Meet the Sand Snakes, the bastard daughters of Oberyn and Ellaria.
1. New House & New Location
We met our first member of House Martell, Prince Oberyn, last season. (Who can forget his sultry voice, his disdain for Lannisters’, and his way with candles?) Sadly, the Mountain crushed our handsome prince (pun definitely intended) during a battle by combat that resulted in the infamous Oberyn Headsplosion. For those of you that didn’t read the books, House Martell is the head family in the Kingdom of Dorne ruling out of the castle of Sunspear. Dorne, the southernmost point of the Seven Kingdoms, has been mentioned in Game of Thrones before. You may recall that when Tyrion was serving as Hand of the King, he orchestrated a plot to have Marcella Baratheon (Lannister) sent away from King’s Landing. The little lion princess is currently trapped living in Dorne.
Dorne is different from the rest of the kingdoms of Westeros in that it was never truly conquered by the Targaryen’s. Dorne swore fielty to the Iron Throne by choice centuries after Aegon’s invasion. Like their ancestors that came before House Martell, Dornish noble Houses follow gender-blind equal primogeniture, in which the eldest child is the heir regardless of whether they are male or female. The words of the Martells are “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” and bastard children assume the name of “Sand.” The Martells are deeply resentful of the Lannister family and blame Tywin for the death of Elia Martell, wife of Prince Rhaegar Targeryen, and her children.
This season, we will meet even more members of House Martell. Oberyn’s paramour, Ellaria Sand, will be returning to report the dreadful news of Oberyn’s death to the reigning Prince of Dorne and Oberyn’s older brother, Prince Doran Martell. We will also be meeting the Sand Snakes, the bastard daughters of Oberyn and Ellaria. The Sand Snakes are skilled fighters trained by their father and will most certainly be seeking revenge against the Lannisters.
Rumor has it that Jaime Lannister will be departing King’s Landing and riding south to broker peace in Dorne. Bookreaders know this is a change in Jaime’s story and I’m interested to see how they fit this into Jaime’s character progression. Perhaps the Kingslayer will arrive just in time to save Princess Marcella from the deadly grasp of the Sand Snakes?
Sand Snakes using scorpion torture. NBD
2. No Bran, No Hodor.
‘Nough said. This season will not include Bran Stark or his gentle giant companion, Hodor, as the TV series has caught up to his storyline. Who will be around to “Hodor” for us?!
3. Who Crossed the Narrow Sea?
When we left, Arya had set her sights on Braavos. For those of you in need of a refresh, remember Jaqen H’ghar? Jaqen helped Arya, Hot Pie, and Gendry escape Harrenhal in season two and then he changed into another person like whoosh. That’s because he was a member of the Faceless Men, a trained group of assassins. Arya used the coin given to her by Jaqen to gain passage to cross the Narrow Sea. Is Arya on her way to become an assassin? Will she soon be just as deadly as Jaqen?
The last we saw of Tyrion, he was being packed into a box by Varys and boarding a ship set sail for freedom. This was all after he killed Tywin on the toilet and strangled Shae with her own necklace. Can we all just have a slow clap for Tyrion?
But, where is he going? Judging by this season 5 poster, we can make one guess:
Also, in recent clips we’ve heard this exchange between Varys and Tyrion:
V: The Seven Kingdoms needs a ruler loved by millions with a powerful army and the right family name.
T: Good luck finding him. V: Who said anything about ‘him’?”
4. The Wall is Getting Crowded
The Brothers of the Night’s Watch are no longer alone.
At the end of last season, we saw the arrival of Stannis Baratheon at The Wall where he saved Jon Snow from certain imprisonment and possible death at the hands of Mance Rayder. The goal here for Stannis is to protect all of Westeros from the White Walkers and prove himself the One True King.
The Night’s Watch also needs a new leader (RIP Lord Commander Mormont). Who will be chosen to take the lead? Will Stannis insert himself, or will he allow a new Brother to rise to the top?
Bonus, rumor has it Melisandre will set her eyes on Jon Snow. Man, this guy’s got a thing for redheads, I VOLUNTEER!
5. And everyone else?
Dark Sansa
Sansa has officially made a deal with the devil, as in Littlefinger. (Reminder: Littlefinger revealed at the end of season four that HE was the one who killed Jon Arryn, which instigated King Robert riding North and setting Game of Thrones in motion). Now that she’s dyed her hair and decided to join the “game,” what’s next for these two? I don’t know but I bet it’ll be a little creepy.
Third time’s a charm?
Poor Margaery is set to marry a king, again. Will sweet, innocent Tommen survive the wedding? Only time will tell.
It’s a man’s man’s man’s world
…but all her men are gone! What will Cersei do without Tywin, Tyrion, or Jaime to manipulate and whine to, or about? Will there be anyone to protect her when it’s time for her to pay for her many, many crimes?
This is a real mystery
We already know that Brienne of Tarth’s storyline is deviating pretty dramatically from the books. After taking down The Hound but losing Arya, what’s next for her and Podrick? Will she stay on her mission to find the Stark girls?
Oh, Reek
Things are still pretty bad for Theon/Reek. Our favorite Ironborn has spent the last two seasons as the tortured servant of Ramsay Bolton. Will he ever escape? Sometimes I watch season one of Game of Thrones just to remind myself of cocky, self-absorbed Theon. Gah, so attractive. Just me? Okay.
Trouble in Paradise
At the conclusion of the season, Daenerys finally learned the truth about Jorah Mormont’s original reason for seeking her out and “protecting” her. (He was a spy for King Robert working to regain his freedom in Westeros.) Dany banished Jorah from her encampment and sent him to the #FriendZone4Life.
Breaker of Chains Used Chains
After Dany learned that the dragons committed the horrific crime of killing a child, she was forced to put them in chains and lock them away. Something tells me this is not going to end well considering Drogon is MIA.
Budding Romance?
When we last saw Greyworm and Missandei she was teaching him the Common Tongue. As their lessons progressed, they bonded over the loss of their homelands. While swimming, Greyworm noticed Missandei bathing naked. When she notices him watching, she stands up slowly to let him get an eye full before covering herself. Later, he apologizes but she says she wasn’t uncomfortable. Is this the Westeros version of flirting?
And lastly…
Where in the Seven Kingdoms is Gendry?!
6. In Memorandum
To the characters that didn’t survive season four, we remember you fondly (or not so much).
Tywin Lannister
Joffrey Lannister
Shae
The Hound (maybe, maybe not? I don’t believe it until I see him dead.)
Lysa Arryn
Oberyn Martell
Jojen Reed Grenn and Pyp Ygritte Lord Commander Jeor Mormont
Game of Thrones recaps are authored by Jenn O’Mera and Elizabeth Bond. Feel free to contact any author with feedback or questions.
We open with our favorite translator, Missandei, tutoring Grey Worm in the Common Tongue (GOT version of English). We learn that Grey Worm comes from the Summer Isles but doesn’t remember that life. “Unsullied. Always Unsullied. Before Unsullied, nothing,” he says. Missandei can relate – she was taken as a 5-year-old child. It’s no wonder these two, along with the hundreds of thousands of freed slaves, love and worship Dany. She’s their liberator and the first person that has been nice to them and treated them with an ounce of respect in decades. Their loyalty is unyielding, unlike the armies of Westeros, who appear to be loyal to gold and that’s about it.
Dany enters and with two words (“It’s time”) her plan to sack Meereen is set in motion. Grey Worm and a small group of Unsullied, disguised as slaves, infiltrate the castle from a secret gate near the water. They climb through the tunnels of the city at night while the Masters are resting and head to the slave headquarters. The slaves are already meeting, discussing Dany and her horde and what it could potentially mean for them, but they are afraid to rise against the Masters. There have been many unsuccessful slave rebellions and they have no weapons to fight. Even chains are better than death.
Cue Grey Worm and Co.
“Valar morghulis,” Grey Worm says. He tells the slaves of his enslavement, his life as Unsullied, and finally, his freedom thanks to Dany. “Now I fight for Daenerys, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains.” He then surprises the slaves with bags of weapons and continues, “No on can give you your freedom, brothers. If you want it, you must take it.” You go, Grey Worm. I’d fight with you.
We cut to a Master and two soldiers stumbling upon “Kill the Masters” scrawled in blood on a wall. In the sky, they spot something black and red – a flag with a red dragon – hanging over their statue and then armed slaves surround and trap them. We cut again to Dany walking in a shower of broken slave chains with hundreds of thousands of newly freed slaves lining the roads shouting “Meesa, Meesa!” and raising their arms toward her. (Sound familiar?) Beneath Dany, the Unsullied surround the Masters of the city. Dany asks Ser Jorah how many children were nailed to mile posts. One hundred and sixty three. Dany signals. Barristan asks for a word and warns her that it is best to answer injustice with mercy. “I will answer injustice with justice,” proclaims Dany and then stares Barristan down. Stop questioning her, Barristan. She’ll breathe fire on you eventually.
Dany has the masters crucified in the same fashion as the slave children and stands watch over the city, underneath the dragon flag hoisted on the top monument, and listens to the moans and screams of the Masters.
