Mockingbird

"Mockingbird" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of Game of Thrones. It is the thirty-seventh episode of the series overall. It premiered on May 18, 2014 on HBO. It was written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and directed by Alik Sakharov.
==Premise==
==Synopsis==
===In King's Landing===
In his cell, Tyrion and Jaime discuss Tyrion's fate and the irony of Lord Tywin striking down both his heirs if Jaime were to die being Tyrion's champion; Jaime declines to be Tyrion's champion as he cannot fight well enough with his left hand. Tyrion then requests Jaime to bring him Bronn, hoping the sellsword will stand for him just as he did at the Eyrie.
Elsewhere, Gregor Clegane, known by most as 'the Mountain,' is mercilessly killing prisoners with a greatsword. Cersei approaches him and thanks him for his haste in returning to King's Landing as her champion for the trial by combat. Gregor asks who he will be fighting, Cersei asks if it matters, and he shakes his head.
Bronn visits Tyrion in the clothes of a lord, having been betrothed to Lollys Stokeworth, by Cersei's doing. He refuses to fight the Mountain, both for lack of a reward and believing Clegane is too dangerous for him to face, and bids farewell to Tyrion, who while heartbroken by Bronn's decision, understands.
Later, Tyrion is approached by Oberyn Martell, who tells Tyrion of his disappointment in their first encounter: as children, Oberyn and his sister Elia were told stories of the "Lannister Monster" and his extreme deformities. During a childhood visit to Casterly Rock, Cersei showed Tyrion, with great ceremony, to Oberyn and Elia. Oberyn tells Tyrion that he saw no monster, just a baby. Cersei told Oberyn and his sister that Tyrion killed her mother, and then cruelly assaulted Tyrion until Jaime stopped her. Oberyn says that he and Elia were quite disturbed at Cersei's already strong hatred toward Tyrion, who is disturbed by Cersei's relentless hatred as his eyes tear up. Oberyn tells Tyrion that he seeks justice for the death of his sister, and Tyrion replies, "You are in the wrong place." Oberyn counters that he is in the perfect place; all those he means to bring to justice for his sister's murder are close at hand. Intending to start his revenge with Gregor Clegane, Oberyn offers his service as Tyrion's champion in the coming trial by combat.
=== In Meereen ===
Daenerys is surprised by Daario in her private chambers. She feigns outrage at the intrusion, but agrees to hear his complaints. Daario laments that he is only good at two things, killing men and sleeping with women, and that he has no opportunities to pursue either strength. Dany counters that the Second Sons are currently acting as Meereen's police force and that there are many women in the city who would throw themselves at him; Daario dismisses the Second Sons' role as unchallenging and says the only woman he wants isn't interested. He begs Daenerys to send him and the Second Sons to make real war. Dany focuses on Daario's other proclaimed talent and orders him to remove his clothes.
The following morning, Daario bumps into Ser Jorah. He also says that it's a good time to talk to the queen, as she is in a very good mood, implying that he and Daenerys had just been intimate. Jorah is not amused, but Daenerys dismisses concerns about her intimate life. Daenerys tells Jorah that she sent Daario to take the Second Sons to Yunkai to regain control over the city and kill the masters that have resurfaced. Jorah relates to the mercy shown by Eddard Stark for his dealings in slavery and convinces Daenerys to bring the masters to justice without execution. Daenerys considers for a moment and then tells Jorah to assign Hizdahr zo Loraq as her ambassador to offer the masters a choice: they can live free in the new world she wants to create, or they can die clinging to their old one. The Second Sons will be stationed in Yunkai to enforce whichever choice the masters make. She also says to let Daario know that it was Jorah who changed her mind.
===On Dragonstone===
Queen Selyse speaks to Melisandre, who is enjoying a bath. She quips that the Lord of Light told her to enjoy it as it was the last time she would have a good bath, but the joke goes over Selyse's head. To cement Selyse's position as Melisandre's most devoted follower, the red priestess tells her about using potions and illusions in serving the Lord of Light and that a bit of pageantry and deception in helping converts see the truth will be forgiven later on. Selyse asks her if she used the potions when she slept with Stannis, to which she replies that she did not. Selyse then remarks on her desire to leave their daughter Shireen behind when they go to the North but Melisandre is as dismissive about Shireen's "heresy" as she always is, and assures Selyse that Shireen will be needed where they are going.
