Game of Thrones Memory Lane 405: First of His Name

We’re halfway through the tumultuous fourth season, and the players are still scrambling to solidify their positions. Today in our #GoT50 rewatch, we’ll be taking a look at “First of His Name,” the last Game of Thrones episode to have Michelle MacLaren as director. Here to walk us down Memory Lane once again is Hannah of Game of Owns!   – Sue the Fury 

Season 4’s “First of His Name,” written by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, is heavy on character development and spends a majority of the 53 minute runtime resetting the board as we move into the back half of the season. The mystery surrounding the death of Jon Arryn is answered, crowning Littlefinger as one of the most influential men in Westeros, followed by a wedding where for once nobody dies. Cersei shows herself to be more than just ruthless Queen Regent (brilliantly acted by Lena Headey) and Daenerys sets up shop in Meereen. One Stark child and one Stark bastard are within shouting distance of each other and do not meet, but to make up for it, Jon and Ghost are reunited.

We open on The High Septon crowning Tommen, long may he reign. Margaery looks on lovingly as the crowd cheers. The two exchange looks as Tommen smiles and greets everyone who has come to congratulate him, way more excited about his presumed wife-to-be than the crown on his head. Who can blame the kid? Cersei steps in their line of sight, and she and Margaery stare each other down, intensely.

“Your grace?” Margery asks as Cersei approaches her, overlooking the crowd. “There he is,” Cersei says, nodding towards her youngest son. “Long may he reign,” replies Margaery. Does she still mourn Joffrey? Does anyone? She (and us, watching) assumes Cersei is ready to corner her, to trap her with her words somehow, but instead we see a side of Cersei we don’t get very often.

“He would have been your nightmare. You knew exactly who he was. I did too.” Just in case anyone had any ounce of pity or sadness left towards Joffrey, even Cersei admits he was a terrible human being. You always love your child, no matter what, she says. You can never love anyone the way you love your firstborn. But what Joffrey did, the kind of man he was, that shocked Cersei. Cersei Lannister, a ruthless woman who has schemed and plotted, even she was shocked by her son’s behavior.

But Tommen? He’s different. A good and honest man, probably the first in 50 years to actually sit on the throne. He can’t do it alone, though; he needs a strong woman to rule by his side. Cersei asks Margaery if she’d still be interested in the crown, she who displays such youthful confidence and she pretends like she hasn’t yet thought about it, when we all know of course she has. While Margaery plays the game, it seems as if in this moment Cersei’s desire to see capable, smart people surrounding her son is sincere and not calculated.

In Meereen, Daenerys meets with her own Small Council and learns of Joffrey’s death. Jorah Mormont and Barristan Selmy disagree when it comes to Dany’s next move, initially. Jorah doesn’t believe she’s got enough ships or men to take King’s Landing, but Ser Barristan argues that a young boy like Tommen on the throne and a city in transition will give them all the advantage they need. A major question Dany has faced all along is whether or not the common people of Westeros will rally behind her once she arrives.

Dany also learns that Yunkai has been re-enslaved, and Astapor has been taken over by Cleon, the Butcher King. Dany is distraught- her plan to take over Slaver’s Bay isn’t going so well, and these cities she has freed are right back where they started. Jorah reminds her that she could leave all of this behind, and sail for Westeros. But how can Dany rule the Seven Kingdoms if she can’t even rule Slaver’s Bay? Why would anyone trust her, or follow her? She needs to bear more than just the name Targaryen to win over the people of Westeros, so she decides to do what queens do: stay here in Meereen and rule. She’s not going to Westeros just yet. As frustrating as this is, though, Daenerys recognizes that she needs experience and wisdom if she’s ever going to successfully rule her homeland, and she won’t gain any of that by conquering one city after another and immediately moving on. .

Littlefinger and Sansa arrive in the Eyre, by way of the Bloody Gate. These mountains have always protected the Vale, because no matter how big your army is, to march on this castle you must go three in a row through slaughter. “One man can be worth 10,000,” he tells Sansa, and she must remember to play to her strengths. While Littlefinger’s intentions may not always be clear or honorable, he does know how to play the game, which puts Sansa in a pretty good position right now I’d wager. Sansa passes through the Bloody Gate, not as Sansa Stark but as Alayne Stone, family to Petyr.

Robin Arryn comes running, thrilled to see his Uncle Petyr, but nobody is more thrilled than Lysa Arryn. Sansa introduces herself as Alayne, and this is the first time we see Sansa or any of the Stark children reunited with family since the glory days of Winterfell ended. I love the moment where Sansa defends Tyrion, even as Lysa calls him a filthy troll. Their mutual respect is pretty great.

Finally with Sansa and Robin gone, Lysa wastes no time in getting what she’s always wanted: Petyr’s hand in marriage. Petyr hesitates, but Lysa has done her waiting and paid her dues. We learn what Lysa’s love for Petyr has cost – she’s the one who poisoned her husband, Jon Arryn, and sent her sister Catlyn a letter accusing the Lannisters of what she’d just done.

