You Win or You Die - Recap

The scene opens with Lord Stark visiting Lannister, and he learns about his wishes. Lannister will not allow Jamie to rot in jail. Every day Jamie stays in prison, their family becomes less feared. Besides, Lord Stark should not be bothered about what other people think. If he keeps thinking that way, their entire family will go one by one, and then be rotting in the ground. The only thing that lives on is the family’s name. A lion is never worried about the opinion of sheep. Besides, he should consider living up for the Lannister family’s glory. He can have 30,000 men – half the forces – and become the man he is destined to be – not next year, not tomorrow, but now. When Lord Stark looks is in pain, Queen Cersei attends to him. Is his pain the reason why he wanted to see her in the yard? Lord Stark says he’s had worse. He knows the reason for which Joan Arren died. Is that the reason he called her – to pose her riddles? When Stark points at a light bruise under the Queen’s eye, she tells him Jamie would have killed him.

Her brother Jamie is worth a thousand of his men. However, Stark asks if she’s talking about her brother, or her lover. She tells him, in her tribe, everyone is a brother or a sister, and they keep their bloodline pure. Stark’s son saw her with Jamie. However, she replies, he stumbled upon her bed completely drunk, did what little he could do, and whispered the name Leana in her ears. Stark tells her she should leave with her children, especially if she doesn’t want to see their blood on his hands. And she should go as far as she can, because King Robert’s wrath will be following her wherever she is. When the King’s Landing fell, all Robert had to do was climb the steps, but he did not – a sorry mistake according to Cersei. However, Lord Stark doesn’t consider that a mistake. Cersei replies it was. In the game of thrones, you either win, or you die. There is no middle ground. Meanwhile at the harem, Baelish trains his whores. He is not satisfied with the way they have been performing, and tells them to exchange their roles. As they enjoy the new position visibly better, Baelish tells them a story about a duel he lost.

The woman for whom they were fighting isn’t very beautiful, but had impeccable bloodlines. She was already in love with him, and pleaded his opponent not to hurt him saying he was just a boy. So is she married to the other man? No, he died before the marriage took place. And besides, Baelish learned something from the duel – he wasn’t going to win that way. That was their game, played by their rules. What does he want, asks one of the whores, and he replies, ‘everything!’ Theon Greyjoy arrives in the church, where wilder Osha has been doing her chores. He comments she is a lucky woman for a prisoner, because others would be chained in front of seas as the tides are about to get stronger. And they see death creeping to them slowly. Osha speaks with him fearlessly, countering his belief he should be referred to as Lord, just because his father is one. And besides, he is a southerner, which Theon doesn’t like being called.

Assuming Osha to be provoking him, he approaches her with vile intentions, when the priest, Master Luwin steps in. He stops him by saying she is their guest. Theon thought she was their prisoner. Does his experience tell him the two are mutually exclusive? When Theon’s gone, Luwin is sorry about Theon’s behavior, but Osha is not bothered. She has had much worse than him. She has had men who can chew Theon and use his bones to pick their teeth. When Luwin asks why she is here, she tells him she is hoping to south, as far as south goes. She is afraid of the night that will destroy the north. When she explains she is not talking about owls and shadow cats, Luwin explains those forces have been gone for thousands of years, she insists they haven’t. They were only sleeping. Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly are on a cliff, when Samwell says he misses girls. Not talking to them, he never did any talking. He misses looking at them. Before long, Jon notices a horse riding in from the jungles. However, it is not carrying any rider. As it strides in to the palace grounds, Jon gets down in a hurry to find out it is his uncle’s horse. Where is his uncle, he asks the Lord Commander. Moments later, a man in bloodied hands announces to Lord Stark that he went hunting with King Robert. In the next scene, King Robert is lying wounded in his room.

