3.4 "And Now His Watch Is Ended" - SPOILERS

Television, Movies Games and Books Game of Thrones
#1

summary from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_Now_His_Watch_Is_Ended

In King’s Landing
Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Lord Varys (Conleth Hill) discuss the Battle of the Blackwater, and whether Varys has proof that the queen tried to have Tyrion killed, but, having none, Varys tells Tyrion of the day he was made a eunuch by a sorcerer in Myr. Once his story concludes, Varys opens a large crate to reveal the sorcerer is inside, and intends to exact his revenge upon him. Varys later discusses Lord Baelish with Ros (Esme Bianco), who says he is leaving soon for the Eyrie to wed Lysa Arryn. Varys inquires about Baelish’s interest in Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), and Ros hands him a ship inventory which list 2 featherbeds. Continuing his investigations, Varys meets with Lady Olenna (Diana Rigg) to discuss her interest in Sansa. He tells her that Baelish plans on taking Sansa with him to the Eyrie, and of how dangerous he could become.

King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) takes Lady Margaery (Natalie Dormer) on a tour of the Great Sept of Baelor and the sanctum, where Cersei (Lena Headey) and Lady Olenna are discussing the wedding. Margaery encourages Joffrey to give love to the people, and takes him outside to wave to the crowd, which angers Cersei. Later, Cersei meets with her father, Tywin (Charles Dance), to discuss the importance of getting Jaime back, as well as the Tyrell presence in King’s Landing. Margaery and Sansa get to know one-another when Margaery finds Sansa at prayer in the godswood. Margaery expresses her hope that Sansa will come to see Highgarden, but Sansa says Cersei will not allow her, to which Margaery replies that, once she is queen, she would see Sansa wed to her brother, Ser Loras.

In the North
Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) has another dream, where he is running through the woods with Jojen Reed (Thomas Brodie Sangster) chasing the three-eyed crow. Bran climbs a tree in pursuit of the crow, but falls when he sees his mother, Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), who begs him not to climb, and pushes him from the tree.

Elsewhere in the north, Theon (Alfie Allen) and the cleaning boy (Iwan Rheon) ride for Deepwood Motte, where Theon’s sister Yara is waiting. While in an underground tunnel at Deepwood Motte, Theon explains to the boy that he never found or killed the Stark boys, instead having Dagmer kill two orphans to pose as the children. When they enter the castle, the boy lights a torch to reveal he has taken Theon back to the dungeon he helped him escape from, and tells the men there that Theon killed his captors and escaped, but he brought Theon back.

In the Riverlands
On their way across the riverlands, Locke (Noah Taylor) and his men taunt Ser Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) about their having removed his sword hand. When Jaime falls from his horse, he steals a sword from one of Locke’s men and attacks them, but, due to his weakened condition and having to use his left hand, he is quickly beaten. Later, while at camp, Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) talks with Jaime, who refuses to eat, saying he wants to die. She chastises him for “quitting”, and tells him to live, so that he can take revenge on Locke.
Arya (Maisie Williams), Gendry (Joe Dempsie), and Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann) are being transported to the hideout of the Brotherhood without Banners by Thoros (Paul Kaye) and his men. Once inside, they are introduced to Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer). Dondarrion calls Clegane a murderer, a fact he refutes. Arya tells the Brotherhood of Micah, the butcher’s boy, that Clegane killed. Dondarrion sentences Clegane to trial by combat, and says he will fight Clegane.

