Game of Thrones: A Golden Crown   Books Included 
February 20, 2015 10:41 AM - Season 1, Episode 6 - Subscribe

Viserys' frustrations boil over. Ned recovers from his injuries. King Robert reappoints Ned Hand of the King, and then leaves to hunt wild boar. In his absence, Ned sits in for the King on the Iron Throne, and also makes a startling discovery. In the Eyrie, Tyrion wagers everything on the greed of Bronn the sellsword.

"There is only one god. And his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: 'Not Today.'" ~Syrio Forel


Longer Summary
As Ned recovers from the injuries he received battling Jamie Lannister and his men, the King reappoints him Hand. Ned is told that if he resigns again, the King will give the job to Jamie. He also orders Ned to make peace with House Lannister before war breaks out. In Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys eats a horse's heart for her unborn son in a Dothraki ritual. Viserys' frustrations over Dothraki delays in paying him his "golden crown" boil over. He tries to steal Daenerys' dragon eggs but is stopped by Jorah Mormont. Viserys then draws a sword in the Dothraki sacred city, threatens his sister's life and that of her unborn child. It doesn't end well.

While sitting in for the King, Ned issues a decree that could splinter the Seven Kingdoms. He also discovers the secret Jon Arryn died for. In Winterfell, Bran rides a horse using Tyrion's saddle design, and is attacked by wildlings. Tyrion confesses his sins... ("When I was twelve I milked my eel into a pot of turtle stew. I flogged the one-eyed snake, I skinned my sausage. I made the bald man cry into the turtle stew, which I do believe my sister ate. At least I hope she did.") ...and goes on trial in the Eyrie.

Introduced In This Episode
Characters:
* Osha, Wildling Spearwife and member of the Free Folk
* Stiv, Traveling with Osha. A wildling: former member of the Night's Watch (a deserter)
* Wallen: Traveling with Osha. A wildling: former member of the Night's Watch (a deserter)
* Beric Dondarrion, Lord of Blackhaven and head of House Dondarrion, a vassal house to House Baratheon of Storm's End

Notes (more here and here.)
* The heart which actress Emilia "Daenerys" Clarke ate was "basically a giant, three-pound gummi bear covered in fake sugar blood – which has the added attraction of drawing real flies." Through repeated takes, Clarke did have to eat much of the sugary heart. She said that it tasted of bleach and was made tough and gristly by the addition of valves made from "something like dried pasta." The gummi-heart was injected with a sugary syrup that looked like fake blood, which flowed out as she bit into the heart. By the end the actress was covered with syrup, and everything stuck to her like glue. When she used the bathroom she even glued herself to the toilet seat. Clarke did not have to act in the shots at the end of the scene in which Daenerys almost throws up the last bit of heart, as she was indeed close to vomiting at that point.

* The words, or motto of House Mormont are "Here We Stand." As Viserys tries to leave with Dany's dragon eggs, he says to Mormont, "Here you stand." Jorah replies "Yet here I stand."

* The book of lineages that helps Ned realize the truth about Joffrey's father was prepared by Bryan Cogman, who in addition to writing episode four ("Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things") also served as the show's "lore master" and authored the historical background content that is to be included in the first season's DVD and Blu-ray release. Cogman wrote two pages' worth of text detailing the lineage of four noble houses. The text concerning house Umber was shown in episode four, and the Baratheon text appears in episode six. Cogman also wrote text for the houses of Targaryen and Royce, but the corresponding scenes were removed from the final script for "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" but the Targaryen page was shown in "A Golden Crown". Cogman said that he drew on the novels and the fan-created website Wiki of Ice and Fire for reference, and invented what could not be sourced, including even some Internet fan message board names as in-jokes.
posted by zarq (10 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
This is a First Watch with Books thread.

Please do not reveal spoilers for subsequent episodes from any source.

Thank you.
posted by zarq at 10:41 AM on February 20, 2015


Inside the Episode #6 - this episode is "where the roller coaster hits the top of the hill and starts speeding down hill." "All diplomacy is out the window."

The Sky Cells are properly frightening. I read about them in the books, but they were depicted quite well here, especially falling asleep and rolling towards the edge.

More examples of honor, chivalry and all that nonsense makes no sense, if you're trying to view the world as black and white. And out of the mouth of babes comes more nativity, and the last piece to pin a terrible puzzle together for Ned.

The "Inside the Episode" also pinned Ned's decision to request Lord Tywin Lannister explain the actions of his bannerman, The Mountain as the start of the war, while also mentioning that the abduction of Tyrion as a key moment in sending things spiraling down. I personally think the abduction is what did it, and Ned just pushed the roller coaster a bit harder.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:57 AM on February 20, 2015


The scene where a fast asleep Tyrion rolls right to the very edge of the precipice made me cringe and laugh at the same time. He's above the freakin' clouds.

"Sometimes possession is an abstract concept."
posted by zarq at 12:43 PM on February 20, 2015 [1 favorite]


Viserys' frustrations over Dothraki delays in paying him his "golden crown" boil over

*applause*
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:45 PM on February 20, 2015 [2 favorites]


Wish I could claim credit. Stolen from here!

Trying to walk a fine line with regard to spoilers on the front page!
posted by zarq at 1:16 PM on February 20, 2015 [1 favorite]


Viserys' frustrations boil over.

Nice.
posted by homunculus at 2:20 PM on February 20, 2015 [1 favorite]


I love Tyrion trying desperately to communicate with Mord. "Sometimes ownership is an abstract concept..."
posted by Pope Guilty at 9:14 PM on February 20, 2015 [2 favorites]


I honestly have to wonder if things would have been worse if King Gout had given the job to Jaime. Honestly, would Lannister control really have been worse?

Also, it bugs me that these houses are so small, In the actual War of the Roses anytime someone died there was a brother or a cousin or second cousin who popped up to replace them. But he Houses in this series are more like nuclear families.
posted by happyroach at 3:17 AM on February 21, 2015


The way houses are structured in Westeros is a central nuclear family who are the leadership and then a larger extended family- there's a bunch of Lannisters, for example, who aren't part of the central Lannister family.
posted by Pope Guilty at 3:25 AM on February 21, 2015


Yeah, I think any idea that these families are small comes from the show not wanting to confuse us with tons of extra characters rather than anything else.
posted by corb at 11:29 AM on February 24, 2015


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