In potentially one of the most gruesome deaths of the entirety of Game of Thrones, Ser Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane crushes the skull of Prince Oberyn “The Red Viper” Martell with his bare hands. It’s a grim reminder that even the character who seems to have everything under control can find fortune is not always on his side.
Or maybe not fortune. Oberyn has always been a portrait of the calm and collected man, patiently biding his time despite the injustice committed against his kingdom. Until this episode, he seemed like the man who could take down the unstoppable Gregor Clegane. And even during the fight, he appeared to be the man who could do it, despite dressing in light armour and attacking the Mountain with nothing but a spear in comparison to a massive sword.
But then something changes — Oberyn above all else wants vengeance. He continues to press Gregor into admitting that he raped Elia Martell. Even when he downs the massive man and inflicts several serious wounds, he won’t finish the job until he gets his confession. That’s when Gregor takes advantage of the situation and spells out Oberyn’s doom, to gasps from the audience.
But of course, this is only the last 10 minutes or so of an excellent episode that greatly expands some character dynamics. The biggest change comes from the Vale, when the lords of the area converge on the Eyrie and demand to know what happened to Lysa. Petyr tells them that she committed suicide, but the lords (and lady) won’t believe him unless they get corroborating testimony from Sansa. When she steps into the scene, she confesses her true identity immediately and looks like she’s about to indict Petyr on his wrongdoings. But as she gets to the end of her tragic tale, she tearfully tells the lords that Lysa killed herself. Afterwards, Petyr asks Sansa why she lied for him, and the final glimpse we get of Sansa is her wearing darker colours and showing a confidence we’ve yet to see from a girl who used to dream about marrying a Westerosi version of Prince Charming.
Another change comes in a long-standing relationship from almost the beginning of the series — Ser Barristan receives a document which he reads, surprised, and then brings to its owner, Jorah. It’s a pardon from King’s Landing, and it reveals to everyone that Jorah spied on Daenerys for a long time. Ser Barristan says he has no choice but to tell Daenerys, and the scene in her throne room is devastating — Jorah has no real defence for actions, and she banishes him from Mereen.
And let’s not forget about more brutality around the Seven Kingdoms. Just south of the wall in Flea Bottom, where Gilly and her baby are supposedly safe, wildling raiders come and kill everybody they can can find. Ygritte discovers Gilly and her baby but spares them, allowing Gilly to flee, likely back to Castle Black, once the violence is over. The Night’s Watch realize that the 100,000-strong wildling force is coming to Castle Black next, and their puny force of 102 definitely has the odds stacked against them.
And finally, Theon continues to prove he is as broken as ever when Ramsay sends him on a quest to take Moat Cailin for the Boltons. As Theon, acting as Theon and not Reek, begins to “treat” with the Ironborn, it appears that there might be a spark of life left in him. But after the Ironborn leader refuses Ramsay’s terms, Theon begins trembling and looks like he could have a mental breakdown. Another Ironborn kills the leader and accepts the simple terms: surrender, and you can go back home.
Of course, Ramsay does not abide by the terms and flays them all alive, marking for the second-most gruesome image of the episode after Oberyn’s smashed head.
As the usual formula goes with this show, more horrible things are to come as the season winds down, and no one is safe. With two episodes of the season left, things are about to come to a head.