House Stark
Sansa – As we saw last week, Sansa was “rescued” (I use rescued lightly) by Littlefinger. He informs Sansa that they’re en route to her crazy Aunt Lysa Tully’s castle. You may remember crazy Aunt Lysa from Season 1. She’s most memorable for breastfeeding her child, NOT infant, but child and setting the stage for the lovable bromance between Tyrion and Bronn. I’d also like to point out this is the same place Arya is going (fingers crossed!).
Now, it’s time for some answers. Littlefinger admits he killed Joffrey, “A man with no motive is a man no one suspects,” eck. “If they don’t know who you are or what you want, they can’t know what you plan to do next,” he says while looking seductively at Sansa. You can see Sansa taking a scared gulp before asking what he does want. Littlefinger responds, “Everything,” while creepily running his hands down her arms while I physically shudder.
Can we pause for a second? We all know that Littlefinger was a bit obsessed with Catelyn. And Littlefinger has always treated Sansa like the next best thing. And Littlefinger is a spiteful bitch. Remember last season when Sansa chose her potential nuptials to Loras over escaping King’s Landing with Littlefinger? Something tells me that Sansa is NOT safe right now. End pause.
But there is no way Littlefinger acted alone. He tells Sansa that he has a new, top-secret, powerful alliance. Ser Dontos was too easily swayed and not smart enough to pull this off. Who killed Joffrey Baratheon?! As we find out in the next scene it was the very powerful House Tyrell. More on that later.
Jon Snow – Seriously Castle Black, you NEED to prepare for the Wildings. And hey, one of your men has been with them for the past couple of “months” (I don’t know time is weird in Westeros). Why don’t you use his insider knowledge to prepare? Yea. No? Okay.
Jon Snow is training the men on how to fight Wildlings. Ser Alliser Thorne interrupts him because his rank doesn’t allow him that kind of superiority. Janos Slynt suggests sending Jon on the mission to Craster’s Keep to get rid of Jon Snow. That’s smart, let’s get rid of our biggest asset against the Wildlings before they attack (rolls eyes).
So Jon is off to Craster’s but only if he can gather enough volunteers to take down the Night’s Watch rebels that have taken over the Keep. He delivers a big speech and slowly, one by one, the volunteers stand up.
Wait a second, who’s that guy hanging around Castle Black? It’s Locke, the guy that chopped off Jaime’s hand. After episode two, we can also think of him as Ramsey Snow’s sadistic BFF. You may remember, Locke was asked by Roose Bolton to travel north and find Bran and Rickon. Speaking of…
Bran – Meanwhile, at Craster’s Keep it is a shit show (pardon my French, but really). We catch up with Karl Tanner (portrayed by Burn Gorman, I bring this up because the guy’s real name is SO MUCH cooler than his GOT name and that NEVER happens), as he’s drinking wine from a HUMAN SKULL and wallowing in his surroundings, which include rape and brutality. The wives and daughters of Craster have gone from being abused by one horrible man to several, awful, no good men.
Karl is rambling on and on about his glory days as a hired killer in King’s Landing. I honestly can’t pay attention to any of this because the surroundings are too disturbing.
And if this couldn’t get any worst, they have Jon Snow’s direwolf, Ghost, outside in a cage.
Bran, Hodor, and the Reeds make their way to Craster’s Keep, only to be quickly captured by the mutineers.
(side note – I ran a Tough Mudder two weeks ago. There is an obstacle called the Warrior Carry where you have to carry another participate. The guy next to me who was doing the carrying kept saying ‘Hodor! Hodor!’ – end note)
Karl torments his new prisoners and threatens to rape Meera. It’s then that Brad finally declares, “I’m Brandon Stark of Winterfell!” I’m not going to lie when he did this I was sitting on my couch going “YES! YES, YOU ARE BRAN!” It’s been a while since we’ve heard pride in declaring the name Stark. Shortly after Jojen starts seizing, no idea why. Stay tuned.
We have Jon Snow on his way to Bran. Will he get there in time? We have Arya and Sansa also potentially going to the same place. ARE WE GOING TO HAVE A STARK REUNION? For the love of god, please give us a Stark reunion. I can’t handle anymore Stark deaths. Don’t tease us like this!
White Walkers – Also at Craster’s keep, a baby boy is born and at the urging of the wives/daughters a mutineer leaves the baby outside in the snow for the “gods.” It’s not long before a White Walker comes along and picks the baby up. Is this what Jon witnessed in Season 1?
The White Walker carries the no longer crying baby to the White Walker circle of doom and lays it down as if an offering. The White Walker “king” makes his way to the child. The whole time I’m clinching my blanket hoping I’m not about to witness the king eat the poor sweet baby. He picks up the baby and with one touch of his finger he turns the child into a White Walker. So wait, is that where White Walker’s come from? They’re transitioned by the king when touched? So wait, are there a lot of infant White Walkers crawling around? Do they grow at superhuman speed? I have so many questions.
Okay, so now I want to talk about the White Walkers for a second. I pretty much hate them, and not because they’re ominous villains, just because they exist. First of all, I’ve never been able to jump on the zombie train. When we got to the big reveal at the end of season two my reaction was, “ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME? ZOMBIES? REALLY?!” Secondly, I just don’t understand where they fit in the story and I don’t really care to know. I’m too involved in everyone else and their storylines to care about White Walkers. And it pisses me off to think about those compelling stories will eventually have to stop so the focus can be on the White Walkers. And then I find it even more annoying that eventually each of these characters might have to unite to fight a common threat. I love the conflict as it is. Can we just not? Can winter just not come? Ugh.
House Lannister
Jaime Lannister trains with Bronn, who is clearly enjoying kicking the Kingslayer’s ass. He even slaps Jaime across the face with Jamie’s own golden hand. After last week, Jaime deserved that, just saying.
After Bronn informs Jaime that he disrespects Tyrion with the same crude tone he uses with him, the pair discuss Tyrion’s implication in Joffrey’s death. Neither think Tyrion is guilty and Bronn finally calls Jaime out on failing to visit his brother. Bronn reminds Jaime that Tyrion called for him to stand in his trial by combat at the Eyrie; Tyrion is Jaime’s brother and he loves and adores him. How dare Jaime turn his back on him in his time of need. Jaime appears to leave like he doesnt care what Bronn has to say but…
He immediately goes to visit Tyrion Lannister in his jail cell. The two brothers compare their different prison circumstances and Tyrion calls Jaime out for being Cersei’s bitch. They discuss the dreaded trial and the fact that most people think Tyrion really did kill Joffrey. Tyrion knows Cersei doesn’t care about the outcome of the trial and will kill him no matter what. Tyrion asks if Jaime will do it himself. Jaime rebuttles by asking if Tyrion has joined him as a Kingslayer. “Are you really asking if I killed your son?” Thank you, Tyrion, for addressing the elephant in the room and acknowledging that Joffrey was Jaime’s son, too.
Jaime offers to help Tyrion but the only thing Tyrion wants is freedom. Jaime can’t give him that. It’s treason to help a Kingslayer. Jaime then clues Tyrion in to Cersei’s threat on Sansa’s life but Tyrion assures Jaime it couldn’t have been her. “Sansa’s not a killer. Not yet, anyway.”
We catch up with Olenna and Margaery Tyrell during what appears to be their last stroll through the gardens because Olenna reveals she is leaving King’s Landing. The Tyrells have proposed a match between Tommen and Margaery but the Lannisters haven’t answered yet. Olenna tells Margaery to be patient and then tells her a story about her first love. He was originally supposed to marry Olenna’s sister but he fell victim to Olenna’s seduction since she was apparently very, very good. But Olenna claims Margaery is even better and needs to move in on Tommen fast before Cersei turns him against her. Luckily, Cersei is distracted and wrongfully accusing Tyiron of murder. Margaery wonders how she knows Tyrion is innocent. “You don’t think I’d let you marry that beast, do you?” Olenna responds. Margaery is confused but Olenna tells her not to worry while she FIDDLES WITH HER NECKLACE. (ASIDE: Did Olenna seriously just admit to murdering the King?! END OF ASIDE)
Jaime visits his sister-lover Cersei on official business as Lord Commander of the Night’s Guard. Cersei questions the number of guards stationed outfront of Tommen’s room and also is curious about why Catelyn would set him free. Was he telling the truth when he made the sacred vow to the enemy? Of course not. Jaime claims he was lying and saying whatever he needed to get back to Cersei. Not convinced, Cersei wonders what would happen if she told Jaime to leave the capital, go find Sansa and bring Cersei her head? She also wonders why Jaime would visit the creature that murdered their son. Cersei mocks Jaime for pitying Tyrion and then orders him to increase the number of guards for Tommen. She dismisses the Lord Commander as she drowns herself in wine and misery.
