Every Monday, our resident Game of Thrones fanatic E. Spencer Kyte will recap the previous night’s episode. Here’s his take on Season 4, Episode 3—Breaker of Chains.
Warning: what follows is a review and analysis of what happened on Sunday night’s episode of Game of Thrones. If you haven’t watched it and don’t want to encounter spoilers, I suggest you go read something else on this site. Consider yourself warned.
Very few people died in last night’s episode of Game of Thrones—at least not many people anyone knew by name or had any emotional investment in anyway.
Instead, “Breaker of Chains” was more of an establishing episode. Rather than a whole lot of bloodshed or a big “bet you didn’t see that coming” death (R.I.P. Joffrey), this week was subdued, with directions laid out for several story arcs, which should mean bigger moments in the weeks to come.
To keep these bad boys from running crazy long, we’re going to try a slightly different format this time around. Let us know what you think.
Sansa on the Run
Sunday’s episode opened with Joffrey dead on the ground, Cersei shouting about detaining Tyrion, and Ser Dontos rushing Sansa through the alleyways of King’s Landing. They arrive at a small boat and paddle out to a bigger boat, where “Littlefinger,” Petyr Baelish, former brothel manager, is revealed as the one focused on getting Lady Stark to safety.
He’s also got a new accent that is weird and unnecessary.
Littlefinger has Ser Dontos shot, telling Sansa he was a liability and that he crafted the necklace she was given by Dontos just a couple weeks ago. Remember Sansa, everyone in King’s Landing is a liar.
The King is Dead, Long Live the Far Less Unruly Puppet King
Joffrey’s not yet in the ground and his grandfather, Tywin, is already grooming his replacement, Tommen — “The One We’d Never Heard From Before” — to be far easier to control and manipulate than the child tyrant.
The fact that Tywin makes no bones about getting on with his business of being the most powerful man in the capital in front of Cersei as she and Tommen stand vigil over Joffrey is equal parts hilarious, ghastly, and pretty much par for the course for the Lannister patriarch.
No Means No and Oh Yeah, She’s Still Your Sister So This is Too Much Wrong to Handle
After kicking everyone out of the Sept to let Cersei mourn alone, Jaime hangs around to chat with his sister-lover. Cersei blames Tyrion and implores Jaime to avenge Joffrey, his son, by killing his brother. Jaime refuses and the siblings share a passionate kiss.
Cersei pulls away, but Jaime doesn’t accept her retreat, questioning why the gods have made him love such a hateful women before forcing himself on her as she pleads with him to stop.
It’s an uncomfortable scene for all kinds of reasons.
Tomboy and The Hound
In the Riverlands, Arya and Sandor Clegane meet a father and daughter, pretend to be the same, and get invited in for stew and shelter from the storm. Over dinner, The Hound agrees to “an honest wage for honest work” with the farmer.
The next morning, Arya wakes to the daughter’s screams and The Hound marching off with the farmer’s silver. She berates her traveling companion, and he tells her what’s what.
“They’ll be dead by winter,” he tells her confidently, “and a dead man doesn’t need silver.” Arya’s pissed, but Clegane sees this as a lesson in the harsh realities of the world, realities that he knows all too well.
Off to Molestown
At Castle Black, Sam is worried about Gilly being around 100 converted thieves and rapists that have sworn themselves to celibacy and a life on The Wall. His solution is to take her to Molestown, which is basically like taking someone to the worst town you can think of and leaving them there.
Neither Sam nor Gilly is particularly happy about the arrangement. Sam feels like a schmuck for not being able to protect Gilly at Castle Black, and she’s convinced Sam doesn’t’ want her around, you know, since he’s dumped her in a filth-covered truck stop of a town where being a whore is considered the good job.
Plotting with Stannis
News of Joffrey’s death makes Stannis credit Melisandre’s bastard blood leeches and think of attacking King’s Landing, but he’s got one problem: no army. Davos suggests hiring mercenaries known as The Gold Company, but Stannis doesn’t like the idea, which Davos immediately — and correctly — mocks, given that “The True King” is cool with witchcraft.
Davos heads up the tower to continue his reading lessons with Stannis’ exiled in her own home daughter, Princess Shireen, and it sparks an idea in Davos, who has Shireen write a letter from her father to the Iron Bank of Braavos, the Money Mart of The Realm.
Keep Your Enemies Closer
In the midst of Prince Oberyn Martell’s latest bisexual escapades, Tywin comes to have a word with the Prince of Dorne.
He hints that maybe Oberyn killed Joffrey, who responds by accusing Tywin of having his sister Elia killer by The Mountain, Gregor Clegane. Tywin categorically denies it and asks Oberyn to be the third judge in Tyrion’s trial for Joffrey’s murder, offering him a seat on the Small Council as well.
It’s a political and strategic ploy, as the people of Dorne were the only ones to escape the wrath of the Targaryens and their dragons last time around. With Dany on the way, Tywin is making plans.
Good Man That Podrick Payne
Pod visits Tyrion in lock-up, smuggling in some goods and word that Shea seems to be safely out of the city. Tyrion ponders who could have killed Joffrey, landing on his sister, Cersei, which even he finds “unique, as far as King’s Landing murders go.
Pod relays that Tyrion’s best witnesses are off limits to him and that he’s been approached about testifying against his master. He says he’ll never do it, but Tyrion makes him promise not to lose his life on his behalf.
As he send him off, Tyrion tells Pod there has never been a better squire.
Wildin’ Out
Ygritte, Tormund, and the Thenns storm a village and kill everyone, save for one kid, who the head Thenn sends to Castle Black to tell “The Crows” about what he just witnessed.
At The Wall, the count of Knight’s Watch members is roughly 100. A couple members escaped from Craster’s Keep where the deserters are holed up with food and females. Jon Snow recommends heading out to kill them, believing they’ll tell Mance Rayder about their depleted numbers, which will send the Wildling leader into action.
A Pissing Contest, Followed by An Offer of Freedom
Dany & Co. arrive at Meereen, where the city’s champion warrior meets them. He talks some trash and pees in her general direction. Dany seeks a volunteer to face him, and after declining the requests of Grey Worm, Barristan Selmy, and Jorah, she allows Daario Nahris to step up.
He kills the charging champion by first knocking him off his horse, and then pees in the direction of the city. Dany unloads a speech about being there to free the slaves, telling them the real enemies are their masters.
She orders her army to fire giant barrels at the city, and as they crash into the buildings and walls, the slaves that are clearly intrigued by her ideas and ready to subscribe to her newsletter discover the barrels were full of similar restraints to the ones they’re wearing.
My Thoughts
Like I said off the top, this was about charting a course for future episodes.
Dany’s going to keep assembling her army and the clash between the Wildlings and Knight’s Watch is imminent. Something bad is probably going to happen to Gilly — or at least bring Sam back to save her and the baby — and Littlefinger is clearly up to something nefarious now that he’s got Sansa on his boat.
As for the Lannisters, they’re going to continue to be all kinds of messed up, which is exactly why we love them… and hate them.
See you next week!
