History Recap / GameOfThronesS3E8SecondSons

* SmugSmiler: Daario's near constant expression. Notable, in that Ed Skrein somehow manages to upturn both corners of his mouth at once, giving him [[CatSmile the look of a self-satisfied tom-cat]] most of the time; that is, when he's not directing meaningful gazes at the Mother of Dragons.

** Or adaptational kindness, at least. In the book, Sansa does not kneel for Tyrion because she thinks everyone is laughing at her. She instantly regrets it when she sees how embarrassed and angry he is because of it, and realizes that she's just insulted the one Lannister who's ever even ''tried'' to be genuinely nice to her.

* WeaponOfChoice: Daario's long stiletto knife and Dothraki arakh with the ornamental hilts forged in the likenesses of naked women.

* FlirtatiousSmackOnTheAss: Mero smacks Missandei on her butt when the Second Sons leave Daenerys's tent. She is visibly disturbed by his harassment and Dany looks coldly furious at his treatment of a woman she's beginning to consider a friend.

** The story behind "The Rains of Castamere" is simplified in the show. It removes House Tarbeck, who also rebelled along with the Reynes, and takes Tywin's father out of the picture.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Or adaptational kindness, at least. In the book, Sansa does not kneel for Tyrion because she thinks everyone is laughing at her. She instantly regrets it when she sees how embarrassed and angry he is because of it, and realizes that she's just insulted the one Lannister who's ever even ''tried'' to be genuinely nice to her.

* MoralityPet: Davos realises that King Stannis is letting him out of his cell because he has doubts about the HumanSacrifice the Red Woman is urging, and he wants Davos to talk him out of it.

** Gendry (Joe Dempsie) shirtless and Melisandre (Carice van Houten) naked. In bed. It goes downhill very fast.

Meanwhile back at '''King's Landing''', Sansa and Tyrion are not exactly enjoying their wedding feast. Joffrey gets Sansa alone to tell her that he might just put a baby in her, while Tywin gets Tyrion alone to berate him for getting too drunk to do his Lannister duty. Joffrey announces that there's going to be a bedding ceremony, a Westerosi custom where the guests strip the couple and bring them to bed. Tyrion tries to refuse but Joffrey asserts his royal authority, prompting Tyrion to drunkenly stab a knife into the table and inform the King that if he pushes this, he'll have to ''fuck his own bride with a wooden cock!'' Joffrey flies into a rage, but Tyrion is able to avert disaster by playing a giggling over-the-top drunk, and leading Sansa away while Tywin smooths things over. In their bedchamber, the newlyweds are about to do their unhappy duty, when Tyrion calls it off. Screw his father, he's not going to do it until Sansa wants him to.

Meanwhile back at '''King's Landing''', Sansa and Tyrion are not exactly enjoying their wedding feast. Joffrey gets Sansa alone to tell her that he might just put a baby in her, while Tywin gets Tyrion alone to berate him for getting too drunk to do his Lannister duty. Joffrey announces that there's going to be a bedding ceremony, a Westerosi custom where the guests strip the couple and bring them to bed. Tyrion tries to refuse but Joffrey asserts his royal authority, prompting Tyrion to drunkenly stab a knife into the table and inform the King that if he pushes this, he'll have to ''fuck his own bride with a wooden cock!'' Joffrey flies into a rage, but Tyrion is able to avert disaster by playing a giggling over-the-top drunk, and leading Sansa away while Tywin smooths things over. In their bedchamber, the newlyweds are about to do their unhappy duty, when Tyrion calls it off. Screw his father, he's not going to do it until Sansa wants him to. And then he passes out.

** In the novel, Sam slaying a White Walker takes place not long after the Fist of the First Men (the White Walkers were pursuing the survivors as they fled, killing anyone who fell behind), and he was in the presence of Grenn and Small Paul, a fellow steward who was killed by the Walker (Sam stabbed the creature while it was trying to free its sword from Paul's corpse). It is a wight that Sam saves Gilly from, and by [[BurnTheUndead setting it ablaze) rather than with dragonglass.

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: The show changes Sam's dragonglass dagger into several daggers and arrowheads, as revealed in "Mhysa." However, without explaining this until later, it appears as if he stupidly leaves his one blade behind when he and Gilly run for it.

