The Children – Recap Season 4 Finale (Major Spoilers)
In a drama-filled episode that was nothing short of epic, we saw Tyrion commit patricide and whoreacide. Okay, I made that last word up, but Tyrion was accused of committing murder and as we all know, Tyrion is a lover not a fighter… until now. Killing the great and powerful Tywin Lannister while he was in the privy–and trying to convince Tyrion he wouldn’t have killed him–was actually quite funny. But when Tyrion suddenly turned back after almost making it to the outside, I thought he was about to pay Cercei a visit. Clearly, Tyrion’s daddy issues ran deeper than I thought, and now Jaime has been dragged into this messy affair, by helping his bro escape.
There were plenty of unexpected moments in this episode, like Varys turning back when he heard the bells toll for the death of The Hand. Exactly why Varys did this I’m unsure but I doubt he would have been held responsible for Tywin’s death and Tyrion’s escape. What I think is he realised Cersei Lannister would now rule as the Queen Regent, meaning no one would be safe in King’s Landing, especially if there was even a hint he had something to do with Tyrion’s escape. I doubt Cersei would care about Tywin’s death, not after defiantly telling him the rumours about she and Jaime being lovers were true.
- Game of Thrones
- Created by
David Benioff & D.B. Weiss - Cast
Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Charles Dance, Sophie Turner, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau - Release Date
15 June 2014 - Ed’s Grade: A+
The Children began where it had left off from last week, with Jon Snow walking out from Castle Black to find and kill Mance Rayder. Jon walks right into the Wildling camp and has a powwow with Mance, but as we saw before, Manse is certainly no fool and realised exactly what Jon was up to. It turns out Mance is tired of seeing his men shed their blood, and he was actually trying to get his men to the other side of the Wall for protection. Why he didn’t just tell the Night’s Watch this to begin with I’m not too sure, but I’d have thought it would have been a smarter move to try diplomacy first.
Before Jon got to find out if he could kill Mance, a now much wealthier Stannis Baratheon came to the rescue and took all the Wildlings prisoner. I thought it was good that Jon stuck up for Mance, after Mance showed Jon mercy when they first met back in season 3 (watch Mance meet Jon for the first time here). Stannis is now at Castle Black with Tywin Lannister dead. He has the rightful claim to the Iron Throne but Cersei won’t give it up without a fight.
Cersei told her father the truth about her incestues relationship and she also stood up to Tywin by telling him she had no intention of marrying Ser Loras or leaving Tommen’s side while Margaery Tyrell dug her claws into him. Season 5 should prove interesting as Cersei and Margaery fight for Tommen’s affections. Cersei also declared her love for Jaime and the pair have sex, only this time it was of the consensual variety.
Daenerys’ arc has been the least interesting this season and now even her dragons are being put in chains–the very thing Dany hates. Drogon, the biggest of her three dragons, has killed a child and gone on the lam, and a tearful Dany has reluctantly chained the other two in the Meereen catacombs.
Bran finally meets the three-eyed raven but the group are attacked by zombie skeletons at the giant weirwood tree, the one from Bran’s vision. While they battle the skeletons Jojon is killed, but Leaf–one of the last remaining Children of the Forest–saves them by shooting fireballs at the attackers.
The final scene was rather moving, and sees Brienne finally meet up with Arya. Sandor and Brienne end up fighting over Arya with Sandor being beaten–literary. Brienne almost caves in his head with a rock after losing her Valyrian steel blade Oathkeeper, during the fight. Arya sneaks away from Brienne and sits impassively looking at Sandor with her newly acquired thousand-yard stare as the mortally wounded Hound begs her to kill him. Arya then rides to the nearest port where she comes across a ship headed for Braavos. The captain isn’t impressed when Arya tries to get him to take her with him, that is until she gives him the coin she got from the mysterious Jaqen. You can see the scene where Jaqen gives Arya the coin here. The music builds up as Arya is sailing away on a new adventure, now that her old one with Sandor Clegane is at an end. Speaking of Clegane; we don’t yet know if the Mountain will live or die but we last saw him having an old-fashioned blood transfusion.
I think it’s safe to say, season 4 has outdone the last three, with two more already signed up for, and the books more or less caught up with. It’s now up to showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to keep the high drama going. Roll on next year!
TV Recap by Ed Blackadder
Dedicated to my sister Anne 1967 – 2014
