[Hawk]

Episodes 4-6


Game of Thrones scorecard, episode 4 Reply

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As those far younger than I are fond of saying - sh^t's about to get real.

Ned Stark is blundering around trying to find out whether/why Jon Arryn was murdered. He speaks with Grand Maester Pycelle and discovers that, just prior to his death, Arryn was interested in the genealogies of the great houses. Pycelle also mentions that Arryn's dying words were "the seed is strong". From Petyr Baelish (aka Littlefinger), Ned learns that Arryn had been a frequent visitor to a local armorer. Ned *should* have learned a bit of subtlety from Baelish as well, but as I said in the episode 1 recap, Ned is too straightforward and impatient to hide his motivations and intentions. There was a great exchange there, right? The essence of the conversation:

Baelish: Do you have someone in your service whom you trust completely?

Ned: Yes.

Baelish: The wiser answer was "no", milord. Have this paragon visit Ser Hugh of the Vale discreetly.

Ned: Perhaps I was wrong to mistrust you, Lord Baelish.

Baelish: Mistrusting me was the smartest thing you've done since you got down off of your horse, milord.

So Ned visits the armorer and meets Gendry, whom Ned is convinced is King Robert's bastard son. As an aside that I don't believe spoils anything, the helmet Gendry made for himself has bull horns on it - an "f you" to the people who tell him he's bull-headed. You get that sense of his personality when he flat out tells the Hand of the King that his helmet isn't for sale.

Things are starting to become clearer for Ned. Ned gets a visit from Cersei, who tries to point out to Ned that he's got a thankless task in trying to clean up after Robert. When Ned responds that if that's the job, then so be it, the exchange that follows couldn't have been more threatening without actual steel being drawn. Cersei and Ned are "on the record" so to speak, as declared enemies.

Meanwhile, Arya is working very hard to improve her fighting skills. She has no interest in a typical woman's role in the kingdom. She wants to rely on herself for her protection.

Sansa is still in Disneyland, smiling at the Prince and very excited about seeing a tournament, with all its pageantry. That belief in the nobility and chivalry of this life takes another hit, when the aforementioned Ser Hugh takes a splintered lance through his throat from Ser Gregor Clegane - The Mountain That Rides. Gregor is a bannerman to the Lannisters, by the way. He's also the brother of the Hound (Sandor Clegane), but it's not a loving relationship. It appears that Sandor got that nasty burn scar from his brother when as a six year old he had the audacity to play with his older brother's toy. Gregor's measured response was to shove his brother's face into the coals of the fire. This is actually not that different than my brother's reaction to finding me reading his comics...but I digress. In the TV show, it's Baelish that tells Sansa the story of the Hound and the Mountain. In the book, it's a drunken Hound that tells Sansa...and then threatens her about ever telling anyone.

The King, meanwhile, is showing he's not such a great guy. He's drunk at the tournament. He is entertaining whores by the dozen, deliberately doing so while his brother-in-law Jaime in on guard duty at the door.

In Winterfell, Tyrion has stopped by after his visit to the Wall. His reception this time is far more hostile than before, as Robb is in charge and not very diplomatic. Robb heard his mother say that the Lannisters were behind the assault on Bran, and he greets Tyrion accordingly. Tyrion, for his part, has gone to the effort to design a saddle for Bran that will keep him in the saddle and allow him some mobility. As he said, he has a soft spot for cripples, dwarves and bastards. (In another excellent exchange, Bran states "I'm not a cripple", to which Tyrion replies "Then I'm not a dwarf. My father will be pleased.") By the way, Bran is being carried around Winterfell by Hodor, a simple-minded giant. He has the name "Hodor" because that's all he can apparently say. Hodor is related in some way to Old Nan, but either I can't remember the exact relationship, or they never definitively say. Before we leave Winterfell, we should also talk about Theon Greyjoy. He's appeared in each episode, but didn't have much of a presence. But now we discover that he's the son of Balon Greyjoy, who rebelled against the Starks and got put in his place. Theon is essentially a hostage against further rebellion, but he does admire Ned Stark and thinks of him as a second father. Ned, for his part, has treated Theon well. There's a scene in King's Landing in which Jaime and Jory talk about putting down Greyjoy's rebellion.

