Synopsis: Arya stirs awake and grabs a rock. She tiptoes over to where she thinks Sandor is sleeping but he isn’t. He says if she kills him, she’s free, but if she doesn’t he’ll break both of her hands. They continue on their journey. He tells her that he’s not so bad, he rescued Sansa from rape. She doesn’t believe him. She thinks he’s taking her back to King’s Landing, but he says he’s taking her to the Twins to Robb and Catelyn. Daenerys, Jorah and Selmy watch as a group of sell swords approach the Yunkai. Jorah says they are the Second Sons. Dany meets with three of the leaders of the Second Sons to try and get them to work for her. Mero isn’t very civil, in a Weinstein sort of way, but Daario is the more logical one. Prendahl is the senior leader but mostly stays quiet. She gives them two days to decide. Melisandre returns to Dragonstone where Stannis meets Gendry, taking one look at him to decide he’s Robert’s son. He asks what she plans to do with him and she speaks of making a sacrifice. Davos continues his reading lessons, but hides his book when Stannis comes for a visit. Stannis finally offers condolences for Matthos. Stannis tells him that Melisandre is back with Robert’s bastard and that he is going to be a sacrifice. Davos doesn’t approve, but Stannis speaks of destiny. Stannis says he will free Davos if he agrees never to raise a hand against the Red Woman. He agrees, but says he will continue to speak out against her if he seeks his counsel. Stannis says he saw a vision in the flames, a great battle in the snow. He says they both know Melisandre is true power.
The Second Sons decide they are better off killing Dany and plan for one of them to sneak into her camp. Daario draws the short straw. Tyrion arrives at Sansa’s room to see her before the wedding. Tyrion tells Sansa he didn’t ask for this and vows to never hurt her. Margaery sidles up to Cersei, saying they’ll be sisters soon. Cersei winces. She tells Margaery about the song “The Rains of Castamere” and its story. It’s about a family that wanted to be the richest family in the land, to take the place of the Lannisters, and how their entire family was put to death, their family line ended, and the bodies left hanging as a warning to others. Cersei says if Margaery calls her sister again, she will have her strangled in her sleep. Margaery is gonna have to step up her game to win that one over. Joffrey steps in to give Sansa away at the wedding. He walks her through the Sept of Baelor to her new husband and the Stark and Lannister houses are united, kind of. Melisandre arrives in Gendry’s room. She offers him a drink but he doubts her. She takes a sip first to prove it’s not poisoned then gives it to him. She begins to undress him and disrobes herself, taking him to bed and mounting him. She ties him to the bed, which he thinks is all part of the bondage fun, but then out come the leeches. She says there’s power in the blood of kings, and he has so much blood. Stannis and Davos enter and Melisandre says this is a demonstration for doubtful Davos. The Red Woman pulls the leeches off the boy, and Stannis throws them in the fire calling out the names of Robb, Joffrey and Balon Greyjoy.
Tyrion gets drunk at the reception, and Sansa excuses herself. Tywin admonishes his son and says he needs to put a baby in Sansa as soon as possible. Olenna chides her grandchildren for how interrelated they will be with the Lannisters once Loras and Cersei wed. Loras reaches out to Cersei, but he’s shot down. Joffrey taunts Sansa that soon she will have a Lannister baby and maybe it will be his if he has his men hold her down. Joffrey pushes for the bedding ceremony but Tyrion pulls a knife and threatens him until Tywin puts a stop to it. A drunken Tyrion pulls his wife to their chambers. They talk of the expectation that they consummate their marriage but Tyrion says he will not share her bed until she wants him to. He passes out on the couch. Missandei bathes Dany when Daario sneaks into her tent. He says he was supposed to kill her but instead he drops the other two heads of the second sons at her feet. He says the second sons are hers to command. Shae arrives in the morning slamming things around until she sees that they did not go to pound town. Gilly and Sam and her baby continue through the snowy woods and decide to set up camp in a small shack they find. They share a sweet moment discussing possible names for the baby until a White Walker crashes the party. Gilly says it has come for the boy. Sam stabs it with the dragon glass dagger and the Walker shatters. Sam, Gilly and the baby take off.
Comments: Cersei’s look when Margaery grabs her is everything. It sums up their relationship perfectly with one delightfully evil glare. The new development with dragon glass killing the White Walkers is crucial information. The first of many weddings, with Sansa and Tyrion and their unfortunate union that neither of them want. It brings out Tyrion’s sweet side. Arya and the Hound don’t so much as grow closer as they begin to understand each other more. The addition of the Second Sons adds to Dany’s army, but also gives her a new love interest in Daario number one. Knowing he’s recast, I tried to picture his successor in these scenes and it just doesn’t work for me. This Daario is a lot harsher. Thankfully, he’ll be off to fight Deadpool soon.
Quotes:
Cersei: If you ever call me sister again, I’ll have you strangled in your sleep.
Loras: My father once told me-
Cersei: Nobody cares what your father once told you.
Tyrion: Drinking and lust. No man can match me in these things.
Davos: I think mothers and fathers made up the gods because they wanted their children to sleep through the night.
Foreshadowing: Cersei tells Margaery about “The Rains of Castamere.” The importance of the song and its meaning is a good reminder for what’s to come in the next episode.
Title: First said by Jorah, it’s a reference to the sellswords that Dany comes to enlist, but also is a nod to the relationship between Tywin and his second son, Tyrion.
Deaths: Samwell kills a White Walker with dragon glass. Meero and Prendahl lose their heads to Daario.
excellent awkward 