While starting off with a bang, this episode was largely a set up episode. Many pieces were moved into place for the climax of the back half of the season.
We didn't have to wait long find out what was up with the shadow creature that Melisandre birthed in last week's cliffhanger. One of our five kings fighting in Westeros is down for the count. Just when it looked like Robb was going to find himself an ally in the war, Renly gets taken out of the game. Great work from Brienne in that scene, showing her grief and rage all at once. Catelyn is right in her idea to get out, though, who's going to believe that a shadow monster killed Renly, especially when people already distrust Brienne. Loras is decidedly tore up, while his sister is more stoic. Littlefinger cuts to the heart of the matter that he knows so well, Margaery has ambition, she doesn't want to be a queen, but the queen. Once Stannis gets to the encampment he manages to rally to his cause the Baratheon bannermen, but the Tyrell force has fled back to Highgarden. Davos is only one who knows exactly how Stannis was able to secure this victory, and has his grave misgivings. You can't just tell a king that he's wrong, especially unwavering Stannis, and he finds another angle of attack. If the men think it's Melisandre pulling all the strings, that makes Stannis look weak, and he won't have that.
In King's Landing, Tyrion continues his manipulations to keep the realm safe. His new spy Lancel informs him that the magical wildfire is the Queen's new plan to keep out Stannis' forces. We get a quick lesson on how potent wildfire is from the pyromancer, and we also get a humorous view of how things can go very wrong with it during an actual fight from Bronn. I've been absolutely loving Bronn's increased role this season as comedic relief in his pragmatic views of the world. By cutting off another one of Cersei's insane plans, Tyrion seems to have come up with a plan of his own. Whatever that may be, I expect only cunning from the Imp. The rest of city, though, seems to expect him to run things, and run things badly. The people of King's Landing think that it's Tyrion who is forcing Joffrey to do all these terrible things. It's a theme that comes up in Martin's work over and over again, no good deed goes unpunished. Bad people get what's coming to them sometimes, but it seems the good people suffer more. Tyrion is going about things smarter than Ned Stark did, but he's still trying to keep everything together while his sister hates him, his nephew wreaks havoc, and the city thinks he's an evil monkey puppeteer.
Theon is setting off to attack the North, and is reminded once again that Iron Islanders only respect deeds, not birth. Yara gets off a parting shot before leaving for her own raiding force. Theon's new first mate, Dagmer, has an idea about how to earn that respect. By attacking Torrhen's Square instead it will force Winterfell to send men to help. The rest of the plan goes unsaid, but it's pretty obvious the next step is to take Winterfell itself. In Winterfell, we see Bran falling right into the trap. Worse, we know that he does it for the right reasons, and we can see that he is growing into a good lord, like his father. His dream of the ocean coming to Winterfell and drowning everyone leaves that story on an ominous note.
North of the Wall we are treated to some of the most stunning visuals this series has given us so far. I don't know how cold the actors are when filming there, but it's worth it to see that vast barren land of snow and mountains. It seems that Sam has it bad for Gilly, and that everyone knows it, at least Grenn and Dolorous Edd do. The way the two of them deliver the read it in a book line about Sam continues the camaraderie of the death and farts conversation of a few weeks ago. I miss Pyp, but Edd has been a good addition to the Night's Watch group. Jon goes and manages to stick his neck out where is doesn't belong again, but this time the Lord Commander relents and lets him join Qhorin Halfhand's raiding party. I'm sure that trek will go exceedingly well.
In Qarth, Danaerys is happy to see her dragons growing, but is still dead set on eventually finding her way to retaking Westeros for the Targaryens. Xaro believes the solution is for her to marry him, but Jorah is right to caution Dany. Xaro continually spouts that he is the richest man in all of Qarth, and rich men do not become rich by giving away things. Marriage to Xaro would come at a price, we just don't know what that price is yet. While Jorah's advice may be sound, he goes a little to far into his reasons for rejecting the marriage, and we learn that he has little more than trusted advisory feelings for Dany. Both parties realize the moment, but quickly extricate themselves from it.
Finally we come to the titular place where Arya is now the cup bearer for Tywin. This was easily my favorite part of the episode, Maisie Williams and Charles Dance work great playing off of each other. Tywin is once again able to see through Arya's ruse, but not enough to realize what her true birth is. Her delivery of the line that anyone can die was a chilling moment. It's a sentiment that is confirmed to her through one of the men she saved from the Night's Watch caravan cage. Jaqen tells her that three lives must be given to the red god to replace the three lives that she saved. The Tickler learns at the end of the episode that Jaqen does not mess around with these things, and Arya learns that she now has a great power of her own. This particular story is hewing most closely to the POV structure of the books. In this case we only get to see what Arya sees in Harrenhal, and if I remember correctly her whole story this year. I don't think it would work for the whole series to employ the technique, but it works great here to put us in Arya's headspace.
No Robb and I think his might the only major character story left out this week.
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