REVIEW: Game of Thrones Season 4 opens with graphic vengeance and dragon action

Game of Thrones returns to Philippine television on April 13 at 10 pm on HBO. Is it worth staying up late for on a Sunday night?



Season 4 picks up from the gruesome aftermath of the massacre of the Stark army along with Robb Stark and his mother Catelyn at the behest of the Lannisters during the past season’s "Red Wedding."



Secure of their victory over their Northern foes, House Lannister prepares for a wedding of its own, this time between tyrant boy-king Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell, of Highgarden. But as we know by now, weddings in Westeros are always fraught with peril.



From all corners of the continent, threats to the Iron Throne abound. Dornish prince Oberyn Martell, who has a deep-seated grudge against the Lannisters, arrives at King’s Landing to attend the royal wedding. Stannis Baratheon, who refuses to swear fealty to the crown, fortifies an army of soldiers and black magic in Dragonstone. Up North, the Night’s Watch is pushed against the wall by Mance Rayder’s army or wildlings, which are, in turn, stalked by the legendary White Walkers.



Across the neighboring continent of Essos, Daenerys Targaryen, the remaining child of the former ruling House builds her army of now grown dragons and an elite fighting force called the Unsullied to reclaim the Iron Throne.



Daenerys with mercenary Daario



GoT’s Season 4 opener is a packed 58 minutes devoted to introducing new storylines (as many as six) and new characters. The creators wasted no time in lengthy recaps of previous events, folding the background story instead into the dialogues between key characters, making the transition seamless and fast-paced.



They also wasted no time in giving the usual GoT dose of nudity and massacre minutes into the first episode but not without new surprises to please the devoted and covert new believers.



No matter how many heads have rolled in the Seven Kingdoms, nothing prepares GoT fans for the carnage (oh, the sound of ripping flesh) when Arya enjoys a massacre of her own towards the end.



Season 4 also signals a shift in relationships between key characters we have grown to love even if we hated them before.



If familiarity breeds contempt, surely intense hatred can build a strange bond too. In the past, the relationship between Arya and the Hound was a simple cat-and-mouse hate relationship but after travelling— and killing—together for quite a while, they become a veritable comic tandem.



Cersei, who was once frantic over Jaime’s disappearance, is now cool towards her incestuous paramour now that he has returned to King’s Landing.



Tyrion is in a tricky balancing act of keeping a slave lover (Shae) and a relationship with his wife Sansa Stark who hates his family for murdering hers. Add to that the pressure of various forces advancing to King’s Landing.



Let us not forget Daenerys across the continent of Essos dealing with her now rebellious teenage dragons and the challenge of liberating a new slave city.



As always, of all storylines in the series, that of Daenerys and her army of dragons and misfits remain the most cinematic and poster-worthy.



The creators spared nothing to bring fans the most epic, sweeping views of fictional Essos and the most-believable CGI dragons on TV.



But that is not to discard the beautifully tense moments between other key characters like Cersei and Jaime, Arya and the Hound, Tyrion and Shae when secrets are hinted at and character changes are revealed.



Without any more spoilers, The GoT Season 4 opener is a sampler tray of graphic sex scene, brutal vengeance sequences and dragon action yet to come.



For those who can’t wait until Sunday, Game of Thrones Season 4 episode may be streamed via the new HBO Go service within 12 hours of the U.S. premiere, which began on April 6.


(To learn more about HBO Go, CLICK HERE)