We begin in King's Landing, where Eddard Stark stirs fitfully in his bed, his leg broken from the events of the previous episode. He awakens to find King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister looming above him, each angry for their own reasons—Cersei for her brother's kidnapping, Robert for the disruption of the peace. It isn't long before the two of them are bickering... and not long after that before Robert slaps her across the face. Jaime has fled the city, of course, and Robert denies Ned the chance to bring him to justice, declaring the feud over. He then gives Ned the silver-hand badge, officially refusing to accept Ned's resignation. It will be Ned's job to handle things whilst Robert hunts in the kingswood.
Across the narrow sea, Daenerys continues her obsession with her dragon eggs. Today she tries putting one on the coals of the fire. Nothing happens, even when she picks it up—including the "Oww, my burnt hands!" reaction you'd expect when someone picks up a red-hot glowing stone. Dany's hands are unblemished. Huh?
Bran is having another "three-eyed crow" dream, venturing deeper into the crypts beneath Winterfell, when Hodor bursts in with the saddle Tyrion designed for him. Next thing we know, Bran is riding around on his horse Dancer, hooting and hollering, whilst Robb and Theon discuss how House Stark should react to Ned's injury. Their strategy session is interrupted by the realization that they've misplaced Bran. (Good going, guys.) Bran is elsewhere in the forest, waylaid now by four wildlings who have made their way south of the Wall, at least one of whom appears to be a deserter from the Night's Watch. Robb and Theon arrive, precipitating a short, tense confrontation, resulting in three men dead and the lone woman, Osha, taken prisoner.
Two more check-ins: first in the Eyrie, where Tyrion is in the sky cells. He tries to bribe the gaoler Mord with gold, but his purse was confiscated by Ser Rodrik Cassel, and the astonishingly stupid Mord demands money upfront, and refuses to listen Tyrion's promises of payment later, ultimately rebuffing the bribery attempt with the blunt end of his club. ("Sometimes possession is an abstract concept... Ow!") Meanwhile, in King's Landing, Arya is pre-occupied by her father's injury, but Forel pushes her anyway, pointing out that fighting rarely happens when you're clear-headed, and a distracted water dancer is a dead one. "There is only one god, and his name is Death. There is only one thing we say to death: Not today."
At Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys is eating a horse's heart. It's part of a Dothraki ritual which gets a lot more explanation in the books , but suffice it to say that her child is to be "The Stallion that Mounts the World," some form of ultra-awesome Dothraki superman. The TV show also adds Viserys to the mix. He sees how Dany has become integrated into the Dothraki culture and, in a jealous rage, tries to steal her dragon eggs. He's stopped by Jorah Mormont, who all but declares outright that his allegiance is to the princess now. We also get the first intimations of Ser Jorah's Bodyguard Crush on Daenerys, which is likely to prove important later.
In the Eyrie, Tyrion manages, after much slow and careful talking, to convince Mord that helping him will be beneficial, as even an imbecile like Mord turns out to know the good old saying, "A Lannister always pays his debts." And so Tyrion tells Mord that he will be richly rewarded if he can relay a message to Lysa Arryn; that he is ready to confess. And it works, as Tyrion is let out of his cell and brought before the court, but much to the fair lady's annoyance, he instead launches into a litany of sins which has to be seen to be believed, while he persists in proclaiming his innocence in the matter of Lord Arryn's death and Bran's botched slaying, and demands a Trial by Combat. Ser Vardis Egen, one of the Knights of the Vale, champions her cause, while Tyrion manages to get Bronn to stand for him.
Back in King's Landing, Ned sits the Iron Throne for the first time in his life, passing judgment on the petitions of riverlanders who have come to King's Landing for justice. They were attacked in the night by a band of raving rapers, led by a man who chopped the head off a horse in anger. "That sounds like someone we know," Littlefinger whispers to Ned. "The Mountain." They also left behind a bunch of fish, which Littlefinger observes is the sigil of House Tully. "Can you think of any reason the Lannisters might possibly have for being angry with your wife?" Ned commissions a force to bring Clegane to justice, led by Lord Beric Dondarrion, and then passes a royal decree stripping Clegane of his lands, titles and knighthood. He also summons the Mountain's master, Tywin Lannister, to court; he must either declare his loyalty or face the same fate. It's on now, kids.
