'The Children' -- GoT 4x10

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Yes!! We got to see a bit of one of the Children at the end of the finale. I fear that we won't see much of her after this point in the show, but I am at least glad that she appeared in there for a little bit (even if I could have stood for her a little bit more).

I was very disappointed, however, that there was no appearance by Coldhands on the way to them getting Bran to the Three-Eyed Raven. I feel like it would have been all kinds of fun to be able to mess with some of the people who haven't read the books, and make it sound like he was actually Benjen (I know that there are people who are completely convinced that Coldhands is Benjen, but I still have not seen enough evidence to make me think that he could be ... I still think that Benjen is alive, and I have a theory about what it is that he's doing). I am kind of curious as to why the writers wouldn't have introduced Coldhands into the story, but at the same time, they had so many other things going on that I don't doubt that they wouldn't have had time to deal with him on top of everything else that they were trying to pack into the season.

But at least Bran has finally made it to where he needs to be, so I guess I can't complain too much, right?

Another character that wasn't introduced that should have been there (and who would have blown people's minds) was Stoneheart. I can understand not bringing Coldhands into the story, but not bringing Stoneheart ... that one doesn't make quite as much sense to me, since there is stuff going on around that character (and she does make things happen, as well as the fact that her very existence makes you wonder about the very nature of the White Walkers (what makes them and how much they remember of their previous lives) ... plus, like I said, her appearance was kind of mind-blowing).

I was also happy to finally get to the scene with Tyrion killing Tywin, cuz I have been waiting for that for a while. No lie. Tyrion is the only one of the Lannisters that I've liked, and it was nice to see him get a bit of revenge for everything that has been happening to him all of his life ... even if he did still have to make a hasty getaway in the end (but how would he really have been able to stay in King's Landing after killing his father ... even if that is the only murder that he legitimately did).

I kind of wanted to shake Arya for not going along with Brienne, but at the same time, I'm really glad that she didn't (knowing what's going to happen with her later on ... which I'm completely psyched about seeing happen, since it's legit awesome).

'The Watchers on the Wall' -- GoT 4x09

Warning: Spoiler Alert (for the episode and things that will likely happen in future seasons cuz they happened in the books

I really wasn't expecting that this entire episode was going to take place on the Wall. I figured that there would at least be a little bit of back and forth (like they usually do in episodes). This isn't to say that I'm complaining, since I really think that with all of the attention that has been spent on the palace intrigue, the haven't been doing justice to everything else that has been happening (especially when you consider the fact that there is a an army of zombies coming to take over the entire world ... but then, GRRM hasn't really been doing a lot with that either, even though it seems like the characters should be a little more worried than they are).

I loved, loved, loved the stuff with the giants. It wasn't just that it was that they were something out of the ordinary for what we usually see in the show (even if we know that they're there), but it's how their appearance means that everyone else who isn't on their side has the ability to be completely boned ... but then, there is also the fact that they bring the promise of the other things that are on the other side of the Wall ... like the First Men (who I'm really looking forward to seeing). I'm really curious to see how the showmakers do the visual of the chick that Bran meets later on, when he goes in to meet the three-eyed raven ... mostly I want to see if what they do is similar to what I have going on inside of my head.

There is a part of me that is kind of glad that Ygritte died when she did, cuz I can see the fear that she would always be coming for him could feasibly stop Jon from doing some of the things that he has already done in the books, and some of the things that he will likely be needing to do in the future ... provided that he survives the knife attack that happened in A Dance With Dragons (which I'm still not convinced that he's going to ... but I have a theory about what may happen to him, which I would love to see happen, but I'm not even completely convinced that that will happen, either). But at the same time, I wish that she could have lived. I don't see her giving up her bitterness ... at least not for quite a while, and she would continue to be a thorn in Jon's side (which would, in turn, end up hurting her). But if she had been able to let go of the hurt, I think that she could have been a respected leader amongst the Wildlings, and that would have been amazing cool. I could see her doing something along the lines of what Mace has done, and get a good number of the Wildling tribes to at least have a bit of peace amongst themselves. She could have been something akin to a Warrior Queen who was completely fierce, but who was remembered for peace and growth and building ... at least, that's kind of the romanticized vision that I have of what she could have been (inside of my head), whether or not she would have been capable of that (cuz of her own hang-ups, or the hang-ups of her people).

