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Oathkeeper (episode)
This article is about the fourth episode of the fourth season. For the Valyrian steel sword, see Oathkeeper (sword).

"Oathkeeper" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of Game of Thrones. It

is the thirty-fourth episode of the series overall. It premiered on April 27, 2014. Oathkeeper
It was written by Bryan Cogman and directed by Michelle MacLaren.
Season 4 Episode 4

Contents [show]

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Plot
Dany balances justice and mercy. Jaime tasks Brienne with his honor. Jon
secures volunteers while Bran, Jojen, Meera and Hodor stumble on shelter. Air date April 27, 2014
Runtime 56 minutes

Written by Bryan Cogman

Summary
Directed by Michelle MacLaren

In Meereen Episode Guide

Missandei teaches Grey Worm how to speak the Common Tongue, where he Previous Next

reveals that all he remembers since his castration is that he was born in the "Breaker of Chains" "First of His Name"

Summer Isles. Missandei also reveals that she can remember that she saw
Naath burning, as she was taken as a slave for Slaver's Bay. Dany commands
him and several Unsullied to infiltrate Meereen disguised as slaves and convince the slaves
to rise against their masters. They visit a slave pen, where a number of slaves are discussing
whether or not to rise against the Great Masters. One of the young slaves is already trying to
convince his fellow men in chains to fight, but the older slaves argue they have no means to
oppose their Masters, who have squashed every previous slave rebellion. Grey Worm arrives Daenerys has 163 of the Great
and tells them that only they can free themselves, then presents them with weapons. Masters crucified.

The uprising is a resounding success. With the city hers, Dany orders the crucifixion of 163 of
the so-called "Great Masters" in retaliation for the 163 slave children crucified on the road to
Meereen. Ser Barristan advises her against it, saying that sometimes it is best to answer injustice with mercy. Daenerys shows
her Targaryen blood by firmly declaring that she will "answer injustice with justice." The cries of the crucified Great Masters reach
Dany's ears atop Meereen's tallest pyramid, where the city's emblem, the golden harpy of Ghis, has been draped in the banner
of House Targaryen. Now, she has conquered all three of the cities on Slaver's Bay.

At the Wall
Jon Snow and Grenn are teaching several recruits, including Locke and Olly, how to fight against wildlings. Alliser Thorne
admonishes Jon and reminds him that he is a steward, not a ranger, trying to provoke Jon for an excuse to have him killed. Jon
leaves the yard and talks with Locke, who pretends he is from the Stormlands and genuinely wants to protect the realm. Janos
Slynt points out to Thorne that while Jon is well liked, Thorne is not, and when Maester Aemon insists upon an election for a new
Lord Commander, Jon is far more likely to succeed Mormont. Slynt convinces Thorne to allow Jon to deal with the mutineers, in

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the hope that they will remove him from the problem. Meanwhile, Samwell Tarly is fretting about Gilly's safety in Mole's Town with
the wildlings loose. Jon sympathizes, telling Sam he knows how hard it is. He confides that ever since Sam told him that his
younger brother Bran Stark was alive and going beyond the Wall, he has wanted to go and find him. Sam explains he really tried
to bring Bran back with him but Bran was determined to go beyond the Wall. When Sam and Jon think that Bran must have
found shelter at Craster's Keep, they are interrupted by Locke. Locke brings Jon to Thorne, who sanctions his mission to
Craster's Keep but tells Jon that he must secure volunteers rather than have men ordered along with him. Jon gives an
impassioned speech, insisting that not only must the mutineers be dealt with for Castle Black's safety, but Lord Commander
Mormont deserves justice. Much to Thorne and Slynt's surprise, Grenn, Eddison Tollett and a group of other men join Jon on his
mission, including Locke who asks to say his vows if that is required before he goes north of the Wall.

