Breaker of Chains

"Breaker of Chains" is the third episode of the fourth season of Game of Thrones. It is the thirty-third episode of the series overall. It premiered on April 20, 2014 on HBO. It was written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and directed by Alex Graves.
==Premise==
==Synopsis==
===In King's Landing===
With King Joffrey dead, Cersei mourns the death of her eldest son with the heir apparent and, still holding Joffrey in her arms, demands that Sansa Stark be found. Her father seals the capital, so no one can leave. Prince Tommen Baratheon, pays his respects to his dead brother in the Great Sept of Baelor. Tywin Lannister, also present, immediately begins instructing the young prince on the qualities of a good king. As Tywin and Tommen leave, Jaime enters to see Cersei calling for the death of the accused Tyrion and his wife, Sansa Stark. Jaime sends the septon and septas away so he can be alone with Cersei. He tries to comfort her through his affections. She refuses initially, but Jaime is aggressive. Cersei insists that the sept during a private viewing of their son's corpse is a highly inappropriate place for sex, and asks Jaime to stop, saying "It isn't right, it isn't right..." and Jaime refuses to stop, saying, "I don't care, I don't care...". They then have sex next to their dead son's corpse.
A flashback to the wedding reveals Sansa escaping with Ser Dontos Hollard from King's Landing to a ship off the coast. As Sansa is taken aboard, she is greeted by Lord Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish. He remembers that he still owes Dontos his fee, but Baelish has two men kill him with crossbows. He explains to Sansa that Ser Dontos was a drunken fool and an unreliable ally who only helped Sansa for money and would turn her in for money. To prove his point, he shows that the priceless necklace Dontos gave her was actually made a few weeks ago on Baelish's orders. Sansa is confused and horrified, but Baelish promises to keep her safe.
Tywin interrupts Oberyn Martell and his group sex act with Ellaria Sand and Olyvar to discuss Tyrion's up-coming trial for the murder of Joffrey. Tywin brings up Oberyn's knowledge of poisons and the link between that and Joffrey's death – as some say the King was poisoned – and wonders whether Oberyn had helped Tyrion. The topic changes to the murder of Oberyn's sister Elia by Tywin's "pet," the Mountain, during the Sack of King's Landing. Tywin denies ordering her death, but promises to arrange a meeting between Oberyn and the Mountain so he can have his justice. He also offers Oberyn a position on the Small Council, if Oberyn agrees to be the third judge at Tyrion's trial. He explains that he is eager to bring Dorne back into the fold, wanting to unite the Seven Kingdoms against more obvious threats; the Greyjoys are in rebellion, a wildling army is advancing on the Wall, and there is a Targaryen girl in the East with a powerful army and three dragons, who will eventually threaten Westeros. Tywin observes that only the Dornish successfully resisted Aegon Targaryen's dragons during his invasion of Westeros three centuries ago; Oberyn dryly notes it must be hard for Tywin to admit he needs the Dornish for help.
Tyrion is in a cell in King's Landing. He is visited by his squire, Podrick Payne, who has smuggled in some food and other items for him. Pod has been asked to compile a list of Tyrion's witnesses. He names his wife, Sansa, but Pod informs him that she disappeared moments after Joffrey's death. He cannot speak to Bronn either because, as a close associate of Tyrion, he is also under investigation. Pod confirms that there has been no word of Shae, which Tyrion takes as good news. Tyrion then asks to speak with Jaime. He also warns Pod to be aware of his surroundings and watch out for "They," "They" being the spies of Tywin, Cersei, Varys or more or less anyone else. He opines that many people had a motive for killing Joffrey. Cersei is the only person he rules out. He urges Pod to get out of King's Landing as he would be in much danger due to his close relations with Tyrion, especially after refusing to testify against Tyrion, despite the offer of a knighthood. As Pod is about to leave, Tyrion calls him back and tells him that "there has never lived a more loyal squire."
===In the Riverlands===
Meanwhile, Arya Stark and the Hound, crossing the Riverlands, are spotted by a farmer and his young daughter while making their way to the Vale where Arya can be ransomed to her "rich" aunt, Lysa Arryn. Arya quickly fabricates a story that the Hound and she are father and daughter, with Clegane as a knight in service of House Tully. The farmer believes it and allows the pair to stay the night in his home and share a meal. Famished, Arya and the Hound scarf the food down hastily. Arya wakes the following morning to hear the farmer's daughter screaming. Clegane has assaulted the farmer and taken his silver. Confused and horrified, Arya demands to know why Clegane did that. He simply states, "a dead man doesn't need his silver," claiming the farmer is weak and he and his daughter will not survive the upcoming winter.
===On Dragonstone===
On Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon learns of Joffrey's death and warns Ser Davos that their time to lay claim to the Iron throne dwindles if no army can be secured to wage war again. Shortly after, when Ser Davos begins his reading lessons with princess Shireen Baratheon, he realizes a possible ally across the Narrow Sea, the Iron Bank of Braavos. 
===In the North===
A village south of the wall is attacked by raiding wildlings under Tormund and the cannibalistic Thenns. While the village is massacred, a lone boy is sent by the Styr as a messenger to Castle Black to relay an account of the massacre and also a warning that more would follow. 
===At the Wall===
At Castle Black, Samwell Tarly fears for the safety of Gilly and moves her to a vassal town that frequently services the Night's Watch brothers in bodily vices. Sam is resolute in keeping Gilly safe from all harm however and pledges to visit Gilly as much as possible, instructing the inn at which he leaves her, that she will not be touched.
Having received word of the wildlings' raids down south, the Lord Commander states that they do not have the manpower to afford venturing away from the Wall. They are interrupted when Edd and Grenn return to Castle Black after escaping Craster's Keep. Jon reveals he told Mance Rayder that a thousand men armed Castle Black and therefore points out that when Mance reaches Craster's Keep, Rast and Karl Tanner will not hesitate in revealing the truth. Jon then insists the Night's Watch send a party to Craster's Keep to kill their traitor brothers before Mance gets to them first.
=== In Meereen ===
In Slaver's Bay, Daenerys Targaryen marches on the city of Meereen as she begins her siege of the slave city. She is faced with a champion's duel where a riding knight of Meereen challenges her to choose a champion that will fight for her. Grey Worm, Jorah and Barristan all volunteer to stand as her champion; she refuses all three as too valuable to her. Daario Naharis, commander of the Second Sons, then volunteers to be Dany's champion, and she accepts. As Naharis quickly dispatches the Meereen champion by killing the champion's horse, Dany begins her siege of the city by speaking of freedom to the gathered slaves and then catapulting the broken chains of those she has freed across the city walls, demonstrating her previous successes. As the slaves examine the broken chains, the Great Masters look on, perhaps in fear.
==Appearances==
===Firsts===
*Farmer
*Sally
*Mole's Town whore
*Mole's Town madam
*Olly
*Guymon
*Olly's mother
*Oznak zo Pahl
*Hizdahr zo Loraq
*Hizdahr zo Loraq's manservant
*Great Master
*Slave
===Deaths===
*Dontos Hollard
*Guymon
*Olly's mother
*Oznak zo Pahl
==Cast==
===Starring===
*Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
*Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister
*Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister
*Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
*Kit Harington as Jon Snow
*Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish
*Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister
*Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell
*Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth
*Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon
*Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon
*Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
*Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
*Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane
*John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
*Rose Leslie as Ygritte
*Kristofer Hivju as Tormund
*Hannah Murray as Gilly
*Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth
*Conleth Hill as Varys
*with Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont
===Guest starring===
*Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell
*Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell
*Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand
*Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis
*Peter Vaughan as Aemon
*Ian McElhinney as Barristan Selmy
*Julian Glover as Pycelle
*Owen Teale as Alliser Thorne
*Yuri Kolokolnikov as Styr
*Dominic Carter as Janos Slynt
*Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm
*Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei
*Mark Stanley as Grenn
*Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett
*Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
*Tony Way as Dontos Hollard
*Will Tudor as Olyvar
*Dean-Charles Chapman as Tommen Baratheon
*Josef Altin as Pypar
*Ian Beattie as Meryn Trant
*Joel Fry as Hizdahr zo Loraq
*Finbar Lynch as Farmer
*Kerry Ingram as Shireen Baratheon
*Brenock O'Connor as Olly
*Jem Wall as Guymon
*Raewyn Lippert as Olly's mother
*Lois Winstone as a Mole's Town whore
*Lu Corfield as a Mole's Town madam
*Joseph Gatt as a Thenn warg
*Brian Fortune as Othell Yarwyck
*Paul Bentley as the High Septon
*Patrick Molloy as a Night's Watch man
*Emilio Doorgasingh as a Great Master
*Trixiebelle Harrowell as Sally
*Josephine Gillan as Marei
*Xena Avramidis as a whore
*Derek Horsham as a slave master
*Joshua Sher as a slave
*Conor Watters as a Hizdahr zo Loraq's manservant
===Uncredited===
*Daniel Naprous as Oznak zo Pahl (credited as Stunt Performer)
*James Bleakney as Mole's Town Brothel Patron
*Michael Stuart as Night's Watch Officer
*Laurence Doherty as slave master
*Marion McDowell as Mole's Town Whore
===Notes===
*21 of 27 cast members for the fourth season appear in this episode.
