Game of Thrones/Recap/S1/E10 Fire and Blood

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Fire and Blood
A story from Game of Thrones
Preceded by: Baelor
Followed by: The North Remembers
Central Theme:
Synopsis:
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"Previously On..." Game of Thrones, a Wham! Episode happened. We now rejoin our intrepid reporters live on the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor...

There is a sword, and it's wet with blood. There are a couple of strands of hair sticking to it as well. Behind it, someone picks up a head and waves it around. As the crowds cheer for the beheading, Yoren takes Arya in hand, claiming this new "boy" Arry for the Wall. Behind them, gold cloaks drag away the headless body of Eddard Stark, while Sansa faints dead away.

At Winterfell, Bran is having another crow dream. Once again the three-eyed crow leads Bran into the crypts below Winterfell. Upon waking, he convinces Osha, who went from captive to trusted servant in lightning speed, to take him to the actual crypts, as he has seen his father there. Instead of Lord Stark, they find the littlest Stark, Rickon, and his untamed direwolf Shaggydog. Rickon has dreamed of Ned as well. Osha still tries to brush this off as a coincidence, but as they exit up into the yard, Maester Luwin approaches with a letter from the capitol...

Catelyn makes sure to leave the camp of her son Robb's army before allowing her feelings to rule her face. In the copse of trees, she finds Robb hacking away at a tree in helpless rage. They embrace, and Robb announces his intention to let the Lannisters pay. Catelyn reminds him that they'll have to save Sansa and Arya first. "And then we will kill them all."

In King's Landing, Sansa, her eyes red from weeping, is required to attend the court of King Joffrey, to whom she is still betrothed even after he murdered her father - those family dinners are sure going to be awkward. At the moment, His Grace is listening to a lovely ditty describing the latter days of Robert's reign (choice quote: "the lion ripped his balls off and the boar did all the rest."). Joffrey gives a Slow Clap and then asks whether the singer would prefer to keep his fingers or his tongue: pick one. (His mutilation forms a semi-comedic background to the remainder of the scene.) Joffrey then goes on to "flirt" with his fiancée, taking her out to the castle walls to see something. Specifically? Heads on spikes! Oh, Joffrey, you sure know how to show a girl a good time.

Sansa doesn't want to look at the heads, especially since one of them was once on her father's shoulders. "You promised to be merciful," she sobs. "I was!" Joffrey protests. "I gave him a clean death." He suggests that the next head he makes her look at will be her brother's, after Joffrey defeats him in the field. Sansa pins Joffrey with a Death Glare, saying, "Or maybe he'll give me yours."

Joffrey: "My mother tells me a king should never strike his lady." So he makes a knight of the Kingsguard do it instead.

Sansa looks down and realizes that they're up on a wallwalk. With some judicious pushing, she might be able to push Joffrey over the drop. Her eyes fixed, she lurches forward... And the Hound intercedes, turning her round by the shoulder. He uses a kerchief to wipe the blood from her face. "Save yourself some pain, girl," he advises her. "Give him what he wants."

Robb Stark's army is in a bit of a turmoil. They've captured the Kingslayer, given Lord Tywin something to think about and relieve the siege of Riverrun [1] But their victory doesn't give them any ideas of what to do next. They debate whether to declare for Renly or Stannis Baratheon, but it's The Greatjon who comes up with a palatable third option: "There sits the only king I mean to bend my knee to." And he kneels... before Robb. "The King in the North!" Robb seems dumbfounded, Catelyn worried.

Catelyn leaves the coronation to talk to Jaime [2]. He admits that he pushed Bran from the tower on purpose, but remains quiet on the actual reason.

Back in King's Landing, Cersei receives news from the war while being to subjected to babbling from her new bedwarmer, Cousin Lancel:"Was it as exciting the last time, when you were young?" Judging from her expression, this relationship isn't exactly build to last.

Meanwhile, Lord Tywin is meeting his own war council out in the field. The situation looks dire: in addition to the loss of Jaime and his army, both Stannis and Renly Baratheon have called their banners and the Lannisters are now facing three armies.[3] Kevan Lannister suggests suing for peace. In response, Tyrion dashes his wineglass to the floor: "There's your peace. Joffrey saw to that when he decided to remove Ned Stark's head. You'll have an easier time drinking from that cup than bringing Robb Stark to the table now. He's winning--in case you hadn't noticed."

