My review of GoT 4x08: "The Mountain and the Viper"
Man, this was a downer of an episode.
First there was the wholesale slaughter of the population of Mole's Town (minus Gilly and her baby) by the wildlings. Then there was the flaying of the Ironborn at Moat Cailin. I have to give props to Alfie Allen for this episode, though. Theon Greyjoy, playing Reek, masquerading as Theon Greyjoy, might be his finest performance to date.
And then Dany banished Jorah from Meereen. This scene was really, really sad. My heart was breaking for poor Jorah, who hasn't been able to catch a break in ages. And Dany was so angry she couldn't even look at him.
The other person who deserves major props for this episode is Sophie Turner. Her scene with Lord Royce, Lord Corbray, and Lady Waynwood was EXCELLENT. And there's definitely a sense that the student is about to overtake the master here. Gone is the naive girl from season 1. Sansa is starting to become a major, MAJOR player of the game.
And finally, we have Oberyn and the Mountain. The fight scene was great. Oberyn lived up to all the hype. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Pedro Pascal was the perfect choice for this role. He IS Oberyn Martell. Having read the books, I knew what the outcome of the fight was going to be. But part of me was hoping that maybe, just maybe, they'd let Oberyn live. Because he's SUCH a great character and I love watching Pedro play him. But alas, no. And the bit where the Mountain crushed his skull was the first scene in the entire series that I wasn't able to watch. I had my hands over my eyes until Ellaria started screaming. And she had been looking at Oberyn so proudly just a few seconds before. Heartbreaking.
8.5/10. Solid, if depressing, episode.
First there was the wholesale slaughter of the population of Mole's Town (minus Gilly and her baby) by the wildlings. Then there was the flaying of the Ironborn at Moat Cailin. I have to give props to Alfie Allen for this episode, though. Theon Greyjoy, playing Reek, masquerading as Theon Greyjoy, might be his finest performance to date.
And then Dany banished Jorah from Meereen. This scene was really, really sad. My heart was breaking for poor Jorah, who hasn't been able to catch a break in ages. And Dany was so angry she couldn't even look at him.
The other person who deserves major props for this episode is Sophie Turner. Her scene with Lord Royce, Lord Corbray, and Lady Waynwood was EXCELLENT. And there's definitely a sense that the student is about to overtake the master here. Gone is the naive girl from season 1. Sansa is starting to become a major, MAJOR player of the game.
And finally, we have Oberyn and the Mountain. The fight scene was great. Oberyn lived up to all the hype. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Pedro Pascal was the perfect choice for this role. He IS Oberyn Martell. Having read the books, I knew what the outcome of the fight was going to be. But part of me was hoping that maybe, just maybe, they'd let Oberyn live. Because he's SUCH a great character and I love watching Pedro play him. But alas, no. And the bit where the Mountain crushed his skull was the first scene in the entire series that I wasn't able to watch. I had my hands over my eyes until Ellaria started screaming. And she had been looking at Oberyn so proudly just a few seconds before. Heartbreaking.
8.5/10. Solid, if depressing, episode.