Oathkeeper

"Oathkeeper" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 34th overall. The episode was written by Bryan Cogman,^[1] and directed by Michelle MacLaren.^[2] It aired on April 27, 2014.^[3] The title refers to the new sword gifted to Brienne by Jaime Lannister^[4] and the themes of duty that propels the episode.^[5] The episode focuses on the aftermath of Joffrey's wedding, the Night's Watch's attempt to deal with the mutineers, and Daenerys' continued conquest of Meereen.

Plot

In King's Landing

Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) continues his sword training with Bronn (Jerome Flynn) and visits his imprisoned brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). Tyrion denies responsibility for Joffrey's murder but says that Cersei will not rest until he is dead. Jaime tells Tyrion that Cersei also wants to recapture Sansa, in whose innocence Tyrion is confident.

As Lady Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) prepares to depart for Highgarden, she encourages Margaery (Natalie Dormer) to bond with Joffrey's brother and successor, Tommen, before Cersei can turn him against her. Olenna also implies that she had a hand in Joffrey's death to protect Margaery from his cruelty. In the evening, an angry Cersei (Lena Headey) questions Jaime's loyalties and is unwilling to hear of Tyrion's innocence. At night, Margaery sneaks into Tommen's room (Dean-Charles Chapman) to talk with him about their marriage, and he appears smitten by her charms.

Later, Jaime tells Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) to find and protect Sansa. He gives her new armor, his Valyrian steel sword, which she names "Oathkeeper", and the service of Podrick Payne (Daniel Portman) as a squire.

At sea

On the way to the Eyrie, Lord Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish (Aidan Gillen) tells Sansa (Sophie Turner), that he plans to marry her aunt Lysa there. He refers to his new but unspecified powerful allies, stating that Joffrey's death was a gift to them. He adds that, because he has no visible motive to kill his benefactor, he will not be suspected. Littlefinger informs Sansa that a missing stone in her necklace contained the poison used for the murder.

At the Wall

At Castle Black, Ser Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) orders Jon Snow (Kit Harington) to stop training other men, reminding Jon that he is officially a steward. Janos Slynt (Dominic Carter) advises Thorne to send the now-popular Jon on an expedition to kill the mutineers at Craster's Keep in the hope that he will be killed before he can be elected the new Lord Commander. Jon volunteers for the mission, as do his friends Grenn (Mark Stanley), Edd (Ben Crompton), and the new recruit Locke (Noah Taylor).

Across the Narrow Sea

As the army of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) is encamped near Meereen, her aide Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) is teaching Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) the common tongue spoken in Westeros. At night, Grey Worm and other Unsullied infiltrate Meereen, arm the slaves with swords, and incite a slave uprising that leaves Daenerys in control of the city the following morning. Against the advice of Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney), she orders 163 of the remaining masters crucified, the exact number of dead slave children posted along the road to Meereen.

Beyond the Wall

At Craster's Keep, the mutineers led by Karl (Burn Gorman) are raping, eating and drinking their fill. Karl orders his henchman Rast (Luke Barnes) to deposit Craster's last child, a son, outside after Craster's wives ask that he be "given to the gods". Nearby, Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and his companions hear the infant's cries. They are captured by the mutineers, and Bran is forced to admit his identity.

Later, a White Walker is seen bringing Craster's son to an altar made out of ice. As another White Walker touches the baby boy, his eyes turn blue.

Production

"Oathkeeper" was written by Bryan Cogman based on A Storm of Swords. Reviewer Walt Hickey, of FiveThirtyEight.Com, notes that the episode "contained the final scene of Jaime Lannister’s ninth “Storm of Swords” chapter. But lots of material from that chapter hasn’t been on the show yet, so I reasoned that he has completed only eight."^[6] In addition to chapter 72 (Jaime IX), some of the content from this episode is also found in A Storm of Swords chapters 61, 68, and 71 (Sansa V, Sansa VI, Daenerys VI).^[7][8]

Theresa DeLucci, a reviewer for Tor.Com, notes that the episode "didn’t even take liberties with the books; it completely made up whole new stories" that do not appear in A Storm of Swords, including conversations between Missandei and Grey Worm, Jon's and Brandon's appearances at Craster's keep, and the final White Walker scene.^[9] Reviewers from IGN applauded the new material, noting that the scenes at Craster's keep "give Brandon something to do" and hint at the nature of the White Walkers.^[10] Erik Kain, of Forbes magazine, notes these departures from the books as well, stating that the episode departed as much from the books as any episode thus far in the HBO adaptation of Martin's book series. These deviations, notes Kain, "leave both readers and newcomers to the story of Westeros and its motley band of heroes and villains entirely uncertain as to what’s coming next."^[11]

Critical reception

Like the season's other episodes, "Oathkeeper" received acclaim from critics, with Rotten Tomatoes counting 97% positive reviews from among 36. The site's consensus is that "If it's a bit more subdued than its predecessors, 'Oathkeeper' is nonetheless a rock-solid installment of Game of Thrones – one that features assured direction, strong action scenes, and intriguing plot developments."^[12]

Eric Goldman and Roth Cornet of IGN commented on the episode being a "game changer" because it diverges from the book series more than any other Game of Thrones episode; a few of the changes include Jon's and Bran's storylines, how Daenerys conquered Meereen, and new information with regard to how White Walkers multiply their army. Goldman and Cornet stated that much of the episode feels like a spoiler for readers of the series because of the changes, including the show creators, who know how the ongoing book series will end, possibly having incorporated aspects that happen later in the books. Though Goldman and Cornet indicated that significantly diverging from the books could be detrimental to the show, they credited "Oathkeeper" with adding an element of surprise and intrigue for all viewers.^[10]

Writing for The A.V. Club, Todd VanDerWerff (writing for viewers who have read the books) and Erik Adams (writing for viewers who have not) both gave the episode a B.^[13][14] VanDerWerff commented that the scenes between Jamie and Cersei "seems to truly want us to think that what happened last week wasn’t, in any way, rape" and wondered "whether the show is going to acknowledge it at all."^[13] Adams notes how the episode serves as a "bridge" between episodes and plotlines well under way, but that there are "thematic riches" to be found; namely, the multiple searches for justice.^[14]

Ratings

"Oathkeeper" established a new series high in ratings, with 6.95 million people watching the premiere.^[15][16]

See also

• A Storm of Swords
• A Song of Ice and Fire

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Oathkeeper

• "Oathkeeper" at HBO.com
• "Oathkeeper" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Oathkeeper" at TV.com