The fourth episode is the best so far as in Season Three and in the episode titled 'And Now His Watch Is Ended,' Daenerys Targaryen takes charge as the Queen she is destined to be.
April 21, 2013

(SPOILER ALERT: Please don't read this recap if you haven't seen the episode.)

And Now His Watch Is Ended, the fourth episode of season three and it's the best episode so far. It's named for Banner, a ranger from the Night's Watch who died out beyond the wall with Lord Commander Mormont and his men back at Casters. He says those words like a prayer as they burn his body to ashes, but with the death of a crow comes the birth of a true Queen half way around the world and her name is Daenerys Targaryen! Emilia Clarke has never been better as the girl who has dragons as children and tonight she truly became a Queen in the eyes of Ser Jorah Mormont, Barristan Selmy and the Unsullied Ones. Last season, Jorah told her that she had a gentle heart which he's never seen before in a queen and she does, but Dany now can also can make a cold-blooded decision. Just ask Kraznys mo Nakloz. In Walk of Punishment, Dany has struck a deal with the slaver Kraznys, who speaks the old language of High Valyrian to buy his 8000 slave soldiers called the Unsullied Ones for one of her dragons. She also received one of his salves as a gift, a beautiful interpreter named Missandei. She now has come back to make the trade. 8000 slave soldiers, castrated, stoic and obedient are lined up in silence as Dany hands over one of her prized dragon's to Kraznys, which is chained to a leash of metal. He gives her the whip, which is used to punish, condition and control the soldiers to complete the deal.

"Is it done?" she asks. Kraznys turns to Missandei and says in Valyrian: "Yes, the bitch has her army."

And with those words she turns around and faces the Unsullied Ones and orders them in Valyrian (which shocks everyone because she made believe she didn't understand the language) to kill everyone who has a whip, (their captors) but do not hurt any slaves or children. Jorah and Barristan are in shock as the Unsullied attack and kill their former captures. Dany then turns to Kraznys and tells him:

"I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen of the blood of old Valyria. Valyrian is my mother tongue"

She then yells 'dracarys," which orders her dragon to spit fire upon him, burning him alive. After Kraznys and his men have been wiped out, she gives the Unsullied a choice. Anyone can leave if they want without harm if they choose, this she swears, if they do not want to fight with her. After a moment of silence, the Unsullied Ones bang their spears into the earth in unison, signaling their devotion to her.

Last week, Selmy Barristan told her he was against buying soldiers who are slaves because soldiers should fight because they loved those they served. Now he sees that she has truly made these former slaves love her which means they will fight to the death for her. The episode ends with an overhead shot of her new army marching out of the destroyed city, her three dragons flying high over head and screaming into the air. Wow, now that's how to end an episode.

A few other things happen as well which you should know about in this fantastic episode. As Sarah Hughes of The Guardian writes:

Revenge – both past and to come – was emblazoned through this episode in an orgy of epic style.

Yes it is.

Arya:

Arya's life is fueled only by the revenge she wants to take against those that murdered her father. She demands revenge against Sandor Clegane aka The Hound for killing her friend after he has been captured by Beric and Thoros. Dondarrion orders a trial of combat for the Hound to see if he's innocent of murder and he will be the one opposing him. Stay tuned.

Theon Greyjoy

He was freed by Alfie Allen at the end of last week's episode, who said he worked for his sister and was trying to bring him to her. During the escape he then killed four men in the woods to protect Theon from being caught again. As he's leading him to safety this week, Theon confesses that he killed two innocent children just so his father would think he still held Winterfell. The only reason he took the Castle of the North was out of his jealousy of Robb. Now he knows his father didn't trust him anymore and his choice was all wrong. His real father was indeed Eddard Stark, (which we all knew) the man who had captured him as a price for winning a war against his father. In a twist, Alfie leads him back to his original captors making believe that Theon is the one who killed the four men. Theon screams and is now going to be crucified once again on the wooden cross of torture. I could almost feel sorry for him except that he betrayed the Starks and had so many good people killed over his bad choice. That's something I cannot ever forgive, just like Arya.

King's Landing

Cersei tells her father that she's worried Margaery is controlling Joffrey way too much for her liking. (Meow) Tywin scoffs at her and says good because she sure couldn't. Ouch. He wants revenge on her for not stopping her son from beheading Eddard and starting this whole bloody war.

Varys the eunuch tells Tyrion how if he wants revenge against his sister for trying to kill him, he must be patient, just like him. Varys waited decades to exact revenge against the sorcerer who castrated him for a sacrifice as a boy. He opens up a crate as he was speaking to Tyrion and we see that very sorcerer with his lips sown shut. Now that's how it's done, people. Varys also has a chat with the great Diana Rigg (Olenna Tyrell) and warns him that Littlefinger is a very dangerous man who would burn down the world to be king and has his eyes on Sansa Stark as a prize. Oleena has an instant solution for their problem.

Enter Margaery. She comforts Sansa and asks her if she'd like to be her friend and marry her brother Loras so that they could be sisters. Yippie! Poor, pathetic Sansa is so starved for affection that she tears up at the idea. Will they get their wish?

Jaime Lannister:

He's cowering in defeat as he rides a horse with his severed right hand hanging from his neck after having it cut off. But the scene belongs to Brienne as she turns into his emotional savior. After being beaten and fed horse urine, he wants to die. But she belittles him in the same way that he had made fun of her when their journey began, by making fun of her gender even though she's a master swordsmen. She calls him a scared little girl, trying to get him to eat food. It works and he begins to eat. She knows that he saved her from being raped. This relationship has taken a new turn and I can't wait to see what happens next. Will Jaime turn into a man worth rooting for?


Beyond The Wall

Burn Gorman (Torchwood) plays a ranger who is starving and is sick of Craster's lunacy so he incites a riot in his house with the rest of the crows and kills the man who has fathered 99 sons (all sacrificed) with his own daughters. This leads the Lord Commander to scream that they will be cursed for this and then Mormont is murdered by his own men. All hell breaks loose after that. Sam runs away, finds Gilly and her new baby and takes off. What will happen to the Castle Black now that their leader has been murdered?

Well, that's it. A lot happened this week. I wonder what will happen to the very naive Sansa Stark. I mean, her innocence cost her father his head and all she really ever wanted to do was marry Joffrey, make babies and live happily ever after. How can she survive in this word of brutality? What happens to Theon next? There was no sighting of Jon Snow, but how many of you would love to see him marry Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen? (That's not a spoiler, don't worry) Although crows aren't supposed to have sex any more, it's war and they would make a good couple don't you think?

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