It is time for the trial by combat in the the Eyrie, as the light-footed Bronn fights Ser Vardis Egen, using his heavy gear and the environment against him, and handily dodges his attacks while sticking to striking the knight with small, swift attacks. It's not really a contest, especially since Ser Vardis has Lysa on his side. "Enough, Ser Vardis, finish him," Lysa shouts, after he's already been injured and Bronn doesn't have a scratch on him... and the brave fool obeys. Bronn just dodges the worn-out knight once again, slicing his leg, before he gives him the Coup de Grâce and throws him out of the Moon Door. Much to the dismay of the Tully sisters, Tyrion is returned both his freedom and his purse. One takes him out the door, whilst the other goes to Mord. "A Lannister always pays his debts."
More check-ins: In King's Landing, Joffrey visits Sansa, interrupting a pretty serious snark-fest between her and Septa Mordane. He gives her a necklace (and a kiss!) and promises never to mistreat her again. Meanwhile, near Winterfell, Theon finds his favorite whore Ros on the kingsroad, heading to the greener (fleshier?) pastures of the capitol. For a coin, she gives him one more flash of her cooter. That's the only appropriate word for the circumstances.
We return to King's Landing, where Ned assembles his daughters and announces that he's sending them home for their own safety. Sansa, her head full of dreams, protests that she has to marry Joffrey: "He'll be the greatest king there ever was, a golden lion, and I'll give him sons with beautiful blond hair!" "The lion's not his sigil, idiot," says Arya with a trace of smugness. "He's a stag, like his father." "He's not, he's nothing like that old drunk king," Sansa retorts. Both of them are completely oblivious to the "Eureka!" Moment kindling behind their father's eyes. Ned sends them from the room and attends his giant book, The Lineage and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, where he sees that black hair is a Baratheon family trait. Every Baratheon has it, as does Gendry and the whore's infant from last episode. Every Baratheon has it... except Joffrey.
In Vaes Dothrak, a feast is in session. Things are going pretty well for Drogo and Dany until Viserys stumbles in, either drunk or more insane than usual (he was drunk in the book, but the TV show doesn't say anything either way) and calls for his sister. The Dothraki makes fun of him, and Khal Drogo tells Jorah to offer the prince a seat... in the back of the tent. "That is no place for a King!" the self-proclaimed Dragon spits at the humiliation. "You are no King," answers Drogo in common tongue with a scoff. Angered, the Beggar King draws his sword, and holds first Jorah, then Dany at swordpoint, threatening to spill blood in the sacred city. He demands the golden crown he was promised in exchange for his sister keeping her skin and unborn child intact. Drogo agrees, stating that he will receive a golden crown "that will make men tremble", but only a fool wouldn't realise that he is, by this point, absolutely seething with bloodlust. Viserys, said fool, is only too happy to have his demands met and lets his guard down, only to get his arm broken and get subsequently restrained by the Khal's bodyguards.
While Viserys shouts furious demands for the guards to unhand him, Drogo takes off his medallion-encrusted belt and tosses it into a pot over the cookfire, where the gold begins to melt, and a horrible realization dawns on Viserys. He starts desperately begging his sister to stop the Dothraki, but she just looks coldly at him as Drogo approaches him with the pot of molten metal. The Khal lifts the pot up and once again addresses the Beggar King in common tongue with the words: "A crown for a king." To quote the book: "Viserys began to scream the high, wordless scream of the coward facing death." He gets his golden crown... but he doesn't seem to enjoy it very much when it's being poured directly onto his head. He hits the ground with clanking finality and stays there. With no blood spilled, the Beggar King has died.
