Theon helps Ramsay seize Moat Cailin. The wildlings attack Mole's Town. Sansa comes up with a story to protect Lord Baelish. Daenerys finds out a secret about Jorah Mormont. Oberyn Martell f... Read allTheon helps Ramsay seize Moat Cailin. The wildlings attack Mole's Town. Sansa comes up with a story to protect Lord Baelish. Daenerys finds out a secret about Jorah Mormont. Oberyn Martell faces Gregor Clegane, the Mountain.Theon helps Ramsay seize Moat Cailin. The wildlings attack Mole's Town. Sansa comes up with a story to protect Lord Baelish. Daenerys finds out a secret about Jorah Mormont. Oberyn Martell faces Gregor Clegane, the Mountain.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTo create the effect of Oberyn's crushed skull, a dummy was laid on the floor with fake blood and Pedro Pascal's face was digitally added over the dummy's face in post production.
- GoofsDaenerys claims that Robert killed her father, although she knows he was killed by Jaime.
- Quotes
[the duel begins. Oberyn impresses the crowd with acrobatics and gets cheers. Then he approaches his opponent]
Oberyn Martell: Have they told you who I am?
Gregor Clegane: [snarls] Some dead man!
Oberyn Martell: I am the brother of Elia Martell. Do you know why I have come all the way to this stinking, shit-pile of a city? For you. I'm going to hear you confess before you die. You raped my sister. You murdered her. You killed her children. Say it now and we can end this quick.
[the duel continues. Oberyn manages to knock off Gregor's helmet]
Oberyn Martell: Say it. You raped her. You murdered her. You killed her children. You raped her! You murdered her! You killed her children!
[Oberyn circles around his opponent, forcing him to tire himself out, dodging his charges, parries his swings and stabs back, while taunting him repeatedly to confess about killing Elia and her children. Gregor manages to knock Oberyn several times off his feet and cuts his spear into half. Oberyn evades Gregor's blows with amazing agility, and grabs a replacement spear from his squire. Cersei starts to look increasingly put-out, while Jaime and Tyrion look surprised and relieved by Oberyn's skill; Tywin looks vaguely amused. Again, Gregor knocks Oberyn off his feet, but Oberyn evades his blows and stabs him in the chest. Gregor stumbles away, but quickly recovers and continues his attack]
Oberyn Martell: You raped her! You murdered her!
[Gregor charges. Oberyn evades his blow and cuts his hamstring. Gregor groans in pain and kneels down]
Oberyn Martell: You killed her children!
[Oberyn charges, burying his spear in Gregor's stomach, pinning him to the floor and causing him to cough blood. Cersei looks angry and frustrated, while Ellaria, Jaime and Tyrion smile in relief, thinking that the duel is over. But Oberyn does mean to let Gregor die without confessing. He circles Gregor furiously]
Oberyn Martell: Wait, are you dying? No, no, no. You can't die yet. You haven't confessed.
[Oberyn extracts his spear from Gregor's body]
Oberyn Martell: Say it. Say her name. Elia Martell. You raped her. You killed her children. Elia Martell.
[Oberyn points accusingly at Tywin]
Oberyn Martell: Who gave you the order? WHO GAVE YOU THE ORDER? Say her name! You raped her! You murdered her! You killed her children! Say it! Say her name!
[Tyrion is slightly worried, anxiously waiting for Oberyn to finish off Gregor. Oberyn and Ellaria smile at each other]
Oberyn Martell: Say it!
[Oberyn gets too close to Gregor. Gregor trips him over. Oberyn starts to get up, but Gregor grabs his throat and punches him in the mouth, breaking his teeth. Ellaria and Tyrion gasp. Oberyn slumps down stunned, his mouth bleeding. Gregor is on top of Oberyn, grabbing his head with his massive hands, plunging his large thumbs into his eyes, gouging them. Oberyn screams in agony]
Gregor Clegane: [roars] Elia Martell! I killed her children! Then I raped her! Then I smashed her head in like this!
[Gregor then crushes Oberyn's skull between his huge fists with a sickening thump. Ellaria screams in horror. Gregor, severely injured, collapses next to his dead opponent. A stunned silence sweeps over the crowd. Cersei smirks triumphantly. Tyrion closes his eyes, unable to believe that his champion is killed so close to victory. Tywin stands]
Tywin Lannister: The gods have made their will known. Tyrion Lannister, in the name of King Tommen of the House Baratheon, First of his Name, you are hereby sentenced to death.
[Jaime looks at his brother sadly. Tyrion cannot even reply, shockingly stares in catatonic astonishment at Oberyn's skull-crushed body]
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Game of Thrones Deaths (2015)
Season 4 was a great season with none of the episodes being less than very good. Even thought "Oathkeeper" was great, regardless of its treatment of the source material that upset a number of fans. "The Mountain and the Viper" is another example of Season 4 and 'Game of Thrones' overall being on peak form, while having a marginal preference for "The Lion and the Rose" and "The Laws of Gods and Men" as far as previous episodes go.
The final fight scene is the most touted scene of "The Mountain and the Viper" and often considered an episode highlight. No wonder, it is full of intensity and suspense, if not for the squeamish (it is one of the show's most gruesome scenes up to this point), and is then capped off with a shocking twist that leaves fans aghast and anxious to see the next episode.
But it's not just that scene. The interplay between Daeneys and Jorah has a subtle tension and engrosses and Littlefinger and Tyrion are awesome.
As always with 'Game of Thrones', the acting is superb. Pedro Pascal, Aidan Gillen and Peter Dinklage are particular knockouts though Charles Dance and Emilia Clarke are also excellent.
Visually, "The Mountain and the Viper" looks amazing, as one would expect for 'Game of Thrones'. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.
One cannot talk about "The Mountain and the Viper" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions such as suspenseful tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. The story is paced beautifully, structured with such nuance and attention to coherence, a high emotional level and is done with intelligence, passion and sensitivity.
Summing up, 'Game of Thrones' does it again with another Season 4 winner. 10/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 6, 2018
Details
- Runtime52 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1