Game of Thrones - Oathkeeper (Episode 4 Season 4) [TV Review]

Welcome back to the weekly review of Game of Thrones. I've been writing these on the Monday after they show, but I think I may move this review forward to Sunday, just after the episode.
More after the click...

The fate of the Master's of Meereen. Too bad.

Through the course of Game of Thrones there have been many instances of deviation from the books. We all knew this would happen. It is not unexpected. However Oathkeeper may be the single largest deviation ever.

4 out of 5 stars

I'm actually going to reward the series for that an give it my seal of approval. It's normal to take such a well known work and make tweaks, it is truly bold to completely deviate and add to the work. We expect to see some character's rolled into others, to see events happen slightly differntly, to occur in a different order... but this... this is bold. But lets move on to the episode recap.

We begin with Grey Worm learning to speak the common tongue of Westeros. This, I swear, is new. I think I know why they are doing this. It will be easier if Grey Worm can speak common as the series goes along. Less subtitles. This is also set up for Grey Worm leading a band of unsullied, dressed as slaves, into Meereen. They are bringing bundles and bundles of weapons to arm the slaves and create a slave uprising. They primed the slaves for it in the last episode, now they are giving them the weapons to free themselves with. The end result... Daenerys becomes ruler of the city, and stakes up one master for each slave they treated in the same manner. Justice.

Yet another beginning to Brienne's quest.

To King's Landing. Bronn continues to retrain Jaime. Jaime is obviously improving. Bronn also convinces Jaime to visit Tyrion in jail. It's very important. 

Margaery begins the easy seduction of Tommen.

Jaime visits Tyrion, they speak of the conditions, and whether or not Tyrion is guilty. Or if Sansa is guilty... and of course they are both ignorant of who really killed Joffery. But Tyrion does have one of the best lines ever.

"A trial for Regicide, I know. I know the whole bloody country thinks I'm guilty. I know that one of my three Judges has wished me dead more times than I can count, and that Judge is my father." The snark is palpable.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing...

Jump aboard the boat at seas with Petyr Baelish and Sansa. Petyr tells Sansa they are on their way to the Eyrie where he will marry Sansa's aunt Lysa. Petyr also gets one of the great lines in this episode.

"A man with no motive is a man no one expects. Always keep your foes confused. If they don't know who you are or what you want... they can't know what you plan to do next." Never assume you know what Petyr is thinking... he's one of the great masterminds behind this whole dark series... this guy is one to watch. He's also darkly awesome. You admire him... even if you feel you should not.

"And what do you want?"
(a long pause)
"Everything." 

Then we return to King's Landing where Lady Olenna is talking with  Margaery. Lady Olenna is leaving King's Landing soon. She tells Margaery a lightly lurid story about how she seduced her husband. Lady Olenna is encouraging Margaery to seduce Tommen. (That should not be difficult... and it isn't).

Jon is teaching recruits before Alliser Thorne breaks it up.

At last we return to the Wall. Here we see Jon Snow teaching recruits how Wildings fight. Careful attention shows that one of the recruits is the boy who's village was slaughtered in the last episode, and one of them is Locke, who was sent by Roose Bolton on a mission to kill the Stark boys and Jon Snow. 

Hodor.

Ser Alliser Thorne and Janos Slynt craft a plan to have Jon Snow killed in a mission north of the Wall, a mission meant to kill the mutineers who murdered the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.

Back in King's Landing, Jaime actually tires to convince Cersei that Tyrion is not guilty. She will not listen, she simply demands more of the King's Guard be stationed around Tommen's door at night. This of course does not stop Margaery from sneaking in. She does seduction well. She just gives Tommen hints... nothing major, but she begins stringing him along. Also, we're introduced to Ser Pounce... Tommen's cat. 

Ser Brienne of Tarth is given multiple gifts from Jaime Lannister. She is given his Valyrian-steel blade, a new suit of armor, and a new squire... Podrik Payne. She is told to search out the Sansa and keep her from harm.

Back at the Wall... more planning to send Jon Snow on a foray to Crastor's Keep. Jon can only take volunteers, but he ends up with about six or seven brothers. Those who follow him include Grenn, Edd, and conviently Locke, who has to take his vows before going beyond the wall.

At Crastor's Keep, Karl (played by Burn Gorman, Torchwood, Pacific Rim) orders Rast to feed the 'beast,' Jon's Wolf Ghost. He can play some really creepy characters... which is good. Rast is also ordered to take last spawn of Crastor and present it as a gift to the 'gods,' aka the White Walkers.

Bran is also beyond the wall. He uses his wolf, Summer, to scout and when he does he stumbles upon Crastor's Keep and he sees Ghost penned up. Unfortunately Summer also falls in a trap that the Night's Watch mutineers has set up. Bran urges his companions to set off to rescue the wolves. This of course results in them getting captured by the mutineers. Not the brightest series of moves by Bran.

Lastly, and most awesomely, we see a White Walker ride towards some long frozen castle or temple, or something that resembles Minas Morgul. He has the baby. The baby is crying... but don't worry, the White Walkers know a way of silencing children.

This was a good episode. There was so much new, almost everything, or actually everything, in the North was new. I do not remember any of these events from the books. It's a continuing pattern... it began last week, if not earlier. The parts in the North are being updated, changed, perhaps being filled out.

It should be interesting in the weeks to come...

The White Walkers are back... and they reside at Minas Morgul?

Read my past reviews for Game of Thrones:
Season 4:
- Two Swords (Ep1)
- The Lion and the Rose (Ep2)
- Breaker of Chains (Ep3)