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Game of Thrones – Season 1, Episode 4 Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things

Play trailer Game of Thrones – Season 1, Episode 4 Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things Aired May 8, 2011 Drama Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 19 Reviews
Ned looks for clues; Robert and his guests witness a tournament; Viserys clashes with Daenerys; Sansa imagines her future as queen.
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Game of Thrones — Season 1, Episode 4

Game of Thrones — Season 1, Episode 4

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Critics Consensus

Nuanced characters and a gripping plot help "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" set a new first-season benchmark for Game of Thrones.

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Cast & Crew

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Sean Bean

Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark

Mark Addy

King Robert Baratheon

Peter Dinklage

Tyrion Lannister

Lena Headey

Queen Cersei Lannister

Michelle Fairley

Lady Catelyn Stark

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Ser Jaime Lannister
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Game of Thrones — Season 1, Episode 4

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Critics Reviews

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James Poniewozik TIME Magazine 03/13/2019
The episode does a nice job both setting up the swords-drawn cliffhanger, as Catelyn takes Tyrion into custody, and complicating our picture of him. Go to Full Review Ed Cumming Daily Telegraph (UK) 03/13/2019
The highlight of the episode was the jousting tournament, which was everything good about the series so far. Loud, dirty, expensive and excessively gory. Go to Full Review Adam Pasick New York Magazine/Vulture 03/22/2016
Best development of a great episode: I am starting to think that the blank-faced portrayal of Daenerys in the early episodes was more a dramatic ploy than bad acting. Go to Full Review Tony Black Cultural Conversation 04/02/2022
3.5/5
Rippling across Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things therefore is a pointed tying together of themes unlike which weve seen in Game of Thrones to date. Go to Full Review TK Burton Pajiba 04/10/2019
[It] continues the show's remarkable ability to continue the narrative of the novel, while still narrowing its focus enough to create a common thematic thread. Go to Full Review Devin Faraci Birth.Movies.Death. 03/13/2019
Production value is going to continue to be a struggle for the series, especially as we get to armies clashing, but as long as the character work remains as strong as this episode, I won't complain too much. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Episode Info

Synopsis Ned looks for clues; Robert and his guests witness a tournament; Viserys clashes with Daenerys; Sansa imagines her future as queen.
Director
Brian Kirk
Executive Producer
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis, Ralph Vicinanza, George R.R. Martin
Screenwriter
Bryan Cogman
Network
HBO
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Drama, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date
May 8, 2011