Tywin Lannister's only contribution to the discussion is the same four words, twice: "They have my son!"

He dismisses everyone except Tyrion and reforms his strategy session. He starts with pouring wine for Tyrion, which--to judge by Tyrion's expression--is a completely unprecedented courtesy. Lord Tywin will set The Mountain loose in the riverlands whilst the rest of his force regroups at Harrenhal. Tyrion is being dispatched to King's Landing, where he will work as Hand of the King in Tywin's stead, to control both Joffrey and Cersei. "You are my son," Lord Tywin says, which--to judge by Tyrion's expression--is another completely unprecedented event. Though Lord Tywin does attach a constraint: "You will not take that whore to court." Shae, of course, isn't having any of it; with a little bit of Loophole Abuse, she helps Tyrion come to the decision he wanted to come to anyway.

Somewhere in the Dothraki sea, Ser Jorah keeps vigil. Daenerys stirs awake and asks for her son. Ser Jorah's silence is ominous; it's Mirri Maz Duur who answers the question. She says Rhaego was a monstrous, lizardlike creature who was already dead when she pulled him free. "I warned you that only death can pay for life. You knew the price." Daenerys, unable to look back, asks to see Khal Drogo. "Show him to me. Show me. What I bought. With my son's. Life."

Khal Drogo is a Soulless Shell. "You paid for life," Mirri Maz Duur tells Daenerys. "[S]ee what life is worth when all the rest is gone." Without his leadership, the khalasar has dissolved, and Daenerys is alone with only Ser Jorah, the remaining speaking parts and a handful of extras. Mirri Maz Duur is unapologetic. Her town was raped by Drogo's khalasar, and herself as well; Dany saved her only from the fourth rider, and many others were beyond her help before she even arrived. And her son would have been worse: "He would have been the Stallion who Mounts the World. Now he will burn no cities. Now he will trample no nations into dust."

Jon Snow saddles his horse and prepares to ride south, to join his brother and his war. Sam, like another chubby boy before him, tries to bar his way in vain, but as Jon continues to ride he sees others chasing him. ...Until, of course, one of them dashes himself to the ground on a low-hanging tree branch. Jon reins up and finds that his pursuers are Sam, Pyp and Grenn. They encircle and remind him of his oaths, and Jon relents.

Daenerys brings her sun-and-stars to their tent and begs him to return in every way she can. But before long she must admit defeat. There is no one to call back. She pushes a pillow down over his face, sobbing as his body begins its last feeble struggle.

Grand Maester Pycelle begins to ramble about all the kings he's served. You'd be forgiven for thinking he was talking to himself; it's only when a pair of arms reaches into frame and grabs some clothes that we realize he's not alone. It's--who else?--Ros. She cleans herself and doesn't seem to be listening to her client, for which we can't blame her, but as it turns out Pycelle has some fairly astute observations on both Mad King Aerys and Robert Baratheon after him. In particular, he has nothing bad to say about Joffrey--which either means that Pycelle is a Horrible Judge of Character, or that he knows when to keep his damn mouth shut. After Ros leaves, he stretches with surprising spryness before (visibly) adopting his doddering-old-man persona. Shall we assume it's the "keep his mouth shut" thing then?

Littlefinger and Varys stand before the Iron Throne--evidently this is their coffee spot--and trade some more quips. There a serious "Worthy Opponent" vibe going on here, interrupted only when Joffrey bustles in.

Meanwhile, "Arry" the Street Urchin and her--sorry, his--new friend Yoren link up with the rest of the sots, rapers, cravens, exiles and felons who are bound for the Wall.[4] Two boys try to bully Arry and take his sword, but with some judicious threats ("I'm good at killing fat boys! I like killing fat boys!" ) and unexpected backup from Gendry--remember him? Robert Baratheon's bastard? The armorer's apprentice?--her tormentors are dissuaded. The convoy sets off with a yell from Yoren: "Come on, you sorry sons of whores! It's a thousand leagues from here to the Wall, and winter is coming!"

