The Bastard Executioner Season 1 Episode 4 Review And Recap! A Hunger/Newyn!

The episode opens with Wilkin by the fire, reading the book of Exodus. Jessamy mutters in her sleep clearly having a nightmare involving Maddox. Wilkin may have lost his unborn baby, yet he becomes a father to not one, but two children. Even though he is merely putting up a front, he cares for them sincerely.

The next morning, Wilkin wakes up talking to Petra; well, to the allusion of Petra. Is it his guilt that keeps bringing her back? Does her allusion serves as a guardian to lead him on the right path? Wilkin confesses he’ll never get another chance at true love. Petra disagrees claiming he had already found his match. He starts kissing Petra, but finishes with Jessamy as reality kicks him on the lips half way through. Wilkin pulls back instantly looking repulsed. Oh come on, she is not that bad; a tad bit weird, but not awful. Just as Jessamy prepares herself to advance their pillow talk, Wilkin gets off the bed. Naturally, she is unhappy about his resistance. Yes, she takes the whole “staying in character” to a whole other level by never breaking the charade. Give this woman an Oscar. Wilkin tries to be sensitive, but Jessamy’s commitment creep him out. It’s like a dysfunctional arranged marriage.

Wilkin bonds with Luca; he realizes that the poor family has been abused by their true father and husband. He understands that utter fear is behind Jessamy’s elaborate act. Wilkin makes a deal with Luca; he promises to teach him how to read, if he helps Wilkin to get through to his mother. Jessamy over hears their conversation. Initially she was touched by Wilkin’s kindness, but then realizes the flaw in her plan; the abuse. Later on, Wilkin walks in on Jessamy scorching Luca as punishment. Wilkin does not abuse them, so she takes it upon herself to carry it out to maintain their “abusive” relationship. She even gives herself a black eye. Damn woman!

Meanwhile, Milus plots his own plan to take control over the Shire; a very ambitious man who is willing to take calculated risks. The effigy of Barron Ventris stands in front of the main bridge, nose attached. Too bad, we can’t say the same for the young girl who went under the blade. Milus is smart enough to keep tabs on Wilkin and Toran. Even though he may seem to have the upper hand, he knows his future is also at stake along with Wilkin’s, keeping Wilkin’s identity a secret.

Milus gets distracted with the arrival of their guests, Barron Pryce and his company. Jessamy “reminds” Wilkin about the incident at Pryceshire involving the Baron’s Chamberlain, Sir Dyer; the reason for their departure from Pryceshire. Not good news for Wilkin. Baron Pryce is furious about making a journey to Ventrishire at the Baroness’s request just to find out that she is not even present at the castle. Milus lies about Lady Love’s sudden departure upon the King’s request; even though she has been gone over a week. Wilkin attempts to leave the Shire before crossing paths with Sir Dyer, but unfortunately, their presence is requested for the upcoming tournament.

Wilkin bumps into Milus, who is always armed with colorful compliments; “Shouldn’t you be preparing for the contest Maddox, impressing Pryceshire with your earthy swagger?” Ignoring his childish banter, Wilkin reveals his involvement in Pryceshire. Milus is confident and assures him that his secret is not at risk. Sir Dyer is the only one knows the face of Maddox; “Do not concern yourself with Sir Dyer. He plants himself so deeply inside his Barron’s arse, he has no vision beyond those bony cheeks.”

At the expense of Lady Love’s absence, Milus offers an intriguing proposal to Baron Pryce; build a port to make Ventrishire the center of all imports and exports. Why would he lend them the money, right? Well, Milus throws a curve ball offering Ventrishire to Baron Pryce with him by his side as his Chamberlain. He does not expect the King to allow Lady Love to be in charge of Ventrishire. A marriage to an appointed noble is one move that could trump the King’s decisions that may lead to losing the Shire.

Even though the offer is pretty enticing, Baron Pryce is aware of the two obstacles in his path; his ailing wife and his Chamberlain, Sir Dyer. By now he has figured out that Lady Love never requested his presence. Baron Pryce is sold on the idea, but he obviously wants Milus to do the dirty work for him to align all the stars in their favor. Milus reassures the Baron claiming that everything will “work out” in the end. He even goes as far as to flatter Baron Pryce, who looks like the entire cast of “Nightmare before Christmas”, on his charms and good looks. Funny how Milus accused Sir Dyer for having his head up the Baron’s arse, but now Milus is kissing his bony cheeks from his rear to the ones up his face in an attempt to convince him to accept his bold proposal.

We come across yet another mutilated body matching satanic rituals. Milus gets the word of the severed body from Leon, and advices him to keep the news on the down low; “I do not want Barron Pryce thinking that Satan dances at our gates.” We have a deranged serial killer on our hands.

Annora wakes up in terror, feeling a disturbance in the air. I might be wrong, but I’m guessing she is a part of a secret order, which threatens the faith of the holy church. She is connected spiritually to all seraphim and senses when they are under stress. Seraphim Tobias gets captured while struggling to send out a message not meant for the soldiers’ eyes. He tries to burn the script, but unfortunately gets caught. Tobias bears an intricate tattoo on his back just like Annora. She advices Berber, Ash, and Calo to set camp along the coast, but they insist on staying back for her protection. However, Calo has a change of heart and decides to flee the camp. Berber employs guilt to keep him put. Not long after, Knights ride into their camp and captures all three of them. They are taken away under false accusations of satanic killings.

