History Recap / GameOfThronesS1E3LordSnow

* GodHelpUsAll
-->'''Maester Aemon:''' When winter comes, gods help us all.
* GoingNative: Dany is dressing in Dothraki riding clothes and learning to how to exert her authority as Khalessi.

* WhipItGood: Daenerys' bodyguard, Rakharo, whips Viserys because he was disrespectful to Khaleesi.

* FromACertainPointOfView: Cersei teaches Joffrey to reframe events to show him in a more favorable light. For example, he didn't get defeated by a girl and her direwolf; he killed the direwolf and spared the girl out of respect for their fathers' friendship.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Tyrion explains why; those born to privilege have skilled instructors and time set aside every day to practice their skills. They can't help but become better than the smallfolk who make up most of the Night's Watch recruits.

Back, in '''King's Landing''' Ned, Catelyn and Littlefinger plan their strategy, with Littlefinger offering Ned his assistance in finding proof about Tyrion's assassination plot, whilst Cersei frets to Jaime about Bran's recovery. Jaime is not concerned about Bran--"I think we can outfox a ten-year-old"--or about Robert either: "I'll go to war with him if I have to. They can write a ballad about us! The War for Cersei's Cunt." (Cersei herself is [[ArmorPiercingSlap singularly unamused]].) Ned and Catelyn share a tender farewell before she returns to the north. And King Robert has a discussion with first Ser Barristan and then Jaime about first times. It sounds like something else until Barristan mentions a lance through the heart, at which point we figure out that they're talking about their first kills. We're also introduced to Lancel Lannister, a squire in Robert's employ and cousin to Jaime and Cersei, whose primary duty seems to be providing Robert with wine and being a general ButtMonkey. "Who named you, some halfwit with a stutter?" Jaime, who is standing guard outside, is invited into the conversation, and claims his first kill as one of the outlaws of the Kingswood Brotherhood. (This creates an instant bonding session with Ser Barristan, who fought in the same action.) When asked about King Aerys's last words, Jaime relates that they were the same ones he'd been repeating for a while: "Burn them all." [[MomentKiller The mood kind of dies after that.]]

** Benjen tells his nephew Jon "We'll speak when I return." Chances are they are [[DeadlyDeferredConversation not going to see each other soon]].

* WhoDares: Viserys physically attacks his sister for daring to order him about like the rest of the khallasar. He's so obsessed with his own royal authority it never even occurs to him that his sister now has royal authority of her own, and more importantly, the force to back it up.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Jaime expresses disgust for The Mad King's cruelty and shows genuine empathy to Ned about the deaths of his brother and father.

* KillItWithFire: A favorite method of the Mad King. It's mentioned that his last words were, "[[KillThemAll Burn them all]]."

* FromACertainPointOfView: Cersei teaches Joffrey to reframe events to show him in a more favorable light.

* NotSoDifferent:
** Tyrion says the only difference between the wildlings and the rest of Westeros is that the latter happened to be on the right side of the Wall when it was put up. Benjen agrees.
** Both Cersei and Ned are shown instructing their wayward children in how to behave, and the need to be wary of those outside the family.

* BuyThemOff: Jorah explains to Daenerys that this is the traditional attitude amongst the cities of Essos for dealing with the Dothraki: it's much simpler to buy the Dothraki off with a tribute of gold and slaves than starting a fight with a horde of BloodKnight warriors who likely outnumber what forces the Free Cities can call upon to defend themselves. Slightly subverted, as Jorah explains that such a policy doesn't always work: sometimes [[DisproportionateRetribution a Khal might be insulted by the quantity or quality of the slaves he's being given]]...and sometimes [[ForTheEvulz a Khal just decides his men haven't had a decent fight in months]] and [[PragmaticVillainy could do with the practice to keep them sharp]].

-->'''Ned:''' You just stood there and watched.
-->'''Jaime:''' ''Five hundred men'' just stood there and watched. All the great knights of the Seven Kingdoms, you think anyone said a word, lifted a finger? No, Lord Stark. Five hundred men, and this room was silent as a crypt. Except for the screams, of course.

-->'''Lancel:''' It's empty, your Grace.
-->'''Robert:''' What do you mean, it's empty?
-->'''Lancel:''' There's no more wine.
-->'''Robert:''' ''[[SarcasmMode Is that what empty means?]]'' So get...more!

* FamousLastWords:
** The first man Robert killed, apparently screamed "Wait!" just before [[DropTheHammer Robert brought his warhammer crashing down]].
** Apparently the Mad King's was "Burn them all" which he'd been saying as a MadnessMantra.
** Jaime plays the DeadpanSnarker when he reveals that the outlaw he decapitated for his first kill didn't say much.

** Also Tyrion. "What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten?" "[[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Do Dornish girls count?]]"

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Jaime expresses disgust for The Mad King's cruelty and shiws genuine empathy to Ned about the deaths of his brother and father.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Jaime expresses disgust fir The Mad King's cruelty and shiws genuine empathy to Ned about the deaths of his brother and father.

