Let’s face it, folks.
More often than not, many TV shows become stale after a few seasons – the same old plot lines are recycled, the characters get boring and stale, you just eventually give up and eventually the network does too.
Not the case with Game of Thrones, which just keeps getting better and better. In a show where main characters die early and often, usually in tragically unexpected ways, last night’s season finale was satisfying and showed us that just once in awhile, George RR Martin allows bad guys to get their comeuppance and good guys to get their victories.
WARNING – THERE BE DRAGONS, AND SPOILERS, AHEAD. MOSTLY SPOILERS. NOT MANY DRAGONS.
Among last night’s highlights:
Last Minute Save of Castle Black – For once, Stannis finally does something that makes him worthy of the title of King.
Bran Completes His Vision Quest – I’ve never really understood what this whole side plot with Bran, Hodor and the brother and sister wandering around in the frozen wilderness was all about but oh well, at least it’s over.
Brienne vs. The Hound – Heroes of Westeros, for the love of “all the old gods and the new” please finish the job before you start making speeches.
Worst Father’s Day Ever – Tyrion gets his revenge. Tywin finally ends up on…the throne.
These seasons go by so quickly. I wish there were more episodes, but I imagine HBO can’t make too many as the production of each episode is the equivalent of developing a summer blockbuster film. Now all I have to look forward to is True Blood, which pretty much jumped the shark awhile ago.
Bookshelf Battle 
Here’s my review of Game of Thrones Season 4 🙂 http://rwh92.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/season-foursome-game-of-thrones-review/
Okay, see.. Of the 4 highlights you listed (which I agree, were great to watch!) 2 of them were completely different from the books and one of them didn’t happen in the books at all!
I won’t give any spoilers though. Those who read the books will know what I’m talking about and those who don’t won’t care either way. 😉
What I can definitely say for HBO is that their series are almost always amazing and even with the mounting differences between the TV show and the books, it’s always a pleasure to watch their rendition.
Excellent casting, excellent acting, excellent show.
Thanks for stopping by!
SPOILER ALERT – My understanding is that the 2 non-book events in the show were a) the big fight between Brienne and the Hound and b) Tyrion shooting Tywin on the “throne.”
Could be wrong but this is what people tell me anyway.
The first one is correct. That never happened. Brienne never meets the Hound in the books, though Hot Pie does tell her that Arya Stark is traveling with him so she does want to find them.
The second you pointed out actually did happen though. It’s sort of a running “joke” in the book that Tywin Lannister even shits gold. After Tyrion shoots him in the privy, Tywin’s bowels release and Tyrion notes a bit sarcastically that his father does not, in fact, “shit gold”.
The other discrepancy I was referencing had to do Bran’s reaching his destination. So much about that part of the story was WAY off from the book. In the books, Jojen Reed does not die outside the cave. He makes it in there and recovers somewhat. Also, the group are led by one of the wights known as “cold hands” which adds a really awesome aspect to the story because he’s actually helping them and he’s wearing the black cloak of the Night’s Watch but he’s obviously one of those creepy undead things. He gets them to the cave safely though where Leaf (the Child of the Forest) leads them to the 3 eyed crow (the Greenseer).
Just honestly, they gutted and butchered that part of the story so badly that I think it bored most people and Martin’s book version of the ordeal was anything but anticlimactic.
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