History Recap / GameOfThronesS1E5TheWolfAndTheLion

** Robert mentions that the Seven Kingdoms might have a larger population and armies than Dany's Dothraki horde, but they're constantly at each other's throats. Cersei mentions that her marriage to him is what's holding everything together. We see exactly [[DeadlyDecadentCourt what that means]] [[CivilWar in later episodes]].

* JerkAss: Theon becomes threatening towards Ros and refuses to oay for her services.

** Littlefinger says he might have to [[TwoRoadsBeforeYou choose between]] loyalty to a friend or loyalty to the Crown. In "[[Recap/GameOfThronesS1E7YouWinOrYouDie You Win or You Die]]," [[spoiler:Littlefinger betrays his promise to one of his alleged friends]].

On the '''eastern road''', Tyrion is unbound and discovers that Catelyn is taking him to the Eyrie, ruling seat of her sister, Jon Arryn's widow Lysa, despite having announced ("often, and loudly") that they were making for Winterfell. The ragged party, including a sellsword named Bronn and a singer named Marillion, are almost immediately waylaid by one of the Mountain Clans of the Vale, and Tyrion first shows his BadassBookworm side by beating one of them to death with a shield. Tyrion ends the battle in much better state than he began: no longer tied up, a bit of rapport with Bronn, and doubts planted in Catelyn's mind after he points out, correctly, that had he sent a mercenary after Bran, he would not have armed the man with his own blade.

Meanwhile, elswhere in the Red Keep, Arya is chasing cats as per her instructions from Syrio. It flees into a storage basement crowded with dragon skulls--hey, remember Viserys's ruminations last episode? There's the answer!--and then ducks into the shadows when two strangers walk by holding a cryptic conversation. It's Varys - and Magister Illyrio, the man who sheltered the Targaryen siblings in Pentos! Conspiracy! They recap what has happened so far with between [[TitleDrop the wolf and the lion]], discuss whether Khal Drogo is ready to invade, and imply that Ned's sleuthing might put him in danger. Arya hurriedly returns to their house to warn her father -- and [[ForeShadowing is mistaken twice for a boy in the process]]-- but can only recount bits of the conversation, since she didn't understand half of it, lacks the context for the rest, and has no idea who the conspirators were. (In the book, she can only describe them via appearance since she's never met either of them, and Varys, a MasterOfDisguise to begin with, is unrecognizeable anyway. Unobservant readers might never have figured out their identities at all.) And while she manages to blurt out that they suggested killing Ned, death threats aren't really news to him. In the end, she is led away by Jory whilst Yoren, who was present for Catelyn's little kidnapping enterprise at the end of the last episode, drops in and updates Ned on what he saw.

Varys, meanwhile, goes on to have a conversation with Littlefinger in front of the Iron Throne, in which Baelish reveals he knows about Illyrio's brief visit and Varys taunts him with ''his'' knowledge of the weird fetishes Littlefinger's brothels accomodate, not to mention his instigating Catelyn Stark's capture of Tyrion Lannister. Each has the other over a barrel, and both of them know it, but neither is able to act on their threats before ''real'' news arrives from abroad. "[[BerserkButton The WHORE is pregnant]]," Robert growls. The information is from Varys's spy, Ser Jorah Mormont, a slaver and a man of questionable repute, but Robert is too angry to be wise. He gives orders to have the Targaryens slain, and the small council falls in line. When Eddard sees that he will have no support, he resigns his Handship in protest, and departs the chamber with Robert's furious rants echoing behind him.

Having reached the '''the Eyrie''', Catelyn's audience with her younger sister Lysa goes rather differently than anyone expected--except maybe Tyrion, who warned her that Lysa has changed since Catelyn last saw her. For one, Lysa is absolutely paranoid and is cowering in the Vale from perceived enemies. For two, her son is a spoiled and creepy brat--he's eight and she's still breastfeeding him. Lysa tells Catelyn that her letter was a warning, not an invitation... but now that she's ''got'' Tyrion, she accuses him of slaying Lord Arryn as well. ("Oh!, did I kill him too?" Tyrion replies with [[DeadpanSnarker enviable sarcasm]] (He basically [[DeadpanSnarker hits every note short of telling Lysa to go drink some Hershey's syrup so the kid can have chocolate milk]]). "I've been a ''very'' busy man.") Tyrion is locked up in the sky cells despite Catelyn's protests.

