‘Game Of Thrones’ Recap: Season 4, Episode 7 – ‘Mockingbird’

Tyrion Lannister struggled to find a champion, The Mountain returned to King’s Landing and The Hound opened up to Arya Stark about his troubled childhood, all before one character met their exit in the latest episode of HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”

Here’s our blow-by-blow recap of “Game of Thrones” Season 4, Episode 7 – “Mockingbird.”

Tyrion & Jaime Lannister, In A Cell, King’s Landing: “I made a deal for you,” Jaime Lannister says as the show opens, expressing his anger over Tyrion demanding a trial by combat, instead of accepting Tywin Lannister’s bargain that would have sent him to The Wall. “You threw your life away,” Jaime says. “I couldn’t listen to her, standing there telling her lies, I couldn’t do it,” Tyrion replies, explaining that Shae’s words at the trial over Joffrey’s murder made him snap. Quickly, the seriousness of Tyrion’s decision sets in when Jaime reveals that he can’t fight with his left hand. He can’t serve as Tyrion’s champion. Tyrion suggests Bronn can do it, and asks Jaime to find the sellsword-turned-Ser. But who will he fight?

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Gregor Clegane, aka The Mountain, King’s Landing: The Mountain (now played by Hafthor Julius Bjornsson), the older, vicious brother of The Hound, is back at King’s Landing and Cersei smiles as she watches him cut down men for practice. “Thank you for riding here so quickly. You seem to be in good form,” she says, stepping over entrails to speak to him. “Who am I fighting?” he asks her. “Does it matter?” she replies. The Mountain, who will face Tyrion’s champion, shakes his head.

Arya & The Hound, The Riverlands: As they continue on their travels to The Vale, Arya and The Hound come across a dying man and for the first time, they reveal who they really are. After a candid chat, The Hound helps the man on his journey to death, stabbing him through the chest. “That’s where the heart is,” he tells Arya. “That’s where you kill a man.” Before she can even react to the moment, a man leaps on to the back of The Hound, biting into his neck and tearing out his flesh with his teeth. Another man comes in and also attempts to fight The Hound, propelled by the ransom King’s Landing has offered for his head. They won’t be collecting the prize. Arya and The Hound kill the two men.

Jon Snow, The Wall: Back from their victory at Craster’s Keep, Jon and his men are given a warm welcome by all but Ser Alliser Thorne, who orders “Lord Snow” to lock up his direwolf, Ghost. Sitting down for a meeting with the men of the Night’s Watch, Jon suggests they seal the tunnel to prevent the Wildling giants from getting through, the Wildlings army now even closer. Ser Alliser refuses and orders that Jon and Samwell Tarly take night duties atop The Wall until the next full moon.

Tyrion, A Cell, King’s Landing: Tyrion needs a champion, but even the potential promise of lands in the north (Tyrion says he could rule Winterfell one day), isn’t enough to sway Bronn to fight The Mountain. “One misstep and I’m dead,” Bronn says, realistically. “Why should I risk it?” “I like ya,” he adds a moment later, his refusal to fight The Mountain, perfectly clear. “I just like myself more.” Tyrion understands, and accepts Bronn’s decision. “Why are you sorry? Because you’re an evil bastard with no conscience and no heart? That’s what I liked about you in the first place,” Tyrion says, sticking out his hand. The two men shake. “We had some good days together,” Bronn says. With no choices left, Tyrion says he’ll have to face The Mountain himself.

Daenerys & Daario, Meereen: “How did you get in here?” Dany asks, surprised to see Daario in her bedroom. Through the window he explains, handing her flowers, which she refuses. He’s come to her to share his displeasure with being asked to patrol the city with the Second Sons. “I only have two talents in this world, war and women… Here in Meereen, I cannot pursue my talents,” he tells her. Dany suggests there are thousands of women he can pursue in Meereen, but he says there’s only one, and she doesn’t want him. “Very well,” Dany says. “Do what you do best… Take off your clothes,” she adds, watching him strip.

Melisandre & Selyse Baratheon, Dragonstone: Melisandre is having a bath when Stannis’ wife, Selyse Baratheon, comes in. Shireen Baratheon, Stannis’ daughter, is the topic of conversation. Selyse wants her to stay at Dragonstone, but Melisandre says the Princess is part of Stannis & Company’s next journey. “When we set sail, your daughter must be with us,” Melisandre says.