At King's Landing
During their sword training, Bronn implores Jaime to visit his brother Tyrion in the dungeon, saying that Tyrion named Jaime his
champion in The Eyrie because he knew Jaime would ride day and night to fight for him. Jaime finally visits Tyrion, confessing
that Cersei asked him to murder him. Convincing Jaime that he didn't kill Joffrey, Tyrion notes that not even an irrefutable
confession by the real perpetrator would satisfy Cersei. She is out for Tyrion's blood, and he says that the trial is even worse
because at least one judge has always wanted him dead. Jaime tells Tyrion that Cersei offers a knighthood to whoever captures
Sansa Stark. Tyrion insists that Sansa had nothing to do with the murder, despite having the best motive. Later, Jaime visits
Cersei, who is disgusted that, in her view, Jaime is taking Tyrion's side because of his long-held affection for their brother.

Meanwhile, Lady Olenna tells Margaery that she is about to leave for Highgarden. She mentions the new and prospective
marriage between Margaery and the new king, Tommen. She insists that Cersei will turn Tommen against Margaery by the time
they marry if Margaery doesn't act fast. Fortunately, Cersei is well distracted by accusing her innocent brother of the murder of
her son. Margaery insists that Olenna cannot be certain of Tyrion's innocence, but Olenna states that Tyrion certainly is innocent
and confesses that she would never have let Margaery marry "that beast." Margaery is shocked but her grandmother firmly ends
the conversation. That night, Margaery enters Tommen's chambers, slipping past the Kingsguard and charming Tommen. She
puts in his mind the idea that one day she will be his and they might as well learn to like each other. She compliments him on his
cat and kind demeanor. She promises to visit again and Tommen falls asleep smiling.

In the chambers of the Kingsguard, Jaime tasks Brienne with finding Sansa. He urges her to
find and keep the girl safe from those who would hand her over to Cersei and provides her
with a horse, supplies, and a freshly forged suit of armor. Jaime then gifts her with the sword
his father gave him, saying that its Valyrian steel is forged from Ned Stark's sword, and thus
should be used to defend Ned Stark's daughters. He also insists she take Podrick Payne with
her as a squire, both as a reward for the boy's service to Tyrion and to keep him safe from
those who would seek to use him against his former master. Before departing, Brienne names
the sword "Oathkeeper" and vows to find Sansa, for the sake of Jaime and Lady Catelyn.

En route to the Vale

Sansa accuses Petyr Baelish of having Joffrey Baratheon murdered. At first, Baelish evades
the accusation, pointing out that he has been away for weeks and that Tyrion could be the
Jaime sends Brienne on
perpetrator. Sansa defends Tyrion, with an innate certainty that he is innocent, and also
Catelyn's mission.
concludes that Baelish is far too smart to trust a drunk like Ser Dontos to be his accomplice.
Impressed with her instincts, Baelish admits that Tyrion is, in fact, innocent, and reveals
Sansa's own part in Joffrey's death - Ser Dontos' necklace was the murder weapon, and someone slipped a stone (which was

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poisonous) into Joffrey's wine. Sansa is bewildered, because the Lannisters have done so much for Baelish, including granting
him the seat of Harrenhal. Baelish confesses that while his friendship with the Lannisters was fruitful, it is best to keep enemies
confused and his absence from the wedding means that he will never be suspected. Sansa declares that she doesn't entirely
believe him: he's too clever to poison a king just to cause confusion. Baelish is again impressed, and confirms that Joffrey was
simply too volatile; a king like him as an ally was more a hindrance than a benefit. More importantly, though, Joffrey's death was
something that his "new friends" wanted very much, and a gift is always helpful to help a new friendship "grow strong."

Beyond the Wall

At Craster's Keep, the mutinous deserters are still entrenched there, indulging themselves on the food stored there and raping
Craster's wives. Karl drinks wine from the skull of Jeor Mormont, drunkenly bragging about himself and his skill as a hired killer
back in King's Landing before ordering Rast to "feed the beast." At the same time, one of Craster's wives enters with Craster's
last son, insisting the infant must be given as a 'gift to the gods. At Karl's orders, Rast leaves the infant on a patch of open
ground, then deals with the beast - Ghost, who the mutineers have caged, and whom Rast taunts by withholding food and water
from the direwolf. Suddenly, a snowstorm whips up and the temperature drops, causing the water Rast was taunting Ghost with
to freeze. Recognizing the approach of White Walkers, Rast flees.