"He was no dragon," Daenerys decides. "Fire cannot kill a dragon."
Tropes in this episode include:
- 10-Minute Retirement: King Robert orders Ned to put his Hand badge back on. "And if you take if off again, I swear to the gods I'll pin it on Jaime Lannister!"
- Actually Pretty Funny: A mild case. While he tries to hide it, Ned can't resist smirking a bit along with Arya after Sansa says she doesn't "want someone brave, handsome and strong," but Joffrey.
- Some of the lords and ladies seem entertained by Tyrion's "confessions."
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg:
- With Theon ready to put an arrow in her head, Osha begs for mercy.
- Viserys also desperately begs Daenerys to intercede while Drogo is preparing his crown.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Viserys' death could almost come off as this, given how sympathetically he's played in that scene.
- Alcohol-Induced Idiocy:
- Viserys is implied to be drunk in his final scene, given how he's holding a wineskin and suddenly seems to have found some courage.
- King Robert just keeps chugging down the flagon offered by his squire, despite being on a boar hunt.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Tyrion confesses to childhood pranks like putting goat shit in his uncle's boots, and masturbating into a pot of turtle stew "that I do believe my sister later ate, or at least I hope she did!"
- Anyone Can Die: Viserys Targaryen, the first member of the main cast to die.
- Asshole Victim: Viserys dies horribly, but it's not like he didn't deserve it and then some.
- Artistic License – Chemistry: Zigzagged a bit with Viserys' "golden crown". The melting point of gold is 1,948 fahrenheit (1,064 celcius), and wood burns at about 1,100 fahrenheit (600 celcius), way too low to melt gold. However, if the firepit contained coal, that would be another matter, because coal burns at about the same temperature as gold melts. Further, if the gold wasn't pure and was alloyed with a metal that has a lower melting point (which is very possible), that would lower its melting point. All that being said, while it's not impossible that the firepit could have melted Drogo's gold medallions, it couldn't possibly have been able to do so that fast. Not to mention that Drogo would have certainly burned his hands since if the fire was hot enough to melt the gold, the iron pot holding it would be way too hot to handle.in the books
- As You Know: Littlefinger lets Ned know exactly what's going on as he hears the report of Gregor Clegane's atrocities, including the sigil of his own wife's family. Justified as subtly insulting Ned with how little he's prepared for this.
- Attack Its Weak Point: Ser Vardis is protected by heavy plate armor, but Bronn slices his sword under an armpit and later across the back of a knee, inflicting major wounds through the joint in the plate.
- Armor Is Useless: Bronn forgoes protection for speed and stamina. Ser Vardis finds it impossible to land a blow because he's lumbering along with full plate armor, a cumbersome shield, and a helm that restricts his vision and breathing.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: It turns out horribly for the "king" who longed to have an impressive crown.
- Big "YES!": Tyrion shouts one when Bronn lands a serious hit on Ser Vardis.
- Blatant Lies:
- Cersei claims that Ned attacked her brother in a drunken brawl after carousing at a brothel. Ned was at the brothel, but everything else is untrue.
- Tyrion telling Mord, "You're a smart man!" You can see him having to force that one out.
- One can't help cringing when Joffrey says he'll never be cruel to Sansa again.
- When Robert (who is ignorant of his youngest brother's homosexuality) asks him, "Have you ever fucked a Riverlands girl?", Renly's vague response is, "Once, I think." Renly's annoyed facial expression indicates that he often uses this line whenever someone inquires about his sexual conquests.
- Big Brother Instinct: Theon and Robb both do what they can to protect Bran when he is attacked by Osha and the other wildlings.
- Captain Obvious: Littlefinger. He feels the need to point out to Ned that fish are the sigil of House Tully. The house of Ned's wife of 17 years. The house that are lords paramount of the Riverlands. A house that ranks in the top ten prominent houses of Westeros. A house whose sigil is being held by a bannerman in front of Ned. See As You Know.