** Like last episode's Fanservicy scene with Theon, Gendry and Melisandre's session is also fairly bereft of Fanservice because the viewer knows all along that she's there only to take his lifeforce. Gendry eventually gets a leech placed on his cock by Melisandre.
** Especially for female audiences, Mero harrassing Daenerys and Missandei was also particularly nauseating and repulsive.
* FirstNameBasis: After their marriage, Tyrion insists that Sansa stop calling him "my lord".
* FlirtatiousSmackOnTheAss: Mero smacks Missandei on her butt when the Second Sons leave Daenerys's tent. She is visibly disturbed by his harrassment and Dany looks coldly furious at his treatment of a woman she's beginning to consider a friend.

-->"A fortnight ago I had no army, a year ago I had no dragons."

** Look quick and you can spot Loras chatting up a good-looking nobleman as Cersei explains the Rains of Castamere.
** At the wedding, right after lord Tywin berates Tyrion, the camera briefly pans to [[DirtyOldMan Maester Pycelle]] having an awkward chat with two young girls.

** Melisandre pulls a still feeding leech off Gendry's todger. Ouch.

-->''(slams a dagger into the table)'' "Then you'll be fucking your own bride with a wooden cock!"

* IdiotBall: Sam [[AdaptationInducedPlotHole inexplicably]] leaves the obsidian dagger in the snow after discovering it can kill White Walkers. With no better explanation, it looks like he simply forgot about it[[labelnote:In the books...]] he keeps the dagger after killing the Other, and it shatters later when he tries to use it against a wight[[/labelnote]]. In "Mhysa" however, it turns out that he had a lot more than just one.

* IronicEcho: When Sansa asks Tyrion what will happen if she doesn't ever want him in her bed, Tyrion gives a bitter smile and says, "And so my watch begins" -- a clear riff on the creed of the Night's Watch (''Night falls, and now my watch begins'') who of course swear to be celibate for the rest of their lives.

* JustJokingJustification: After his threat to Joffrey, Tyrion regains control of himself and tries to pass it off as a bad joke, and engages in some SelfDeprecation. It's unclear if ''anyone'' is fooled by this (Joffrey certainly isn't,) but it was a necessary face-saving gesture anyway, and Tywin takes the opportunity to overrule Joffrey and send the newlyweds on their way.

* KillMeNowOrForeverStayYourHand: The Hound invites Arya to take one swing at his head with the rock, and if she fails he'll break both her hands. AnswerCut to a sulking Arya riding on the Hound's horse.

** An absolutely fantastic one from Peter Dinklage upon uttering his intimidatory ultimatum to his nephew. The sheer smouldering force behind his gaze from beyond the drawn line of the knife embedded in the table; should have reduced the little shite to a scorch mark on the floor!
** Sansa gets to reprise her own KubrickStare from "Fire and Blood" when Joffrey threatens to use his Lord's Right to rape her.

* LetsGetDangerous: Samwell. For about the first time in the series. Stands resolute against an advancing White Walker yelling: "Get back!" While brandishing his sword, even if he doesn't manage to swing it or anything.
* LimitedWardrobe: Bronn appears at the wedding in his usual worn-down leather armor and tattered clothes, making him stand out as a sore thumb amongst the other, more formally dressed guests.

** Gendry's remark that the people of Flea Bottom knew that the meat in the "bowls of brown" wasn't chicken. In the books, Bronn kills a singer who attempted to blackmail Tyrion and implies that he [[ImAHumanitarian disposed of the body in the stew]].

-->'''Stannis:''' "What's one bastard boy, against a kingdom?"

* NotWorthKilling: The White Walker (apparently the same one from the end of Season 2,) once again doesn't do anything to Sam as soon as he's no longer standing in its way. This turns out to have been a big mistake because now Sam has both someone to protect, ''and'' a dragonglass dagger.

*** And earlier, when Sam exits the hut and realizes the weirwood tree is host to a huge unkindness[[note]]collective noun for ravens[[/note]] of ravens. [[Film/TheBirds This cannot be good]].

** Tywin rather swiftly getting to his feet (despite there being no practical advantage to doing so,) when Tyrion threatens Joffrey is probably the closest his character could ever come to this.