Nearby, Bran Stark and his companions hear the child's cries. Warging into Summer, Bran
goes to investigate, but Summer falls into a trap just outside Craster's Keep. Meera Reed,
sensing danger, urges them to move on, but Bran insists on trying to free Ghost and Summer;
before they can, however, they are taken prisoner by the mutineers. Some of the deserters
amuse themselves by tormenting Hodor, while the others are taken to Karl. Karl asks who
they are and answers their silence by threatening to kill Meera and Jojen. Jojen is suddenly
Bran being held as a prisoner at
overcome by a seizure and falls to the floor while Meera begs to be let go so she can help
Craster's Keep.
him. Karl does so when Bran reveals his true identity.

In the Lands of Always Winter

Somewhere in the northernmost reaches of the world, a lone White Walker rides its undead
horse towards a shattered mountain, cradling Craster's last son in its arm. When it reaches
the mountain, the White Walker strides up a large ring of icicle columns, dismounts and
places the child on an ice altar in center. On the other side, a line of dark-garbed White
Walkers watch the proceedings. After a moment, one of them strolls forth and carefully picks
The White Walker takes Craster's
up the wailing child, who swiftly calms. The White Walker presses the nail of its index finger
last son to the Lands of Always
into the baby's cheek. The sound of cracking ice can be heard as the child's eyes turn a
Winter, riding an undead wight-
depthless, icy blue.
horse.

Appearances

Main: Oathkeeper/Appearances

First
Ser Pounce
Morag
Craster's last son
White Walker

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Night King
Mossador
Sissy

Deaths
Many unnamed Slave masters

Production
Cast

Starring Guest starring

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister Diana Rigg as Lady Olenna Tyrell

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis
Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister Ian McElhinney as Ser Barristan Selmy
Emilia Clarke as Queen Daenerys Targaryen Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne
Kit Harington as Jon Snow Burn Gorman as Karl Tanner
Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr Baelish Noah Taylor as Locke
Natalie Dormer as Lady Margaery Tyrell Dominic Carter as Lord Janos Slynt
John Bradley as Samwell Tarly Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei
Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Prince Bran Stark Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm
Sophie Turner as Princess Sansa Stark Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Jojen Reed
Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed
Jerome Flynn as Ser Bronn Kristian Nairn as Hodor
with Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont Mark Stanley as Grenn
Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett
Luke Barnes as Rast
Dean-Charles Chapman as Prince Tommen Baratheon
Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne
Josef Altin as Pypar
Brenock O'Connor as Olly
Emilio Doorgasingh as a slave master
Reece Noi as a slave
Philip Philmar as a elder slave
Ross Mullan as a White Walker
Richard Brake as The Night King
Deirdre Monaghan as Morag
Robert Goodman as Valyrian slave
Karl Jackson as an Unsullied
Jane McGrath as Sissy
Aeryn Walker as Craster's wife
Cheryl Lester as Craster's wife
Will Fortune
Jon Freeman
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Uncredited

Graeme Peacock as Littlefinger's Crew

Kristy Robinson as Craster's Wife
Michael Stuart as Night's Watch Officer

Cast notes
13 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), Conleth Hill (Varys), Kristofer Hivju (Tormund), Sibel Kekilli (Shae), Rose
Leslie (Ygritte), Rory McCann (Sandor Clegane), Hannah Murray (Gilly), Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Snow), Maisie Williams
(Arya Stark), and Carice van Houten (Melisandre) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.
Ben Dimmock, Dave Forman, Tim Halloran, Paul Herbert, Ivo Kristof, Guy List, Leona McCarron, Andy Merchant, Camilla
Naprous, Curtis Rivers, CC Smiff and Linda Weal were stunt performers in this episode.