Looking in on the Dothraki - Viserys is getting more and more agitated that Drogo is not giving him his army yet. He's treating people poorly. He's used to having no consequences for that, as he was raised to believe that he was an invincible king. The invincible king got taken to the cleaners by his little sister though: "the next time you raise a hand to me, you will no longer have hands" she tells him. Daenerys is starting to feel comfortable with her power. She also demonstrates further movement out of Viserys' shadow when she confesses to Jorah that she thinks her brother would be a crappy king. Jorah, for his part, confesses that he got into trouble with the Starks because he was trying to buy the affection of his very demanding wife, and needed money. Jorah dreams of being able to go home again.

Up North at the Wall, Jon Snow is taking on something of a leadership role among the trainees. We meet Samwell Tarly. The Tarlys are bannermen to Mace Tyrell, who is the Warden of the South. Sam's dad is quite a peach, as he tells his son he can either take the black (and join the Night's Watch) or die in an unfortunate hunting accident. Sam's dad is a little unhappy that he has an heir who is a fat coward, so when he has another son (who displays more martial tendencies), he needs the eldest to abdicate his inheritance. Sam is pathetic, but Jon makes it clear to his fellow recruits that Sam is not to be bullied. One guy dissents, but after a visit from a snarling Ghost, he caves. Ser Alliser Thorne, the drill sergeant, gives his speech about how when Winter comes, the Night's Watch won't be able to afford Sam's weakness, nor Jon's mercy. One other interesting exchange is that Jon confesses to Sam that he's a virgin. He had an opportunity with a whore named Roz (a woman also mentioned by Tyrion and Theon), but balked when he realized that he might be dooming a child to the same life he had - growing up as a bastard.

And then, to close out this episode, Catelyn and Rodrik are on their way back to Winterfell. They stop at an inn which Catelyn frequented during her youth. They meet Tyrion coming South from Winterfell, and Catelyn can't help herself - her outrage over the Lannisters' alleged role in her son's paralysis causes her to accuse Tyrion. But Catelyn is not quite as direct as her husband. She first calls out a variety of her father's bannermen and confirms their loyalty to him ("him" is Hoster Tully, the Lord of Riverrun) before demanding that they arrest Tyrion and escort him to Winterfell. You will also hopefully find out next episode that Catelyn can be very tricksy.

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Catelyn Tully Stark showed her craftiness and her irrational nature at the end of last week. Irrational, because how could she NOT know that there would be repercussions from kidnapping Tyrion Lannister? Craftiness, because she told everyone at the inn that she was taking Tyrion to Winterfell...but she's not. Instead of going North to Winterfell, she flees East to the Vale. To get to the Vale, they have to pass through some lands that are increasingly threatened by hill tribes. During an encounter on the road, Catelyn is forced to untie Tyrion, who then saves Catelyn by bashing a tribesman's head in with a shield. You may have noticed that the scruffy guy with the group fought very well. His name is Bronn, and he's a mercenary. Having defeated the hillsmen, the group move on to the Vale, which is ruled by Catelyn's nephew (named Robin - Robert in the book, but I guess that would confuse) now that his dad Jon Arryn is dead, but Catelyn's sister Lysa is the regent. Lysa is cuckoo, in case you didn't realize that from the fact that she's breastfeeding her way-too-old-to-be-breastfeeding son in front of the court. You should also know a couple more names. Ser Vardis is the knight who meets them and leads them to the Eyrie (the castle that commands the Vale). Mord is the jailer who puts Tyrion in the sky cell. Catelyn now has a bit of a quandary - Tyrion is Cat's prisoner, but her sister Lysa has a pretty big grievance against the Lannisters of her own.

Not much happening in Winterfell. We see two more characters rubbing Theon's face in his father's failed rebellion.

No scenes of the Wall at all, nor of the Dothraki.

So everything else is at King's Landing, and there are all kinds of balls in the air there.

Varys warns Ned that Jon Arryn was poisoned with the Tears of Lys. Petyr and Varys have a spy-off, in which they both point out that they have all kinds of dirt on each other.

