The Watchers on the Wall

"The Watchers on the Wall" is the ninth and penultimate episode of the fourth season of HBO's fantasy television series "Game of Thrones", and the 39th overall. The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Neil Marshall. It aired on June 8, 2014.
Like season two's "Blackwater" (also directed by Marshall), the episode focuses exclusively on one storyline: the Wildling assault on Castle Black and the Wall, and the Night's Watch defense, led by Ser Alliser Thorne and Jon Snow.
Plot.
As they keep watch atop the Wall for the coming invasion, Jon and Samwell discuss Jon's relationship with Ygritte during his time with the wildlings. At a nearby camp, the Thenn Warg scouts the Wall using an owl, while Ygritte declares that Jon is hers to kill. In the library of Castle Black, Sam and Maester Aemon discuss Gilly, who arrives at the castle. Their reunion is cut short by horns signaling that Mance Rayder's army has arrived. Jon sees a massive fire burning on the north side of the Wall, and he and his brothers complete preparations for battle. Sam finds Gilly and her baby sheltering in the kitchen, and joins the defense after kissing her goodbye.
Ygritte reports that the castle's entrance is undermanned, and Styr orders the group to attack. As Thorne readies the archers, another horn informs him the castle is being attacked from both sides. Thorne leaves charge of the Wall to Slynt and heads for the castle to battle the Thenns. Slynt proves an inept commander, and Grenn tricks him into going to the castle, leaving Jon in charge. Several giants and a woolly mammoth attempt to pull up the Wall gate, and Jon sends Grenn with men to defend the passage. At the castle, Thorne is wounded by Tormund and is taken to be treated. Sam and Pyp shoot at the wildlings with crossbows, but Pyp is shot through the neck by Ygritte. Sam ascends the Wall, killing the Thenn Warg, and informs Jon that the courtyard is overrun, and Jon leaves charge of the Wall to Edd.
Returning to the south side of Castle Black, Jon leads the remaining Night's Watch, along with his direwolf, Ghost. Jon kills Styr after taking a severe beating, and is confronted by Ygritte. She hesitates as they smile at each other, and Olly shoots her in the back. As Ygritte and Jon reminisce that they should have stayed in the cave together, she dies in his arms. Edd leads a successful defense, and the wildling army appears to withdraw. Tormund, hit by several arrows, is captured on Jon's orders.
In the morning, Jon tells Sam that he will go north of the Wall to kill Mance. They find Grenn and his men have died killing a giant, and Jon tells Sam to have their bodies burned. Jon gives Sam his sword, Longclaw, before departing.
Production.
This episode adapts content from the "A Storm of Swords" chapters Jon VII, Jon VIII and Jon IX.
"The Watchers on the Wall" marks the return of director Neil Marshall, whose previous episode for the show as director was "Blackwater". Marshall also makes a cameo appearance in the episode as an archer on the Wall.
Reception.
Ratings.
"The Watchers on the Wall" was watched by an estimated 6.95 million people during its first airing. In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 1.748 million viewers, making it the highest-rated broadcast that week. It also received 0.072 million timeshift viewers.
Critical reception.
The episode received a score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes (the lowest of the season) and an average rating of 10/10, based on 52 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "While 'The Watchers of the Wall' lacks the emotional punch of previous episodes this season, it succeeds as an action-packed hour with cinema-worthy visuals."
James Hibberd of "Entertainment Weekly" wrote, "[the episode] was an intense rousing hour of heroism and heartbreak that set a new bar for what this show – and TV – can do." Another positive review came from Terri Schwartz of Zap2it.com, who wrote, "As the most expensive episode of the series, the Battle at Castle Black felt like an equivalent of "" Battle of Helm's Deep." David Malitz of "The Washington Post" was more negative about the episode, writing, "Aside from the major moment with Jon Snow and Ygritte it was hard to feel too emotionally invested in anything that happened. And as visually exciting as it was to watch everything unfold, the ending was surprisingly unfulfilling."
Accolades.
Neil Marshall was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for this episode.