He tells Prince Joffrey he wished he could stay longer to guide him. Besides, he was never meant to be Joffrey’s father. Standing by are the Queen and a few attendants. Lord Stark steps in, and Robert asks Joffrey to leave – he doesn’t want to see this. Robert swears he hunted the boar by driving in straight through its brain. And he wants everyone in the kingdom to taste it. Robert orders everyone to leave him and Lord Stark alone. Cersei is hesitant, but Robert insists. Robert explains his will, and tells Stark to write it down. Although he orders Joffrey to the throne, Lord Stark writes ‘the rightful heir’ in the will. He goes out and announces to Varys, that he should unmake the arrangements if he has already made them. However, he replies that is impossible – the birds have already flown. Meanwhile, across the narrow seas, Khal Drogo and Dany share their dreams. He is reluctant about crossing the poisonous waters because the horses won’t be able to. Besides, there is only dirt beyond the seas. Dany says she was born on those dirt, and Khal is quick to note they are lands too. After Khal leaves, Dany sets off to the marketplace with Ser Jorah.

He tells her about conquests, and how her ancestors conquered lands – they did it not because it was their right, but because they could. As they roam the streets, a young boy hands a scroll to Ser Jorah. He verbally delivers the message that Jorah can go home now. Meanwhile, Dany goes exploring a wine shop. The shopkeeper is unaware of her identity until her friends tell him the honor he has of serving the princess of the seven seas. Immediately, he picks out a cask suggesting only that wine can be worthy of her. However, her bodyguard is quick to take it away suspecting something is wrong. Ser Jorah looks on, and steps in asking for the wine. He claims to be thirsty. However, the shopkeeper is full of excuses as to why this good a wine should go only to the princess. The princess insists him to do as Jorah says.

When Jorah is about to drink the wine, he tells the shopkeeper to have it first. Hesitantly, he brings the glass to his mouth, but runs for his life immediately. However, the bodyguards have him grounded before long. Samwell and Jon attend the meeting as Lord Commander Mormont presides over it. He tells the gathering they came as poachers, thieves, rapists and murderers to this place. Some of them carry the names of great houses, and others no names at all. However, they are all one here, and they will work together. Samwell hope Jon is happy, because rangers are what they are going to be. Didn’t Jon always want that? But he is hoping he can find his uncle, who never came back the day King Robert returned wounded. Alliser Thorne looks on as Momont continues his speech. A realm is what men live for. Not for the name of their houses, not for a woman’s love, but a realm and everyone within it. The penalty for deserting will be death.

When asked if any of them would like to keep their old gods, both Jon and Samwell do, and are allowed after they announce their reasonable quests. However, while Samwell is happy to be a steward, Jon is disappointed he could not be a ranger. His spirits fail, as he can only be Mormont’s personal steward, doing all the chores. Meanwhile, Lord Stark is planning to put Stannis on the throne. However, avid to rise to power is Renly. He also wants Cersei and Joffrey sent to exile. While Stannis being Robert’s brother sounds perfect per how the line of succession, Renly insists on what he thinks is good for the kingdom. However, Lord Stark is unwilling to put his reputation at risk. After Renly leaves, Lord Stark sends a message to Stannis. It should be handed only to him.

When Stark meets Baelish, it turns out he wants Joffrey to succeed. Baelish insists Joffrey will be a good bet to make peace with Lannisters. However, Stark ends the conversation nearly snubbing him. Meanwhile across the narrow seas, the shopkeeper is taken prisoner. Dany wonders why King Robert is still after her life. Jorah explains Robert will never give up. Moments later, arrives Khal. He is furious, and is glad Dany is still alive. The prisoner will be punished in the most cruel way – he will be tied to Dany’s horse, and will have to run until he dies. He is also preparing to launch attacks against the Baratheons. Back at the Bartheons kingdom, Joffrey takes to the throne. However, Lord Stark will be the protector of the throne until Joffrey becomes an adult. However, opposed to the king’s words is Queen Cersei. She tears up the scroll, saying there is a new king, and Stark has no choice but to order an arrest for mother and son. As chaos erupts, an attack from behind makes the situation far more turbulent than any of them imagined. Before long, Baelish is holding Stark under a knife. The episode ends.

Written By David Sibert

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