- The Chosen One: The dosh khaleen prophesize that Daenerys will give birth to The Stallion Who Will Mount The World, who will unite all the people of the world into a single khalasar. Daenerys decides to name him Rhaego, a Dothraki version of Rhaegar Targaryen, whom Jorah had previously described as the last dragon (and pointedly not Viserys).
- Combat by Champion: As no-one could seriously expect a dwarf to fight the likes of Ser Vardis, Tyrion asks for his brother Jaime to champion him. Lysa isn't falling for that one, and insists the Trial by Combat be held that day, so Tyrion must find his champion from among those assembled. Everyone laughs when Tyrion asks for volunteers, until...Bronn: I'll stand for the dwarf.
- Combat Pragmatist: Bronn fights Vardis Egan by being evasive and tiring out the heavily-armored knight. Lysa criticizes Bronn for not fighting with honor, which he readily admits.
- Compliment Backfire: Ned and Arya can barely keep a straight face during Sansa's defense of Joffrey.Ned: I'll make you a match with someone who is worthy of you. Someone brave and gentle and strong.
Sansa: I don't want someone brave and gentle and strong! I want him!
[Ned and Arya exchange grins] - Convection, Schmonvection: Zigzagged with the crowning. Khal Drogo is apparently just that much of a badass to be able to pick up a metal pot, even by extended handles, which is apparently hot enough to melt gold within a handful of moments (see Artistic License – Chemistry above), without experiencing any discomfort or burns. However, check out Viserys' face post-crowning. Even the parts which weren't touched by the gold are scalded, damaged and red-raw by the sheer heat.
- Conveniently Timed Attack from Behind / Shoot the Hostage Taker: Theon shoots the Dangerous Deserter holding Bran at knifepoint, and is exasperated by Robb's lack of gratitude.
- Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: Ser Jorah urges Daenerys to look away when it’s obvious what’s going to happen to Viserys. She refuses.
- Coup de Grâce: After wearing down Ser Vardis, wounding him several times, and disabling his sword, Bronn raises his own sword and looks directly at Lysa, giving her an opportunity to call the fight and save the life of her champion. When Lysa refuses to so, Bronn stabs Ser Vardis through the neck and tosses him out the moon door.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Viserys is killed by melted gold that is poured on his head.
- Daddy's Girl: Arya for Ned again. When he tells the girls they're leaving King's Landing, Sansa complains she can't leave Joffrey while Arya asks Ned if he's going to die because of his hurt leg. After Sansa starts gushing over her "golden lion" and that she doesn't want someone brave, gentle and strong, Ned sees Arya laughing and doesn't even try to stop himself from joining her, clearly appreciating his younger daughter also got the joke.
- Dangerous Deserter: The man who holds Bran at knifepoint is wearing a Night’s Watch uniform. He's actually a wildling that stole it as a disguise (not that it'd do much good, given how deserters are executed).
- Destination Defenestration: The Moon Door, a hatch set into the floor of the Eyrie throne room for the purpose. Specifically, Ser Vardis Egen’s corpse is thrown through it after Bronn kills him.
- Determinator: Despite getting stabbed in the chest via a gap in his armor and the tendons of his leg getting cut, Ser Vardis still tries to fight Bronn.
- Dies Wide Open: Viserys's eyes remain wide open in death (or at least one of them does; the other is smothered in his "crown").
- Dissonant Serenity: Dany watching her brother get attacked and readied to die a Cruel and Unusual Death.Jorah: Look away, khaleesi.
Danaerys: No. - Disproportionate Retribution: In response to Catelyn's vigilante arrest of his son, Tywin Lannister sends out an army to kill, rape, and burn their way across villages under Catelyn's father protection, leaving behind dead fish as a symbol of which family is to blame.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: King Robert boasts of "making the eight" — screwing a girl from each of the Seven Kingdoms, plus the Riverlands. The next scene involves some peasants from the Riverlands telling of how their farms were burnt and women raped by marauding knights, which makes one wonder how many of the girls Robert had were willing.