For all of the horrible things that were happening in this episode, I can't believe the amount of times I went, "Awww, Sam!" Cuz really! And I also got a bit teary-eyed when Jon and Sam came across their homie (whose name I am completely blanking on right now) in the tunnel. Yes, Jon, he did hold the gate. And the boys repeating their vows to give them courage ... ::hiccup:: ::sob::

'The Mountain and The Viper' -- Got 4x08

Warning: Spoiler Alert

With the name of the episode being what it was, I was expecting that there would be more to the fight between the Mountain and Prince Oberyn ... or at least, a little more to the lead up to the fight (more with Tyrion and Jaime ... and more than three seconds worth of Cersei). But I suppose that they have a lot to pack into these last few episodes, so they kept that part until the very end. And it really was a very cool fight. I kept wanting to scream at Oberyn that he needed to not show off so much (since showing off would only take his mind off of what he was trying to do), and that he really needed to get ahold of his temper long enough to just double tap before something bad happened to him. But seeing as though he felt like he was finally getting his revenge, maybe flaunting it a bit could be expected ... as could trying to make sure that the douche that killed his sister and her children confessed to what he had done before he died. Still ... if he had kept his head about him ... would have been able to keep his head.

I can't help but kind of want to hug Arya. It's not just that her reaction to finding out that her aunt had died made me giggle (cuz it was so very inappropriate), it was also the idea that maybe she was masking what she was really feeling. Sure, she might have been feeling rather victorious over the idea that the Hound hadn't gotten the sack of gold that he thought that he was going to get, but the way that it was played ... I got an underlying feeling of FML (as though she may have been thinking, "Well of course my aunt is dead when I get here. My mother and brother were dead once I got to them, too."). And let's be real, there is a very real FML feel around her, since everything seems to be conspiring to make sure that she doesn't get back to her family. Sure, there's the feeling that all of the Stark kids are being pulled apart, but I always got the feeling that it was a bit more sad with her, cuz she was trying to get back home, and pretty much everyone thinks that she's dead.

The way that the writers are working with Sansa's character, I get the feeling that they're working her up to be a mover and a shaker in the world of politics. Those little looks that she kept sharing with Little Finger made it look like she was starting to become crafty in a way that she hadn't been before, and that one day, she would be just as dangerous as the most cunning. I'd really like to see them do that with her, since I would love to see her be one of the ones left standing when everything is destroyed in the end, and the whole world has to start over after the zombie apocalypse (she can be the new Cersei, but not evil).

'Mockingbird' -- GoT 4x07

Warning: Spoiler Alert

You know, what with the name of this episode, I was really expecting there to be more of Little Finger and the Eyrie (what with that being his symbol and everything), but there was hardly anything of them in this episode. Not that I'm complaining, cuz everything about Robin and Lysa has creeped me out since I first read the books, and I am super glad to get past the part where Little Finger pushed Lysa through the Moon Door.

I was kind of interesting to see Arya bond a little bit with the Hound, especially since he's on The List ... but I suppose that it would be expected in a weird sort of way (since he's her only real companion right now, and Stockholm Syndrome is a real thing).

I'm glad that Brienne is at least aware now that Arya I still alive, since I didn't like the idea that no one realized that she was still around. She was really the only one who was unaccounted for amongst the Stark kids (everyone else knew of where at least one or two of the others might be ... or that they were at least alive. She was the only one that no one knew anything about ... but then, she is the lone wolf amongst the direwolves ... and that's why Nymeria is running around with her own pack).

I had forgotten that Prince Oberyn had offered to be Tyrion's champion, and had a serious "Oh, yeah!" moment during that scene. It really does make sense that Oberyn would offer (even if fighting the Mountain is next to suicide), since the two of them have a common goal (in wanting a bit of revenge on the Lannisters). And I really do get excited with every scene that Oberyn has about the thought of all of the cool Martell stuff that's going to happen in the future (they are complete badasses. No lie). I'm not really sure why Tyrion would have thought that Jamie would have been able to be his champion. He's smart enough to realize that Jamie has lost a hand, and he's probably not up to fighting strength at this point (and would probably not feel completely confident in his ability to fight with one hand ... and the wrong one at that). But he called for trial by combat in the heat of the moment, so not remembering that Jaime wouldn't be the one that he would be able to count on can probably be excused ... and it's all worked out in the end, so it's all good.

'The Laws of Gods and Men' -- GoT 4x06

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Finally, we get Tyrion's mock trial. I'm not going to lie, I truly wanted to claw Shae's eyes out. It wasn't that I didn't know that she was going to go up there and tell a bunch of awful lies about him (wrapped up with just enough truth to make them convincing); it was that I don't want horrible things to happen to Tyrion. I like him, and not just cuz he's the only of the Lannisters that is worth not feeding to a lion (see what I did there?).

