[Hawk]

I saw these episode summaries on another message board, and thought it might be helpful for those who are watching the show, but have not read the books.

It goes episode by episode and just provides some summaries and explanations for the benefit of non-readers. There are no spoilers in it, so no worries in that regard, but it is helpful in keeping track of all the characters.

Long, and maybe nobody will read it, but I found it helpful so I figured I'd post it just in case:

Episodes 1-3

Game of Thrones scorecard, episode 1 Edit | Reply

Several in the GOT thread indicated they were lost inside of 5 minutes. My wife was, too. Hopefully this will help some of you.

I believe there are no spoilers here for those who watched the first episode (*if you didn't watch the episode, there are definitely spoilers here*). Just a who's who, and some context for what happened in Episode 1. Also, I will state some items here as fact that will later be proven false, but we'll let that unfold with the story.

Main characters:

House Stark - Eddard Stark is the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. He is a longtime friend of the king (Robert Baratheon), and in fact helped the king get his throne. He married Catelyn Tully, and they had 5 kids. Robb is the oldest, followed by Sansa (redhead), Arya (tomboy), Bran (boy who loves to climb), and Rickon. Eddard had a sister, Lyanna, who was promised to the king, and as you saw in the pilot, the king still loves her. Eddard also had a brother who died. The other young man in the family is Jon Snow. Jon is of Stark blood, but because he's a bastard in the North, he is given the surname of Snow - the custom for illegitimate children is to carry a surname that indicates what part of the country they are from (other examples - Stone, Rivers). Another Stark is Benjen, Ned's only living sibling and the First Ranger of the Night's Watch, the force that mans that giant wall you saw at the beginning of the show. The Night's Watch protects the kingdom from the "Wildlings" - who are men and women that for one reason or another abandoned the kingdom to go live beyond the Wall, and from the "White Walkers" - who many believe are myth, and who you don't need to dwell on too much at this point.

House Arryn - Jon Arryn was the Warden of the East and the Hand of the King (basically the Chief of Staff). Unfortunately, the only time you see Jon in the pilot is with painted rocks over his eyes, because he's dead of a fever. Jon was the mentor for King Robert and Eddard (aka Ned). He was married to Catelyn's sister Lysa, and they have a son. In episode 1, Lysa sent a letter to Catelyn stating that Jon was murdered.

House Lannister - this is the wealthiest and perhaps most power-hungry family in Westeros (and that's saying something). Tywin Lannister is the patriarch, though we haven't met him yet. He has three children - the twins Cersei and Jaime, and the dwarf Tyrion. While the king was off hunting, Bran witnessed Cersei and Jaime getting it on, which is why Jaime pushed Bran off the wall.

House Targaryen - this is the family that used to hold the Iron Throne. Robert, Jon Arryn, Ned and others overthrew the family. Viserys and Daenerys were spirited away as children, and Viserys is consumed with the idea of getting the family's throne back. That's why Viserys is willing to give his sister to Khal Drogo, who is the lord of the horsepeople called the Dothraki. The Dothraki aren't going to give you the cultural arts, but they eat, sleep and breathe battle.

House Baratheon - Robert the king is the head of the house. He has a couple of brothers that we'll meet soon, as well. Robert, as mentioned, loved Lyanna Stark, but with her death (and the need to continue the royal line) he was wed to Cersei Lannister. The royal children are Joffrey (blond kid that Sansa was making googly eyes at), Myrcella, and Tommen.

Other folks you met that will play increasingly important roles:
- Theon Greyjoy: he was the guy who put a knife to the wolf puppy when they first found them. He is a ward of Ned Stark.

- Jorah Mormont: he was the guy who gave Daenerys the books.

- Illyrio: He is the guy who is the go-between for Viserys/Daenerys and Khal Drogo.

- The Hound - you weren't really introduced to him, but he was the guy wearing the helmet that looked like a dog's head. He was also the guy who appeared briefly and looked like he had been partially scalped. He is the main bodyguard to Joffrey. He's a badass and a sonofabitch, but he's got nothing on his brother (not yet introduced) in either department.


