Game of Thrones season 4, episode 3, TV review - 'Enjoyable but no Purple Wedding'

It’s safe to say that following the histrionics of Joffrey’s wedding, season four is now in full flow

Maisie Williams as Arya and Rory McCann as The Hound (HBO)

Whilst this week was thoroughly enjoyable, it was no Purple Wedding.

Things are moving along at a good pace, with the story unfolding (thankfully) a lot quicker than it did in the novels.

Sansa escaped King’s Landing with Littlefinger of all people. He is the least trustworthy person in the Capital. Let’s not forget, he was responsible for Ned Stark’s capture and hit on mourning Catelyn Stark when he brought back Ned’s remains to her. So how safe will Sansa really be?

Saying this, perhaps now that she is away from Joffrey and the Lannisters, can Sansa now come into her own? She lacks the Stark grit of her siblings and has been downright annoying at times and a change is needed.

The most surprising thing about Sansa’s rescue wasn’t just the reappearance of Littlefinger but his distinctly Irish accent. Aidan Gillen, who plays the shrewd brothel keeper, seems to have reverted to his native inflections, Little Finger has never sounded so Irish before.

His return was a nice little twist and serves as a reminder that even if a character ‘disappears’, there is every chance that he or she will come back when the audience least expects it.

Meanwhile back in the Capital things were hotting up. As predicted, viewers got more of Oberyn and Ellaria’s sexual antics, which in itself wasn’t that exciting, instead it was the full frontal nude male shots that would have left many wide-eyed in disbelief.

Finally there was some equality in the nakedness on the show! It's only taken about four years but well done to the makers for bringing parity to bare flesh. Will this be a one-off? Let’s hope not.

It wasn’t all sex and escapes though. There was plenty of horror to keep things suitably grim: from Jaime raping Cersei next to the body of his dead son to the wilding attack on a village. It was the standard grotesquerie we have come to expect from Game of Thrones.

Luckily, there was some light relief from an unlikely source, Arya and the Hound who seem to have formed an unexpected comedy duo… well, by Westeros standards. Maisie Williams and Rory McCann are great and bounce off each other well.

There was a very dark vein of humour running through their plot strand, and it was hilarious when they pretended to be a father and daughter in order to gain shelter and food.

Unfortunately the laughs were quickly cut short when the Hound beat up their host and robbed him. It is Game of Thrones, after all.

‘Breaker of Chains’ was a strong instalment, there were some nice little twists and moments in the episode but the best is yet to come.

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