*Starring cast members Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), Jerome Flynn (Bronn), Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark), Sibel Kekilli (Shae), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Snow), and Carice van Houten (Melisandre) are not credited and do not appear in this episode. Conleth Hill (Varys) and Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) very briefly appear among the wedding crowd in the background of the first scene.
*Ian McElhinney is, mistakenly, not credited for his role as Barristan Selmy in this episode. This was later corrected on the DVD and Blu-ray release.
*This episode is the final appearance of starring cast member Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon) due to the death of his character at the end of the previous episode.
*Hannah Murray is added to the main cast and her name appears in the title sequence starting with this episode. She previously recurred in the second and third season.
*Richard Bradshaw, David Forman, Paul Herbert, Ivo Kristof, Leona McCarron, Camilla Naprous, Daniel Naprous, Mark Slaughter, C.C. Smiff, Richard Wheeldon, Annabel Elizabeth Wood and Gudni Kristjansson were stunt performers in this episode.
==Quotes==
Tyrion Lannister: "Pod.... there has never lived a more loyal squire."
Tywin Lannister: "So, we have a man who starves himself to death, a man who lets his own brother murder him, and a man who thinks that winning and ruling are the same thing. What do they all lack?"
Tommen Baratheon: "Wisdom?"
Tywin: "Yes!"
Tommen: "Wisdom is what makes a good king.
Tywin: "Yes. But what is wisdom? Hmm? A house with great wealth and fertile lands asks you for your protection against another house with a strong navy that could one day oppose you. How do you know which choice is wise and which isn't? You've any experience of treasuries and granaries or shipyards and soldiers?"
Tommen: "No."
Tywin: "No, of course not. A wise king knows what he knows and what he doesn't. You're young. A wise young king listens to his counselors and heeds their advice until he comes of age. And the wisest kings continue to listen to them long afterwards. Your brother was not a wise king. Your brother was not a good king. If he had been, perhaps he'd still be alive."
Jaime Lannister: "You're a hateful woman. Why have the gods made me love a hateful woman?"
Petyr Baelish: "Money buys a man's silence for a time. A bolt in the heart buys it forever."
Tywin: "We are not Seven Kingdoms until Dorne returns to the fold. The king is dead, the Greyjoys are in open rebellion, a wildling army marches on the Wall and in the East, a Targaryen girl has three dragons. Before long, she will turn her eyes to Westeros. Only the Dornish managed to resist Aegon Targaryen and his dragons."
Oberyn Martell: "You're saying you need us? That must be hard for you to admit."
Tywin: "We need each other. You help me serve justice to the King's assassins, and I will help you serve justice to Elia's."
[The Hound has just stolen silver from a farmer with a child.]
Arya Stark: "You are the worst shit in the Seven Kingdoms!"
The Hound: "There's plenty worse than me. I just understand the way things are. How many Starks they got to behead before you figure it out?"
Olenna Tyrell: "Our alliance with the Lannisters remains every bit as necessary to them as it is unpleasant for us. You did wonderful work on Joffrey. The next one should be easier."
==Behind the scenes==
*The title of the episode is a reference to one of the honorifics Daenerys Targaryen assumes after the fall of Astapor: "Breaker of Chains."
*Jack Gleeson returns to "play" Joffrey Baratheon's corpse as it lies in state in the Great Sept of Baelor. He filmed this scene before filming for his actual death scene last episode. As Gleeson recounted, he had a wonderful time during the shooting of this scene (despite the fact that it involves his character's parents having sex right next to his dead body), noting that he was being paid to just take a nap during an entire day of filming.
*While mourning Joffrey in the Great Sept of Baelor, Cersei repeats the words that Tyrion said to her in "The Prince of Winterfell": "I will hurt you for this. The day will come when you think you're safe and happy, and your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth... and you will know the debt is paid." This was not actually a threat from Tyrion, but was merely meant to convince Cersei that she had found his whore. In fact, she had not found Shae, but mistakenly thought Ros was his lover.
