Mainly a piece mover episode. One where there's actually very little travelling, which is unusual for this show. So maybe it's more of a table setting episode. Eh, semantics, it's an episode that is setting things up for the bigger stuff to come.
I really loved the opening scene of Hoster Tully's funeral. It's a wordless scene that pretty much tells you all you need to know about George R. R. Martin's style. This is not high fantasy, it's fantasy set in a brutal, hard world where things go wrong, regular people do bad things, bad people do horrible things, and the good guys don't always win. Case in point, poor Edmure Tully can't set his father's funeral boat on fire because his flaming arrow keeps missing. We then move into another great scene that gives us some good Tully backstory about Catelyn growing up in Riverrun and her uncle, the Blackfish, a character that I really liked in the books. We don't really have a handle on his portrayal in the series with just that one scene, but I have high hopes. After being embarrassed at the funeral, things get even worse for Edmure when Robb gives him a dressing down for not following orders and messing up their overall strategy.
Elsewhere in the Riverlands, Arya and Gendry are being taken along to wherever the Brotherhood Without Banners is taking the Hound. Sadly, Hot Pie is going to stay at the inn at the crossroads. The very same inn that long ago Lady was put down and Arya's friend Myca was run down. It's a touching farewell. He never really contributed much, and complained a lot, but he was part of the gang.
Heading north, Theon has been released by the servant boy working for Yara. Things turn ugly when he's tracked down, almost being raped. Luckily the servant boy shows up to save Theon. So far we've only had three scenes with Theon, which makes it hard to get a handle on what's going on. Who are the people that are holding him? It would seem to be Roose Bolton's men (Robb's bannerman and right hand counsel), but only because I know their sigil of the flayed man. The show is doing a poor job of explaining things, but maybe that's intentional to put us in Theon's confused headspace.
On to a story that has even less going on so far. Mellisandre is leaving to seek something out because the Lord of Light has told her so. It's all very vague, as is the the only intriguing part of this short scene. That king's blood is going to be important for what's to come. If they don't do something with this story soon, people are going to forget that Stannis is even a part of the goings on of Westeros.
In King's Landing, the Small Council is reconvening, and in a wonderful bit of humor, finds seats at the table. Everyone doing everything they can to get the closest seat to Tywin was wonderful. Then Tyrion comes in to pull the chair as far away as possible from his father. Littlefinger is to wed Catelyn's sister, Lysa, and become in charge of the Vale. Tyrion will now be Master of Coin to make up for Littlefinger's absence. Here's another section where reality infuses this fantasy world. Things have to be paid for, and Tyrion discovers that the crown owes a lot of money to Tywin and the Bank of Braavos. King's Landing is a place of levity this week, because we also get Podrick's return from the whorehouse. The looks on Tyrion and Bronn's faces when Pod is explaining that the whores refused to take the money is just full of wonderfulness.
To contrast the levity of King's Landing, we have the harshness of beyond the Wall. Mance and Jon have come to the Fist of the First Men to find the horses of the Night's Watch arranged in a pattern, much like the dead Wildlings at the beginning of the series. Mance has decided that now is the time to attack with the crows' forces diminished, and Jon, Ygritte, and Tormond are on their way to the Wall to climb it. Those diminished forces have trudged their way all the way back to Craster's. Tensions are starting to wear thin with Craster denying the Night's Watchmen all the stores of food he's hoarding for his wives and winter. In happier news, Gilly has given birth. Oh wait, did I say happy? It's a son, which means it will be sacrificed to the White Walkers.
In Astapor, Daenerys is increasingly disgusted by the slaving business of this city. It seems that after saving her life, Ser Barristan has become a full fledged member of the group. Ser Jorah doesn't seem exactly pleased by that. I know it could never be done on the show, but I really liked how in the book, Ser Barristan was only referred to as Whitebeard for a long time before finally revealing himself as the former Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Dany seems to have decided that the best way to stop the cruel treatment of the slaves is to buy them all, including the trainees. They come at a high price, though, one of her dragons. After going through so much to keep them back last season, it seems strange that she would be willing to part with one.
Back in Westeros, Jamie and Brienne have been captured. At night, Jamie does something you would never expect from him. He does something nice for someone else. By convincing the leader that Brienne could be ransomed for sapphire, it keeps her from being raped. In true Ned Stark fashion, let no good deed go unpunished. Jamie tries to take it to far by sweet talking the man even more to try and get himself released. They repay him by cutting off his hand. The end of the last two episodes have completely made up for the lack of cliffhanger in the premiere. I knew what was coming and I still gasped when it happened. Well done, show.
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