THE WALL
Last time we checked two armies were heading South: the White Walkers, and Mance Rayder’s wildlings — one slightly slower and less alive than the other. Jon Snow has returned back to Castle Black, greatly injured but still very much alive. His intel from the time he was undercover with the Wildlings is better to pay off, because his brothers now think him a traitor for breaking his oaths. On the other hand, we have Ygritte, who pretty much thinks the same. Therefore, I think it is safe to say, Jon Snow is in a tough spot.
In the season-three finale, ravens (once upon a time CoFTF wargs) were dispatched from Castle Black to ask all lords and wannabe kings in Westeros for help in defending the wall from the upcoming attacks. So far Stannis is the only King to respond to the call, thanks to Davos’ newfound ability to read. With Melisandre on one shoulder and Davos on the other, the Rightful King, First of His Name is marching North. By the title of penultimate episode “Castle Black” it seems it will take him 8 episodes to get there. Oh well, better late than never.
Come mid season, we will meet more wildlings, including Styr, the Magnar of Thenn, which I am very excited about. And …… more Tormund! HAR! *Spits*
BEYOND THE WALL IN THE LANDS OF ALWAYS WINTER
Meanwhile, Bran, Hodor, and the Reeds, in their quest to find the three-eyed raven, pick up another bizarre companion, or so I hope. Could there be another kind of undead in this world, one that is not a monstrous wight or an Other? Not that the Others are. But that is anOther story.
Also, Bran is about to learn a brand new ability, besides warging and greenseeing I mean. And if we are oh so lucky the Reeds will fill us in on some valuable Ned Stark – Howland Reed – Lyanna Stark history lessons. And yes, in case you were wondering, we will meet the Three-Eyed-Raven in the form of Struan Rodger. Yes he is a man… coming from a famous family whose name was not uttered once in the show. Blasphemy.
And what about Rast giving offerings to the Others?
THE SOUTH NORTH
What will happen to Rickon? His journey is not depicted in the books so it is hard to say if the series will follow the unlikely trio. Will they seek protection from Stark allies in the North or will they leave to a more secluded place? Which ever they chose the danger is sure to follow. Or Davos.
Meanwhile, Roose Bolton became the Warden of the North. His bastard son Ramsey Snow, who got his eyes on Arya Stark, is no longer a Snow (one might think he is after Winterfell) and Theon Greyjoy (my name is Reek it rhymes with weak) is still his captive. Thanks to the platitude of torture we participated in during the last season Ramsey now know that the Stark boys are still alive. Will Ramsey use his “girls” to hunt Rickon down is yet to be seen.
But Theon is not forgotten. Remember Asha’s (Yara) “epic” monologue on getting her little brother back home? Well, she is on her way. How far will she get, remains to be seen. Also, casting pretty much reveals we will not see any of Theon’s uncles, which is, believe me when I tell you, such a shame.
RIVERLANDS
Arya has tried and tried and tried to reconnect with her family, and instead she saw her father, mother and brother, being brutally murdered. What does she have to live for if not revenge? Remember Jaqen H’ghar, the faceless killer she met in Season 2? Will she take him up on his offer to train with the Faceless Men and sail off to Braavos beyond the Narrow Sea or will she stick around with her new best friend, Sandor The Hound Clegane, revenging her family? Whatever the case might be, little does Arya know that at some point in her journey, another member of her family will be close by, although hard to recognize, called by a different name, and with a whole new set of priorities. And remember, not everyone at the Red Wedding was slaughtered – some have just been held prisoner.
IN THE EYRIE
Lysa Arryn — remember her still breastfeeding her son Robert at an inappropriate age? — might have something to say about the Red Wedding, considering her sister Catelyn was murdered and her brother Edmure is still held captive by the Freys. Littlefinger was sent off to woo and marry Lysa as part of a political arrangement for the Lannisters in season three, but he has always pinned for Catelyn. Now that she’s dead, how will he feel about the remaining Tullys and Starks, especially Sansa (who most resembled her mother)? Expect some intrigue on his part, including plots that involve both Sansa and Arya.
KING’S LANDING
Joffrey and Margaery are soon to be wed, Cersei and Jaime have finally been reunited, and Tyrion and Sansa are making strides toward … something. Is love in the air for all the Lannisters? Probably not for long: This is Westeros, after all. As elated as Joffrey is about the Red Wedding, he might do well to consider it a warning; It’s not a good sign for anyone planning his own nuptials (which Linda Antonsson from Westeros.org predicts will be mid-season). Then of course there are the guests invited to the Purple Wedding, which means it will be time to meet the rest of the Tyrells, starting with Margaerey and Loras’s father, the Lord of Highgarden, Mace Tyrell. (You may remember his mother Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns, referring to him as a “ponderous oaf” when discussing her family with Sansa.) He’s arguably as powerful (if not more so) than the Lannisters, and could give Tywin a run for his money.