In a way, I kind of wish that he would have taken the deal that Jamie had gotten him, but mostly I'm glad that he didn't. Things are going to be so much harder for him this way, but at least he hasn't sold his soul to ensure that he would survive the trial (or given up all of his freedom to make sure that it happens ... only to get to the wall and have the White Walkers kill him ... if the Wildlings don't do it first).

But if he did become one of the Black Brothers, I would have loved to see some scenes between him and Sam. The two of them are complete misfits who have to rely on their brains to save them ... well, Sam is still a complete innocent, and if it weren't for his loyalty to John, he probably would have been killed a long time ago, but the fact that the two of them love books so much (and they have both read so many of them) ... it would be cool to see the two of them geek out over the ones that they've both read.

Even if Jamie's heart was in the right place, and he was trying to save his brother, he had to realize that what he was doing would come with a price that may have been far to steep for either of them to pay. It wouldn't have just been that Tyrion would have been sent to the Wall, or he would have been sent back to Casterly Rock (and forced to marry a "suitable" bride and sire children). Tywin would have continued to make sure that Jamie was firmly beneath his thumb if that happened ... even while he would do everything that he could to make sure that Tyrion was completely doomed.

I'm glad that Dany is showing that she has a heart, even if she is still making mistakes along the way. Showing the people that she cares will likely go a long way with making sure that she is able to keep the loyalty of at least some of the people in the places that she has taken over (even if she may not be able to keep control of all of the places that she has freed).

I'm really looking forward to there being more with the dragons, even if the stuff that I would really like to see probably isn't going to show up until the last book (where there is an all out war, and the three of them are used to cause optimum damage).

'First of His Name' -- GoT 4x05

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Even though I know that they're not going to meet up anytime this season, it still kills me every time that the Stark kids almost get back together. They are all thrown to the winds (those that are still alive), and I want them to be together again, but I have a feeling that a whole hell of a lot is going to have to happen to them before anything like that happens. ::woe:: Why does GRRM (and by extension, the writers of GoT)like to make the Stark kids suffer so much? I think that they get off on it. Sincerely.

And even if it ended up getting her knocked to the ground, I'm glad that Arya used Needle on the Hound. It's not just that the guys a huge jerk; it's also the fact that I don't want her to ever lose the fire that she has (she wouldn't be herself without it).

Lysa Arryn continues to be as crazy as ever (but then, so is Robin ... not that he has much of a chance to not be crazy, too). Despite that, I really wish that she could see that Little Finger is only using her, and that he's the sneakiest of all sneaks. But the fact that she's completely in love with him has made her completely blind to the fact that he's the puppet master that's pulling all of the strings (or at least, a great many of them). Saying that he's not the ultimate puppet master is like saying that Lannisters aren't evil, or that Ned Stark's honor didn't get him killed. It's just fact.

I continue to love Pod and Brienne's interactions with each other, and would love to see even more of them (even though they aren't strictly at the center of the action). You gotta love characters who really do belong on the Island of Misfit Toys ... or at least, I do.

It would also be great to have more of Prince Oberyn, just cuz that character is so very delicious. The Martells are fantastic, and I am really looking forward to there being all kinds of more involvement with them in future seasons (especially when Elia Sand comes into play, since she's freaking awesome).

Ghost is back with Jon!!! I didn't like that the two of them weren't together, and that he didn't make any kind of comment about how he didn't know where Ghost was, or that he didn't try to warg into Ghost to try and figure out where he was. Sure, they haven't done a lot with the fact that Jon is also a warg (leaning more heavily on the fact that Bran is one), but they're going to have to do more of it eventually ... if for nothing else than so that people don't forget that about him.

'Oathkeeper' -- GoT 4x04

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Oh, Brienne. I really need to give you a giant hug (and not cuz you're at least eight feet high). I need to give you a giant hug, cuz you keep falling for the doodes who are never going to love you back (or at least, even if they start to maybe, kind of have feelings for you, they are either never going to admit to themselves that they have them, or they're never going to act on them). It's crazy how much I'm shipping Jaime/Brienne in the show (and how much I'm shipping Arya/Gendry in the books), and I want the two of them to end up together ... provided that Jaime and Tyrion are the only Lannisters left standing, and Jamie can get over his whole thing about being a giant douche. Ok, so there's the thing about how he's not allowed to marry, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything (since the two of them could both be awesome knights, and could be seeing each other on the sly (or even not so much on the sly, where everyone knows it's happening, but everyone pretends like they don't know)).

I'm really looking forward to seeing the stuff between Brienne and Pod, since it amuses me in the books (and his inability to know whether he should be calling her "sir" or "lady"). I'm really glad that it's already started, and I have a feeling that it's going to continue to make me want to giggle for quite a while longer.

