Ben, Pete, Shana, Ryan, and Matt recap Game of Thrones Season 4 Episode 4, “Oathkeeper.”
[audio:http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/oti-recap-game-of-thrones-s04e04/oti-recap-game-of-thrones-s04e04.mp3]→ Download The Game of Thrones Season 4, Episode 4 Recap
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What did you think of this episode? Sound off in the comments below.
A Bleach / Naruto filler episode / arc? That’s as damming an inditement as I’ve ever heard. Ouch.
Interestingly enough, the Axe given to Pod is a a hollow token in the show (as opposed to the book). In the show Tyrion is quickly knocked-out and misses the battle and the axe does nothing (for budgetary reasons presumably). In the book however, he actually gets to do some fun things with it in the battle.
Perhaps we should start a forum topic for this madmen season? Seems to be working well for Hannibal.
Could someone overthink / explain the Sir Pounce fandom? I seem to have missed this.
As much as skull wine is a cool visual effect, isn’t the wine supposed to leak away through the occipital foramen?
Yeah I had to look that up.
Skull cups of old would have used the skull cap, rather than the bit with all the holes in. While it may be less impressive-looking, at least that would have made a far more practical drinking vessel. Maybe Owen From Torchwood was economising, maybe someone else claimed the other half.
Indeed, like the Judas Grail
http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac111/PixLnewB/skull_goblet_AAG34.jpg
He could of course have used some kind of membrane to cover the hole. If you don’t have any qualms drinking from the skull of your late commander, what’s stopping you of recycling his skin? Old resourceful Karl.
The transitions in this episode were so on the nose. I may be getting the order of scenes mixed up a bit, but it was something like:
Jaime fighting, guy’s all did you visit Tyrion
CUT TO Tyrion. He’s all, what our sister wants you to murder Sansa
CUT TO Sansa. Little Finger is all, I murdered that asshole with the help of my friends.
CUT TO Lady Olena (sp?)
I’m not sure how to interpret this, but it really stood out to me.
I definitely noticed the Sansa cut, but less so the others.
I suppose that the thru-line here would be each of those four scenes had to do with characters investigating/discovering details about the assassination plot against Joffrey. As the podcast noted, the show didn’t draw out the “who’s the murderer” plotline nearly as long as they could have: maybe the four direct cuts were indicative that this investigation plotline is ultimately perfunctory, and they’re not going to try to dress it up?
Alternatively, given that Joffrey’s assassination was the result of a conspiracy, maybe there was concern on the part of the writers that the multiple reveals about who’s involved/who played what role would have been confusing without very direct cuts? I’d like to think that’s not the case, but given the trigger warning scene last episode that took a complicated sex scene and made it simplistic/straightforward, I wouldn’t put it past the show to try to simplify the sequence.
This is definitely not a new technique for either TV or specifically Game of Thrones. Granted, it was particularly blunt about it this episode, but it’s been doing it for the entire run. You noticing it may either be a different director for the episode not being as adept at masking film techniques to appear natural, or just you noticing because you won’t as engaged with the material.
It’s a simple technique to orient viewers to situations and characters. In a show where there is such a vast array of characters who are geographically disparate it can be hard to keep up with everyone. The show also loves to shuffle events around so that scenes within an episode line-up thematically. Eps. where a lot of background work needs to be done before the blockbuster events take place especially need this technique as they don’t have a singular event to revolve around (see The Blackwater, The Red Wedding). It also help solidify relationships between characters and allows the next scene to being In medias res rather than with a preamble. That’s a must for a show that has so much to cram into it’s running time.
I’ve noticed that they usually try and spread the ‘X mentions Y, cut to Y’ transitions out with at least one normal transition inbetween or at least no more than 2 in a row. Perhaps there was a decision made that there was just too much going on this episode to leave things to chance?
One thing I’m surprised didn’t come up in the conversation about Jorah urging Dani to take mercy on the slave holders: Jorah was exiled for selling people into slavery. I don’t think this has been mentioned since season 1. I wonder if this will ever be mentioned as Dani blazes her march of liberation across the land with him at her side.
It was Selmy who advised to show mercy.
If I recall correctly, Jorah took to slavery out of desperation, not custom or true ill will. He most certainly wouldn’t want to be associated with the Masters.
I may be late to the party, but …
I only now just discovered this. And I think it’s great.
http://happyplace.someecards.com/30945/game-of-thrones-facebook-recap-season-4-episode-4