And what about Brienne? Besides chewing a man’s ear and spitting it into his face? Before she ran off to help Catelyn, she was believed to have killed Renly. So what happens when she meets his lover Loras on the streets of King’s Landing? Will Jaime save her yet again? Or when Cersei perceives her to be a threat to her twincest love affair? Speaking of which, Jaime and Cersei’s daughter Myrcella was sent to the Martells back in season two, and the Martells will be on the scene soon, still bearing a grudge because the Mountain (the Hound’s brutal brother) raped and killed one of their own, Princess Elia, during the sack of King’s Landing. (Granted, she was married to a Targaryen, but still.) So Elia’s younger brother Oberyn Martell (otherwise known as the Red Viper Hell Yeah) will come to King’s Landing to claim some justice as well as a seat on the small council, where he should befriend Tyrion. And don’t you know it, Tyrion will need help with yet another trial by combat, and this one will be epic. Literally.
From the GOT preview…
Jaime Lannister HAS a Golden Hand! I knew this is coming but Seven Hells I didn’t know it will come this soon. And need I say…. Excitement has hit the roof!
Also, rumor has it, the actor that plays Ser Ilyn Payne – King’s Justice responsible for beheading the honorable Ned Stark – Wilco Johnson, will not appear in the upcoming season due to his illness…Why is this important? Well, in the books he is the man that teaches Jaime Lannister how to fight with his left hand and if memory serves, he is that illiterate tongue-less man you have seen few seasons back. Unable to speak or write, Ser Ilyn Payne thus becomes a perfect companion for Jaime Lannister who has far too many things on his mind that needed to be verbalized, which is quite frankly hilarious in the book. With Johnsons absence the role of Jaime’s new master has fallen onto Bronn. And even though the context of this relation will change considerably since Bronn can talk, which therefore downgrades the magnificence of this relation, I am still excited and will welcome this change with open arms. I mean come on…. two cockiest and funniest characters will finally get the chance to share the screen! Words cannot describe how much I am looking forward to this.
SLAVER’S BAY
The “best” is saved for last.
Dany is now the “mother” (mhysa) of Yunkai (after having burned down Astapor earlier in the season) crowdsurfing on top of her newfound human children, which might’ve been the worst season finale in history of television. Moving on…
Everybody is happy and full of love BUT what happens to these Slayer’s Bay cities once the Khaleesi frees the slaves and moves on? How are they to feed themselves? Dress or cure themselves? What happens to city’s infrastructure and economy? Oh well, Khalleesi does not think that far ahead. And soon enough she will start learning the consequences (of aimless conquering) when she hits the next city on her list, Meereen. There, Dany will realize that she can’t just keep moving from one city to another freeing slaves without providing leadership, food and protection and without rebuilding the infrastructure, too. I guess there is no time like the present – for Dany to learn some politics and for D&D (writers/producers of the show) to take her of the pedestal and show her for what she really is, as written in the book. Meanwhile, those dragons are getting bigger, wilder … and hungrier.
Few more thoughts on Slaver’s Bay….
“They can live in my new world or die in their old one.” Will we finally see who Danerys Targaryen really is? I f*cking hope so. Pardon my French. Furthermore, the new GOT preview went so far as to show us full grown Drogon attacking what it seems an innocent shepherd. Irony of this scene know no bounds….since the fan favorite Arian royal Targaryen family spans from…wait for it…. the line of Valyrian sheepherders that, as faith would have it, stumbled upon dragons by mere chance….same way Danerys did not so long ago. For the sake of non-readers I hope D&D stay true to the book as far as this storyline goes…… especially considering how much they strayed from the story already.
So, to sum up: Season four will most likely show the War of Five Kings coming to a close as a greater threat slouches towards the Wall. Some fan favorites will learn to become leaders or killers— take your pick, sometimes these are one and the same thing. Oh and if you think the Red Wedding was shocking, well…. brace yourselves. And before I go, there is one last thing you have to remember, if by any chance you’re invited to a wedding in Westeros, please, for the love of God, send your congrats by raven.
Oh and by the way, Khaleesi is not a name nor is it really a title unless being a wife is, because that is exactly what Khaleesi means in Dothraki – the wife of a Khal. And since Khal Drogo died long time ago….well you get the picture.
Text written by: Monika Ponjavic
Well Lackadaddy Aaron I drink your milkshake! 