I want to punch Little Finger so very, very hard, but that goes right back to feeling like he's a smarmy bastard and being annoyed by that. I want Sansa to see what's he's like, not trust him, and learn how to beat him at his own game. It's not something that's going to happen right now, but it's still something that I would really like to see ... even more than I would like to see her and Tyrion become a power couple in which very few would be able to compare (but she would really need to get over some of her hang ups about the Lannisters ... which may be possible if things in the books keep going the way that they've been going).

Olenna Tyrell continues to be completely amazing, and I'm loving her just as much as I've loved her in the books. As cunning as she is, it would be nice to see her have a little more power, but I have a feeling that she had much more than what she had, things might start to unravel and fall apart (she may have learned to work perfectly with the amount of power that she has already have, and to give her anymore would not be a good thing, since she would be spreading herself too thin).

Tyrion continues to be the only Lannister who shouldn't be poked in the eye until he cries, and I suspect that it's going to remain that way for a very long time from now. I do like the fact that not only does Tyrion know about Jaime and Cersei, it doesn't stop him from being close with Jaime. If Jaime could just continue working his way toward being a decent human being ...

'Breaker of Chains' -- GoT 4x03

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Tyrion continues to be the biggest pimp in the entire kingdom ... even if he is locked up at the moment. I loved the interaction between him and Pod, with him realizing that he was completely boned and trying to get Pod to agree to save himself (even while Pod felt completely guilty at the very idea of selling out Tyrion ... especially since doing so would mean telling a bald-faced lie). Good on them both.

And now we have the return of Little Finger. I'll completely admit that every time that I see him, I want to shake the hell out of him, cuz he's so backstabby. But then, Varys is backstabby as well, but I rather like him. I think it may come down to their motivations. Varys seems to just want to survive (so, he does questionable things to make sure that he can do that); Little Finger seems to just want to take down the entire world for the hell of it. But then, even while saying it that way, it would seem like I should like Little Finger as well (since he's the closest thing to Loki in this story as we've probably seen so far, and I dig me some Loki (especially when we're talking about the legit Loki ... the one from Heathenism)). So, I don't know, maybe there's something a bit more going on that is making me really not like him.

As much as I really can't stand Sansa in the books, I am finding myself kind of cheering her on in this season. I think part of that may have to do with the fact that I saw someone say that they thought that it would be kind of awesome if Sansa turned into the next Cersei (having learned at Cercei's feet about how to be ruthless). But combined with that, I like the idea that she will take what she has learned from Cercei and mix it in with the Stark sensibility of honor to create something slightly parallel to both of those things. So, while I do sometimes find myself getting kind of annoyed with her, I still want to see that, and have started wanting to see her survive all of this.

I thought that it was incredibly smart of Dany to shoot all of those collars toward the city that she was trying to take out ... and it was very smart of the writers to have that be the last thing in the episode. As soon as you could see the wheels turning in that one slave's mind about how things would be so much better if he wasn't a slave anymore, and that there might actually be a possibility that he might be free to live his own life, you could tell that there was about to be a giant beat-down (cuz there would have had to've been all manner of others who were thinking exactly the same thing).

Arya continues to be a little badass, and I love that she's not the least bit afraid of the Hound (she goes right up to him and tells him that she thinks he's a giant douche). I am really looking forward to seeing them do the stuff that is going to be coming with her, since I love her, and I love the stuff that's been going on with her in A Dance With Dragons. Really, that stuff cannot come fast enough.

'The Lion and the Rose' -- GoT 4x02

Warning: Spoiler Alert

And now the other sword has made an appearance. Good. I'm glad that they at least mentioned it ... even if it only lasted long enough for Joffrey to be a giant cock about Tyrion's gift (which he really should have been happy about ... instead of thinking that he knew everything that was good for him and the country). And the way that everyone just sat around looking uncomfortable while he tried to do everything that he could to make sure that Tyrion was humiliated.

It's getting to a point that it doesn't make much sense why everyone (with a few possible exceptions) hates and distrusts Tyrion. There are people in the kingdom who actually should be hated and distrusted, but he is not one of them; he is one of the few people around who is actually doing things that are good for everyone. There are some people who I can understand why they don't trust him, but that has more to do with family ties (rather than anything that he has actually done), but the people that are in his family shouldn't always think the worst of him. It probably comes from the fact that his father never really loved him (and seems to have despised him from the moment that he was born), and that probably colored the way that Cersei and Jamie may have looked at him ... maybe not so much Jamie (since the two of them appear to have at least a cordial relationship), but definitely Cersei.

