The stench of death was heavy in the air on last night’s You can thank the rotting, purple-colored corpse of one snot-nosed, sociopathic king for that smell.
“Breaker of Chains” picked up immediately where last week’s “The Lion and the Rose” left off, literally hovering over the dead face of Joffrey Baratheon. The King of Westeros’ death has left the Seven Kingdoms in disarray, with Tywin Lannister doing his best to swoop in and pick up the pieces.
But there was more to last night’s episode than the fallout of the fallen king. Read on for seven of our burning questions about “Breaker of Chains.”
1. So, Mystery Solved?
It was Littlefinger! Of course it was Littlefinger. It’s always Littlefinger.
Wait … it was Littlefinger, right?
We can say with great confidence that Petyr Baelish, lord of Harrenhal and former Master of Coin, had a hand in Joffrey Baratheon’s death. There’s no way he would have known about the king’s death so quickly otherwise. But is that the end of the story? Can we shut the book on the murder mystery, or is there still more to be revealed? Nothing is ever straightforward on “Game of Thrones,” so expect the questions and answers to continue all throughout season four.
2. Jaime, Why?
The big talk of last night’s episode is all about Jaime and Cersei’s sex scene in front of their late son’s corpse. As it is, that’s a pretty disgusting concept, even for a pair like Jaime and Cersei. The fact that it broke down into a full-on rape scene is even more disturbing — and a major departure from the source material as well.
Director Alex Graves claims that by the end of the scene, the sex is consensual. It certainly did not come across that way on the show. Indeed, all of the hard work the show put into making Jaime a redeemable character last season may have been for naught; it’s damn near impossible to forgive the guy after what he did last night.
Then again, perhaps the so-called Kingslayer was never really redeemable. After all, he did push a nine-year-old boy out of a window in his first appearance way back when. Maybe the boy-crippling, king-slaying, sister-raping Jaime Lannister is indeed the true Jaime Lannister when all is said and done. Very disappointing.
3. Is Tyrion Screwed?
It sure looks that way. Cersei is utterly convinced that her younger brother killed Joffrey. The forces that be were grooming Tyrion’s squire, Podrick Payne, for a position of power, as a means of breaking him away from Tyrion. Bronn isn’t allowed to visit. Jaime hasn’t been by yet. Tywin is assembling a group of like-minded jurors, all of whom could weigh in with swift and decisive action against Tyrion, assuming that’s the way Tywin is leaning.
Unless there’s a miracle on the horizon, Tyrion Lannister is in big trouble indeed.
4. What Makes a Good King?
It took Tommen four tries to come up with an acceptable answer. It’ll take me precisely one: Pizza.
Forget holiness, justice, strength and wisdom — if you hand out infinite slices, with proper diversification of toppings, the people will love you forever.
5. Can We Leave Dragonstone Yet?
The Stannis Baratheon story showed signs of heating up at the tail end of season three, with the promise of Stannis’ forces marching against the wildlings on the Wall of Westeros. Three episodes into season four, and he hasn’t moved an inch. Hopefully there’s some spice on the way in the form of the Iron Bank of Braavos. Otherwise, it’s time to pack up and make good on your word, Stannis. You’re bringing the whole show down!
6. What’s Up in the North?
The Magnar of Thenn and the other wildlings raid a small village and eat everybody inside of it, including a poor kid’s “dead mama” and “dead papa.” That has to be one of the more brutally violent scenes in “Game of Thrones” history, and that’s saying something. The Thenns are being built up as some of the deadliest bad guys we’ve seen yet. With any luck, Jon Snow and his fellow brothers will get the upper hand before long.
Meanwhile, it appears that the renegade members of the Night’s Watch are still shacked up at Craster’s Keep. Jon’s worried that if they’re caught by Mance Rayder’s people, they’ll spill the beans on how thin the Night’s Watch’s ranks are — deadly information in Mance’s hands. So, it looks like Jon et al will march on their former brothers. Here’s hoping that story ends quickly and painlessly — painlessly for Jon, at least.
7. What Will Happen Next in Meereen?
Finally, Daenerys Targaryen and her countless number of people have reached the next and last stop on the tour through Slaver’s Bay: the great city of Meereen. After sending Daario to kill the city’s champion, and hurling discard chains at their front door, Dany and her followers are ready to free the slaves of Meereen.
But will her conquest work out as easily as that? Will Meereen crumble and fall at her feet, like Astapor and Yunkai before it? Or will this battle take more of a toll on Dany and her people? We’ll find out in the ensuing episodes.
What did you think of last night’s “Game of Thrones”?
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