen in the books, in part because Arya and the Hound never make it to the Eyrie before deciding to try their luck elsewhere, I’m kinda “meh” about Arya’s attitude. In the book, when learning of Joffrey’s death she feels empty, not regretful about not witnessing/causing it, which would fit in quite nicely with the violence doesn’t equal justice theme. Not to mention with Arya’s nihilistic “nothing is just nothing” mantra from last ep. Also, when the girl cracked up at the news of her aunt’s death, I thought it was an appropriate way to show how she’s divorcing herself from reality and normal reactions, what with her family dying at every turn. Seems like Maisie just intended it to be Arya mocking the Hound for not getting his money. Woops. :P I do respect the girl getting on Sandor’s case for all of his sexist whining about proper ways to kill someone; it’s like Westerosi norms even discriminate against feminine death methods. :P That being said, perhaps this is a way that she is also moving away from the way she was raised—Ned certainly believed in a right and wrong way to kill people. Arya…not so much anymore. Killing isn’t a necessary evil for her; it’s a life choice that she’s romanticized in her memory of Syrio, and her way of getting revenge.

I’ll segway again into a Stark girl who is moving away from her parents’ teachings…Sansa, who spins a lie in order to save her own skin. It’s actually a little more complicated than that, because she relies on her strengths—sticking close to the truth and relying on real, emotional tears to get her point across. (Also the way they shot that scene, with Littlefinger always in the background, was awesome.) She’s not quite to this stage yet in the books, though many fans assume that she’s on this path of full scale manipulation.

In the book, there’s a convenient person around for Littlefinger to pin the murder on, and he cajoles Sansa into corroborating his tale to one lord. She does it basically for the same reasons she chose to back Littlefinger on the show—better to trust the devil you know—but it was less her own choice. I think it’s appropriate to accelerate her growth on the show, given that she’s older and visual media requires something more blunt, but like some book fans, I’m a little “eh” that Littlefinger was completely unprepared to go against the Lords Declarant. In the book he had a plan with them to keep his power, to make no mention of his life, after Lysa’s death, but he’s not always so savvy on the show. It would have been nice, perhaps, for him to have a plan that failed (something more thorough than just claiming it was suicide,) and then, shockingly, the girl he thought was simple is able to swoop in with her own. But alas.

So the Lords Declarant know who Sansa is, not from the books, and Robin is getting ready to tour his domain, also not from the books, because he’s younger and much sicklier. And Sansa’s new outfit is awful, just ugh. We went into making things more apparent for visual media to going COMPLETELY overboard. Ever since social media has been abuzz with code names like “Darth Sansa,” and ugh, it’s all just so one dimensional and hokey. I hope they’re able to back down a little bit next season. But to end on a high note, we have Littlefinger and Sansa assessing each other in Sansa’s room. I didn’t even mind his gravelley voice as much here, though I did note it. :P Also, Sansa was SEWING, which I loved, because it’s a feminine skill and feminine skills aren’t inherently stupid, thank you very much. Sometimes they make you horrid new outfits—and hopefully some nice ones. :P At the very least, it makes her look far less threatening than she truly is. Just because you sit in a corner and sew doesn’t mean you don’t pick up on things.

I think I’ll wrap up on some King’s Landing and Meereen stuff before moving north. I really loved Grey Worm and Missandei. It’s not something from the books, because Missandei is too young and Grey Worm is asexual, but it’s just such a nice, lovely reprieve to see two ordinary people (of color, for once,) falling into a genuinely caring relationship. I’m even ok with the nudity on that front—because Grey Worm sees her as a person, not a sex object—though it still makes me a little skeevy. Of course only the women were naked (though to be fair, I guess they’d have to CGI out a lot of male genitals.) Also, in real life, I hear people were trying to sneak on set to Nathalie nekkid, which ugh. I hope security had tasers.

But maybe even better than all of that was having the Mother of Dragons and Freer of Slaves braiding Missandei’s hair and talking about HER life for once. Of course Dany will always be the focal point of the story, but it actually deepens her character, I think, to show her as a friend as well. It was all so lovely, and I liked Nathalie and Jacob’s vulnerability and chemistry; this will hopefully be a nice little reprieve from people being totally awful. :P

Finally, with Tyrion. Usually I love these intense one-on-one scenes between two characters; one of the major strengths of the show, imho. But the dimwitted beetle crushing cousin story? Definitely not from the books, hee. First of all it went on forever, so that when I flipped channels during reruns and then came back, it was STILL going on. :P But even more than that, it was just too dramatic and on the nose with its main point—are life and death merely dictated by a series of idiotic events? You’re the one who chose a trial by combat, Tyrion. :P

Northward! Unlike the last time we checked in with the Boltons, there was so much to love here. Alfie’s acting remains superb, and I loved how they framed him being dwarfed by Iwan as he asserted his identity as “Reek.” His treating with the Ironborn is drawn from long strokes from the book, with a little bit of streamlining. They are definitely sick and dying out, and some are far more ok than others with killing superiors and surrendering. Alfie remains fantastic as “Reek” barely holds onto his frazzled identity and purpose. And of course there's the usual Ironborn sexism about giving up a dead fight being a “woman’s” response, but that’s just par for the course in Westeros.

Also as per the books, Ramsay breaks his word and flays the Ironborn, though it’s presented differently—“Reek” awakes from sleep by the screams at night. But whatevs, and fantastic special effects with the corpses (and Oberyn’s head, I should say while I’m at it!) But this isn’t the time when Roose legitimizes his son; he’s not waiting for a performance review. He basically does it more immediately after the Red Wedding. I really loved all of the uplifting music over that father/son scene and the march to Winterfell; almost made me forget, for a moment, that these are the bad guys! :P But in their eyes, they are achieving a major victory. (A decent time to give up on the Stark boys hunt, which Roose never initiated in the books; seems likely to assume they’d be dead by now.)

So the tavern scene felt like it could have come out of any Ye Olde Greasy Peasant Movie, compounded by the fact, perhaps, that “Game of Thrones” only has two songs to its name (woulda had three if they did Sansa’s hymn justice! :P) We don’t directly witness the Molestown attack in the books, nor is Gilly there. Not that I think the bitchy woman deserved to die (and kudos to her, perhaps, for trying to fight for herself,) but I liked that Gilly was able to one-up her and recognize the wildling reconnaissance for what it was.

I also liked that Ygritte spared her and baby Sam. She’s not a one dimensional villain; she’s killing able-bodied men and women in the name of a cause, not just killing/torturing/eating for the hell of it, like the Thenns. The fact that she has empathy for a mother and child makes her more of a fully developed character, perhaps especially because she seems to be weighing the situation for a few seconds.

The fact that we know Gilly indeed survived makes the next scene with the Night’s Watch seem more bearable. It can’t be certain, 100% doom and gloom if she was able to get out, and it makes the brothers comforting Sam about her strength all the more tangible. John’s teary eyes and palpable guilt slayed me, just saying. :/

In the books, a lot of the people who live in Molestown actually flee to the Wall for protection, and Jon et al (Sam and Gilly still aren’t even back from further north yet,) prepare for the impending battle with Mance. Season four has been treating this as more of a slowly creeping event than it was in the novel, but with the true penultimate episode on the horizon, I think we can say that the threat is at its realest. All of this talk of anger and fear, death, wights and being outnumbered, is a fine teaser for what’s to come.