Two Swords (Game of Thrones)

"Two Swords" is the fourth season premiere episode of HBO's fantasy television series "Game of Thrones", and the 31st overall. The episode was written by series co-creators and showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Weiss. It premiered on April 6, 2014.
The title of the episode refers to the two swords Tywin Lannister forges from Ice, Ned Stark's large Valyrian steel sword, in the opening sequence.
Plot.
In King's Landing.
Tywin melts down House Stark's greatsword Ice and forges it into two new swords. One is given to Jaime as the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Tywin wants to send Jaime to rule Casterly Rock, but he refuses, prompting Tywin to disown him. Qyburn gives Jaime a gilded steel hand.
Tyrion waits for the arrival of Prince Doran Martell, but his brother Oberyn comes in his stead. Oberyn tells Tyrion that he seeks vengeance for his sister Elia, who was married to Rhaegar Targaryen and killed by Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane.
Shae tries to rekindle her romance with Tyrion, and is overheard by another handmaiden, who informs Cersei. Jaime attempts to renew his relationship with Cersei, who rebuffs him, declaring he "took too long".
Brienne tries to convince Jaime to fulfil his vow to return the Stark girls to safety, but he argues the matter is now complicated by Catelyn's death and Sansa's marriage to Tyrion. Brienne tells Margaery that she didn't kill Renly and vows to kill his killer, Stannis.
Sansa is approached by Ser Dontos Hollard, whose life she had previously saved. Dontos gives her his mother's necklace as thanks.
In the North.
Tormund and Ygritte meet with a group of cannibalistic Thenns, led by Styr.
At Castle Black.
Jon is interrogated by the Night's Watch leadership regarding his killing of Qhorin Halfhand and infiltration of the wildlings. Acting Lord Commander Alliser Thorne and Janos Slynt call for Jon to be executed, but Aemon releases him after he reveals crucial details about the wildlings forthcoming attack.
In Slaver's Bay.
As Daenerys' army marches on Meereen, they discover a dead slave girl pointing the route to Meereen. Jorah tells her there is one dead slave child on every mile to Meereen and Daenerys declares that she will see every dead child's face before burying them.
In the Riverlands.
Sandor tells Arya that he will ransom her to Lysa Arryn in the Vale. They stop at an inn, where they come across Gregor's men, including Polliver. A brawl breaks out; Sandor kills most of the soldiers, while Arya reclaims Needle from Polliver and kills him in the same way he had killed Lommy.
Production.
The episode was directed by the writing team itself, although to comply with the rules of the Directors Guild of America only Weiss is credited for directing. They previously co-directed the season three episode "Walk of Punishment", in which Benioff received sole directing credit.
Writing.
"Two Swords" was written by executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, based on George R. R. Martin's original work from his novel "A Clash of Kings", chapters Sansa II and Sansa VIII, and "A Storm of Swords", chapters Jaime VII, Tyrion V, Tyrion IV, Jon VI, Jon IX, Daenerys V, and Arya XIII. Arya's revenge against Lommy's murderer using the same method of killing was depicted in "The Winds of Winter" chapter Mercy.
Casting.
With this episode, Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) and Kristofer Hivju (Tormund Giantsbane) are promoted to series regulars. The episode has the introduction of new recurring cast members Pedro Pascal (Oberyn Martell) and Indira Varma (Ellaria Sand), while Michiel Huisman replaces Ed Skrein as the recurring character Daario Naharis. Owen Teale (Alliser Thorne), Dominic Carter (Janos Slynt) and Tony Way (Ser Dontos Hollard) make return appearances after an absence of several years (Teale in the first season, Carter and Way in the second).
Reception.
Television ratings.
"Two Swords" broke the viewership record for "Game of Thrones", which was set by episode six the previous season. 6.64 million people watched the premiere airing, and when coupled with encore airings, that number rose to 8.2 million total viewers. This was at the time HBO's highest ratings for any show since the finale episode of "The Sopranos", though it was shortly exceeded. In the UK on Sky Atlantic, "Two Swords" was top in the week with a viewership of 1.21 million.
Critical reception.
The season premiere obtained a 97% rating from 25 reviews with an average score of 9 out of 10 according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Reviewing it for IGN, Matt Fowler gave the episode a mark of 8.5 out of 10, and wrote that "'Two Swords' was a solid GoT premiere, though it certainly didn't hide the fact that the show, post-Red Wedding, is going to possibly meander more than people might enjoy or expect." Two reviews from "The A.V. Club" were written, with one intended for those who have read the novels and one for those who have not. Reviewing for the novel readers, Emily VanDerWerff gave the episode an "A-", while Erik Adams, who reviewed for the non-readers, rated the episode a "B+". Myles McNutt at "Cultural Learnings" also gave the episode a positive review, singling out the final scene with Arya and Sandor as the episode's best sequence.
Accolades.
The episode was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series at the 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.