Game of Thrones: Dark Wings, Dark Words   First Watch 
June 12, 2015 11:22 AM - Season 3, Episode 2 - Subscribe

Everybody does a lot of walking.

--
Mance : "Do you know what it takes to unite ninety clans, half of whom want to massacre the other half for one insult or another? They speak seven different languages in my army. The Thenns hate the Hornfoots, the Hornfoots hate the Ice-river clans, everyone hates the Cave people. So, you know how I got moon-worshipers and cannibals and giants to march together in the same army?"
Jon: "No."
Mance: "I told them we were all going to die if we don't get south. 'Cause that's the truth."
--


Longer Summary (Contains Spoilers)
- In King's Landing Sansa is invited to lunch by Margaery and her grandmother Lady Olenna. While there, Sansa admits to Joffrey's cruelty. Joffrey invites Margaery to his chamber to discuss his upcoming hunt, where he demands to know if Margary consummated her marriage with Renly. Margaery informs him that they did not, explaining that Renly did not appreciate the "company of women." Shae warns Tyrion that Littlefinger has taken an interest in Sansa.
- Beyond The Wall: Mance and his army march toward The Wall. It is apparent that he does not trust Jon Snow. Orell is revealed to be a warg, one who is capable of seeing through the eyes of animals. While marching back to The Wall, an exhausted Sam collapses. Grenn and Edd help him, and Lord Commander Mormont orders Rast to make sure Sam reaches the Wall alive.
- In the North: While heading toward the Wall, Bran has a dream where he is trying to shoot the three-eyed crow, but is confronted by a boy who explains that it is impossible, as Bran is the crow. Later, while Hodor and Rickon are away, Osha suspects someone is following them and leaves to investigate. Bran is then confronted by the boy from his dream, Jojen Reed, who says he is a seer, like Bran. Jojen is accompanied by his sister, Meera. Jojen says that he had the same dream as Bran, and that they have been searching for him. Jojen believes Bran will play a critical role in the future.
Theon has been taken captive by a group of men and is being tortured for information. After they leave, a boy who claims to have been sent by Theon's sister Yara promises to aid him once the soldiers are sleeping.
- In the Riverlands: Robb receives two letters, one informing him of the death of his grandfather, Hoster Tully, and the other bearing the news that Winterfell has been put to the torch by the Iron Islanders. He learns that Bran and Rickon are missing. He informs his mother and they depart for Riverrun, her girlhood home, for her father's funeral. While on the road, Lord Rickard Karstark voices his displeasure with the funeral distraction. Catelyn discusses her children with Queen Talisa, and explains that she feels responsible for what is happening to all of them.
Traveling north, Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie are discovered by a small party led by Thoros of Myr, who suspects them of having escaped Harrenhal. He tells them that he and his men fight for the "Brotherhood without Banners," and takes them to an inn to eat. Once finished, Arya, Gendry, and Hot Pie are leaving when another group of Brotherhood soldiers enter with a captive Hound, who recognizes Arya and reveals her true identity to Thoros and his men.
Brienne continues to transport Jaime to King's Landing, hoping to trade him for Sansa and Arya. Jaime seizes an opportunity and takes one of Brienne's swords, but she gains the upper hand. Before their fight can be concluded, they are taken captive by Locke, a bannerman of Lord Roose Bolton.

--
Gendry: "…just explain it to me. He offered to have any three people you wanted dead. All you had to do was give him the names. Anyone. You could have picked King Joffrey!"
Arya: "Shut up!"
Gendry: "You could have picked Tywin Lannister!"
Arya: "Jaqen got us out of Harrenhal. So why are you complaining?"
Gendry: "Because you could have ended the war!"
--

Introduced in this episode
Characters
* Jojen Reed, Eldest son and heir of Lord Howland Reed of Greywater Watch. Younger brother to Meera
* Meera Reed, eldest child and only daughter of Lord Howland Reed of Greywater Watch. Older sister to Jojen.
* Thoros of Myr, red priest of the Lord of Light
* Lady Olenna Tyrell, elderly matriarch of House Tyrell, also known as the Queen of Thorns. Lord of Highgarden, Warden of the South and Lord Paramount of The Reach. Mother to Mace Tyrell. Grandmother to Loras and Margaery.
* Orell, a wildling and warg who can assume the consciousness of an eagle he uses for reconnaissance.

