Game of Thrones S2 E2

 

We pick up where the previous episode left off, as the recruits of the Night's Watch head to the wall. "Arry" faces the problem every Sweet Polly Oliver faces sooner or later - how to stay in disguise when nature calls. After returning from an undercover assignment, she has a small encounter where the cagers accompany their entourage, which includes a certain man who talks about everyone in the third person, especially himself, and another man who threatens to rape her. his bloody staff. amazing Then the excitement comes true when some goldencoats hijack the caravan. Arya naturally assumes that they are looking for him, but it turns out that they want Gendry. Yoren isn't giving up either, as evidenced by his threat to put his knife sharp enough to stick the spider's ass into a very sensitive part of the driver's anatomy - his femoral artery. Why, what do you think? The Goldcloaks are now back, but it's clear they won't be coming back to King's Landing without Gendry, dead or alive. In King's Landing, Tyrion is surprised to find Varys chatting happily with Shae, sensing a potential betrayal. He warns Varys not to betray him, threatening him with dire consequences. Meanwhile, Cersei coldly dismisses Robb's demands and tears up the terms, angering Tyrion who sarcastically remarks on her skill in tearing paper. He reluctantly agrees to send Ned's bones north and rejects the Night's Watch request for men, dismissing their claims about the dead rising. In the North, Sam saves one of Craster's wives from a ghost and she clings to him for protection. He brings her to Jon, who learns she is pregnant and in danger from Craster. Jon hesitates, having learned from past mistakes, but Gilly expects help without explaining further.

What Daenerys and her khalasar do in the Red Waste this time is a short scene, but it packs a punch. Rakharo's horse returns with a pretty clever painting, but not so cleverly without Rakharo - except for a nasty surprise in the saddlebag. Jorah says that the sender of this terrible little gift was probably one of the many, many Khals who do not appreciate the idea of ​​a female ruler. Poor Irri is distraught because not only did Rakharo lose her head, but she also lost her braids - a sign of defeat - and because who knows what happened to her body, she can no longer enter the Dothraki. And besides, he secretly loved her! Dany promises her minions that they'll build a hell of a thing for Rakhar - though considering there's not that much wood, it's probably just as small.Littlefinger is in trouble at her brothel - Ros is understandably more than shocked to see her best friend's baby killed in front of her yesterday. In his charity, Littlefinger advises to take the day off and come back tomorrow bright and happy - because Rosa tells him that she sold the last whore, who cried and moped all the time, to a man who wanted to "change" her. . (And not in the Henry Higgins way.) Ros gets the message very quickly, and we're reminded that Littlefinger is not a nice guy. 

In The Red Keep, Tyrion entertains Janos Slynt to dinner. The interview goes about as well as you might expect for Janos, who ends up stripped of his post and exiled to the Wall. Tyrion drinks a toast with the new captain of the City Watch—then proceeds to ask him, out of what can only be morbid curiosity, if he could do what his predecessor did: kill a baby without question. "Without question? No. I'd ask how much." That's our Bronn. Tyrion seems sickened, but not surprised. Like we said, morbid curiosity.

When the Night's Watch recruits stop for a break, Lommy Greenhands muses about giving up Gendry, since he's the one the Gold Cloaks want. After an enlightening discussion about what makes both a battle and a knight, Arya goes after Gendry, curious as to why he seems to be hotter property than her. He's no more clue than she has, but he does know one thing—turns out the Sweet Polly Oliver act hasn't fooled at least one person. For lack of anyone else, Arya entrusts him with her secret.

Theon just can't catch a break. He expects a grand greeting to welcome him home to Pyke as the long returning last Greyjoy son—he gets one fisherman who is singularly unimpressed. Things are looking up when he hitches a ride with a feisty young woman up to the castle, with whom he gets rather friendly—turns out he's been sticking his hands inside his sister Yara's trousers. Who, incidentally, finds the whole thing hilarious, and has spent the last nine years being a much better Greyjoy son than he has. So much so, in fact, that daddy Balon regards her as his heir, and not the son who came home wearing jewellery he hasn't paid the 'iron price' for and bleating the praises of the Starks. Balon believes this moment of strife is the perfect time to stage another uprising. Against the Lannisters? Who, pray tell, said anything about the Lannisters? It's Theon's new family that are going to catch it hard.

On Dragonstone, Davos is sorting out a deal with Sallador Saan, an old friend in the pirate business; Stannis's knight had an interesting career before he came to serve him. Negotiations include Sallador claiming Cersei and part of his fee for helping to take King's Landing; after all, "The only god is between a woman's legs." Davos's son thinks that the only god is Melisandre's R'hllor, having been fully converted, while to Davos the only god is Stannis.

Meanwhile in King's Landing, Cersei is pissed that Tyrion exiled Slynt without her say so; she's the Queen Regent! Tyrion implies she's been throwing that title around so much she's forgetting the consequences; a lot of people in King's Landing are very angry with the baby-slaughtering queen, even if it was Joffrey who gave the order and let his mother take the fall. Charming lad. Cersei still believes her son was in the right and that Tyrion isn't taking this seriously—he never has, nor has Jaime. "It's always fallen on me!" Tyrion is rather taken aback by this show of emotion and strain on his sister's part, and tries to lighten the mood—in the worst way possible. "So has Jaime, according to Stannis." Smooth, Tyrion. Real smooth. Cersei soon wipes the smile off his face by saying that the biggest joke has always been that the stunted Tyrion is alive at the cost of their mother's life. Tyrion was asking for something like that, but still. Ouch.

Back to Dragonstone, as Davos tells Stannis that Sallador and his thirty ships are arrayed with them against Renly, but this news doesn't exactly cheer Stannis up—Renly still vastly outnumbers him. Melisandre tells him that if only he opens himself fully to the Lord of Light (as she opens her robe, revealing that was all she chose to wear tonight) he can be given all that he ever desired—such as a son, which is what really captures his interest, rather than what's under the robe. She and Stannis proceed to pray the Summer Islands way—right on top of the Painted Table, while pieces are scattered in the process. That can't be comfortable.

Then to Craster's Keep. Despite Jon's refusal of Gilly due to the ominous cutoff, he's suspicious enough of Craster to follow him into the woods. The question of what Craster does with his sons is answered, as the wildling abandons a crying baby to the tender mercy of... whatever's out there. This is too much for Jon, who attempts to save the child—only to see something pick it up and retreat into the woods. And, before Jon can proceed further, Craster fells him with the flat of his axe. Cut to black