*Tywin treats Tommen affectionately, so differently than the scornful manner he has treated Joffrey ("The Bear and the Maiden Fair", "Mhysa"). Tywin must have realized that Tommen can be much better king than his psychopathic brother, who was no more than a burden on his house.
*There is no "King Orys the First" in the books. The only character by that name is Orys Baratheon, but he never was a king (nor was he killed by his brother). There is the possibility that he was a local king before the Seven Kingdoms were unified, in spite of the Valyrian-sounding name. Nor does any Targaryen king match the description given for him: enacting well-received reforms but ruling less than a year before his own brother murdered him in his sleep.
*In the books, Daenerys's army had no siege engines, nor was there enough surrounding timber to construct any. To construct siege engines to take Meereen, she had her army disassemble the ships which she sailed to Astapor in, which had been following her army north along the coast. In the TV series, Daario Naharis explicitly remarks in "Second Sons" that her Unsullied besieging Yunkai have no siege weapons - yet her army has mysteriously acquired multiple catapults since they left Yunkai. It is possible that they were acquired from either the Second Sons or the Yunkish, or constructed from timber acquired on the road.
*Sam mentioned Mole's Town back in Season 1, when he complained to Jon that some of the Night's Watch members would sneak off to visit the brothel there.
*Though Sam doesn't mention it, there's a song about the dangers for women at the Wall: "Brave" Danny Flint was a girl who dressed as a boy to serve in the Night's Watch. She was raped and murdered at the Nightfort by unknown people.
*As a New World crop, potatoes (aka "taters") do not exist in Westeros in the books, because Westeros is based on medieval Europe. This marks at least the third time that the TV series had mentioned them in passing (see: Food and drink#New World crops).
*As the Hound previously explained, he is crossing back south from the Twins through the Riverlands so he can reach the Vale of Arryn and ransom Arya back to her only remaining free and wealthy relative, her aunt Lysa Arryn at the Eyrie. The Twins bridge over the Green Fork of the Trident River. The quickest way from the Twins to the Bloody Gate (the mountain pass that leads into the Vale) is to travel south along the Kingsroad, located east of the Green Fork. In this episode, Arya asks where they are, and Sandor says he thinks they are near the town of Fairmarket, which is located along the Blue Fork of the Trident River. The Blue Fork itself is west of the Green Fork. Arya and the Hound are therefore traveling south, then east, instead of east, then south along the Kingsroad. The Hound must have chosen to avoid taking the main highway in the region, for fear of Lannister patrols, in favor of slowly making his way through the back country (explaining why it took him the second half of Season 3 to travel from the mouth of the Trident to the Twins, but it is taking all of Season 4 to travel back).
*The Hound steals the farmer's money, although he previously stated to Arya in "Two Swords" that he was not a thief.
*When discussing with Oberyn his sister Elia Martell's rape and murder by Gregor Clegane, Tywin insists that soldiers commit atrocities all the time in war without being ordered to do so by their commanders. In the novels, Gregor was tasked with killing Rhaegar's children but Tywin simply gave him no specific orders about what to do with his wife Elia. It is unclear if he non-verbally implied that he wanted her killed. However, in a rare break with his usual stoicism, Tywin firmly denies to Tyrion that he ever wanted Gregor to rape Elia. Even if Tywin didn't want Elia killed, he never punished Gregor for it, because that would imply that Tywin was somehow at fault for what happened. Whatever the case, Tywin's denial in this episode is hypocritical: in Season 1's "Baelor," Tyrion complained that the hill tribesmen he hired as sellswords were fighting each other, and Tywin chastised him that when soldiers act in an undisciplined manner their commander is always responsible.
*Prince Oberyn's line that some people think the sky is blue because the world is inside the eye of a giant is a reference to a line Robb Stark said exactly thirty episodes ago, in Season 1's "Lord Snow". Robb chided his brother Bran not to pay heed to all of Old Nan's nursery stories, as one of them was that the whole world is inside the eye of a blue-eyed giant named Macumber. No mention of this myth has been made in the books.
*Tywin implies that Oberyn is the one who poisoned Joffrey, in view of his knowledge of poisons, the grudge he bears against the Lannisters, and his conversation with Tyrion on the day he arrived at the capital. This is perhaps a reference to the fan theory that in the book, Oberyn, unaware of the Tyrells and Littlefinger's plan, attempted to kill Joffrey, by using the scorpion-shaped golden brooch (which could have been coated with poison) he gave Joffrey as a gift; the Tyrells, however, have beaten him to it.
