Game of Thrones Season Four Episode 410 “The Children”

Oh The Hypocrisy!

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(Spoilers for the tenth episode of Game of Thrones Season Four are below).

It’s no surprise when an episode of Game of Thrones titled “The Children” happens to almost exclusively focus on children.  Metaphorical children, dead children, adult children, magical children, and good old fashion regular child aged children … it’s all here. While children and the relationship children have with the Game of Thrones world may be the unifying subject, it’s the choices made by the characters that bring everything together.

Game of Thrones Season Four Episode 409 “The Watchers on the Wall”

Start Second Guessing Yourself, And Everyone Will Die

(Spoilers for the ninth episode of Game of Thrones Season Four are below).

The Watchers on the Wall bears a striking resemblance to Season Two’s climactic episode Blackwater. While this episode may be less of a spectacle, it certainly put some interesting issues on the table to think about, especially about the idea of conflict.

Game of Thrones Season Four Episode 408 “The Mountain and the Viper”

The Horrible, Horrible Truth

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(Spoilers for the eighth episode of Game of Thrones Season Four are below).

While Mockingbird was an episode that focused on humor, this week had some moments of laughter on its own.  However the focus on the truth is what really stood out, and Game of Thrones takes a hard bitter look at the truth even by this show’s bleak standards.

Game of Thrones Season Four Episode 407 “Mockingbird”

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

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(Spoilers for the seventh episode of Game of Thrones Season Four are below).

The comedy returns in this episode of Game of Thrones. Mockingbird has a larger than average number of sarcastic and ironic moments by Game of Thrones’ standards, as humor and comedy are used as motifs to helps this transitional episode set up the climactic events for the season’s conclusion.

Game of Thrones Season Four Episode 406 “The Laws of Gods and Men”

The Show Must Go On

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(Spoilers for the 6th episode of Season 4 of Game of Thrones are below).

What’s real and what’s fake?

Tyrion is given a farce of a trial after Cersei accuses him of regicide.  This trial was the heart of the episode as well as the thematic content, which focused specifically on pageantry and reality.  Certain characters in the show seem to genuinely believe in the pageantry, while others were learning about the reality of pageantry, while a fair few seem to actually have a thorough understanding of reality.

Game of Thrones Season Four – Episode 405 “First Of His Name”

No One Really Wins

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(Spoilers for the fifth episode of Season Four of Game of Thrones are below).

Like the previous episode, First of His Name acts as a transitional episode.  Specifically we see the major characters making choices about whether or not to continue on their present course, or whether or not to change direction. Either or, most characters are practically forced into making decisions that won’t favor them or wont favor the common man. This episode had me thinking that a more accurate rendition of Cersei’s famous line from the first season might sound like: “when you play the game of thrones you always lose and everyone dies.” … or maybe that’s just Martin’s storytelling philosophy.

Game of Thrones Season Four – Episode 404 “Oathkeeper”

I Will Answer Injustice With Justice

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(Spoilers below for the fourth episode of Game of Thrones, Season Four).

Largely a transitional episode, with an ironic title considering all of the changes from the book, Oathkeeper prepares viewers for the next major series of events. The title of the episode leaves little thought to what this Game of Thrones episode was going to be all about: loyalty. Loyalty, like the other moral issues on Game of Thrones, is a lot more complicated than we initially thought.

Game of Thrones Season Four – Episode 403 “Breaker of Chains”

Money Buys A Man’s Silence For A Time. A Bolt In The Heart Buys It Forever

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(This article will contain spoilers from Game of Thrones Season 4 Episode 3).

Point and counterpoint.

As last week’s episode, The Lion and the Rose, ended with the Purple Wedding and focused on the dangers of having power.  This week’s episode, Breaker of Chains, focuses on the aftermath of Joffrey’s death and the dangers of being powerless.

Game of Thrones Season Four Episode 402 “The Lion and the Rose”

A Look At Internal Power

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(This article will contain spoilers from Game of Thrones Season 4 Episode 2)

One of the dominant themes of Game of Thrones returned in The Lion and the Rose – the dangers of power.  This theme once again takes over an entire episode of the show before being capped off by one of the series’ longest awaited moments: the death of King Joffrey.  The ending is an exclamation point and illustrates how the dangers of power are not always external.

Game of Thrones Season Four Episode 401 “Two Blades”

Oaths, Codes, and Symbols

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(Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 4 Episode 1 are below).

A lot has happened to the surviving characters on Game of Thrones in three seasons of television.  Naturally the oftentimes life-scarring events have a tremendous impact on a character’s beliefs and subsequently the actions they will take next.  The first episode of the fourth season takes a deeper look at how most of the major characters whom have been present since season one have changed.  The thematic devices used to describe the character changes though are almost all exclusively in the form of oaths, codes, and symbols.