After last week’s climactic episode, we found almost all of our favorite Game of Thrones characters in very precarious situations. Arya tried to kill the hound, Sansa is living with her lunatic aunt, Tommen is caught between his mother and a soon-to-be wife, and Jon Snow is staring down a giant wildling army ready to take castle black.
Well here’s what happened on this week’s episode entitle, “The Laws of Gods and Men:”
1. The Iron Bank of Braavos May Have Backed Stannis
Stannis and his trusty smuggler Davos go to Braavos, a city we have never seen before in the show. In addition to being a new city we see during the title sequence, we see Stannis and Davos sail through the giant statue of a solider, and wait for the Iron Bankers in a marble room.
After an incredibly convincing speech by Davos, that probably would have made even you give money to the cause, it’s implied that the Iron Bankers back the true king. The next scene follows Davos walking through the baths with enough gold to pay a fleet of pirates.
2. The Iron Born Try to Take Back Theon
Yara Greyjoy, Theon’s awesome and badass sister, storms the Dreadfort with some of her Iron Born soldiers in an attempt to get Theon back. After an intense little battle, which end with Yara and some men facing off against Ramses Snow and his men, some vicious dogs are released and Yara is forced to flee.
She does not win back however, because Theon is now firmly Reek, a lowly and loyal servant. He even bites his former sister’s hand to keep her from taking him. Yara retreats to her boat and must accept that her brother is
“dead.”
3. Daenerys Is Not a Very Good Ruler, But She Tries
(HBO)
Daenerys Targaryen may not be the beloved ruler we all had hoped for in Westeros. After her out-of-control dragons eat a herders sheep, the queen listens to complaints of her new citizens. One of the citizens is a former nobleman, a man whose father was crucified along with over 160 slave owners. The crucified man seems to have been a reformer, advocating against the crucifixion of slaves and others. Daenerys is finally confronted with the fact that her brash black-and-white, right-and-wrong sense of things on her side of the world, may have consequences.
Until this point, Daenerys is never confronted by the fact that her actions may be hurting innocent people living in a corrupt and vicious land.
4. Tyrion Gets His Trial
The defendants have stacked the list of witnesses. Maesters who know Tyrion requested poison, Guards who saw Tyrion slap Jeoffry in previous seasons, and even Cersei testifies against him. It looks pretty clear he’ll be convicted, especially with half his own family trying to kill him. Jamie makes a bargain with his father that he will become the lord of Casterly Rock if he lets Tyrion live out his life on the wall.
The most devastating blow to Tyrion came when Shae testified and lied to the whole court, revealing personal details about Tyrion in the process.
5. Tyrion Asks For a Trial By Combat
The final moment of the episode comes when he demands trial by combat to determine if he’s innocent. But who will be his champion? Would Jamie dare represent his brother? Would he be good enough with his one hand? Where is Brom?
I guess we’ll all have to find out next week.