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Ten Thoughts on Game of Thrones, Season 4 Episode 9: The Watchers on the Wall

“Nothing makes the past a sweeter place to visit than the prospect of imminent death.”

The Watchers on the Wall

1. Like ‘Blackwater’ from Season 2, this week’s episode focuses on one night and one battle, with action beginning about 15 minutes into the episode. While medieval-style battles can be repetitive and formulaic (hero fights one guy after another until he faces the main bad guy), the battle for Castle Black successfully manages to keep the viewer entertained by having the scenes shift between different characters, different battle areas, and some unique situations. For example, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a mammoth being used to pull down a gate.

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2. One of the highlights in this episode for myself was the development of Samwell’s character. He is conflicted between his love for Gilly and his duty to be a man of the night’s watch. When she unexpectedly arrives at the gates of Castle Black, Sam is given a second chance to do things right (of course he has to survive the night first).

3. At the same time Jon Snow has to deal with the same issue – Ygritte is part of those attacking the castle, and eventually she and Jon have their showdown. It is a very touching scene, as Jon smiles and Ygritte cannot bring herself to shoot him, even after she proclaims to her fellow free folk that she would kill him without hesitation. However, this being Game of Thrones, we do not get a happy ending – Ygritte is shot by an arrow, coming from the bow of the young boy Olly (fitting revenge considering she was part of the group that raided and murdered his parents’ village). Jon and Ygritte get to say a few last words to each other, ending with her usual line: “You know nothing, Jon Snow”.

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4. The scene in which Jon cradles the dying Ygritte seemed like the perfect time to end the episode, but it does continue for several more minutes afterwards. However, this episode was already a couple minutes shorter than the typical Game of Thrones episode, so the directors probably had to balance out laying out the scenes with the time constraints of what is normally an hour long episode.

5. Some of the visuals from the battle were incredibly done. This one comes to mind:

6. The episode moves quickly, but it seems a lot of minor characters get a good amount of screen time. Ser Alliser, for example, shows that he is more than just a cranky old veteran, as he talks about and shows leadership.

7. The scenes between Sam and Pyp were also done very well – you get to see two men who are clearly not fighters trying to do their best in such a battle, which adds a little humour to the episode.

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8. Perhaps the best scene of the battle takes place at the gate itself, where Grenn, another of the Night Watch characters that we have seen throughout the series, lead five men against a giant. Having his men recite their vows as this great terror comes at them was a perfect way to tell a small story of bravery and fear. And they held the gate.

9. The previews for next week’s episode includes a few clips of Jon Snow and Mance Rayder so we should expect the plot of that story to move along somewhat, but I do not expect that any confrontation between the two will come until the next season.

10. A great video was posted on Youtube last week, giving us the ending we all wanted to The Mountain and the Viper:

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