Whilst Ned packs furiously, Robert and Cersei fret over what to do if the Dothraki do invade, and the absolute PR disaster it would be. They then have a startlingly heart-felt conversation, toasting each other and 17 years' mutual resentment, and wonder whether they ever had a chance at making their marriage work. (The verdict: [[TheLostLenore Lyanna says no]].) As for Ned, he's distracted when Littlefinger offers to take him to "the last person Jon Arryn spoke with before falling ill." It's a whore, barely more than a child, who has borne Robert Baratheon's bastard baby. "She looks like him, don't she, m'lord? She has his nose, his black hair." Jon Arryn, when he came to visit, merely enquired into the health of the child; Littlefinger doesn't know why. But as they leave, a new problem emerges: the Kingslayer rides up with a score of Lannister guardsmen and demands the return of the Imp. While Littlefinger runs to summon the gold cloaks, the Kingslayer has Ned's three guardsmen killed. Wil and Hewett go down on the instant; Jory gives a good account of himself, but he's no match for the Kingslayer. But Ned Stark is, and the wolf and the lion go at it in a furious SwordFight that ends only when one of the Lannister guardsmen, on his own initiative, stabs Ned through the thigh. Jaime smacks him to the ground with the hilt of his sword for interfering, then Lannister contingent rides away, leaving Eddard Stark in the street with his dead.

!!Tropes

* AscendedExtra: Ser Loras Tyrell's screen time in this episode is larger than his very minor role in the ''A Game of Thrones'' novel.
* AscendedMeme: In-universe example, the unofficial Lannister "words" (motto): "A Lannister always pays his debts." Tyrion says it and at a later scene, Bran mistakenly says it when asked for the House Lannister words (which are "Hear Me Roar".)

* BadassBoast: Tyrion delivers one on behalf of his brother.
-->'''Lysa:''' These men are knights of the Vale. Every one of them loved Jon Arryn. Every one of them would die for me.
-->'''Tyrion:''' If any harm comes to me, my brother Jaime will see that they do.

-->"My father is Hand of the King. I am not a boy, I am Arya Stark of Winterfell. And if you lay a hand on me my father will have both of your heads on spikes. Now, are you going to let me by, or do I have to [[IronicEcho smack you on the ear to help you with your hearing?]]"

* BlingOfWar: Loras' gleaming and ornate armour.

* {{Bromance}}: Cersei snarks Robert about how his "marriage" to Ned Stark didn't work out.

** Arya goes into dungeons containing a dragon skull. In the previous episode, Viserys and Doreah pondered what happened to the dragon skulls that lined the Red Keep.
** Robert brings up his discussion with Ned during "The Kingsroad" where he warned of the threat posed by Daenerys' ArrangedMarriage.

* ConflictingLoyalties: As Bran points out, the words of House Tully (his mother’s house) are Family, Duty, Honor. “Family comes first.” So why has his mother left him?

* CuriosityKilledTheCast: Varys says that Jon Arryn was killed because "he started to ask questions". Now Ned Stark is asking those same questions.

-->'''Tyrion:''' The Eyrie. They say it's impregnable.
-->'''Bronn:''' Give me ten good men and some climbing spikes, I'll [[DoubleEntendre impregnate the bitch]].
-->'''Tyrion:''' ...I like you.

-->"You have to give it to the Lannisters. They may be the most pompous, ponderous [[CountryMatters cunts]] the gods have ever suffered to walk the world, but they do have an outrageous amount of money."

-->'''Renly:''' Such a shame, Littlefinger! It would've been so nice for you to have a friend.\\
'''Baelish:''' And tell me Lord Renly, when will you be having [[HoYay ''your'' friend?]] ''[in reference to Loras]''

-->'''Minstrel:''' (singing) On that eve, the captive imp / downwards from his horse did limp / No more would he preen and primp / in garb of red and gold.

* {{Ephebophile}}: Littlefinger takes Ned to meet the mother of the most recent of King Roberts bastards, a very young whore.

* FireForgedFriends: Yoren and Benjen, which is why he rushes to Kings Landing to warn Benjen’s brother Ned that trouble is coming for his family with Tyrion’s arrest.

** ''Averted''. The Jaime/Ned duel is in ''deadly'' earnest, and Coster-Woldau / Bean / their stuntmen must have come away with at least a few bruises, when one of them missed a beat and the other did what you're supposed to do in a SwordFight: ''hit the other guy with your sword''.

--->'''Knight:''' (significantly) Yes, my lady. [[TheMentallyDisturbed She will at that.]]