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Daario & Ser Jorah, Meereen: “Are you here to see our queen?” Daario (whose shirt is open) asks a surprised Ser Jorah when they run into each other in the hallway outside of Dany’s room. “She’s in a good mood,” he quips, before making his exit. As he enters her quarters, Ser Jorah gives Dany a look of judgment for many things – one of them being her trust in a man who killed his own captains. It’s all right, Dany explains to Ser Jorah. She’s sending Daario and the Second Sons to take care of that problem in Yunkai. They’ll retake the city and kill every slave master. Ser Jorah, who was sent into exile for selling people as slaves, offers Dany some advice. “I wouldn’t be here to help you if Ned Stark had done to me what you want to do to the masters of Yunkai,” he tells her, and it changes her mind. Jorah is to tell Daario that Hizdahr zo Loraq (the man who pleaded with Dany to bury his father in last week’s episode) will go with the Second Sons. He can give the Yunkai masters a choice – live in her new world, or die in their old one.

Arya & The Hound, The Riverlands: That bite wound The Hound received needs to be cleaned, and burned to disinfect it. As Arya approaches with a flame, The Hound yells, “no,” and backs away. “Thanks to you, I’m a walking bag of silver,” he tells her, a moment later. “No reward’s worth this much trouble. Wish I’d never laid eyes on you,” he adds. Sitting there in his ripped shirt and pants, The Hound finally tells Arya his own story. While Arya’s brother gave her a sword, Needle, The Hound’s brother — The Mountain — gave him a lifelong burn when he was a young boy. “The pain was bad. Smell was worse. But the worse thing was it was my brother who did it. My father who protected him told everyone my bedding caught fire,” he says. “You think you’re on your own.” Moved, Arya asks if she can wash his wound. He nods.

Brienne & Podrick Payne, Somewhere In Westeros: Arya’s old travelling companion Hot Pie has returned – in the same place where the series left him — at an inn. He’s serving freshly cooked food to Brienne and Podrick. He starts out as chatty as can be, but grows quiet when Brienne reveals their mission – they are looking for Catelyn Stark’s daughters, in particular, Sansa. Hot Pie claims to know nothing. Outside, as Brienne and Pod are packing to leave, Hot Pie approaches them with direwolf bread and a change of heart. “I never met no Sansa Stark, but I know her sister, Arya,” he says, shocking the pair. “She was all dressed up like a boy… like your ladyship, without the armor,” he adds. Hot Pie last saw them with The Brotherhood without Banners, who planned to sell Arya to her family. And they had another prisoner — The Hound. As Pod and Brienne begin their next journey, Pod shares an idea – Arya might have been taken to the Eyrie and to her Aunt Lysa Arryn. “Sansa could be there too,” Brienne says.

Tyrion, Prince Oberyn, A Cell, King’s Landing: Oberyn enters Tyrion’s cell and the two chat. The royal explains that Cersei tried to sway him before the trial even started. “It is rare to meet a Lannister who shares my enthusiasm for dead Lannisters. She desperately wants to see you killed,” Oberyn tells Tyrion. In an interesting twist, Oberyn reveals he met Tyrion when he was just a baby, and even then Cersei wanted him dead for killing their mother (during his birth). As talk turns to justice, Oberyn says he wants justice too – for the murder of his sister and his niece and nephew. And he plans to start by taking on Gregor Clegane. Tyrion’s eyes widen. Oberyn announces he will serve as Tyrion’s champion and fight The Mountain.

Sansa Stark, The Eyrie: Missing her home, Sansa builds a Winterfell castle out of the snow, but her cousin Robin Arryn, wrecks it. The two argue and Sansa slaps him. “Children,” Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish says, walking up, after Robin runs away crying. “I was trying to remember what everything looked like. I’ll never see it again,” Sansa tells Petyr. “A lot can happen between now and never. If you want to build a better home, first, you must demolish the old one,” he tells her. Quickly, their latest heart-to-heart takes a more serious turn when Sansa asks why Littlefinger really killed Joffrey. “I loved your mother more than you could ever know. Given the opportunity, what do we do to those who’ve hurt the ones we love?” he asks Sansa. “In a better world, one where love could overcome strength and duty, you might’ve been my child, but we don’t live in that world,” he says. And then, Littlefinger complements Sansa’s beauty and kisses her, something Lysa spots from across the Eyrie.

Moments later, Sansa approaches her aunt, who has called her for a chat. Instead, full of jealousy, Lysa attempts to shove Sansa through the moon door. “Lysa, let her go,” Petyr says. “She’ll never love you…. I lied for you, I killed for you,” Lysa cries, pushing Sansa closer to hole in the floor. His offer to send Sansa away finally gets Lysa to let go of Sansa. Walking over, Petyr, raises Lysa up. “Oh, my sweet wife. My sweet, silly wife,” he says. “I have only loved one woman, only one, my entire life. Your sister.” And with that, he makes Lysa fly – as she drops to her death.

“Game of Thrones” continues in two weeks on HBO.

Jolie Lash

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