History Recap / GameOfThronesS4E8TheMountainAndTheViper

** When Oberyn is getting his eyes gouged out, you can actually see Tyrion's {{jaw drop}}ped in horror as he watches.

* DarkReprise: We finally get to hear the Winterfell theme... Now made ten times more sinister as the victorious Boltons and the newly legitimized Ramsay ride towards their new home.

* HalfTruth: Aside from a few carefully altered details (like where Petyr kissed her, and how Lysa fell), Sansa's story is quite close to the facts. This makes her lies all the more convincing.

--> '''Roose''': Tell me what you see.
--> '''Ramsay''': ... Nothing.
--> '''Roose''': Not nothing, ''the North''. Ride 700 miles that way you're still in the North, 400 miles that way, 300 miles that way. The North is larger than the other six kingdoms combined and I am the Warden of the North. The North ''is mine''.

* KickTheSonOfABitch:
** Flaying is a horrible thing to see, but that asshole who murdered Ralf Kenning getting his just deserts is not bad.
** Ygritte ends up killing the whore that was harassing Gilly for being a Wildling earlier.

* EvilCostumeSwitch: Sansa makes a GrandStaircaseEntrance in a [[PaintItBlack black gown]] with [[SpikesOfVillainy feathers on the shoulders]] (playing on [[BastardUnderstudy Littlefinger's]] [[SymbolMotifClothing mockingbird sigil]]) showing [[EvilIsSexy a good deal more cleavage]] [[SheIsAllGrownUp than usual]].

* BladeOnAStick: Oberyn carries one into the trial, and when the Mountain cracks it in half he gets tossed a second. Both have a snake design in the tassel to go along with his viper motif.

* SpectacularSpinning: Oberyn Martell showboats shamelessly with his BladeOnAStick before and even during his duel with Gregor. There may be an actual combat purpose to it, since his strategy seems to be provoking Gregor into [[TheBerserker wild and poorly-planned attacks.]]

** Averted when Jorah Mormont [[AintTooProudToBeg drops to his knees before her]]; Daenerys looks over his head [[ThisIsUnforgivable either in disdain]] or because she's [[ToughRulerFacade worried that she might feel sympathy]] if she looks him in the eye.

* PrincessForADay: Daenerys is shown braiding Missandei's hair. It's inconceivable that a queen would do this to a servant, but Dany is clearly [[ToughRulerFacade enjoying doing girly stuff]] [[BeneathTheMask out of sight of her subjects]].

-->'''Waynwood:''' Who would approach the Bloody Gate?
-->'''Sandor:''' The ''bloody'' Hound!

* ToughRulerFacade: Daenerys doesn't look at Jorah in the eye when she orders his banishment, and is obviously holding back on her pain and anger.

** Averted when Jorah Mormont [[AintTooProudToBeg drops to his knees before her]]; Daenerys looks over his head [[ThisIsUnforgivable either in disdain]] or because she's [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask worried that she might feel sympathy]] if she looks him in the eye.

* PrincessForADay: Daenerys is shown braiding Missandei's hair. It's inconceivable that a queen would do this to a servant, but Dany is clearly [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask enjoying doing girly stuff]] [[BeneathTheMask out of sight of her subjects]].

* TokenMinorityCouple: Missandei and Grey Worm despite the latter being a eunuch and having no such relationship in the books.

* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Daenerys doesn't look at Jorah in the eye when she orders his banishment, and is obviously holding back on her pain and anger.

* HopeSpot: Tyrion gets one after Oberyn manages to put his spear through Gregor Clegane. But then Oberyn gets a bit greedy in his desire for revenge and strays [[YourHeadAsplode into Gregor's reach]].

** "Elia Martell. I killed her children. Then I raped her. Then I smashed her head, '''''[[YourHeadAsplode IN LIKE THIS]]'''''!"

* SuperStrength: As if the audience needed any convincing, The Mountain manages to [[YourHeadAsplode pop Oberyn's head]] like a huge grape with his hands.

* YourHeadAsplode: While gouging out Oberyn's eyes with his thumbs, the Mountain finishes him off by squeezing his head so hard that the entire left side is destroyed.
-->'''Pedro Pascal:''' (in a Q&A session shortly before the episode aired, when asked whether he would make the choice to be Tyrion's champion) "[[http://i.imgur.com/IObzMd1.png Absolutely/ No brainer.]]"

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Oberyn Martell showboats shamelessly with his BladeOnAStick before and even during his duel with Gregor. There may be an actual combat purpose to it, since his strategy seems to be provoking Gregor into [[TheBerserker wild and poorly-planned attacks.]]

When Ser Jorah is summoned to her throne room and sees the girl he has aided, now a woman and Queen in her own right, greet him with a mixture of wariness, disbelief and [[TranquilFury bottled rage]], Ser Jorah can only stand before and below her, not daring to approach too near, as Grey Worm and Ser Barristan make quite a point of bristling at his presence. Mormont steps up to the plate and tries to offer excuses, pointing out that this is obviously a ploy by Tywin Lannister to divide and conquer them, but Daenerys reminds him that the date on the pardon was the year of their first meeting and she asks, hopefully, if it's a forgery. Jorah denies the get-out clause and admits that he was a spy for Varys when he entered her service and told him everything about her movements up to and including the conception of her child, actions which triggered an assassination attempt (which Jorah foiled but even so). This also created a chain of events that led to the deaths of Khal Drogo and Rhaego's stillbirth. Daenerys is cold and furious at what this treachery represents and Jorah prostrates himself, tearfully begging for forgiveness, which she is far from willing to give; he sold her secrets to the man who ''killed'' her brother, who ''stole'' her father's throne, who inadvertently destroyed ''both'' her families. He argues that he has protected her, fought for her, ''killed'' for her. He even desperately admits that he ''loves her''. Daenerys, caught between sorrow, resentment and incredulity - throws his [[IsThatWhatTheyreCallingItNow 'love']] back in his face, as this betrayal of her has undermined the entirety of one of her oldest, most precious relationships. She declares scornfully that he should go and collect his reward back in Westeros, [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves if he can]], that he may never touch or speak to her again and that were he ''any'' other man she would have had him ''executed'' on the spot. Instead he is to be banished from her sight on pain of death; he has until dusk to gather his belongings and leave her city. At sunset, we see Jorah "the Andal" depart from Meereen, exiled once again, only this time from his ''true home''.

* AbsenteeActor: Several in this episode: no Aemon Targaryen, Janos Slynt or Alliser Thorne at the Wall; at King's Landing, no Tommen Baratheon, Loras, Margaery Tyrell or Bronn; most characters currently travelling don't show up, either, so we don't get to see Bran's party, Stannis and his subjects or Brienne and Podrick.

* ChainOfHarm: Tyrion, who suffered merciless mocking as a dwarf, admits that the only time he felt like part of the family growing up was by making fun of their mentally disabled cousin Orson. (And Orson mostly amused himself by smashing beetles.)