Tommen stirs and looks frightened when he hears a noise in the dark. Don’t worry King Tommen, it’s just Margaery popping in for a (secret) midnight visit. She emerges from the dark and Tommen wonders why he’s there since mother doesn’t allow evening visits. Margaery assures him it’s okay since she’s going to be his new bride. Margaery tells Tommen how lucky they are to know each other prior to an arranged marriage and they should take advantage and get to know one another. Suddenly, Ser Pounce jumps up and interrupts the intense moment. Tommen starts to confide in her and tell her about Joffrey’s sick plans for his poor cat. Margaery lets him know that she thinks Joffrey is awful and asks him if he knows what happens when they marry. “I become yours, forever,” she says. Poor Tommen. He looks terrified of what that means but also intrigued and excited as Margaery bids him farewell and promises to visit again. “Remember, our little secret,” she whispers before disappearing into the dark.
Jaime gives Brienne a new suit of armor and his new Valyerian steel sword, claiming that since the sword is made from Ned Stark’s sword and she will be using it to defend Sansa, she has to take it. Brienne promises to find Sansa and take her somewhere safe, for Catelyn and for Jaime. Jaime also gives her Pod as a squire. Poor Pod. He’s such a good, innocent lad; he can’t figure out how to properly address Brienne. Jaime also gives Pod Tyrion’s axe from the Battle of Blackwater, per Tyrion’s request. Hooray for Pod! Another nice guy who seems to have survived the Game. Now if only we could find Gendry….
So Jaime disobeyed Cersei and did everything he could to help Sansa, not kill her. What does this mean about Jaime? What does he feel for Brienne, if anything? Is he a Lannister or an Oathkeeper, as Brienne so aptly named the sword?
House Baratheon
No news here. Where. Is. Gendry.
Rock Paper Watch’s Top Quote of 4×4:
Jenn’s Pick – “Kill the Masters.” – Grey Worm to the slaves of Meereen
Elizabeth’s Pick – “There’s nothing more tedious than a trial. Except perhaps these gardens. If I have to take one more leisurely stroll through these gardens I’ll fling myself from the cliffs.” – Lady Olenna (like viewers) is also annoyed that she’s only allowed to hang out in the Gardens
Game of Thrones Recaps are authored by Jenn O’Mera (Lannister and Targaryen) and Elizabeth Bond (Stark and Baratheon). Feel free to contact any author with feedback or questions.
We’re baaacccckkkk and we are so thrilled for a brand new season of Game of Thrones. With a new House in town and the taste of vengeance in the air, this season guarantees to be fantastic. Let’s dive in. First and foremost, we have a credits update! Meet Dreadfort, the keep of House Bolton and the current location of poor Theon. Also, Meerean makes an appearance, the slave city with a giant pyramid. Dany’s on her way there but more on that later.
House Lannister
We kick off the episode with a scene symbolizing the complete destruction of House Stark with a true song of fire and Ice. Tywin Lannister stands watch as Ice, Ned Stark’s gigantic Valyrian steel blade, is welded down in fire, forging two new swords for House Lannister. Tywin completes the destruction by tossing Ned’s wolf-skin scabbard into the fire as the Rains of Castamere plays eerily in the background. The Red Wedding may have happened ten months ago for us, but in the GOT world, it was mere weeks ago, and it continues to be the wound that keeps bleeding.
[ASIDE: This entire scene was painful to watch, and served as a terse reminder of the events of Season 3. Just like the Red Wedding, Tywin stands in the shadows, unwilling to reveal himself and his role. Tywin constantly takes what isn’t his and remolds it into something new, giving the appearance of power and bold courage. But is Tywin really that courageous? Isn’t he known for hiding under Casterly Rock during Robert’s Rebellion, only daring to step forth into King’s Landing when he knew the city was starving, ripe for sacking? Does he ever take responsibility for what he does? Was the Red Wedding not a cowardly move in itself? Tywin feared the Young Wolf and thus found a way to defeat him without facing him in battle. I think Tywin Lannister is a façade – a man who thinks he has all the power in the world but is really living in a house of cards, with children who are sleeping together and a grandson who holds a false claim to the throne. Every empire burns to the ground, and I can’t wait until Tywin Lannisters’ does just that. END OF ASIDE]
Tywin presents one of the new Valyrian blades to his one-handed son, Jaime Lannister, who clumsily receives his new sword. Tywin questions Jaime’s intentions for his future, imploring Jaime to leave the King’s Guard (since he can’t really fight with a sword anymore) and return to Casterly Rock and rule in his place. Jaime refuses. His honor, his word, his reputation are already spoiled and he refuses to abandon yet another post at the whims of another. Tywin is shocked that his 40 year old son still doesn’t get it and dismisses Jaime, but allows him to keep his present. “A one handed man with no family needs all the help he can get.” As Jaime leaves his fathers’ chamber, we see a sly [sexy] smile spread across his face. Wonder what that’s about.
Next, we catch up with everyone’s favorite imp, Tyrion Lannister, Master of Coin, accompanied by Bron and Pod. They are waiting to receive the party from Dorne, which sailed to King’s Landing for Joffrey’s wedding. In brilliant GOT fashion, Tyrion proceeds to discuss the Dornish sigils and the “bad blood” between House Martell and House Lannister, clueing the audience to the significance of the new characters and providing us with a Westerosi history lesson.
Much to Tyrion’s dismay, the Dornish reveal that Prince Doran did not sail to the capital due to illness. His brother, Prince Oberyn of House Martell, came instead and snuck into the city in the wee morning hours. Tyion has an idea where he may find him.
Enter stage left – the one and only Oberyn Martell aka The Red Viper of Dorne. Oberyn is with his great paramour, Ellaria Sand (Sand because she’s a Dornish bastard; like Snow for our beloved Jon), and the pair are inspecting Baylish’s whores. After Prince Oberyn picks a boy who can he can have his way with, he suddenly becomes distracted as the tune of Rains of Castamere float through the brothel. Oberyn ventures off to find the cause of the disturbance, despite Ellaria’s pleas.
Oberyn stumbles upon two couples whistling the Lannister tune. “Forgive me for staring, I don’t see many Lannisters where I come from.”
[ASIDE: The way those words ooze out of his mouth, and the way he burns his fingers on the candle as he walks, oh la la. I am already in love with Oberyn. END OF ASIDE]
The tension between the Lannister couples and Oberyn seeps out of the TV. The men make jabs at each other until the Red Viper stings. “May I tell you a secret? You’re not a golden lion. You’re just a pink little man whose far too slow on the draw.” Then, BAM, knife in one of the Lannisters wrists.
Tyrion enters just in time to disrupt the argument. Oberyn already knows the “King’s Imp Uncle” and the two men go for a stroll, talking truths to one another. Oberyn thinks Joffrey is offended since he is the second son, not the ruling Prince of Dorne. Tyrion questions Oberyn’s intentions, knowing there is more to the visit than attending a wedding. Then, in another genius dialogue-driven history lesson, we find out the true reason for the Martell/Lannister hatred. The last time Oberyn was in the capital was for his sister, Elia Martell’s, wedding to Rhagaer Targaryen. Elia had his children and cared for them until Rhagaer left her for another woman, the “kidnapped” Lyanna Stark, which caused Robert to wage war. After Rhagaer was killed, the Lannisters sacked King’s Landing, killing all remaining Targaryens, including Elia and her children. It is said that Elia was raped by the Mountain and then split in half. If this is the case, Oberyn holds Tywin directly responsible for her death and the deaths of his nephew and niece. “Tell your father I’m here. Tell him the Lannisters aren’t the only ones who pay their debts.”
Whoa. These two actors were phenomenal together. The tension, the conflict, the dialogue, the accent. All fantastic. The chemistry between them is fantastic. GIMME MORE, PLEASE!
After Tyrion’s depressing conversation with his new wife, Sansa Stark, he goes back to his room to find Shae draped over his bed. She knows it’s a dangerous place but insisted on seeing him, since she hasn’t gotten any in weeks. Tyrion turns her down and makes her leave. In a fit of rage, she reveals she knows he tried to dismiss her from the city and she wants him to be a man and say it to her himself. Tyrion reveals he has no idea about Varys’ visit last season, as we correctly assumed. Then, Shae storms out of the room….and the audience sees that one of Cersei’s little birds was outside chirping. Uh oh.
Speaking of the Golden Queen, we catch up with Cersei Lannister as she presents her brother with a golden hand, with the help of the Un-Maester Qyburn. Cersei reveals that Maester Qyburn helped to relieve her of some symptoms. (Pregnancy symptoms? Or no longer able to get pregnant symptoms? Is this her way out of her marriage to Loras?) The twins talk about the events that got them here and Jaime’s plans for the future. He reveals he wants to stay in King’s Landing so he can be with her. He tries to seduce his sister (EW) but she denies him, making it so both Lannister boys aren’t getting any. Cersei then breaks his heart – she tells him he was gone for too long and it took too long to get back to her. The incestual scene is disrupted when Cersei’s bird flies into the room to tattle on Tyrion.
We get a glimpse of the Royal Wedding plans when we catch up with Olenna and Margaery Tyrell and Jaime and Joffrey. Olenna, determined to make a fashion statement at the wedding, is displeased with the necklace options for Margaery and sends her little doves out to find the most beautiful one in King’s Landing. Margaery has a different idea but Olenna warns her to be careful because even the walls have ears.
