I for one am glad that the last episode was a little less action. I think it's been a bit much with the action of late. The one thing I've always like about GOT was the political intrigue and the characters. Much more than just "action". This season seems all about action frankly. (Mind you, I guess that the characters are fully developed, so where do you go now?) It was getting a little too much JJ Abrams (the Destroyer of Star Trek) for me. Especially with Episode 4.
I disagree with previous posters about there not being any sexual tension between Daenerys and Jon Snow. It's there alright. In Ep 4, you saw it not only when Davos stated that he could see Jon Snow staring at her "good heart" and Jon's sheepish denials, but more so in the cave scene (Another
cave scene for Jon Snow). In the cave, Jon not only showed Daenerys the wonders of the rock formations, but then he took her gently by the forearm and lead her over to the cave drawings on the wall. Pretty forward considering she's a queen and all. And she didn't resist and infact seemed to acquiesce. Almost girl like. Not at all like Daenerys of the last 3 seasons. Also in the Ep 4, she asked Jon for his opinion about her situation with respect to Casterly Rock and the Unsullied being stuck there thus signifying that she respects his opinion. He's more to her than just a pretty boy with brooding eyes. Now in last night's episode, when Jon announces he's leaving, you can tell she doesn't want him to go and when he finally does leave, you can see the longing in her eyes as the camera holds the shot on her eyes for more than just a moment and she does not break her gaze. It's very subtle, but it's very evident. There is mutual attraction.
With respect to EP4, it was rather frightening to see what Daenerys is capable of. Flying her dragon and literally wiping out the Lannister army in one fell swoop with no quarter offered. On one hand, she took the advice Jon and Tyrion gave her and did not lay waste to Kings Landing (which she easily could have) and melt castles and burn cities, however, then she would be like every other ruler the people had ever known. But instead she targeted the Lannister army. Which is what I suppose you're supposed to do when you're fighting a war - target soldiers and not civilians. However, she did it rather easily. Same with this episode just past. No problem incinerating Old Man Tarly and even Dickon Tarly. I wasn't sad to see the old man go. But you could tell that Dickon was having second thoughts and he was a victim. Young and naïve. (I would have "bent the knee", that's for damn sure.) She could have also beheaded them quickly and humanely but instead chose to burn them alive. She's got a nasty side to her. (As does every other female character on the show really - Sansa, Arya, Cersi, Brienne. Each and every one of them is a killer).
And now getting to Cersi. There's very little likeable about Cersi. She is the true Machiavellian (the end justifies the means) and no-one is untouchable as far as it goes. No-one. She has evolved since the middle of the series
when Tywin would chastise her for being foolish, however, she still fails to have gained wisdom (Something Tywin once said made for a good leader.) Cersi is most definitely ruthless and a tyrant. Even Jaime is just fodder for her now. You can see that she manipulates him more than anything now. (She always did manipulate him, and he was always too naïve to see it, but she's taken it to a whole new level now.) For example, she's never been really that interested in sex with him since about season 2 or 3. If anything, she would rebuff his advances in the past seasons. But now all of a sudden in the last episode not only does she initiate sex with Jaime (as opposed to in the past where he almost had to rape her), but she doesn't care in the slightest that they might be discovered. But here's the thing.... She didn't fuck Jaime because she loved him, or was drawn to him, or even that she needed a nice hard cock. Nope. Cersi fucked Jaime (and I use the word fuck deliberately) because she needs him and she is manipulating him with sex (which he's too in blind love to see) and now she's pregnant with his child (virtually guaranteeing his unquestioning loyalty). Cersi needs Jaime. Jaime wants Cersi. Cersi knows this and all of a sudden spreads for him for the first time in forever. You could tell in the episode when Jaime spirited his daughter by Cersi (Myrcella) away from Dorn how happy Jaime was in the first time that Myrcella knew he was her father and didn't reject him, in fact, she told him that she was OK with that. Jaime was bursting with fatherly love. Something I have the feeling he's always wanted, but cold never have. And Cersi knows this and she uses it against Jaime.
I loved the scene with the dragon Drogon recognizing Jon as a Targaryon. There was no indication that Daenerys understood the significance of Drogon's behaviour, but we all know. (I think back to the episode where Tyrion freed the 2 other dragons from their chains and a similar reaction. At that time there was speculation on line that Tyrion was also a dragon, a product of an affair between the mad King and Tywin's wife (since it was known in the books that the mad king always wanted Tywin's wife). I figure that somewhere down the road when Jon's true lineage is revealed, there is going to be some scene involving fire where Jon shows that he is immune to its effects much like Daenerys. Should be interesting when Jon is revealed to the heir to the House of Targaryen and not Daenerys. (Since Bran knows that Jon is a product of Rhaegar and Lyanna and Sam holds the proof as to the annulment of Rhaegar's marriage to Elia Martel (and presumably the marriage to Lyanna Stark that followed.) Supposedly Jon's real name is Jaehaerys Targaryen (according to the discussions on line.) Though I can't see him being known as Jaehaerys.