Game of Thrones 4:04 “Oathkeeper”

The Mother of Dragons deals out some justice to the Masters after her army of free people take the city of Meereen despite Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney) urging for mercy.

My, my, my.  Doesn’t Daenarys (Emilia Clarke) look regal ruling from a parapet?  Indeed she does.

The mystery of Joffery’s murder is solved as far as I’m concerned. I expected that to play out a bit longer. There were a lot of hands touching that cup. No matter. Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) and Oleanna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) explain it all in no uncertain terms.  Good.  That’s a lingering plot point we don’t have to deal with anymore.  Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Margaery (Natalie Dormer) both react suitably shocked by the news.  Sansa showed a little more fortitude in this episode than we’ve seen previous and I like where she’s going.  It’s nice to see her utilize her brain and question her surroundings.  With training, perhaps she’ll become is good at the Game as Petyr Baelish.

Here’s a quick rundown on everything else happening below The Wall this week: Bronn (Jerome Flynn) continues to make Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) look foolish at swordplay and life, Cersei (Lena Headey) wants Jaime to kill Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), Jaime wants to help Tyrion, Brienne (Gwendoline Christie)  loves Jaime but Jaime, Jaime, Jaime, Jaime…

… there’s lots of Jaime Lannister this week. Didn’t you hate him at the beginning of the series? Why do we all root for a guy who pushed a kid out a tower window? Because of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, that’s why. He plays Jaime as humble and irascible at the same time. At this point in the series, Jaime’s bravado provides a place to hide from all the bizarre crap he’s endured and Nikolaj plays it like a man going through the motions to keep from losing his mind.

Nikolaj brings it pretty honest and the series is richer for it.

Jaime and Brienne.  That’s just heartbreaking.  Gwendoline Christie was superb during a scene filled with more sexual tension than the front row of a One Direction concert.  Jaime gives her the Valerian steel blade made from Ned Stark’s “Ice.”  She leaves King’s landing with her new squire, the always cheerful Podrick Payne, in search of the Stark sisters.

Besides Margaery Tyrell sneaking into the newly crowned King’s bedchamber, that’s about it from below the Wall.

Above the Wall, new things are starting to happen and the situation is looking grim though only Jon (Kit Harington) seems to realize it.  Allisar Thorne (Owen Teale) and Janos Slynt (Dominic Carter) conspire to rid themselves of this would-be leader by sending him to his death at Craster’s Keep, still overrun by the fallen men of the Night’s Watch.

Since we last saw the place, Craster’s has become a hotbed of evil things.  Karl Tanner (Burn Gorman) enjoys some wine from Lord Mormont’s skull and, as defacto leader, must deliver Craster’s last boy-child as a sacrifice for the White Walkers.  A task he delegates to someone else.

Let me take a moment here and admit to you that I’ve read the books.  A couple of times.  It hasn’t hindered my enjoyment of the series one bit.  I expect things to change from the novels and that’s just fine with me.  Different mediums and all.

Well, this episode surprised me; and not just because HBO Go may have let something slip.

Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and his entourage are being held at Craster’s Keep.  That never happened in the books.  All bets are off.

To make things even more interesting, a White Walker appears and takes the baby, making parents everywhere freak out.  A very Darth Maul looking Walker touches the baby’s forehead during a ceremony and the baby seemingly becomes a White Walker.

In this episode, HBO gives us more on the White Walkers than George RR Martin does in five books.  Seriously.  There are no mentions of these kind of shenanigans at all.

Furthermore, the night the episode aired, HBO Go posted a description of the episode and named the mysterious White Walker as the Night King.  That description was quickly taken down (Ed. Note: Richard Brake is still credited as Night King on IMDB).

Did HBO jump the gun and reveal something they shouldn’t or is it a clever ploy to get the Internet talking?

I don’t know, but the Night King is a legend in the books that was only mentioned once during a story that Old Nan told Bran.  I won’t reveal the story here but you’re welcome to look it up (I had to).  Again, much of this stuff going on beyond the Wall is unexplored territory.

Guys, I’m even more hooked now.  See you next week.