Jaime and King Joff discuss security for the wedding, and the fact that the war isn’t over as long as Stannis lives. Joffrey isn’t interested and would rather squabble with his uncle, blaming him for his imprisonment and poking fun at Jaime for being a 40 year old knight with no hand who has done “no good deeds.” Did anyone else think Jaime must’ve been thinking, “How did I create that,” as he watched Joffrey walk away?
House Targaryen
We get our first glimpse of the Daenerys Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, being just that, mother of dragons. She’s sitting with a dragon in her lap, stroking Rhaego as if he is a puppy. The dragons are gigantic and have almost doubled in size. Suddenly, the other two dragons return with a dead sheep and the dragons begin to fight. Rhaego even snaps as Dany before the three fly off. Holy. Shit. The dragons are scary and on their way to becoming massive and uncontrollable. Ser Jorah Mormont so wisely states, “They are dragons, Khaleesi. They can never be tamed, not even by their mother.” Why thank you Jorah, I shall call you Captain Obvious.
Dany heads back to camp to discover Daario Naharis and Greyworm are missing – gambling. After she walks through her gigantic camp, she discovers the two men holding weapons to determine who has the right to ride beside Dany on road to Meereen. Dany quickly reins the boys in and we discover that Daario and Greyworm have a cute bro-competition going on. This scene felt kind of pointless and more like a chance to showcase the immense size of Dany’s horde and the new actor playing Daario Naharis but I’ll take any Dany time I can get.
Later, Dany and Missandei talk about Meereen and Missandei lets her know that she thinks the slave masters should fear Dany before Daario interrupts the women to talk strategy. He brings Dany three flowers, the flowers of Meereen, which are used for tea and poison, telling her if she wants to win over the peoples affections, she must become one with their lands. Dany is smitten, as are we, but seems to recognize Daario’s ploy for her heart.
Suddenly, the horde comes to a halt. There are dead children, mutilated and strung up, on every mile marker between there and Meereen – 163 in total. Barristan Selmy offers to ride ahead and bury the children but she refuses. She wants to see them all, and wants them to remove their collars before they are buried. Dany is going to liberate the enslaved and conquer the slavers. I’m afraid already for the masters of Meereen.
House Stark
The length of the Stark section is dwindling, you know, since they’re almost all dead.
Sansa – Sansa is in mourning. During the Season 3 finale we saw her immediate reaction to her brother and mother’s deaths. Now knows the details. She stays awake at night thinking about how the Lannisters (via Bolton and Frey) mutilated her family members. They chopped off Robb’s head and sewed his direwolf’s there in its place. They sliced her mother’s neck to the bone and then threw her body into the river, discarded like trash. There’s no cheering up Sansa, not even with lemon cakes (um, can I have Sansa’s lemon cake? My mouth is practically watering). Don’t worry Sansa, misery loves company and she’s got plenty of company in the legion of GOT fans.
It takes a fool to cheer Sansa up, literally. After creepily following her through the garden, Ser Dontos — the former knight she rescued from Joffrey in Season 2 — gives her a charming necklace as a gift. The family heirloom is all he has left and wants her to have it and wear it proudly.
Later, Brienne of Tarth tries to convince Jaime that he has to honor his pledge to rescue Catelyn Stark’s daughters. With Arya presumed dead and Sansa married to his brother, that makes things a bit difficult for Jaime. With Jaime’s previous speech to Tywin about breaking his word, is it wrong of me to have hope that he’ll follow through? Also, don’t you love that Brienne and Jaime are still besties?
Jon Snow – Man, Ygritte is a woman scorned. To be honest, I can’t say I blame her. If my man left me for a 600-some guys that wear only black, I’d be a little peeved too. We check-in with Ygritte as she’s making arrows, surely thinking about firing more of them at Jon Snow. Her angry arrow making is short-lived as Tormund Giantsbane approaches.
Is it just me or does Giantsbane remind you of Rumpelstiltskin in his angry wig? No, maybe try upside down? I don’t know, I can’t take him seriously whenever he’s on my TV.
In case you forgot (and missed Jon Snow’s recap to the council), last season a few of the Wildlings, led by Tormund Giantsbane, scaled The Wall and now intend to attack Castle Black from the south. Once they have control of the castle, they will open the gates to The Wall so Mance Rayder’s army can invade the southern lands. Right now they are waiting for Mance Rayder’s signal and it will be a big signal, says Jon Snow.
Anyway, back to Giantsbane and Ygritte. He’s giving her a hard time about Jon Snow, questioning whether or not she actually killed him. If she didn’t, their entire plan is at risk. Their conversation is interrupted when some weirdos show up. A group of tall pale bald men with creepy scars start talking about body types in a way that says, “I’m not a personal trainer, I’m just hungry and you seem like a delectable piece of meat.” Now, I’ve been binge watching NBC’s Hannibal lately and I just don’t know if I can handle another cannibal in my life right now. This group is called the Thenns and they are here to help with the Castle Black attack.
Speaking of Castle Black, let’s catch up with Jon Snow. He’s hanging out with Samwell, reacting to the Red Wedding news. He explains to Sam that he was always jealous of his brother Robb, but never wished harm upon him. Samwell knows the feeling since he feels that way about Jon Snow. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in this whole scene. Like, that’s it, Jon Snow? You aren’t a little bit angry? Did Samwell tell him about seeing Bran? Are you at least going to try to save Bran? Maybe try to track down Arya? I NEED ANSWERS.
Well, at least he’s going to give the Night’s Watch council some answers. Members of the council want to end Jon Snow for breaking his vow (“You know nothing, Jon Snow”) and killing Qhorin Halfhand. Jon Snow begs the council to stop stressing about the little details and start preparing for the Wildlings. Can the Night’s Watch ready themselves in time for the attack?
Arya – Arya is still with The Hound. The Hound is obviously just looking for somewhere to drop Arya and not feel bad about it. Now they’re on their way to her crazy Aunt Lysa in the Vale of Arryn. The dynamic between these actors is really growing (see Jaime and Brienne from last season). Their banter is perfect and I love seeing hints of The Hound’s personality.
During their road trip, they decide to stop at a local tavern where several of The Mountain’s men are pissing outside, harassing the barkeep, etc. Arya immediately recognizes the pisser as Polliver, who in Season 2 captured Arya and her buddies after killing a bunch of people in the prison camp. Polliver steals Arya’s sword Needle and kills her friend Lommy because he cannot walk. Conveniently, Polliver still carries Needle.
Upon entering the tavern, Polliver recognizes The Hound and starts trying to impress him with his torturous ways. The Hound teases Polliver and it’s obvious that The Hound has decided to kill all of these people but is just waiting for them to make the first move. “You’re a talker,” he says, taking Polliver’s drink. “Listening to talkers makes me thirsty.” The fight starts.
Arya retreats to the corner. This fight seems really tough; The Hound does not seem to be winning. Also, there’s no backtrack. The quiet mixed with the clangs and the grunts is making me really anxious. Finally, Arya makes her move and the music kicks in. She gets her sword. Once Polliver is without a weapon, she stands over him and repeats the words he once said to Lommy, “Something wrong with your leg, boy? Can you walk? I’ve got to carry you. Fine little blade. Maybe I’ll pick my teeth with it.” She then slowly drives the blade into his throat, just like he did to Lommy. Meet the darker Arya of season four.
No news from Theon, Bran, or Rickon this week.
House Baratheon
There’s a brief chat between Brienne and Margaery where Brienne tells her what she remembers of Renly’s death. She saw a black fog with Stannis’ face murder Renly and vows to avenge “their king.” Quietly Margaery reminds her “Joffrey is their king now.” No update from Stannis but he should watch his back.
Rock Paper Watch’s Top Quote of 4×1:
Jenn’s Pick – “Perhaps I should just let Joffrey choose it for me, end up with a string of dead sparrow heads around my neck.” – Margaery Tyrell to Olenna. — Elizabeth’s Pick – “Are you sure we’re not related? Ever since I’ve returned, every Lannister I’ve seen has been a miserable pain in my ass. Maybe you’re a Lannister too. You’ve got the hair for it. You’ve got the looks.” – Jaime to Brienne
Game of Thrones Recaps are authored by Jenn O’Mera (Lannister and Targaryen) and Elizabeth Bond (Stark and Baratheon). Feel free to contact any author with feedback or questions.
Well, there you have it folks. Another season of Game of Thrones down and now begins the waiting. We breakdown the final episode and discuss where things could go moving forward. Feel free to comment with your thoughts!
House Stark
Are you still grieving from last week? I know I am. Every time I close my eyes, I see Talisa getting repeatedly stabbed in the stomach or the episode-ending blow to Catelyn. This week’s episode picks up right after the massacre. Roose Bolton overlooks the mass violence from Frey’s castle. The Hound is trying to sneak Arya away from the slaughter. A group of Frey’s men are loudly chanting “King in the North.” I was afraid we were going to see this. The men have Robb’s body on a horse with his direwolf Grey Wind’s head in place of his own. Poor Arya, naturally she chooses this moment to wake up and see her brother’s mutilated body being paraded by his murderers.
