Ep 3.3 "Walk of Punishment"

SPOILER ALERT:  This is a recap of the episode, so if you haven’t watched it and don’t want to know what happens, exit now…

This week’s show begins with Lord Hoster’s funeral. Lord Hoster is Lord of Riverrun and father to Catelyn Stark. In Riverrun the traditional funeral of a king involves a funeral pyre by boat.  The Lord’s eldest son, Edmure is supposed to set the boat on fire with an arrow.  After 3 failed attempts, his uncle Ser Brynden “Blackfish” Tully completes the task.  It looks as though Edmure and Ser Brynden do not get along too well.  After the funeral, Robb meets with Edmure (now Lord Edmure of Riverrun) and scolds him for engaging in battle with Gregor Clegane (aka The Mountain, & The Hound’s brother).  Robb had a plan to draw him “The Mountain” of Harennhal and defeat him in battle on their land, but Edmure’s desire for glory has foiled the King’s plan.  Later, Catelyn is talking with her uncle, Ser Brynden.  She wants to know how her father was before he died and if he and her uncle made amends for what occurred in the past.  She thinks about Bran and Rickon and what they went through without their mother being there for them at Winterfell.  Ser Brynden says that Robb believes they are alive and Catelyn needs to stay strong for her sons.  In another part of Riverrun Queen Jeyne attends the two young Lannister captives that Edmure procured. They ask about the King in the North.  They’ve heard rumors that he can change into a wolf and eat people.  She says it’s true, but he doesn’t eat children, unless it’s a full moon.

In Kings Landing the small council meets with Tywin Lannister.  No one seems too eager to be the first one to take a seat in the room.  Lord Baelish and Varys finally come in to take their seats.  Then Cersei arrives.  Instead of sitting at the other end of the table with Petyr and Varys, she moves her chair around to the other side of the table next to her father.  In turn Tyrion takes his chair and moves it to the end of the table opposite his father.  Touché…     Lord Tywin wants to know where Jaime is, and is annoyed that their spies haven’t found anything when the north is looking for him.  He announces to the small council that Lord Baelish (now Lord of Harrenhal) will wed Lady Lysa Arryn (Catelyn Stark’s sister) and will also become Lord of the Vale.  He will no longer be Master of Coin.  That spot will be taken over by Tyrion Lannister, who is not very excited with this new position.  Podrick, Tyrion and Bronn traverse to one of Lord Baelish’s brothels to retrieve all of his account books.  Before they leave Tyrion introduces 3 “ladies” to Pod and tells him it is payment for saving Tyrion’s life.  Poor Pod looks a little overwhelmed and excited.  Back at his quarters, Tyrion discovers that Lord Baelish has borrowed money to keep up the kingdom.  Most of the money has come from either the Lannisters or the Iron Brothers who “get their coin back on way or another”.  Pod arrives from his celebration and gives Tyrion back the gold he paid at the brothel.  He says the girls wouldn’t take it.  Bronn and Tyrion scoff at the notion that the women would’ve enjoyed Pod so much that they wouldn’t accept coin.  Then they are intrigued and Tyrion and Bronn ask for “copious details” of what happened.

Out in the wild Jaime and Brienne are tied together back to back on a horse.  They argue over which of them was winning their sword fight before the Bastard of Bolton found them.  Brienne mocks Jaime’s sword skills and says it must have been embellished because he was a Lannister.  Jaime tells Brienne she will be raped during the night by their captors.  He recommends that she be brave and not fight or they will kill her.  As Jaime predicted, they come drag Brienne off.  She tells them she is from Tarth and her father will pay for her.  The guards don’t care about what ransom she could hold.  One of the guards stays behind and Jaime tells him that Tarth is an island full of sapphires that her father would bestow upon her captors to regain his daughter with her honor intact.  The guard calls the men to bring Brienne back.  He then asks if Jaime’s father would pay his weight in gold to get him back.  Jaime assures him his father would.  The guard seems to be on Jaime’s side now and Jaime charms him into untying Jaime from the tree and getting him something to eat.  Poor Brienne is left tied to her tree to watch.  They act as if they are walking him over to eat, but they throw him down and put a knife to his eye.  The guard says he is nothing without his father and money, and his father isn’t there.  He chops off Jaime’s hand so that Jaime will remember that statement.  It is Jaime’s right hand.  His sword hand… 

