Game of Thrones Recap S4E3: Breaker of Chains

 Joffery is still dead. Cersei screams like a banshee for Tyrion to be taken, and Sansa taken by Sir Dontos. Tywin orders the gates to be sealed, and the girl to be found. Dontos takes her to a neaby boat, and she hesitates for only a moment before getting in. He rows her out, through the fog, to a ship she can barely make out. He tries to calm her, telling her that she’ll be fine, that she’s stronger than she knows as she climbs aboard. Lord Baelish is aboard. Littlefinger schemed to have Sansa brought to him. He gives Dontos his payment, a swift arrow through the heart. Littlefinger tells her that she must stay, that her fleeing makes her look guilty. She feels remorse for Dontos, he saved her, but he was a drunk, and the best way to buy permanent loyalty is with death. Littlefinger takes the necklace that Dontos gave her, it too was a lie, one that Littlefinger planted before. He crushes it and tosses it into the small boat with Dontos’ dead body. He tells her that she is safe with him, that he is taking her home.

Margaery  questions her grandmother if she is now queen, which she is in a way. She’s more Queen than she was after the marriage and death of Renley , but less than if Joffery had lived to consummate the marriage. Olenna tells her that now is not the time to press the issue. She tells her how the Lannisters brought her the body of her husband, forced her to look at his pitiful form. Margaery hasn’t had the best of luck with husbands. Both died, but Olenna tells her that she isn’t unlucky, she enjoyed her marriage much more this way than she would have having actually been married to him, and that she did well managing him, that she’ll be even better with the next.

Tywin speaks to Tommen with Cersei at his sign. With Joffery dead he is now the king. Tywin isn’t playing games at the moment, he asks Tommen what kind of King will he be. He thinks he will be a good king, and Tywin has to agree. He asks what makes a good king. Holiness is Tommen’s first answer, but Tywin pokes holes in the arguments using a past king as an example. Being Just is no better, and Strength even worse. His own father was strong, he won the rebellion, rid the kingdom of Targaryens. All of these kings lacked Wisdom. Tywin suggests to the boy that he should listen to his counselor of advisors. Joffery was not a wise or good king, if he had been he would still be alive. As a king Tywin tells him that he will have to marry, and produce heirs. He takes Tommen to give Cersei time alone with Joffery. Jaime asks that Cersei be allowed to grieve alone, and the Scepter clears the room.  Cersei is sure that Tyrion killed Joffery. He had threatened her once that her joy would turn to ashes in her mouth, and now they have. She is sure of his guilt, she asks that Jaime avenge their son, that he kill their brother. She doesn’t want a trial, she wants his death now. She begs him to do this, he offers her what comfort her can, and it leads to a kiss that Cersei cuts short. She pulls away from him, but he will not be stopped. He takes her roughly, and she protests but he’s beyond caring as he buries himself in her at the foot of their son’s viewing.

Rain looks to be coming on the horizon, but the Hound has no map. He and Arya are still headed to the Eyrie so he can deliver her to her Aunt Lysa. Arya questions his sense of direction, but he wants to be rid of her as much as she wants to leave him. The Hound needs the gold he hopes Lysa will pay so he can cross the narrow sea and be a sells sword. Arya muses that she would like to see Braavos. The landowners interrupts their conversation, and the Hound bristles at them, but Arya asks that they excuse her father’s gruffness, laying on a story of their cottage burning down with her mother inside as he fought in the war. The pair accept her story, only asking which house he fought for, she says the Tullys, and they offer them shelter in their barn along with a hot meal. Over dinner they pray to the seven gods, and the Hound gets impatient during the prayers. The Hound hurries along the prayer, and then he pours himself a heaping bowl. Arya apologizes again for his actions. The villager talks of the Red Wedding, of the Fray’s betrayal. The whole country has gone down hill as of late. He asks the Hound to stay and help out around the farm. The Hound considers the offer, asking for the pay. He doesn’t have much, but offers fair wages for fair work. As Arya sleeps in the barn, she is awoken by the sounds of screams. The Hound robbed him. Arya is outraged by his actions, but the Hound sees weakness in the man, knowing that he and his daughter won’t survive the winter.

Sam takes stock of camp as he goes to visit Gilly. The men don’t believe that he killed the Whitewalker. No one saw his actions except her, but she’s just a wildling. Gilly plucks a goose, as Sam asks if she is alright. Although there is a lot of talk, no one has yet to touch her. Sam worries over her virtue, and he worries that eventually someone will take action. She thanks him for his worry, and continues her defeathering. He worries about her safety too, he thinks she may be safer in a nearby town. She asks if he’s bored of her, but he just wants to protect her. She takes away two of the birds ending their conversation, and leaving him alone with her baby. He looks down at the infant, worry all over his face.

Stannis asks Davos to read a missive, since he now can, asking him what he thinks of it. He sees that Joffery is now dead, just as he hoped when he tossed the leach filled with bastard blood into the fire. The fire and blood worked, and Davos set the bastard free. Opportunity has arisen, and he has no way of taking advantage of it. Davos thinks that they should look to sells swords, but Stannis refuses to consider it. Davos reminds him that men win wars not beliefs. Stannis has no gold, not yet, and he must press his claim to the throne, keep it in the forefront so that it is not forgotten. Time is short for both of them. Princess Shireen chastises him for being late to her reading session. The child is a tough teacher, and she has a new book for him. She likes the new book, it’s about pirates. Davos tells her that he was never a pirate but a smuggler, and tries to explain the difference, that most tend not to be interested in the distinction, which gives him an idea. He tells Shireen to write a missive for him posing as Stannis to the Bank of Braavos.