Notes
The name of the episode comes from Oathkeeper, the name Brienne gives to the first Valyrian steel sword made from Ice.
Despite appearing in the title sequence, Winterfell, and the Dreadfort do not appear in the episode itself. Their associated
storylines via Bran's and Locke's respective arcs do appear, however.
Joffrey's assassins are revealed: Olenna Tyrell plotted together with Petyr Baelish to poison him during the royal wedding.
The poison was smuggled into the ceremony in the form of fake crystals in the necklace that Dontos gave to Sansa - which
as Baelish revealed last episode, were not actual jewels, but could be crushed into a fine powder and would dissolve in
wine. If you pay close attention during the wedding scene, Olenna fiddles with Sansa's necklace when she speaks to her,
and afterwards one of the crystals is missing from it (as she passes Joffrey's wine goblet, what sounds like the crystal
dropping into it can also be heard). Ironically, as Olenna was retrieving the poison crystal, she was remarking on the Red
Wedding which Joffrey's family engineered, and noting with mock horror how horrid the idea of killing a man at a wedding
was.
Between Season 3 and Season 4, Comedy Central's South Park aired a three-part storyline parodying Game of Thrones,
the "Black Friday" trilogy. All of the boys are avid Game of Thrones fans, but as the Christmas shopping season starts up
they split into two rival factions over the next round of video game "console wars," between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Soon every boy in school, cosplaying as Game of Thrones characters, start fighting each other and hatching various
devious plots to win against the other side - to the point that some of them even visit George R.R. Martin at his home to
ask how Game of Thrones would win their conflict. A running joke throughout "Black Friday" is satirizing how characters in
Game of Thrones frequently discuss political intrigue while walking through the castle gardens in King's Landing (as
Cartman keeps discussing political backstabbing while trespassing in a neighbor's extensive gardens). In the Season 4
Blu-ray commentary, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss revealed that they saw the South Park parody, and in response,
consciously stopped having characters do this quite as frequently. The TV series even references the joke in "Oathkeeper,"
when Olenna Tyrell is getting ready to leave King's Landing while walking with Margaery in the gardens, which she notes
has become tedious, saying: "If I have to take one more leisurely stroll through these gardens, I'll fling myself from the
cliffs." [1]
In an interview with the Game of Owns podcast two weeks after "Oathkeeper" aired, writer Bryan Cogman answered
several questions:[2]
Cogman stated that Tommen was recast in Season 4 because when Tommen becomes the new king, a heavier
acting load would fall on the character so they wanted a more experienced actor. He also confirmed that they did not
cast Dean-Charles Chapman as Tommen's first cousin Martyn Lannister in Season 3 to somehow set him up as the
new, older Tommen (Martyn and Tommen are related, so logically, an older Tommen might resemble his older

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cousin). Rather, Chapman was cast simply to play Martyn in Season 3, and after Martyn was killed, Chapman
thought his time working on the TV series was over. Chapman was only called back to the TV series after the
production team had decided to recast Tommen in Season 4 (it isn't clear if he had to audition or was hand-picked).
Season 4 follows what the Night's Watch mutineers were doing even after the Mutiny at Craster's Keep, when their
fate is only briefly alluded to in the books. The writers were actually discussing back in Season 3 that they wanted to
eventually follow up on these characters. This is why they cast a bigger, more experienced actor such as Burn
Gorman to play Karl Tanner (who personally killed Craster) because they wanted to return and expand on the
character in Season 4 (in the books, Craster and Mormont are killed by fairly minor characters, but Season 4 builds
up that Karl was a dangerous hired assassin in Flea Bottom).
The on-set camera directors got a bit carried away with showing the subjugation of Craster's wives by the mutineers,
which they actually toned down in the editing room from what they originally filmed. They filmed a long establishing
shot of the full horror of what was going on at Craster's Keep, before Karl starts monologuing. They decided that it
was gratuitous even by their standards and didn't really serve the plot.
In the Blu-ray commentary, it is explained that the only part cut was a longer tracking shot of a mutineer
entering the kitchen, then drunkenly vomiting over the food that Craster's wives are preparing. As for the overall
scenes of the mutineers brutalizing Craster's wives, professional porn actresses were hired for the shots, and
the commentary says that the overall look they were attempting was "a nightmarish cross between a Gustave
Doré etching, a Bruegel painting, and a work by Heironymus Bosch."[3]

