Battle was waged for the Wall and our hearts on Game of Thrones season 4, episode 9. Check out our recap and share your thoughts on “The Watchers on the Wall.”
Here’s what happened on Game of Thrones season 4, episode 9:
Awkward conversations before the storm
As fires burn along the top of the Wall, a fatalistic Sam asks Jon what it was like to do the sex thing with Ygritte. Sam has never slept with Gilly but – ever the scholar – points out that their vow does not explicitly forbid sex. Jon tells Sam to get some rest.
Around the wildling campfire, Tormund starts to tell the story of having sex with a bear. Ygritte has no patience for this. As she makes arrows, Styr the Magnar taunts her about still having feelings for her crow, Jon Snow. She gets in his face, and vows that she – and no other wildling – will be the one to kill him.
Love, love, love
Maester Aemon talks with Sam in the library at Castle Black. Sam is scared for Gilly, and Aemon observes that neither Jon nor Sam listened when he told them that “Love is the death of duty.” (Probably ‘cuz it’s a massive bummer, bro.)
Aemon says that he was in love once, when he was still Aemon Targaryen. “Nothing makes the past a sweeter place to visit than the prospect of imminent death,” he sighs cheerfully.
Sam goes outside and hears Gilly crying by the gate. He demands that Pyp let them in, and Sam says “From now on, wherever you go, I go to,” he promises.
Above, the horn begins to blow.
The biggest fire
Beyond the wall, the Thenn’s Warg awakens from his trance. “It’s time,” he says. Ygritte, Tormund and the rest of their band begin to run at Castle Black.
Jon races to the edge of the Wall and sees that the forest has been lit on fire.
Alliser Thorne watches grimly as the men load barrels of oil to the edge of the Wall. He admits to Jon that they should have sealed the tunnel. Thorne says this is not the end; he and Jon will definitely continue to hate each other past this night.
Aww.
Safekeeping
Sam hides Gilly in Castle Black, insisting that he can’t leave his brothers – he must keep his promise to defend the Wall. He kisses Gilly.
“Promise me you won’t die,” she says, and he gives her his promise.
Wildlings and mammoths and giants – oh my!
The wildling army approaches the Wall from the north, complete with giants and mammoths. From the south, Ygritte’s band of wildlings pick off Night’s Watchmen and begin to storm Castle Black.
Alliser Thorne gives command to the top of the Wall to Janos Slynt, who arrives with news that wildlings are approaching from the south. (Almost like Jon told them they would!)
Thorne gives the men in the courtyard a rousing speech. “When the sun rises, I promise you, Castle Black will stand!” he bellows.
Atop the Wall, Slynt continues to insist there are no such things as giants – the giants are RIGHT THERE, btw – and that the wildlings do not pose a threat. Grenn tells him he is needed below, and Slynt scurries away; Jon Snow takes control of the Wall.
The wildlings from the North have begun to scale the Wall, defended by giants firing massive arrows, which is badass.
For this night…
Below, Olly – that kid who’s dad was killed by Ygritte and then the Thenns ate his village – watches as the Thenns and Ygritte invade Castle Black. They make it into the castle courtyard; Janos Slynt hides like a coward and an idiot, but finds Gilly in his hiding place.
Pyp and Sam fire on the courtyard, but Ygritte shoots Pyp through the throat. Sam holds him as he dies.
Jon, Grenn, and Dolorous Edd drop barrels on the hoards approaching from the North. Another giant dismounts from his mammoth and hooks the tunnel gate to the massive beast, preparing to tear it off.
…and all the nights to come
Jon orders Grenn to go below and hold the inner gate. Grenn swears it will hold. Below, Alliser Thorne races to protect the gate as well, but find Tormund in his way. The wildling tosses Thorne to the courtyard, but Thorne continues to below at the men to protect the gate.
Sam shoots a Thenn in the head. As Grenn rushes past, Sam says they need more men in the courtyard. Grenn tells him to complain to Jon, so Sam goes above and is like, “Help!” And Jon is like, “Oh yeah, okay.” He gives Edd command of the wall and run down to the courtyard with his friend.
Atop the Wall, the men drop flaming barrels, which makes the mammoth flee. They shoot one giant, which enrages the other, and he begins to force open the gate.
Meanwhile, the giant breaks through the outer gate. Grenn and the others recite the vow of the Night’s Watch as the massive creature races toward them.
What we know
Jon fights his way down to the courtyard, which is pure carnage. Tormund and the Thenns are making meat of the Night’s Watch. Sam Ghost. Tormund is shot, but keeps fighting.
Styr the Magnar heads for Jon and the two begin to fight. Ygritte is like, “Hell, no!” and heads toward, them, killing brothers all the way. Jon drops his sword, and the Thenn starts to beat him to a pulp by the forge… until Jon brains him with a hammer.
Bloody and staggering, Jon turns to see Ygritte holding him at arrow point. Jon almost smiles at her and they stand frozen in a private moment that is shattered when Olly shoots her in the back.
Jon holds Ygritte, promising they will go back to their cave beyond the Wall. “You know nothing, Jon Snow,” she whispers, and dies in his arms.
Regrets
As Dolorus Edd miraculously gets control of the situation on top of the Wall, Jon wearily approaches Tormund. The huge man is who is feathered with arrows, but still fighting. When Jon orders him chained, Tormund bellows, “I should have thrown you from the top of the Wall, boy!”
“Aye,” Jon says sadly. “You should have.”
Sam goes back to Gilly, who has survived, though she has done some damage to Janos Slynt. But literally nobody cares about him, so it’s fine.
Alive to see the light
In the morning, Jon and Sam survey the damage to Castle Black. Sam thinks they’ve won, but Jon says that Mance has a hundred thousand more wildlings, and giants, and mammoths. Jon tells Sam he’s going out to find Mance and kill him to tear apart the loosely-bound wildling army.
It’s a terrible plan, but there is no better option.
As Jon and Sam walk through the gate, they find the corpse of the giant, surrounded by Grenn and his men. “They held the gate,” Jon says, and tells Sam to have the bodies burned.
Jon gives Sam Longclaw, so he will not lose it again. As the gate rises on the bleak North, Sam looks at his friend.
“Jon,” says Sam. “Come back.”