* PassiveAggressiveKombat: Played with. When Margaery gets too familiar for Cersei's liking, Cersei tells her the story of the Rains of Castamere, making several indirect (if fairly blatant,) threats to the Tyrells in the process. At the finish she quite abruptly discards the indirect threats and promises "If you ever call me 'sister' again, I'll have you strangled in your sleep".

* PragmaticAdaptation: In the books, Daario has dyed blue hair and a blue three-forked beard, a gold tooth, and an entirely yellow outfit. This would look fairly ridiculous in reality, and Daario is supposed to be a hunk, so his appearance is made conventionally handsome.

* In the novel, Sam slaying a White Walker takes place not long after the Fist of the First Men (the White Walkers were pursuing the survivors as they fled, killing anyone who fell behind), and he was in the presence of Grenn and Small Paul, a fellow steward who was killed by the Walker (Sam stabbed the creature while it was trying to free its sword from Paul's corpse). It is a wight that Sam saves Gilly from, and by [[BurnTheUndead setting it ablaze) rather than with dragonglass.
* PrecisionFStrike: One of the best ever.
-->'''Tyrion:''' There will be no bedding ceremony.
-->'''Joffrey:''' There will be if I command it!
-->''(Tyrion slams a dagger into the table)''
-->'''Tyrion:''' Then you'll be fucking your own bride, with a wooden cock!
** And later

-->"What did you say? What...did you...'''SAY?!'''"
* QuestionableConsent: Gendry submitting to Melisandre. Although he doesn't physically struggle against her advances he's still her prisoner, thinks she's the closest thing he has to an ally and she obviously isn't giving him much choice in the matter. (Not to mention her dubious mind manipulation abilities). Any question goes out the window when she ties him up and tortures him while he begs her to stop.

* ASharedSuffering: Averted; Tyrion, Sansa, Shae, Loras, Cersei are all miserable at the wedding, but none of them can give any comfort to each other. Loras tries to strike up a pleasant conversation with Cersei, but she immediately rebuffs him.
* SmugSmiler: Daario's near constant expression. Notable, in that Ed Skrein somehow manages to upturn both corners of his mouth at once. Giving him [[CatSmile the look of a self-satisfied tom-cat]] most of the time; that is, when he's not directing meaningful gazes at the Mother of Dragons.

* TeenyWeenie: Tyrion states that his "joke" was due to envy at the king's manhood in contrast to his own tiny one. He also says that "[Tyrion's] is so small, my poor wife won't even know I'm there." At previous points in the series it has been suggested that Tyrion is not at all under-endowed.
-->"The gods gave me one blessing!"
-->'''Tyrion, in his first appearance'''

** Lord Tywin tells King Joffrey that "your uncle is clearly drunk", subtly reminding him of their family connection.

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Why Don't You Just Sacrifice Him? Stannis tells Melisandre to bleed Gendry and stop screwing around with [[BatheHerAndBringHerToMe Bathe Him And Bring Him To Me]].

-->'''Prendahl:''' That dragon bitch, she talks too much.
-->'''Daario:''' You talk too much.
-->'''Meto:''' She won't talk so much when she's choking on my cock.

The episode starts with Arya waking up in '''The Riverlands'''. Grabbing a rock, she creeps over to the sleeping Sandor Clegane... who tells her that she gets one shot to kill him, and then he'll break both her hands. She chooses wisely. Later on, The Hound informs Arya that he's not taking her to King's Landing. They're going to The Twins so that he can ransom her to the Starks, who will be there for Edmure Tully's wedding.

Meanwhile, outside '''Yunkai''', Daenerys, Jorah, and Barristan are spying on the city's [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenaries]]. There's 2,000 of them, and they call themselves the "Second Sons". She meets with three of their captains to bribe them away. She points out that she has 8,000 troops behind her, and that they shouldn't worry about losing their reputation, as they'll be set for life once she comes into her kingdom. One of the captains, like everyone else on this show who ends up negotiating with Dany, decides to act like a complete shithead. He makes comments to the effect that he screwed her in a brothel, that he and the Second Sons will rape her, gives her obscene suggestions, grabs Missandei's ass, and just all around douchebags it up to the point where both Jorah and Grey Worm threaten to kill him. But Dany plays it cool, gives them all some wine, allows them two days to think it over and, once they leave, turns to Barristan and tells him to ''kill that man first''.

