Game of Thrones (season 4)

Plot

In King's Landing, guests arrive for Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell's wedding. Among those in attendance is Oberyn Martell, Prince of Dorne. After Joffrey is poisoned at his wedding by Margaery's grandmother, Olenna Tyrell, Cersei Lannister blames Tyrion for his death. Outraged at the kangaroo court presiding over his trial, Tyrion demands a trial by combat. Cersei chooses the Mountain as her champion and Oberyn offers to represent Tyrion. The trial ends in a victory for the Mountain and Tyrion is sentenced to death. Before he can be executed, Tyrion is freed by Jaime, who tells him Varys will smuggle him to the Free Cities. Tyrion, discovering that Shae had been sleeping with Tywin, strangles her before shooting Tywin and fleeing Westeros.

Sansa Stark successfully escapes King's Landing with the help of Petyr Baelish. Baelish smuggles her to the Vale, where she comes into conflict with her jealous aunt, Lysa Arryn. After Lysa witnesses Littlefinger kiss Sansa, she attempts to throw Sansa through the Moon Door, only for Littlefinger to push Lysa to her death. When Littlefinger is interrogated, Sansa defends him.

Meanwhile, Arya Stark and Sandor Clegane make way for the Eyrie. The duo arrive at the Eyrie days after Lysa Arryn's death and are denied entry; they then encounter Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne, who have been tasked by Jaime to bring the Stark sisters to safety. Brienne and the Hound fight, ending with the Hound grievously wounded. Arya leaves him to die. She encounters a Braavosi ship captain, who gives her passage after she shows him the coin Jaqen H'ghar gave her, and saying "valar morghulis".

Bran Stark, accompanied by the Reeds and Hodor, continues trying to find the three-eyed raven. Despite being held up by the mutineers at Craster's Keep and a wight attack that kills Jojen, Bran finally meets the three-eyed raven.

At the Wall, Jon Snow tries to warn his leaders about Mance Rayder's impending attack. Jon must also contend with the mutineers at Craster's Keep, led by the deranged Karl Tanner. The Wildlings launch an attack on Castle Black, leading to the deaths of many. Jon goes beyond the Wall to assassinate Rayder, only to be spared by the sudden arrival of Stannis Baratheon and his forces, who overwhelm the Wildlings and rescue the Night's Watch. Davos Seaworth and Stannis had successfully negotiated with the Iron Bank of Braavos to shift their support from the Lannisters to the Baratheons.

In the North, Roose Bolton aims to cement his hold. He orders his hunter, Locke, to kill Jon Snow and track down Bran and Rickon Stark, and sends Ramsay Snow to take Moat Cailin. Ramsay uses Theon Greyjoy to secure Moat Cailin. Roose rewards Ramsay by legitimizing him as a Bolton, and moves his seat to the former Stark stronghold of Winterfell.

Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen continues her conquest of Slaver's Bay by taking control of Meereen. Daenerys decides to remain in Meereen to learn to rule. Daenerys discovers that her trusted advisor, Jorah Mormont, had spied on her for Robert Baratheon, and exiles him. Daenerys learns that her dragon Drogon has begun killing humans; while she is unable to capture Drogon, she chains her other two dragons.

Guest cast

The recurring actors listed here are those who appeared in season 4. They are listed by the region in which they first appear.

Production

On April 2, 2013, HBO announced it had renewed the series for a fourth season, to consist of 10 episodes.

Crew

David Benioff and D. B. Weiss serve as main writers and showrunners for the fourth season. They co-wrote seven out of ten episodes. The remaining three episodes were written by Bryan Cogman (two episodes), and the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin (one episode).

Benioff and Weiss co-directed the season premiere after making their directorial debut in season 3, although only Weiss is credited as Benioff received credit for their previous directed episode; Alex Graves, who directed two episodes in season 3, returned and directed episodes 2, 3, 8 and 10; Michelle MacLaren, who also directed two episodes in season 3, returned to direct episodes 4 and 5; former series cinematographer Alik Sakharov, who directed in seasons 2 and 3, returned to direct episodes 6 and 7; and Neil Marshall directed episode 9 after previously directing "Blackwater", the ninth episode of season 2.

Casting

The fourth season adds previously recurring actors Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Snow), Kristofer Hivju (Tormund Giantsbane) and Hannah Murray (Gilly) to the series' main cast. Iain Glen's credit is moved last in the rotation and given the "With" moniker.

Prince Oberyn Martell, nicknamed "The Red Viper", is played by Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal. "This was a tough one", said showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss about the casting. "The Red Viper is sexy and charming, yet believably dangerous; intensely likable, yet driven by hate. The boys love him, the girls love him, and he loves them all back. Unless your last name is Lannister. We found a fellow who can handle the job description and make it seem effortless. He wasn't easy to find and he won't be easy to stop". Martin commented on the casting by saying: "I wasn't present for Pedro Pascal's audition, but I understand that he really killed it with his reading. And since his casting was announced, the producer of another TV show on which he appeared recently has written me to say how terrific Pascal is, and to congratulate us on the casting. So I suspect that he will turn out to be a wonderful Red Viper". Actress Indira Varma was cast as Ellaria Sand, Prince Oberyn's paramour.

Roger Ashton-Griffiths joins the cast in the role of Mace Tyrell. "The lord oaf of Highgarden", as his mother describes him, is otherwise known as father to Margaery and Loras. His casting was confirmed by George R. R. Martin, who introduced the actor as the solution to a riddle he'd set fans with the following message, "Yes, it's the fine British character actor Roger Ashton-Griffiths, who has been cast in the role of Mace Tyrell, son to the Queen of Thorns, and father of Loras and Margaery".