--
Jamie [To Brienne]: “It’s a shame the throne isn’t made out of cocks, they’d have never got [Renly] off it.”
--


Notes (Cribbed from here and here.)
* The title is an in-universe old saying about messenger-ravens, referring to the fact that such urgently delivered messages are often bad news. In the episode, Robb Stark receives news of the death of Catelyn's father Hoster Tully as well as the sack of Winterfell and the disappearances of Bran and Rickon.
* The place where Theon is imprisoned is not mentioned in any way and doesn't appear in the opening sequence.
* A considerable amount of dialogue in this episode refers to the relationship between Renly and Tyrell. In the books, it was implied and largely "off stage", with George R.R. Martin having to independently confirm that he did intend for them to be lovers. The exact extent to which other people knew about Renly's sexuality was also not entirely clear, as even Jaime Lannister makes a stray comment about it at one point. Jaime's explanation in this episode, which was not present in the books, is that Renly's homosexuality was "the worst kept secret at court." Cersei's comment to Joffrey that Renly was a "degenerate" did not appear in the books, nor did the scene between Joffrey and Margaery where she explains that Renly wasn't "interested in the company of women."
* Lemon cakes are infamously one of Sansa Stark's favorite foods in the books. Citrus fruits such as lemons don't grown in the North and with medieval methods of food transport and preservation being what they are in Westeros, lemon cakes are a relatively expensive treat for those living in the North.
* During Bran's dream he relives memories of archery practice at Winterfell. This includes dialogue recorded for the series pilot, "Winter is Coming." Sean Bean's voice is heard, marking the first time it has been heard on the show since Ned lost his head.
* According to the HBO Special Features in-episode guide, the mounted boar's head that Joffrey shoots with his crossbow is the same boar that mortally wounded King Robert.

--
Olenna: "I want you to tell me the truth about this royal boy, this Joffrey.
Sansa: "I... I..."
Olenna: "You, you. Who else would know better? We've heard some troubling tales. Is there any truth to them? Has this boy mistreated you?
[Sansa remains silent]
Olenna: "Has he ripped out your tongue?"
Sansa: "Joff - KING Joffrey, he, His Grace, is very fair and handsome and as brave as a lion.…"
Olenna: "Yes, all Lannisters are lions. And when a Tyrell farts, it smells like a rose. But how kind is he? How clever? Has he a good heart, a gentle hand?"
Margaery: "I'm to be his wife. I only want to know what that means."

Olenna: [to Sansa, offering her a lemon cake] "Are you frightened, child? No need for that. We're only women here. Tell us the truth. No harm will come to you."
Sansa: "My father always told the truth."
Olenna: "Yes, he had that reputation. And they named him "traitor" and took his head."
Sansa: "Joffrey. Joffrey did that. He promised he would be merciful and he cut my father's head off, and he said THAT was mercy. And he took me up on the walls and made me look at it!"
Margaery: "Go on."
Sansa: "I - I - I can't, I never meant... my father was a traitor, my brother as well, I have traitor's blood... please don't make me say any more."
Margaery: "She's terrified, Grandmother, just look at her."
Olenna: "Speak freely, child. We would never betray your confidence, I swear it."
Sansa: "He's a monster."
Olenna: "Oh. That's a pity."
Sansa: "Please don't stop the wedding!"
Olenna: "Have no fear. The Lord Oaf of Highgarden is determined that Margaery should be queen. Even so, we thank you for the truth. Ah! Here comes my cheese."
--
posted by zarq (4 comments total)
 
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 11:24 AM on June 12, 2015


Olenna: "Speak freely, child. We would never betray your confidence, I swear it."
Sansa: "He's a monster."
Olenna: "Oh. That's a pity."


Does anybody have a gif of that "Ah, well" shrug Margaery does right there?
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:43 PM on June 12, 2015


I just started reading the books myself. Re Renly --- in the books his relationship with Loras seems like something you could easily blow by without noticing if you weren't looking for it, especially since he's like a Tier 3 character. But having watched the show first and knowing that Renly and Loras have a thing, there's actually a ton of breadcrumbs there that jump out at you immediately, from several different characters, which hint at the nature of their relationship --- there's a couple scenes between Jaime and Loras late in the book where it's probably most obvious, but Littlefinger, Tyrion, and Oberyn all make references to it, and that's just off the top of my head. And of course we're told early on that Loras kills two of his fellow Rainbow Guards in a blind, mad rage when he learn of Renly's death.

Side note: I am close to finishing book three, which, plot wise, will seem to have nearly caught me up to the end of Season 4. I am finding this rather alarming.
posted by maggiepolitt at 4:22 AM on June 14, 2015 [1 favorite]


Losing the plot a bit now. The Stark advance has stalled and despite winning all those battles against Tywin Lannister, the latter is sitting pretty in Kings Landing and the Starks are sidelined and pissing off their alliances. I still dont understand what happened at Winterfell at the end. The Iron guys turned on Theon, dragged him off and hoped to slip through the siege lines. But Winterfell was shown burned out and someone is torturing Theon who basically knows nothing so that seems pointless. Brienne and Jaime have been wandering the countryside for an eternity. Arya has been captured again...I mean, at some point you just have to face that you're never gonna get the band back together. Bran is on an interesting journey, Arya turned hers down. Sansa will continue to make bad choices. Jon Snow has vacillated between joining the guys on the ice wall, joining Robb's rebellion and now joining Mance. I'll keep bingeing but right now this show is on the verge of spinning out of control.

ps: Stannis, just die already. You are sucking up too much plot.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:25 PM on September 22, 2018


« Older Fringe: Os...   |  Sense8: Smart Money Is on the ... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments