Oathkeeper

In King's Landing

Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) continues his sword training with Bronn (Jerome Flynn) and visits his imprisoned brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). Tyrion denies responsibility for Joffrey Baratheon's murder but says that Cersei Lannister will not rest until he is dead. Jaime tells Tyrion that Cersei also wants to recapture Sansa Stark, in whose innocence Tyrion is confident.

As Lady Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) prepares to depart for Highgarden, she encourages Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) to bond with Joffrey's brother and successor, Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), before Cersei can turn him against her. Olenna also implies that she had a hand in Joffrey's death to protect Margaery from his cruelty. In the evening, an angry Cersei (Lena Headey) questions Jaime's loyalties and is unwilling to hear of Tyrion's innocence. At night, Margaery sneaks into Tommen's room to talk with him about their marriage, and he appears smitten by her charms.

Later, Jaime tasks Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) with finding and protecting Sansa. He gives her new armor, his Valyrian steel sword, which she names "Oathkeeper", and the service of Podrick Payne (Daniel Portman) as a squire.

At sea

On the way to the Eyrie, Lord Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish (Aidan Gillen) tells Sansa (Sophie Turner), that he plans to marry her aunt Lysa Arryn there. He refers to his new but unspecified powerful allies, stating that Joffrey's death was a gift to them that will help their friendship "grow strong". He adds that, because he has no visible motive to kill Joffrey, he will not be suspected. Littlefinger informs Sansa that a missing stone in her necklace contained the poison used for the murder.

At the Wall

At Castle Black, Ser Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) orders Jon Snow (Kit Harington) to stop training other men, reminding Jon that he is officially a steward. Janos Slynt (Dominic Carter) advises Thorne to send the now-popular Jon on an expedition to kill the mutineers at Craster's Keep in the hope that he will be killed before he can be elected the new Lord Commander. Jon volunteers for the mission, as do his friends Grenn (Mark Stanley), Edd (Ben Crompton), the new recruit Locke (Noah Taylor) and a few others.

In Meereen

As Daenerys Targaryen's (Emilia Clarke) army camps near Meereen, her aide Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) teaches Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) the Common Tongue, the language of Westeros. At night, Grey Worm and other Unsullied infiltrate Meereen, arm the slaves, and incite a slave uprising that leaves Daenerys in control of the city the following morning. Although Ser Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney) advises Daenerys to show mercy, she orders 163 of the remaining masters crucified, as justice for the same number of slave children crucified along the road to Meereen.

Beyond the Wall

At Craster's Keep, the mutineers led by Karl Tanner (Burn Gorman) are raping, eating and drinking their fill. Karl orders his henchman Rast (Luke Barnes) to dispose of Craster's last child, a son, after Craster's wives ask that he be "given to the gods". Karl realizes that the child will be taken by the White Walkers, and that this is how Craster protected himself from them. He reasons that if they continue to uphold the bargain they too will be safe; Rast complies and abandons the infant in the woods. Nearby, Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and his companions hear the infant's cries. They are captured by the mutineers, and Bran is forced to admit his identity.

Later, a White Walker retrieves Craster's son. The Walker travels to the Lands of Always Winter and lays the child on an altar made of ice. The Night King approaches and places his hand on the boy, turning his eyes blue.

Production

"Oathkeeper" was written by Bryan Cogman based on A Storm of Swords. Reviewer Walt Hickey, of FiveThirtyEight.Com, notes that the episode "contained the final scene of Jaime Lannister’s ninth “Storm of Swords” chapter. But lots of material from that chapter hasn’t been on the show yet, so I reasoned that he has completed only eight." In addition to chapter 72 (Jaime IX), some of the content from this episode is also found in A Storm of Swords chapters 61, 68, and 71 (Sansa V, Sansa VI, Daenerys VI).

Theresa DeLucci, a reviewer for Tor.Com, notes that the episode "didn’t even take liberties with the books; it completely made up whole new stories" that do not appear in A Storm of Swords, including conversations between Missandei and Grey Worm, Bran's appearance at Craster's keep, and the final White Walker scene. Reviewers from IGN applauded the new material, noting that the scenes at Craster's keep "give Bran something to do" and hint at the nature of the White Walkers. Erik Kain, of Forbes magazine, notes these departures from the books as well, stating that the episode departed as much from the books as any episode thus far in the HBO adaptation of Martin's book series. These deviations, notes Kain, "leave both readers and newcomers to the story of Westeros and its motley band of heroes and villains entirely uncertain as to what’s coming next."

Ratings

"Oathkeeper" established a new series high in ratings, with 6.95 million people watching the premiere. In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 1.598 million viewers, making it the highest-rated broadcast that week. It also received 0.112 million timeshift viewers.

Critical reception

Like the season's other episodes, "Oathkeeper" received acclaim from critics, with Rotten Tomatoes counting 97% positive reviews from among 36. The site's consensus is that "If it's a bit more subdued than its predecessors, 'Oathkeeper' is nonetheless a rock-solid installment of Game of Thrones – one that features assured direction, strong action scenes, and intriguing plot developments."

Eric Goldman and Roth Cornet of IGN commented on the episode being a "game changer" because it diverges from the book series more than any other Game of Thrones episode; a few of the changes include Jon's and Bran's storylines, how Daenerys conquered Meereen, and new information with regard to how White Walkers multiply their army. Goldman and Cornet stated that much of the episode feels like a spoiler for readers of the series because of the changes, including the show creators, who know how the ongoing book series will end, possibly having incorporated aspects that happen later in the books. Though Goldman and Cornet indicated that significantly diverging from the books could be detrimental to the show, they credited "Oathkeeper" with adding an element of surprise and intrigue for all viewers.

Writing for The A.V. Club, Todd VanDerWerff (writing for viewers who have read the books) and Erik Adams (writing for viewers who have not) both gave the episode a B. VanDerWerff commented that the scenes between Jamie and Cersei "seems to truly want us to think that what happened last week wasn’t, in any way, rape" and wondered "whether the show is going to acknowledge it at all." Adams notes how the episode serves as a "bridge" between episodes and plotlines well under way, but that there are "thematic riches" to be found; namely, the multiple searches for justice.

Accolades

The episode was nominated for Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) at the 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.