Renly Baratheon, the king's youngest brother, is having a homosexual affair with Ser Loras Tyrell - the Knight of Flowers (who defeated Gregor Clegane - the Mountain - in the joust, in part by choosing a mare in heat to ride against the Mountain's stallion). Loras encourages Renly to consider being king himself, bankrolled by Loras' father Mace Tyrell, the Warden of the South.

Arya is chasing cats as a way of improving her quickness (like Rocky chasing chickens in an alleyway). She winds up in the dungeons, where the dragon skulls that used to decorate the Targaryen throne room are housed. She overhears Varys and Illyrio (you remember him - he is the one who brokered the marriage between Daenerys and Khal Drogo) discussing the seemingly imminent war between Stark and Lannister, and concluding that this would be untimely - if one Hand could die, why not another? They aren't ready for the war yet because Khal Drogo is waiting on his son to be born. Alas, Arya is not sure who she saw, and isn't quite clear on the import of the words. Arya is trying to explain it to Ned, but they are interrupted by Yoren of the Night's Watch. Yoren was there at the inn when Catelyn nabbed Tyrion, and he relates this information to Ned.

Meanwhile, Robert actually attends a meeting of the Small Council. Jorah Mormont has notified the Council that Daenerys is pregnant (remember how Jorah reacted oddly to the news, and decided that he needed to take a detour on the road to the Dothraki city? Now you know why.). Robert demands an assassination, and the Council supports that...except for Ned. Ned's not a perfect guy, but he's willing to put his balls on the chopping block to protect his honor. He has scathing words for Robert, and ends up resigning his position as Hand rather than have his name on the order to kill Daenerys and her unborn child.

This, oddly enough, might help protect Ned, since some are scheming to remove the Hand. Now that he's not the Hand, do they still need to remove him? Ned knows he needs to get out of town, though, since the king is unhappy with him. Before Ned can bail, though, Petyr offers him the opportunity to speak to the last person to speak to Jon Arryn. It turns out that person is a whore, who has a bastard daughter by the king. Ned is a bit puzzled still as to why Jon Arryn was tracking down all of Robert's bastard children. As he, Petyr, and Jorry Cassel (along with two other Stark guardsmen) leave the whorehouse, they are confronted by Jaime Lannister and a large Lannister force. Jaime is in a tizzy, as he has learned of Catelyn's taking of his brother Tyrion. Ned chivalrously proclaims that it was on his orders. Jaime threatens Ned's life. Oops! Ned is not the Hand anymore, so he's comparatively fair game. Ned states that if he is killed, then Catelyn will surely kill Tyrion. So Jaime orders the death of Ned's guardsmen...including Jory, who gets a Lannister dagger in the eye. Ned and Jaime clash, and Ned is very much holding his own until an exuberant Lannister guardsman spears him in the back of the leg.

The only other thing to mention is that Robert and Cersei have a discussion in which Cersei states that she once had feelings for Robert, but those went away when it became clear that a dead Lyanna Stark still held Robert's heart.

What did I forget? Thoughts?


Game of Thrones scorecard, episode 6 Edit | Reply

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This week, a few questions are answered, and several more are raised.

In King's Landing:

Robert Baratheon reinstates Ned Stark as the Hand of the King. He orders that Ned put his differences with the Lannisters aside. This means that Ned must order Catelyn to release Tyrion. It also means that Ned doesn't get to pursue justice vis-a-vis Jaime and his murdering of Ned's guardsmen.

(By the way, while I don't advocate wife beating, that was a hell of a line Robert gave to Cersei after he smacked her - her: I shall wear it as a badge of honor. him: wear it in silence, or I'll honor you again.)

Meanwhile, Arya is still fierce as ever. She continues to be trained in "dancing", and her swordwork is very much improved.

