NOTE: Spoilers
Usually we get an hour or so of downtime during the last episode of a Game of Thrones season. Loose ends are tied up and the mess from episode nine is either swept under the rug or delved into with more details emerging before we go on a break. Not with season four.
Credit: HBOThis time round there was to be action at almost every minute. Opening with Jon's walk from The Wall back to Mance's camp, we see that the Wildling leader isn't happy to see him once more after putting his trust in him, but hear that now he simply wants to hide behind The Wall with everybody else.
Jon came with a plan in mind though to put an end to Mance's life, leading to his death and the structure of the Wildling army crumbling. All that went out of the window however when Stannis and his army arrived on the scene.
In some stunning visuals, the thousands of men and horses could be seen invading from each end as the Wildlings attempted to fight back but in vain. It was a great piece of cinematography and intriguing couple of minutes as Stannis allowed those who stepped down at Mance's order to live and be burned after discussing Ned Stark with Jon.
Taking refuge now at Castle Black, a well-needed ignition of action has been injected into Stannis' story ahead of the fifth season.
Back at King's Landing, The Mountain may have put an end to Oberyn's life in one quick squeeze, but he's also close to death as there was poison on the tip of Oberyn's spear. Cersei wants to keep him alive at any means possible however so long as he'll still be strong, and so Qyburn is given the opportunity to experiment on him despite Pycelle's reservations.
An argument with her father Tywin ensues at which point she tells him that if she is forced to marry Loras Tyrell, she will tell the whole world that the whisperings of her incestual relationship with her brother Jaime are true.
Running back to her brother and her lover she lets him know just how much she adores him, but her manipulation techniques in the past do make you wonder whether she has ever loved her brother or if she has used their relationship as a stepping stone to getting what she wants.
Credit: HBOMeereen still sees Daenerys residing over things, but she's thrown for a loop when one slave comes to her and asks for her permission to offer himself back to his old master for gold. He's living on the streets after she brought freedom to all there, and so she hesitantly agrees that he may sign a contract for a period of no longer than one year.
It's the next harrowing moment that will leave a bitter taste in viewer's mouths, however. Another man of the city comes in, with a bundle in his arms that you cannot see until he places it on the floor. It's the charred remains of his baby girl who he says fell from the sky, leading to the jailing of the two dragons she has captive in the Meereen catacombs and an emotional farewell.
A ceremony is held to burn the bodies of those who fought and died as a member of the Night's Watch before Jon has his own private bonfire where he torches Ygritte's body before weeping and mourning her passing after hearing from Tormund that she loved him and that she belonged in the North.
Credit: HBOThings kick off again when we come to Bran, Jojen, Meera and Hodor. Their storyline isn't one I'm captivated with but the rising of skeletal warriors was certainly heart-stopping. As Bran worged his way into Hodor in attempts to protect his friends, Jojen was stabbed repeatedly, but it wasn't a death I personally felt an emotional attachment to. That came later. This was just the removal of some dead weight. He'd known he was going to die since he set out on the journey according to the three eyed crow that the group finally come across, and Bran's hopes are dashed when he's told he'll never walk again. He could well fly, however...
We catch up with Brienne and Pod next who have lost their horses and come across Arya practicing her sword skills. There's some fantastic dialogue between Brienne and Arya who compare notes on their childhood where they were told they shouldn't be picking up swords until The Hound well and truly ruins the moment.
Putting two and two together, Brienne realises that she is talking to a Stark girl and relays the story of swearing to protect Catelyn before her death. A bit of to-and-froing then happens between the Hound and Brienne about who Arya would be better sticking by before one of the most brutishly fantastic fight scenes to come from the show.
What we saw with The Viper versus The Mountain was an elegant display right up until the final moments, but here we have two warriors using their strength as their power and smacking seven shades of crap out of one another. It makes for powerful viewing as you never quite know just who has the upper hand.
When all is said and done The Hound is sent tumbling down the side of the cliff, but as Brienne shouts for Arya to come with her the young Stark decides she'll be better off on her own.
In her final scenes with Gregor, Arya is stoic and quiet throughout as he attempts to coerce her into finishing him off. Instead, she steals his silver and leaves him to rot.
Still waiting for his execution, Tyrion gets an unexpected visitor in his brother Jaime who has - with the help of Varys - come to send the youngest sibling away in an escape that leads to so much more. A final goodbye means that the two leave on good terms, but Tyrion isn't done.
Heading up through the secret passageways into the Hand's chambers, he realises he's been betrayed in the worst way possible when Shae moans for her 'Lion of Lannister' on Tywin's bed. Lunging at him with the fruit knife, her attempts are in vain as Tyrion gets one over on her, strangling her to death with the gold chain around her neck, crying whilst doing so.
"I'm sorry." he says before leaving for the privvy, crossbow and arrows in hand.
Credit: HBOBittersweet is perhaps the best word to describe what comes next. Charles Dance has excelled as being the villainous Tywin Lannister, removing any warmth from a scene in an instant. He's an effortlessly brilliant actor and so when Tyrion drove two crossbow arrows straight into him as he sat on the toilet, two thirds of me wanted to jump for joy as Tyrion was finally being allowed some solace, but that other third mourned. A great character is now erased from the future of Game of Thrones, but it's good to see the 'bad guys' finally feel some more pain.
Varys realises something terrible has happened but continues on with the plan to get Tyrion out of King's Landing anyway, putting him in a box that the sailors think will be simply stock and goods before turning to head back to the grounds. That is until the bells begin to toll and he realises he has no future there, forcing him to turn around once more and boarding the boat with Tyrion.
Our final scenes are with Arya. A girl who has matured so much since we first met her in the first season, doing anything she could to get out of the typically girly activities so she could pick up a wooden sword and learn how to defend herself.
Now she's travelling on her own atop a white steed, arriving at a bay where she meets Braavosi sailsmen who refuse to go North, but who will take her to Braavos with no qualms after she reveals the iron coin she was gifted by Jaqen H'ghar.
Credit: HBOAnd so we come to the end of another epic season. The cliffhanger all book readers expected didn't happen, and I hope the talks of it not being included in the future at all are simply rumours, because it would be a travesty to see such a reveal go to waste.
Until next time. Valar morghulis.
Game of Thrones season 4 is now available to buy in full through blinkbox, who have also produced special edition gift cards featuring key characters Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister, Arya Stark, Bran Stark and Jaime Lannister.
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