Here is an episode summary for last night's episode.
Game of Thrones scorecard, Season 2 Episode 1
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It's been too long since we visited Westeros. It feels like, after a long day's physical labor, slipping into a soothing, hot bath of violence, brutality, betrayal...and chamomile. Very excited to have the show on again.
We have met some new folks, and caught up with some old friends.
Daenerys, newly widowed, is traveling with what's left of her khalasar across the Red Waste. That's the only route she has, as any other direction will result in her death and the theft of her dragons. But it's a hard road, as her people are suffering. She sends out her strongest riders to go scouting to find water and/or a city.
In the North, Commander Mormont has led the Night's Watch in force into the land of the Wildlings, North of the Wall. We see them in the home of Craster, who has managed to carve out a comfortable living in an incredibly inhospitable environment. He raises his daughters to become his wives, and he either grows, makes, or trades for everything he needs. He's no friend of the Night's Watch, calling them Crows, but he is willing to trade his "hospitality" for steel and wine. Jon is repelled by Craster, and wonders what he does with his sons. Mormont also does not like Craster, but unlike Jon, he doesn't allow his distaste to interfere with his mission.
In Winterfell, Bran is the acting Lord in Robb's absence, dealing with the complaints of those who have seen their lands stripped of able men when Robb called the banners. Bran has dreams in which he's a wolf, just like last season when he had crow dreams, maybe as a sort of compensation for the loss of his ability to walk.
Meanwhile Robb has sent a Lannister cousin to King's Landing to present his terms for peace - the return of Sansa and Arya, the return of the bones of his father and all other Starks retainers who died in King's Landing, and a renunciation of any claims of Lannisters to the lands of the North. He's also sending his mother Catelyn to the Stormlands (ancestral seat of the Baratheons) to treat with Renly, who has proclaimed himself King. The idea is that if Robb and Renly join forces, they can split the land and both be King of their respective kingdoms.
Another key happening in Robb's camp is that Theon Greyjoy, has asked Robb for permission to petition Balon Greyjoy (Theon's father) for his ships in preparation for an attack on King's Landing. Balon rebelled against Ned Stark some years ago, a rebellion which Ned put down hard, and took Theon to raise in Winterfell as surety against Balon trying it again. Catelyn counsels against trusting Balon.
In King's Landing, there are a number of things brewing. Tyrion has arrived to be his father Tywin's representative on the King's Small Council. He lambasts his dear sister Cersei with her failures in maximizing their bargaining power with regard to the Starks. Failure in letting Ned get beheaded, and failure in letting Arya disappear. Now they have only Sansa to trade for Jaime, an offer unlikely to convince Robb.
Tyrion has also stationed his woman Shae into Ned Stark's old quarters in the Tower of the Hand, somewhat in defiance of his dad's orders not to take her to court. He's also got the mercenary Bronn (who saved Tyrion's bacon by being his Champion in the Aerie), and representatives of the hill tribes.
Petyr Baelish, aka Littlefinger, makes an error of judgment in showing his hand to Cersei, in reaction to her light taunting about his background. In perhaps the most powerful scene of the first episode, Littlefinger chides Cersei for forgetting that knowledge is power, and threatens her with his knowledge of her incest with Jaime. Cersei orders her guardsmen to seize Littlefinger, orders and then rescinds the order to slash his throat, then orders her guardsmen to turn around, walk three paces, and close their eyes...which they do to her exact wishes. She then points out to Baelish that "Power is power".
But Cersei is learning the unfortunate side of that truth, as well, as Joffrey is completely out from under her thumb. He's doing whatever he wants, and even threatens to have his mother put to death if she lays hands on him again. He is out of control. He amuses himself by having armsmen fight to the death, and by taunting Sansa with how helpless she is. Sansa, for her part, has found a way of dealing with her situation. She simply agrees with everything Joffrey says. The one time she veers from that is when we meet Ser Dontos. Ser Dontos is a drunk, and to show up drunk to Joffrey's nameday celebrations is an insult. So Joffrey decides to have him drowned in wine. Sansa saves him by telling Joffrey that Dontos would make a great jester, and gets an unlikely ally in The Hound (aka Sandor Clegane), who is Joffrey's bodyguard. So Ser Dontos is freed, and ordered to be the new Fool.
Someone (Cersei? Joffrey?) has ordered that all of Robert's bastards be killed, presumably because they could muddy the waters of succession, or be used by someone as a figurehead for rebellion. So we get the lovely sequence of child slaughtering, starting with an infant. The last bastard is Gendry, who is fortunately not still at the blacksmith's forge. Instead, he's on the road North, traveling with Yoren and Arry (Arya).
And last, we are introduced to a whole new claimant for the throne. Stannis Baratheon is Robert's younger brother (and Renly's older brother). He is the man whom Ned Stark declared was the rightful heir, but whom nobody save Stannis and his followers thinks is a fit heir. He is a hard man, but an honest one. We meet two of Stannis' key followers - Melisandre and Ser Davos Seaworth. Melisandre is a representative of a new religion on Westeros' shores; that of the Lord of Light. She seems to have mysterious powers, such as an immunity to poison. She is a strong influence on Stannis.
Another strong influence on Stannis is Ser Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight. Presumably we'll get the story on his nickname in a subsequent episode, so I won't mention it here. He is uncomfortable with the new religion, and with Melisandre, but he's loyal to Stannis. Both Melisandre and Davos will be key players in the drama to come.
And meanwhile, overhead, there is a red comet hurtling through the sky. What does it portend? Is it Lannister red? Is it an omen of dragons? Is it the herald of the Lord of Light?
A strong opening episode, setting the stage for some fun and hijinx ahead.
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