Beyond the Wall
Grenn (Mark Stanley), Edd (Ben Crompton) and Rast (Luke Barnes) have been forced to work at Craster’s Keep, caring for the pigs; Rast urges that they cannot trust Craster. Samwell (John Bradley) and Gilly (Hannah Murray) discuss her son and his fate if Craster (Robert Pugh) were to discover his son. The men of the Night’s Watch hold a funeral for a fallen brother, and soon return to Craster’s Keep for dinner. Karl (Burn Gorman) challenges Craster, complaining of the poor food they’ve been given. Rast then enrages Craster, calling him a bastard. Craster grabs his hatchet and says he’ll chop the hands off the next man to call him a bastard and after being called a bastard again, lunges at Karl, who stabs Craster in the throat, killing him. When the lord commander attempts to fight the brother, Rast stabs him in the back, and after the commander falls, stabs him repeatedly in the chest. A fight breaks out amongst the Night’s Watch brothers, and Sam flees with Gilly and her infant son.
[i]
Across the Narrow Sea
Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and her followers arrive to trade one of her dragons to the slaver Kraznys (Dan Hildebrand) for the Unsullied army. After completing the exchange, Daenerys reclaims her dragon by killing Kraznys and orders her army to sack Astapor and kill the slavers, but harm no children and free every slave they find. After the battle ends, she frees the Unsullied and tells them they may remain as a free army with her, or leave if they choose. None leave her, and she and her army depart Astapor.

[/i]
Discuss.

#2

So, after sitting down with four co-workers in a new weekly meeting I have setup to discuss GoT I have some new thots and insights I didn’t appreciate prior to episode (it also helps one person has read all the books).
[ul]
[li]Sansa is believed to be the onlyStark heir alive besides Rob Stark who is in open rebellion and assumed to lose. I understood Little Finger wanted her for title, but didn’t appreciate that would make him King of the North. The reason Lady Margaery is encouraging Sansa to court her brother is a power play by the Tyrells. Brilliant. I thought Margaery was simply being kind. Whoops.[/li][li]I had forgotten that the original King (Geoffrey’s father) is Stannis Baratheon’s older brother. Because of forgetting this I didn’t appreciate that Stannis’s craz-o Firelady offed the younger brother. Why did he do that again?[/li][li]I also didn’t appreciate that where all the Black / Crows (hey! see that? They are a band!) holed up in the Keep are there because it is the only safe place beyond the wall. I wasn’t sure if they were there to fortify it, use it as a base of operations…no, they are just hanging out until everyone feels better. Good riddance to Craster, clearly the baby sacrifices weren’t to keep people on the other side of the wall safe, it was to keep his little enclave safe. Still not sure why he is there. Would seem to be an easier life on the other side of the wall[/li][li]With the epic ending with Daenerys taking the army I thought there were two armies: those that were not fully trained and those fully trained and that those who were not fully trained (or unsullied as she kept calling them) killed those that were trained. Wrong. The unsullied are all of them, trained and mid-trained. Now she has an army. And three dragons. And some leftover Dothraki for fun[/li][/ul]I need a compass and a flashlight to keep up, but am starting to link the families and the lineage. Appreciation of the Baratheon clan definitely helps and now reminds me of why the Baratheon’s and Stark’s are so close given their alignment in the war. Where did the Lanister’s sit in the war? Neutral? Probably not since the King married Cersei.

It is a show that requires flowcharts. I kind of love it for that.

#3

Stannis’s is Robert’s [edit: older] brother. The [edit: other] brother, the late Renly, didn’t have a legit claim on the Kingship, but claimed it anyway. He mounted a campaign and amassed enough followers. So Stannis, though he was the legit successor, had to resort to, as they say, other means to restore his rightful place in line.

The Boratheons have a smidge of Targaryean blood… enough to wipe away the concerns of those who object to his reign. Robert never played up that obscure facet of his bloodline, though. He said something to the effect of, “My claim to the Iron Throne is my warhammer.”

I forget if you’ve read the books, but keep in mind that the Night’s Watch is horribly understaffed, and populated largely with criminals. Hence the quick mutiny (albeit under heightened circumstances).

One of the critic Alan Sepinwall’s readers dubbed this episode “How To Trade Your Dragon.”

#4

Tywin was the Hand of the Mad King for something like 20 years (though not when Robert’s rebellion started) and Jamie was in his King’s Guard. After Robert defeated the Mad King’s army, the Lannister army showed up to “reinforce” King’s Landing, but sacked it instead and Jamie killed the King.

