In HBO's "Game of Thrones," a robust cast of lords and ladies all plot to claim the Iron Throne and rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Between the beheadings and the house mottos, it can be easy to lose track of who does what. Here's a brief guide to who's who while they're still here: 
Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage): With his sharp wit and swift thinking, Peter Dinklage's Tyrion Lannister has managed to stay alive through all three seasons of "Game of Thrones," which hasn't been easy considering the scrapes he's been in. A Lannister and therefore the son of the wealthiest guy around, Tyrion is nonetheless despised by his family because of his size and their belief that he "killed" their mother during childbirth. At the start of season four, Tyrion -- turned down by his father to be the heir to the Lannister family compound -- has been married off to benefit the family. 
Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke): As one of the few surviving descendants of the Targaryen family, Daenerys has a lot of expectations riding on her platinum-haired head. But, much to our enjoyment, she has risen to and surpassed all of them. Once nothing more than an offering for a king, Daenerys -- called Khaleesi, or queen, by the Dothraki people she once helped rule -- has morphed into a Mother of Dragons who insists on justice and is a formidable foe in the "Game of Thrones." In season four, she fights to free the slaves of Meereen and conquer the city while her dragons continue to grow into the beasts they're destined to be. 
Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson): In the pantheon of most-hated TV characters, "Game of Thrones'" boy king Joffrey has to be one of the top choices. He's petulant, cruel and too immature to rule, but don't tell him that or he'll have your tongue. The most delicious part for the viewers at home is that he's not the rightful heir to the Iron Throne that he thinks he is, although that didn't stop his reign of terror. In our personal opinions, we'd say the Purple Wedding was one of Joff's best scenes. 
Arya Stark (Maisie Williams): Much of Arya's family has been sent to their graves by one wicked person or another, but the young swordswoman is still kicking. As season four begins, she's searching for her aunt with Sandor "The Hound" Clegane at her side, imparting lessons in mercilessness and self-preservation. 
Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey): Cersei has become more or less your stereotypical evil queen, albeit one who has zero issues with incest. After helping her son Joffrey take the throne, Cersei has tried to rule alongside her son only to see him overtake her will. With his impending wedding to a lady from the House of Tyrell, we'll be watching to see how Joffrey's nuptials impact Cersei's power in season four. 
Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau): Jaime Lannister began the "Game of Thrones" as a pretty despicable character, one who had no compunction about throwing a 10-year-old from a window. But over the course of season three this lovesick nobleman was put through his paces, losing the very limb that helped him become so powerful. Now in season four, he's returning to the love of his life -- his sister, Cersei -- with a deformity she may not be able to overlook. 
Jon Snow (Kit Harington): From bastard son to wildling lover, Jon Snow and his immaculate Medieval tresses have had quite the journey. Jon vowed to be loyal to the Night's Watch -- the ragtag group who stand guard at the icy North wall on high alert for the fantastical (the zombie-like White Walkers) and the free (wildlings) -- and he's held true to that promise even after a detour in the arms of wildling Ygritte. But now, after spurning the affection of one such wildling, Jon Snow needs to be prepared to pay in season four as he takes on a bigger leadership role with the Night's Watch. 
Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen): If you find yourself confused as to who exactly Theon Greyjoy is, don't feel bad: he is, too. Once the ward of the House of Stark, Theon betrayed those who were like family to him to claim a noble title that lasted for essentially a nanosecond. As season four begins, Theon is suffering as a prisoner and punching bag for Bastard of Bolton Ramsay Snow, who has the guy thinking his name is "Reek." 
Sandor "The Hound" Clegane (Rory McCann): A killer to the bone but not without a heart, Sandor, or "The Hound" as he's known, was once a bodyguard for King Joffrey but deserted his post. He then tried to take hostage Arya Stark in hopes he could exchange her for ransom, but as season four starts, their relationship has shifted from kidnapper/hostage to mentor/mentee. 
Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright): Bran Stark, the middle son of the House of Stark, was left crippled from the very first episode of "Game of Thrones" but has gained a gift for visions. With his faithful Hodor (Kristian Nairn) by his side for mobility, the now orphaned Bran begins season four beyond the Wall in search of the three-eyed Raven he frequently sees in visions. 
Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner): Sansa Stark (now Sansa Lannister) is a character many love to hate, because she started out as pretty insufferable. But after being ridiculed and tortured by Joffrey Lannister, her former fiance, and held captive by him and his family, we've come around. Thankfully, the Lannister she's been forced to marry is Tyrion, who at least has promised not to mistreat her as we proceed into season four. 
Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance): Joffrey may wear the crown but it's his grandfather, Tywin Lannister, who schemes to keep the Lannister family's legacy rich in money and power. The evil mastermind behind the hideous Red Wedding in the third season, we won't flinch if it's Tywin who meets a gruesome end as Hand of the King in season four. 
Ygritte (Rose Leslie): Ygritte, one of the Free Folk who live beyond the Wall and are known derogatorily as wildlings by those in the Seven Kingdoms, is proud of her people and deathly with a bow and arrow. She spent most of season 3 as the love interest of Jon Snow, but after he deserted her for the Night's Watch she's ready to start season four making everyone feel as much pain as she does. 
Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer): Margaery Tyrell, the lady now betrothed to King Joffrey, at first seems as sweet as she is beautiful. But don't be fooled: As she prepares to reign alongside Joffrey in season four, trust that any kindness you see is stealthily calculated. 
Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane): As a brother to the late King Robert Baratheon -- who held the throne before his son-in-name-only Joffrey took over -- Stannis Baratheon knows he has a rightful claim the crown. He's gone into battle trying to seal his position, and now regularly turns to the magic of creepy "Red Priestess" Melisandre (Carice van Houten) for help. 
Melisandre (Carice van Houten): Known as the Red Priestess, Melisandre's magic is lethal, but Stannis Baratheon doesn't seem to mind when her power helps him move closer to the Iron Throne. 
Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal): Arriving at King's Landing for the first time, Martell is from Dorne, in the southern reaches of the Seven Kingdoms, where passions run hot and slights are not forgotten. Weigh that against the fact that his sister was killed by Lannister soldiers and you have a recipe for trouble.
- Sunday's "Game of Thrones" featured a controversial scene
- The author of the book series the show's based on has responded
- George R.R. Martin: I intended for that scene to be disturbing
(CNN) -- "Game of Thrones" has never strictly followed the book series it's based on, but that fan frustration turned disturbing on Sunday's episode.
In the third installment of the fourth season, "Breaker of Chains," fans were flabbergasted by a scene in which Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) forces himself on his sister, Cersei (Lena Headey). It wasn't the incest viewers were taken back by -- Jamie and Cersei's relationship is a crucial thread in the books and on the HBO series -- but the rape.
It was a confusing and jarring plot twist, not only because Jaime and Cersei's trysts have been consensual, but because the scene doesn't play out that way in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.
As excerpts show, Martin did envision Jaime being the more enthusiastic participant at this point in the story, and Cersei as more hesitant. But, as Martin makes clear on his blog, she wasn't raped.
"Though the time and place is wildly inappropriate and Cersei is fearful of discovery, she is as hungry for him as he is for her," he says.
That said, "Game of Thrones" has made some chronological changes to the storyline, meaning "neither character is in the same place as in the books, which may be why (the scene) played ... differently," Martin went on. "But that's just my surmise; we never discussed this scene, to the best of my recollection."
It sounds like the director and the two actors starring in the scene didn't talk much about it either. As the episode's helmer Alex Graves told HitFix's Alan Sepinwall, "nobody really wanted to talk about what was going on between the two characters, so we had a rehearsal that was a blocking rehearsal. ... By the time you do that and you walk through it, the actors feel comfortable going home to think about it. The only other thing I did was that ordinarily, you rehearse the night before, and I wanted to rehearse that scene four days before, so that we could think about everything. And it worked out really well. That's one of my favorite scenes I've ever done."
Graves also appears to have a different understanding of what was portrayed on screen. "Well, it becomes consensual by the end, because anything for them ultimately results in a turn-on, especially a power struggle," he said.
Although Martin didn't have a conversation about the controversial moment before it arrived on air, he did always intend for that moment "to be disturbing," the author says on his blog. "But I do regret if it has disturbed people for the wrong reasons."
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