"Mockingbird" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of HBO's

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

television series ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of '' A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the fir ...

.'' The 37th episode of the series overall, "Mockingbird" was written by series co-creators

David Benioff David Friedman (; born September 25, 1970), known professionally as David Benioff (), is an American writer, director and producer. Along with his collaborator D. B. Weiss, he is best known as co-creator and showrunner of '' Game of Thrones'' (2 ...

and D. B. Weiss, and directed by

Alik Sakharov Alik Sakharov (born May 17, 1959) is a film and television director. A former Director of Photography, he is an active member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). Career Sakharov entered the US film scene when he began sharing the ...

. It first aired on HBO on May 18, 2014. In the episode,

Tyrion Lannister Lord Tyrion Lannister, also known by the nicknames the Halfman or the Imp and the alias Hugor Hill, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its televis ...

struggles to find a fighter willing to stand as his champion in his upcoming

trial by combat Trial by combat (also wager of battle, trial by battle or judicial duel) was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession in which two parties in dispute fought in single combat; the winner of the ...

; Melisandre and Selyse Baratheon talk on Dragonstone; the Night's Watch continue to prepare for Mance Rayder's attack; Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne meet Hot Pie at an inn;

Arya Stark Arya Stark is a fictional character in American author George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' epic fantasy novel series, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where she is portrayed by English actress Maisie Williams. S ...

and Sandor "The Hound" Clegane are attacked by bandits on the road;

Daenerys Targaryen Daenerys Targaryen ( ) is a fictional character in the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' by American author George R. R. Martin. She is a prominent Narrative mode#Third-person view, point of view character, and is one of ...

orders Daario to retake Yunkai; and Petyr Baelish assassinates Lysa Arryn. The title refers to the sigil of House Baelish. The episode received positive reviews from critics. This episode marks the final appearance of

Kate Dickie Kate Dickie (born 1971) is a Scottish actress who has appeared in television series, stage plays and films. She is known for her television roles as Lex in the BBC series '' Tinsel Town'' (2000–2001) and Lysa Arryn in the HBO series '' Game of ...

(Lysa Arryn).

Plot

In King's Landing

Jaime tells Tyrion that Cersei has chosen Gregor Clegane as her champion for Tyrion's

, and declines to be Tyrion's champion due to his poor performance with his left hand. Tyrion sends for Bronn, who tells him that Cersei has offered him a highborn bride and also declines to be Tyrion's champion. Oberyn comes to visit Tyrion; after recounting how he met him as a newborn and how Cersei always blamed him for the death of their mother, he tells Tyrion that he will be his champion to avenge his sister.

At Castle Black

Jon suggests to Thorne to block the passage through the Wall to prevent Rayder's army from coming through, but his request is ridiculed.

At Dragonstone

Melisandre tells Selyse that the Lord of Light needs Shireen to depart Dragonstone with them.

In the Riverlands

Brienne and Podrick stop at an inn, where they meet Hot Pie, who tells them about his journey with Arya. They then decide to go to the Vale because Lysa is Sansa's and Arya's last living relative with money. Arya and Sandor are attacked by two men who were part of the Night's Watch caravan that Arya travelled with. After Sandor kills one, Arya kills the other since there is a bounty on Sandor's head for killing Lannister soldiers. Later, Sandor recounts how Gregor had burned him as a child and how his father covered up the incident.

In Meereen

Daenerys sleeps with Daario after he enters her chambers at night. The next morning, Daenerys tells Jorah that she has ordered Daario to retake Yunkai and kill all the remaining masters. Jorah points out that if Ned Stark had done the same to him, he would not be there to advise her. Daenerys instead orders Jorah to tell Daario to take Hizdahr with him to advise the masters to conform to her rule.

At the Eyrie

Sansa slaps Robin after he damages her snowcastle of Winterfell. Petyr then kisses Sansa and Lysa sees them. After Lysa threatens Sansa, Petyr admits that he truly only loved Catelyn and pushes her through the Moon Door.

Production

"Mockingbird" adapts part of material from ''

A Storm of Swords ''A Storm of Swords'' is the third of seven planned novels in ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 8, 2000, in the United Kingdom, with a United States edition fol ...

'', chapters 65, 66 and 80 (Arya XII, Tyrion IX & Sansa VII). It also adapts chapter 20 (Brienne IV) from ''

A Feast for Crows ''A Feast for Crows'' is the fourth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' by American author George R. R. Martin. The novel was first published on October 17, 2005, in the United Kingdom, with a United ...

'' as well as chapter 2 (Daenerys I) from ''

A Dance with Dragons ''A Dance with Dragons'' is the fifth novel of seven planned in the epic fantasy series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' by American author George R. R. Martin. In some areas, the paperback edition was published in two parts, titled ''Dreams and Du ...

''. Additional material comes from Sansa II of ''

A Game of Thrones ''A Game of Thrones'' is the first novel in ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 1, 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award and was nominated for both ...

'', Tyrion V of ''

'' and Daenerys VI of ''

A Dance With Dragons ''A Dance with Dragons'' is the fifth novel of seven planned in the epic fantasy series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' by American author George R. R. Martin. In some areas, the paperback edition was published in two parts, titled ''Dreams and Du ...

''.

Reception

Ratings

The achieved a viewership of 7.20 million viewers during its premiere hour, setting a new series high. In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 1.639 million viewers, making it the highest-rated broadcast that week. It also received 0.095 million timeshift viewers.

Critical reception

"Mockingbird" received critical acclaim.

Accolades

References

External links

* at HBO.com * {{Game of Thrones episodes, 4 2014 American television episodes Game of Thrones (season 4) episodes Uxoricide in fiction Television episodes directed by Alik Sakharov Television episodes written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss