'Game of Thrones' season 4 episode guide

Here's a refresher of everything you need to know from season 4 of Game of Thrones. (Check out our guides for seasons 1–3 and 5–8 and our list of essential episodes down below.)

Episode 1: "Two Swords"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: D.B. Weiss

Plot: Already down a hand, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) also lost Cersei (Lena Headey) — who told him that she's moved on during his long absence from King's Landing — and his father's favor (since he refused to leave the Kingsguard to rule as heir of Casterly Rock). The Wildlings were wilding out with Ygritte (Rose Leslie), who was still hung up on Jon (Kit Harington), even after trying to kill him. Jon was in the same boat, healing from his Ygritte-inflicted wounds. Arya (Maisie Williams) and the Hound (Rory McCann) were back traveling together and discovered the men who took her sword, Needle. And Dany (Emilia Clarke) continued her very long road trip with her dragons.

Introduced: Sexually fluid fighter Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal), who came to King's Landing to secretly exact revenge against the Lannisters for the rape and murder of his sister

Grade: B

Episode 2: "The Lion and the Rose"

Writer: George R.R. Martin

Director: Alex Graves

Plot: Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) wed Margaery (Natalie Dormer), with one big complication. (More on that in a moment.) Roose (Michael McElhatton) scolded Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) for carving the humanity — and a lot more — out of Theon (Alfie Allen); Melisandre (Carice van Houten) sacrificed three people as an offering to the Lord of Light before joining Stannis (Stephen Dillane) and his wife for a tense meal; and Jaime began the arduous task of training himself to sword fight with one hand.

Introduced: The Night King (Vladimir Furdik), leader of the White Walkers, who appeared in a vision that Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) has while communing with a weirwood heart tree

Historic moment: Joffrey finally got his just desserts and was poisoned at his wedding, dying in supremely gruesome fashion. Further complicating the Lannister family dynamic, Cersei accused Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) of murdering her son. In an attempt to protect Shae (Sibel Kekilli) from Tywin's (Charles Dance) revenge plot against him, Tyrion broke things off with his lover.

Grade: A

Episode 3: "Breaker of Chains"

Writers: George R.R. Martin, David Benioff, and D.B. Weiss

Director: Alex Graves

Plot: Joffrey's body still warm, Tywin prepared young Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) to be king — but all Tommen wanted to do was hang with his cat, Ser Pounce. Tyrion's forthcoming trial got its witnesses. Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) spirited Sansa (Sophie Turner) out of King's Landing. Sam (John Bradley) moved Gilly (Hannah Murray) to a nearby town and away from the Night's Watch men, who only saw her as a Wildling.

Introduced: Daario (Michiel Huisman) as Dany's champion

Historic moment: Jaime forced himself on Cersei, an act in the books that was consensual. (The scene launched complicated discussions around how the show handled rape.)

Grade: A

Episode 4: "Oathkeeper"

Writer: Bryan Cogman

Director: Michelle MacLaren

Plot: Jaime asked Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) to fulfill his promise to Catelyn (Michelle Fairley): Find and protect Sansa. Speaking of, Littlefinger was taking the eldest Stark daughter to her aunt Lysa's (Kate Dickie) and explained that he was involved in Joffrey's murder, in part to confuse the Lannisters and get her out of King's Landing. Dany, despite her advisers' objections, ordered the killing of Meereen's "Great Masters" in retaliation for the deaths of 163 enslaved children.

Introduced: What the Night King did to Craster's baby boys: turn them into White Walkers with the flick of his lengthy nail

Grade: A

Episode 5: "First of His Name"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: Michelle MacLaren

Plot: Tommen was crowned king. Cersei begrudgingly got plans rolling for Tommen and Margaery's wedding, as well as her own to Loras (Finn Jones) — a beneficial meeting of the Lannister and Tyrell houses. Dany decided to stay and rule in Slaver's Bay despite the news about Joffrey. Upon Littlefinger's arrival at the Eyrie, Lysa insisted that they promptly wed. Beyond the Wall, Bran and his crew were seized by Bolton's bannermen. Coincidentally, Jon attacked the traitorous men but never saw his brother. Bran warged into Hodor (Kristian Nairn), using the servant to kill their captor; he was convinced to leave without reuniting with Jon. He had to reach the Three-Eyed Raven.

Introduced: Arya's "kill list" (now an iconic meme), which she explained to the Hound — and revealed that he's on it as well

Historic moment: Sansa learned about Littlefinger's long history with the Stark women from Lysa, who informed her he was in love with Catelyn.