=== At the Wall ===
Jon and his fellow brothers return from Craster's Keep. At first sight of his direwolf, Ghost, Alliser Thorne sends his "beast" away, outside Castle Black.
Afterwards, Jon tries to convince the Night's Watch to barricade the Wall against the imminent wildling invasion by blocking off Castle Black's entry tunnel with ice and rock. He is denied after being reminded of his place in the Watch as Steward, and the First Builder reluctantly agrees with Thorne's assessment that the Watch can defend the tunnel. Jon and Sam are sent to serve as sentries on top of the Wall until Mance arrives.
===In the Riverlands===
Arya and Sandor encounter a dying man in a ransacked village. Sandor gives the man a gift of mercy by stabbing him in the heart. Sandor is ambushed by Biter, and is bitten on the neck. He snaps Biter's neck and drops him dead in the dirt. Rorge encounters them, and after a short conversation, in which he reveals that Joffrey is dead (crossing him off of Arya's death list), Arya kills him with a quick thrust of Needle to his heart, earning some approval from Sandor. Afterward, Sandor clumsily addresses his wounds from Biter. Arya suggests burning to cauterize his wound, but is rebuffed due to his fear of fire. Sandor confirms the story of his facial scars from burns inflicted by Gregor's wrath and how his father covered up the truth, making him feel alone. Arya offers to clean and stitch him up, and Sandor allows her to.
Meanwhile, Brienne and Podrick stop at an inn where they are served kidney pie made by none other than Hot Pie, who proceeds to tell them at length the process in finding the right ingredients. He then asks of Brienne's business, to which she replies that she is in Lady Stark's service to find and protect Sansa Stark. Hot Pie leaves after addressing the Starks as traitors. As Brienne and Podrick prepare to leave the inn, Podrick reminds Brienne that telling people of their quest could be dangerous, but Brienne's honesty is swiftly rewarded when Hot Pie approaches and gives them a loaf of bread shaped like a wolf. He tells them that he knows nothing of Sansa, but has seen her sister Arya alive, along with the Hound. Brienne is surprised because Arya has been presumed dead since she disappeared when her father Ned was executed. They deduce that Arya's captor is probably going to try to ransom Arya somewhere. Having memorized the complex family trees of the Great Houses, Podrick surmises that Arya's aunt Lysa Arryn is the Hound's only remaining chance of a reward for her. Therefore, Brienne and Podrick decide to head for the Eyrie.
===At the Eyrie===
While wandering the Eyrie's snow-covered courtyards, Sansa builds a snow replica of Winterfell. Robin chances upon her and seems impressed with her efforts. The cousins get along until Robin asks where the Moon Door is. Sansa tells him Winterfell doesn't need a Moon Door. Sansa agrees to add one, but in the process, Robin accidentally knocks over a tower. Robin insists she replicate the tower. This irritates Sansa and Robin throws a tantrum in response, destroying the replica. Unable to control her anger, Sansa slaps Robin. Sansa immediately softens and tries to apologize, but before she can Robin threatens to tell his mother and runs away. Petyr Baelish witnesses the action and assures Sansa that he will deal with Lysa, whom he says should have disciplined her child long ago. Petyr muses on how he should have been Sansa's father, but then tells Sansa that she is more beautiful than her mother Catelyn and kisses Sansa, who is so shocked that she doesn't resist. Unknown to the pair, the kiss is seen by Lysa.
Later, Sansa is summoned by Lysa, who delights in telling Sansa the gory details about Moon Door executions. Lysa then grabs Sansa and threatens to throw her through the opening for kissing Petyr. She is stopped when Petyr arrives and swears by everything he can think of that he will send Sansa away. Lysa releases Sansa and embraces Petyr, who assures Lysa that he only ever loved one woman - her sister. Lysa has only an instant to contemplate this betrayal, as Petyr shoves her out of the Moon Door and looks down as she plummets to her death hundreds of feet below.
