Game of Thrones season 8 episode 4

After much thought, episode three left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed as the Night King was reduced to melting pieces of ice. He was the antagonist that did not care about status and I saw the show as trying to make a point that the Iron Throne is irrelevant along with whoever is the rightful heir. It wasn't what I expected but that has always been the strength of the show; defying expectations. Now full spoilers ahead for episode four.

The episode begins with Winterful burning its dead following the battle. Here we see the likes of Jorah and Theon for one last time as Jon makes an impassioned speech, and hopefully the dead will never rise again. Then the drinking begins in the hall of Winterful, calling back to the very beginning of the series but with celebrations all round, however Dany remains distant from it all. It's as the noise fades away while we move closer to her bold eyes where I realised this would be a special episode.

The theory of the mad queen is an interesting one and it's at this point where Jon is receiving the praise and not her that we start to see a discomfort. She now knows that she's Jon's aunt which does make things awkward but for her, what she really wants is control and the north doesn't want outsiders calling the shots.

If episode three was to be compared to a Hollywood action film, I would say episode four felt truly grounded in the world of its author. This episode brought back the politics, the deception and a lot of sex all in the first half. Bronn tracking down Jaime and Tyrion was a brilliant scene filled with tension as he aimed the crossbow at them, while I considered if the brothers had deserved this from him. He had always been an anti-hero of sorts but now he seems to have been fooled by Cersei and I wonder if it will end well for him.

The second half of the episode sees a sad farewell for Jon as he rides south leaving Sam and Gilly who remain in Winterfell, and Tormund who returns north now with Ghost alongside him. I was surprised by Tormund but it does make sense for him as he would have to shave if he were to fight in the heat of King's Landing. Everything else was looking relatively peaceful and straightforward until Dany shockingly lost another dragon to Euron's fleet and their giant crossbows. It was bloody and so sad to witness another one of the giant beasts plummet to its doom in the sea.

Dany, Grey Worm, Varys, Tyrion and what remains of the unsullied forces manage to survive the attack along with one last dragon but Missandei is captured. The episode concludes, after a surprising jump in time to the south, where Tyrion offers their terms to Cersei but the negotiations fail and Missandei is beheaded by the Mountain.

Episode four was brilliant to watch and came full of twists and surprises. The deaths will surely push Dany to the verge of unleashing hell on the city with the everyone still inside, and it will be interesting if the treasonous discussion between Varys and Tyrion comes to light, or just a simple burning.