** Loras' suggestion to Renly that he should make a claim for the throne becomes a major plot point in Season 2.
** Yoren sees Arya in her StreetUrchin clothes and [[SweetPollyOliver mistakes her for a boy]]. This becomes important in "Baelor".
** Littlefinger says he might have to [[TwoRoadsBeforeYou choose between]] loyalty to a friend or loyalty to the Crown. In "You Win Or You Die", [[spoiler:Littlefinger betrays his promise to one of his alleged friends.]]

* ImpliedDeathThreat: Varys and Littlefinger both drop subtle hints that they know too much about each other, and [[ShameIfSomethingHappened it would be a shame if certain other parties found out what they know.]]

* InsigniaRipOffRitual: Ned does this with his insignia pin when he resigns as hand, after he disagrees with Robert about killing Daenerys.

* LetsGetDangerous: It's clear that people consider the most dangerous thing about Tyrion is his acerbic wit... then they see him pick up a shield and promptly beat the hell out of a Tribesman, before bashing his skull in.

* MeaningfulEcho: King Robert echoes Jorah Mormont's statement, "Only a fool would meet the Dothraki in the open field." He does however go on to explain why it would be necessary to do so.

** And her son seems to be a [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior little unhinged himself]] - he's eight years old, is still being breast-fed, and shows an unhealthy level of enthusiasm for "making the bad man fly".

* MyBelovedSmother: Lysa. Breastfeeding your kid when he's ''8?!'' {{Squick}}alicious.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero

* NecessarilyEvil: On the surface, this appears to be why most of the Small Council supports Robert's decision to kill Daenerys. It sucks, and is DirtyBusiness, but all but Ned agree it's necessary to save thousands of lives. In reality however, the council are either too cowardly to object or have their own agenda and are simply saying what their King wants to hear.
** It must be stated that killing the Targaryens or even trying to would not actually do any favours for the Westerosi. This is proven two episodes later.

* ProperlyParanoid: Varys didn't approach Ned until he was sure Ned was on the King's side.

-->'''Renly:''' My brother thinks that anyone who hasn't been to war isn't a man. He treats me like I'm a spoilt child! ''(off Loras' look)'' Oh, and you're not? [[SarcasmMode The Knight of the Flowers?]] How many wars have you fought in?

-->'''Cersei:''' [[AwfulWeddedLife Our marriage.]] ''(both [[ActuallyPrettyFunny crack up laughing]])''

-->'''Renly''': Oh, and you're not? Loras Tyrell, the knight of the flowers? How many wars have you fought in? Oh, and how much did your father spend on that armour of yours?
* StraightGay: Lord Renly Baratheon has a more masculine appearance and demeanor than his lover, though Loras is the fighter.
* SufferTheSlings: Averted. When attacked by hill tribes, one of Lady Stark's men-at-arms finds the lower half of his face shattered (complete with visible blood and gibs) by a stone from a sling.

* WiseBeyondHerYears: Arya has become increasingly aware of how dangerous Kings Landing is and while she didn't manage to interpret all of the coded conversation she overheard, did understand that someone was trying to kill her father. Her first thought afterwards is to find out how many guards Ned has and checks that Jory will keep him safe. Highlighted by the fact Sansa still ThinksLikeARomanceNovel and the adult Ned - although trying to be careful - keeps making naive moves like openly pursuing Jon Arryn's investigations with little attempt at discretion.

* YouMonster: Loras calls Joffrey a monster, and it's one the main reasons why he wants to crown Renly as king.

* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Averted; Loras is a MasterSwordsman because he’s practiced every day since he could pick one up.

* ThisIsThePartWhere: Averted; Robert thinks Cersei has come to ask that her brother become Hand. Cersei, who already knows Jaime doesn't want the job, replies that he's not serious enough for the position.

Whilst Ned packs furiously, Robert and Cersei fret over what to do if the Dothraki do invade, and the absolute PR disaster it would be. They then have a startlingly heart-felt conversation, toasting each other and 17 years' mutual resentment, and wonder whether they ever had a chance at making their marriage work. (The verdict: [[TheLostLenore Lyanna says no]].) As for Ned, he's distracted when Littlefinger offers to take him to "the last person Jon Arryn spoke with before falling ill." It's a whore, barely more than a child, who has borne Robert Baratheon's bastard baby. "She looks like him, don't she, m'lord? She has his nose, his black hair." Jon Arryn, when he came to visit, merely enquired into the health of the child; Littlefinger doesn't know why. But as they leave, a new problem emerges: the Kingslayer rides up with a score of Lannister guardsmen and demands the return of the Imp. While Littlefinger runs to summon the gold cloaks, the Kingslayer has Ned's three guardsmen killed. Wil and Hewett go down on the instant; Jory gives a good account of himself, but he's no match for the Kingslayer. But Ned Stark is, and the wolf and the lion go at it in a furious SwordFight that ends only when one of the Lannister guardsmen, on his own initiative, stabs Ned through the thigh. After, Jaime kills the man for interfering, the Lannister contingent rides away, leaving Eddard Stark in the street with his dead.

