Swords were only one of the lethal weapons at play in Game of Thrones season 4, episode 5. Check out our recap, and share your thoughts on “First of His Name.”
Here’s what happened on Game of Thrones season 4, episode 5:
Born to it
Cersei and Margaery speak after Tommen’s coronation. Cersei admits that Joffrey would have been Margaery’s nightmare. “You never love anything in the world as much as you love your first child,” she says, but the things Joffrey did shocked her. She thinks that the decent Tommen deserves the throne, but says he needs more than his mother.
Margaery demurs. She says that she doesn’t want to be queen (LOL) but will speak to her father about marrying Tommen.
Let me be your ruler
In Meereen, Daario has taken the Meereenese fleet for Dany, without her instruction. Barristan thinks they have enough strength to take King’s Landing, but Jorah disagrees – their strength is insufficient to take the whole kingdom.
Jorah also says that Yunkai has been retaken by slavers, and the council in Astapor has been overthrown by a bloke called Cleon. Unhappily, Dany speaks to Jorah in private.
Jorah admits that the Iron Throne is vulnerable to her attack, but Dany’s problems are more immediate. “How can I control seven kingdoms when I can’t control Slaver’s Bay?” she says. She refuses to abandon the freedmen, and declares that she will stay in Meereen.
“I will do what queens do,” Dany says. “I will rule.”
Blood is thicker
Sansa and Littlefinger arrive at the Eyrie, with Sansa undercover as his Baelish’s “niece,” Alayne. In the Great Hall, Robin Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, is thrilled to see “Uncle Petyr.” Lady Lysa knows who Sansa is, and welcomes her warmly, but tells her that she must keep her identity secret.
Robin asks if the Lannisters killed Sansa’s family; when she says yes, he says the Lannisters killed his father with poison. Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to make Tyrion fly through the Moon Door. Robin takes Sansa away on Lysa’s direction.
Terrible things
Lysa hugs Littlefinger and insists they get married ASAP. “We had a wedding night many years ago,” she says. “What wife would do for you the things I’ve done for you?”
Those “things” include putting mysterious drops into Jon Arryn’s wine, and writing to Catelyn about the Lannisters killing him. Desperate to shut her up, Littlefinger agrees to be married that night; ever prepared, Lysa ushers in the Septon, and warns everyone that she is going to scream when Petyr does the frickle-frackle with her.
Later that night, Sansa tries to sleep as she hears her aunt’s promised screams echo through the Eyrie. This might actually be the worst thing that has ever happened to Sansa.
Price tags
In King’s Landing, Tywin and Cersei agree to wait a fortnight before marrying Tommen to Margaery. Tywin says Cersei still has to marry Loras, because the Tyrell’s are their only rivals in strength.
Oh yeah, and they also owe a crap ton of money to the implacable Iron Bank of Braavos, and the Lannisters have no working mines, and they kind of need the Tyrells to help pay back the debt.
In spite of this news, Tywin doesn’t want to discuss Tyrion’s trial with Cersei. Cersei agrees, but leaves Tywin with the thought that if “Lannister legacy is the only thing that matters,” how will Tyrion be punished for lighting their future on fire?
No rest
Before going to sleep, Arya recites her very long list of people she wants to kill. The Hound wants her to shut up, though he admits that “Hate is a good a thing as any to keep a person going.”
Clegane wants to kill the Mountain too, but wants to sleep more. Arya says she’s almost done. The last name on her list is “The Hound.”
Dancing
Sandor Clegane wakes up to find Arya practicing her water dancing. When he finds her, he insults her technique, and her teacher, Syrio Forrel. He thinks Syrio was weak to have died at Merryn Trant’s hands. Arya tries to stab him, but finds her blade repelled by Clegane’s armor.
Clegane slaps her viciously, repeating his lesson that only those with the heaviest armor and biggest swords survive this terrible world.
When life brings you lemons
Lysa brings Sansa lemoncakes; Sansa looks almost happy. Lysa says that Petyr had three crates of lemons brought up from KL for Sansa, and demands to know why he cares for her so much.
The answer, of course, it’s because Littlefinger was in love with Catelyn. But Lysa points out that Cat didn’t love Baelish – she always went for the sweetest thing, in this case, Brandon Stark.
She then demands to know if Sansa is pregnant – what has she let Petyr do with her body? Happiness once again destroyed by Aunt Crazy, Sansa swears that she is a virgin, and Petyr only tells her that she is stupid.
Lysa instantly morphs into soothing-mode. “You’ll be a widow soon,” she comforts Sansa, “And free to marry Robin.”
Oh yeah, that’s awesome news.
Good intentions
Brienne and Pod are bound for Castle Black, as Brienne assumes that Sansa has fled to Jon. Brienne doesn’t want Pod around, but he says he is the squire to her knight and will totally not leave.
Later, Pod proves that he is terrible at cooking, and putting out the resulting fire. Brienne refuses to let him help her take her armor off, until he admits that, as Tyrion’s squire, he mostly poured a lot of wine – and also killed a member of the Kingsguard who tried to kill Tyrion at Blackwater.
Daughters
Cersei shows Oberyn Martell around the gardens of the Red Keep. He tells her about his eight daughters; the fifth, a difficult child, is named for his sister Elia. Cersei thinks it’s funny that in spite of being so powerful, Oberyn couldn’t save Elia, and she couldn’t save Joffrey.
“What good is power if you cannot protect the ones you love?” she says.
“We can avenge them,” he says.
On that note, Cersei mentions how convinced she is of Tyrion’s guilt. She then mentions Myrcella. Oberyn says she is well – “We don’t hurt little girls in Dorne.”
“Everywhere in the world, they hurt little girls,” she says. Cersei asks Oberyn to bring Myrcella a small ship, and to tell her she misses her very much.
Sneaky
Locke does recon around Craster’s Keep, and finds Bran and the Reeds tied up in the side hut. He reports to Jon in the woods, and tells him to avoid the hut because it houses the hounds. Jon plans to attack at sundown.
Brighter days
A very ill Jojen tells Bran that he can’t let anything stop him on his quest. Jojen sees a vision the great weirwood on a hill that Bran saw in his own vision. “He’s waiting for you,” he says. “You have to make it… This isn’t the end.”
Meera asks when they will know the end. Jojen has a vision of holding fire in his hand, and says, “You’ll know.”
Soon, Karl and the guys come to rape and torture Meera. Jojen promises to help them with the Sight if they let Meera go.
“Have you seen what I’m going to do to your sister?” Karl sneers.
“I saw you die tonight,” Jojen retorts, as the Night’s Watchmen attack.
So close, so far
After the ex-Night’s Watchmen leave to fight, Locke comes in to kidnap Bran. He says he will kill Hodor first if they cry out. Bran wargs into Hodor as Bran is lifted and carried away. Bran!Hodor escapes and breaks Locke’s neck.
Bran goes back into his body and crawls toward Jon, caught up in the fight. Jojen, freed, says that Jon will never let him go find the three-eyed raven. Bran agrees to continue north once they freed Summer.
Freedom
Jon confronts Karl in the hut; he tells Jon that he will never be free. They fight around the fire, and Karl stabs Jon with one of his blades. Like the Hound, he mocks Jon’s method of fighting. He is about to kill Jon when one of Craster’s wives stabs him in the back. (WHOOP!) As he rounds on her, Jon shoves his sword through Karl’s head.
The only mutineer missing is Rast, who is soon eaten by Ghost. Ghost then returns to snuggle with Jon.
Jon invites Craster’s wives to Castle Black, but the oldest wife says they will endure. She tells them to burn the keep, and the dead with it, and the fire burns high into the dark northern night.