After things calm down, Lord Frey is having a celebratory snack as Roose Bolton parades around the dining hall absorbing the carnage. From their conversation, we learn that Catelyn’s uncle, The Blackfish, escaped and the groom, Edmure Tully, wasn’t murdered, but spent his wedding night in the dungeon. But all of that is old news. Frey is getting all worked up thinking about his new bride to replace the one Catelyn killed.
Finally, we get an explanation from Roose about why he turned on Robb. Being his right hand man, the Young Wolf constantly ignored his advice at every turn. Now, Robb will just be “Forever Young.” As Roose and Frey continue their conversation, we FINALLY learn who has Theon and what happened at Winterfell.
Did you figure it out? Does this mean anything to you? From conversations I’ve had with watchers (not readers), they were unclear about the identity of Roose Bolton. Truthfully, he’s been on screen since Season 2 but always lurking in the shadows and easily missed by audiences so this may not feel like an impactful reveal, but the GOT creators have been carefully planting hints for a few episodes. Read more about them here.
We catch up with Ramsey and Theon during dinner as Ramsey is suggestively chomping on a sausage while poking fun at Theon for losing his best quality. Yes ladies, we have another reason to mourn. Theon is now a eunich.
Ramsey has now figured out that physically torturing Theon is no longer enough. He has to take his pride, any last shred of identity and self respect. After beating him for a bit, Ramsey forces Theon to identify himself by a new name—Reek.
Moving to the Iron Islands, Balon Greyjoy is opening a letter from Ramsey Snow ordering Balon’s men out of the North. As Balon is reading the letter, Theon’s sister Yara is opening a box. Before she even unwraps it, we know what’s in there and I’m just glad we didn’t have to see it. Ramsey has sent Theon’s “member” to his family as a threat. Theon’s sister is deeply impacted by her brother’s loss. Balon could care less. In his eyes, Theon can no longer continue the Greyjoy line. What use is he now? Balon has no interest in saving Theon. Yara has other ideas. She plans to march on Dreadfort and rescue her brother. She’s gathering the strongest men and the best ship and is on a mission. It will be interesting to see this play out in the next season. I know this time last year, we all hated Theon. Have your thoughts changed? Do you pity him or still think he got what he deserved?
Arya and the Hound are making their way to the next destination. On the way, they pass some of Frey’s troops making jokes about the Red Wedding and Robb’s mutilation. She triumphantly jumps off the horse. Unlike we’ve seen Arya in the past, she’s not approaching them confidently but sheepishly. She’s using her youth to her advantage to gain their trust. She offers one of them her coin in exchange for food. The coin was giving to her by her assassin friend Jaqen last season. When the man goes to grab it, she stabs him and stabs him and stabs him.
The Hound quickly jumps in the kill off the rest of them men. “Next time you’re going to do something like that, tell me first,” says The Hound.
This is a big turning point for Arya. It’s her first direct, intential kill. Arya reveals that she stole The Hound’s knife without him realizing it. I’m curious to see how hanging out with The Hound will help Arya to grow. I have a feeling he will provide an outlet for her anger. I hope he continues her training that we saw in season one.
Bran and company have taken up camp in another abandoned castle, this time closer to The Wall. Hodor (providing some much needed comedic relief) does his hodor-ing, this time down a well.
Bran tells Jojen and Meera a ghost story about a man who was condemned for killing a guest beneath his room (the gods are coming for you Frey). Later that night, there’s a noise that wakes up Bran. It’s Sam and Gilly and I’m so happy to see them! They made their way through the secret passageway through The Wall. Sam immediately figures out that Bran is Bran, Jon Snow’s brother. Bran tries to pretend there’s some other young lord who’s crippled wandering around the North with a direwolf. Once Bran “reveals” who he is, Sam promises to do anything he can to help them. “Take us north of The Wall,” requests Bran. That’s probably the last thing Sam wants to hear. Is this Bran’s purpose? Is he essential in defeating the White Walkers?
Sam guides Bran and company to The Wall, provides them with some dragonglass and stresses the importance of staying safe. The whole time I couldn’t help but think “Man, when Jon Snow finds out he’s gonna be PISSED!”
Later Sam and Gilly make their way to Castle Black and explain to the Maester what they saw beyond The Wall. The Maester inquires about Gilly and her son (who is now named Sam, awwww). Sam defends keeping Gilly at Castle Black and points out that The Wall was not erected to keep out Wildlings. Aemon decides that Gilly will stay as a guest. After that he sends a blast mailing to all of Westeros alerting them of the White Walkers and the impending danger.
Speaking of Jon Snow, we catch up with him as he licks his wounds from that eagle last week. Ygritte has tracked him down and we get this exchange:
Jon Snow: Ygritte you know I didn’t have a choice. You always knew who I was, what I am. I have to go home now. I know you won’t hurt me. Ygritte: You know nothing, Jon Snow. Snow: I do know some things. I know I love you. I know you love me. I have to go home now.
Then, in probably the most shocking part of the episode, SHE SHOOTS HIM! Ygritte shoots him with three arrows as he’s trying to board his horse and get away. Later, Snow’s frail body approaches Castle Black and is immediately let in. Hanging on to life, he reunites with Sam. God, I love a bromance.
House Baratheon
Ser Davos, while visiting Gendry in the dungeon, bonds with him over their humble beginnings in Fleabotton. Gendry defends his actions with the Red Woman. “You’re me. Never been with a woman, never talked to a woman really. Then she comes at you. Big words, no clothes, what would you have done?” Davos then tells Gendry of his son. Obviously Davos feels some kind of remorse and blame for what happened to his son during the Battle of Blackwater. He sees some of his son in Gendry and feels the need to protect him.
Later, Stannis and Melisandre learn of Robb’s death and are tickled that their leech trick worked. It’s obvious what they must do next. They plan to burn Gendry alive. Davos is not having it. He warns Stannis of using black magic to win a war. Stannis counters with the story of the Targaryens and how they won Westeros with dragons aka black magic. “What is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?” Stannis asks. “Everything,” replies Davos.
Davos decides to take matters into his own hands. He sneaks Gendry out of the castle and puts him on a boat and tells him where to row to escape. Gendry, we’ll miss you and your abs.
Later, Daavos is being reprimanded by Stannis, and he condemns him to death. Davos, as the Hand of the King, advises against it and then whips out his secret weapon. It’s the letter from Maester Aemon expressing the dangers beyond The Wall. Melisandre inspects the letter and then throws it into the fire. I guess we can assume she got some type of vision from the fire about the future. She agrees, “The true war lies to the North.” She advises that Stannis spare Davos, he’ll need him in the future.
House Lannister
We meet up with the Lannisters’ with Tyrion and Sansa (odd that she’s now a Lannister) walking through King’s Landing with Shae trailing behind. The pair of them are peculiar – one the daughter of traitor Ned Stark and the other a demon monkey – so as they walk, people are mocking them. The two have developed an odd friendship and they try to help each other suffer through their situation. It turns out that Tyrion also keeps a list, just like Sansa’s sister. But he doesn’t intend to kill the people on his list, just make them suffer and wish they were dead. The two of them begin to plot ways to punish Tyrion’s listees when Sansa suggests they “sheep shift” their beds. “Why sheep shift?,” Tyrion asks his new wife. It’s almost cute – the poor girl thinks it’s the correct vulgar word for dung. Just another little reminder for Tyrion about the young age of his new bride.
Pod calls Tyrion off to the Small Council meeting. King Joffrey is in attendance now, and he’s bursting with joy with news to share with Tyrion. Tyrion reads a note from a raven. “Roslyn caught a fine fat trout. Her brother’s gave her a pair of wolf pelts for her wedding. ~ Walder Frey” We wish it was bad poetry, Tyrion, but it’s not. Joffrey ecstatically reveals that Robb Stark and his “bitch mother” are dead, and he demands that Frey send Robb’s head to the capital so Joffrey can serve it to Sansa at his wedding. Cersei tries to pretend like Joffrey is joking but he insists otherwise until Sansa’s new hubbie speaks up. Tyrion declares that Sansa is no longer his to torment. “Everyone is mine to torment,” Joffrey replies. Tyrion then reminds Joffrey that kings are dropping like flies. He essentially threatens to kill him and Tyrion probably crossed the line this time, but he doesn’t back down. Joffrey yells about how he’s the king and you can’t talk to him like that, like he always does, until Tywin Lannister speaks up for his son. “Any man who must say I am the king is no true king,” says Tywin. Joffrey is shocked.
And (finally!) Tywin and Joffrey go at it. Joffrey touches a soft spot when he mocks Tywin for “hiding under Casterly Rock” during Robert’s Rebellion. Even Cersei realizes that Joffrey is overstepping his safe boundaries. Tywin Lannister is the most powerful man in Westeros. He made that clear when he executed the Red Wedding, when he squashed the entire Northern Rebellion with one strategic move. Joffrey may be the king, but like Tywin says, a crown does not give you power. Power is power, and Tywin has all of it. Then, Tywin does something really unexpected. He puts little King Joff to bed, and as Tyrion so aptly puts it, even without dinner. Joffrey honestly looked like a toddler when he yelled “I’m not tired!” I was waiting for him to stomp his feet in a tantrum. But he doesn’t and he goes off to bed like his grandfather commands.