* ChekhovsGun: The necklace that Tryion gave to Roz becomes significant in Season 2.

* AdaptationDyeJob: Loras has brown irises in the novels, but his TV counterpart is blue-eyed.
* AfraidOfBlood: Renly is squeamish around anything that is the least bit gory.

* BloodKnight: Just look at the smile on Jaime's face when he realises Ned can hold his own. He's angered when one of his men comes to his aid, spoiling his chance to defeat Ned himself.
* {{Bromance}}: Cersei snarks Robert about how his "marriage" to Ned Snark didn't work out.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: If you have any doubts about what [[AxCrazy kind of person]] The Mountain is, go watch the bit with the [[OffWithHisHead horse again]]. Sore loser, much?

** Catelyn hauls Tyrion to the Vale, only to find her sister doesn't have evidence of a Lannister conspiracy and is instead as crazy as a loon.

* PragmaticAdaptation: Ned is hobbled by a spear through his leg rather than his leg being crushed when his horse falls on it, which would have been far more difficult to film.

* ProperlyParanoid: Varys didn't approach Ned until he was sure he was on the King's side.

* SomethingAboutARose: The rose Loras carries hints that he is an AgentPeacock—beautiful, but dangerous. Considering that the Mountain had killed an opponent in the previous episode, viewers who haven't read the books might assume that the rather delicate-looking Knight of Flowers is destined to become Gregor's next victim. With a little CombatPragmatism, however, Loras takes down the fearsome brute on his first jousting attempt.

* SweetPollyOliver: An inadvertent version. Arya is dressed in breeches for her training and covered in dirt, so gets mistaken for a beggar boy by palace guards and for Ned's son by Yoren. She get's fairly irritated at having to keep telling people she's a girl.

** Littlefinger says he might have to [[TwoRoadsBeforeYou choose between]] loyalty to a friend or loyalty to the Crown. In "You Win Or You Die", Littlefinger betrays his promise to one of his alleged friends.

** Also Jory catching Jaime's blade through his eye, after his discussion with Jaime last episode about how he nearly missed getting stabbed through the eye during the Greyjoy rebellion.

* NecessarilyEvil: Why most of the Small Council supports Robert's decision to kill Daenerys. It sucks, and is DirtyBusiness, but all but Ned agree it's necessary to save thousands of lives.

* WiseBeyondHerYears: Arya has become increasingly aware of how dangerous Kings Landing is and while she didn't manage to interpret all of the coded conversation she overheard, did understand that someone was trying to kill her father. Her first thought afterwards is to find out how many guards Ned has and check Jory will keep him safe. Highlighted by the fact Sansa still ThinksLikeARomanceNovel and the adult Ned - although trying to be careful - keeps making naive moves like openly pursuing Jon Arryn's investigations with little attempt at discretion.

* RealityEnsues: Ned fights a one-on-one duel with Jaime only to be stabbed in the leg by a bystander, one of the Lannister soldiers who were standing around watching and saw his chance to avert MookChivalry.

* RealityEnsues: A Lannister soldier stabs Ned on the leg with a spear during his one on one duel with Jamie. He promptly gets a SlashedThroat as his reward.

* HonestAdvisor: Ned risks Robert's wrath (including an overt death threat) by delivering TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the most powerful man in the country.

Whilst Ned packs furiously, Robert and Cersei fret over what to do if the Dothraki do invade, and the absolute PR disaster it would be. They then have a startlingly heart-felt conversation, toasting each other and 17 years' mutual resentment, and wonder whether they ever had a chance at making their marriage work. (The verdict: [[TheLostLenore Lyanna says no]].) As for Ned, he's distracted when Littlefinger offers to take him to "the last person Jon Arryn spoke with before falling ill." It's a whore, barely more than a child, who has borne Robert Baratheon's bastard baby. "She looks like him, don't she, m'lord? She has his nose, his black hair." Jon Arryn, when he came to visit, merely enquired into the health of the child; Littlefinger doesn't know why. But as they leave, a new problem emerges: the Kingslayer rides up with a score of Lannister guardsmen and demands the return of the Imp. While Littlefinger runs to summon the gold cloaks, the Kingslayer has Ned's three guardsmen killed. Wil and Hewett go down on the instant; Jory gives a good account of himself, but he's no match for the Kingslayer. But Ned Stark is, and the wolf and the lion go at it in a furious SwordFight that ends only when one of the Lannister guardsmen, on his own initiative, stabs Ned through the thigh. The Lannister contingent rides away, leaving Eddard Stark in the street with his dead.