-->'''Ned:''' Very handsome armor. Not a scratch on it. [[note]] You're all show.[[/note]]
-->'''Jaime:''' I know. People have been swinging at me for years, but they always seem to miss. [[note]] Actually, I'm [[TheAce just that good]].[[/note]]
-->'''Ned:''' You've chosen your opponents wisely, then. [[note]] You're a DirtyCoward and only fight people you know you can beat.[[/note]]
-->'''Jaime:''' I have a knack for it. [[note]]You, for instance?[[/note]]

Jon Snow takes a lift up to '''the Wall''' (yes, they have a lift) to meet with his uncle Benjen and look off the top for the first time. Benjen, the First Ranger of the Night's Watch, is to ride out and investigate disturbing reports from the wildlings. Jon, of course, wants to go, but it is the First Ranger he is speaking to, not his uncle, and Jon has not even taken his vows yet. Down at the bottom of the hall, Tyrion is making friends with Yoren, a recruiter who scours the Seven Kingdoms for willing candidates (and not-so-willing criminals); his next trip will be to King's Landing. Benjen wanders in and takes offense at Tyrion's jovial treatment of the Watch. Tyrion explains that, while he believes the wildlings to be as dangerous as the next man, he doesn't think that the White Walkers actually exist. He and Benjen AgreeToDisagree, more or less, and Tyrion makes plans to accompany Yoren on his pilgrimage south, finding his company congenial.

-->'''Jaime Lannister''': [[MadnessMantra He just said the same thing he'd been saying for hours]]...''[[KillItWithFire Burn them all]].''

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Tyrion explains why; those born to privilege have skilled instructors and time set aside every day to practice their skills. They can't help but become better than the smallfolk who make up most of the Nights Watch recruits.

* CallForward: The "War for Cersei's Cunt" scene is taken straight from the third book, ''A Storm of Swords''. The scene appears as a flashback in the third book though, as Jaime's viewpoint didn't appear until that book.

** Water dancing, for sword fighting in the Braavos style, though it makes more sense once it is explained. It may also refer to the smooth and flowing movements that characterize the Water Dancing style, contrasted with the harder and heavier movements of "the knight's dance" (as Syrio calls it).
--->"All men are made of water, do you know this? If you pierce them, the water leaks out and they die."

-->'''Syrio:''' Remember child, this is not the dance of the Westeros we are learning. The knights dance... ''[[LargeHam Hacking! And hammering!]]'' This is the Braavos dance, the water dance. It is swift... and sudden.

-->"Tyrion Lannister. The Imp."

* DaddysGirl: Arya; more obvious in this episode than before, as quiet word with her father is enough to cool her rage.

%% * DaddysGirl: Arya; more obvious in this episode than before.

%% * DrillSergeantNasty: Ser Alliser Thorne.

%% * AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Tyrion explains why.

%% * ArmorIsUseless: Jorah and Rakharo debate the issue.

We have entered that WretchedHive we call a capitol: '''King's Landing'''. After a month of travel, the new King's Hand, Eddard Stark, has arrived. Almost before he can jump down off his horse, he's been summoned to a meeting of the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_%28government%29 small council]]," consisting of King Robert's most trusted ministers: Grand Maester of The Citadel [[AbsentMindedProfessor Pycelle]]; Master of Laws [[SleazyPolitician Renly Baratheon]], Robert's youngest brother; Master of Coin [[TheCharmer Petyr Baelish]], called "[[RagsToRiches Littlefinger]]"; and Master of Whisperers [[KnowledgeBroker Varys the eunuch]]. Normally present but away on business today are Ser [[BadassGrandpa Barristan Selmy]], called "[[TheMagnificent the Bold]]", Lord Commander of [[PraetorianGuard the Kingsguard]]; and Master of Ships, [[PrinciplesZealot Stannis Baratheon]], the middle of the Baratheon brothers. ([[TheGhost He will not appear this season]], so you can put him from your mind as well.) And of course Robert should be there, but he rarely attends these meetings, so the Hand of the King tends to chair them.

* ArmorIsUseless: Jorah and Rakharo debate the issue.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Tyrion explains why (see WhatTheHellHero).

* BrickJoke: Tyrion does take that piss off the Wall.

* ItsAllMyFault: Arya for Mycah's death. Father disagrees, saying it's the fault of the Queen and her Hound.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Joffrey again, who points out the inefficiency of the feudal levy as opposed to a single professional army under Royal command. King Robert concedes the same point in a later episode.
** Jaime also has a good point that everyone is demonizing him for stabbing King Aerys in the back when no one else would even step forward to try and rescue Ned's father and brother, even when Aerys was ''quite clearly'' a monster.

* NoDeadBodyPoops: Lampshaded by King Robert when he says they always leave that bit out of the songs.

-->"Surrounded by Lannisters! Every time I close my eyes I see their blond hair and their smug, satisfied faces."

** Cat is saying that no-one in Kings Landing knows who she is when she's approached by two of the city watch who greet her by name. Unfortunately that's nothing to telling Ned [[spoiler:that Littlefinger would never betray her trust.]]

-->'''Syrio:''' Remember child, this is not the dance of the Westeros we are learning. The knights dance... ''[[LargeHam Hacking! And hammering!]]'' This is the Braavos dance, the water dance. It is swift...and sudden.

** Benjen in turn gives one when Tyrion starts patronizing the work of the Night's Watch.
* WhipItGood: Daenerys' bodyguard, Rakharo, whips Viserys.

* CoolTeacher: Syrio Forel. Just so.

* DaddysGirl: Arya; more obvious in this episode than before.

* DrillSergeantNasty: Ser Alliser Thorne. Averted with Jon Snow, when he starts instructing the other recruits and making friends with them in the process once he realizes (thanks to a gentle lecture by Tyrion) that he had a privileged highborn upbringing, raised in a castle by his lord father, while the other boys grew up under lesser circumstances and were never taught how to fight properly like Jon was.

* NoPreggerSex: Averted with Drogo and Daenerys, who were last seen in bed together shortly after the announcement.

* SliceAndDiceSwordsmanship: Averted; water dancing is based on stabbing rather than "hacking and hammering", yet is [[{{Flynning}} equally showy for the audience}}.

* ModestyBedsheet: Thanks to the strategic placement of body and bearskin, Dany's is [[SexyBack revealing]] [[SideBoob more]] than Drogo.