Game of Thrones Recap S4E4: Oathkeeper

Grey Worm is learning another language. Missandei is teaching him, and telling him how she remembers when she was taken as a slave. Grey Worm says that he remembers nothing before unsully. He doesn’t wish to learn anything, only to kill the masters. Dany looks on proudly, but lessons must wait, it’s time. In the dead of night, Daenerys’ men sneak into the city of Mereen dressed as slaves. The slaves are huddled, their trust in Dany is wavering. Grey Worm delivers steal to them, rallying them to fight, to take their freedom if they want it. They want it.  They kill the masters in the streets, and the next day is a celebration. Daenerys walks among the former slaves as they celebrate her. She has Jorah remind her how many children were nailed to mile markers. Barristan Selmy has a word with her, suggesting that all the people are now hers, and mercy may be the better answer. She chooses to answer with justice, crucifying the former masters as mile markers.

Jaime continues his training with Bronn. He’s getting pretty good until Bronn fights dirty, using Jaime’s own hand against him. Bronn asks Jaime if he wishes to fight pretty or survive. Jaime asks if he think Tyrion killed Joffery, but Bronn does not. He may have hated the child, but poison is not his style. Jaime has still not gone to see him. Bronn asks if he knows how he came to be by Tyrion’s side, he knows half the story, but not all of it. He reveals that Jaime was his first choice, and he only stepped forth when Lysa demanded that the trial happen that day.

Jaime goes to see Tyrion. He tries to make him feel better, telling him about his own captivity. Tyrion has little hope about his outcome. Jaime asks if he really did it, and although he doesn’t answer the question, he doesn’t need to he knows he didn’t. Jaime wants to help, but he cannot just free him. Cersei wants Tyrion dead either way, and he knows that Sansa didn’t kill Joffery either, even if she had reason. Tyrion knows she’s not a killer.

Sansa asks Littlefinger where he’s taking her. He’s marrying her aunt Lysa soon, and that’s where they’re headed. She asks if he killed Joffery. She knows it was not Dontos, and it was not Tyrion. Littlefinger reveals that it was Sansa herself. A stone from her necklace was missing, and it contained the poison. He risked everything that he wanted to get what he wants. While his friendship with the Lannisters was profitable, Joffery  was unstable, and he needed to die.

Olenna plants to depart, leaving Margaery behind before the trials start. She asks if Margaery has seen Tommen yet. Margaery has not. She isn’t even sure that the betrothal has been approved yet. Olenna reveals that she wasn’t intended to marry her grandfather, that he was meant to marry her sister, but she sexed him so well that he never made it downstairs. Olenna tells her to strike now, while Cersei is distracted with trying to get Tyrion killed, who is innocent. She made sure Margaery didn’t have to be married to that monster long.

Jon Snow trains some of the new brothers, to fight as the Wildlings do with two swords. He tells a pair of the brothers to take it slow, but one of them knocks out the other. Snow gets a dressing down. He shouldn’t be training, they’d rather him be cleaning. Mormont isn’t there to protect him, and Jon is still viewed as a traitor. The Commander is advised that Snow is more liked than he is, that he may want to rethink his orders, that they should march on Craster and possibly let someone kill Snow. Lock, the one who knocked out the other, introduces himself to Snow and gives his backstory. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to suck up to any highborn cunts in the watch, but he was wrong.

Cersei drinks herself numb. She asks Jaime how many guards are outside of Tommen’s door, only one is. Cersei has been wondering why Catelyn Stark set him free, and he tells her that he would return her daughters. He made a sacred vow to the enemy, but he reminds her that Catelyn is dead. She asks if she told him to hunt Sansa down, and bring her her head if he would. He doesn’t answer. He couldn’t do it. She’s also upset that he went to visit Tyrion. Jaime tells her that he is innocent, he didn’t kill Joffery, but cersei believes Tyrion would kill them all if he could. She tells him that she wants four guards on Tommen at all times, and sends him away.

Margaery sneaks into Tommen’s room. He wonders how she got past his guards. Margaery came to meet her new bridegroom, wanting to get to know him before the wedding. He worries that his mother would not like her coming to him. But she offers to keep it a secret, likely the first of many. Sir Pounce, Tommen’s cat breaks the ice between them. Joffery hated the cat, and threatened to kill the cat, and feed it to him. She’s glad to hear that he’s not cruel, because once they marry she will be his. She asks if she can come visit him again, and he agrees, she kisses his head before she sneaks away.

Brianne reads over Jaime’s passage, there is still plenty of room left to record more good deeds on is page. He hands her his sword, the one of Valerian Steel. He’s giving it to her. The sword was made from Ned Stark’s sword, and she will use it to find Sansa. He gives her a gift of armor as well. Brianne vows to find her for Lady Catelyn, and for him. He has one last gift for her a squire, Podrick. She does not want a squire, but Jaime insists that he’ll be good to her. Bronn gives Pod a parting gift from Tyrion, his axe, and Pod goes to ready her horse. Jaime tells her that the best swords have names, and she names her Oathkeeper. Jaime says goodbye, and watches Brianne ride away.

Sam thinks it was a mistake to have left Gilly in Moles, but they cannot go get her now. Snow worries over Bran. Sam wishes he had been able to get Bran to come back with him. Snow hopes that Bran didn’t find his way to Craster’s. Snow is summoned to Sir Allisters. He can lead a raid on Craster’s keep, but he will not order men to go with him. Snow announces that he is going to Craster’s keep, and asks for volunteers to go with him. Their survival depends on killing the mutineers before Rayder get them. If that is not enough, then perhaps avenging Mormont will be an incentive. He asks for volunteers. None rise for a moments. Slowly men around rise to join Snow, and before long there are many that have risen. Lock is among them, but they cannot allow a new recruit. Lock insists on saying his vows how so that he can ride with them.

The men at Crasters drink wine from Mormont’s skull, and use Craster’s wives harder than Craster ever did.  The men pick at eachother, the leader, Karl, drunkenly rants about his past glories in King’s Landing. The wives murmur give to the gods, as the last of Craster’s children are born, a boy. Karl asks what was done with the boys. He gave the boys to the God. The wives murmur louder, and he takes the baby and prepares to give him to the White Walkers. One of the men takes the baby outside, and leaves him in the snow. He returns back, and Ghost growls at him. He was sent to feed and water him, but he doesn’t and Ghost is not pleased by his actions. Ghost scares the man, and he falls back. The temperature begins to drop.

Jojen, Bran, Meera and Hordor hear a baby nearby. Bran wargs into Summer and goes to seek out the sound. Summer finds Ghost, but gets trapped. The group sneaks up to Craster’s keep. Meera sees that the men are no longer Night’s Watch and suggests that they leave now. Bran refuses to leave without Summer. A group surrounds them, and knocks out Meera. They toy with Hodor, and bring the other three to see Karl. He likes the look of Bran’s clothing, knows that he is no Wildling. He asks Bran where he’s from, but Bran remains silent. He slaps Bran, because he can before turning his attention to Meera. Jojen falls into a seizure, but Karl won’t let Meera go to him. Bran announces who he is, and Karl’s day just got interesting.

A Whitewalker rides holding the baby in his arms on his dead horse. The baby still lives. He rides through the snowy wasteland . The baby is placed on an icy pedestal. It likes the white demon he sees. The thing places a claw on the baby’s cheek and turns him into one of them.