Robert married Cersei to secure the alliance with the Lannisters so they wouldn’t try to grab power for themselves (which really worked out, didn’t it? :stuck_out_tongue: )

#5

I have to say this has been my favourite episode of the series so far, topping out from my previous favourite, covering the Battle of the blackwater.

Margery Tyrell is possibly my new favourite, (after arya, nobody beats arya for me). I just loved her performance in this episode, I’m really warming to the actress.

Danni was wonderful though, and a warning to future buyers, if you’re trading for a dragon, make sure it comes with a muzzle, or at the very least, wear a damned all over asbestos suit!.

Fun times, I may watch the episode again.

Phaze
on the “Kittehs staring out the window at the rapidly duskening evening, they aren’t happy at staying inside” ID

#6

“•I had forgotten that the original King (Geoffrey’s father) is Stannis Baratheon’s older brother. Because of forgetting this I didn’t appreciate that Stannis’s craz-o Firelady offed the younger brother. Why did he do that again?”

As others may have mentioned, Renly didn’t have a legit claim other than being in the same family, but more well liked than Stannis. Also, Stannis is a dour, “by the rules” person and is fighting for the throne more out of legality and “right” in his mind than a desire to be king IMO.

#7

Wasn’t Stannis Baratheon actually Robert Baratheon’s older brother?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

#8

Stannis was the older brother but Robert took the throne following the storming of kings landing, Stannis always felt the throne should have been his, Robert, as stated earlier in this thread said “My best claim to this throne was my warhammer”. He took it by right of conquest, upon his death and given the incestious nature of the offspring of cersie and jamie, Stannis is the rightful heir.

It’s covered in considerably more detail in the books, an excellent read.
Phaze
on the “feeling sleepy this morning and frustated with my lack of work, going to post in the aaargh thread about it” ID

#9

That finally explains that turn. I seriously will get a ton more out of this show on my rewatch. “Oh, that dude is related to that dude?!?!? OH!!!”

#10

As I say all the time, perhaps the chief benefit of reading the books is that you know who the character are, and you know longer think of them as “That One Dude” and “That Random Guy Who Was By the Blonde Girl.” I’m not saying that as a jab against people who just know it from TV, but rather to highlight one of the show’s chief narrative shortcomings.

#11

[/li]
Well…yes & no. Sansa is the only one they KNOW is alive other than Robb. They don’t know either way about Arya. They suspect she is running but that’s all they know for sure. It’s a very “bird in hand” situation. As for Margaery yes, it’s very much a power play for the Tyrells, but I think Margaery geunuinely likes Sansa & being kind to her is a bonus in the power play.

[li]I had forgotten that the original King (Geoffrey’s father) is Stannis Baratheon’s older brother. Because of forgetting this I didn’t appreciate that Stannis’s craz-o Firelady offed the younger brother. Why did he do that again?[/li]

As has been explained Stannis is the older brother. Renly was just popular. I am genuinely confused over why she said what she did to Stannis. The only other person who has a legit claim that is alive in the Baratheon family is Stannis’s daughter. (We will be seeing her shortly) I know to make her crazy shadow baby she stole part of Stannis’s essence while they were having sex. But it was from his aura not his testicles, I believe the sex made it easier but I don’t think it’s necessary. So if I am reading that scene correctly, she’s implying stealing some of his daughter’s essence since Renly is obviously dead with no legit heirs.

[li]I also didn’t appreciate that where all the Black / Crows (hey! see that? They are a band!) holed up in the Keep are there because it is the only safe place beyond the wall. I wasn’t sure if they were there to fortify it, use it as a base of operations…no, they are just hanging out until everyone feels better. Good riddance to Craster, clearly the baby sacrifices weren’t to keep people on the other side of the wall safe, it was to keep his little enclave safe. Still not sure why he is there. Would seem to be an easier life on the other side of the wall[/li]

Craster is beyoind the wall because even if he is a “godly man” his entire set up with his daughters as wives is not kosher in the seven kingdoms. With no other men around he doesn’t have the power to fight off those who would try to stop him from doing it. The only reason Walder Frey (the creepy old dude Catelyn made a deal with for Robb to marry one of his girls) gets away with it is because he has the power to defend it.