Jon serves Lord Commander Mormont his breakfast, bleary-eyed from his midnight ride. Mormont knows about it, but has no intention of punishing Jon: brothers ride off for the night all the time, particularly to the whorehouse in nearby Mole's Town. "Honor made you leave, and honor brought you back," Mormont proclaims. ("My friends brought me back." "I didn't say it was your honor.") All the Old Bear wants to know is where Jon's loyalty actually lies. The cold winds are rising, the dead are coming back to life, and captured wildlings report that all their people are gathering together for unknown purposes. The Night's Watch will go ranging in force next season tomorrow, two hundred strong, and Jon is invited to come with... but only if he's able to put his concerns about his family aside, and commit himself to the Night's Watch for good and all. The final shot is of Jon riding out through the tunnel that goes below the Wall, so one assumes that he has chosen to honor his vows. (Spoiler: he has.)

It's nighttime in Essos, and Khal Drogo's funeral pyre is being assembled. Daenerys gathers the remains of her khalasar together, freeing any slaves that remain, and gives the command that her dragon eggs be placed on the pyre as well. Ser Jorah protests, assuming that Dany means to throw herself on the pyre, but Dany assures him that this is not her intent (and kisses him on the cheek, which helps shut him up). Finally, she orders Mirri Maz Duur be bound to the pyre.

The wood takes the flames merrily. Mirri Maz Duur begins to sing, and then to scream. With one last glance at Jorah Mormont, Daenerys walks into the inferno. The maegi flails, wreathed in flame, screaming, screaming, but fire cannot kill a dragon. And only death can pay for life.

Ser Jorah finds her huddled in the ashes, all her clothes burnt away. But she is not alone. As he and her kos approach, something climbs up onto her shoulder. It has horns and scales, two wide bat wings in black and red. There's another wrapped around her leg in cream and gold; a third, green and bronze, curls in her hand. Her khalasar falls to their knees in awe. And, for the closing scene of the season, we'll let George R. R. Martin's final paragraph do the honors:

"As Daenerys Targaryen rose to her feet, her black hissed, pale smoke venting from its mouth and nostrils. The other two pulled away from her breasts and added their voices to the call, translucent wings unfolding and stirring the air, and for the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons."

Tropes exhibited in this episode include:

  • Awesome Moment of Crowning: Robb proclaimed "The King in the North" by his bannermen.
    • There's also Daenerys proclaiming herself leader of her new khalasar (formed from the freed slaves) and proving her right to rule by climbing onto Drogo's funeral pyre and emerging not only unharmed, but holding three freshly-hatched dragons.
  • Badass Boast: Jaime gets a nice one, despite being a captive at the time.

"There are no men like me. Only me."

    • Arya gets in a few on two boys who try to steal Needle.

"I'm good at killing fat boys. I bet you've never killed anyone. I bet you're a liar. But I'm not."

    • Gendry, too:

"Oh, you like picking on the little ones, do you? You know I've been hammering an anvil for these past ten years. When I hit the steel it sings. You gonna sing when I hit you?"

    • Daenerys:

"I am the dragon's daughter, and I swear to you that those who would harm you will die screaming."

  • Beware the Nice Ones:
    • Sansa is pretty well snapped after the events of the last episode, and tries to kill Joffrey. She tries to push him off a bridge, but the Hound stops her.
    • Daenerys proves she's no longer someone to fuck with, by having Mirri tied to Drogo's funeral pyre and burned alive.

Mirri: You will not hear me scream.
Daenerys: I will. But it is not your screams I want, only your life.