==Appearances==
===Firsts===
*Dying man
===Deaths===
*Dying man
*Biter
*Rorge
*Lady Lysa Arryn
*At least 3 prisoners
==Cast==
===Starring===
*Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
*Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister
*Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister
*Emilia Clarke as Queen Daenerys Targaryen
*Kit Harington as Jon Snow
*Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr Baelish
*Carice van Houten as Lady Melisandre
*John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
*Sophie Turner as Princess Sansa Stark
*Maisie Williams as Princess Arya Stark
*Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane
*Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth
*Jerome Flynn as Ser Bronn
*with Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont
===Guest starring===
*Pedro Pascal as Prince Oberyn Martell
*Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis
*Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne
*Tara Fitzgerald as Queen Selyse Baratheon
*Kate Dickie as Lady Lysa Arryn
*Dominic Carter as Lord Janos Slynt
*Barry McGovern as a dying man
*Mark Stanley as Grenn
*Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett
*Josef Altin as Pypar
*Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
*Lino Facioli as Lord Robin Arryn
*Brenock O'Connor as Olly
*Andy Beckwith as Rorge
*Ben Hawkey as Hot Pie
*Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Ser Gregor Clegane
*Brian Fortune as Othell Yarwyck
*Gerard Jordan as Biter
*Marko Jelic as a prisoner
===Uncredited===
*Michael Stuart as a Night's Watch Officer
*Frédéric André as a Knight
*Phelim Kelly as an Inn Customer 
===Notes===
*14 of 26 cast members for the fourth season appear in this episode.
*Starring cast members Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister), Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell), Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark), Conleth Hill (Varys), Kristofer Hivju (Tormund), Rose Leslie (Ygritte), Hannah Murray (Gilly), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Snow) and Sibel Kekilli (Shae) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.
*David Forman, Paul Herbert, Cristian Knight, Ivo Kristof, Leona McCarron, Camilla Naprous, Heather Phillips, C.C. Smiff, Richard Wheeldon and Gudni Kristjansson were stunt performers in this episode.
==Quotes==
Tyrion Lannister: "Where's your sense of adventure? Even if you lose, imagine the look on father's face when you fall: our family name snuffed out with a single swing of the sword." Jaime Lannister: "It is tempting."
Jorah Mormont: "It's tempting to see your enemies as evil, all of them, but there is good and evil on both sides of every war ever fought."
Podrick Payne: "I don't want to offend, my lady. I truly don't."
Brienne: "You're not interesting enough to be offensive."
Brienne of Tarth: "No one's seen Arya Stark since her father was beheaded. She's presumed dead."
Hot Pie: "She weren't when I last spoke to her...heading up north with the Night's Watch. She was all dressed up as a boy...going by the name Arry."
Brienne: "So what happened to her? The quick version." 
Hot Pie: "The Lannisters took us prisoner. We escaped. The Brotherhood took us prisoner. They 'sold' me to the innkeep. They were gonna sell Arya to her mother at Riverrun, along with another prisoner: big ugly fellow, foul mouth and a face like a half-burnt ham. Not friendly.
Sandor Clegane: "My brother gave me this. It was just like you said a while back. Pressed me to the fire like I was a nice juicy mutton chop."
Arya Stark: "Why?"
Sandor: "Thought I'd stolen one of his toys. I didn't steal it, I was just playing with it! The pain was bad. The smell was worse. But the worst thing was that it was my brother who did it. My father, who protected him, told everyone my bedding caught fire. You think you're on your own?"
Prince Oberyn Martell: "Cersei approached me. We spoke a great a great deal about her daughter. How worried your sister is about her - She was trying very hard to pretend that she had not come to sway me against you. I think she may have even believed it herself."Tyrion Lannister: "Making honest feelings do dishonest work is one of her many gifts."
Oberyn Martell: "We met, you and I, many years ago."Tyrion Lannister: "I think I would have remembered that."Oberyn: "Unlikely: you had just been born. Our father brought me and my sister Elia with him on a visit to Casterly Rock. My first time away from Dorne. I didn't like anything about the Rock. Not the food, not the weather, not your accents. Nothing. But the biggest disappointment? You."Tyrion: "You and my family have more in common than you might admit."Oberyn: "The whole way from Dorne, all anyone talked about was the monster that had been born to Tywin Lannister. A head twice the size of his body, a tail between his legs, claws, one red eye. The privates of both a girl and a boy."Tyrion: "That would have made things so much easier."Oberyn: "When we met your sister, she promised she would show you to us. Every day we would ask, every day she would say, 'Soon'. Then she and your brother took us to your nursery and she unveiled 'the freak': Your head was a bit large, your arms and legs were a bit small - but no claw, no red eye, no tail between your legs. Just a tiny pink cock. We didn't try to hide our disappointment. 'That's not a monster,' I told Cersei, 'That's just a baby.' And she said, 'He killed my mother,' and she pinched your little cock so hard, I thought she might pull it off, until your brother made her stop. 'It doesn't matter,' she told us, 'Everyone says he will die soon, I hope they are right. He should not have lived this long.'"[Tyrion's eyes well up with tears]Tyrion: "Sooner or later...Cersei always gets what she wants."Oberyn Martell: "And what about what I want? Justice for my sister and her children."Tyrion Lannister: "If you want justice, you've come to the wrong place."Oberyn: "I disagree. I've come to the perfect place."
Sansa Stark: "Why did you really kill Joffrey? Tell me why."
Petyr Baelish: "I loved your mother more than you could ever know. Given the opportunity, what do we do to those who've hurt the ones we love? In a better world, one where love could overcome strength and duty, you might have been my child. But we don't live in that world. You're more beautiful than she ever was."
Sansa: "Lord Baelish?"
Baelish: "Call me Petyr."
Petyr Baelish: "Oh my sweet wife. My sweet, silly wife. I have only loved one woman...only one my entire life: your sister." [Petyr gives Lysa a quick shove which sends her falling through the Moon Door to her death]
==Behind the scenes==
*The title is a reference to the personal sigil Petyr Baelish chose for himself, that of the mockingbird. As Lord Baelish is the sole member of his house, it has become the sigil associated with House Baelish.
**This echoes the title of Season 1 episode 5, "The Wolf and the Lion", which referenced the direwolf sigil of House Stark and the lion sigil of House Lannister, and the title of Season 4 episode 2, "The Lion and the Rose", which referenced the lion sigil of House Lannister and the rose sigil of House Tyrell.
* The soundtrack playing over the credits is a rendition of the Conspiracy theme. It did not appear on the official soundtrack release.
*This episode continues a curious trend, in that the TV series has made no mention so far that unlike the rest of Westeros, Dorne practices equal primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child succeeds to a lordship regardless of gender. In the books, the current head of House Blackmont in Dorne is a woman, but the TV series changed "Lord Blackmont" to be a man when Tyrion meets the Dornish embassy in the Season 4 premiere. In this episode, Oberyn says that his father took him and Elia on a visit to Casterly Rock, when in the books, it was their mother - and Oberyn's mother was actually the Ruling Princess of Dorne in her own right, inherited from her parents. Oberyn's mother and Tyrion's mother Joanna Lannister were great friends at the time because they had both served as handmaidens to Queen Rhaella Targaryen (Daenerys's mother). Of course, this does not preclude the possibility that Oberyn's mother was also present at Casterly Rock or that the Dornishmen practice equal primogeniture.
**On top of this, Bronn says that Lollys Stokeworth may have an older sister, Falyse, but if Falyse dies before her father then Castle Stokeworth will pass to Lollys (and her husband Bronn). In the books, however, the current head of House Stokeworth is Falyse and Lollys's mother, the aged Tanda Stokeworth. It is unclear if this is some sort of conscious decision by the writers to remove female rulers from the TV series.
