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LIVE at 10:15 pm ET / 7:15 pm PT, Rob Cesternino and Antonio Mazzaro recap of Game of Thrones Season 4, Episode 5: First of his Name. Join us each Sunday Night LIVE after the episode for the chance to hear our recap and ask your questions LIVE on the show.
Littlefinger the Puppet-Master (3:37)
Rob and Antonio begin this episode by discussing the biggest revelation of the episode, Littlefinger’s influence and covert plans spanning back to the beginning of Season 1. In this episode it is revealed in a scene between Lysa Arryn and Littlefinger that she was responsible for poisoning her husband and former Hand of the King, Jon Arryn. We learn that Littlefinger was pulling the strings and was also responsible for Lysa sending the letter to Catelyn Stark in Episode 1 of Season 1 which warned Catelyn that the Lannister’s were responsible for the death of Jon Arryn which essentially put in motion the beginning of the tension between the Starks and the Lannisters. Rob asks Antonio for clarification about the dagger used to try and assassinate Bran Stark. The dagger was identified as Littlefinger’s but he convinced Catelyn that he lost in a wager to Tyrion which led Catelyn to arresting Tyrion and his eventual trial at the Vale. Antonio compares this creation of chaos to the same strategy used by Russel Hantz in Survivor. At this point Rob’s big question is where is this all going? Is Littlefinger’s next move to kill off Lysa Arryn?
All Hail King Tommen (12:25)
The next topic moves to King’s Landing where we find Tommen being inaugurated as King. Margaery gives a Tommen a flirtatious look from atop the balcony which Cersei notices. This leads to Cersei to approach Margaery where they discuss Joffrey’s death and the possibility of her marrying Tommen. Rob is taken aback by the warmth and thawing of Cersei’s typically cold demeanor shown to Margaery. Margaery tests Cersei’s limits and even goes as far as to call her sister despite being warned in Season 3 that if she ever referred to Cersei as sister again she would be murdered in her sleep. Antonio says that Cersei seems to be showing vulnerability but points out this is likely an attempt to gain favor with Mace Tyrell, Margaery’s father who will be 1 of 3 jurors for Tyrion’s trial.
Cersei Kissing Up to Daddy (16:20)
In the next scene we see Cersei being extremely agreeable with Tywin regarding the prospect of Tommen and Margaery marrying as well as her own marriage to Loras. It is very obvious that she is trying to placate her father in hopes of manipulating his jury vote against Tyrion. However, Tywin is stern about not discussing matters of the trial. Rob brings up the issue of Tywin possibly hand picking the jury to ensure a guilty verdict for Tyrion which he initially thought was the case, but after this scene is no longer sure of Tywin’s intentions. Antonio agrees that Tywin has stacked the jury in his favor but will just do what he deems is best for his family and the realm. Tywin then brings up the precarious financial situation the Lannisters are in with the Iron Bank of Bravos, which makes it obvious to Rob and Antonio that the marriages to the Tyrell’s are not merely political but also have considerable financial implications.
Cersei Campaigns Mother of the Year Award (21:35)
They move on to a scene where Cersei is appealing to Prince Oberyn’s sensibilities as a parent. Cersei ask Oberyn about her daughter Myrcella who is in Dorne. to which Prince Oberyn replies that he last saw her swimming with his daughters in the Water Gardens. Cersei tries to connect with him by discussing the death of his sister Elia in order to make him sympathetic to the loss of her son. Cersei tells him “What is the point of having power if you cant protect the ones you love?” and Prince Oberyn replies “We can avenge them”. The take away that Rob has from this scene is who was playing who?
Antonio says that its simply another attempt by Cersei to manipulate the last juror for Tyrion’s trial. Rob questions the point of the scene to which Antonio replies it is a way to further develop Oberyn’s character for his future story line.