The extended rape montage at Craster's Keep was actually the opening scene of the episode in the original draft, but
they quickly realized it didn't work (then cut most of it out, and pushed the rest to the end of the episode). First, it was
too dark and grim to open with. Second, they realized it was odd to open with a scene that doesn't include any
characters the audience knows very well.
In an interview with MakingGameOfThrones.com, Cogman made several more statements about the episode:[4]
Speaking of the sequence showing the Night's Watch mutineers who have taken over Craster's Keep and who are
brutalizing Craster's remaining wives, Cogman said "That sequence to this day was the hardest to write for the
show." It was implied to happen "off screen" in the books after Sam and Gilly fled, but it wasn't shown in the narrative,
so he struggled with how much of this very dark sequence to actually show in the TV series.
As for why they wanted to include the sequence, one of the reasons was, "We've paid a lot of lip service to idea that
Night’s Watch is made up of shady characters, rapists and thieves, but we never saw much of that. The mutiny was
the beginning. This is the worst of the worst finally free of the shackles of society." Logically, the mutineers who
actually turned on Mormont were the absolute lowliest dregs of the Night's Watch, hardened criminals (rapists like
Rast and murderers like Karl) who rejected any societal limits and who lived to brutalize and take advantage of other
people.
Of the other character dynamics going on at Craster's Keep, Cogman said: "The original idea behind Morag was that
she was the first of the daughters who became Craster's wife. So she's the prime wife, if you will, and the matriarchal
figure for these women. She knows she can't fight these mutineers and knows that without them, the White Walkers
could destroy the wives. So there's a lot going on. And then you throw in Bran and Hodor, two of the most endearing
characters. To have to write a scene where Hodor gets bear-baited and beat up was just miserable. But the idea was
to put Bran, Hodor, Jojen and Meera into a really dangerous situation beyond the Wall that didn't involve the
supernatural, but rather humanity at its worst.
Cogman envisioned Ser Pounce in the script as a kitten (as he is in the books), but they cast a huge "sumo wrestler
cat," and he was "a nightmare" to work with. As he also explained in the Game of Owns podcast, the cat wouldn't
jump on the bed, and it was scared of the many lit candles in the set. Natalie Dormer (Margaery) found it very
annoying to work with the cat. In Cogman's own words, "This is probably the last time you'll see Ser Pounce because
filming with a cat is a nightmare. Natalie Dormer (Margaery) wanted to kill me. But the cat is in it because he serves a
purpose: You immediately see that Tommen is not Joffrey. Tommen is a sweet boy with a cat named Ser Pounce, and