So now we've got some nasty stuff brewing. Jon Arryn is dead...maybe murdered; Ned is his successor as the Hand of the King. Ned's chock full o' integrity, but King's Landing (the capital) is subtle in its politics, and Ned is a fairly straightforward guy. Jaime and Cersei are up to no good and just threw the son of the new Hand from a high place. Viserys is on the brink of raising an army of horselords that could sweep up the seven kingdoms. It's just going to get more intricate from here.

Did I miss anything from episode 1?


Game of Thrones scorecard, episode 2 Reply

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Once again, the intention of the thread is to provide a little more context than you can get in one viewing of the episode.

We're starting to see some story lines start to solidify. The tension between Stark, Lannister and Baratheon. The evolution of Daenerys from timid subservience to the flexing of power. The rebelliousness of Arya. Robert's difficulty in managing the throne and his marriage. Good stuff and very well done. Mostly true to the book, as well, except in minor ways.

Regarding the Starks: Bran is not dead after being pushed from the window. He is unconscious, and it looks as if he will live. The family is being split up, as Ned is taking Sansa and Arya with him to King's Landing; Catelyn, Robb, Bran and Rickon are staying in Winterfell, and Jon Snow is riding with his Uncle Benjen to the Wall, to be part of the Sworn Brotherhood of the Night's Watch.

Regarding the Lannisters: Jaime and Cersei are understandably uncomfortable given the news of Bran. Tyrion is a Lannister, but we're starting to see ways in which he's different, too. Slapping Joffrey around, tweaking Jaime and Cersei about the Bran news. All 3 Lannisters are VERY interesting and complex characters in the book, which I hope will be reflected in the series.

Presumably you saw the episode since you're reading this, so I won't try a blow-by-blow...just some stream of consciousness.

Sansa is VERY enamored of being Prince Joffrey's bride, and sees this as straight out of a storybook. Joffrey's a total douche and a mama's boy, of course, but Sansa doesn't see that. In her mind, because Joffrey is a prince, he MUST be gallant and noble. That helps explain why she pleaded the 5th in regard to Joffrey and Arya's scuffle - she is intensely frustrated that her sister doesn't behave like a lady, she admires the queen, she "loves" Joffrey and is pledged to marry him, but she's not a bad kid so she won't outright lie to doom her sister. She just wants everything to be nice. It also helps explain why she's the one Stark child who isn't tight with Snow. He's a bastard so he can't be gallant and noble. She's one of those people who believes the quality of a person is defined by their lineage. She's only 13, so let's cut her some slack, for now.

Catelyn was pretty harsh to Jon Snow, when Jon came to say goodbye to the unconscious Bran. Somewhat in her defense, her favorite child was struggling for his life, she'd had little sleep, and her husband was taking two more of her children away and into a snakepit of politics and danger. ** SLIGHT BOOK SPOILER ** She also very much resents Ned having Jon at Winterfell, even more than she resents him actually having a bastard child. Screwing when you're away at war is somewhat to be expected, but it's just rude to bring the product of that indiscretion home to be raised with your legitimate kids. Also (and I wish the show explained this, because I think it gives some more depth to Catelyn), she feels guilty for Bran's injury, because she had been praying to the Seven - her gods - that Bran could stay home with her instead of going to King's Landing... and in a cruel twist she got her wish. ** END of SLIGHT SPOILER**

Jon gets a slap in the face when he realizes that he's just pledged for life to be part of the Night's Watch - this deeply honorable calling that has protected the realm for 8000 years - and finds out that it's mostly the dregs and criminals that make up his new brotherhood. In some ways, he is as naive as Sansa. But a bastard can't afford to be naive. Tyrion is helping Jon understand that. I like the relationship being developed between Jon and Tyrion. By the way, you heard Jon comment to Tyrion about how Jaime killed the prior king. Jaime is one of the Kingsguard, which is essentially the Secret Service for the king. Imagine if a Secret Serviceman assassinated the President -- that's what Jaime did to the last Targaryen king.