This is a big reveal, making Littlefinger partially (if not almost completely) responsible for the War of the Five Kings. He knew Jon Arryn was a mentor to Ned Stark; he pushed Ned to take the position as Hand of the King and to eventually act against the Lannisters. If you didn’t already believe Petyr is one of the most powerful men in Westeros, you better start paying attention.

Petyr cuts her off with a kiss; the two will marry straightaway. Lysa makes good on her promise, and screams all night long while Sansa is stuck floors below, unable to sleep.

Back in King’s Landing, Tywin and Cersei discuss the marriage of Margaery and Tommen. How long must they wait for them to wed? A fortnight seems reasonable, and a much less extravagant affair is required.

“And your wedding to Loras?” Tywin asks. “Shortly after Tommen’s,” Cersei replies, annoyed and upset at the thought. Tywin sympathizes a bit, reminding Cersei that he didn’t like Robert, “He used to pat me on the back a lot. I didn’t trust him.” “We had that in common,” Cersei replies. Can you imagine Robert, jovial and drunk, slapping Tywin on the back, who stands as still and statue-like as ever? Hilarious.

Tywin lectures Cersei, reminding her, “You don’t need to make formal alliances with people you trust.”  Lannisters can only trust themselves. The Tyrells as their only true rivals, but they need them due to the large debts owed to the ever terrifying Iron Bank of Braavos. All the Lannister gold dried up three years ago, leaving them with nothing but their name to live off of. Cue 10,000 jokes about the Lannister family motto: A Lannister Is Sometimes Unable To Pay His Debts.

We catch up with Arya in the Riverlands, in the middle of her nightly prayer, naming off all the people she’d like to kill. “Joffrey. Cersei. Walder Frey. Meryn Trant, The Red Woman. Beric Dondarian. Thoros of Myr. Illyn Payne. The Mountain…”

Fed up, the Hound tells her to shut up. “I can’t sleep until I say the names,” Arya explains.

Annoyed, the Hound mocks her little ritual. “The names of every person in Westeros?”

“The one’s I’m going to kill.”

He laughs. “Hate’s a good a thing as any to keep a person living.” Arya is almost done with her list- just one name left. “Go on,” he insists, and she turns over on her bedroll, surprising her companion.

“The Hound.”

Back at the Vale, Lysa and Sansa sit together, talking about Catelyn’s sweet tooth and eating cakes. It’s a sweet moment, albeit short-lived. Sansa wonders how they got lemons to make lemon cakes all the way up here, and Lysa tells her Petyr brought them, three whole crates, just for her.

“He really cares for you,” Lysa says. Where would Sansa be without him? She’s incredibly grateful for his kindness, and Lysa snaps. “Why does he feel responsible for you?!” she questions Sansa. “Because I’m half Tully? And he loves your family so much!” Sansa replies, confused at Lysa’s sudden outbursts of anger.

“You wanted to say he loved your mother!” Lysa yells back, confusing Sansa even more. Lysa goes on and on about Cat never loving Petyr, accusing Sansa of being pregnant, gripping Sansa’s hands tighter and tighter. 

Sansa finally breaks down in tears, promising Lysa that Petyr has never touched her and only says she’s a stupid little girl. Sansa is hysterical, and Lysa hugs her, reassuring her that soon Tyrion will be dead, and she’ll be widowed, free to marry Robin and become the next lady of the Vale. By the look on Sansa’s face, this is anything but comforting to her. Poor girl has been through it, yet she continues to remain sane and dignified, a feat many of the other players would not be able to handle.

In the Riverlands, the Hound wakes, and Arya is gone. He panics, quickly finding her near the river practicing with Needle. “The hell you doing?” he asks, telling Arya that’s no way to fight. “It’s not fighting! It’s water dancing!” Who taught you this, the Hound demands, and Arya tells him of Syrio Forel, the greatest swordsman who ever lived, who was killed by Meryn Trant. This is hilarious to the Hound, because anyone in the world could beat Meryn, he says. Arya defends Syrio, and the Hound challenges her to show off what this water dancing is all about.

She stabs his armor, which obviously does nothing, and he slaps her. “Your friend is dead, and Meryn Trant isn’t.” It comes down to armor, and the sword. Nothing more.

In the gardens of the castle in King’s Landing, Cersei finds Oberyn Martell writing a poem for his daughter. They speak of their families and the ones they’ve lost. Oberyn is one of the most feared and skilled men, yet he could not save his sister, Elia. Cersei has been queen for 19 years, daughter of one of the most powerful men in Westeros, and yet she could not save her son Joffrey.

“What good is power if you cannot protect those you love?” Cersei asks. The gods are cruel. They discuss whether or not Tyrion is guilty in Cersei’s eyes (he is) and if Myrcella is happy in Dorne (she is). “We don’t hurt little girls in Dorne, Oberyn assures her. “Everywhere in the world they hurt little girls,” Cersei replies, dropping some real truth, and revealing a bit about her own pain that has driven her thus far.