* RealityEnsues: A Lannister soldier stabs Ned on the leg with a spear during his one on one duel with Jamie.

** Averted for the fight between [[CainAndAbel The Mountain and The Hound]], although The Hound seemed more interested in protecting the unarmed Ser Loras than striking his brother.

-->'''Ned:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Jory!]]
** In a non-human example, Ser Gregor's tempermental stallion was very distracted by Ser Loras' mare, who was in heat.

* {{Ephebophile}}: Littlefinger takes Ned to meet the mother of the most recent of King Roberts bastards, a very young whore implied to be a ReplacementGoldfish for Lyanna Stark, who would have been around the same age when Robert knew her.

* [[DontCallMeSir Don’t Call Me Ser]]: The Hound.

The next tilt shown is between Ser Gregor Clegane against Ser Loras Tyrell, called "The Knight of Flowers," by universal acclaim the [[{{Bishounen}} prettiest]] knight in the Seven Kingdoms. He wins by riding a mare in heat, causing Clegane to have trouble controlling his stallion. Whilst Littlefinger and Sansa debate whether this makes Loras a CombatPragmatist or a cheater, The Mountain, turning out to be a massively SoreLoser, deals with his recalcitrant horse by [[OffWithHisHead hacking off its head]] and then going after his opponent. He is stopped only by the intervention of his brother The Hound, and then the booming commands of his king. For his decisive action, Sandor Clegane is proclaimed the hero of the day.

** Ditto for the earlier fight between [[CainAndAbel The Mountain and The Hound]], although The Hound seemed more interested in protecting the unarmed Ser Loras than striking his brother.
* {{Foreshadowing}}
-->'''Knight:''' [Tyrion] doesn't look like a prisoner.
-->'''Catelyn:''' My sister will decide what he looks like.
-->'''Knight:''' (significantly) Yes, my lady. [[TheMentallyDisturbed She will at that.]]

** Loras cuts Renly with a blade and tells him, "It's just blood, [...] sometimes a little spills." [[spoiler:Renly dies in Season 2 after he is stabbed through the heart by a magical shadow "sword," his blood gushing out in copious amounts]].

** Littlefinger says he might have to [[TwoRoadsBeforeYou choose between]] loyalty to a friend or loyalty to the Crown. [[spoiler:In "You Win Or You Die", Littlefinger betrays his promise to Catelyn Stark to protect her husband, in favour of Queen Cersei's faction.]]

* [[KingIncognito Hand’s Daughter Incognito]] / SweetPollyOliver: Arya in her StreetUrchin clothes.

* WhamLine: A subtle one, gone so fast it can easily be missed. "Based on whose information?" "Ser Jorah Mormont's."

-->'''Jory:''' If you threaten my lord again...
-->'''Jaime:''' Threaten? As in, I'm going to open your lord from balls to brains and see what Stark's are made of?

* WiseBeyondHerYears: Arya has become increasingly aware of how dangerous Kings Landing is and while she didn't manage to interpret all of the coded conversation she overheard, did understand someone was trying to kill her father. Her first thought afterwards is to find out how many guards Ned has and check Jory will keep him safe.

* ARealManIsAKiller
-->'''Renly:''' My brother thinks that anyone who hasn't been to war isn't a man. He treats me like I'm a spoilt child! ''(off Loras' look)'' Oh, and you're not? [[SarcasmMode The Knight of the Flowers?]] How many wars have you fought in?

* [[TheBear The Otter]]: One of the variations of this queer-themed trope is the thin, hairy guy, who is referred to as an "otter." Renly's nickname on this [[http://www.thebacklot.com/got-men-15-of-the-hottest-guys-of-game-of-thrones/05/2012/ entertainment website aimed at gay men]] is the Otter King. The character has a hairy chest, but the audience never sees it because Loras finds him more attractive with a smooth torso.
* [[DressHitsFloor Pants Hit Floor]]: A rare male version of this trope occurs when Loras removes Renly's pants (and any undergarment the latter may be wearing) in one swift movement and letting them drop to the floor.