Grade: B

Episode 6: "The Laws of Gods and Men"

Writer: Bryan Cogman

Director: Alik Sakharov

Plot: Tyrion's trial got messy quickly: Behind the scenes, Jaime pleaded for Tyrion's life, and his father (serving as judge alongside Margaery's father, Mace Tyrell, and Oberyn) acquiesced and offered his younger son the lesser punishment of banishment to the Night's Watch, as long as he confessed guilt and pleaded for mercy. Tyrion was wary of trusting Tywin's word but seemed willing to play ball, until Shae was called as a witness and lied, testifying that Tyrion and Sansa planned and executed Joffrey's murder. Hurt and outraged, Tyrion lashed out, proclaiming his hatred of Joffrey — and all of King's Landing, for that matter — and, refusing to let his judges determine his fate, demanded a trial by combat. Elsewhere, one of Dany's dragons attacked some goats, Yara (Gemma Whelan) attempted to save Theon — who was beyond salvation — and Stannis campaigned for funds to raise a large army.

Introduced: The shell that was formerly Theon was now Reek through and through.

Historic moment: Tyrion's big speech: "I did not kill Joffrey, but I wish that I had! Watching your vicious bastard die gave me more relief than a thousand lying whores! I wish I was the monster you think I am. I wish I had enough poison for the whole pack of you. I would gladly give my life to watch you all swallow it."

Grade: A

Episode 7: "Mockingbird"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: Alik Sakharov

Plot: Oberyn offered to be Tyrion's champion in the trial by combat because Cersei's champion was the Hound's brother, the Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), who killed Oberyn's sister. Dany and Daario finally gave in to their sexual tension. Then, the Khaleesi sent her lover and his men to Yunkai to regain control over the city, and kill the masters who have resurfaced — all of this much to Jorah's (Iain Glen) dismay. Over some kidney pie, Brienne and her squire, Podrick (Daniel Portman), met Hot Pie (Ben Hawkey), who informed them that Arya was alive and with the Hound. The duo headed off toward the Eyrie, where they hypothesized that Arya was being taken to be ransomed to her aunt Lysa.

Historic moment: Lysa became hysterical after seeing her new groom surprise her niece with a kiss. In the ensuing fight, Littlefinger pushed Lysa through the Moon Door to her death.

Grade: B

Episode 8: "The Mountain and the Viper"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: Alex Graves

Plot: Reek was back to being Theon!... But just as a ploy: Ramsay took advantage of his plaything's former identity to trick the Ironborn into surrendering Moat Cailin, providing his father's army safe passage home. When the Wildlings attacked a town near the Wall, Ygritte discovered Gilly hiding with her baby and urged them to keep quiet, sparing their lives. Littlefinger was questioned about Lysa's demise, but Sansa came to his defense, claiming that her aunt threw herself to her death. When asked why she lied to help him, Sansa basically said it's better for her to stay with the devil she knows than the devil she doesn't. In Meereen, Ser Selmy (Ian McElhinney) intercepted a royal pardon for Jorah signed by King Robert, and realized Jorah was spying on Dany. Jorah — fully devoted to his queen — pleaded for forgiveness and said the notice was sent by Tywin in an attempt to sabotage Dany, but she banished him anyway.

Introduced: Ramsay Snow as Ramsay Bolton, a name change granted to the bastard by his father after his victory at Moat Cailin, and the beginnings of Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Missandei's (Nathalie Emmanuel) romance

Historic moment: The battle between the Mountain and Oberyn. The fight ended with the sickening sounds of Oberyn's skull being crushed by the Mountain, leading to Tyrion's death sentence.

Grade: A+

Episode 9: "The Watchers on the Wall"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: Neil Marshall

Plot: The Wildlings' attack on the Wall brought Ygritte and Jon together again. Jon, with Sam's help, managed to defend the Wall and the castle — but at a pretty big cost.

Introduced: Mammoths!

Historic moment: Jon and Ygritte had a moment during the battle, but, in that pause, she was struck by an arrow and died in Jon's arms.

Grade: A

Episode 10: "The Children"

Writers: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Director: Alex Graves

Plot: Jon headed to the Wildling camp with plans to kill Mance, but was interrupted by Stannis, who took the Wildlings captive and set up camp with the Night's Watch. Brienne found Arya and severely wounded the Hound. He begged Arya for mercy, but she left him to die slowly. After a Meereen child was killed by Drogon, Dany realized she had to lock her babies up. Fighting her father's order to marry Loras, Cersei played her trump card: She revealed to Tywin that the rumors of incest were true and threatened to take it public. Triumphant, she reunited with Jaime, and the two further solidified the truth behind her threat.

Introduced: The Children of the Forest, the original beings to inhabit Westeros, one of whom rescued Bran, Meera (Ellie Kendrick), and Hodor (sadly, not Jojen) from wights just before they met the Three-Eyed Raven; as well as the knowledge that Oberyn poisoned the spear that pierced the Mountain, ensuring his death.

Historic moment: After Jaime helped him escape, Tyrion found Shae in Tywin's room and strangled her for her betrayal; he then shot Tywin (on the toilet!) with Joffrey's crossbow before escaping.

Grade: A

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