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who has found himself in incredible circumstances. He is going to be king and he is going to marry this woman. The
innocence of Tommen is fun to play with because there isn't a lot of innocence in this world."
Cogman said, "I love the Olenna-Margaery dynamic. When Diana [Rigg] joined the cast, I remember looking at an old
publicity shot for 'The Avengers' (the 1960s spy show) I thought, she's the Natalie Dormer of her era. In our version of
the story, Olenna was Margaery in her day and Margaery will be one day be Olenna. It was a scene not unlike Sansa
and Littlefinger's, so it's two tutor-protégé scenes back to back. Olenna is illustrating to Margaery what she has to do
next through a personal story. That was based on a nugget that [author] George [R. R. Martin] has in the book;
Olenna, in an entirely different scene says: 'Oh, I was engaged to a Targaryen once, but I got out of it.' The Dany
storyline can seem so far removed, so whenever you can thread in that the Targaryens were the family once in
power, the better."
Tommen is obviously now sleeping in Joffrey's old bedchamber: the boar's head Joffrey shot with an arrow is seen on
the wall. Cogman said, "David and Dan thought of that. They've moved Tommen into Joffrey's room and the remnants
of this monstrous person are still there. A big part of the show is the impact of these characters. A lot of people die,
but their impact is felt long after. Ned Stark's spirit looms large over the whole story, and it's absolutely the same with
Joffrey's."
Cogman notes that Margaery's scene with Tommen is a sequel of sorts to her prior scenes with her past political
betrothals: her averted sex scene with Renly in Season 2's "What Is Dead May Never Die," and her scene with
Joffrey in Season 3's "Dark Wings, Dark Words." In each scene, she is assessing her new betrothed, and particularly
in the cases of Joffrey and Tommen, explores around in the conversation until she finds what points she can
manipulate them on. She had to figure out that Joffrey didn't react to sexual advances but got excited by sadistic
violence, while Tommen is simply too young and innocent to react to either of those things, but is fond of his cat.
It was actually Benioff and Weiss's idea that Daenerys would inspire the slaves in Meereen to rise up and free
themselves, led by Grey Worm, instead of her freeing them directly. In the books, when Daenerys takes Meereen she
has Jorah and Barristan sneak in through the sewers to release the city's slaves, so they can attack from within to
distract the defenders while her main army storms the gates from outside. Elements of this were moved to how
Daenerys captured Yunkai in the TV series. The book version still essentially involved Jorah and Barristan (two
Westerosi men) sneaking in to release the slaves, but they felt it would make more dramatic sense for the slaves to
be inspired by Daenerys's arrival in the season premiere, and then have Grey Worm be the one to sneak in and free
them - because he was himself a slave. This fits with the line Grey Worm has in the episode that no one can give the
slaves their freedom, they must take it for themselves.

Olenna Tyrell's story that she was once betrothed to a Targaryen in her youth is based on information in the novels, when
she mentions that she was originally supposed to marry a Targaryen but struggled as hard as she could to avoid the
match. The identity of the Targaryen she was betrothed to was revealed in the current books - but was revealed in the
World of Ice and Fire sourcebook which was released a few months after Season 4 ended. In the book continuity, Olenna
was supposed to marry King Aegon V Targaryen's younger son Daeron, the younger brother of King Jaehaerys II. Daeron
was thus the nephew of Maester Aemon. Given that the TV series officially removed Jaehaerys II, to make Aegon V the
father of the Mad King Aerys II instead of his grandfather, it isn't clear if Daeron still exists in the TV continuity, or if that
entire generation of House Targaryen has been simply omitted. Nor does Olenna have a sister named Viola - Luthor Tyrell
was supposed to marry Daeron's sister, not her sister. For that matter, Daeron Targaryen didn't want to be in the match
either, as he was secretly a homosexual.
Regarding Margaery Tyrell's scene with Tommen, his exact age hasn't been clearly established in the TV series. In the
books, a little under two years pass between the beginning of the narrative and Joffrey's death; Tommen is 7 years old at
the beginning of the narrative but 8 years old when Joffrey dies (apparently soon to turn 9 years old). The TV series aged-
up most of the child characters by two years, though this isn't true for all of them. Joffrey's age was increased by four
years, not two, so he is about 16 in Season 1 instead of 12 as in the first novel. Time moves more slowly in the TV series
so one TV season equals roughly one year, meaning that by Season 4 three years have passed since the beginning of the
narrative, making Joffrey 19 when he died. If Tommen was aged-up by the same two year increment that other child