*Bronn is one of the few characters in the entire series whose fortunes are consistently better at the end of each novel/season. He started out as a common sellsword at the Inn at the Crossroads, only owning what he could carry. He answered Catelyn Stark's call for men to escort her and the captive Tyrion to the Eyrie, but by fighting and winning as Tyrion's champion in a trial by combat there, he entered into Tyrion's service - and by the end of Season 1 had become a direct retainer of one of the leading members of House Lannister. In Season 2, apart from being the chief bodyguard of the acting Hand of the King, he was briefly put in charge of the City Watch. At the beginning of Season 3, his social position was considerably elevated when he was knighted for his vital role repulsing Stannis's attack on the city, becoming "Ser Bronn of the Blackwater." Now, due to Cersei's bribe, Bronn is betrothed to the younger sister of one of the major noble families from the Crownlands (and he is hoping to eventually ensure that his future wife becomes the heir to House Stokeworth). To put this in perspective, along with House Rosby, House Stokeworth provides much of the food supply to nearby King's Landing: in terms of wealth and soldiers at their command, the Stokeworths are on the same level as House Umber or House Karstark.
**The question "who do you think will end up on the Iron Throne at the end of the story?" is commonly asked about the series. Among the book fandom, Bronn's steady rise in power has led to the half-serious joke that at the rate he's going, he should be included on the short list of characters who might actually take the throne by the end of the story.
*Objectively, Bronn's refusal to fight for Tyrion is rational. Unlike the previous time he acted as Tyrion's champion, fighting for Tyrion this time is a lose-lose situation: either the Mountain kills Bronn, or he kills the Mountain, loses Stokeworth and gains nothing. As Kevan points out in the novel, the people of King's Landing hate Tyrion so much (although he did them a great favor by allegedly killing a monstrous tyrant) that an acquittal will not do him any good: as soon as he steps into the streets, the mob will tear him apart; he'd have no choice but to give up everything he had and leave the city, away from his vengeful sister who'd not let him enjoy his freedom too long. Penniless and homeless, he'd find it difficult to reward Bronn more than Cersei promised, and Bronn knows that well. 
*Bronn reminds Tyrion the deal they made in "The Pointy End": "You once said if anyone ever asked me to sell you out, you'd double their price". Actually, what Tyrion said was "if the day ever comes when you're tempted to sell me out, remember this: whatever their price, I'll beat it"; he never offered to double the price.
*Hot Pie's reappearance in this episode includes several callbacks to his last appearance (not including the point when he explicitly summarizes to Brienne all of his travels with Arya since leaving King's Landing). In his last appearance in Season 3's "Walk of Punishment," he also mispronounced "Winterfell" as "Winter-hell," and he made Arya a loaf of bread that was (allegedly) shaped like a direwolf (as he says in this episode, his latest attempt came out a lot better). Hot Pie also asks if Brienne is a knight because she is wearing armor: in Season 2 episode 2, "The Night Lands," Hot Pie similarly thought that a man he knew was a knight just because he was wearing armor, though Gendry tried to explain to him that anyone can just buy and wear armor, without being a knight.
**Hot Pie was actually introduced in the Season 1 finale, and as of this episode has appeared at least once in every season of the series. This also means that he is one of a steadily decreasing number of recurring characters who were introduced in Season 1, reappeared in every season, and who are still alive (the same cannot be said of Joffrey).
*Ben Hawkey (Hot Pie) explained that the production team wanted a direwolf-shaped bread that looked exactly right (because the joke is that it looks so much more neat than his last attempt) but it would have wasted far too much time to just make one after another until one turned out well enough to use. Therefore, they actually baked something like 70 separate direwolf-bread loaves all at once on the day of filming, then picked the one they felt had turned out the best.MakingGameofThrones.com
*Rorge and his sidekick Biter are actually major characters in the fourth novel. After they were taken to Harrenhal, they joined the infamous sellsword company known as the Brave Companions, led by Vargo Hoat. In the TV series, Hoat was changed to simply be a Bolton soldier named Locke, who later died at Craster's Keep trying to kidnap Bran Stark (while in the books, the Mountain took over Harrenhal at Tywin's command and horrifically tortured Hoat to death for his mutilation of Jaime). A major subplot in the fourth novel, A Feast for Crows, focuses on Brienne of Tarth's long and difficult search for the Stark sisters while roaming the war-ravaged and lawless Riverlands. As seen in Arya's storyline in Season 4, bandits are now roaming the devastated countryside at will: with the Starks defeated, the Brave Companions turn into the worst of these bandits, burning entire towns in their wake. This turns into a series of encounters in which Brienne personally fights and kills four of the Brave Companions – but never bringing her closer to finding the Stark girls. Within one episode, however, the TV series has made it clear that it will condense this entire long and slow-moving subplot: Rorge and Biter are killed off right away, and the first episode to focus on Brienne's search for the Stark girls ends with her already receiving the accurate tip that she should search for them at the Eyrie.
