History Recap / GameOfThronesS5E4TheSonsOfTheHarpy

* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Tyrion figures out Jorah's identity, history with Daenery's, why he was exiled by her and and why he's taking him to her within a three minute conversation.

* MeaningfulEcho: Melisandre stuns Jon Snow when she uses Ygritte's CatchPhrase, "You know nothing, Jon Snow." Given her powers as a {{seer}}, she may well have done this deliberately.

* PenPushingPresident: Downplayed. Jon Snow finds out that the position of Lord Commander of the Night's Watch involves a fair amount of desk-work and signing letters, much to his exasperation. This is probably furthered by the fact that he and Sam Tarly are probably among the few Night's Watch brothers who can actually read and write, so he can't just delegate the task to Maester Aemon. And to cap it all, he has to kiss up to the Boltons, whom he despises for killing Robb, since without the support of the North the Night's Watch simply won't be able to get the men and supplies they need to man the Wall.

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Littlefinger comments to Sansa that she's the only one with the Stark name left. However, neither of them (nor do most of Westeros) know that most of her siblings, except for Robb, [[{{NotTooDeadToSaveTheDay}} have survived]] because at this point, few people know where Arya is since the last time she was seen was at the end of Season 1; Bran and Rickon are believed to be dead because Theon faked their deaths in season 2; and her only known surviving sibling Jon Snow does not have the Stark name. In addition, their uncle Benjen Stark went missing on a ranging beyond the Wall early in Season 1.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / AmbiguousSituation / UnreliableNarrator: In-universe regarding Rheager and Lyanna. Sansa - who has only heard stories - believes Rhaegar Targaryen was a villain who took Lyanna unwillingly. Littlefinger - who was present at the infamous tourney - frames it as a more romantic case of him ''choosing'' Lyanna, and noticeably avoids agreeing with the comment that he kidnapped and raped her, indicating things were more complicated than Sansa believes. Ser Barristan - who knew Rheager personally - describes him as a compassionate prince who wanted to sing not fight, and loved walking among the small folk.

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Littlefinger comments to Sansa that she's the last Stark left, neither of them knowing that all her younger siblings have survived, despite everyone in Westeros believing otherwise. (At this point, the last time any nobles saw Arya was the end of Season 1, and Bran and Rickon's deaths were faked back in Season 2 so it's not surprising [[{{NotTooDeadToSaveTheDay}} no one has any idea they're still out there]]).

* AsYouKnow: One of the Sand Snakes tells the story of how she first met her father Oberyn and decided to go with him...an anecdote you'd really think ''her sisters'' would already have heard.

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Littlefinger comments to Sansa that she's the last Stark left, neither of them knowing that ''all'' of her younger siblings have survived, despite everyone in Westeros believing otherwise. (At this point, the last time any nobles saw Arya was the end of Season 1, and Bran and Rickon's deaths were faked back in Season 2 so it's not surprising [[{{NotTooDeadToSaveTheDay}} no one has any idea they're still out there]]).

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Littlefinger comments to Sansa that she's the last Stark left, neither of them knowing that ''all'' of her younger siblings have survived, despite reports to the contrary. (At this point, the last time any nobles saw Arya was the end of Season 1, and Bran and Rickon's deaths were faked back in Season 2 so it's not surprising [[{{NotToDeadTooSaveTheDay}} no one has any idea they're still out there]]).

