It’s Sunday, Game of Thrones Day, and airing tonight is the fourth episode of season two, called “Garden of Bones.” Take a peek at the episode details after the break, chat about what you can’t wait to see, and we’ll have our recaps up later tonight.
Writer: Vanessa Taylor
Director: David Petrarca
Runtime: 51 min
Synopsis: Joffrey punishes Sansa for Robb’s victories, while Tyrion and Bronn scramble to temper the king’s cruelty. Catelyn entreats Stannis and Renly to forego their ambitions and unite against the Lannisters. Dany and her exhausted khalasar arrive at the gates of Qarth, a prosperous city with strong walls and rulers who greet her outside them. Tyrion coerces a queen’s man into being his eyes and ears. Arya and Gendry are taken to Harrenhal, where their lives rest in the hands of “The Mountain,” Gregor Clegane. Davos must revert to his old ways and smuggle Melisandre into a secret cove.
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171 Comments
Don’t let me down, New Gregor!
CarneQuote Reply
Just saw a promo for the Barcelona Real Madrid match that showed players sitting on the Iron Throne.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxUap8tsUdc
Sandy LoveQuote Reply
I want more Jaqen H’ghar! Vaes Tolorro and Dany tonight, it’s a sure thing
I hope so! The previous Mountain was kind of a dream cast!
Maria BatsiouQuote Reply
Really interested to see the new Gregor, also really interested to see how they do the Sansa beating scene since they can’t have her naked. Can’t wait to see what this gruesome new Joffrey/whore scene is too, but of course, my most anticipated moment is the much talked about ending.
ConorQuote Reply
Aside from the shadow you-know-what-thingy, I guess I’m looking forward to Nonso Anozie as Xaro Xhoan Daxos.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
Kind of curious about what Joffrey has in mind, having read some of the reports.
And of course, the ending most readers seem to be expecting. Looking forward to see how they will portray that on screen.
AzusQuote Reply
Maria Batsiou,
vaes tolorro isnt happening, they are at qarth this episode
Tytos BlackwoodQuote Reply
I’m so excited. This season has really started to get more interesting.
Matthew SherrickQuote Reply
Two words:
Roose Bolton.
Jaime LannisterQuote Reply
oooooo… the plots are thickening… ^_^
I’m excited to see the city of qarth and how significantly different the scenery would be from anything in westeros….
Also cant wait to see Harrenhal….
The Sansa scene would be heartbreaking to watch though….
Bring it on episode 204….
Giselle GlasgowQuote Reply
The title of the episode led me there… Nevermind, Qarth is even more interesting ;)
Maria BatsiouQuote Reply
Is there going to be any scene at Renly’s Camp tonight? Like maybe one with a shadow and a peach?
Old NanQuote Reply
I like the way you think :)
MockingTheFlayedLionQuote Reply
Quarth tonight, not Vaes Tolorro.
spacechampionQuote Reply
I guess Lancel is back.
lefaisanQuote Reply
Bring on the Leech Lord, Ser Gregor (although I am not looking forward to the whining that this new casting will induce), the Tickler and of course Harrenhal. I wonder if Harrenhal will be getting a spot in the credits? I hope so.
And hopefully there will be a peach involved at some point.
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Harrenhal and Quarth on the opening map and pretty much everything related to those locations.
What Rough BeastQuote Reply
Arya speculation. Spoilers:
So now that her prayer is in, I was thinking. He has to say the hounds name because of their arc together later, but it doesn’t make sense to say his name because the Mycah thing was so trivial in the show, it would seem out I place. (same as ser Illyn).
So what if you cut out that entire story line altogether, get get to kill TE tickler later this season, then end this season getting on the boat for Bravos. Spend all of next season training and get her ass back ASAP for season 4, a killing machine seekin vengeance. Aryas character is cash money, and it would seem to me to get her trained and killing would be cashing in on it.
The DarkStarQuote Reply
shadow babies shadow babies shadow babies shadow babies
Mirri MazQuote Reply
Expecting to see Oxcross just at the beginning (perhaps a tiny bit of fighting?). One of the early trailers shows Robb and some of his men on horseback at night, as if waiting to attack. It also makes sense to show this before Joffrey punishes Sansa for Robb’s victories.
JuanQuote Reply
Peach
The RabbitQuote Reply
Bloody spoiler tags! grrr
and Shadow-baby
The RabbitQuote Reply
Oh, yeah. Michael McElhatton.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
A 30-minute Pia gangbang scene. Come on HBO.
TropxeQuote Reply
Yes!
Also, Team Renly!!
Restore the DayQuote Reply
So there’s no Night Watch tonight?
Juanra Castiñeiras de SaaQuote Reply
Mike Chair,
Me to. I’m really excited to see the 13, Pureborn, and the Warlocks. I really hope they explore the complicated politics and all the sides that are fighting for power
Ismael IsakQuote Reply
Juanra Castiñeiras de Saa,
There is, but probably like 5 minutes as in the previous episodes.