**Season 3 is adapting the second half of the third novel, but Brienne's narrative in it actually ended with her departure on her quest along with the sword, Oathkeeper. At this point she is approaching the end of her narrative from the fourth novel, though certain other plotlines have also moved beyond where they ended in the third novel (i.e., Bran Stark actually passed north of the Wall at the very end of the third novel).
*Ironically, in the TV continuity, Brienne might actually have found Arya Stark if she simply stayed where she was. Arya and the Hound are trying to travel from the Twins to the Eyrie, and the Inn at the Crossroads is located right along their way: the eastern branch of the "crossroads" that the inn is located on is in fact the Eastern Road, the main and only highway to the Eyrie. The Hound does appear to be going cross-country and avoiding major towns and inns, however: he mentioned four episodes ago that they were approaching Fairmarket, which means they went south then east from the Twins, following the Blue Fork of the Trident River, instead of going east then south along the Kingsroad (which leads directly to the Inn at the Crossroads).
*Actor Brian Fortune appears during the Night's Watch meeting as First Builder Othell Yarwyck, and the episode makes it a point to have Ser Alliser prominently introduce him by name. Fortune previously appeared in Season 1 as an unnamed Night's Watch officer, but who had prominent speaking lines (he officiated when Jon and Sam swore their vows before a heart tree). While the character was officially unnamed, at the time Fortune said that the writers told him he was playing Bowen Marsh, who is the First Steward and another prominent member of the Night's Watch. Based on this information, up until Season 4 Game of Thrones Wiki treated him as playing Bowen Marsh, but it has now been directly and clearly established in on-screen dialogue that he is actually playing Othell Yarwyck. The exact reason behind the change isn't clear. While this is a retcon, it actually doesn't significantly contradict previous information, because Fortune's character wasn't referred to by name in Season 1.
*It is mentioned for the second time how the Hound's face was burned. Previously Littlefinger told it to Sansa, while Arya listened, in "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things." Sandor's speech explaining how his face was burned was actually used for Rory McCann's audition tape. Due to bad weather while filming the tournament, however, the scene had to be scrapped. It was later replaced in pickups with the invented scene of Littlefinger revealing Sandor's past to Sansa (a story which Sandor has told almost no one). In "The Rains of Castamere" Arya tells the Hound "I heard what your brother did to you. Pressed your face to the fire like you're a nice juicy mutton chop."
*Beginning with this episode, the role of Gregor "the Mountain" Clegane has been taken over by Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. The role was played by Conan Stevens in Season 1, but he left the series to appear as the Orc leader Bolg in the Hobbit film trilogy. For Season 2, the role of Gregor was taken over by Ian Whyte, one of the stunt men on the series who has also appeared as White Walkers and Giants.
*This marks the first time that Littlefinger directly kills someone. Although he can be considered to be the architect of the War of the Five Kings, he has not killed anyone personally (at least not on-screen). However, he is responsible for the deaths of many:
**Season 1: Under Baelish's direction, Lysa killed her husband Jon by putting Tears of Lys in his wine and then sent a note to Catelyn blaming the Lannisters (not confirmed until season 4). He also betrayed Ned Stark, who was then executed by Ilyn Payne at King Joffrey's command.
**Season 2: Thousands of casualties in the War of the Five Kings, which is set off as a result of his machinations. This number may extend into the tens of thousands if numbers are included from all of the commoners who died when the Riverlands were burned out during the course of the war, and the resulting food shortages.
**Season 3: Upon learning that Ros was informing on him to Varys, he gives her to Joffrey to torture and kill.
**Season 4: Littlefinger masterminded the poisoning of ​Joffrey. Shortly after the latter's death, he had his guards kill Dontos after he delivered Sansa to him.
