Photo from HBO.
**SPOILER ALERT** The following contains spoilers for ALL of Game of Thrones up to episode 4×01. Read at your own risk.
Last night, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” premiered episode 4×01, “Two Swords.” It opened with a symbolic scene that will greet old fans like a punch to the heart. Remember Ice, Ned Stark’s Valyrian steel broadsword? The last time we saw it Ned’s blood was dripping off the blade. But now Ice is back, wrapped lovingly in a wolf pelt. The camera lingers on the sword for a moment, then a hand draws it out of the scabbard.
And melts it down. To make two new swords. Then Tywin Lannister himself throws the wolf pelt into the fire.
It doesn’t get any clearer than that. The Starks are finished, at least as far as Tywin is concerned. But will this be the season of the Lannisters or the season of revenge?
This vengeance-themed episode did a great job setting up a season’s worth of tension in one hour. Every scene established conflict. Jon Snow versus the unsavory Nights Watch commanders. Daenerys versus her bigger and meaner dragons as well as the next city she intends to conquer. Sansa versus Tyrion, despite his best efforts. Tyrion versus Shae. Jaime alienates his father, gets the cold treatment from Cersei and endures a sassing from Joffrey. He’s significantly more optimistic about his one-handedness here than in the books, though.
Perhaps most significantly, Oberyn Martell versus the Lannisters. One of the most anticipated new characters, Oberyn, prince of Dorne, brother of the late Princess Elia, makes a dramatic debut. He’s out for blood, hungry to avenge his sister’s death at the hands of Lannisters.
While Oberyn’s entrance was fabulous, it started out shakily. Gratuitous full-frontal female nudity is nothing new to HBO. And the brothel scene successfully conveyed the sexy, carefree and hot-blooded characters of Oberyn and his paramour Ellaria. But it was only 15 minutes into the episode and, frankly, unnecessary.
Still, with his careless badassery, unmasked hate for Tywin and exotic charm, Oberyn promises to be a great character.
And finally, Arya versus The Hound. And them versus others. These lovable psychopaths’ darkly humorous murder field trip provides the symbolic backbone for the episode.
Arya gets another couple kills under her belt this episode. But where her others were impulsive and brutish, this time they are calculated and immensely gratifying. The significance lies in what her victims mean to her and what she takes back from them.
One of the men is Polliver, whom she swore to kill in Season 2 when he stole the sword Jon Snow gave her and killed her friend Lommy with it. And here is where the name of the episode comes into play. I thought the “Two Swords” were the ones forged from Ice, but really the swords in question are Ice and Needle.
They couldn’t be more different: broadsword and glorified toothpick. Centuries-old heirloom and young blade. One wielded by lords and kings and one wielded by a child. But symbolically, they’re much the same. Ice was confiscated when Ned was falsely accused of treason, Needle snatched from Arya’s hands. And then both spilled innocent blood. Both were thought lost forever.
And Ice is lost. But Needle has been reclaimed. The episode ends with Arya riding off with Needle in her belt and a satisfied smile on her face. That smile is unspeakably profound. At the beginning of the episode, the Stark outlook was pure despair. But Arya, triumphant, armed and dangerous, sends another message: hope.
The Starks are not gone. They are scattered and battered, but they will fight, regroup and come back for their enemies with a vengeance. A girl getting her practice sword back is a baby step, but a step nonetheless. It may take years, but the Starks can wait. Winter will always come.
There was no Bran, Stannis or Theon this episode, but they will be back next week in “The Lion and the Rose.” That will be the episode George R. R. Martin writes this season. And book readers, it’s the Purple Wedding. Everyone hang on tight next week at 9 p.m. EST. It’s going to be a doozy.
