GAME OF THRONES: Season 4, Episode 2 Review

As my fears are confirmed and the stakes are raised beyond belief, the 2nd Episode of Season 4 of the GAME OF THRONES dramatically shifts the status quo of the show. We are finally updated on Bran, and his acclimation to his talent of experiencing things through his Direwolf, is troublesome to say the least. Spending hours in the mind of his Direwolf, Bran is warned by the others to be wary of this experience, as it’ll disconnect him from the human aspect of himself. It’s an eerie warning to say the least.

The actor playing Bran, Isaac Hempstead Wright, is aging rapidly. One of the pitfalls of young kids on serialized TV shows is that they age quicker than the character they are playing. In this instance, it works, because while the actor ages, the character is traversing snowy terrain, while on the run for his life, as his family is hunted (and, unknown to him, murdered) and all is in despair. The actor physical maturing plays well into the character’s own emotional maturation in this state. Seeing him after a whole season, he seems desperate, wild and without regard. The others in his party again hint at Bran’s importance. ‘All will be lost if we lose you’ type of thing, and it again makes us wonder why Bran is so important. Because he is the eldest remaining Stark? Or is there more connected to his strange powers? Upon touching a White Tree, similar to the one at Winterfell from Season 1 of Game Of Thrones, Bran experiences visions that scarily set the stage for this Season.

The vision consists of a variety of images and one voice, tying it all in. We see a glimpse of The Iron Throne, in the dead of winter, with snow all around; a hint of things to come maybe… things like…Winter? The next, more intensely ominous image, that may go unnoticed at first glance, is the silhouette of a Dragon, gliding over the buildings of King’s Landing, signifying the coming of Danaerys Targeryon, the true heir to the Iron Throne, into King’s Landing to reclaim her throne… with fucking Dragons! The most significant of the vision, is a strange voice, commanding Bran to ‘come find’ him, ‘under the tree’. At the end of the vision, Bran proclaims that he now knows where they need to go. It’s an intensely important scene and adds a lot of intrigue for the things to come.

Most of Episode 2 of this season of Game Of Thrones is in King’s Landing with the wedding of Geoffrey and Margaery in the offing. Creepiness surrounds the wedding celebrations as both Cersei and Jamie show copious amounts of jealousy at Brienne and Loras (intended to marry Cersei) respectively, for cavorting with the other’s incestuous sibling lover. It’s a romantic angle aimed at both characters marking each other as their own to others, and it’s uncomfortable as hell, while a little amusing too. The most interesting chapter from these scenes comes from my predicted bonding of Tyrion & Jamie. Jamie confides in his brother how he is not the man he once was due to the loss of his hand. Tyrion surmises that he needs to train his other hand, and knows of a discreet swordsman to do just that, Bronn. What ensues is the beginning of a, hopefully, season-wide unlikely mentor/student dynamic between the unscrupulous mercenary and the highborn Knight of the King’s Guard. This promises to be great to watch, and lends further credence to my assumption that Jamie will ultimately rise in this Season of Game Of Thrones and emerge as the hero. Given everything he’s been through; his humiliation, his physical restriction and now… realizing that his position in the hierarchy at King’s Landing has change, and even within Cersei’s heart… Things are about to get real for Jamie Lannister.

[SPOILERS!]

This episode ends in a shocking turn of events, as the newly married King Geoffrey is poisoned and killed, but not before accusing his uncle Tyrion of poisoning him, despite the fact that he was forced to do so in the first place, by Geoffrey himself. The King is dead. “Fuck The King”. This, essentially creates a ripple effect that will most likely become the basis of this Season, as the Iron Throne is once again, Kingless, creating yet another power vacuum to be fought over. The war seemed to only be over for 1 episode, as things should get chaotic going forward. So the question remains, if not Tyrion, who poisoned Geoffrey?

Maergery Tyrell

She seems like the most obvious choice, given that she was the last person to touch Geoffrey’s wine goblet, prior to Tyrion handing it to him. After Geoffrey, Maergery officially becomes Queen and can impose her will and power over the entire Kingdoms, which definitely gives her motive. She never truly liked his cruel nature, and herself was more of a benevolent and empathetic person. However, it’s for that very reason that it seems unlikely that she’d murder her brand new husband and King. Her character has set up as being diplomatic, not murderous, so it does seem far-fetched, unless of course it’s a dramatic twist regarding her character.

Sansa Stark

There is a point in this season of Game Of Thrones, when Geoffrey is humiliating Tyrion, that Sansa touches the empty Wine Goblet and hands it to Tyrion. She could have easily slipped something in it to poison the King. Her motives need no explaining. Being the one responsible for cutting off her father’s head in Season 1, Geoffrey has been taunting her with that ever since, showing utter disregard and disrespect for her family and every one of them that’s been murdered in his name. Her reasons to kill Geoffrey are not only understandable, but completely justified. She also immediately wanted to leave right after the King was given his wine. There is also the fact that she bailed with a former knight, as soon as Geoffrey showed signs of trouble. After last week’s episode, I wondered if we’d ever see any of Sansa’s annoying bitchiness that existed in Season 1 of Game Of Thrones. I wondered how long it would be until Sansa stops being a victim and does something about her situation, possibly teaming up with Tyrion. So it would an amazing turn of events if she took things so far into her hand, that she ended Geoffrey once and for all.

Olenna Tyrell

Being the grandmother of Maergery, Olenna Tyrell has shown that, despite being a sweet old lady, she’s got the cajones to be just as sinister. Diplomatically dueling tongues with the likes of Tywin Lannister himself, comes from no lacking of experience or shrewdness on her part. Wouldn’t be surprising at all if she had planned this. Although she was sitting too far away to affectively poison Geoffrey herself, she could easily have done so by entrusting Sansa with the plan. The biggest line of thought that leads me to this, is the fact that she directly gives her condolences to Sansa regarding the death of her brother, lamenting on the type of ‘monster’ who kills a man at a wedding, minutes before Geoffrey is killed at his own wedding. Olenna has been nothing but a well wisher to Sansa during all this, is it possible she was merely gaining Sansa’s trust, so that the suggestion to kill Geoffrey, would seem that much more reasonable coming from a friend? Olenna also has to gain by Geoffrey’s death, as her granddaughter being sole Queen, would only look good for herself and her family.

Geoffrey’s death and Tyrion being accused of it… will completely shake things up in GAME OF THRONES Season 4. If Tyrion does survive, he will have to escape, maybe distancing himself from the Lanisters, and be forced to finally pick a side.

What did you all think? Who killed Geoffrey? Sound off below… *Note: People who have read the books need not participate. Well… no Spoilers please!