Writers: David Benioff, D. B Wiess.
Director: Neil Marshall.
Cast: Rose Leslie, Kit Harington, John Bradley, Hannah Murray, Ciaran Hinds, Ben Crompton, Peter Vaughan, Owen Teale.
Synopsis: Jon Snow and the Night’s Watch face an epic problem.
And breathe. After a year away, Game Of Thrones is finally back on our TV screens. After last years Red Wedding debacle we at THN decided that this show should not be watched without a support network, so this year we will be here to hold your hand through the fourth series of the show with our very own Blog of Thrones.
We’ve made it to the fateful episode nine of the series. This time last year the internet exploded after we all bore witness to the legendary Red Wedding episode. Once again we look set to spend the rest of the year discussing the latest events with the topic this time around the battle between Jon Snow and the Wildling’s.
This episode was directed by the brilliant British director Neil Marshall, the man who brought us DOG SOLDIERS, THE DESCENT, DOOMSDAY and CENTURION. He has put his back-catalogue to good use as the battle between Wildlings, Giants and Night’s Watchmen was truly spectacular.
So important and epic was this battle, it had the whole episode devoted to it, a first for the programme. All the action cut between the two factions, giving us a glimpse into the preparation and motives of each, before delving headfirst into blood-thirsty carnage.
The episode started quite jovially with Jon and Sam talking about Ygritte, and Jon’s intimate time with her. Sam wanted all the gory details, but Jon tried to be a gentleman by not discussing his conquest. The topic then turned to the relationship between Sam and Gilly, with Sam simply quite rightly pointing out that she had just had a baby when they met. It is clearly something he has spent a lot of time thinking about as he has found a loop-hole to the vows of the Night’s Watch – you can’t take a wife, you can’t father a child, but it doesn’t say anything about the other stuff. Jon is more than a little reluctant to talk about Ygritte – it seems there must have been some love between them after all.
Meanwhile Ygritte was accused of having more bark than bite; her comrades thinking all of her shouting about killing Crows being all talk. So caught up where they in all their talk of ‘ginger minge’ that they failed to see Gilly and baby Sam sneak past.
Gilly and Sam were reunited and it was all happy for a moment. Wherever she goes, he goes too, how sweet. Their elation was short-lived though as that fire that Mance spoke of has been lit, and he wasn’t lying when he said it would be big. The Wildlings had arrived.
Sam is definitely getting braver, but his ‘I promise you I won’t die’ was a little stupid – that’s about as good as saying ‘I’ll be right back’ in a horror movie. He has found his courage, got the girl and survived the battle, but making a bold statement like that is really tempting George R. R Martin.
The battle had everything, fire, ice, arrows, blades, and giants riding mammoths.The Night’s Watch needed everyone they could muster including Ghost. The dire wolf leapt into action and straight for the jugular of an enemy.
Jon Snow saw himself promoted to General, shouting ‘draw’ and ‘loose’ all over the place. Thankfully he managed to dodge the giant’s arrow that sent his brother hurtling through the sky like a human cannonball.
Let’s face it, it was episode nine, we all expected Jon Snow to die, not Ygritte. As mad as she had outwardly appeared to be she clearly couldn’t kill him; her faltering before launching an arrow at him ended up being her downfall. Young Olly, the lone survivor from the town the Wildlngs ravaged headed Sam’s word and found himself a weapon, using it to save Jon. The poor boy couldn’t have known that he had just murdered the woman Jon loved. It was remarkably touching the way she died in his arms. Even death couldn’t stop her telling him how little he knew as we got one last ‘you know nothing Jon Snow’ out of her.
It was clear from the offset that the numbers were definitely skewed in the Wildlings favour. However in a first happy-ish ending, the underdog won. The battle at least, but not the war. Jon’s big plan now is to find and kill Mance, believing that the threat will disappear should the figurehead be removed. Whilst he is out searching it looks like Sam is in charge given that everyone higher up the command chain has perished.
We are almost at the end of our journey as next week brings us to the season finale. With us spending the entirety of this episode with just one segment they have got a lot to squeeze into the last hour, or else we’re going to be taunted by one hell of a cliffhanger.
[usr=5]Game Of Thrones airs on HBO in north America, and Sky Atlantic in the UK and Ireland.