Back at '''Yunkai''', the three captains ponder how to deal with Daenerys and her 8000 Unsullied, while Daario espouses his [[BloodKnight personal philosophy]]. The jackass one proposes that someone sneak into camp and assassinate her. They draw lots and the mission falls to Daario Naharis.

At '''King's Landing''', Sansa is about to marry Tyrion. Margarey, ever sugar-sweet, tries to buddy up with Cersei. The Queen, by way of explaining the history of ''The Rains of Castamere'', provides us some background exposition and implicitly threatens to kill her future daughter-in-law. And then, to be sure she gets the hint, openly threatens to kill her. During the wedding, Joffrey insists on walking Sansa down the aisle in Ned's place, and pointedly takes away Tyrion's stepladder. Given that a Westeros wedding involves the groom cloaking the bride, the stepladder was necessary, but after some laughter from the gallery (that gets a DeathGlare from Tywin) Sansa kneels for Tyrion.

Finally, we end our episode '''Beyond The Wall''', where Samwell and Gilly spend the night in an old cabin under the shadow of a Weir-wood tree. They share a little moment, discussing boy's names for the baby, when dozens if not hundreds of ravens start cawing from the boughs. Samwell goes outside to investigate, only to be confronted by a lone White Walker; the very one who passed him by at the Fist of the First Men. The awakened Other shatters Sam's blade with its icy grip and, knocking him aside as if he were nothing, goes straight for the offering they've come to expect when Craster delivers a male scion. Desperately, Sam draws the dragonglass spear-head and charges the monster of ice and snow. As the White Walker reaches out for Gilly's son, Sam drives the crude dagger into the eldritch being's back...

!!Tropes:

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: The show changes Sam's dragonglass dagger into several daggers and arrowheads, as revealed in "Mhysa." However, without explaining this until later, it appears as if he stupidly left his one blade behind when he and Gilly ran for it.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Or adaptational kindness, at least. In the book, Sansa does not kneel for Tyrion because she thinks everyone is laughing at her. She instantly regrets it when she sees how embarrassed and angry he is because of it, and realizes that she'd just insulted the one Lannister who'd ever even ''tried'' to be genuinely nice to her.

* BadassBoast[=/=]VillainSong: Cersei explaining Margaery the lyrics of "The Rains of Castamere" is a thinly-veiled threat to house Tyrell. It's the tale of the rise and fall of house Reyne; they crossed Tywin Lannister for a place in the sun, and they were terminated with extreme prejudice.
** Daario Naharis told his captains "I am Daario Naharis, I ''always'' have a choice."

* BatheHerAndBringHerToMe: A gender-flipped version. Upon arriving at Dragonstone Melisandre sends Gendry off to be bathed and dressed before being brought to her chambers where she plans to seduce him and use him for BloodMagic.

-->'''Mero''': Daario Naharis, the whore who doesn't like whores.
-->'''Daario''': I like them very much. I just refuse to ''pay them''.
* BloodMagic: Melisandre has Stannis throw three leeches, engorged with Gendry's blood onto a brazier, apparently as part of a ceremony to curse the pretenders of his right to rule the Seven Kingdoms: He names the King in the North, the King of the Iron Islands and the false king upon the Iron Throne; as they swell and pop from the heat. *Gulp*

** Tyrion brings up [[Recap/GameOfThronesS3E1ValarDohaeris the time]] when Tywin called him "a drunken little lust-filled beast".
** Tyrion declares himself "the god of tits and wine", a hypothetical god he pondered the possible existence of in Season 2.
** When Missandei corrects Dany's Dothraki, she uses the same "Ath Jahakar" phrase that Dany supposedly got right early in the first season. Unlike that time (when Dany got the number of syllables correct but her intonation was clearly different from her handmaidens,) Missandei corrects her until she copies it precisely. Dany wryly admits she's out of practice.
** Melisandre assures Gendry that the wine isn't poisoned and takes a sip to prove it. Those who remember how she was introduced in the last season know how empty this gesture was, but it turns out that in this instance she's telling the truth and it really isn't poisoned.