CarneQuote Reply
I’m wondering what rationale they’ll use to explain why Davos had to row in Melisandre. Maybe Stannis won’t yet be attacking Storm’s End?
sunspearQuote Reply
Juan,
I really hope they give us some more Hound and Sansa scenes because they have been very disappointing in that end
Ismael IsakQuote Reply
You’re an optimist, my friend. I’m afraid we’ll get the D&D version of the Reader’s Digest version — the politics of Qarth in 60 seconds.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
Jaime Lannister,
Cannot wait to see him…I mean me.
Roose BoltonQuote Reply
The DarkStar,
This wouldn’t work. Whatever she does when she gets back is yet to be revealed in the novels. Also I assume she will be interacting with other characters, so her timeline would be out of sync. It could work if they wrote new filler material for her, but I don’t see why anyone would prefer filler over her time with the brotherhood and Sandor. And the purists would riot.
rararaQuote Reply
I’m sure I’ll be tickled by this episode… if you catch my meaning, and I think you do (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).
Varamyr FourskinsQuote Reply
sunspear,
I think they will just say that the people won’t open the gates for Stannis. So he sends Mel inside, and she insists Davos take her there so he can witness the power of R’hllor
Ismael IsakQuote Reply
Oh man after this ep we are almost halfway.
Tessa LeonieQuote Reply
Sandy Love,
Excellent. And come to think of it Jose Mourinho does resemble Joffrey somewhat….
Steven SwansonQuote Reply
Time is going too fast :( But I love it.
ConorQuote Reply
The DarkStar,
AHHHHHHHH! I think you totally missed the point of the books. When Arya is training with the Faceless Men she is learning to let go of her past life. She is becoming no one. She even lets go of her prayer. Also when a person joins the Faceless Men they cannot kill anyone they know. Also the entire story in book 3 where Arya meets the Hound is one of the beautiful and sad parts of the entire series.
Ismael IsakQuote Reply
The DarkStar,
That would be unbearably, unforgivably lame. I’m all for a little juggling of storylines where it makes sense but that would involve an entirely new plotline for her based on absolutely nothing in the books.
Steven SwansonQuote Reply
I’m hoping to hear some rumors about Beric Dondarrion from Amory Lorch or Gregor’s men. Something to intrigue the non-readers and remind them about him.
MoshQuote Reply
Renly’s meeting with Stannis is something I’ve been looking forward to for weeks! I still think we should all enjoy a peach with tonight’s episode.
I’m a little disappointed that they’re apparently going to show the birth of Melisandre’s shadow baby before Renly’s death. I think it’d be so much more freaky if the shadow just arrived in the tent and cut his throat without the buildup. I didn’t get the impression that they were at Storm’s End last week… I hope it makes an appearance tonight at least. But I don’t think so.
I am disappointed about the recasting of Ser Gregor. I hope the new guy is good/better/scarier. With Arya going to Harrenhal we might get our first look at Lord Tywin tonight. I’m guessing Arya’s reunion with Jaqen will wait for another week or two.
More awesomeness from Tyrion tonight! I hope we don’t have a single episode without him for the duration of the season. I really appreciate Tyrion’s relationship with Sansa in the books so I’m looking forward to seeing him stand up for her tonight.
IcebirdQuote Reply
The DarkStar,
That doesn’t make much sense to me, and very doubtful they’ll go in that direction. Are you saying they should cut the entirety of Arya’s storyline in ASOS, which would take up 2 seasons, just because The Hound killing Mycah was underplayed in the show? I don’t see that happening; Arya barely does anything in AFFC and ADWD, so for a 20 episode ASOS season, it makes little sense to move up her storyline so much.
Really looking forward to tonight’s episode. From the looks of it, no Jon or Theon this episode, which is a smart move. I’m hoping it focuses mostly on Renly’s Camp and Stannis and Catelyn. Of course, also looking forward to Arya and Harrenhal and the probable appearence of the tickler.
Arrogant BastardQuote Reply
Ismael Isak,
Actually, it’s more like she’s just pretending to let go of it. She does continue her prayer, but won’t say it out loud because she thinks someone will probably hear; she is told to throw away artifacts of her “previous life” but in fact hides Needle for later; she’s only really happy when having wolf dreams; she killed Dareon because he deserted the NW – not something a 10-year-old girl in Braavos would care about, but certainly the sister of the Lord Commander and daughter of the Lord of Winterfell would feel very strongly about; she uses her warging to pass the test of the kindly old man (warging into the cat) and, through all of that, makes a point of keeping it secret from the Faceless Men because she knows it would annoy them, stop her training and possibly lead to her expulsion.