[li]With the epic ending with Daenerys taking the army I thought there were two armies: those that were not fully trained and those fully trained and that those who were not fully trained (or unsullied as she kept calling them) killed those that were trained. Wrong. The unsullied are all of them, trained and mid-trained. Now she has an army. And three dragons. And some leftover Dothraki for fun[/li]

I have been waiting 5 years to see that entire sequence. They delivered it in SPADES. This is where I truly fell in love with Dany’s arc & Dany as a character. I saw someone call it Dany’s “emancipation conflagration” I’m totally stealing that. They considered this one of the turning points of the season (rightly so)It was written beautifully, shot in a still unbelievably stunning location & Emilia especially delivered it with a stunning performance. As a book reader I knew she completely understood the bastardized Valyrian he was speaking but she never even HINTED she knew what he said. I’ve watched it 4 times…I will probably watch it again. I’ve also been practicing saying “Dracarys” all week! Incdentally, that word is High Valyrian for “Dragon Fire.” Fitting don’t you think?

I need a compass and a flashlight to keep up, but am starting to link the families and the lineage. Appreciation of the Baratheon clan definitely helps and now reminds me of why the Baratheon’s and Stark’s are so close given their alignment in the war. Where did the Lanister’s sit in the war? Neutral? Probably not since the King married Cersei.

Here’s something that may help you start to really put it together in your head. Comicbookgirl19 over on Youtube has so far done 2 videos going into the hitory of the major families of Westeros. The first one is on the Targaryens. It Goes back with when Aegon the Conqueror united the 7 kingdoms & goes right to Robert’s Rebellion which is how Robert Baratheon obtained the throne. [video]www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnfYj-cHM5c[/video] It helped me a lot because I have forgotten a LOT of the minutiae that went on. Her second is an Epic History of the Lannisters. I highly recommend watching both. It may help you to better understand the alliances, rivalries & the lineage’s. It gives you a lot more than they can ever go into with the actual show. It’s very similar to Lord of the Rings in that way. It has a history going back 1,250 years before the show even begins.

It is a show that requires flowcharts. I kind of love it for that.
Me too! It also may be why although I love the movies, I just can’t do LoTR as in depth as I do this…two epic stories on a massive scale is all I can concentrate on. Star Wars & A Song of Ice & FIre…I just can’t do another! :wink:

#12

So in love with you Aset right now. Thank you for that well crafted, deep and rich response. The more I understand the nuance of this show the more I love it.

#13

One more thing I wanted to add re: Craster, I don’t think the show has been able to truly convey what the term “bastard” means in this world. There is no worse insult to be given than to question someone’s legitimacy. This is why Craster got so violent when they called him one.

#14

I thought Margaery was simply being kind. Whoops.

Snort I am reminded of a quote from Babylon 5: “The universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements. Energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest.”
Margaery has proven very good at playing off people’s wants and needs while seeming to minimize her own.

Solai, one thing I found somewhat helpeful to keep track of all the families was to take a look at the appendices of the books. I don’t have the patience to read the whole thing but the Appendix to the first book had a nice summary of all the families. They also have some good stuff on the HBO website:
http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/season3/#!/appendix/

#15

Given two Hands have been killed over knowledge of the ‘bastard’ it is clear that they see him as a threat, and therefore he has a claim.

#16

No, sorry I wasn’t more clear. Craster is the dude north of the wall they killed. He has no claim to the throne but he would not suffer being called a bastard…EVER he killed for less

#17

Both wiki’s have some nice stuff on the familie’s as well Game of Thrones & A Song of Ice & Fire. But what you may like even better is the Houses & Family trees over at Tower of The Hand. I say this because it’s the one site that you choose your level of knowledge you can see. I have found that to be the best prevention of spoilers. it defaults to having not seen or read anything.

#18

My bad, I was thinking of the smithee that is with the wee Stark.