Meanwhile, Milus holds a tournament in honor of their recent guests. The tournament goes in favor of Milus since he gets to parade his Knights in front of his future Barron. Wilkin gets his chance to show off his mad skills while Milus butter up the Baron with his “Double persuasion”. I’m sure he is not thinking about his sick wife right about now. Noticing the coo between Milus and Barron Pryce, Sir Dyer steps in to reclaim his ground with the Baron. However, Milus distracts him instantly telling him about Maddox. Milus plants suspicion about Wilkin. This can’t possibly end well.

Unaware of the situation, Wilkin carries on with his impressive swordsmanship. After getting all wound up by the adrenaline rush from the games, Wilkin shoves Leon who approached to congratulate him. Taking it in as playful teasing, Leon joins the game. Things get pretty heated and Wilkin start playing rough on the playground. Loosing track of his emotions, Wilkin almost kills Leon. Thanks to Toran, Leon survives the blow. Milus applauds awkwardly to break the tension, and to keep the good time rolling.

Alone, Wilkin cools down during dinner. His peace is quickly broken by Sir Dyer and Milus. Sir Dyer confronts Wilkin on his false identity. Milus knocks him out cold just as he was about to notify the Baron. That was his way of meeting Wilkin half way. Milus forces Wilkin to kill Sir Dyer; “make it look like an accident”. Not having any other choice, Wilkin ends up killing him with a chicken leg. Sir Dyer dies with a full mouth.

Lady Love is missing out on all the excitement back at Ventrishire, but she is on her own adventure to Windsor to seek council from King Edward II. She reaches the King’s castle and is welcomed by the King’s trusted advisor, Piers Gaveston. He is quite the “charmer”, who deserves a proper high-five to his face. Ignoring his rude behavior, Lady Love graciously keeps her cool and carries herself well; true nobility. She knows she can’t afford to offend the voice in King’s ear.

Even though Lady Love has always dreamt of meeting the King, she is currently dreading the very thought of his highness. Her spirit retreats as she regrets not bringing council. Her maiden, Isabel reminds Lady Love of her courage and strength giving her the confidence she desperately needed. Isabel’s friendship keeps her sane, especially in a testosterone driven environment.

Meanwhile, deep inside the castle, Seraphim Tobias is being tortured for information on the script. They want to find the rest of the seraphim, so they could translate the sacred text. It looks like a major holy war is going down right under the King’s pad. The Archdeacon of Windsor not only prays, but also preys in the name of God. They continue to torture Tobias in hopes of breaking his silence, but fails.

They struggle to decode the cryptic message since every Seraphim they’ve tracked down carried a unique scroll that couldn’t be related to another. They attempt to figure out the destination of the message by using the port they captured Tobias. The punisher skins Tobias and he becomes the newest addition to the Archdeacon’s horrific wall paper. Using the maps, they figure out potential receiving ports that included Ventrishire. Sadly, Annora loses another one of her foot soldiers. She might be next. Yikes!

The Baroness meets the Archdeacon of Windsor and attempts to get advice on the current matter, but he storms off followed by Gaveston. She fails to get a word in; “Find me a shovel”. Personally, I would love to see Lady Love have a field day smacking the crap out of Gaveston. They are really testing her nerves. She has yet to meet the King.

The King keeps Lady Love waiting in a chamber filled with food, but she is unable to take a single bite since no one is allowed to eat before the King. They remain still patiently; starving while waiting for the King to arrive. Hours pass with no sign of the King. Isabel is on her last nerve and tries to convince the Baroness to eat. Things really get obnoxious when a servant walks in to replace a pie with a fresh one. Wow! Lady Love finally cracks out of hunger. She starts pilling food into a basket and exits the chamber with Isabel.

After getting stood up, Lady Love gets an unwelcomed visit from Gaveston to her chambers middle of the night. He barges in while she is asleep to request her presence in front of the King. You are joking right? We finally get a glimpse of the young King. He looks like medieval frat boy finding entertainment in their drunken archery; correction, debauchery. Is it me, or does he remind you of a young French Carrot Top? Lady Love walks into the frat party feeling completely out of place. Her “meeting” with the King was more of an awkward “meet and greet”.

His advisor, Gaveston held the fate of the Shire all along, since Ventrishire is not a top priority on the King’s agenda. Gaveston reveals that all previous agreements made by the King’s father are dismissed and the future of the Shire is left in the mercy of his hands. Such a prick! Livid by the fruitless visit, Lady Love announces her departure back to Ventrishire first thing in the morning.

The next morning, Gaveston brings the ugly news Lady Love dreaded. They’ve decided to split Ventrishire giving the ownership to the neighboring Shires. The coastal area with the castle goes under Gaveston’s authority. That sounds like payback for her “tude” late night. Clearly, he didn’t enjoy Lady Love snapping back at him.

Lady Love is smart; she knows the second loophole that trumps the King’s decision. She shocks Gaveston by announcing, “I’m with air; blessed gift from my departed husband.” Way to go Lady Love! Even Gaveston’s “Resting Bitch Face” fell apart hearing the unexpected news. Lady Love’s quick thinking may have just saved Ventrishire. We all know she is lying, but it should give her enough time to sort things out. Then again, Milus is working on his own backup plan to keep Ventrishire under their control. I just love her more each week, and can’t wait to see her reaction to Milus’s plan back home.
Until next time, hold on to your heads!