The North Remembers - Recap

The episode begins, and King's Landing the Hound beats the tar out of another warrior for King Joffrey's entertainment on his Name Day. Sansa tries to feign enthusiasm. They call up the next warrior and Joffrey notices the man's drunk. Joffrey's men force feed him wine, ye olde beer bong-style. Sansa is appalled and shouts "You can't!" then covers for her impertinent by saying its bad luck. The Hound concurs; whatever you do on your Name Day follows you all year. Sansa suggests the man would make a better fool than knight, and Joffrey agrees, sparing his life. In strides Tyrion, mocking Joffrey for missing out on the battle. He says hi to Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen.

Tyrion offers his sympathy to Sansa for her father's death, drawing Joffrey's ire. Sansa goes along, saying her father and mother and brothers are traitors. Tyrion leaves, saying there's work to be done. In Cersei's council, her Lords tell her the long summer and wars are sending people to the city. She orders the gates shut. Tyrion comes in whistling and joins them. He gives the eunuch Lord Varys papers from his father appointing him Hand of the King. Cersei is pissed. Later in private, Tyrion explains how her letting Joffrey kill Ned Stark drove them to a war they're losing. Tyrion insists he's only there to advise Joffrey, and he might be able to help get her brother (and lover) Jaime back. How? "You love your children, it's your one redeeming quality -- that and your cheekbones," Tyrion tells her, adding that the Starks love their children too. They'll want Arya and Sansa. Cersei tells him Arya is missing. They had three Starks; they chopped off one's head and let another escape. He figures it must be hard for her to be the disappointing child.

Winterfell Bran listens to a Lord complaining about his crumbling walls, blaming the war for taking good workers. Bran reminds the man that Robb is his lord. Maester Luwin grants the man some workers; remind Bran that listening to people is part of his job. Something runs through the forest -- there is a streak of red in the sky. It's a dire wolf. Bran wakes up from his dream. He leads a man through the same spot in the forest, riding in a pack on his back. There's a red comet moving slowly through the sky. Red comets mean dragons. But Bran knows they've been dead for centuries. The Red Waste Daenerys leads the Dothraki through a barren expanse of desert. A tiny dragon rides on her shoulder. A horse drops dead, Khal's first gift to her. She worries about delivering on her promise to her people and keeping them safe.

They have to go through the Red Waste because the tribes on either side would capture them and take her dragons. Daenerys sends three warriors in each direction on horseback to see how far the Red Waste extends. Beyond the Wall Jon Snow and the soldiers of the Night's Watch trek through the wintery forest, coming upon an encampment of wildlings. The head wildling, Craster, marries his daughters and has more daughters with them. Jon wonders what he does with his sons. Jeor Mormont sits down with the head of the wildlings, Craster. Jon joins them and gets grief from the incestuous man about being a bastard. Mormont reports they passed through six abandoned villages on the way there. Jon notices young girls hiding in the shadows. Craster tells Mormont another king is gathering an army to march south. The old perv threatens again to cut the hand off anyone who touches one of his daughter/wives.

We briefly meet Gilly, his scared daughter/wife. He lets the Night's Watchmen stay. Outside, Mormont confronts Jon Snow and reminds him he's his steward and if he wants to lead someday he'd better learn how to follow. Dragonstone The priestess Melisandre of the Lord of Light leads a ceremony on the beach. An old man shouts at the gathered men that she must be stopped. But he makes no move to do so. Melisandre addresses Stannis Baratheon, telling him his sword awaits in the fire. Stannis takes it and the ceremony ends. The old man talks to Davos, telling him Melisandre will lead Stannis into war and Davos has to talk to Stannis. But Davos has to follow his king. Stannis dictates a letter laying claim to the throne, citing the fact that Joffrey and the other children are the result of incest between Jaime and Cersei. He orders letters sent in every direction.

Davos suggests Stannis make peace with Renly in order to take on the Lannisters. Melisandre argues that Stannis doesn't need them because he has the Lord of Light. He also shoots down the idea of banding with Robb, who he says would take the northern half of his kingdom. The old man who objected before puts something in his wine and proposes a toast. Davos tries to stop him, but he drinks from his own poisoned cup. Blood trickles from his nose as Melisandre takes the cup and drains it. The man drops dead. She is fine. Stark Camp Robb visits caged Jaime Lannister with his now gigantic direwolf. Robb got the letter from Stannis and taunts Jaime about fathering Joffrey and pushing Bran when he saw Jaime and Cersei. Robb plans to try to negotiate with Twyin Lannister, Jaime's father.

King's Landing Tyrion tells his lady friend Shae to stay hidden to be safe and that they can't trust anyone there. Cersei tracks down Petyr Baelish, asking him to find Arya Stark. She subtly needles him with his past love for Catelyn Stark, so he casually brings up the idea of brothers and sisters loving each other in prominent families. He tells her knowledge is power. She orders him seized and his throat cut. Then announces she's changed her mind. She orders her guards to take four steps away, and then tells him "power is power". He must find Arya. Robb speaks to a Lannister emissary proposing his terms. He wants his sisters released and his father's bones returned, along with those who died in the service. And he wants Joffrey and Cersei to renounce all claims to the kingdom of the North forever. Robb knows the Lannisters will reject his terms.

Theon points out they need ships to take King's Landing. Theon wants to ask his father. Robb doesn't want to ally with Balon Greyjoy. Catelyn Stark hates the idea. She wants to go home to Winterfell, but Robb needs her to go negotiate with Renly Baratheon instead. With Renly, they'll outnumber the Lannisters two to one. She agrees and tells Robb his father would be proud. Cersei checks on Joffrey remodeling the king's chamber. Cersei tells Joffrey they need to find Arya to negotiate for Jaime's return. He mentions the "disgusting lie" he heard about his "uncle" Jaime and his mother. She tells him their enemies will say anything. He taunts her about having bastard half-siblings and asks his mother how many other women his father slept with when he grew tired of her. She slaps him. All the workers stop.

He reminds his mother that what she just did is punishable by death and that she must never do it again. At Baelish's whorehouse, city watch guards led by Lord Janos come in and seize a prostitute's baby. They order the "bastard" killed. Janos does the deed himself. Throughout the city, children are hunted and killed. The guards torture a man for information on Gendry, who's heading toward the North Watch. He has a bull’s head helmet he made himself. Cut to Gendry on a cart out of town. Arya Stark is with him. The episode ends at this point.

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