Daenerys & her Small Council (25:05)
Next we cross the Narrow Sea and go to Mareen where we find Daenerys with her small council of Jorah, Ser Barristan and Dario. They discuss whether it is wise to go to Westeros and sack King’s Landing, Ser Barristan seems to think it is the opportune time to do so given Joffrey’s death, while Jorah advises her that she doesn’t want to just conquer King’s Landing but rather rule all of Westeros. He then proceeds to tell her news about Yunkai and Astapor the two slave cities she had previously free and how they have fallen into disarray and new masters have risen. Rob and Antonio talk about the dissatisfaction most fans will feel with Daenerys’ decision to stay in Mareen and prove her ability to rule and not just conquer.
Have Another Lemoncake Sansa my Sweet (27:30)
At this point they go back to the Vale to Lysa and Littlefinger’s marriage. We find an uncomfortable Sansa overhearing the consummation of this union. The next scene is of Lysa and Sansa discussing matters over various sweets which Lysa encourages her to eat. The conversation quickly escalates as Lysa’s paranoia gets the best of her and she accuses Sansa of being pregnant with Littlefinger’s child. Rob seems to think that Lysa was intentionally trying to fatten up Sansa to make her less attractive to Littlefinger. Rob and Antonio agree that Lysa is the definition of a stage 5 clinger.
Antonio says that Sansa can’t ever catch a break and that perhaps one day compared to her impending marriage to Robin she’ll look back fondly on her days married to Tyrion.
Arya the Water Dancer and The Hound (35:03)
In the next scene we find the Hound and Arya trying to go to sleep, but Arya’s prayer disturbs him. He tells her shut up and go to sleep but then tells her to finish. She says “I only have one more name… The Hound”. When the Hound wakes Arya is no where to be found. He eventually finds her down by a stream practicing her water dancing with Needle. The Hound mocks her technique which leads Arya to attempt to stab him in the chest. Rob and Antonio question the Hound’s choice of sleeping near Arya knowing that he’s on her list of people to kill. Then they also discuss how long it will take the Hound and Arya to make it all the way to the Vale.
Podrick and Brienne: Can I Help you with that Ser? … My Lady? (38:55)
In this scene Podrick is seen as being a poorly trained squire. When Brienne asks him what he did for Lord Tyrion he tells that his main purpose was to pour wine for him. Rob and Antonio feel like this scene was unnecessary, and think that the only relevant information discussed was that Podrick killed a King’s Guard in defence of Lord Tyrion. Antonio believes this leads Brienne to gain a little respect for Podrick, and this leads Brienne to allow him to help her remove her armor. They also ponder the possibility of a potential Brienne-Podrick romance.
Jon & Bran at Craster’s Keep (40:56)
In this final scene we see the men of the Night’s Watch and Jon Snow staking out Craster’s Keep in order to assess their battle strategy for an assault. When Locke is sent in to stake out the Keep he sees where Bran is but doesn’t tell his “brothers” when he gets back, and actually tells them to stay clear of the kennel as to not set off the hounds. In the next scene Karl gets ready to rape Meera, Rob and Antonio express their displeasure at another rape scene. Next Rob brings up Jojen’s green sight and wonders whether Jojen foresaw their capture to begin with. Jojen tries to distract Karl by talking about his visions and tell him that he’s going to die tonight. At this point the Night’s Watch make their assault on Craster’s Keep which pulls away the attention of Karl and his men. Then Locke comes in and tries to kidnap Bran which propels Bran to warg into Hodor. Bran then has Hodor break his chains and kill Locke. Rob and Antonio express their sympathy at seeing a distressed Hodor who is in shock after realizing that he has murdered someone. Once free Bran sees Jon and Jojen tells him that he has to choose between safety and his destiny. Bran decides to continue North at the cost of being reunited with Jon Snow. Rob and Antonio discuss the fight between Jon and Karl. They discuss whether Jon was actually in any danger of being killed. Rob calls this an epic sword-knife fight. The men of the Night’s Watch emerge victorious however they realize that one person has escaped. In the next scene we see Ghost, Jon’s direwolf, kill Rast the escapee who often taunted him. To conclude the episode Jon Snow happily reunites with Ghost, and the men of the Night’s Watch burn down Craster’s Keep.
Rob and Antonio take the viewers’ questions at 51:30
Special Thanks to Jason De Lima and Jennifer Heinke for this amazing episode recap
Game of Thrones Season 4, Episode 5 Recap: First of His Name Review
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