The fourth season fo Game of Thrones is ten episodes long with each episode being approximately 50-ish minutes in length. This season is based on the second half of the third novel in the series A Song of Ice and Fire along with elements of the fourth and fifth novel. Thanks to the changed dynamic at the conclusion of the last season, it feels as if the story is starting afresh. This leads to an intriguing first episode where we see the consequences of the Starks' fall, the return of Jaime Lannister and be surprised at how quickly Daenerys' dragons are growing. It's easy to say that there is a strong opening to the season, in particular, the first two episodes.
The trend of the death of characters you'd expect to have a big role in the story continue to steamroll on. Each one is surprising and it never gets less so. There's a pretty big one in the beginning of the season which was definitely a huge shock. However, their death wasn't that satisfying though since they were so evil that it feels that they were let off lightly. This is made worse when you were probably waiting for their horrible and gruesome death only to be let down. There's a reason for this since their death kick starts a major political row. Apart from that somewhat subdued death, there are other, sweeter, scenes of revenge with shades of irony. It's good to see karma dealt in such a cruel world. While some are too merciful as they deserve to suffer and despair for all the harm that they had caused.
There is a worrying trend where characters get overconfident or cocky and then fall because of that. As a result, each time there is a duel or battle, you're on edge until it is guaranteed the victor has been determined and the loser is actually dead. Each episode will jump from viewpoint to viewpoint, with so many that it can be hard to remember them all. We have King's Landing, Stannis, Jon Snow, Bran, Daenerys, and that isn't getting to all the other smaller character roles. It is interesting to see how some characters' paths cross, and whether they actually interact with each other or not. Some of the more interesting characters includes Tyrion who ends up finding himself in a tight bind. It's intriguing to see how it develops and he remains one of the best characters in the show.
On the other hand, Baelish remains as mysterious as ever. It's very hard to determine his motives but this also makes him unlikable as he makes choices that you can't back. His viewpoint has a lot of answers to some lingering questions from earlier seasons so it satisfying that way. Ramsay is now the new Joffrey, doing many things that you would hate. He is overly cruel but at least he is not cowardly or petty. It is however interesting to see how much he cares about the approval of his father. While the realms is a lot more stable thanks to the war calming down, Stannis remains in the background plotting his retaliation strike. As the last surviving force, the scheming and planning from all the characters is engaging. Most of the actions taken by characters feel rational and have a higher purpose that would further their motives. The show is still very bloody and gory, there is no stylized violence.
The penultimate episode of the season was one of the best in the series yet. It was a great choice to spend a whole episode on one event: a gigantic and epic battle that had been building up ever since the first season. In this battle, we see some warfare tactics and also whether the characters you've hated up until now had a spine or were cowards who whimper in their hiding places. It is in these types of episodes that the high production values and excellent music really jump out at you and complement everything else. The ending is subdued in comparison but contains a chunk of important events. A few mainstay characters now have their fates revealed, or sealed. While it isn't a direct cliffhanger, it leaves everything in such a state that it sets up the next season. Overall, the fourth season of Game of Thrones starts off strong and continues to stay strong throughout most of the season. The large scale battle was a highlight as was the deaths of the many characters.
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