Of course, she’s meant to be getting away from her ego and her old sense of self, that’s the obvious thing that’s been stated by the kindly old man many times, but it’s been shown just as many times that Arya is simply acting like she is doing that.
TropxeQuote Reply
Dany arriving eventually at Qarth makes me so excited about the House of the Undying! I’m eagerly anticipating her entrance in the Palace of Dust!
Maria BatsiouQuote Reply
Same here, I saw some non-readers wondering what ever happened to “that guy who went after the Mountain”. It’s gonna be fun watching long-absent characters pop up unexpectedly as the series goes on (especially Barristan).
Steven SwansonQuote Reply
On a total tangent, you know what just occurred to me?
Of all the veiled references to outside works that GRRM likes to make, the biggest one is right in front of our faces with Beauty and the Beast. (take a bow, Hound)
KGQuote Reply
Sadly I don’t think that the TV viewers quite got to know and love Renly as the book readers did. I don’t know if will people will care that much, but let’s hope they do.
Also, I’m nervous of seeing new Gregor Clegane- I don’t know how will they be able to replace the great Conan Stevens. :(
Hopefully we will get to see more of Roose Bolton!
Tomer SegalQuote Reply
Can’t wait for the House of the Undying visions (Anyone know what ep. they’ll be in)?
I wonder how they are going to work the blue rose growing from a wall (or Wall) bit, since, unlike in the books, the show hasn’t really talked about the connection between blue roses and Lyanna Stark, other than one brief mention in the very first episode. They can’t really skip over it, especially if R+L=J is true.
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
Mosh
Better yet, some rumors about Nymeria’s wolf army.
sunspearQuote Reply
KG,
YES!!! This is one of the reasons I proudly ship San-San (Sansa/Sandor, for those not in the know)
What’s funny though is that in an interview, GRRM said that he was surprised by how much of a fan favorite Sandor was!
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
Jaime Lannister,
Ditto
patchy faceQuote Reply
I actually think most of the House of the Undying is going to be cut, particularly the visions. They’re going to look out of place on the show.
sunspearQuote Reply
sunspear,
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! They CAN”T!!!! They better at least show Drogon showing off his bad-assery by burning down the HotU!
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
Tale as old as time, baby. On a tangentially-related total tangent, maybe we can get Alan Menken to write the music for “The Rains of Castamere.” Just kidding.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
So – will we be getting an Tywin Lannister this week?
Michael HarperQuote Reply
Looking forward to seeing Melisandre in action this ep and the new Gregor…
Coltaine777Quote Reply
Re my speculation:
Martin ran into problems cause of age, characters had to do filler time to get old enough. I loved Aryas story line( amazing filler opposed to dany ADWD) but if Martin had a do over (which the show is) I think the character had more potential, and the storyline can be streamlined, like they already did for Arya last episode.
They also don’t need her eyes on the BHWB. It’s a show. But I’m kinda in favor of cutting out a lot of the warring in the south to focus more on Dany/Arya/Jon/davos/Bran/Tyrion/Robb
Ismael Isak,
I didn’t miss the point. First she keeps and hides needle, so she is holding on to her past, an she hides her warding ability from the kindly man, so she isn’t revealing her whole hand.
Second, if she just let’s go of her prayer an doesn’t seek revenge on the people she hates, that’s dumb and I prefer the show fix that and make it awesome.
The DarkStarQuote Reply
No, ep 6 is the episode that we will see Tywin back based on the episode previews .
Claudiu GherganuQuote Reply
I’ve missed Robb, looking forward to seeing him again. Also, I’m hoping Tywin will show up tonight, he tends to make any episode he’s in better.
DeeQuote Reply
Wait.. why is there a new Gregor!?!?!?!?!????
Eric AllenQuote Reply
Eric Allen,
There is a new Gregor because the old Gregor had a role in the Hobbit that he needed to go film.
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
I wonder why there has been some negative opinions on this episode? When you look at what goes down in this episode it should be amazing, they would have to have really messed up if it is not an exciting episode. FaB screened it and said it had a lot of issues and I seen 2 critics on twitter say they didn’t think it was up to the quality that you usually get with most Game of Thrones episodes. I have also heard good things about it and I know Westeros.org has said this is a very good episode so hopefully I agree with them because I haven’t been that impressed with this season so far and was hoping this would be the episode that would change that.
JamesLQuote Reply
Big night!
Sword-O-Da-Mornin’Quote Reply
I don’t know how true that is. I seen a post by Stevens himself on a blog (His?) in which he said they wanted the bring The Mountain in a different direction and that he never got a call to return. :(
ConorQuote Reply
Claudiu Gherganu,
Oh well eh!
Michael HarperQuote Reply
Conor,
Might have been one of those cases where they didn’t think the original actor was up for some bigger scenes involving more dialogue, so they went with someone else.