*The first time that Samwell Tarly's nickname "the Slayer" is mentioned.
*Sansa leaves King's Landing for the first time since her arrival in Season 1's "Lord Snow." Her escape from the city marks the end of her brutal captivity at Joffrey's court, which lasted for over two years.
*The first time that the phrase "Red Wedding" is used on the show as a reference to the massacre at the Twins.
*Podrick Payne tells Tyrion that a man he didn't know tried to bribe him with a knighthood to testify against Tyrion, and say that he saw him buy a poison known as "the strangler." This is the first time that the poison used to kill Joffrey is specifically named in the TV series, though Pycelle also identifies it later in Season 4. What isn't clear is who tried to bribe Podrick: the real assassins wanted to frame Tyrion to divert suspicion from themselves (as he points out), and only they would already know what kind of poison was used in the assassination. On the other hand, Pycelle might just have already determined what poison was used to kill Joffrey (in the past few hours or days), simply off-screen, after which he told Cersei - who is so convinced that Tyrion did it that she then had one of her agents try to bribe Podrick.
*According to the show's linguist David Peterson, the Mereenese champion's insults are actually a translation of the French knight's insults from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.http://www.makinggameofthrones.com/production-diary/2014/5/8/interview-with-linguist-david-peterson
*When asked about memorable moments from filming in Season 4, Pedro Pascal recounted that during the scene where Tywin interrupts the orgy that Oberyn is having at the brothel, one of the actresses playing one of the prostitutes (he didn't specify which one) wouldn't put her robe on between takes. This has been brought up by other actresses filming past nude scenes: repeatedly disrobing over and over again for multiple takes during an entire day of filming, as if performing a strip-tease for the filming crew each time, can actually be more stressful than just staying naked between takes. What Pascal thought was odd was that this was a long day of filming, and the actress would stay naked even during long breaks, to the point that she later sat around in the green room entirely naked, while playing Words With Friends on her iPhone with David Benioff.
==In the books==
* The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Storm of Swords:
** Chapter 48, Jon VI: Jon learns that Jeor Mormont was betrayed and killed during the Mutiny at Craster's Keep.
** Chapter 54, Davos V: Stannis complains that he does not have enough troops nor funds to hire sellswords.
** Chapter 55, Jon VII: Jon and the Night's Watch prepare for the wildling attack by Styr, Ygritte and the other raiders.
** Chapter 57, Daenerys V: Daenerys arrives at Meereen with Jorah Mormont, Barristan Selmy, Missandei, Daario Naharis, Grey Worm and the Unsullied. Meereen sends out Oznak zo Pahl as their hero, but he is promptly dispatched by Daenerys's champion.
** Chapter 61, Sansa V: Sansa escapes from King's Landing in a small boat with Dontos Hollard's help. She arrives to a ship, where Littlefinger reveals that he was the one who saved her. When Dontos asks for his reward of ten thousand gold dragons, Littlefinger commands him to be killed.
** Chapter 62, Jaime VII: Jaime and Cersei meet at Joffrey's funeral in the Sept. Cersei asks him to kill Tyrion for murdering their son, and they have sex in front of Joffrey's corpse.
** Chapter 63, Davos VI: Stannis is informed about Joffrey's death.
** Chapter 65: Arya XII: Arya and the Hound find temporary refuge in a small village, in exchange for work.
** Chapter 66, Tyrion IX: Imprisoned, Tyrion learns who his judges will be for his upcoming trial: his father, Mace Tyrell, and Oberyn Martell. Someone implies that Oberyn is the one who killed Joffrey.
** Chapter 72, Jaime IX: Tywin intends to appease Dorne in order to foil an enemy of the Lannisters.
* The episode is adapted from the following chapter of A Feast for Crows:
** Chapter 42, Brienne VIII: Someone states that the guest right does not mean much anymore, ever since the Red Wedding occurred.
==Gallery==
Game of Thrones Season 4: Episode 3 Preview (HBO)
Game of Thrones Season 4: Episode 3 Clip - Dany's Speech (HBO)
Game of Thrones Season 4: Episode 3 Recap (HBO)
Arya Stark & The Hound Meet The Farmer & His Daughter / Game of Thrones / HBO Max
==References==
===Notes===
==External links==
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Category:Episodes directed by Alex Graves
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4.20
Category:Episodes written by D.B. Weiss
Category:Episodes written by David Benioff
de:Sprengerin der Ketten (Episode)
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it:La fuga
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