** Shae once again disposes of Sansa's bedsheets, but whereas last time it was to hide evidence of her period, this time it's to hide the fact that there's no blood on them as Tyrion hasn't taken her virginity as commanded by his father.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: In the books, Sansa ignores Tyrion's request that she kneel for the cloak-switching, so Dontos Hollard (remember him from season 2 episode 1?) has to run over and be a footstool. Most of the other scenes in season 3 involving Dontos were rendered unnecessary by Littlefinger leaving the city much later than in the books, so this is the first time his absence becomes really noticeable.

** Tyrion gives Joffrey a look dripping pure hatred after threatening to castrate his nephew unless he lets the bedding drop.
* DecapitatedArmy: Rather than risk taking on 8000 Unsullied, the Titan's Bastard decides the best way to defeat Dany is to assassinate her.

* DemotedToExtra: Grand Maester Pycelle, Varys and Bronn all appear in the background of Tyrion's wedding, but have no lines in this episode.

* DissonantSerenity: Danys maintains her smile in the face of Mero's crude comments, [[KubrickStare until he leaves]].

* DrawingStraws: Mero puts three coins in the palm of a bedslave; the one who picks the Braavosi coin gets the dangerous task of assasinating Daenerys.

* DroitDuSeigneur: Joffrey gleefully tells Sansa that he's considering putting his own child inside her. [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil And if she objects, he'll have his Kingsguard hold her down while he does the deed]].

* FanServiceExtra: The Titan's Bastard fondles a scantily-clad bedslave while discussing strategy with his fellow captains.

* TookALevelInBadass: Bumbling Samwell kills a white walker.

* HopeSpot: Arya learns that the Hound isn't taking her back to King's Landing like she thought, but instead plans to ransom her back to her mother and brother while they're at the Twins for a wedding. She actually smiles for the first time in a long while at the prospect of being reunited with her family. [[spoiler:Anyone who's seen the next episode knows how that "Red Wedding" turned out...]]

* AnIcePerson: The White Walker can generate cold intense enough to shatter Sam's sword [[ConvectionSchmonvection (though without, apparently, doing any damage to the person holding it)]]. Apart from the explanation of it being magic, this really isn't that implausible: air is actually a very poor conductor of heat and cold (it's why reaching into a hot oven is uncomfortable but reaching into a pot of boiling water will cause serious injuries), so the blade being supercooled wouldn't necessarily have affected Sam.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: Sansa and Tyrion at their wedding feast. Goes double for Tyrion, who drinks all the time and has still managed to get thoroughly plastered during the celebrations. In the books, he's not actually drunk, just pretending to be so he can get away with sparing Sansa the bedding ceremony.

* ItsPersonal: Danys' smile drops the moment the Titan's Bastard leaves her presence, and she orders Ser Barristan to make sure he kills him first. Fuming over the Titan's lack of respect for his queen, Barristan is only too glad to accept the task.

* JustJokingJustification: After his threat to Joffrey, Tyrion regains control of himself and tries to pass it off as a bad joke, and engages in some SelfDeprecation. It's unclear if ''anyone'' is fooled by this (Joffrey certainly isn't,) but was a necessary face-saving gesture anyway, and Tywin takes the opportunity to overrule Joffrey and send the newlyweds OK their way.

Finally, we end our episode '''Beyond The Wall''', where Samwell and Gilly spend the night in an old cabin under the shadow of a Weir-wood tree. They share a little moment, discussing boy's names for the baby, when dozens if not hundreds of ravens start cawing from the boughs. Samwell goes outside to investigate, only to be confronted by a lone White Walker. The awakened Other shatters his sword with its icy grip and, flinging him aside as if he were nothing, goes straight for the offering they've come to expect when Craster delivers a male scion. Desperately, Sam draws the dragonglass spear-head and charges the monster of ice and snow. As the White Walker reaches out for Gilly's son, Sam drives the crude dagger into the eldritch being's back...