There are times that I really want to shake Sansa. It's not just the fact that she's a silly girl, it's the fact that Tyrion has been kind to her (maybe a bit kinder to her than she deserves, seeing as how horrible she's been to him). But I'm glad that he hasn't stopped being kind to her, since it would make me think less of him (and I don't want to do that, since he's arguably the only Lannister worth surviving the purge that's going to happen when winter comes).

Speaking of wanting to shake the fuck out of someone, the way that Cersei was treating Brienne after the wedding made me hate her a little bit more (which didn't seem like it was entirely possible). It wasn't just that she made the comment about how Brienne was actually a lady and should act like one, it was the fact that she treated Brienne like crap cuz Brienne has worked for Renly, and then agreed to help Catelyn Stark, and now has allied herself with Jamie. Even if Brienne did start to have feelings for Jamie, she shouldn't be made to feel like crap about them, cuz she hasn't done anything wrong. Sure, Cersei's words came out of anger (over the fact that she felt like she was being pushed aside now that there was another queen) and jealousy (over the fact that she thinks that Jamie belongs only to her).

I'm sure that I can't be the only person who was glad that this was the last episode with Joffrey, since the little bastard was a pain in the ass (and he made everything far worse than it should have been). And I'll admit that the fact that he has always been a spoiled little fuck isn't the only reason why I'm glad that he's gone; the other part of why I'm glad he's gone is the fact that I'm looking forward to the show dealing with the stuff that's coming now that he's gone (cuz really, there's all sorts of interesting things that are going to happen now).

'Two Swords' -- GoT 4x01

Warning: Spoiler Alert

While I completely understand the naming of the episode (after all, two swords were created from the sword that had been Ice), but the fact that they only really referenced the one sword that had been given to Jaime, it doesn't seem like calling the episode "Two Swords" really make sense. Even if they weren't going to show off both of the swords that had been made from Ice, and were only going to reference "swords" as though they were people (like sellswords), they didn't really do very well with that either. If one of the "swords" was Jaime (and I don't see how it could not have been seeing as how they made kind of a big deal about the fact that he had been given one of the swords by his father), then, who would have the other one have been? Ayra? The Hound? Bronn? Grey Worm? Daario Naharis? Someone else? Any one of them could feasibly have been considered a "sword" in this scenario.

Speaking of Bronn ... every time that I see him, I kept thinking of Bennet Drake (the character the actor plays on "Ripper Street") and kind of wishing that the actor had at least used a slightly different kind of facial hair so that I wouldn't keep thinking of a completely different character on a completely different show. But at the same time, I was going "Yeah! Jerome Flynn!"

Tyrion continues to be the little bad ass that he has always been, and I want to shake Sansa for not realizing just how kind he's being to her ... despite the fact that she does have reason to not only not like Lannisters, but not trust them as well. But then, being outside of the situation would only serve to help see things a little more clearly ... but I'm not sure that it's really helped her in the books to have some distance from Tyrion. He keeps getting the shaft from his family, and he's the one Lannister that I really hope survives this whole thing. Well ... I take that back ... I've started to kind of want Jamie to survive the shitstorm that is coming as well. If he hadn't changed with the loss of his hand, I don't think that I'd be able to not wish him harm and evilness (but ever since he lost his hand, he's slowly stopped being a raging cock. He's still a bit of one, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was when he still had the use of both hands (the Jamie that had both hands never would have gone after Brienne of Tarth to make sure that she survived the bear)). And I wish that Jamie would listen to Brienne a little bit more, but I don't see that happening for some time yet ... until he stops being a complete Lannister and starts becoming somewhat of a decent human being.

If everything goes the way that I want it to, Tyrion will be the only Lannister left standing (unless Jamie starts being less of a jerkface), and he'll land on his feet ... possibly in charge of Casterly Rock. Wouldn't that be complexly awesome? The one person that the rest of the family tortured and wrote off as being worthless, and he's the one that ends up in charge of everything. Truth be told, the whole family would probably do a whole lot better if Tyrion were in charge (with a lot less enemies, and at least a few more friends ... ones that were actually friends and not just people that were afraid of them).

Prince Oberyn ... I can't even describe how happy I am with the introduction of the Martells into the story. I love the whole thing with the Martells in the books, and I'm really looking forward to being able to see that stuff on screen.

Speaking of Prince Oberyn, I saw this write up of the episode and the possibility of there being a hint about Jon Snow's parentage. That would be amazing if that was what they were pointing us toward, and not just a bunch of fans wanting to see something that wasn't really there.