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / AmbiguousSituation / UnreliableNarrator: In-universe regarding Rheager and Lyanna. Sansa believes Rhaegar Targaryen was a villain who took Lyanna unwillingly. Littlefinger - who was present at the infamous tourney - frames it as a more romantic case of him ''choosing'' Lyanna, and noticeably avoids agreeing with the comment that he kidnapped and raped her, indicating things were more complicated than Sansa believes. Ser Barristan describes Rhager as a compassionate prince who wanted to sing not fight, and loved walking among the small folk.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / AmbigiousSituation / UnreliableNarrator: All over the place in-universe regarding Rheager and Lyanna's past. Sansa believes Rhaegar Targaryen was a villain who took Lyanna unwillingly. Littlefinger - who was present at the infamous tourney - frames it as a more romantic scene of him ''choosing'' Lyanna, and noticeably avoids agreeing with the comment that he kidnapped and raped her, indicating things were more complicated than Sansa believes. Ser Barristan describes Rhager as a compassionate prince who wanted to sing not fight, and loved walking among the small folk.

* SwordWipe: Bronn wipes off his sword on a dead Dornishman's cloak.

* IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: Melisandre opens her robe to show her perfect breasts, puts Jon's hand on one and invites him to feel her... heart.

** Loras's homosexuality is so common knowledge that the faith militant arrests him with no evidence.

* TheAlcoholic: Tryion insists that INeedAFreakingDrink, and isn't happy when Jorah refuses him.

* CharacterDeath: In a departure from the books, Ser Barristan (and potentially Grey Worm) are slain in the street fight against the Sons of the Harpy.

** No matter how {{Badass}} of a fighter you are, it is extremely difficult to fight outnumbered 10-to-1 and come out unscathed. Even though Grey Worm and Ser Barristan manage to kill most of the attacking Harpies, they sustain several nasty wounds from being ganged-up on that slay Barristan and very well might kill Grey Worm too.

* ChasteHero: Jon Snow tries appealing to his Night's Watch vows when Melisandre tempts him. She gives him a MeaningfulLook, as she knows he's not a virgin and already broke that vow.

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: A very brief moment: when Tyrion says "What a waste of a good kidnapper", the word "kidnapper" is in Peter Dinklage's native American accent.

* HollywoodTactics: The Sons of the Harpy are essentially back-alley thugs with knifes and they are fighting the Unsullied, the most disciplined warriors of Essos, skilled in the use of spears. In the books and in the earlier scenes, the Harpy managed to attack the Unsullied guerilla style after lowering their guard, here they attack them full-on in an ambush in a small area without any armour or significant protection.

* OpenSecret: Roose Bolton apparently didn't do a good job of ensuring his involvement in the Red Wedding (or the fact that he killed Robb Stark) was a secret, since Littlefinger, Sansa and even Jon Snow know that he killed the King in the North. A complete contrast from the books, where the Northern lords at best are sure Roose Bolton lies about his part in the Red Wedding but ignore he killed Robb.

* WeaponOfChoice: The Sand Snakes -- Obara is a JavelinThrower, Tyene is a KnifeNut, while Nymeria likes to WhipItGood.

On another, larger ship, in the slightly less temperate waters of '''The Narrow Sea''', Ser Jamie Lannister asks the captain of the merchant vessel he and Bronn are travelling to Dorne on, whether that isle they're passing is Estermont, but it is actually Tarth, much to Jamie's subdued but still noticeable melancholy. Bronn is even more tetchy about their venture, about their transport, their odds of survival against the hot-blooded Dornish and what motivation could possibly make the Kingslayer risk such a scheme. Bronn reveals that the 'Baratheon' offspring being Jamie's is pretty much an open secret among, oh, I don't know... ''Everyone.'' And that he knows his employer wishes to fill a hole in his life in the place of the warrior he once was, by being a true father to Myrcella instead; and perhaps to atone for freeing Tyrion, which Jamie denies, claiming it was Varys acting alone. This laundry-list of denials just seems to amuse Bronn.

-->'''Ser Jamie Lannister:''' He ''murdered'' my father. If I ever see him, I'll split him in two. And then I'll give him your regards.

