What I’m Watching: Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones: Season 4, Episode 8 “The Mountain and the Viper” (B)

Not all that much happened in this episode, except for that one really big thing that definitely happened at the hand. Theon performed much better than I might have expected him to in the field, triumphantly announcing himself and then sputtering when he was insulted. It’s a shame that those he convinced to surrender didn’t end up experiencing a positive fate. Ramsay is certainly doing better than before, and might prove to be a serious contender among the many throne-seekers in this universe. Jorah’s dismissal was swift and finite, which is difficult to take in given how much of a loyal servant he was to Daenerys, his newly revealed spying notwithstanding. Sansa put on a great show lying to perfection to get suspicion off Petyr, and she finally seems to have developed the self-confidence she so lacked up to this point. Arya and the Hound made it so close to Sansa, and Arya’s laughter was a fitting reaction to the absurdity of the situation. Tyrion discussing the many kinds of killings and the words used to describe them with Jaime was an effective preface to the epic battle that was to come after it. Prince Oberyn starting off by drinking was a worrisome sign, but he managed to rally and do a tremendous job of beating his opponent, using his size against him and shaming him for what he did to his sister. Unfortunately, pride can be a miserable thing, and having his eyed pushed in and his face popped was a pretty brutal way to go. It spells bad news for Tyrion, of course, though I can’t imagine this show will let him go that easily.