*Kate Dickie (Lysa Arryn) is actually very afraid of heights, which was a challenge when she had to film Lysa's death scene. One of the cameras has to film her from below, looking up as she is hanging over the edge of the Moon Door. In the actual set the distance between the Moon Door and the ground is still quite a long drop, and she even had to wear a harness to dangle in mid-air as the camera filmed her falling down the hole.
*The dialogue in Arya and Sandor's scene with a dying farmer is apparently in reference to avant-garde Irish playwright Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Actor Barry McGovern, who plays the dying farmer, has appeared in several stage productions of the play, as well as a 2001 film adaptation of it. A similar event occurred in the books, but with different dialogue: immediately after the Red Wedding, Arya and Sandor come across a bowman from House Piper who managed to escape from the main massacre but is slowly dying from his mortal wounds, and Sandor gives him the mercy of a quick death.io9.comParallels with Waiting for Godot The Season 4 Blu-ray commentary confirms that Benioff and Weiss specifically named Barry McGovern for the role in the script, and that they are fans of Samuel Beckett.
*Oberyn claims that the Mountain killed both of Elia's children; in the books, it was baby Aegon and Elia herself whom Gregor killed, while Amory Lorch killed Rhaenys. The TV series apparently condensed this so that Gregor was responsible for killing both of Elia's children.
*Oberyn Martell makes an off-hand mention to Tyrion that during his trip to Casterly Rock, which was the first time he traveled outside of Dorne, he didn't like anything about it: "not the food, not the weather, not your accents." The novels do mention that Dornishmen speak the Common Tongue of Westeros with a pronounced accent (consistently referred to as a "Dornish drawl"). The Rhoynar ancestors of the modern Dornishmen spoke their own language, and though they adopted the use of the Common Tongue of the Andals when they migrated to Westeros it still left a distinct regional accent (similar to how both the Northmen and the wildlings seem to have an "Old Tongue accent" which sounds like a Northern England accent, because both groups descent from the First Men). Moreover, Dorne remained unconquered by the Targaryens for two centuries, only uniting with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms one century ago. The combined result of this geographical, ethnic, cultural, and political isolation is a very pronounced regional accent. Oberyn's anecdote also highlights that conceptions of "accent" are subjective: he considers fellow Dornishmen to be speaking normally, and that it's the rest of Westeros that speaks with an odd accent.
*Up until this episode, both brothers Clegane have been fully armored in all of their scenes on the show. The Mountain, despite his short appearance in this episode, is shirtless and is wearing only trousers and boots. The Hound, after being bit by Biter, is seen tending his wound with hardly any armor and only his undershirt on. Essentially, this is the first episode where both Clegane brothers have a scene while wearing no armor.
*The final scene of the episode in which Oberyn visits Tyrion in his cell was actually actor Pedro Pascal's first day of filming.Pascal Reddit AMA
*The official blooper reel for Season 4 revealed that during the final scene when Oberyn visits Tyrion in his cell, in one take Pedro Pascal accidentally leaned too far backwards against a wooden beam, so that he knocked the flaming torch on the side of the beam nearly out of its holder. Pascal narrowly avoided having the flaming torch land directly onto his shoulder, or lighting his hair on fire.Season 4 blooper real from SDCC, 51 seconds into the clip]
*The snow model of Winterfell that Sansa makes was constructed by the props department out of Epsom and cooking salt. They had to make six copies of the model, for each take in which Sweetrobin destroys it.
*The episode also makes it clear that Oberyn is a few years older than Tyrion, having remembered him as a baby. In reality, however, Peter Dinklage is six years older than Pedro Pascal - though of course, Dinklage is also older than the two actors who play his older brother and sister, Jaime and Cersei. In the novels Tyrion is noted for not simply having dwarfism but also a stunted, ugly face in general, so Dinklage's older appearance can easily be explained away as part of Tyrion's infamously unhandsome features.
*There is a fan theory that the book scene of Sansa building a snow model of Winterfell, whose analogous scene is included in this episode, may be a foreshadowing that she and Jon Snow will restore Winterfell and House Stark; in the show, it indeed comes true by the end of Season 6.
*Brienne says that Sansa has red hair. Actually, Sansa's hair color is auburn (reddish-brown).
