Ep 4.1 "Two Swords"

Lord Tywin takes Ice (Ned Stark’s sword, made of rare Valyrian steel) and has it re-forged into two new blades.  He gives one of the swords to Jaime.  Tywin wants Jaime to leave the Kingsguard and go to Casterly Rock to rule.  Jaime refuses which doesn’t make Lord Tywin too happy.  Jaime says he doesn’t want a wife and children.  He wants to stay in Kings Landing.  Lord Tywin thinks he is doing this for his honor, but Jaime tells him there is ho hope for his honor.   Lord Tywin tells Jaime to leave and go join his brothers.

Tyrion, Bronn and Pod are waiting for the Martell’s of Dorne to arrive, but are asked to do it outside the city’s gates.  Tyrion asks where Prince Doran is (the rightful ruler of Dorne).  The Dornishmen tell him that Prince Doran is too sick to make the journey so his brother Prince Oberyn Martell (the Red Viper) has come in his stead, but he already arrived in Kings Landing earlier that morning.  Tyrion goes searching for Prince Oberyn and knows exactly where to find him in the brothels of Kings Landing.

Prince Oberyn is at a brothel with his paramor, Elaria.  They have been on the road and have desires for some grown up activities.  They’ve just selected a man and woman from the brothel to join them when they hear someone singing “The Rains of Castamere”.  Prince Oberyn leaves to see who it is and of course it’s Lannister men.  They get in a confrontation, but Tyrion arrives in the middle of it.  Tyrion asks for a word in private with Prince Oberyn.  He asks the Prince why he is in Kings Landing.  Oberyn replies that he is there for the Kings wedding, but Tyrion doesn’t believe him.  Prince Oberyn reminds Tyrion that the last time he was in Kings Landing it was to watch his sister, Princess Elia, marry Rhaegar Targaryen.  However, Rhaegar left her to go after another woman, Lyanna Stark, sister to Ned Stark and the love of the future King Robert’s life.  When Rhaegar killed her it started a war during which Twyin Lannister stormed Kings Landing and killed Elia’s children, but only after the Mountain (Gregor Clegane, the Hound’s brother) raped her and split her in half with his sword.  Prince Oberyn asks Tyrion to tell his father that he is in Kings Landing and that Lannister’s are not the only ones who pay their debts.

Daenerys is out with her dragons.  They are flying around and find a goat to feed on. They start to fight and when she intervenes, Drogon (the black dragon) snaps at her.  As always, Ser Jorah is close by and he reminds her that a dragon cannot be tamed, even by it’s mother.  She leaves to find her soldiers, but Daario and Grey Worm are missing.  Ser Barriston tells her they are off gambling so she goes to see what they are up to.  They are sitting across from each other seeing which one can hold their sword the longest.  She asks what the prize is for the man who wins and Daario tells her the man will be able to ride beside her when she walks through Mereen’s gates.  She informs them that it will be Ser Jorah and Ser Barriston, as neither one of them kept her waiting that morning.  They can ride in the back with the livestock.

Shae tries to get Sansa to eat something, but she won’t.  Tyrion asks to have a moment alone with Sansa, which Shae isn’t too happy about.  Tyrion pleads with Sansa to let him help her.  She asks him how he can help her and he says he doesn’t know, but he’d like to try.  They talk about the horrible way Robb and her mother were killed and how it keeps her up at night.  Tyrion says he didn’t know her brother, but he knew her mother and admired her, even though she tried to have him killed.  He tells her that her mother would want her to stay alive.  Sansa asks to go to the Godswood because it is the only place where no one talks to her.  Tyrion goes to his chamber and finds Shae waiting for him.  He tells her she shouldn’t be there.  She tries to seduce him, but he isn’t in the right mindset.  She thinks he wants Sansa so she storms off.  One of the Queen’s ladies overhears their argument.

Jaime gets a new solid gold hand from Cersei.  He remarks that Cersei drinks more than she used too.  She complains of all she has gone through with Roberts death and having to possibly marry Loras Tyrell.  Jaime tells her that their father disowned him, but Cersei won’t believe it.  She says Jaime is all their father has, but Jaime says he still has Tyrion.  Cersei asks Jaime why he doesn’t want to go back to Casterly Rock.  He tells her it’s because he wants to be close to her.  He tries to kiss her, but she won’t allow it.  He asks why and she tells him she is angry that he left her and came back too late with no hand.  He reminds her how he plotted his escape from capture and killed people to get back to her, but she repeats that he took too long.  Then the ladies maid who overheard Tyrion and Shae knocks on her door with important news.