A young man who claims to know his sister releases Theon from his bonds.  He leaves the camp on horseback and rides to a valley but is quickly followed by his captors.  He fails at his attempt to outrun them in the woods and when he is recaptured the guards attempt to rape him.  He is saved once again by a young man with a bow and arrow.

Another character travelling in the wild is Arya.  She is once again a prisoner and is not happy about it.  She sees The Hound being taken off as her captors are preparing them to leave.  Hot Pie comes to tell her and Gendry goodbye.  He will not be leaving with them.  He as found a place where he belongs.  The woman who owns the inn has asked him to stay on and help her by baking.  As a goodbye present he baked Arya a wolf-shaped bread.  Aww… 

Above the Wall, Mance and Jon come to the Fist.  They find no dead crows, but lots of dead horses lying in the shape of a firecracker.  Mance decides to send Tormund Giantsbane and his men ahead to Castle Black.  He tells Jon to go with him as a guide.  Mance wants them to wait for his signal before attacking the Wall.

The other survivor’s of the Nights Watch make their way to Crasters Keep to seek shelter.  Craster is as hospitable as ever.  On the way into camp Sam thinks he see’s Jon’s direwolf, Ghost, but when he calls the wolf runs away.  That night, one of Craster’s daughter-wives is giving birth and the men can hear the screaming in the background.  Craster himself is annoyed by her screaming and tells one of his wives to have the woman bite down on a stick or he will have her bite on his fist.  (He should be made to give birth, let us see how quiet he is.)  Sam goes to see which wife is having a baby.  He finds her just as the infant is born.  It is a boy, and we all know that Craster doesn’t have any sons, alive that is.

In Dragonstone, Stannis is ready to prepare for the next battle.  He wants Robb Stark and Joffrey Baratheon dead.  Melisandre is leaving for a short trip and will not tell Stannis where she is going until she has returned.  He wants her to produce another son for him, but she says he is too weak.  Stannis asks Melisandre why she told him he would need a kings blood to win and if so, that meant him. She reminds him that others share his blood and he needs that blood for a sacrifice so he can sit on the Iron Throne.

And finally, across the Narrow Sea, Danaerys is contemplating whether or not she should buy The Unsullied as her army.  Seeing slaves crucified in the streets is upsetting her.  She talks with Ser Barriston about her brother Rhaegar, the last dragon, and how brave he was.  Ser Jorah reminds her that he was defeated.  Dany reminds them that Rhaegar was not the “last” dragon.  She meets with the slave owner Khrasnys, and asks for all 8,000 men, plus the ones that are still in training.  He thinks she does not speak his language because she is using an interpreter and insults her the entire time.  He says she cannot afford those men with just the ship she is offering.  She offers the only thing she has of value, one of her dragons.  Ser Jorah and Ser Barriston try to stop her, but she stops them and later scolds them for questioning her in public.  Dany also brokers a deal for the interpreter named Missandei.  She asks her if everything she said is true about the Unsullied and Missandei informs her that they will die for her.

It seems like the first three episodes have whizzed by.  We’re finally getting to some action with the lost of Jaime’s sword hand.  I’m hoping this is the event that will spark more action.  Is Dany really going to sell one of her dragons for an army?  Cersei seems to be making her spot above the rest by her father in the small council, how long will that last?  Will Tyrion make a good Master of Coin?  And will Jaime be able to deal with the loss of his sword hand, which symbolizes his honor?  Will he still be worth his weight in gold to his father?  What will happen to The Hound and will Arya ever get free and back to her mother and brother?  Could a Stark reunion be imminent?  And finally, is Jon Snow a turncoat or a double agent?