Saturday, April 4, 2015

Discussing Game of Thrones: Baelor

* Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen “Baelor.”

Varys Is No Hero

Varys pays another secret visit to Ned in his dungeon cell and informs Lord Stark that Sansa pleaded for his life in front of Joffrey and the Court. Ned asks the Spider what he wants; Varys replies peace and urges Ned to swear fealty to Joffrey. Cersei will probably then let him live out his days with the Night's Watch.

The Twins

Theon is shooting down ravens leaving the Twins, the home of Lord Walder Frey, so that his lordship doesn't betray Robb's position to the Lannisters. Robb is desperate to cross the Trident, but no one trusts Lord Frey. Catelyn volunteers to see him since she's known him since childhood and is greeted by Argus Filch, uh, I mean Lord Walder, and his many, many children and grandchildren. Catelyn asks for a private word with him, and all of the Frey spawn are dismissed. Lord Frey brings up past instances in which Catelyn's father insulted him. She asks him to let Robb cross and reminds him of his duty to her father as a bannerman. Ha—as if the geezer knows the meaning of the word "loyalty."

Longclaw

Mormont presents Jon with a sword named Longclaw, a weapon that had been intended for his exiled son, Jorah. Jon says he'll bury the hatchet with Ser Alliser Thorne, but Mormont tells him that Thorne has been sent to King's Landing with the severed hand. In the mess hall, Jon's friends want to see his new sword with the exception of Sam, who is unusually quiet. When Jon finally gets him to talk, Sam reveals that Robb is marching south with an army to free Ned.

Be Careful of What You Promise Walder Frey

Robb's crossing is secured, but with conditions, of course. Arya is to marry a Frey when they're old enough, and Robb is to take a Frey wife. He's none too thrilled with the terms of the deal, but his need to get across the Trident is dire.

Maester Aemon's Big Reveal

He is a Targaryen! His chat with Jon is meant to get the latter to really consider the consequences of any future action he takes, like riding off to King's Landing.

A Khalasar Divided

Drogo's wound is infected, and he falls from his horse. This is a HUGE sign of weakness to the Dothraki, and they won't follow a khal who can't ride a horse. Daenerys calls for Mirri Maz Duur.

The Lannisters Talk Strategy

Word has reached the Lannister camp that Robb has been joined by additional troops from the Twins. Tywin orders Tyrion and his new friends he picked up in the Vale to lead the vanguard. Later we're introduced to Shae, who will have quite the impact on Tyrion's life.

The Scary Kind of Magic

Drogo's condition has become critical, and Jorah tells Daenerys that the khal will die that night. Jorah also urges her to run because fighting will break out among the Dothraki once Drogo is gone. Daenerys, however, refuses to leave him. She begs Mirri Maz Duur to do whatever she must to save him, including using blood magic. Daenerys is ordered out of the tent and finds an extremely tense gathering. One of the bloodriders shoves her to the ground, and an armored Jorah steps in, eventually killing the Dothraki. Daenerys goes into labor, but none of the Dothraki midwives will help her because they think she's cursed. At Rakharo's suggestion, Jorah carries her to Mirri Maz Duur, not knowing that entrance into the tent is forbidden.

The Battle . . . That Wasn't

During some quiet time before the war gets underway, Tyrion recalls his marriage that turned out to be a cruel trick. The next morning, Bronn wakes him and tells him that he's missing the war; the northerners have arrived early. Poor Tyrion doesn't even have a squire. He gives his tribesmen a rousing pep talk, but when they rush into battle, Tyrion gets knocked unconscious and wakes just in time to find out he missed the fighting. Lord Tywin informs him that the scout was wrong, and there were only 2,000 Stark men. The rest are with Robb.

A Most Prized Capture

Catelyn is anxiously waiting for her son to return from battle. He does, and he's caught an extremely valuable prisoner: Jaime Lannister. Robb feels guilty about sending the smaller host as a decoy to face Tywin's army and reminds his men that one victory means nothing.

There Are No Words

Arya is wandering around Flea Bottom, a very sketchy area in King's Landing, as the bells of the sept ring out. She finds out that Ned is being brought there and takes up a spot by the statue of Baelor the Blessed. Ned is dragged out in front of the hostile crowd and spots Arya. As he passes by Yoren of the Night's Watch, he draws Yoren's attention to Arya's position. Ned confesses to treason and proclaims Joffrey the one true king. Pycelle asks Joffrey how Ned is to be punished. Sansa is sure Joffrey is going to be merciful, but Joffrey orders Ser Ilyn Payne to execute Ned. Yoren grabs Arya in the crowd and tells her not to look as her father is beheaded with his own sword. I'll never, ever, forget reading this in the book and being unable to react for quite some time because . . . the hero doesn't die! And he just did! Oh, and this episode originally aired on my birthday, lol.

4 comments:

  1. I had much the same reaction as you. And even though I knew what was coming I still did not want to believe it. I am still cursing Joffrey to all seven hells for beheading Ned. And the real salt in the wound is that he indeed got his head cut off with his own sword. Ice is forever blasphemed!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right?! And then Tywin had Ice melted down, and Joffrey got one of the two swords! GAH- this series truly does make my heart hurt quite often, lol!

      Delete
  2. Yes! George sure knows how to rip your heart out and then commence to stomp it into a million pieces!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I just keep going back for more, lol. I saw that he's hoping to finish The Winds of Winter for 2016!

      Delete

We love hearing from our readers and do our best to reply. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!