Category Archives: tv

Synopsis: Yoren hides out with Arya, cutting her hair and reinforcing that she’s now a “boy.” Bran saw the three-eyed raven again in his dream, this time sending him to the crypt. He has Osha take him down there where Bran shares the history of his family. News of Ned’s demise hits Winterfell and Robb and Catelyn, who are both distraught. Joffrey forces Sansa to look at Ned’s head on a spike, thus destroying any last shred of interest she may have had in him. Robb’s team argues over who deserves to be on the throne and avow support for Robb as King. Catelyn takes on Jaime, who confesses to pushing Bran out the window. With Jaime away, Cersei has taken up with Lancel, another relative. Tywin sends Tyrion to King’s Landing to be the Hand of the King for Joffrey. Jorah tells Dany that her baby was stillborn, and that the baby was monstrous, scaled like a lizard. Dany finds her husband is healed, but lacks his faculties. She confronts the witch who admits she did this on purpose, to save the world from the Dothraki threat.

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Synopsis: Varys visits Ned in the dungeon, recounting how Sansa pleaded for his life and Robb going to war. He pleads with Ned to bend the knee to Joffrey to save the kingdom from war. Catelyn meets with Walder Frey to bargain with him to let Robb’s men through Frey’s gates. The elder Mormont gives Jon his family sword, made with Valyrian steel, as thanks for saving his life. Mormont says he sent Thorne to King’s Landing to share the news of the white walkers and the show him the hand they found. Catelyn rejoins Robb and tells him Frey’s demands to support them, which include Robb marrying one of Frey’s many daughters. Robb agrees. Maester Aemon reveals he is a Targaryen to Jon. Drogo’s injuries worsen. The other Dothraki blame the witch and want to kill her but Dany won’t hear of it. A very pregnant Dany promises the witch freedom if she can save Drogo. The witch says only life can save a life and calls for Drogo’s horse. Tywin tells Tyrion that he is to fight alongside the Stone Crows on the front line. Tyrion is less than enthused. In his tent, Tyrion meets Shae, a whore. Tyrion, Bronn and Shae bond over a game of I Never and later, Shae and Tyrion spend the night together.

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Synopsis: Chaos erupts in the Red Keep as Arya trains with Syrio. When Meryn Trant and his men come for her Syrio holds them off as Arya escapes. The Hound comes for Sansa. Arya grabs needle but accidentally kills a stable boy as she runs. In the dungeon, Varys visits Ned. At Castle Black, the Nightswatch learn of the death of King Robert, as the threat of the white walkers becomes more ominous. Cersei forces Sansa to write a letter to Robb and Catelyn to swear fealty to King Joffrey. The letter reaches Robb, but rather than fealty, he decides to mobilize his troops against the new king. Catelyn asks her sister to support them in the coming war but Lysa will not send her knights.

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Synopsis: Our first introduction to the great Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), and as befitting the character, his first scene is him skinning a stag (foreshadowing the episode’s big death?) while he shames Jaime. We then go back to King’s Landing where Ned confronts Cersei. He pulls a Maury and says he knows Jaime is the father of her children and not the King. She doesn’t deny it. Clear sexposition scene as Baelish coaches a couple of his naked whores on how to please men, while also explaining how deep his affection for Catelyn is. Theon taunts Osha before Luwin interrupts. Osha talks of the White Walkers, creatures that Luwin is sure have been dead for hundreds of years (but being dead and being a threat aren’t mutually exclusive, are they?). On the wall, Jon Snow bromances with Samwell, talking about girls until they see Benjen’s horse, sans Benjen. Renley finds Ned to tell him about Robert, he’s had a hunting accident. Robert, grumbling in bed, says goodbye to Joffrey as Ned arrives, Cersei and the others standing by. Robert sends everyone out, and has Ned take a letter, naming him the Lord Regent ruling in his stead until Joffrey comes of age, but sneaky Ned changes the language to read “rightful heir” instead, knowing that Joffrey is not legitimate.

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Synopsis: Ned wakes in his bed to find Cersei and Robert hovering over him. Cersei demands the return of her brother. Robert gives Ned his post back and says Ned has to sit on the throne while he is away on a hunt. Daenerys shows she’s impervious to heat. Bran has another dream of the three-eyed raven. Theon tries to get Robb to rally an army against the Lannisters. While off on his horse, Bran is found by some wildlings. Robb and Theon kill the wildlings except for Osha, whom they take prisoner. Arya and Syrio contine their lessons.

