Two Swords: One Hound and his Chicken

Game of Thrones

Season 4

Episode 1:

Two Swords

Summary:

Tywin Lannister oversees the reforging of Ice, the greatsword that once belonged to Ned Stark. As the Valyrian steel is melted down to create two blades, Tywin casts Ice's wolf-head sheath into the flames.

He gifts one of the new swords to Jaime, who awkwardly wields the weapon in his left hand. The inept display prompts a decree from Tywin: Jaime can no longer effectively serve on the Kingsguard and must take his place at Casterly Rock.

Jaime, however, has no desire to leave King's Landing, marry or reaffirm his reputation as an oath-breaker. Outraged that Jaime will not put the family first, Tywin disowns his eldest son.

Tyrion Lannister, accompanied by Bronn and Podrick Payne, welcomes a caravan from the southern land of Dorne, in town to attend the royal wedding. The envoys are surprised to learn that Prince Doran Martell has opted to stay in Sunspear, sending his younger brother Oberyn in his stead.

Prince Oberyn and his paramour, Ellaria Sand, peruse the offerings of both sexes at Littlefinger's brothel. Their fun is interrupted when Oberyn hears a man singing "The Rains of Castamere" and picks a bloody fight with a pair of off-duty Lannister soldiers.

Tyrion tracks down the Dornishman and interrupts the altercation before it escalates further. He learns Oberyn's true motive for his visit to the capital: vengeance for his sister Elia, Rhaegar Targaryen's wife who was raped and murdered during Robert's Rebellion.

Oberyn believes Elia and her two young children were executed by Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane on the orders of Tywin Lannister.

Sansa Stark is haunted by the deaths of her mother and brother and Tyrion's attempts to comfort his grief-stricken wife fall flat. Defeated, he returns to his chamber to find Shae waiting for him. When he rebuffs her advances, she storms out and is spotted by one of Cersei's spies.

Qyburn, the former maester now working for Queen Cersei, affixes a golden hand onto Jaime's right arm. Alone with his twin, Jaime confesses that he plans to stay in the Kingsguard to remain close to her, but Cersei is not interested in being intimate with him. Jaime abandoned her and although he's back, Cersei tells him: "You took too long."

Jaime Lannister and Ser Meryn Trant review the royal wedding security plan with King Joffrey. Distracted, Joff flips through the 'Book of Brothers,' a compilation of heroic deeds of past Kingsguards. The king relishes in the fact that Jaime's page is mostly empty. It's likely to stay that way, Joffrey snaps, now that Jaime's lost his hand.

At Castle Black, Samwell Tarly visits Jon Snow, who is still recovering from his injuries. After learning of Robb's fate, Jon shares that he always envied his brother's charmed life. "I wanted to hate him," Jon confesses, and is surprised to learn that Sam feels similarly towards him.

Jon defends his infiltration of the wildlings before a tribunal of Night's Watch officers including Maester Aemon, Janos Slynt, and Alliser Thorne, who is in temporary command of the Watch.

Thorne accuses Jon Snow of defecting, but Jon maintains his actions were in line with Qhorin Halfhand's commands.

Jon comes clean about his relationship with Ygritte and the vow he did break, but Maester Aemon declares the offense trivial, given what else Jon has revealed: Mance Rayder has organized over 100,000 wildlings to attack the Wall.

Tormund and Ygritte discuss the impending attack on the Wall, and Tormund questions how Jon Snow escaped with his life intact.

Before Ygritte can reply, a group of Thenns, a fierce clan with ritualistic scars on their faces, arrives at the camp. Its magnar, Styr, reveals that the Thenns have an appetite for crows.

Daenerys Targaryen looks on while her three grown dragons fight over the spoils of a hunt. The khaleesi is shaken when Drogon snaps at her; the dragons are no longer tame children.

Dany surveys her convoy of Unsullied, Second Sons and freed slaves and discovers that Grey Worm and Daario Naharis have been gambling for her favor. Dany puts an end to their contest, but the rivalry between the two men persists.

The group marches to Meereen, a slave city known from its Great Pyramid. Daario Naharis approaches his queen with a handful of Meereenese flowers. "You have to know a land to rule it," he offers.

The lines halt abruptly and Dany, Jorah Mormont, Barristan Selmy and Missandei discover a crucified slave child serving as a road marker. The dead girl's arm points the way to Meereen. Jorah explains that the Great Masters of the city have arranged 163 child markers -- one for every mile on the road to the city -- as a message.

Dany pledges to look upon the face of every slave child before her soldiers bury the victims.

Brienne of Tarth seeks out Margaery to explain what happened to Renly Baratheon: He was murdered by a shadow with the face of Stannis Baratheon. Brienne pledges to avenge his death, but Margaery reminds her that Joffrey is now their king.

Jaime Lannister bristles as yet another demand is made of him; Brienne confronts him about the vow he made to Catelyn Stark to relinquish her children. While Arya is likely dead, Brienne maintains, Sansa is not safe in King's Landing.

Sansa is alarmed to hear someone following her as she leaves the godswood. Her pursuer is Ser Dontos of House Hollard, the drunk whose life Sansa saved at Joffrey's nameday celebration. As an expression of gratitude, he presents her with a family heirloom, a necklace.

Sandor Clegane and Arya Stark ride together towards the Eyrie, where the Hound plans to ransom the girl to her aunt, Lysa Arryn. The pair surveils an inn and Arya recognizes Polliver, the Lannister guard who captured Yoren's Night's Watch recruits and rerouted them to Harrenhal. Arya tells the Hound how Polliver ended up on her death list - he stole her sword and used it to kill her friend Lommy.

Arya notices that Polliver still carries Needle, and she leaves her hiding spot to follow the blade. When the Hound pursues her, he is recognized by the Lannister soldiers who serve the Mountain.

Because the Hound makes it clear he does not support the Lannister cause, a fight erupts and he polishes off several of his brother's men before Arya joins in the fight.

She cuts down Polliver, then pokes his throat, killing him the same way he killed Lommy. 

Arya leaves the inn with Needle in hand. And Sandor gets his chicken. 

Review:

What didn't this episode have?  We got lemon cakes, dragons, potential love interests, potential then shot down incest, Joffrey being his lovely self, a depressed Sansa, Dany not disciplining her dragons, Jon Snow recovering from his love arrow wounds, Arya stitching someone and Sandor just loves the damn little bird....I mean chicken. And potentially surprisingly shipping of Margaery and Brienne.

Also we got to meet Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand in an introduction that made me blush redder then Sansa's hair. And new Daario, who replaces pretty Daario in somehow much more manly and pleasing way to the eyes kind of way. And so much more distracting cleavage...Margaery and Olenna.  I do love their scenes together. 

I have to say as opening episodes go, that this is one of the best and sets up Season Four perfectly.  I can't wait for more.