*It is the second time, following "Breaker of Chains", that the Golden Company is mentioned in the show.
==In the books==
*The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Storm of Swords:
**Chapter 38, Tyrion V: Oberyn Martell tells Tyrion the story of how, when he first met him as a baby, both Oberyn and Elia were disappointed to find out that Tyrion was only a dwarf and not the monster they had heard about.
**Chapter 65, Arya XII: Arya and the Hound find a dying man. He asks the gift of mercy, and the Hound kills him.
**Chapter 66, Tyrion IX: Tyrion learns that Cersei will name Gregor Clegane as her champion. He is then visited by Bronn in his cell, but Cersei arranged for the former sell-sword to marry Lollys Stokeworth and will not fight for Tyrion. Later, Oberyn Martell visits him as well and tells him that Cersei has tried to buy his vote in the judgment. Then, Oberyn reveals that he will fight against the Mountain at Tyrion's trial by combat, in order to avenge the deaths of his sister Elia and her children.
**Chapter 74, Arya XIII: Arya learns about Joffrey's death. She and the Hound engage in a brawl. The Hound is severely injured.
**Chapter 80, Sansa VII: Sansa finds that it is snowing outside in the Eyrie and builds a castle that resembles Winterfell. Littlefinger tells Sansa that she is more beautiful than her mother and then kisses her. Robin Arryn arrives and ruins part of the castle. Sansa tries to stop him, making him become unhinged. Later, Sansa is brought before Lysa, who drags her before the Moon Door and accuses her of trying to steal Petyr from her. However, Littlefinger comes just in time and tells Lysa to let her go. Littlefinger then tells Lysa that he has loved only one woman, her sister Catelyn Stark, and shoves Lysa out the Moon Door.
*The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Feast For Crows:
**Chapter 20, Brienne IV: Brienne and Podrick hear a rumor that a Stark girl has been traveling with the Hound.
**Chapter 31, Brienne VI: Brienne finds out that Arya Stark is alive and was last seen with the Hound.
**Chapter 37, Brienne VII: Rorge and Biter are killed.
*The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Dance with Dragons:
**Chapter 2, Daenerys I: Daenerys sends Daario Naharis away on a mission.
**Chapter 31, Melisandre I: Melisandre tells someone that she uses tricks and illusions to make people see what they expect to see.
** Chapter 36, Daenerys VI: Daenerys gives into her desires and beds Daario.
==Gallery==
===Videos===
Game of Thrones Season 4: Episode 7 Preview (HBO)
Game of Thrones Season 4: Inside the Episode 7 (HBO)
Game of Thrones Season 4: Episode 7 Clip - Lysa Confronts Sansa (HBO)
Game of Thrones Season 4: Episode 7 Clip - Oberyn Meets with Tyrion (HBO)
Game of Thrones Season 4: Episode 7 Recap (HBO)
===Images===
Gregor Clegane 4x07.jpg|Gregor Clegane
Arya and Sandor - Mockingbird -2.jpg|Sandor and Arya
Dying man.png|The dying man
Rorge S04.jpg|Rorge
Arya and Sandor - Mockingbird -1.jpg
Sansasnow.png|Sansa builds a replica of Winterfell from the snow.
Petyr-Baelish-Profile 2-HD.png
Podrick Payne and Brienne of Tarth 4x07.jpg
Sansa Stark and Lysa Arryn 4x07.jpg
Tyrion and Jaime Lannister 4x07.jpg
Biter and Sandor Clegane 4x07.jpg
Daenerys Targaryen 4x07.jpg
Petyr Baelish and Lysa Arryn 4x07.jpg|Littlefinger with Lysa Arryn
==References==
===Notes===
==External links==
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Category:Episodes directed by Alik Sakharov
 07
5.18
Category:Episodes written by D.B. Weiss
Category:Episodes written by David Benioff
de:Die Spottdrossel (Episode)
es:Sinsonte
fr:L'Oiseau moqueur
it:Il campione
ja:シーズン4第7話「月の扉」
pl:Przedrzeźniacz
pt-br:Sabiá
ro:Mierla
ru:Пересмешник
zh:TV:第四季第七集