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| Game of Thrones: Episode 4 - Sons of Winter |
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Previously on Game of Thrones:
Game of Thrones: Episode 4 - Sons of Winter starts off with most of House Forrester in some tough positions. After the events of the previous episode, Gared, a newly sworn in-Watcher, has to deal with the consequences of his fight on top of The Wall. In Meereen, Asher has to convince Daenerys that he actually saw Drogon, while at King's Landing, Mira finds herself in the middle of political turmoil in the wake of Joffrey's death and Tommen's ascension to the Iron Throne. To round out the trouble, the rest of the Forresters have their hands full at Ironrath with the Whitehill soldiers causing more and more trouble, plus, there are the consequences of dealing with your confrontation to Gryff Whitehill at the end of Episode 3 - The Sword in the Darkness.
Needless to say, you have a lot to account for in this episode, and there will be some pretty immediate consequences to your actions. In fact, you might find a few of your older decisions starting to rear their ugly heads before this episode is over. |
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The Wall:
Game of Thrones: Episode 4 - Sons of Winter starts off at the Wall with Gared being questioned about the death of his fellow Watcher, Britt. Finn, being the only witness to the fight (though he really only saw the final events), may or may not help you when questioned. It really depends on how well you were able to get on his good side in the previous episodes.
While your imprisonment means you aren't going to be able to participate in Jon Snow's expedition to Craster's Keep, your other companion, Cotter, breaks you out and suggests the two of you head North of the Wall together. Again, if you were able to play nice with Finn before, then you get the option to have him join your party to find the fabled North Grove, but this means you might have to tell expose Cotter's secret to Finn (if you haven't already).
While the escape isn't all that involved, I did find a part of this process to be unexpectedly annoying. In a game series that is heavy with quick-time events to get your character moving in the right direction, at the right time, there is a part of Gared's escape that leaves you with no direction and, for me at least, resulted in repeated deaths. During the escape, you have to crawl under a cart and work your way to the other side at the same time a guard is walking around the cart. If your legs are exposed when he gets around the corner, you're caught. After trying many keys, the trick to moving fast enough ended up being an awkward tapping of two different keys back and forth, a mechanic I don't recall in earlier episodes. This particular event didn't sour the entire experience, but it definitely stands out when thinking back on the episode.
While Gared and his companion(s) do make it outside, they quickly learn that even with Cotter's help, finding the North Grove will still be a dangerous task.
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| King's Landing:
Mira's story in Game of Thrones: Episode 4 - Sons of Winter centers on her attempts to find out who in the capital city Lord Whitehill is paying large sums of money to. Thankfully, Tommen's Coronation Feast seems to be an ideal spot to eavesdrop and hopefully gain some insight into the court's other members. First thing's first though, you have to get into the feast. How easy it is to get in seems to depend a lot on how you behaved in front of Margaery, Tyrion and Cersei. There is a good chance that you will have to ask for a favor in order to rub elbows with the rich and powerful, and, depending on how you've been playing the season up to this point, those favors could be building up.
Of course, a high society party at King's Landing can't exist without its share of political maneuvering and threats. For instance, though you might discover where the money is going, how you obtain that information could border on blackmail. This story also continues Mira's constant need to decide between her family and her life at King's Landing. Are you willing to have her make everyone around her angry just to get what the Forresters need? Will putting your family first even guarantee that they will get the help you need to send their way? King's Landing continues to be the center of political machinations in this game, as it should be. |
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Meereen:
Game of Thrones: Episode 4 - Sons of Winter's Essos story is all about Asher trying to get a contingent of Daenerys' sellswords to follow him back to Westeros and fight alongside the Forresters. Your first goal, convince the Targaryen Queen in Exile that you aren't lying when you said you saw her lost dragon. Your second goal is to do whatever it takes to secure those men, and it seems Daenerys will only let Croft's men leave her side if you help her get into Meereen and secure the city.
As the mission approaches, you learn just why Asher's companion, Beskha, hates Meereen, and as you might guess, that pass will slap you in the face before you have a chance to get the job done. You must make some tough decisions if you are going get past this hurdle, but also do Daenery's bidding before her army moves in.
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| Ironrath:
As before, Game of Thrones: Episode 4 - Sons of Winter has the rest of House Forrester centered around Ironrath. In the previous episode, you had a chance to stand up to the Whitehills or take a knee and bide your time. Regardless of how you handled that situation, it seems that the Whitehill forces aren't treating the Forresters' people very well. Thankfully, it seems like Rodrik might have some help in the form of Elaena Glenmore and her brother's elite guards. It seems that Lord Whitehill is trying to get his son married to Elaena and she doesn't like that idea very much.
With a small force at Rodrik's side, it seems the time is right to take Ironrath back. During the confrontation with Gryff and his goons, you have a few choices in how you handle the fourth-born son, and some of those choices are more permanent than others. The question is, do you want to use Gryff to send a message, or as a hostage? After all, the Whitehills have the youngest Forrester son at Highpoint. Regardless of your choice, Lord Ludd Whitehill will summon you and you will once again have to deal with your consequences. Meanwhile, don't forget that Rodrik learned in the last episode that someone close to him has turned traitor, so when it comes time to bring someone to Highpoint, you must choose wisely. |
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Next Time on Game of Thrones:
Unlike past episodes, not everyone's story at the end of Game of Thrones: Episode 4 - Sons of Winter leaves them in imminent peril. In fact, the most immediate danger facing any of the characters are those at Ironrath as they return from their meeting at Highpoint only to find a visitor at their dinner table.
That being said, there are only two episodes left in the season, so the various storylines have to start drawing to a close real soon. Has Asher's help in Essos earned his army? Will Gared find the North Grove and will it somehow help the Forresters? Can Mira secure the necessary help in King's Landing to either get the Boltons to leave the Forresters alone, or at least remove the Whitehill presence from Ironrath? It's hard to see all of these events coming together in a way to help the Forresters come out on top, but then again, this is Game of Thrones; no one is safe. |
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-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer |
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