- Domestic Abuse: Robert slaps Cersei hard enough to draw blood after she insults his masculinity. And note that he doesn't know anything about her adultery or other possible crimes against him. He regrets his actions moments later.
- Don't Go in the Woods: Bran wanders off while riding in his new saddle, and gets attacked by wildlings.
- Double-Meaning Title: "A Golden Crown" can be taken as a reference to two different plot lines in this episode. In the literal sense, the name refers to Viserys' final fate, which is referred to by Kahl Drogo by name. In a more metaphorical sense, the "crown" could be seen as a reference to hair, referring to Joffrey's golden hair being the catalyst of Ned's revelation of his true parentage.
- Dramatically Missing the Point: After Viserys threatens Daenerys and her unborn child in an attempt to get someone to take him seriously and to finally do something about getting the crown he was promised, Drogo very coldly promises him "a golden crown which all men shall tremble to behold." Failing to spot the barely-veiled threat under the words, Viserys giggles and states that this was all he wanted.
- "Eureka!" Moment: After Sansa protests that Joffrey is nothing like Robert, and promises to give him sons with blond hair, Eddard realizes that Joffrey is not Robert's son, something he confirms by reading "The Lineage and Histories of the Seven Kingdoms" and realizes that all Baratheon children have had black hair.
- Everyone Has Standards: Bronn showcases he has the capacity to show mercy in certain situations. When he has Ser Vardis on his knees, he gives Lysa the opportunity to call the fight. It's only after it becomes clear she doesn't intend to that he delivers the final blow.
- Exact Words:
- Tyrion said he wanted to confess to his crimes; he never said he wanted to confess to the crimes he was accused of.
- Viserys is confident in his safety in Vaes Dothrak, since the Dothraki can't spill blood in the city, to the point where he threatens the king and queen. Apparently he doesn't consider that you can have limbs broken and be roasted to death without any blood being spilled.
- Drogo promises Viserys "a golden crown which all men shall tremble to behold." What he got certainly does make you tremble.
- False Reassurance:
- Drogo's promise to Viserys. He gets the crown he wants, and it certainly makes men tremble... but not in the way Viserys wanted.
- Also, Viserys took the Dothraki rules about spilling blood in their sacred city to mean that he could threaten their queen and her unborn child with impunity. Unfortunately, he failed to consider that there are ways to hurt and kill a man without spilling blood... and that those ways can be worse.
- Finish Him!: Subverted; Lady Lysa calls on Ser Vardis to finish Bronn, not realising that he's not holding off deliberately; it's because he can't land an effective blow on his lightly-armoured yet more skilled opponent. Ser Vardis obediently charges towards Bronn, who expertly dodges him and inflicts a disabling wound.
- Foreshadowing: Daenerys's comment about her brother who was killed by melted hot gold. Targaryens have the blood of dragons in their veins and are rumoured to be heat-resistant. Similarly, Daenerys is unhurt while handling the hot dragon egg, while her servant gets burned after touching it for a moment.Daenerys: He was no dragon. Fire cannot kill a dragon.
- Fragile Speedster: Bronn is lightly-armored compared to his opponent, but wins due to his greater skill, speed, and willingness to fight dishonorably.
- Frame-Up: As part of his litany of "crimes", Tyrion mentions framing a squire for stuffing his uncle's shoes with poop.
- Freudian Threat: One of the wildlings that surround Bran suggests they chop off his penis and stuff it in his mouth.
- Funny Background Event: Ser Barristan's silent reaction during Lord Renly's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to King Robert shows that he completely agrees with the younger brother.
- Glory Days: Deconstructed by Renly. Old war stories are all fine and dandy if you were a noble on the winning side; for everybody else, War Is Hell. The fact that Robert misses those times of instability shows just how much of a Blood Knight he is.