CarneQuote Reply
Sounds kinda mean :(
Found the link anyway:
http://www.conanstevens.com/acting-movies-tv-film/tall-actor-blog/game-of-thrones-season-02.html
ConorQuote Reply
I would die if we could get Alan Menken to write anything for us! I am a HUUGE Alan Menken fan. Esp of his collaboration with Howard Ashman during the Disney musical revival period that I adore. Some of the best musicals ever written during that Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast/Aladdin collaboration.
purplejillyQuote Reply
I wait to judge the episodes myself. I have enjoyed the first several episodes this season, and I think they are superior to the first few from season 1. Last week’s episode was one of my 4 or 5 favorites from the entire series thus far.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
can’t wait to see sandor giving sansa the white cloak!!!
Carolina HQuote Reply
Perhaps, since we only know of the one Shadow birth in the book, it would make more sense to have the one birth shown and imply that is the derivation of both incidents. When Davos takes Mel under the castle at Storm’s End it’s because Stannis needs to get in so he can conquer that castle and have the armies follow him, which is after Renly’s death in the book. So, they could have that one birth serve both events if they change the time line and have the shadow baby kill Renly and take Ser Penrose out the same morning? That would save in casting, since the castle thing can be conveyed via conversation and it omits the need for seeing a Stannis meeting with Penrose. That can be conveyed via conversation as having happened already too. Speculation, but it would be more efficient to kill 2 birds with one shadow baby.
CornQuote Reply
I thought the shadow baby scene was really cheesy in the book so hopefully the show improves on it. Also, I’m excited that this is the first episode written by a woman.
MegQuote Reply
Corn,
If they did that, they would have to kill Renly off in the middle of the episode.
sunspearQuote Reply
Corn,
Penrose is probably not a character in the tv series. The shadowbaby will kill Renly only.
MagnusQuote Reply
What shall I wear tonight: my good old Stark T-shirt or my new Targaryen T-shirt?
PAMQuote Reply
Why not do that then? And spend the rest of the episode with the scrambling that would follow, Robbs exploits, and the journey of Arya/Arry?
CornQuote Reply
Then the capture of Storm’s End would not be a factor in Stannis’ march to dominance? I guess it’s not that big a deal, since the changing of allegiances will take care of a lot of those castle-ownership issues it would seem. Can’t wait to see how they handle all these things tonight.
CornQuote Reply
Snow Snow Snow! LOL
CornQuote Reply
I’m interested to see how they’re going to play the whole shadow stannis in Renlys tent, because if Davos is smuggling Mel to get rid of Storms End Castellan, then apperently Renly lives longer than before. but i’m not a purist, so don’t take it as me getting up in arms! haha, i’m just curious.
I’m also interested in seeing the guy they have playing Gregor this season. He looked kind of scrawny in the picture I saw of him last year, but maybe it was just the picture.
Deffinitely excited about the scene between Joffrey, Sansa, and Tyrion. Will we get to see a specific Boros Blount, or have they deffinitely condensed him into Maryn Trants character?
AndrewQuote Reply
It looks like
Corn,
Its most likely that part of CoK will be cut out entirely, and after Renly dies, Storm’s End will just declare for Stannis outright.
vanderhookQuote Reply
Andrew,
Meryn seems to be taking all the generic Kingsguard roles which makes me wonder if he’ll be taking the place of Mandon Moore later this season. That might work better in the show than introducing a new guy at this point.
MWQuote Reply
Andrew,
Pretty sure Trant is the only named (non Jaime/Sandor/Barrisatn) Kingsguard we’ll see this season. He’ll then die in Mandon Moores place and we’ll get another named KG next season.
MormegilQuote Reply
There’s a whole discussion about the House of the Undying in the episode details and summaries thread. Yes, it’s going to be in episode 17, so it is a question of how many visions will be included.
BGAPQuote Reply
Sweet! I hope they keep the detail about the first door on the right being the last door on the left
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
I have 1 question which I hope this episode will answer: is there gold in the village?
AngelQuote Reply
Eric Allen,
Because the old one couldn’t act.
KGQuote Reply
There is no way that will be in this episode (assuming you’re talking about Arya killing the Tickler. If you’re just talking about the Tickler torturing people then you probably will find out.
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
Yes, I’m really happy they’re including House of the Undying. I say the more the better, because show (and book) fans will want to come back to this scene again and again as the story plays out. There are some visions that have yet to come to pass even through Dance with Dragons.
BGAPQuote Reply
Meg,
I agree, I actually think the concept of Melisandre conjuring up some shadow assassin through some sorcery is cool but her birthing it out of her vagina is pretty silly. I hope they just imply the birth part and we don’t actually see a shadow crawl out of her vagina because that would look pretty ridiculous on TV
JamesLQuote Reply
I don’t think they will include most of the visions. Dany will just tell Jorah what she saw. They have tended to steer clear of the prophecies on the show so far. I hope we get a ‘Prince who was Promised’ and ‘Song of Ice and Fire’ mention.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
JamesL,
Pretty ridiculously awesome, if you ask me. I don’t think even HBO would show it – I can’t wait to see how they interpret it though!