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characters like Arya and Sansa were, then he should be about 12 years old in Season 4. Given that Joffrey was Cersei's
first child and Tommen her third, it would be impossible for Tommen to be more than 17 years old. Actor Dean-Charles
Chapman turned 16 during filming on Season 4, but this doesn't necessarily reflect the age of the character he is
portraying. Tommen is therefore far too young in the books for Margaery to attempt to "seduce" him physically, but instead
she tries to "seduce" his friendship by being kind to him as Cersei is not. Tommen is some years older in the TV version,
but either way, TV-Margaery quickly realizes that he is too young to make physically seducing him effective, so she starts
emotionally seducing him as she did in the books.
The Grey Worm/Missandei scenes in this episode are actually the first in the entire series to include only non-white
characters, or to focus on People of Color characters. This includes Dothraki and Dornishmen (though more Dornish
characters will appear in Season 5).
This is in-part simply due to the structure of the books, which are told from subjective third person Point of View (such
as "Bran" chapters from Bran Stark's POV, or "Tyrion" chapters from Tyrion's POV). All of the chapters in Essos up to
this point were narrated from Daenerys's POV, so while many of the non-white characters in the books appear in her
storyline, these scenes are all presented from her perspective. The TV series has more freedom to show what
characters in Daenerys's storyline were doing "off screen" when she isn't around, from their own perspectives. Any
scenes involving the Dothraki in Seasons 1 and 2 had either Daenerys, Viserys, or Jorah present as the narrative
focus/POV narrator of sorts. Salladhor Saan was changed to be black in the TV series, but he has always appeared
in scenes alongside Davos Seaworth (who is another POV narrator in the books). Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand
were introduced in Season 4, but they actually have no scenes entirely alone (unless one counts the brothel scenes
in which there are white prostitutes, but Oberyn and Ellaria are the only major, named characters). Several Dornish
characters do later become POV narrators, but only starting in the material which will be adapted as Season 5.

Missandei identifies for the first time in dialogue that she is from the island of Naath, and was taken from there by slavers
as a child. Naath is off the coast of Sothoryos, the third continent in the Known World besides Westeros and Essos. It is
loosely analogous to real-life Africa. Grey Worm also states that he was taken as a baby from the Summer Islands (a large
island group west of Naath and mainland Sothoryos). The books never established Grey Worm's geographic or ethnic
origin - though it is entirely plausible that he is from the Summer Islands.
Daenerys apparently wanted Missandei to teach Grey Worm how to speak the Common Tongue of Westeros so he can
function as a more effective army commander when she eventually invades the Seven Kingdoms. In the books, Kraznys
actually stated that the Unsullied are trained to be able to pick up new languages fairly quickly, so they can better serve
their new masters - if Qohor purchases a contingent of Unsullied, they are expected to learn Qohorik Low Valyrian in a
short amount of time. At certain points in Season 3, Grey Worm seemed to acknowledge comments made by Daenerys
and Jorah in the Common Tongue (English). This was therefore not an inconsistency: the books outright state that an
Unsullied such as Grey Worm is trained to quickly learn how to speak new languages, at least on a basic level. Grey
Worm's continued lessons with Missandei are to give him a more advanced command of the language.
For the shot when Grey Worm and his Unsullied infiltrate Meereen by wading through a sewer line, the actors actually wore
wet suits underneath their costumes because the water was freezing.[5]
Props master Gordon Fitzgerald explained that for the prop of Jeor Mormont's skull that Karl is using as a cup, instead of
just using a generic prop skull, his team went an extra step and used pictures of the actor's jaw and teeth for reference,
then remodeled a prop skull to match them.[6]
The image of the White Walker reflecting off of the ice is one of the images that Bran saw in his vision in "The Lion and the
Rose."
It is odd that the "Kill the Masters" graffiti in Meereen is written in the Common Tongue
of Westeros (English) - given that in Slaver's Bay, the population speaks Low Valyrian.
Linguist David J. Peterson, who developed the Valyrian languages in the TV show,
pointed this out when he was shown the script. Asked if he had any questions, the
message he sent to the writers was: "There's a scene where we see 'Kill the masters'
graffitied on the wall. Fans of the books will be expecting to see this in Valyrian glyphs

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as opposed to English characters, but thus far we haven't discussed creating a writing "Kill the Masters" graffiti in
system for Valyrian. This is something I'm able and willing to do (I created the writing Meereen, incongruously written in
systems used throughout Defiance), and can do if D&D are interested." The producers
the Common Tongue of
apparently wanted the viewers to be able to read the graffiti.[7]
Westeros.
In the novels, the Low Valyrian languages in the Free Cities and Slaver's Bay do
not use the same writing system as the Common Tongue of Westeros. Instead,
the Valyrian writing system is said to be based on glyphs. In the TV series, the glyph system wasn't developed,
characters writing in Valyrian languages have simply written using Common Tongue (English) letters - apparently so
the audience can at least sound it out. This was first seen in Season 3's "The Bear and the Maiden Fair," when Talisa
is writing a letter in Valyrian.

