Pedro Pascal's Oberyn: The Episode That Proved His Greatness

A decade before he became Joel Miller on 'The Last of Us,' Pedro Pascal played a very different father figure. On 'Game of Thrones' Season 4, he portrayed Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper of Dorne, a character who appeared in only seven episodes but left an outsized impression.

Collider revisits Oberyn's arc and concludes that Episode 8, 'The Mountain and the Viper,' is the proof of Pascal's greatness. The episode caps a revenge plot that Oberyn had been nursing for 17 years: the rape and murder of his sister Elia and her children, carried out by Gregor Clegane on Tywin Lannister's orders during the sack of King's Landing.

Oberyn arrived at King's Landing seeking justice that never came. He maneuvered himself into position as Tyrion Lannister's champion in a trial by combat, not to save Tyrion but to finally confront the Mountain. Pascal played Oberyn's cunning with a swagger that contrasted sharply with his later role in 'The Last of Us.'

The fight itself is tragic. Oberyn demands a confession, taunts the Mountain, and appears to win until his overconfidence costs him. The Mountain crushes his skull. It is a scene nearly identical to George R.R. Martin's book. Collider notes that Oberyn did succeed in one way: his poisoned spear ensured the Mountain's slow, agonizing death.

Collider argues that Oberyn's death is among the most heartbreaking in the series, rivaling the Red Wedding. Pascal had the challenge of endearing himself to the audience in only seven episodes and succeeded. Audiences loved Oberyn's righteous cause, seeing the Lannisters face a deserved punishment for Elia's fate.

Oberyn Martell remains a marker of how tragic and unfair Westeros can be. Pascal's performance was perfect for his brief run, and the episode proves why he was the greatest character in the show's run.

• Game of Thrones
• HBO
• Oberyn Martell
• Pedro Pascal
• Season 4
• The Mountain and the Viper