Tyrion tries to leave, until he hears the infamous line, “Not you.” It’s not ever you, Tyrion, why do you even try to leave? Tyrion and Tywin talk about the great crime that Tywin just committed. Tyrion recognizes immediately that Frey would have done nothing that grievous without Tywin’s backing and he eerily warns his father that “the Northerners will never forget.” Tywin tries to morally justify the Red Wedding. He argues that it’s better to save the lives of thousands and kill a few royal men at dinner than it is to fight in war. He dismisses Tyrion’s fears about the North. “Let them remember what happens when they march on the South.”
Tywin tells Tyrion that Roose Bolton is going to be Warden of the North until Sansa and Tyrion’s son comes of age. Hold up, speaking of son. Tywin reminds Tyrion that he needs to get to work on that, but Tyrion refuses to rape his wife. How…sweet? The whole conversation was completely disturbing. Tywin then tells Tyrion the key to success in Westerosi politics. “The House that puts family first will always defeat the House that puts the whims and wishes of its sons and daughters first.” Tyrion laughs at his father, and asks Tywin when he ever did anything that wasn’t of his own selfish desires. Tywin (of course) has a shocking response – the day that he decided not to kill infant Tyrion. Tywin even cries a little bit during this speech when he talks about saving Tyrion’s life only because he was a Lannister. Wow, allowing his infant son to live must have been really painful for him.
Tyrion goes back to deliver the horrible news about the Red Wedding to Sansa but thankfully, we are not subjected to the pain of seeing Sansa find out. She already knows.
Varys and Shae have a touching scene where he asks her to leave King’s Landing. He gives her a sack of diamonds, and tells her the reason she needs to leave is because she makes things dangerous and complicated for Tyrion. Varys and Shae bond over the fact that they are both commoners, and will never truly be able to sit among the royals. “You have one name, as do I. Here, only the family name matters,” Varys reminds Shae. It seems Varys truly does believe that Tyrion is a good man, and the best chance Westeros has in becoming a better place. But with Shae around, Tyrion will accomplish nothing. Shae refuses to leave until Tyrion asks her to leave on his own. Though, I’m not sure if Tyrion actually has anything to do with this visit from Varys. I’m almost sure that he doesn’t, and that he’d be furious if he knew it was happening.
Pod and Tyrion are drinking. Pod is having trouble keeping up. “It’s not easy being drunk all the time. Everyone would do it if it were easy,” Tyrion drunkenly educates Pod. Cersei Lannister enters from the shadows to spend some QT time with her baby brother. Cersei finally explains how she manages to sleep at night – she doesn’t think about the cruel things that happen to anyone. She also insists she won’t marry Loras, but doesn’t share any plans of how she’ll avoid her destiny. She implores Tyrion to give Sansa a baby, claiming that she wishes for that only so Sansa can have happiness in her life. Cersei reveals that her children are the only reason she hasn’t committed suicide, even her demented child, Joffrey. She shares some cute baby Joff stories, and openly acknowledges how awful he is now. Tyrion then asks his sister how long it will all go on, and she knows exactly what he means. Their fathers’ wars will go on as long as he has enemies, and he will always have enemies, so they better buckle up for the violent road they’re heading down.
I was a little disappointed with this final Cersei/Tyrion scene. Cersei seemed a little underused and overshadowed this season, with all the power players cooped up in King’s Landing. But, I know there is a lot of Cersei’s story left to come, so I can deal with it for now.
Jaime Lannister makes it back to King’s Landing with Brienne of Tarth. The two can say so much with just a look. He’s upset no one recognizes (or respects) him, and she lets him know that it’s okay. He’s still Jaime to her, not the Kingslayer, no matter what. But, as much as I want these two to be together, I doubt it will happen. Jaime goes to see Cersei right away. He says her name, and she turns knowingly. She looks shocked? relieved? dismayed to see him? It’s not really clear. He looks ashamed. I don’t get it — it’s not his fault he’s been missing all this time, and mamed in the process. Is she really that mad over a hand? Sheesh.
House Targaryen
We finally catch up with the Dragon Queen in the final scene of the episode. The episode is entitled “Mhsya,” and up to this point, there was no mention of the Valeryian word. So one could assume that it would tie heavily into the Targaryen storyline. And boy, did it.
Dany is waiting outside of the gates of Yunkai, the city that she most recently “sacked” or killed all of the slave masters, flanked by Ser Jorah Mormont, Missandei, Ser Barristan Selmy, Daario Naharis, three dragons, and 8,000 Unsullied. She looked fierce and magnificent, and also a little terrifying. Dany is unsure how the slaves of Yunkai will receive her – Is she a conqueror or a liberator? – and she seems unnerved as the gates slowly began to open. The slaves of Yunkai began to march out in droves. Missandei introduced Dany as “Daenerys Targaryen, the Stormborn, the Unburnt, the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, the Mother of Dragons.” Dany steps forward and tells the people that they don’t owe her their freedom, because their freedom is not hers to give. She encourages them to take their freedom back, and stands waiting for a response. Slowly, they begin raising their hands and shouting “Mhysa.” Missandei, shocked, tells her that this means “Mother.” Dany realizes that they won’t hurt her, and moves forward into the crowd on her own while the dragons fly above.
She walks among them, and then is carried rockstar-style above them, all the while they shout Mhysa and look at her with adoration and love. Her Queen’s Guard watches on in shock and awe as Dany is carried among the people. Then, the camera pans into an aerial shot, where you can see the immense size of the group of people flocking towards her, and she stands as the lone silver beacon among a sea of thousands and thousands of slaves.
The entire scene took my breath away, and it ended Season 3 on an inspirational and uplifting note. Dany has truly come full circle. At the end of Season 1, she is left childless and widowed. She has three dragons, but no army, no money, and no ships. At the end of Season 2, she finally has managed to get money and ships, but still no army. By the end of Season 3, Dany has a horde following her, and thousands of people who look at her as their liberator and their mother. It’s almost as if she had to lose her own child, and suffer through great personal tragedy and loss, in order to become this powerful ruler. Recall early in Season 3 when her advisors tell her it is critical to gather a following not based on fear, but love. Dany did that, and now she has a force that truly can beat any army in Westeros. But, is that the destiny of Dany’s horde, or is there a greater purpose for Dany and her dragon army?
Final Thoughts on Season 3:
As we conclude Season 3 and wait ten months for a new season, we can’t help but think that GOT is entering a whole new ball game. With so many major characters dying, and the Northern Rebellion ending, the story is advancing into new and unknown territory. The main source of conflict is over, so we’re left thinking – now what?
Melisandre laid it out best when she said that the War of Five Kings means nothing now and the true threat lies to the North. What does this mean for the rest of Westeros, who are mostly ignorant of the impending doom? When will Tywin Lannister pay attention to the real threat, or will he ignore it? If so, will that mistake cost him? Also, how will Bran and his friends tie into all of this? Was Sam right, will this peculiar group of wargs and Hodor save the world? Can Bran really warg into anything? If so, that must include dragons. Can Bran use the dragons to burn all of the walkers? More importantly, when will Dany learn about everything that’s happening, and finally return to Westeros?
Only time will tell. For now, we just want to thank the GOT showrunners for producing another phenomenal season of television. We also want to thank you, our readers, for following us all season long. We hope to catch up with you next year when we recap GOT Season 4!
Rock Paper Watch’s Top Quote of 3X10:
Jenn’s Pick – “Monsters are dangerous and, just now, kings are dying like flies.” – Tyrion Lannister to King Joffrey
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Elizabeth’s Pick – “You really think a crown gives you power?” – Tywin Lannister summing up Game of Thrones in one, incredible sentence
Game of Thrones Recaps are authored by Jenn O’Mera (Lannister and Targaryen) and Elizabeth Bond (Stark and Baratheon). Feel free to contact any author with feedback or questions.
Okay, so we know we dropped the ball with our Game of Thrones recap from two weeks ago, but RPW was actually on vacation in Jamaica so we hope you can forgive us. Since we’re now all officially suffering from GOT withdrawal [since there was no new episode last week; I’m still bitter], I’ve decided to help combat our pain with a top 10 list. Here are our top 10 favorite moments from “Second Sons” featuring not one, but all four of the major houses.
10. Arya’s face when she realized she was going to her family
The last we saw Arya, she was captured by the Hound. We catch up with her again as the dynamic duo travel through Westeros. The Hound takes Arya to the Red Fork river which she mistakes for the Blackwater. The Hound shocks her when he finally tells her of his plan to return her to the Twins. “Why there?” she asks because she has no idea about the impending wedding between Edmure and Frey’s daughter. The Hound informs her of the news, and his plans to sell her back to Catelyn and King Robb. This is not what she was expecting and Arya’s face is priceless. She looks like a kid who was just told Santa is real.
9. Cersei threating to have Margaery killed
We saw Margaery initiate some soon-to-be sister action and Cersei was not having it. After a pathetic attempt by Margaery to get friendly with Cersei, Cersei scares the crap out of her by threatening to have her murdered in her sleep.