Cersei asks Oberyn to bring Myrcella a gift, a beautiful ship for her to sail the open water, and to please tell her how much she is missed. Cersei them quickly turns away, in tears. We get another real, vulnerable Cersei moment, which are rare and fleeting in this series but I love these sympathetic glimpses of her humanity so very much.

On the Kingsroad, Podrick, who is maybe the worst horseman in Westeros, has set his and Brienne’s dinner on fire. Brienne can’t believe Pod’s never cooked before, what did he even do for Tyrion? “I mostly poured wine,” he responds. Brienne asks if he’s ever done anything remotely related to combat, which he has. She looks shocked, intrigued and impressed when she learns that Pod killed a Kingsguard at the Blackwater. Brienne decides to have Podrick help remove her armor, and his squire duties officially begin.

At Craster’s Keep, Locke scouts the area for Jon and the Night’s Watch, waiting until the coast is clear to run into the Keep. Slowly he makes his way around and is about to walk in through the front door where Bran & company are tied up and held captive. Bran notices something strange- Locke’s footprints in the snow- but doesn’t say anything as Jojen starts coughing and Meera lectures him on needing to drink more water.

Suddenly we’re thrust into a vision. We’re at the weirwood tree, and Bran is surprised Jojen can see it too. In the vision, Meera, Hodor, all four of them are there. Jojen tells Bran “We’re only here to guide you. He’s waiting for you. We have to find it. You have to make it.”

This isn’t the end of this ragtag bunch, Jojen promises, even though they’re currently held captive. “How will we know it’s the end?” Meera asks. “You’ll know,” Jojen says, looking at the fire in his hand.

Locke brings reports of the situation at Craster’s Keep back to Jon and the Night’s Watch, who are lurking in the wood just outside the cabin. He tells the group that “there’s a hut on the west side of the Keep, we should steer clear” and I want to scream at the top of my lungs because Jon and Bran are so close to each other!

Karl Tanner, leader of the mutineers, enters the tent and ties Meera to the ceiling in an attempt to rape her. Bran and Hodor are yelling, and Jojen looks on as Karl asks what a pretty highborn girl is doing out in the woods. Jojen promises him he’ll help him if he lets Meera go. “You can help me?” Karl asks, “I can.” “And how you going to do that?” “I have the sight. I can see things…that haven’t happened yet.”

This piques Karl’s interest “Have you seen what I’m going to do to your sister? Have you seen what they’re going to do to your sister?” Karl nods to the other men in the tent as he pulls out a knife. Jojen says he’s seen Karl die tonight, burning, snow falling and burying his bones- and in that exact moment the Night’s Watch storms Craster’s Keep.

As the battle ensues outside the cabin, Locke slips inside and finds Bran. “Is Jon with you?” Bran yells, and Locke says yes as he cuts his leg and covers Bran’s mouth, dragging him away. Bran starts yelling for Jon, and having these two in such close proximity continues to give me a heart attack. There is chaos outside, and as Locke runs off with Bran, Bran wargs into Hodor, who then kills Locke. Bran leaves Hodor’s body, who looks down at his hands wondering what he just did. It takes Hodor a moment to come back to reality, but once he does he cuts Bran loose and they meet back up with Meera and Jojen.

Bran begins to call for Jon, crawling towards him; Jojen warns him if Jon sees Bran, there’s no way he’d let him go north. Bran has a destiny, he must find the Three-Eyed Raven. He watches Jon for a moment, and ultimately decides to leave.

He definitely makes the right choice here, but it’s heartbreaking just the same, since it’s everyone’s ultimate dream for all of our faves to be back at Winterfell, safe and happy, even for just a second.

After a dirty-played fight in the Keep, Jon kills Karl with the help of one of Craster’s wives. Outside, five brothers have been killed, along with 10 mutineers. They notice Rast hasn’t been accounted for- and then we meet up with Ghost who jumps on Rast as he runs away, finishing him off.

Jon’s face when he sees Ghost again is priceless. “I missed you boy!” And doesn’t it look like Ghost has a little smile on his face? It’s too sweet.

Jon tells Craster’s women that it’s not safe to stay here, and that they’ll find work at Castle Black.  One of Craster’s wives refuses for the group. Craster beat them, the Night’s Watch beat them, and these women will find their own way thank you very much. She spits on Craster’s Keep, telling the Night’s Watch to burn it to the ground, and all the dead with it. The Night’s Watch gladly obliges.

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Introductions: Ser Donnel Waynwood, the Knight of the Gate, is briefly introduced as Petyr and Sansa arrive at the Bloody Gate.

Deaths: 11 Night’s Watch mutineers, including the Legend of Gin Alley, Karl Tanner (Burn Gorman) and Rast (Luke Barnes), Jon’s foe since season 1; five brothers of the Night’s Watch, including Locke (Noah Taylor).

Beautiful Death depicted the killing of Locke by Bran, via Hodor’s hands.

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