- Going Commando: Roz just has to lift her skirt to give Theon his money's worth.
- Going Native:
- Daenerys seems to have completely accepted Dothraki culture, to the point that she willingly takes part in a ceremony that involves eating a whole horse's heart.
- Sansa now sports a southern hairstyle and is acting more haughty as she prepares to be a princess.
- Gone Swimming, Clothes Stolen: The first crime Tyrion "confesses" to was when he stole a servant girl's robe while she was bathing. He did that when he was seven.
- Grievous Harm with a Body: Bronn shoves a knight into Ser Vardis's way during their duel.
- The Guards Must Be Crazy: Justified with Mord, who's so thick a lord from the richest house in the Seven Kingdoms can't bribe his way out.Tyrion: Sometimes possession is an abstract concept— [thunk]
- Head-in-the-Sand Management: With half of Westeros in debt to Lord Tywin, King Robert doesn’t want to know what lies behind the Stark/Lannister feud. Instead of dealing with the crisis, he gives the Hand badge back to Ned and goes off hunting.
- Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Ser Vardis wears a helm, but not Bronn. Then again, Bronn's not wearing any plate armor at all.
- Holy Ground: Daenerys and her brother Viserys travel with the Dothraki to Vaes Dothrak, their holy city in which it is forbidden to draw swords or shed blood. Having no respect for the Dothraki ways, Viserys exploits the fact that they will not violate their own rules, drawing a sword and making demands. He really should have paid attention to the exact phrasing of those rules; they don't actually say "no killing".
- Hurricane of Euphemisms: Tyrion has a truly impressive array of ways to say, "masturbation."
- Ignored Epiphany: When attempting to steal the dragon eggs, Viserys, angered and even hurt that his sister has love from thousands whereas he's never had such a thing, asks Mormont how someone can rule without fear, wealth, or love. Shame that he immediately afterwards focuses on Jorah's developing Bodyguard Crush and continues to be an asshat, rather than realize that maybe he'd have at least one of the three things he'd mentioned if he, well, weren't such an asshat. Or at least shut up long enough for someone else, like Mormont perhaps, to advise him (not that he'd listen).
- Ironic Echo: Robb tells off Theon, who's urging him to declare war over the attack on his father. "It's not your House." Then Robb asks where Bran has got to. Theon replies sarcastically, "I don't know. It's not my House."
- Kangaroo Court: Lysa says that her son will be judge at Tyrion's trial. Robin claps his hands gleefully as the Moon Door is cranked open to show what awaits if he's found guilty.Robing: MAKE THE BAD MAN FLY!
- Large Ham: In-universe, during Tyrion's "confession".
- Mama Bear: Dany turns cold the moment her brother threatens her unborn child.
- Masquerade Ball: Robert mentions that Renly likes to organize these.
- Meaningful Echo: Tyrion isn't making headway with Mort until he uses the saying, "a Lannister always pays his debts," that Bran mentioned in his lesson with Maester Luwin.
- Meaningful Look: After her brother goes too far, Dany doesn't have to exchange words with her husband over what's going to happen next.
- Moral Myopia: During the duel between Ser Vardis and Bronn, the same nobles who were cheering on Ser Vardis to cut Bronn in half start to plead for mercy when Bronn wins the fight. Additionally, Lysa has the nerve to say Bronn wasn't noble for killing Ser Vardis, even though Bronn gave her the opportunity to call the fight when he was the clear victor, which forced him to finish Ser Vardis.
- Mythology Gag: At one point, Viserys tries to abscond with Danaerys' dragon eggs, but Ser Jorah Mormont stands in his way, despite everything Viserys says to get him to let him leave.Viserys: Does loyalty mean nothing to you?
Jorah: It means everything to me.
Viserys: And yet here you stand.
Jorah: And yet here I stand.note- When Viserys turns up at the feast, Qotho refers to him as "Khal Rhae Mhar"(it translates to "Sorefoot King" in Dothraki), eliciting a derisive chuckle from Drogo. In the novel, Khal Rhae Mhar is a mocking title the Dothraki give Viserys behind his back in response to Daenerys confiscating his horse and forcing him to walk.