  • Bifauxnen: Arya passes for a very young, effete boy.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Gendry sticks up for the disguised Arya, and helps her to see off some bullies.
  • Blood Knight: Jaime Lannister is shown pretty clearly as this trope; see his little spiel on how he doesn't fear death.
  • Break the Haughty: It's safe to say Sansa is now officially broken.
  • Burn the Witch: Dany does this to Mirri Maz Duur as punishment for deliberately misleading her about the outcome of the blood magic.
  • Came Back Wrong: Mirri Maz Duur's Blood Magic did technically save Drogo's life... but seems to have left him braindead.
  • Continuity Snarl: Marillion shows up in a later book with both tongue and fingers intact. His role in that part of the story could easily be fulfilled by some other singer, but there it is.
    • In the DVD commentary for the episode, the showrunners explain that they were aware of Marillion appearing in the third book, but they wanted to have him appear in the episode as opposed to a nameless minstrel that the audience wouldn't have any sort of attachment to.]]
  • Epic Fail: Marillion's song, by any standard. (Even better: the singing is in a completely different key than the harping. Is it a post-production error or was Marillion scared shitless?)
    • Probably the latter, seeing as he had the eyes of the entire court, including the Queen, King, and Princess-Consort, fixed upon him as he insulted them directly to their faces.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: The Hound is still pretty damn creepy, but it's clear the abuse Joffrey heaps on Sansa doesn't sit right with him.
  • Exact Words: Tyrion uses them to get around some of Tywin's more inconvenient orders.
    • Joffrey has a nasty version. He tells Sansa that his mother told him it's not right to hit girls--so he has one of his bodyguards strike her instead.
    • Mirri Maz Duur said she would save Drogo's life but only bringing him back in a comatose state.
  • Fan Disservice: After we're lulled by more fun with Ros, we have to endure Pycelle doing stretches while wearing a robe and nothing underneath.
  • Fat Bastard: Hot Pie, a chubby child who tries to bully Arya.
  • Hannibal Lecture: Mirri Maz Duur's lecture to Dany about what she really did by "saving" her. Could possibly double as a What the Hell, Hero?, depending on your point of view.
  • Heroic BSOD: Several Starks have them on receiving news of Ned's death, most notably Robb, who freaks out and beats up a tree, Catelyn, who attempts to kill Jaime before coming to her senses, and Jon, who tries to desert from the Night's Watch and join Robb before his friends bring him back to his senses. Sansa is also still BSODing from the previous episode.
  • Love Makes You Crazy: Subverted. Everyone thinks this trope is in play with Daenerys when she throws herself onto Khal Drogo's funeral pyre, but she's really just collecting her dragon hatchlings.

"Fire cannot kill a dragon."

  • Kick the Dog: Joffrey follows up his crossing of the Moral Event Horizon last episode by having a minstrel's tongue cut out, taking Sansa to the battlements to see the heads of her father and his retainers up on spikes, having one of his bodyguards beat her for him, and declaring his intent to rape her the second she's fertile.
  • Killed Off for Real: Khal Drogo and Mirri Maz Duur join an already-long list.
  • Kissing Cousins: Cersei appears to be having a fling with Lancel. Those Lannisters sure like to keep it in the family...
  • Kubrick Stare: Sansa gives one just just before she tries to push Joffrey over the ledge.
  • The Magic Comes Back: Daenerys hatches her dragon eggs on Drogo's funeral pyre.
  • Mathematician's Answer:

Catelyn: Why did you push my son from the window.
Jamie: I hoped the fall would kill him.

Catelyn: We will kill them all.

  • Villainous BSOD: Tywin has a minor one on learning that the Starks have Jaime.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: Tyrion shows shades when what seems to be the first time ever, his father acknowledges him as being competent and, more importantly, "You're my son." [5]
  • Wham! Line: Not for the entire series, but for a single character.

Sansa: ...or maybe he'll give me yours.

  • You Shall Not Pass: Sam tries it when Jon leaves the Wall, but is just knocked out of the way. His second attempt with backup goes better.
  1. ↑ in fact, the book's version of this scene takes place in Riverrun, which is the ancestral seat of House Tully.
  2. ↑ in a scene actually borrowed from the end of the second book
  3. ↑ In the books, Renly has also married Loras' sister Margaery, who will be played by Natalie Dormer next season; she is the daughter of Mace Tyrell of Highgarden, Lord of the Reach, which puts a fourth kingdom against the Lannisters.
  4. ↑ another scene taken from the second book.
  5. ↑ Tyrion has a much different reaction. He's secretly pissed off at Tywin for only now showing him any kind of acknowledgement only because Jamie is captive and Tyrion is his only son left to him.
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