The scene at the end of the episode, which confirms the long-held speculation that Craster's sons are taken to be turned
into White Walkers, is original and does not appear in the novels. The idea is mentioned, however: Craster's wives suspect
that the babies that Craster gave the White Walkers as sacrifice were turned into new Others - but it wasn't clear if this is
what actually happens, or if it was just the wild suspicion of Craster's frightened, isolated wives. Confirmation of this has
not occurred in the books yet.
The mysterious "senior" White Walker in this scene was first identified in the HBO Viewer's Guide as the infamous
"Night's King". However the HBO synopsis mentioning this was later retracted, making it unclear if that was intended
to be the character's (spoiled) real identity or just an error. The producers later refer to the character as the Night
King in the Inside the Episode for "Hardhome".

Jon quipping to Locke that he should have gone easier on the other recruit is a callback to season one's "Lord Snow", in
which Jon briefly became unpopular with the other recruits because of his superior martial skills and aloof manner.
Jaime makes it sound to Cersei as if his promise to Catelyn to return her daughters to her ("The Bear and the Maiden
Fair") was false, and he swore that only so she would set him free. It is unclear whether he actually never meant to keep
his promise, or just said that in order to appease Cersei: on one hand, in "Two Swords" he had a chance to help Sansa
escape, but when Brienne talked with him about that - he refused to fulfil his promise. On the other hand, in this episode he
arms Brienne with a fine sword and sends her to find Sansa, so she can fulfil her oath to Catelyn ("Dark Wings, Dark
Words").

In the books

See:Differences between books and TV series - Season 4#Oathkeeper

The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Storm of Swords:

Chapter 57, Daenerys V: Daenerys sends her Unsullied through the sewers to conquer Meereen.
Chapter 61, Sansa V: aboard the ship, Littlefinger admits to killing Joffrey. When Sansa asks him why he should wish
Joffrey dead, considering the Lannisters gave him wealth and power, he replies that he has no motive and that one
should always keep one's enemies confused.
Chapter 72, Jaime IX: Jaime sends Brienne on a mission to find Sansa Stark, and presents her with his Valyrian steel
sword, which he names Oathkeeper.
Chapter 77, Tyrion XI: Jaime visits Tyrion at his cell and asks if he killed Joffrey.

The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Feast for Crows
Chapter 9, Brienne II: Brienne meets Podrick Payne, who decides to accompany her on her mission.
Chapter 14, Brienne III: Podrick mistakenly calls Brienne "Ser" instead of "My Lady", causing Brienne to have a bad
first impression of Podrick.

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Chapter 27, Jaime III: Jaime continues training with a discrete sword partner, hoping to improve his left-handed
swordsmanship without people finding out.

The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Dance with Dragons:
Chapter 4, Bran I: Bran wargs into Summer and finds evidence of the Night's Watch mutineers.

Memorable quotes
Bronn: "You want to fight pretty or do you want to win?"

Tyrion Lannister: "The Kingslayer brothers. You like it? I like it."

Jaime Lannister: "It is the duty of the Lord Commander to fill those pages and there's still room left in mine."

Barristan Selmy: "Sometimes, it is better to answer injustice with mercy."

Daenerys Targaryen: "I will answer injustice with justice."

Jon Snow: "If the Night's Watch is truly brothers, then Lord Commander Mormont was our father. He lived and died for the
Watch and he was betrayed by his own men, stabbed in the back by cowards. He deserved far better. All we can give him now is
justice. Who will join me?"

See also
Oathkeeper (episode) on Wikipedia

Oathkeeper (episode) on IMDb

Oathkeeper on A Wiki of Ice and Fire

References
1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ Game of Owns Episode 219: Bryan Cogman returns
3. ↑ [2]
4. ↑ MakingGameOfThrones.com
5. ↑ [3]
6. ↑ MakingGameOfThrones.com
7. ↑ [4]

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