- Noodle Incident: Tyrion confesses, "I once brought a jackass and a honeycomb into a brothel..." but he's cut off before he can finish. Robin is particularly interested in hearing what happened next.
- Obliviously Superpowered: Dany is still unaware of her invulnerability to heat... right up until one of her handmaidens burns her hands on a red-hot dragon egg that Dany had previously lifted bare-handed without suffering so much as a scratch, and Dany finally realizes that there might be something genuinely extraordinary about her.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Tryion wakes up in his skycell to find he's rolled to the edge of a very long drop.
- Ser Vardis has this reaction when Tyrion names his brother Jaime as his champion. He's visibly relieved when Lysa informs Tyrion that they're not going to wait until Jaime arrives.
- Bronn's expression when Vardis backs him to the edge of the Moon Door.
- Daenerys when a blind drunk Viserys stumbles into the feast, aware that he's likely to piss off someone with no qualms about killing him in such a state.
- Viserys, after finally realising he's pushed Drogo's grudging tolerance of him too far and thanks to his abusiveness towards Daenerys, she won't lift a finger to try and help him. Especially since he's also realised that he's not going to get his crown in the way that he wanted it...
- Papa Wolf: You don't threaten Khal Drogo's wife and son. Unless, of course, you wanna have a nice crown.
- Percussive Therapy: Eddard is incredulous that Robert is going off to hunt in the middle of a crisis. The king snaps, "Killing clears my head!" Part of his frustration with Cersei is that he can't work off his anger by beating her, as it's "not kingly."
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: From Khal Drogo to Viserys: "A crown for a king."
- Professional Buttkisser: It's implied that several of the Vale knights who call upon Lysa to name them her champion are this, considering how they're basically volunteering to slaughter a dwarf to gain favor with their lady. Ser Vardis is the only one that doesn't, because he finds it dishonorable to fight a dwarf, and agrees to instead face Tyrion's able-bodied champion.
- Rage Breaking Point: What makes Viserys finally snap is Drogo waving him off to a demeaning part of the feast hall, and when Viserys protests it's no fit place for a king, Drogo sneering back, "You are no king!"
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: The Mountain and his men, except they didn't bother with pillaging.
- A Real Man Is a Killer: "In the Iron Islands, you're not a man until you've killed your first enemy."
- Reaction Shot:
- When Tyrion says he's very good at convincing others to do violence for him, Cat tenses up, clearly expecting him to confess to hiring Bran's attacker. While the court is shown gasping in shock at Tyrion's 'crimes', Bronn is grinning at his chutzpah.
- During the Bronn/Vardis fight, the reactions of the crowd are shown — notably Tyrion, Catelyn, and Lysa and her son.
- Ser Barristan looks worried over how King Robert keeps chugging down the wine in the middle of a boar hunt.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Renly delivers a fantastic one to Robert.Robert: Those were the days!
Renly: Which days, exactly? The ones when half of Westeros fought the other half and millions died? Or before that, when the Mad King slaughtered women and babies because the voices in his head told him they deserved it? Or way before that, when dragons burnt whole cities to the ground?
Robert: Easy, boy, you might be my brother, but you're speaking to the king.
Renly: I suppose it was all rather heroic, if you were drunk enough and had some poor Riverlands whore to shove your prick inside and "make the eight." - Refuge in Audacity: Tyrion's "confession". His one and only chance of surviving was to get Bronn to see him as a better bet for getting wealth and advancement than Lady Catelyn. No doubt he was ticked off and wanted a chance to annoy his captors, but his only real goal in that scene was to let Bronn see that he wasn't sweating and convince him that he was fully in control of the situation. Considering that he was playing with literally no cards in his hand, Refuge in Audacity was really his only move.