Morgan KingQuote Reply
The only significant reason that Cortnay Penrose held out was to keep Robert’s Bastard, Edric Storm, safe. If they ignore that aspect of the story and keep Edric Storm out of the story entirely (and I think they will as he really isn’t necessary to the overall tale), then Storm’s End just opens the gates for Stannis and he wins the South-East with one shadow-thrust (as opposed to two)
Plot wise, the scene is there to show us from Davos’ perspective what Mel’s power is, that she is a shadow binder, and also to remind us that there are powerful protective spells worked into the very rock and stone (and in case of the Wall, its ice) which prevent magic from entering into them unaided. Looks like we may get that hint tonight anyway…
Seems fine to me.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
wargsareawesome,
KG,
Wrong. Because the old one had prior commitments with Spartacus / The Hobbit.
Damryn of DorneQuote Reply
*Won’t Happen*. The one strength of a TV show is that it does not have to tell us what Dany’s visions are, it will simply **show us** what her visions are. It was never really clear in the books whether they were illusions, delusions or a mixture of the two (I think it was both). The show need not explicitly clarify that issue either — and it is clear that the entire sequence is from Dany’s perspective anyway.
If left between a choice of show or tell, D&D will always show whenever they can.
They’ll show the important ones — that is my best guess.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
We’re going to see some brutal scenes tonight, some I may not even be so comfortable with. I will let HBO know how I feel about them though, and so should anyone else if you know what I’m referring to.
DBQuote Reply
Please…enough with everyone saying shadow baby!!!! She is in fact giving birth to a shadow, not a shadow baby. If it was a baby, then it clearly couldn’t reach Renly’s head, and obviously hasn’t learned to walk yet since it’s a mere hours old. So please, no more talk of this thing called shadow baby.:)
KlavonivsQuote Reply
Found a pretty detailed review of this episode http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/game-of-thrones-season-2-episode-4-review-recap/ Looks like that Joffrey scene with prostitutes involves forcible sodomy. I really hope they don’t go too overboard with that scene, a lot of people already complain about the often times jarring sex scenes and now there adding shocking sexual violence. It really seems like overkill because we already know what a monster Joffrey is and just in this very same episode we see him have Sansa beaten and stripped. This story is dark and bleak enough as it is it the last thing it needs is scenes like this added to it.
JamesLQuote Reply
Ha! Of course, initially, every assassin was birthed out of someone’s vagina. It’s just a matter of timing. (BTW, what ever happened to this shadow baby / assassin after it dispatched Renly, anyway?) Regardless, I agree with you. I don’t need to see a CGI infant mutant ninja hit baby crawl out of Mel’s hoohoo. But, a nice HBO-full-value-for-our-entertainment-dollar shot of said hoohoo (minus said newborn murderer) would be greatly appreciated. ;-)
Mike ChairQuote Reply
I have my sugestion about someones death. I’ve seen some mentions about sir C. I’m guessing that he won’t be in this episode and series and taking of Storm’s End will be combined with death of R. There is no need to do death of R. and also death of sir C. Storm’s End will probably just capitulate just after R. death and R. troops from R. will leave R. camp after his death under command of sir L. T. and suggestion of sir P. B. to not to join with S. B.
bonQuote Reply
JamesL,
If that’s true and as bad as it sounds, HBO is taking a huge risk. Are they not afraid of alienating their audience? They have to realize that this isn’t Deadwood, or Rome this is a fantasy series with wide appeal. Are they that cocky? Maybe it won’t be as bad as described, other wise David and Dan are growing pretty hubristic.
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Question: I’ve tried looking around online but haven’t found an answer either way. Any word if there will be a season 2 soundtrack coming out? I gotta have some of these new themes get stuck in my head :)
HMZQuote Reply
I never thought I’d be glad that a baseball game was rained out, but this time I am, since with the Sox/Yanks game rained out, I don’t have to decide between watching the Sox and watching GoT (GoT would have won…).
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
HMZ,
If I remember correctly, I think the soundtrack for season one came out after the finale. I might be wrong though.
MockingTheFlayedLionQuote Reply
Joshua Taylor,
It should be noted that this episode was written by Vanessa Taylor, not D&D, although they probably had some input.
ravens20Quote Reply
ravens20,
I forgot about that! I wonder if the inevitable backlash is going to be written off because a woman wrote it. I wonder if that’s why they gave her the episode?