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Synopsis: Ned questions Ser Hugh’s death to Barristen Selmy. The King wants another joust so this time we get introduced to Loras Tyerll who challenges the Mountain. When the Mountain loses the joust he pulls out his sword, but the Hound protects Loras. Catelyn rides with her prisoner Tyrion. Bran is upset that Catelyn left him. Varys warns Ned that the King is in danger. Arya finds her way into the dungeons with dragon skulls. She overhears Varys and Illyrio having a secret discussion but isn’t quite sure what they mean, other than a threat against Ned. Baelish and Varys have a passive aggressive face off, both noting they are watching the other one. Yoren makes his way to King’s Landing and tells Ned that Catelyn has the imp.

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Synopsis: Bran’s first dream of a three-eyed raven. Tyrion returns to Winterfell and has a less than positive reception from Robb. Despite this, Tyrion shares plans for a system to let Bran ride a horse. Tyrion also has words with Theon, taunting him about his status as captor vs. Theon’s belief he’s part of the clan. Samwell Tarly joins the training at the wall, but doesn’t make a strong impression. He’s a coward, Tarly admits. Dany and the Dothraki continue their ride with Dany growing into her status as the bride of the leader, and Viserys not loving his station. Dany questions Jorah about the history of the seven kingdoms and her part in it. Sansa still holds a grudge against her father. Ned begins his investigation into the death of Jon Arryn, tracing his last steps, and discovering a genealogy book from Pycell that Arryn looked into shortly before his death. Pycell shares Arryn’s last words “the seed is strong,” but no one makes sense of it.

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Synopsis: Ned and the girls arrive in King’s Landing just in time for his first small council meeting, which also includes Pycell, Baelish, Varys, and Renly. Ned has an antagonistic meeting with Jaime. Info dropped: this is where Ned’s brother and father were killed by the mad king as Jaime watched, before eventually killing him. Cersei starts to mold Joffrey into a king by giving him pointers on how to lead. Sansa still hasn’t forgiven Ned for his hand in the death of Lady. Bran awakes with no memory of his accident, and angry at his circumstance. Catelyn sneaks into King’s Landing, meeting first with Baelish and Varys. She shows them the knife that was used to attack Bran, and Baelish says the knife was his until he lost it to Tyrion. On the wall, Jon and others train to be men of the Night’s watch, which mostly consists of Jon besting everyone in sword fighting. Doesn’t win him any points with Thorne, and Snow isn’t making any friends with the others until Tyrion interrupts.

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Episode 2: The Kingsroad

Synopsis: Tyrion slaps Joffrey in an attempt to teach him manners. Three slaps was apparently not enough. News of Bran’s fall spreads, but word is he will survive, which Jaime and Cersei are none too chuffed about. Cersei tells Catelyn about losing her first child, which may or may not be the truth. Jon gives Arya a present, a small sword she dubs “needle.” Jon says goodbye to Bran and heads to the wall with Benjen, as Ned and the girls go to King’s Landing, leaving Catelyn behind with Robb, Bran and Rickon. Catelyn’s affection for Ned is only matched by her hurt that he’s leaving. The last time he left he came back with another woman’s kid-Jon Snow. Ned promises to tell Jon the truth about his mother the next time he sees him.

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Since its debut roughly eight years ago, Game of Thrones has redefined television. It took a popular book series and turned it into a cultural phenomenon. Touchstone moments like the Red Wedding and the Battle of the Bastards brought urgency back to television. In a world dominated by Netflix binging, Game of Thrones made appointment television all the rage again. As its final season approaches, I decided to take a look back at the series, from the beginning, episode by episode. Because of how layered and intricate the storytelling is, I wanted to remember what had come before, and I also wanted to recontextualize the previous episodes with what I know now. Because I’ve binged some of the episodes before, some episodes haven’t sat with me long enough to really focus on the details.

So here we are. I am going to focus on one episode per day leading up and through the eighth and final season.

Episode 1: Winter is Coming

Synopsis: We open at the wall and with the men of the Night’s Watch. A group discovers the remnants of the White Walkers, limbs and heads on spikes strewn about. And then they encounter the White Walkers for real, including a recently deceased little girl with glowy blue eyes. The violence and gore set up exactly what kind of show we’re in for.

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