So Jaime is screwing his sister, tries to kill a 10 year old boy, killed the last king he was sworn to protect, and mocks Jon's commitment to the Night's Watch. Quite a guy, eh? Just wait...

Ser Jorah Mormont - the exile that rides with Khal Drogo and Khaleesi Daenerys - is an exile because he caught some poachers on his land (the Mormonts are vassals to the Starks). By law and custom, he was to send those poachers to be members of the Night's Watch, but Jorah was a little short on cash, so he sold the poachers to some slavers from across the Narrow Sea. Ned Stark would have taken care of business, but Jorah fled before justice could find him.

The scene in which Bran is attacked by an assassin was very like the book. Up to that point, Catelyn was not a fan of the direwolves being part of her children's lives, but Bran's wolf changed her mind. That attack made it very clear to her that Bran's injury was not an accident, but attempted murder. She's riding to King's Landing to let Ned know that something's rotten in Denmark.

Ned HATES being in the thick of political intrigue. He'd just like to stay in the North, run Winterfell, be around his wife and kids, and have nothing to do with the Lannisters. However, although it may not be overly apparent yet, he really does love Robert Baratheon as a brother. With Jon Arryn's alleged murder, he feels like the King is in danger, and therefore he must go to King's Landing and support the King's shaky hold on the throne.

One final note - when Robert and Ned are sitting at a table in a field discussing whether to send an assassin to kill Daenerys, Robert reminds Ned that the Targaryens did bad things to his family. What were those things? **SLIGHT BOOK SPOILER** Ned was not originally supposed to inherit Winterfell. He had an older brother named Brandon, who was the heir (and who also was pledged to marry Catelyn). But the last Targaryen king executed Brandon, as well as Ned and Brandon's father. And he ordered the death of Ned and Robert, as well, but Jon Arryn defied him and thus the revolution. ** END SPOILER **

New characters that were introduced:

- Sandor Clegane. Don't know that name? That's because he goes by The Hound. He's Joffrey's bodyguard. He had one speaking line in the first episode, but was unnamed. Notice the nasty scarring on the side of his face? Hopefully we'll get to hear that story...

- Ser Rodrik Cassel - he's the guy with funky sidewhiskers that is planning to leave Winterfell to protect Catelyn on the journey to inform Ned.

- Ser Ilyn Payne - The King's Justice, aka the executioner. His tongue was ripped out by the Targaryen king. He's also sort of symbolic of the way Ned and Robert have differed in the way they handled their rise to power. Remember, Ned carries out his own executions, so that it doesn't become too easy to order someone's death.

- the three servants to Daenerys. Irri, Jhiqui, and Doreah. Irri and Jhiqui are Dothraki ("it is known"), but Doreah is not. She is the one who is teaching Daenerys how to please the Khal. Thoughts? What did I miss?


Game of Thrones scorecard, episode 3 Reply

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While this may fall under Who Gives A S*** given the news coming out tonight, several folks have asked me to keep doing this, so I will. Plus I'm waiting for the President's speech, so I need something to do while all the talking heads are babbling.

I'll section this by location this week. Please avoid putting any major spoilers in this thread.

Let's start with what's going on with the Dothraki. Daenerys is pregnant with Drogo's son - that's a big deal because Drogo's son is likely to be the next Khal. Jorah Mormont had an interesting reaction to that news, didn't he? The other news here is that Daenerys is obviously becoming more and more a Dothraki, and Viserys doesn't care much for that. He tries to take out his anger on his sister, but one of the Khal's bloodriders (bodyguards, essentially) named Jhogo lets him know that the Khaleesi is not to be handled that way. They make him walk behind the horde. For the Dothraki, to be on foot is to be less than a man.