The king goes hunting, and leaves Ned in charge. Ned hears some villagers from the Riverrun area talk about a huge man who led some brigands in a raping and pillaging expedition in their village. Riverrun is the birthplace of Catelyn, who has abducted Tyrion. Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain That Rides, is a bannerman to Tyrion's father, and fits the description of the lead pillager. Ned once again proves that a strength, taken to the extreme, becomes a weakness. Ned's strength is his sense of honor. He orders Beric Dondarrion (yes, yet another character you have to remember) to take 100 men and bring the Mountain to justice. He also orders Grand Maester Pycelle to send a raven to Casterly Rock (home of the Lannisters) summoning Tywin Lannister (father-in-law to the King) to the capital to answer for his bannerman's actions. The same Tywin Lannister who holds $3MM of the kingdom's debt, and whose children are powerful and merciless in their own right, but are a pale shadow of him. Ned has put the king in an awkward position, no matter how "right" he is.

Meanwhile, Prince Joffrey visits Sansa to charm her out of her socks, give her a gift, and hold up her imminent queendom in front of her like a very obvious bribe. Very obvious, that is, to someone who is not a teen girl who believes in fairy tales.

Ned breaks the news to Arya and Sansa that he is sending them back to Winterfell. Sansa acts like a spoiled teen at the news - she's going to have Joffrey's babies, so how could Ned be so heartless? Then she says something that finally jars Ned's brain - she says that Joffrey is "nothing like that old, drunk king". Ned peruses his book of lineages, and notes that all of the Baratheons listed have black hair...but not Joffrey. Remember Jon Arryn's dying words? "The seed is strong". Clearly, he was not talking about his own son.

In Vaes Dothrak:

Daenerys puts her dragon egg on hot coals, and is unharmed when she pulls it out of the coals. She also has to eat the heart of a stallion in front of the "nobility" of the Dothraki. It's important that she eat it all without throwing up. The Dothraki believe that doing this will ensure that her son will be born strong. The crones of Vaes Dothrak proclaim that her son will be The Stallion That Mounts The World, and will unite all of the various Dothraki tribes. Daeny names her son Rhaego, after her older brother Rhaegar (who was killed by Robert during the rebellion 17 years ago).

Her living brother, Viserys, decides to abscond with Daeny's dragon eggs, in order to sell them and buy an army to take to the Seven Kingdoms to fight Robert and reinstall the Targaryen dynasty. Jorah Mormont prevents him from doing so.

Later, a drunken Viserys shows up to demand that he get the crown that was promised him in the bargain for Daenerys. He threatens to cut the baby out of Daeny's belly if he doesn't get his crown. Drogo gives him his crown by pouring molten gold over Viserys' head. Daeny watches it without tears, stating that Viserys was no true dragon, else the heat wouldn't have harmed him.

In Winterfell:

Bran has his 3-eyed crow dream again. He also has a new saddle (of Tyrion's devising) that allows him to ride around on a horse, despite being paralyzed from the waist down. While riding, he is beset by Wildlings fleeing south from the Wall (fleeing the White Walkers). Robb Stark puts paid to two of them, and Theon Greyjoy shows off his archery skills in killing the last Wildling. The woman with the group is spared. I should also mention that there is an additional reminder to Theon that he's not part of the Stark family, this time delivered by Robb.

In the Eyrie:

Tyrion is going a bit crazy hanging out in a Sky Cell. He bribes his jailer Mord to take a message to Lysa, Catelyn's crazy sister and regent of the Eyrie until Robin Arryn comes of age.

The message? He wants to confess his sins. But Tyrion is a wily fella, and he decides the time is right for a desperate gamble. He knows Lysa will have the whole court there to hear his confession (in the book, Catelyn urges her sister to hear the confession in private - she's smart enough not to trust Tyrion's sudden desire to confess), but he uses the opportunity to demand a trial by combat in front of everyone, which is a right of the accused. He has backed Lysa into a corner. She HAS to consent to the trial. Ser Vardis doesn't want to fight a dwarf, but he does agree to fight a dwarf's champion. Bronn, the sellsword, consents to fight for Tyrion, presumably for the twin reasons of liking Tyrion's moxie and also liking the size of his purse. Vardis is a highly trained knight, and Bronn is a baseborn mercenary. It shouldn't be much of a contest - and it isn't. Vardis is heavily armored, and Bronn won't stand still and fight. He wears Vardis out, and then dispatches him. Tyrion is free to go...back across the lands ruled by the hill tribes and shadowcats. Still, a small chance is better than none.

What did I miss?