Mark Gatiss plays Tycho Nestoris, a representative of the Iron Bank of Braavos, to whom the Iron Throne owes millions in borrowed gold. The role of Hizdahr zo Loraq is played by young British actor Joel Fry. Hizdahr is the young scion of an ancient Meereenese family who crosses paths with Daenerys Targaryen in Meereen. Elizabeth Webster was cast as Fat Walda Frey. Walda Frey is a granddaughter of Lord Walder Frey. She is the new wife of Roose Bolton, the Lord of the Dreadfort. During the wedding feast of Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey, Lord Bolton recounts to Catelyn Stark and Ser Brynden "Blackfish" Tully how Lord Walder Frey proposed him to marry one of his granddaughters and offered her weight in silver as dowry. Lord Bolton then adds he chose the fattest bride available and she has made him very rich.

Paola Dionisotti and Rupert Vansittart were cast as Lady Anya Waynwood and Bronze Yohn Royce. They are the heads of House Waynwood and House Royce of Runestone: two powerful vassal houses of House Arryn. Yuri Kolokolnikov plays Styr: One of Mance Rayder's lieutenants and the Magnar – the name of the first ever Lord of Thenn which is now a title – of the Thenn people, a wildling clan. Two mysterious characters from Bran's storyline have also been cast: the Three-Eyed Crow, who is played by Struan Rodger, and a Child of the Forest, played by Octavia Alexandru.

Roles that were recast for season 4 include Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis. Huisman replaces Ed Skrein, who portrayed the character in season 3. Dean-Charles Chapman plays the role of Tommen Baratheon, King Joffrey's younger brother. Tommen was played by Callum Wharry in seasons 1 and 2. Chapman appeared as Martyn Lannister in two episodes of season 3 ("Walk of Punishment" and "Kissed by Fire"). Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson was cast as Ser Gregor Clegane, called "The Mountain". Hafþór replaces Ian Whyte, who portrayed the character in season 2.

After an absence of at least a season, Owen Teale returns as Alliser Thorne, Kate Dickie as Lysa Arryn, Dominic Carter as Janos Slynt, Tony Way as Dontos Hollard, Andy Beckwith as Rorge, Gerard Jordan as Biter, Andy Kellegher as Polliver, Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn and Brian Fortune as Othell Yarwyck.

Filming

Filming for the season began on July 8, 2013, in Northern Ireland. The series also returned to Iceland and Dubrovnik for filming. New locations in Croatia include Diocletian's Palace in Split, Klis Fortress north of Split, Perun quarry east of Split, Mosor mountain, and Baška Voda further down to the south. In the commentary for episode 2, "The Lion and the Rose," the showrunners revealed that parts of Joffrey's death scene had been filmed in California. The Thingvellir National Park in Iceland was used as the location for the fight between Brienne and The Hound.

Filming for the season lasted 136 days and was completed on November 21, 2013.

Music

The Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós appears in the second episode, as a group of musicians serenading the royal couple at their wedding reception with "The Rains of Castamere." This continues the series's tradition of employing noted indie bands, begun in season 2 with The National and continued in season 3 with The Hold Steady.

The soundtrack for the season was released digitally on June 10, 2014, and on CD on July 1, 2014.

Critical reception

The fourth season has in general been acclaimed by critics. However, the third episode attracted criticism for the inclusion of a scene in which Jaime Lannister appears to be raping his sister and lover Cersei in the Great Sept of Baelor. In the source novel, Cersei verbally consents to the sexual encounter, but does not in the television portrayal. The final episode was also criticised for the omission of the events of the epilogue of A Storm of Swords which was expected by fans to be the final scene.

The review aggregator website Metacritic gave season 4 a score of 94 out of 100 based on 29 reviews, signifying "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season has a 97% approval rating from 42 critics with an average rating of 9 out of 10; the season also received a 97% average episode score.

Ratings

Season 4 obtained the strongest viewer numbers of all seasons aired up until that point, with a series high of 7.20 million viewers of the first airing of the seventh episode. With its fourth season, Game of Thrones has become the most-watched HBO series in history (surpassing the fourth season of The Sopranos which had a gross audience of 18.2 million viewers), averaging 18.4 million viewers across multiple platforms, including live viewing, encores, DVR views, HBO GO and On Demand views.

Accolades

For the 30th TCA Awards, the series was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Drama and Program of the Year. For the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards, the series was nominated for Best Drama Series and Diana Rigg received a nomination for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series. For the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series received 19 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, Peter Dinklage for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Lena Headey for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Diana Rigg for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for "The Children", and Neil Marshall for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for "The Watchers on the Wall". For the 67th Writers Guild of America Awards, the series was nominated for Best Drama Series and George R. R. Martin was nominated for Best Episodic Drama for "The Lion and the Rose". For the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards, the cast was nominated for Best Drama Ensemble, Peter Dinklage was nominated for Best Drama Actor, and the series won for Best Stunt Team. For the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, the series was nominated for Best Television Series – Drama. For the 67th Directors Guild of America Awards, Alex Graves was nominated for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series for the episode "The Children".

Home media

The fourth season of Game of Thrones was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on February 17, 2015 (2015-02-17).

IMAX

Between January 30 and February 5, 2015, the last two episodes of season four were shown in 205 IMAX theaters in the U.S. Game of Thrones is the first TV series released in this format. The show earned $686,000 in its opening day at the box office and $1.5 million during its opening weekend. The one-week release grossed $1,896,092.

Copyright infringement

The fourth season of Game of Thrones was the most-pirated TV series in 2014.