Ygritte is making arrows.  They are waiting for the rest of Mance Rayder’s host so they can storm the Wall.  Tormund Gianstbane tells her it’s her fault if Jon Snow is still alive, because he knows she could’ve killed him is she really wanted too.  They hear something.  When they go to see what it is, they see the Thenn’s coming to them.  Mance sent them.  They are a strange looking bunch.  They have brought meat to eat and it’s one of the men of the Night’s Watch.  

Jon finds out about what happened to his brother Robb from Sam.  He says he used to be jealous of Robb.  He wanted to hate him but he couldn’t.  Ser Alliser Thorne and some other elder’s of the Night’s Watch then hold a hearing to decide Jon’s fate.  Most of them think he is a turncloak, but he tells them he came to warn them of the army of wildling’s marching towards them.  He tells them of Mance’s plans.  Maester Aemon tells Jon he is free to leave.  Alliser Thorne gets angry with Maester Aemon for letting Jon go because he is the acting Lord Commander and he has a grudge against Jon. 

Margaery and her grandmother are planning the wedding when Lady Brienne comes to see them.  Lady Olenna is astonished at Brienne’s presence and at first Brienne thinks she’s going to hear the usual, that she’s large and ugly, but Lady Olenna calls her marvelous.  Brienne asks to talk alone with Margaery.  Brienne tells her how Renly died and promises to avenge his death.  (They walk by a new statue of Joffrey with his crossbow on top of a wolf with an arrow through its head, really?).

Jaime and Ser Meryn Trant are discussing the guard detail for Joffrey’s wedding.  Joffrey, as usual, is being a little twit.  He boasts of winning the war on the Blackwater while Jaime was off being a prisoner.  He see’s the Book of Brothers that is the history of the knights of the Kingsguard and all of their deeds.  He jabs at Jaime’s prowess now that he is a 40 year old knight with one hand whose page is blank.  How could he possibly protect Joffrey?

Daario comes to talk with Dany.  He shows her flowers and at first she thinks he is messing with her, but he says she needs to know about the people and the land she is taking over.  They find a dead slave girl left strapped up and left for Daenerys to see.  There is one at every mile marker on the way to Mereen, which is about 160 miles.  Ser Barristen offers to ride ahead and bury them, but Dany tells him not to.  She wants to look at every face.

Jaime shows Brienne Sansa Stark.  Brienne reminds him of his promise to Catelyn Stark about returning her girls.  He says Catelyn is dead, they can’t find Arya and Sansa is now married to his brother.  Jaime thinks Sansa will be safe in Kings Landing, but Brienne doesn’t agree. 

Sansa realizes someone is watching her.  It’s Ser Dontos from Joffrey’s nameday celebration.  The drunken knight.  He gives her a necklace that belonged to his family in thanks for saving his life.  She says she can’t take it, but he says it’s all he has left.  She says she will wear it with pride.

Arya and the Hound are traveling to the Eyrie. He plans to sell her to her Aunt Lysa.  She wants her own horse, but he tells her that’s not happening.  They are hungry and come across a group of men at an inn.  She recognizes one of them as Polliver, the man who took them to Harrenhal and stole her sword.  Arya runs to get him and the Hound tries to stop her,  but a man opens the door so they have to go inside.  Polliver recognizes the Hound.  He tries to get the Hound to join them, but the Hound says no.  Polliver says the war is over and they have the King’s colors so who can stop them from doing what they want.  The Hound says, “Fuck the King”.  Polliver then tries to bargain for Arya, but the Hound continues to push him.  They start to fight.  At one point the Hound looks defeated, but he comes back from it and kills them all with Arya’s help.  She gets her sword back.  She goes to Polliver and repeats the words he said when he took her sword and killed Lommy.  He realizes who she is as she plunges the sword into his throat.  She and the Hound ride off, and she now has her own horse.

End credits…

And we’re off.  A wedding coming up, and we’ve seen how those turn out.  Prince Oberyn in Kings Landing for revenge, and possibly the end of Jaime and Cersei?  It’s going to be a great season!

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