- Replacement Goldfish: King Robert admits that he never loved his brothers, and tells Ned "you were the brother I chose." The young prostitute Mhaegen is implied to be one for Lyanna Stark.
- Schiff One-Liner: Daenerys Targaryen's wry comment about her brother, who has just been brutally killed by her husband, pointing to the moral ambiguity of the episode's outcome.Daenerys: He was no dragon. Fire cannot kill a dragon.
- Shout-Out: Viserys' "crowning" is similar to Genghis Khan allegedly doing the same
with molten silver to a governor who offended him. - Silence, You Fool!Tyrion: I once brought a jackass and a honeycomb into a brothel—
Lady Lysa: SILENCE!
Robin: What happened next?- King Robert also yells for silence when Ned and Cersei start shouting over each other.
- Slice-and-Dice Swordsmanship: Ser Vardis Egen’s moves consist of trying to hack Bronn with his sword and missing, even though he could easily kill Bronn by stabbing him since Bronn isn’t wearing armor.
- Talking Your Way Out: Tyrion's long, funny monologue, an attempt to get sympathy from the court of the Vale and to get Bronn on his side.
- That Came Out Wrong: Sansa describing her desire to marry Joffrey over a hypothetical lord put forward by her father: "I don't want someone brave and gentle and strong, I want him!" Arya snickers in response and Ned has to hide his smile.
- Too Dumb to Fool: Too dumb to bribe in this case, but that makes Mord quite handy to have as Tyrion's guard.
- Tranquil Fury:
- When Viserys first enters his tent, Khal Drogo basically sees him as an amusing nuisance. When Viserys pulls out his sword and starts threatening his wife and unborn child, his demeanor changes, but he never raises his voice once.
- Dany. When Drogo's bloodriders restrain Viserys in preparation for Drogo to kill him, the look on her face never changes one iota from almost total serenity. He really shouldn't have threatened to kill her baby.
- Translator Buddy: Doreah is shown whispering Viserys' words into Drogo's ear as he makes his demands. In the book, she's so terrified of Drogo's reaction that she can't bring herself to translate, so Dany, who at this point is still far from fluent in Dothraki, has to use what little she knows to tell him what Viserys said.
- Trial by Combat: Tyrion invokes his right to a combat trial to save himself from the Eyrie. Lysa has already named her son Robin as the judge, and he's already proven he wouldn't rule in any way fairly, so Tyrion trusts in a champion's skill to win the day.
- Undignified Death: Viserys does not meet his end gracefully, the moments beforehand being punctuated by terrified whimpering and desperate begging and screams. Then again, given the very horrible way Khal Drogo is preparing to kill him, it's hard to entirely blame the man for losing composure.
- Unusual Euphemism: Tyrion provides quite a few ways to describe masturbation. "I made the bald man cry!" (Complete with hand movement.)
- Villainous Breakdown: Viserys realises his sister has everything she needs to be a ruler, while he has nothing. "Who can rule without wealth or fear or love?" Things go downhill from there.
- Wham Episode: Viserys suffers a gruesome end, leaving Daenerys and her husband as the main long-term threats to the Seven Kingdoms. Eddard then realizes the secret that Jon Arryn uncovered before his death— Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella are all the bastard children of an incestuous affair between Cersei and Jaime, and thus have no legitimate claim to the throne.
- Who's Laughing Now?: Lysa smugly tells Tyrion his guilt or innocence will be judged by her son, who's already expressed interest in making Tyrion fly. The moment Tyrion derails her plans by demanding Trial by Combat, Lysa's smug composure falters. A few moments later, her gloating attitude over Tyrion seemingly having failed to find a champion for his trial by combat is abruptly erased when Bronn volunteers himself.
- You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: Viserys calls his sister "Dany" when he realizes he's in deep shit.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: When Lysa Arryn tells Ser Vardis to stop holding back and finish off Bronn already, the wounded and exhausted knight can only give an exasperated look along the lines of, "I am trying, (my) lady!"