Sam takes Gilly and her baby away from the Wall, to the nearby town. A woman questions her about everything from the baby to her where she’s from. She makes her for a wildling instantly, as Sam negotiates Gilly’s terms of staying. She will cook, and clean and look after the babies of the other girls, but nothing else. The innkeeper even offers him a cut of her profits, but Sam reiterates no other work. Sam takes her to her new quarters, but Gilly isn’t happy there. She wants to be at Castle Black, but Sam thinks that this is best for her, that he cannot protect her. The baby cries, and Sam leaves Gilly behind.

Ellaria enjoys her time in the whorehouse. She kisses the proprietor, but he’s not interested in her. He’s rather amuse Prince Oberyn, but the Prince thinks its his loss. He enjoys both sexes equally. He hopes to have as much stamina as Prince Oberyn does when he’s his age. Prince Oberyn hopes that he has had his fill before he loses his looks, but Prince Oberyn will never have that problem. As a Prince of Dorn people will line up for a chance in his bed until the day he dies Ellaria tells him as she climbs atop the Prince. Play time is interrupted by Lord Tywin. He sends the whores out, but Tywin chooses to stay standing. Oberyn offers his condolences. He doesn’t think the sins of the father should be taken out on the son, or even grandson. He knows the boy was poisoned, which brings up Oberyn’s poison talents. He asks about his meeting with Tyrion. They spoke of the death of his sister Elia, and her gruesome death at the hands of the Mountains, although he blames Tywin for her death, he hasn’t raised a hand against him. Oberyn isn’t a dumb man, and he wishes to speak with the Mountain. Tywin will arrange for the meeting, but he wishes for Oberyn to be one of the judges at Tyrion’s trial, he also wishes to offer him a seat on the small counsel. Tywin is working to reunite the Seven Kingdoms before the Wildlings and Whitewalkers come against them from the North and the Targaryen girl and her dragons across the sea. The threats are coming and they need to come together against them, and Tywin is willing to help him get justice for Elia in return.

Podrick comes to see Tyrion in his cell. The boy has been a good and loyal squire. He tried to sneak in wine, but the guards took it. He did manage to get in food, candles and a quill. Tyrion asks after Shae, Podrick has heard nothing, which Tyrion hopes is a good sign. Not a good sign, Tyrion is to be tried for Joffery’s murder. Although Tyrion thinks that the world is a better place without Joffery in it, he did not kill him. Podrick tells him who the judges are, and Tyrion is surprised a bit by Oberyn being named. Podrick asks for a list of witnesses, and Tyrion names Sansa first. Podrick tells him that she is gone, and with her disappearance his guilt looks all the more. Tyrion always thought when something bad happened it was at Cersei’s hand, except this time. For all of Cersei’s faults she does love her children. Tyrion wishes to call Varys, but he’s already a witness for Cersei. He wishes for Bronn to visit, so he can have him investigate, but Bronn is being bared from doing so. Since he’s a known cutthroat, and an associate he’s on the list as well. Tyrion asks for Jaime to atleast come, and Podrick will try. Podrick hesitates leaving, having to dispel one more thing. He tells Tyrion that he was approached to testify against him, offered a title if he did. He wanted Pod to tell the judges that Tyrion bought a poison called the strangler. Podrick refused, but Tyrion refuses to let Pod die for him. He tells the boy to find Jaime, and get out of Kings Landing. Podrick has been the best squire that Tyrion could have asked for, but his duty is done.

The Wildlings massacre a village, and the inhabitants can do little to stop them. A young boy hides, watching them kill everyone. Styr pulls him from hiding, asking if he knows the way to Castle Black. He knows the way. Styr shows him his dead parents, telling the child that he’s going to eat them before he sends the child to the tell the Crows.

At Castle Black the crows wish to teach the Wildlings a lesson. It’s a whole lot of bolster, but one man sees that it’s a trap, they’re being lured out. The Maester knows that they cannot afford to lose any men, there are too few now, and their first responsibility is to the wall. They ask Jon Snow his opinion. Mance Rayder is coming. If he makes it over the wall there isn’t an army nearby that will be able to stop them. They need to shore up the wall. A horn is sounded, riders have returned. The brothers go out to meet them, one of the returned tells them that others are holed up in Crasters keep with no thought of leaving. They have Craster’s food and his wives. Snow thinks that they should ride North and kill them, but the others don’t see how that changes things. It does. Snow lied, told Mance that they had a thousand men at Castle Black alone. He knows that the men at Crasters will give them away at the threat of torture, and then they’re all through. Mance has what he needs to crush them, he just doesn’t know it yet. Even if every crow killed 100 wildling, they would still be no match.

Danerys continues her march towards Mereen. Her army amasses outside the gates as she rides in on her white horse. The people of the city watch from the walls as she calmly approaches. The doors open, a single rider comes out, the champion of the city. They wish for Dany to send her own champion. After a lewd display of urinating in her presence, he says that her arm has no man parts, and thinks that she herself is a man with his cock up his butt. Dany looks for her own champion, to shut the man up. Grey Worm asks for the honor, but she denies him the honor. Her two knights also ask for the honor. Daario is not a member of her guard, he was the last to join her army, and his mother was a whore. He is expendable he reasons. She asks if he wishes to have a horse, but he does not. The champion charges forth, but Daario just stands there, waiting. I see his appeal finally. He kisses his dagger, before throwing it. The champion falls from his horse, and Daario beheads him. Mereen responds with a hail of arrows, which Daario does not shrink away from, merely calmly urinating at their display. Danerys introduces herself to the people of the city, speaking to the slaves of the city. She has nothing to say to the masters, only the slaves. She has brought down the biggest slave cities, and their soldiers stand behind her of their own free will. Their masters are the enemies, not her, and she plans to end their suffering. The catapults are brought forth, she has a gift for the masters. They fire, raining barrels of cast off shackles upon the city. Well played Khalessi.