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Joshua Taylor,
David and Dan mentioned in an interview when asked about the sexuality of the show that HBO has never made them cut a scene but that did ask “really?” about some of the sexual content in season 2. This is probably the scene where they ask “really?”. I think sometimes David and Dan misjudge the type of show they are making. They figure this is premium cable and hey look at what Spartacus is doing, the difference is that Spartacus isn’t on the front cover of EW or TV Guide for a reason and it doesn’t have the massive budget that Game of Thrones has. Spartacus will always be a smaller cult hit because it is so decadent, if HBO wants Game of Thrones to be the huge mainstream hit it deserves to be they got to know when to draw the line. When David and Dan put in scenes where whores finger bang each for 5 mins and “play with her ass” or Joffrey sodomizing prostitutes HBO shouldn’t be afraid to tell them no because a lot of the audience will find this very off putting. I shouldn’t be so quick to condemn this scene because I have yet to see it and maybe it is not that bad and mostly implied but it sounds very unnecessary and like there going for some cheap shock value that the show doesn’t need.
JamesLQuote Reply
Oh, good. She didn’t write the infamous Episode 7 last year, entitled, “You Win or You Die or You Play With Her Ass.” So, there’s hope.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
I agree.
MWQuote Reply
Well, I remember all the fuss about Littlefinger wiping jizz from a whore’s mouth. That scene wasn’t nearly as gross/shocking as some people made it seem.
Tyrion PimpslapQuote Reply
ravens20,
It doesn’t matter who writes the episode, David and Dan are the showrunners. This isn’t some sitcom or procedural, this is a heavily serialized drama where the main plot points are mapped out before they start writing. They don’t just tell Vanessa to write episode 4 and then she writes whatever she wants and casually throws in a scene like that, she has her plot points that she has to hit in the episode.
JamesLQuote Reply
Less than an hour now!
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
JamesL,
I agree on judging the scene as it plays. It’s also important to figure that what one person sees as shock value another person will see as gritty and realistic. I personally feel the latter and can easily detach myself from the proceedings and look at the scenes in a literary fashion. Some people cannot. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
I also don’t think they are trying to emulate the Spartacus success with GoT, I think they are in the position that they want to make a gritty series like Deadwood or Rome. Both shows had their squirm inducing moments, but were still amazing television series. Look at the Sopranos, that show has one of the most fucked up scenes ever wherein a young woman, a stripper pregnant with a mobster’s baby is beaten brutally to death by said baby daddy and NOTHING IS DONE about it, except a stern lecturing from Tony S. The issue here as you said is that they have to walk on thin ice here because of how expensive the series is and unlike Deadwood and Rome who despite cult followings were not that widely received.
In the end it comes down to the same discourse on ASOIAF wherein people put down the books because they don’t want to mix gritty,violent realism with fantasy. They don’t see the point of it. Yet will tolerate all these things and more if gangsters, cops or historical figures are involved.
D and D are very brave I think and HBO is taking a risky, ballsy move with the support they have shown this series. I just hope they haven’t bit off more than they can chew. Because I think Game of Thrones has been a fantastic series so far. I am enjoying it more as televisions series than I am as an adaptation of my favourite books. And I think that’s a good thing.
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
HMZ,
The soundtrack is due out on the 29th May: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007TKBDTQ/ref=mp_s_a_2?qid=1335139619&sr=8-2
Michael HarperQuote Reply
Bring Sean Bean back!
Russian FANQuote Reply
That… could be difficult (except maybe in flashbacks)
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
I am really looking forward to some San-San interaction after Joffrey torments her, seeing the new Mountain (I hope he is as intimidating as Conan Stevens was) and what happens to Arya and Gendry and Hot Pie, and of course Renly and his peach. That Renly scene was so well written in the book, I PRAY that Renly comes across as book version overly confident brash younger brother who indeed dares to eat a peach, and not TV season one snivelly worrisome Renly who acts like the petulant whiny younger brother. I have liked Renly’s go to attitude more this season, I hope he stays kingly in that scene. And interested to see what they make of Qarth – I hopehopehope that we get a lot of the Undying prophecies in episode 17… Also looking forward to the return of Lancel – Eugene Simon did such a fabulous job bringing that part to life last season!
I am a bit concerned about our introduction to Jeyne, and hope that they play it as a true love story for Robb and not Jeyne as another Margaery whose just in it for a political play. Also concerned about the shadow killing Renly, which I think may end the episode and leave people going “Huh?!” – hope it looks good. And finally this newJoffrey scene. I don’t think they need to go overboard with the cruelty, he’s hated enough, and I agree with the previous posters that too much over the top sexual cruelty may turn away some viewers and critics.
persephone88Quote Reply
Just a question. Why does everybody think that the Storm’s End scene will be cut when the previews show Davos and Mel going into a cave? Wouldn’t that mean that they are going under Storm’s End in order to bypass the spells that permeate the perimeter so they can kill Penrose, who is preventing Storm’s End from declaring for Stannis ? After all, it is one of the important castles on the coast and near Dragonstone right?