Cersei 1 Margaery 0
8. Stannis wishing death upon the Usurpers
After some sick experiment with Melisandre and Gendry (we’ll discuss further down the list), Stannis makes some big death requests from the Lord of Light. He asks for the LOL to kill the three usurpers to the Iron Throne – Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy, and Joffrey Baratheon.
7. Sansa’s composed strength during her horrendous wedding
Poor Sansa suffered the wedding from hell. She was forced into marrying Tyrion, threatened to be raped by Joffrey, and something just felt wrong about Sansa’s family (or who is left of it) being completely absent from the ceremony. But through it all, Sansa showed amazing grace, composure ,and strength well beyond her years. As Tyrion Lannister once said, “Lady Stark, you may survive us yet.”
6. Olenna mocking her grandchildren for their twisted family tree
Enough said; Olenna Out.
5. Tyrion telling Joffrey he can screw his wife with a wooden c*ck
Joffrey pushed Tyrion’s buttons quite a few times during the entire wedding ceremony. But nothing was worse than when Joffrey tried to force Tyrion and Sansa into performing a public bedding ceremony. Tyrion was quite drunk and not interested in publicly consummating the marriage. After Joffrey continued to endlessly push him, he stabbed the table with a knife and threatened the king with this line: “You’ll be f—ing your own bride with a wooden cock,” if the king continued.
4. Tyrion defying his father by refusing to sleep with Sansa
Tywin Lannister set up this wedding, so he was determined to make sure the marriage was consummated. He made a point to visit Tyrion at the wedding table and order Tyrion to impregnate his new bride with a Lannister child ASAP. Instead of heeding his father’s request, Tyrion got plastered during the wedding. After Tywin put the fire out on the whole Joffrey incident, Tyrion left the reception with his wife. They returned to their chambers where they discussed Sansa’s super young age, and Tywin’s orders. Sansa finally started drinking and undressing, accepting her fate and preparing to do the deed with Lord Tyrion. But, in a shock to everyone, Tyrion tells Sansa he won’t do it.
3. Gendry survives the Red Priestess
Melisandre used Gendry as a pawn in a disgusting experiment to prove to Ser Davos that the LOL was the real thing. She seduced Gendry and slept with him, then deceived him and literally used his blood (and leeches) so Stannis could offer symbolic sacrifices to the LOL in the form of the three usurpers to the throne. The big shock here is the Gendry actually survived the Red Priestess. After some convincing from the Onion Knight, Stannis must have demanded that his nephew be left alive. Thank you, Stannis. #TeamGendry
2. Daario bends the knee and swears fealty to the Dragon Queen
Let’s take a minute to appreciate the new man in Dany’s life, Daario Naharis. Those eyes! Those cheek bones! OMG! Okay, back to the list.
Daario Naharis (previously lieutenant in the Second Sons) fights for beauty above all. When Dany met with the captains and lieutenant of the Second Sons in an effort to buy their swords, he saw her beauty. His captains did not. When they ordered Daario to assassinate Dany, he refused and he killed both of them. He brought their heads to Dany after sneaking through her camp and holding Missandei hostage. But he quickly revealed himself, their heads, and his intentions. All we can say is, we want more where this came from.
1. Sam stabs the White Walker with a piece of dragon glass (and then leaves it behind like an idiot)
Our favorite moment of the last episode of GOT was also the last scene. Intentional? Probably. Regardless, here’s what happened.
Sam and Gilly are holed up in a cabin, trying to build a fire (again) and talking about baby names for Gilly’s son (it won’t be Russell). Sam notices a large gathering of crows outside their cabin and the crows are making a lot of noise. He decides to go out and investigate and orders Gilly to stay put. Sam goes outside, sword in hand, only to see his worst nightmare – a White Walker is approaching. The White quickly destroys Sam’s sword and makes a move for Gilly and the baby (who obviously came outside). So in a moment of panic, Sam reaches for the only weapon on him – the black dragon glass that he’s been carrying around. He stabs the White in the back and the creature explodes. The two run for their lives with a flock of crows chasing after them, but they left the glass, and their best chance of surviving, behind.
Welcome back Game of Throne watchers! This is it, the highly anticipated Season 3 has officially started. Was it everything you hoped it would be? We recap it below; feel free to share your opinions in the comments sections!
House Stark
At the start of Season 3, we find the Stark family even more disjointed and distant as Winterfell now sits abandoned. Did you notice the smoke at Winterfell during the opening credits? Or how about the addition of Astapor (more on that later)?
The episode picks up moments after the Season 2 finale with Sam running as fast as he can in that shag carpet of a coat from White Walkers. Sam finds one of his Night’s Watch brothers dead in the snow, CRADLING HIS OWN HEAD. (Commentary from GOT Viewing Party: Whoa, he’s holding his own head, that’s so badass. And he looks like Jesus.) But there’s no time to dwell; the zombies are coming! Thankfully, Ghost is there to attack the White Walker and the remaining members of the Night Watch set the creepy thing on fire. It’s official; the White Walkers are coming.
Jon Snow makes it to the wildling camp called Frostfangs and it’s time for him to meet the King Beyond the Wall, Mance Raydar, but not before seeing his first giant. After mistaking Mance for a wildling named Giantsbane and bowing embarrassingly, we finally meet the King Beyond the Wall and former Nights Watchmen. Hello Cirian Hinds, welcome! (Note: Did anyone else watch USA’s Political Animals last summer? He’s fantastic and I’m so excited to see him in this role!) I’m already in love with Mance as he ever so observantly points out “The girl likes yah, yah like her back?” (Check yes or no).
Jon seems to prove himself to Mance (for now) when he reveals his search for freedom stems from the desire to fight White Walkers and the disdain he feels for the Lord Commander complicity with Craster’s baby-sacrificing ways.
Did you know notice Snow hobbling? I tried to look for it but nothing stood out. Kit Harrington hilariously broke his ankle after losing the keys to his London flat. He fell from a window while trying to break in, inconveniently, right before filming was set to start. His production schedule was pushed back as much as possible and body doubles we’re used for several walking or fighting shots. I’ll be obsessively looking for clues to the injury all season, care to join?
Robb and Catelynn arrive at Harrenhal, the previous base for the Lannister army and brief home to Arya (there’s something sad about this, they almost had her!). The soldiers are tired and frustrated, they want to fight, but the Lannisters continue to lead them on a wild goose chase. The only opportunity for battle in the future would be at King’s Landing. Are we going to see the Stark vs. Lannister showdown soon? I hope so.
At Harrenhal (now owned by Petyr Baelish), they find 200 dead Northerners. Since Catelyn allowed Jaime to leave last season in exchange for Sansa and Arya, this only increases Robb’s rage towards his mother. In his eyes, the blood of 200 men is on her hands. Among the bodies, they find a survivor named Qyburn, something tells me he will be important later.
We catch up with Sansa at Kings Landing. Her and Shae are watching the ships, Sansa is making up stories about the ships, where they’re going, and what it would be like to escape onboard. Shae asks “why should I make up a story when I know the truth?” and Sansa replies “because the truth is always either terrible, or boring.” Quite a change in Sansa, she’s no longer hopeful or optimistic. Witnessing the evil at King’s Landing has changed her and now she’s just trying to survive.
Where is Bran? Where is Arya? I’m going to need an update on the rest of the Stark clan ASAP.
House Lannister
The Lannisters are back and badder than ever. We open with a touching scene between brother and sister, Tyrion and Cersei. Tyrion has clearly become a paranoid man, but who can blame him? His own sister attempted to murder him, she employs hundreds of spies, and his father hates him. Unfortunately, Tyrion didn’t realize the extent of that hate until he paid Lord Tywin a friendly visit. Tyrion tried to make it seem like the visit was driven by love, but really it was driven by greed. No surprises there – Tyrion is, after all, a Lannister. But Tywin cruelly reminded Tyrion that he is only his son by law, and that Tywin despises Tyrion and blames him for the death of his mother. Poor Tyrion. My heart broke for him as Tywin so callously dismissed him, but not without one last threat to Shae. Something tells me Tywin wouldn’t be as stupid as Cersei to collect the wrong whore.
I find myself once again admiring the work of Charles Dance. You may recall he similarly ripped into Jaime Lannister in Season 1, while ripping into a stag carcass. This scene last night felt oddly reminiscent of that scene, except this time the carcass was Tyrion. No one can deliver a powerful monologue quite like Mr. Dance.
Elsewhere in the Lion’s Den, King Joffrey and Queen Margaery find themselves in Flea Bottom [is this a reference to our beloved U.S. capital?!]. Margaery decided to stop her wagon to visit the children who are now orphans after the Battle of Blackwater. The scene was touching, and I sense she is somewhat aware of what the Lannisters are really like, and plans to do some serious damage control for their reputation and the throne.
The next time we see the Lannisters, Cersei planned a family dinner for herself and Joffrey, and Margaery and Loras. I must say, what an awkward family dinner! But this scene was fantastic. Not only did we have four major characters in one scene together [which is such a treat!], but we had King Joffrey freely making fun of Cersei and Margaery proving to be as perfect, if not more so, than Lady Sansa. I sensed tension and jealously brewing within Cersei. We all know Margaery wants to become Queen. Now, she is betrothed to the King of Westeros and the Queen Regent will soon no longer be needed. Cersei knows what Margaery is doing. Lord Tyrion may just be safe for now, as Queen Cersei just set her sights on a new threat.
