With season five premiering tomorrow night, it’s time to go back and remember all of the glory that was Game of Thrones season four. Per usual, it was an assault on your emotions and no matter how many times it broke your heart, you always returned.
Season four began with preparation for the royal wedding. Prince Oberyn of Dorne arrives to King’s Landing and he is hell bent on revenge against the Lannisters for the murder of his sister, but who doesn’t want a Lannister dead? Arya is still traveling with the Hound and has a chance encounter with one of the many people who have wronged her. The wildlings continue attacking villages in the north and Jon Snow returns to Castle Black. Theon Greyjoy is still in the hands of the sadistic Ramsey Snow, the bastard of Roose Bolton, and he is doing everything he can to earn his father’s favor. By the end of the season Roose legitimizes Ramsey because he is able to capture the lands taken by the Iron Isles. Theon has fully given into his fear and is now “Reek,” a fully submissive slave to Ramsey. Stannis is still under the influence of Melisandre and Jamie is struggling to become a master swordsman once again. And finally, Daenerys is marching on the slave city of Meereen, but each day her dragons become less tame.
When we return to King’s Landing, Joffrey and Magaery Tyrell are married and in one of the greatest moments of the show, Joffrey finally dies. After forcing Tyrion to be his cup bearer and being absolutely horrid, he succumbs to poisoned wine. However, Cersei accuses Tyrion of murdering her son (we later find out it was a joint effort between Olenna Tyrell and Petyr Baelish). Sansa escapes, but Tyrion must stand trial with his father, Mace Tyrell and Prince Oberyn. The trial is essentially rigged and Jaime, in a desperate attempt to save Tyrion life, strikes a deal with Tywin. Tyrion agrees to play along and be sent to the wall, but when Shae is called as a witness for the crown, Tyrion is so enraged he lashes out at the nobility stating he should have let Stannis kill them all. He calls for a trial by combat and Oberyn volunteers as his champion. The Mountain fights for the crown and defeats Oberyn. Tyrion is sentenced to death, but Jaime arranges for him to escape with the help of Varys, but Tyrion goes to speak to his father and instead finds Shae who he ends up murdering along with Tywin. Varys and Tyrion flee King’s Landing together. Also in King’s Landing, Margaery is urged by her grandmother to seduce Tommin before Cerseir turns him against her.
Daenerys continues to liberate slaves, but she begins to understand the hardship of being a leader. She decides to step back from her quest for the Iron Throne and instead opts to bring order to her where she is. Her dragons become more and wilder, with one of them missing. After one burns a baby to death, Daenerys locks the two she has in the catacombs. The pardoning of Jorah is brought to Daenerys’ attention by Ser Barriston. Daenerys gives Jorah until sundown to leave Meereen before she will have to execute him. Daario Naharis and Daenerys also become closer.
Bran travels far beyond the wall with Hodor, Meera and Jojen. They eventually reach the large Heart tree, but they are attacked by wights. Jojen is killed but the rest are saved by a child of the forest and Bran meets the three-eyed raven in his real form and raven says tells Bran that “he will never walk again, but he will fly.”
At the wall, the Night’s Watch prepare for a battle with Mance Rayder and the wildlings. At first Alliser Throne mistrusts what Jon tells him and doesn’t prepare as Jon tells him they should. Alliser finally realizes Jon was right, but it’s too late and the men of Castle Black are forced to defend the Wall at both sides from the wildling army. The men are able to push the wildling forces back, but they know they cannot continue with so few resources and fighters. During the battle Pyp, Ygritte, and Alliser and killed. They capture Tormund and Jon goes beyond the wall to kill Mance, but before he does Stannis arrives and secures the wall against the wildlings. Melisandre takes an interest in Jon Snow and Snow doesn’t trust the new arrivals.
Lord Baelish takes Sansa to the Vale and Lady Arron tells her she will marry Robin. Baelish and Lady Arron are married, but Arron becomes increasingly jealous of Sansa and almost kills her. Instead Baelish pushes her out the moon door and says it was suicide. Sansa corroborates his story and they begin and dangerous alliance. After the murder of her brother and mother at the “Red Wedding,” the Hound decides to take Arya to the Vale and have her aunt, Lady Arron, pay to get her back. By the time they get there Lady Arron is already dead and Arya has basically fully lost it. As they are leaving the Vale they come upon Brienne and Podrick who were sent by Jaime to protect the Stark children. Brienne and the Hound fight over Arya and she runs away. After Brienne defeats the Hound she and Podrick go looking for Arya. Arya leaves the Hound dying in the mountains and books passage on a ship headed for Braavos to go find Jaqen H’ghar.
Season five promises that the characters stories will start to crossover. Many of the storylines have been fairly separate. There will time spent in Dorne and Braavos, two cities that so far have merely been mentioned. It is rumored that Bran’s storyline has been cut from this season, but maybe for the best because it was getting further from everyone else with each episode. Hopefully, the whole thing with the White Walkers will be resolved are at least touched upon. It seems not many people are paying attention to the approaching hell that is the undead army. Game of Thrones will premiere Sunday April 12th at 9 PM ET on HBO.