Off the coast of '''Dorne''', Jamie and Bronn, well, ''Bronn'' rows them to shore and they quickly sleep the rest of the night away. Upon waking, Jamie sees Bronn about to hurl his kukri knife into his face! But his real target was the deadly coral snake, likely about to bite the Kingslayer where he lay. The pair feast on the serpent for breakfast. Over their meal, they banter on how they would like to shuffle off the mortal coil and how no-one usually gets the kind of death reserved for the heroes of song and story. They break camp, (putting out the hilariously fake fire that would never have cooked that meat enough to be safely consumed). And Bronn cautions Jamie on how their Pentoshi Captain could easily sell their location out to the Martells, regardless of the heavy bag of gold used to bribe him. Unfortunately, Bronn is proven right, whether by accident or design and they are surrounded by four light cavalrymen, their tracks in the dunes easily giving away their position.

Bronn covers their asses with pseudonyms and a convincing tale of being stranded but Jamie's lack of knowledge on the local fauna pokes holes in Bronn's cover story and the Dornishmen demand that they give up their weapons. Bron gives Jamie the 'get ready' look, plants his sword in the sand, then whips out his kukri and with one smooth throw buries it in the leader's throat, toppling him from his steed. Bronn takes a second one out with no fuss no muss before forcibly dismounting the third by slashing at his horse's bollocks, then leaving him for Jamie while he deals with the fourth. However, the soldier is not slowed by his fall and quickly has Jamie on the defensive, his slow return strikes easily swept aside with scimitar molinetes. The Kingslayer is brought down, barely surviving as he rolls down the hill, his foe's elevation allowing him to batter Jamie's guard away and disarm him. About to have his skull cleaved in two, Jamie half raises his golden hand to shield himself and by some miracle the scimitar catches right between the thumb and fingers, trapping it. Gobsmacked, Jamie has time to retrieve his sword and puncture the Dornishmen through the chest, to then kick him down the embankment. Jamie is not too pleased at having to rely on luck and the greater skills of his sellsword partner in crime, so he sets Bronn to work in burying the bodies, less they raise questions that start a new war. To which a peeved Bronn gets down to the heavy labour while Jamie relaxes and swigs from his canteen.

Elsewhere in the country, Ellaria Sand meets with her daughter, Tyene and two of her half-sisters, Nymeria and Obara, the Sand Snakes. Oberyn's bastard girls. She informs them that Doran will not strive against the Lannisters and they alone must avenge their fallen family. And they can get to Cersei through Myrcella... Nym informs her relatives of a potential problem and whips a bucket off the sand to reveal the Pentoshi Captain buried up to his neck and tortured with Emperor scorpions. Obara was approached by him at Planky Town, but he has not received the reward he expected for his treachery. The Sand Snakes now know that Jamie is making his play to rescue his daughter and they will do everything in their power to stop him. And since they were trained by the [[MemeticBadass younger prince of Dorne]], and all decide to ally with Ellaria; Jamie and Bronn are now in big trouble.

A dozen advance on Barristan warily, all too aware of Ser Grandfather's reputation it would seem; and leaving four to deal with Grey Worm. A shaft of sunlight catches the Bold's implacable figure and his naked sword, bathed in Harpy blood as he levels it at the approaching mob, feinting a sudden move. Several try to rush past and get behind the elderly knight, but Selmy, (backed by a heroic variant of the Targaryen theme), leaps into combat like a man half his age. Within three precise moves two are already dead, one tries to shiv Barristan from behind only to find his fellow Harpy pulled around and thrown onto his own dagger. Selmy punts the shish-kebabed slaver and his accidental killer into their companions, keeping them from rushing him all at once. Jamie was not lying, the aged swordsman is truly a painter, a painter that only uses red. He lays one open from hip to shoulder, disembowels a second and with only his second expert parry of the entire fight splits a third's spinal cord in half with a lightning riposte before running a fourth clean through.

** Loras's homosexuality is so common knowledge that the faith militant arrests him.

* [[HeroStoleMyBike Hero Stole My Boat]]: Jorah knocks out a fisherman and steals his boat, though he has the decency to leave a few coins in compensation.