The only Lannister we didn’t catch up with was Jaime, who is currently on route on King’s Landing with Brienne of Tarth. We need to find out what the Gorgeous Kingslayer is up to ASAP!
House Baratheon
Our favorite bearded captain, Davos ended up surviving the Blackwater Battle and is stuck on a pile of rocks. (Commentary from GOT Viewing Party: OH HEYYYY, it’s that guy! What is wrong with his face? Is that fungus or really bad sunburn?) Thankfully, he’s rescued by the pirate, Salladhor Saan. From the pirate we learn that Stannis is licking his battle wounds at Dragonstone with his creepy witch lady. They have been burning people alive for the Lord of Light. Davos vows to takedown Melisandre and get Stannis on track (good luck).
Davos finally makes it back to Stannis (Commentary from GOT Viewing Party: Stannis seems to have gotten a lot of gray hairs, no?) and wishes to discuss evil witch lady with him in private. Tough luck man, us ladies are smarter than that. After pushing his buttons enough, Davos turns on Melisandre by drawing his dagger. Stannis has Davos arrested.
What is this ladies game? What does she get out of Stannis sitting on the Iron Throne? Is our bearded captain going to be the hero that brings Stannis back?
House Targaryen
Say it with me now, DRAGONS!!!!!!!
Dany’s scenes were my favorite last night. The dragons looked incredible, her script was on point, and the special effects were amazing. Not only can the dragons swim (I was shocked!!) but they can catch gigantic fish, fry their food, and eat all in 5 seconds! The dragons are growing quickly, and it’s no wonder considering their efficient diet. The Dothraki on ships was priceless – it’s like a ship full of babes!
Dany and her Khalasar soon landed in Astapor, another beautiful set location added to Game of Thrones. Dany is finally going to have to prove how far she will go to reclaim the Iron Throne. Dany found herself in front of The Unsullied – a eunuch slave army full of men who fear nothing, and apparently men that don’t need nipples. But The Unsullied are terrifying. Each one had to kill an innocent newborn baby in front of their mother to join the ranks.
Dany may appear to have the determination of a warrior, but she has the heart of a mother. She was noticeably bothered by the thought of 8,000 dead babies. Now, she must choose whether to take on these fearless slave soldiers as her own, or dismiss them based on her maternal instincts. Dany’s gentle heart again gets the best of her as a cute, young village girl rolls her a ball and playfully urges her to open. Inside is a deadly scorpion, spider thing. The girl smiles with her yucky mouth, revealing it to be a trick from the warlocks. Luckily, Ser Barristan Selmy arrived just in time to save our Dragon from the deadly trick.
In Season 2, we saw Dany learn valuable lessons in trust. If she wants to survive Season 3, and become the Queen of Westeros, she needs to learn to keep her emotions in check. Her gentle heart proved to be her weakness in Season 1 when she trusted the evil witch which ultimately led to her losing Khal Drogo and her unborn child. If she keeps behaving as she did in last night’s episode, it could prove to be her ultimate weakness. To gain the loyalty of an army, even a slave army, Dany has to prove that she is strong and powerful like a true ruler, not weak and gentle like a woman. It’s time for Dany to embrace her ruthless side, and become the true Dragon.
I LOVED the scene where Barristan pledged his allegiance to Dany and I can tell that this will be a very pivotal move for her. This moment was also super emotional. It proves to her that there are still people who are loyal to House Targaryen in Westeros and that the Targaryen’s still have faithful servants in powerful places. If someone like Barristan Selmy supports her claim to the throne, who else in Westeros will do so? More importantly, will Barristan shed light on Jorah’s true reason for initially joining Dany?
One thing is clear, Astapor is a dangerous place and The Unsullied are terrifying. Dany needs to be smart and cunning to survive in this city. And, if she can prove that she is smart and powerful and become the leader of The Unsullied, can anyone stop Dany and her army from retaking the throne?
Rock Paper Watch’s Top Quotes of 3X1:
“If I wanted to kill you, do you think I’d let a wooden door stop me?” – Cersei Lannister to her brother, Tyrion
There you have it! Season 3 has officially started and we can’t wait to see where it takes us. Did anyone else find the timelines confusing? The wildling story picks up right after Season 2’s finale, so does everything going on at Kings Landing. But, Dany’s dragons seem to be years older than when we last saw them?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the third seasons premiere (no book spoilers please!) in the comments below.
Game of Thrones Recaps are authored by Jenn O’Mera (Lannister and Targaryen) and Elizabeth Bond (Stark and Baratheon). Feel free to contact any author with feedback or questions.
#2 Tyrion Lannister – “I much like my head. I don’t want to see it removed just yet.”
Our countdown is almost over and I hate to admit that I’m happy about that fact. That’s only because it means we will finally be watching a new episode!! It feels like an eternity since I’ve done that.
And I digress. Our #2 quote in our countdown for most anticipated moments of Season 3 comes from Tyrion Lannister. I have to admit, this is my favorite character in Westeros. It shocks me considering how I feel about everyone he’s related to, but I think most people would agree that Tyrion Lannister is The Man. So when we found Tyrion in a small and dirty chamber, stripped of his titles and powers, I was shocked and upset. How could Tywin not recognize that Tyrion saved the city? Without Tyrion, King’s Landing would have fallen before Tywin showed up and we would have a Baratheon sitting on the Iron Throne [not that I’d mind, but where’s the fun in that?]
We all know what happened to the last two Hands of the King. Recap – one killed by mother, the other by son. What will that mean for Tyrion? We already know that Cersei hates him, and I think Joffrey would execute him if he slapped him one more time (you can see the slap at 44 seconds!). So, my third most anticipated moment of GOT Season 3 is finding out if Tyrion keeps his head. I sure do hope so, because I’d like to see Tyrion get back into the game. He was better at playing it than anyone short of Lord Varys, no pun intended. Tyrion is smart, savvy, and somehow manages to stay one step ahead of everyone. He’s even managed to keep Shae alive, despite Cersei’s attempts at her life.
I could probably write a novel about how much I love Peter Dinklage. Instead, I’ll keep it simple. Recall the scene where Tyrion made the decision to lead the charge against Stannis after Joffrey fled the battle. His script called for him to declare that he’d lead the charge one time. Instead, Peter decided to ad-lib with the second line – the first one quiet as if making the personal revelation that he’d do it, the second one firm asserting his power and confirming his choice. It was the perfect addition, and it captures everything I love about this actor as Tyrion. He is perfect.
So, what will happen to Lord Tyrion this season? Will he survive in King’s Landing? Will Cersei discover the real Shae? Can Tyrion return to his former glory or will he decide to leave it all behind and flee?
We do know that Tyrion owes Cersei. And I can’t wait to see him pay her back. And I’d bet we can count on that happening soon, since a Lannister always pays his debts.
In preparation for the highly anticipated HBO Game of Thrones Season 3 premiere on March 31st, I will be counting down by celebrating the 10 best quotes of season 2 and the most anticipated moments of season 3.
#10 Cersei Lannister – “The gods have no mercy. That’s why they are gods.”
Ringing us in with #10 is Cersei Lannister, portrayed by the great Lena Headey. I don’t know about you, but Queen Cersei is the queen that I LOVE to HATE. She is murderous, cunning, sly, manipulative, and beautiful. Queen Cersei is a woman who knows how to get what she wants. She realizes that being in power is the key to wielding power, and she doesn’t let anyone stand in her way. We learned that quickly in Season 1 as we saw Cersei demand for the death of Sansa Stark’s innocent direwolf, Lady.
What I enjoy most about Queen Cersei is her ability to seem vulnerable and weak, yet insanely powerful and devious. Some of the best moments of GOT Season 2 are shared between Cersei and Tyrion. Who can forget when Lena Headey’s Cersei painfully reminds Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion of the biggest joke that he ever played on her (by killing their mother in birth). And for fans of the book, you know the best, or shall we say the worst, of Cersei is yet to come. So, my 10th most anticipated moment of Season 3 will be to see Cersei do what she does best – desperately attempt to hold on to her power and rule King’s Landing in medieval style and grace.
Finally, I want to point out Lena Headey is a superb actress who should be recognized for her skill as Queen Cersei. Lena breathes life into Cersei and manages to make a cruel villain appear multidimensional. While she has proven to be cruel and vindictive, Cersei has also proven to be loyal to her family and to love her children above all things. She reminds us that Cersei was wed to a man she didn’t love, and was shipped off to serve him as a piece in her father’s game. While I can’t honestly say I will ever root for Queen Cersei, I will root for Lena Headey to continue to portray Cersei so magnificently, and to remind us that a “Lannister always pays her debts”.
So what are your thoughts? Do you love to hate Cersei as much as I do? What are you anticipating most for Game of Thrones Season 3? Do you have any favorite quotes from the first two seasons?
Meet the Sand Snakes, the bastard daughters of Oberyn and Ellaria.
Sand Snakes using scorpion torture. NBD
ROCK PAPER WATCH 