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: The show changes Sam's dragonglass dagger in to several daggers and arrowheads, as revealed in "Mhysa." However, without explaining this until later, it appears as if he stupidly left his one blade behind when he and Gilly ran for it.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Or adaptational kindness, at least. In the book, Sansa does not kneel for Tyrion because she thinks everyone is laughing at her. She instantly regrets it.
* AdaptationalModesty: In the books Tyrion and Sansa had undressed completely before he changed his mind about bedding her.

** When Missandei corrects Dany's Dothraki, she uses the same "Ath Jahakar" phrase that Dany supposedly got right early in the first season. Unlike that time (when Dany got the number of syllables correct but her intonation was clearly different from her handmaidens,) Missandei corrects her until she copies it precisely.
** Melisandre assures Gendry that the wine isn't poisoned and takes a sip to prove it. Those who remember how she was introduced in the last season know how empty this gesture was.

* ChekhovsGun: Sam uses the dragon-glass from last season to slay the White Walker.

* ComfortingComforter: After passing out drunk on the couch, Tyrion wakes up the next morning with the bridal cloak draped over him.

* DecapitatedArmy: Rather than risk taking on 8000 Unsullied, the Titan's Bastard decides the best way to defeat Danys is to assassinate her.

* DemotedToExtra: Grand Maester Pycelle, Lord Varys and Bronn all appear in the background of Tyrion's wedding, but have no lines in this episode.

** Sansa maintains her armor of courtesy towards her husband throughout the wedding, and afterwards when she undresses for him in his bedchamber. For Tyrion that's the final straw, and he realises he can't take advantage of her.

* FlirtatiousSmackOnTheAss: Mero smacks Missandei on her butt when the Second Sons leave Daenerys's tent. She is visibly disturbed by his harrassment.

* AnIcePerson: The White Walker can generate cold intense enough to shatter Sam's sword [[ConvectionSchmonvection (though without, apparently, doing any damage to the person holding it)]]
* IdiotBall: Sam [[AdaptationInducedPlotHole inexplicably]] leaves the obsidian dagger in the snow after discovering it can kill White Walkers. With no better explanation, it looks like he simply forgot about it[[labelnote:In the books...]] he keeps the dagger after killing the Other, and it shatters later when he tries to use it against a wight[[/labelnote]]. In Mhysa however, it turns out that he had a lot more than just one.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: Sansa and Tyrion at their wedding feast. Goes double for Tyrion, who drinks all the time and has still managed to get thoroughly plastered during the celebrations.

* JustJokingJustification: After his threat to Joffrey, Tyrion regains control of himself and tries to pass it off as a bad joke, and engages in some SelfDeprecation. It's unclear if ''anyone'' is fooled by this (Joffrey certainly isn't,) but was a necessary face-saving gesture anyway.

** And Danys once the Titan's Bastard walks out of her tent.

-->What's one bastard boy, against a kingdom?

* NotWorthKilling: The White Walker (apparently the same one from the end of Season 2,) once again doesn't do anything to Sam as soon as he's no longer standing in its way. This turns out to have been a big mistake.

* ScreamingWarrior: Sam screams as he charges at the White Walker. He doesn't even turn round. Big mistake.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Gilly accuses Sam of deliberately using fancy words to confuse her. Perplexed, Sam claims he is talking normally.

* SuperStrength: The White Walker knocks Sam (who, let's face it, is hardly going to be light) through the air one-handed without apparent effort.

* BatheHerAndBringHerToMe: A gender-flipped version. Upon arriving at Dragonstone Melisandre send Gendry off to be bathed and dressed before being brought to her chambers where she plans to seduce him and use him for BloodMagic.

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Mero is supposed to be Braavosi like Syrio Forel, but he sounds like an Australian instead of a Spaniard.

-->What's one bastard boy, against a kingdom.

* FanService: Joe Dempsie shirtless and Carice van Houten naked. It goes downhill very fast. Naked Emilia Clark is definitely a straighter example.

* YouHave48Hours: Danys gives the Second Sons two days to decide which side to fight for.

* HopeSpot: Arya learns that the Hound isn't taking her back to King's Landing like she thought, but instead plans to ransom her back to her mother ans brother while they're at the Twins for a wedding. She actually smiles for the first time in a long while at the prospect of being reunited with her family. [[spoiler:Anyone who's seen the next episode knows how that "Red Wedding" turned out...]]