CornQuote Reply
Corn,
They can go to the cave under R. camp. Scene of R. death, as I think, with Cat and Brienne is taking place in R. tent in that great camp presented in late episode.
bonQuote Reply
Oh, ok, that would work too!
CornQuote Reply
Corn,
You make a very good point, but your geography is a bit off. Dragonstone and Storm’s End are in fact a good distance apart (Dragonstone is actually closer to King’s Landing than to Storm’s End) A good map of the area can be found in A Dance with Dragons, or online at this link http://awoiaf.westeros.org/images/3/3e/The_south_Adwd_map.jpg
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
less than half an hour now!
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
Thanks for the link, I get the ports mixed up in my head sometimes. Caw.
CornQuote Reply
Corn,
Well that’s the thing. It doesn’t make sense for Melisandre and Davos to swim to the cave unless they are going under Storm’s End, and it also doesn’t make sense for them to have to shadow assassins timewise. So I think they’ll change it so that Renly is inside Storm’s End.
sunspearQuote Reply
That’s a good idea too.
CornQuote Reply
I’m excited, but a bit nervous too. Can’t wait!
MetalgoddessAMBQuote Reply
Doesn’t it look like Renly’s camp, as shown in the show, is near the sea? Couldn’t they just be going to a cave beneath the camp?
JQuote Reply
Where do you watch game of thrones live online?
MelQuote Reply
Yes, they could be, I guess we’ll see on the east coast RIGHT NOW! Caaaaw! Corn Corn Corn!
CornQuote Reply
Sandy Love,
Sandy Love,
The thing about the Spanish League is that no ones gives a fuck about who wins, only about how they get to win… So, pretty much like the ASOIAF novels…
MckrauQuote Reply
First 15 min. Holy Sh*t!!
DaseinQuote Reply
New low in wasted time on a whore scene
TCQuote Reply
Well there’s the Joffrey scene. Really pointless and unnecessary, in my mind, other than for “look how totally over the top and pointlessly evil Joffrey is”
LordStarkingtonQuote Reply
My HBO just went out. What…the…hell…
Brandon StarkQuote Reply
What exactly happened in the ”Joffrey Scene”? I’d like a heads up before I watch it with company. Is it really that bad?
Chris UmberQuote Reply
Chris Umber,
Tyrion hires two whores for Joffrey, Joffrey makes one spank the other, first with her hand, then with his belt(?) and finally with some sort of scepter-type thing
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
Not any worse than other sex scenes nudity wise, just overly long with no important information considering how time strapped they are this season for screen time, and how many other story lines have to be cut or drastically reduced
TCQuote Reply
It’s interested to see people are ‘expecting’ the Joff-Sansa court scene, at the same time probably more people will dislike the Joff beating whore scene. Both are trying to show the cruelty of Joff.
Is it because the court scene is in the book but beating is not? What if the beating scene is in the book as well? Would people ‘expect’ it?
Of course, I totally agree that it’s a waste of time to show both.
JasonQuote Reply
Apart from the Joffrey scene I really liked it. Shadowbaby = A++++
@ Jason
The Sansa scene at least gives us a short look at her situation and introduces the Tyrion-Sansa dynamic in a bit more detail (plus it’s a memorable scene from the books) so I can live with it. The Joff/prostitute scene seems to have no purpose other than “Look at the whores! Look at what an asshole Joffrey is!”
LordStarkingtonQuote Reply
HOLY CRAP THE SHADOW FX WAS INCREDIBLE, if they had cut that senseless whore scene they could have ended this episode where it should have
MarkQuote Reply
Holy Shi**&** Shadow baby batman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JonSnowQuote Reply
OK thanks guys. So not as bad as some were suggesting earlier on in the comments, from that early recap. That is some relief I suppose.
Chris UmberQuote Reply
Agreed, that looked awesome!
JamboQuote Reply
Re: Shadow Baby. I have to admit, I have never seen that on television before.
scott glennonQuote Reply
I thought it was going to end with Brienne going, “nooooooooooooooooo” LAWLS. But that was pretty dramatic. Thumbs up for demon baby!
The InstrumentalistQuote Reply
Did Renly die? Or it’s just a cliffhanger at shadow baby birth scene
JasonQuote Reply
Daenerys was great in this episode.
Tyrion as always, amazing.
No Yara, that was great!
I expected a death for the ending, guess we will have to wait for next week.
Carlos LunaQuote Reply
The shadow baby looked AWESOME !! the Joffery whore scene was very disturbing …overall a very strong ep imo …
Coltaine777Quote Reply
Jason,
Cliffhanger :)
JamboQuote Reply
Jason,
Shadow baby birth done extremely well
JonSnowQuote Reply
I like her a lot already but I think I will love Talissa (?) from Volantis.