Next, let's move to the Wall. Jorah's father is the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and his plea to the visiting Tyrion is to intercede with the king/queen/anyone to send more people to the Wall before winter truly arrives. The Wildlings - men who live North of the Wall - are fleeing South in great numbers, because something is stirring. Tyrion doesn't believe that anything other than men exist in those forests. Great performance by Dinklage as Tyrion, by the way. I'm also pleased with how much of the dialogue is word for word from the book. Meanwhile, Jon Snow only *thought* he had it bad at Winterfell. In the Night's Watch, he is hazed because he's a bastard and because he is humiliating the assorted trash when it comes to fighting, and his uncle Benjen won't let him ride beyond the Wall with the Rangers. He's a good kid, though, and he adapts well. Before the end of the episode, he's teaching his fighting skills to the guys who he was beating indiscriminately and mercilessly earlier. You also meet Yoren - he's the guy who goes around the Seven Kingdoms emptying the jails for recruits for the Wall.

Not a lot going on at Winterfell at this time. We briefly see Old Nan telling Bran some tales to keep him occupied, and not dwelling on his injury. Bran is paralyzed, and he can't remember why he fell. He is having trouble accepting his injury.

And finally, the snake's nest in King's Landing. Some snippets:

- the King is drunk (as usual) and taunts Jaime with being a king killer. The older gentleman in this scene is Ser Barristan Selmy - the oldest of the Kingsguard and the last link to when the Kingsguard was truly the best that Westeros had to offer - not only the best fighters, but also when they were expected to have honor and integrity.

- Arya is her usual wild self, and in a great scene Ned explains to her that they are in a dangerous place and can't afford to fight among each other. To show Arya that he understands what she wants (as he clearly does NOT understand his other daughter), he arranges for her to have sword fighting lessons from Syrio Forel, who spent 9 years as "first sword to the Sealord of Braavos". Braavos is one of the Free Cities (neither part of the Seven Kingdoms nor part of the Dothraki empire).

- Joffrey is a bloodthirsty, arrogant little prick, isn't he? Fortunately, he's being raised to value tolerance and brotherhood by Cersei. Interesting how Joffrey was starting to admit that he didn't handle himself well with Arya and Nymeria, and Cersei cut him off and told him that the truth was whatever he said it was. Cersei also lets him know that he WILL be marrying Sansa, but he can screw anyone he pleases. Seriously, the parenting awards are piling up.

- You also meet the Small Council. Ned, as the Hand of the King, leads the Small Council (as the King doesn't care to attend). Other members include Petyr Baelish (aka Littlefinger), Varys the Spider, Grand Maester Pycelle, and Renly Baratheon (one of the King's two brothers). It seems that Robert has been spending money like a drunken sailor, and the Kingdom is in deep debt...mostly to the Lannisters. That doesn't bode well.

- Littlefinger is essentially the Secretary of the Treasury. His nickname comes from the land that his family owns (the smallest of the Fingers - peninsulas about halfway between Winterfell and King's Landing). Some backstory - Littlefinger still loves the girl he grew up with - Catelyn Tully Stark. When arrangements were made for Catelyn to marry Brandon Stark, Littlefinger challenged Brandon to a duel out of desperation. Catelyn prevailed upon Brandon to not kill him. When Brandon was killed by the Mad King, Littlefinger thought he had another shot. But Ned took Brandon's place as not only the Lord of Winterfell, but also as Catelyn's groom. Catelyn does truly care for Petyr. Ned thinks he's a weasel.

- Varys is the head of the CIA. He has a massive network of spies, and seems to know almost everything. He's also a eunuch.

- Catelyn has brought the knife that the assassin tried to use on Bran. In a nice twist, it is revealed first that the knife is Littlefinger's, but that he lost it by betting on Jaime to win the last tournament. However, Loras Tyrell - the Knight of Flowers - unseated Jaime in the finals, so Littlefinger had to give his knife...to Tyrion Lannister.