How old is J. Gleeson?
andreaQuote Reply
“There is no cure for being a cunt” lawl
CfooQuote Reply
Good Shadow Baby!
I guess Roose Bolton is cut? Tywin has a new cupbearer..a girl..are you from the north? hmm.
daev3Quote Reply
Oi! This was the most disturbing episode of the series.
-brutal beating of Sansa
-brutal abuse of Joffrey’s whores I’m starting to wonder if Joffrey might be getting killed this season, considering how much they’ve upped his cruelty. Also, I understand the actor is ready to quit acting after he finishes GoT
-horrific scene of Alyssa from Volantis (!!!) sawing a man’s leg off
-the Night’s Watch recruits getting tortured to death via a starving rat (ick!)
-birth of a freaking SHADOW BABY. (Which, by the way, was AWESOME)
Too much to process other than to say: awesome episode.
Favorite scenes:
1. Renly picking up what I thought was a peach, but it turned out to be an apple
2. Renly, upon hearing about Stannis being born of salt and smoke, asking if he’s a ham, or something along those lines. Very funny.
3. Tywin noticing right away that Arya’s a girl and collecting her as his cup bearer. Did this happen in the book? I don’t recall!
4. Catelyn going after Petyr with a blade. Any time Littlefinger gets owned, I smile.
5. Tyrion seeing to Sansa and apologizing for Joffrey’s behavior
6. Tyrion scaring Lancel
7. Birthing scene.
DreamlifeQuote Reply
The Joff whore scene seems to be catching a lot of shit. I’ll presume the remarks come from readers. Could the fact that Joff prefers torture to orgasm have been presented better? Probably. To the non reader Joff has to be a primary antagonist. He is not just a sociopath but in fact a psychopath. I think the need to show Joff doesn’t care about sex is worth presenting, even in a clunky way.
DaseinQuote Reply
Carice is so fucking amazing.
JonHoQuote Reply
Dreamlife,
3 = no, but I think I might like it. Great potential for more Tywin!
DaseinQuote Reply
What happened to Roose Bolton’s voice?
ViQuote Reply
DAVOS X MELISANDRE??????????????? WTF?????
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
Turning into Tywin Lannister happened to his voice.
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
The new Mountain is a fail. He looks like an anorexic ethiopian. I wouldn’t be scared of that dude. One rough tackle and I would be able to break him in half. What happened to the old Mountain? The new one is a joke. His arms look barley thick enough to left up a dagger.
They took one of the most epic and legendary warriors in all of Westeros, that is most famous for his size and brute strength, and turned him into a skinny and weak looking NBA center. He looks about 7 feet tall and 80lbs.
It is a stretch of the imagination to even think he would be able to move wearing that armor based on his . Old man Tywin, while standing next to the new Mountain had noticeably border shoulders and looks to be of a far greater physical stature, besides height.
Oh well, the new Mountain is a big letdown to me personally…..
ArthurQuote Reply
Dasein,
Yeah, I thought Arya became Roose Bolton’s cup bearer/leecher. I guess…not?
So is her name Alyssa or Talyssa from Volantis? I think I like this possibility because Oona Chaplin was right: I was surprised. There were many interesting theories, but I don’t think anyone considered she was from Volantis.
Reading the earlier comments, I’m glad I’m not the only one irritated by the Joffrey/whore scene. I would almost have preferred he just have sex with Ros than make Ros abuse the other girl.
DreamlifeQuote Reply
wargsareawesome,
He’s the one with Robb at Oxcross, the one who talks about flaying people.
Isn’t he?
ViQuote Reply
New Mountain was weak. Hope Conan is back next season.
GmoneyQuote Reply
Vi,
Yes, he is, I thought you were talking about the scene at Harrenhel. My bad!
wargsareawesomeQuote Reply
not enough tits. ep is a failure
Jon ConningtonQuote Reply
Really disappointed in the new “Mountain.” They could have put him in some large heavy plate to make him look bulkier. Something to make him look bigger not just tall. Poor judgement on that part. Other than that, pretty decent episode.
TRZA05Quote Reply
daev3,
Roose doesn’t hold Harrenhall until later.
Matthew SherrickQuote Reply
Arthur,
I agree. Weak casting choice.
Matthew SherrickQuote Reply
I don’t think this Jeyne will be scared of Grey Wind.
HagsQuote Reply
The North Remebers ~ 53min
The Nightlands ~ 54min
What Is Dead May Never Die ~ 53min
Garden of Bones ~ 51min
The Ghost Of Harrenhal ~ 57min
LONGEST EPISODE YET!!!!
Why can’t they all be a full hour long? With the show having ten episodes, losing an average of 6 minutes an episode equals another full episode!
JuanQuote Reply